#benjamin hussein

[ssunvulcan1981]

WWIII

[falesten-iw]

What makes you react to what's happening in Gaza? and What makes you care about human lives? Is it empathy, ideology, culture, religion, knowledge, or something else that compels you to feel and act?

What would push your government to stop saying, "Israel has the right to defend itself"? What would make columnists stop focusing on self defense and what the demonstrators or students are doing "wrong" and instead use their platform to pressure their government to do what's "right" to stop this ongoing genocide? When did you start caring, and when will you start acting?

Is it when you have Palestinian friends?

When Palestinian children begged for food, safety, and water?

When over 45000 Palestinians had been killed & 98000 injured ?

When left-wing political parties around the world started criticizing Israel?

When Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations sounded the alarm for years?

When protesters took to the streets every week? Do you still hear their voices?

When human rights organizations like Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch documented the atrocities? Was 60 years of human rights violations not enough?

When journalism associations worldwide recorded an unprecedented number of journalists killed in such a short period?

When UN agencies like the World Food Program or UNRWA reported on the humanitarian disaster and worsening famine?

When aid organizations like Doctors Without Borders or the Red Cross warned of the total collapse of healthcare?

When child rights organizations like Save the Children or UNICEF constantly reported on children’s acute physical and mental health crises?

When Jewish groups like Jewish Voice for Peace declared, "Not in my name"?

When the International Criminal Court in The Hague found strong evidence of crimes against humanity and began prosecuting high-ranking officials? Are you waiting for the court to tell you act?

When your children were upset after hearing what was happening in Gaza? Did that stir your parental instincts?

When the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, repeatedly urged Israel to stop the killings?

When your favorite artist spoke out—did that make you reflect?

When students protested at universities around the world? Does the passion of young people give you hope?

When the Pope made a statement about the situation?

When military experts reported how many bombs Israel had dropped on Gaza?

When 2.5 million people were displaced under bombardment, with nowhere to escape in Gaza—a place already called the world’s largest open-air prison even before October 7?

When your employer gave you permission to speak out?

Are you waiting for Joe Biden to say the red line has been crossed and stop sending weapons?

Or are you waiting for Donald Trump to say the magic words: "Enough is enough"?

Or for Benjamin Netanyahu to say "Oh sorry that was a mistake"?

Or are you waiting for God Almighty to come down and say, "Enough is enough"?

Or for the most extreme elements in the Israeli government to say, "Now we can stop bombing"—but will there be any Palestinians left in Gaza by then?

Or will you stop waiting and act now, driven by empathy, knowledge, and solidarity with people who are being oppressed right in fornt or your eyes?

I’ve lost over 200 family members, friends, and neighbors in this genocide. I have 24 of my family’s members and 2 orphaned children, trapped in a makeshift tent and struggling to survive in this freezing winter in Gaza. Is that not enough to move you to act? Tell me then when ?—when will your humanity compel you to step in? Please, act now and donate!

Vetted and shared by @90-ghost: Link.

Verified and shared by @el-shab-hussein: Link

Listed as number 282 in "The Vetted Gaza Evacuation Fundraiser Spreadsheet" compiled by @el-shab-hussein and @nabulsi : Link

Listed on the Butterfly Effect Project, number 957: Link

Additionally, Al Jazeera News has documented apart of my family's case: Link

If, for some reason, you couldn't donate via GoFundMe, you can donate via PayPal instead.

@mesetacadre @forevergulag @gazafunds @northgazaupdates2 @freepalestinneee

@komsomolka @muppet-sex @nabulsi @fading-event-608 @buttercuparry

@prierepaiienne @interact-if @unified-multiversal-theory @inkstay

@socialjusticekitten-blog @socialgoodmoms @nowthisnews @socialgoofy @fightforhumanity-rpg-blog

@fightforhumanity-rp @queerandpresentdanger @90-ghost @timogsilangan @punkitt-is-here

@fox-guardian @hiveswap @valtsv @helppeople @ibtisams

@annoyingloudmicrowavecultist @vakarians-babe @plomegranate @queerstudiesnatural @tamamita

@apollos-boyfriend @akajustmerry @marnosc @flower-tea-fairies @tsaricides

@belleandsaintsebastian @ear-motif @brutaliakent @raelyn-dreams @troythecatfish

@4ft10tvlandfangirl @communistchilchuck @fairuz @sarazucker @fairuzfan

@a-nautilus-as-pixel-art @13eyond13 @stil-lindigo @baby-indie-blog

[plitnick]

The U.S. can’t blindly support Israel and prevent escalation in the region at the same time

As Joe Biden’s top enforcer, Antony Blinken, heads to the Middle East yet again to try to force Muslim and Arab states to work to stop Israel’s genocide from sparking a regional conflagration, the administration continues to pour arms into Israel at a breakneck pace, circumventing congressional oversight to do it. This is an unsustainable policy that has already led to one of the greatest…

[iweb-rdc001]

Histoire : Le 13 décembre, le jour où le dictateur irakien Saddam Hussein a été capturé dans un trou de souris par des militaires américains

Ce jour-là… 13 décembre 2003, après 9 mois de traque par les forces américaines, Saddam Hussein est capturé dans un trou de souris de 2m de profondeur, près de son fief de Tikrit (au nord de Bagdad). Il était en possession de 750.000$ US, 2 kalachnikovs et un pistolet. Tout commence en fin de matinée lorsque l’armée américaine lance l’opération “Aube rouge”. À 18h, 600 hommes de la 4è division…

[marioluigimarioluigi]

I am so desperate and frustrated😞💔

🙏😞Please help me I want to provide for my

family's needs in Gaza🇵🇸🍉

Maybe 10€ makes a difference to us.🙏

⭕️Donation link:

https://gofund.me/e8bde1ea

‏EXTREMELY LOW FUNDS! Only 175€ raised of €25,000 goal!!😞

⭕️Pinned post:

https://www.tumblr.com/aboodalqedra/760369398918840320/please-dont-skip

‏I hope they see this so they can see and learn about my campaign. 🙏💔

‏@el-shab-hussein @appsa @nabulsi @irhabiya @90-ghost @sar-soor @mohameddd

2024 Israeli Revolution against Benjamin Netanyahu!

[zvaigzdelasas]

[TimesOfIsrael is Israeli Private Media]

The Knesset early Thursday voted overwhelmingly to pass a resolution rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The resolution was co-sponsored by parties in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition together with right-wing parties from the opposition and even received support from Benny Gantz’s centrist National Unity party.

Lawmakers from Opposition Leader Yair Lapid’s center-left Yesh Atid party left the plenum to avoid backing the measure, even though he has spoken in favor of a two-state solution. The only ones to oppose the resolution were lawmakers from the Labor, Ra’am and Hadash-Ta’al parties.

The initiative was passed just days before Netanyahu’s visit to the US to address a joint session of Congress and meet with President Joe Biden at the White House.[...]

Already in February, the Knesset passed a resolution sponsored by Netanyahu rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state, but that motion specifically addressed the unilateral establishment of such a state amid reports that countries abroad were considering recognizing a Palestinian state absent a peace agreement with Israel.

This resolution — passed 68-9 — altogether rejects the establishment of a Palestinian state, even as part of a negotiated settlement with Israel.[...]

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, said in response to the vote that there is “no peace or security for anyone without the establishment of a Palestinian state” with East Jerusalem as its capital, noting that numerous UN member countries have already recognized it.[...]

He further accused the Israeli government of “pushing the entire region into the abyss” with Washington’s support and labeled Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza as “terrorism” for the civilian deaths it has caused.

Another senior PA official, Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and a top aide to Abbas, wrote on X that the Knesset’s decision confirms Israel’s “racism,” “disregard for international law,” and “policy of perpetuating the occupation forever.”

Al-Sheikh urged countries that are hesitant to recognize a Palestinian state to do so “immediately” in order to protect the two-state solution and called on Arab states to “respond appropriately” to the resolution passed in the Knesset.

18 Jul 24

[transparentgentlemenmarker]

Donald

1 George Washington 1732-1799 Indépendant 1789-1797

2 John Adams 1735-1826 Parti fédéraliste 1797-1801

3 Thomas Jefferson 1743-1826 Parti républicain-démocrate 1801-1809

4 James Madison 1751-1836 Parti républicain-démocrate 1809-1817

5 James Monroe 1758-1831 Parti républicain-démocrate 1817-1825

6 John Quincy Adams 1767-1848 Parti républicain-démocrate 1825-1829

7 Andrew Jackson 1767-1845 Parti démocrate 1829-1837

8 Martin Van Buren 1782-1862 Parti démocrate 1837-1841

9 William Henry Harrison 1773-1841 Parti whig 1841

10 John Tyler 1790-1862 Parti whig 1841-1845

11 James Knox Polk 1795-1849 Parti démocrate 1845-1849

12 Zachary Taylor 1784-1850 Parti whig 1849-1850

13 Millard Fillmore 1800-1874 Parti whig 1850-1853

14 Franklin Pierce 1804-1869 Parti démocrate 1853-1857

15 James Buchanan 1791-1868 Parti démocrate 1857-1861

16 Abraham Lincoln 1809-1865 Parti républicain 1861-1865

17 Andrew Johnson 1808-1875 Parti démocrate 1865-1869

18 Ulysses Simpson Grant 1822-1885 Parti républicain 1869-1877

19 Rutherford Birchard Hayes 1822-1893 Parti républicain 1877-1881

20 James Abram Garfield 1831-1881 Parti républicain 1881

21 Chester Alan Arthur 1829-1886 Parti républicain 1881-1885

22 Grover Cleveland 1837-1908 Parti démocrate 1885-1889

23 Benjamin Harrison 1833-1901 Parti républicain 1889-1893

24 Grover Cleveland 1837-1908 Parti démocrate 1893-1897

25 William McKinley 1843-1901 Parti républicain 1897-1901

26 Theodore Roosevelt 1858-1919 Parti républicain 1901-1909

27 William Howard Taft 1857-1930 Parti républicain 1909-1913

28 Woodrow Wilson 1856-1924 Parti démocrate 1913-1921

29 Warren Gamaliel Harding 1865-1923 Parti républicain 1921-1923

30 Calvin Coolidge 1872-1933 Parti républicain 1923-1929

31 Herbert Clark Hoover 1874-1964 Parti républicain 1929-1933

32 Franklin Delano Roosevelt 1882-1945 Parti démocrate 1933-1945

33 Harry S. Truman 1884-1972 Parti démocrate 1945-1953

34 Dwight D. Eisenhower 1890-1969 Parti républicain 1953-1961

35 John Fitzgerald Kennedy 1917-1963 Parti démocrate 1961-1963

36 Lyndon Baines Johnson 1908-1973 Parti démocrate 1963-1969

37 Richard Milhous Nixon 1913-1994 Parti républicain 1969-1974

38 Gerald R. Ford 1913-2006 Parti républicain 1974-1977

39 Jimmy Carter 1924-2024 Parti démocrate 1977-1981

40 Ronald Wilson Reagan 1911-2004 Parti républicain 1981-1989

41 George Herbert Walker Bush 1924-2018 Parti républicain 1989-1993

42 Bill Clinton*1946 Parti démocrate 1993-2001

43 George W. Bush*1946 Parti républicain 2001-2009

44 Barack Hussein Obama II.*1961 Parti démocrate 2009-2017

45 Donald John Trump*1946 Parti républicain 2017-2021

46 Joseph “Joe” Robinette Biden, Jr.*1942 Parti démocrate 2021-2025

47 Donald John Trump*1946 Parti républicain 2025-2029

[erik-powery-for-america]

Ezekiel 36:28 "And ye shall dwell in the land That I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be My people, and I will be your God" ... This is the scripture used by israelis to justify Apart-Heid, Segregation, Occupation, and wholesale land theft. This is called "The Promised Land" by Christian Theologians. This House of Cards is built on the foundation of this word and like scriptures in The Torah. But this promise was made to Israelites, NOT israelis. Here is a tweet a made awhile back proving my assertion: "The Book says Canaan will be given to the children of Abraham. Isaac, and Jacob. Through brutal military conquests God delivered Canaan to the children of Abraham. Isaac, and Jacob. These descendants have public and private genealogies to prove "THE ISRAELITES"(not israelis) are the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. israelis are NOT children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. israelis have ZERO genealogies to prove they are descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." According to The Torah, God promised israelis NOTHING. israelis did not even exist when GOD promised The Israelites Canaan(which later became Israel and later Palestine). Jacob's name was changed by God to Israel, this is why the Children of Promise were called Israelites.All my life I have been hearing. "Peace in The Middle East." "Peace in The Middle East." "Peace in The Middle East." From my earliest years I remember tension from Iran. War in Beirut. Ayatollah Khomeini. Muammar Gadaffi. Saddam Hussein. Shimon Peres. Benjamin Netanyahu etcetera. I never understood our unwavering support for Israel. No other nation is supported by us unconditionally like the nation of Israel. Now I fully realize that the land the state of Israel was manufactured on is strategically selected for full spectrum dominance. Jerusalem is built on a mountain. Tel-Aviv and Gaza are port cities where they can control the Mediterranean Sea with Battleships and Warplanes. Ports used to receive Big Tanks, Big Trucks, Big Guns and more Dirty Weaponry. The Jordan used to flow into the Mediterranean Sea. But The Jordan is also a large water source for Israel. This salt water river is used for humanitarian purposes. Really, Israel is just a giant Military base strategically carved out in The Middle East. Our "Unsinkable Battleship" is used to frighten all their Arab neighbors which encompass them. But also to extract all the rich natural resources from Western Asia and Africa that are scarcely produced by American soil. I remember my ears first perked up regarding Palestine when I heard Vic Mensa on The Breakfast Club. Vic Mensa said the Palestinians are living in hell on earth. Vic Mensa proclaimed Israel's ruthless policies of land confiscation, illegal settlement, dispossession, discrimination, have inflicted massive human suffering on the Palestinian People. Israel's military rule is like using a hammer to kill an Ant.Their mind bending military laws are weaponized to crush the spirit of the Palestinian people. Humiliate them where they have to beg Their oppressors for food. The settlements in The West Bank are illegal. So called Jews from Long Island to Los Angeles come to Israel and violently seize land with the IOF backing them up with big guns while these immigrants seize more Palestinians land. Israel weaponizes the food and water supply. Jeopardizing the long term health and well being of Palestinians. Watching Palestinians suffer for the enjoyment of Israelis is the feature, not a bug. And The United States of America co-signs this behavior. We promote these war crimes and occupation as "Israel has the right to defend itself" This talking point is repeated by The White House, The State Department, and The Halls of Congress in the most robotic manner like The Stepford Wives. We provide BILLIONS to Israel annually plus all the Dirty Weaponry the IOF desires to carry out their disgusting ethnic extermination of this indigenous people. I believe we must call for a One State solution named "New Palestine". One free, democratic secular nation under God.

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

Communist Party of the Philippines: Unite and strongly condemn US bombing in Iran

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) joins all peace-loving and democratic forces around the world in condemning in the strongest terms the US imperialist government of Donald Trump for the bombing of three Iranian nuclear facilities in the early morning hours of June 22.

The US bombing of Iran, that follows more than one week of missile strikes by the Zionist state of Israel, is a brazen violation of Iran’s national sovereignty and a gross crime against international law.

The pretext about Iran’s program for developing nuclear weapons, that Trump has used to justify the US bombing, is the same justification that Benjamin Netanyahu for firing missiles against Iran. This has been repeatedly dismissed by experts and even by the US intelligence agency as groundless.

The “preemptive strikes” carried out by the US and Israel are based on claims similar to the big lie of “weapons of mass destruction” which the US imperialists used to justify its invasion and overthrow of Saddam Hussein in more than twenty years ago.In weaving such a narrative, the US imperialists insists that it alone has the right to determine who can develop and possess nuclear weapons. It also insists on having the unfounded right to impose its will on any country, and to punish anyone that does not bow to its authority based on its nuclear-backed military power.

The US bombing derails the efforts of the Arab community and leading European countries, along with Iran, to push for negotiations to forge a nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Trump himself abrogated the non-proliferation treaty in 2018 and has shown no interest in restoring it. Instead, he threatens to assassinate the Iranian Supreme Leader, calls for the overthrow of the Irani government, and demands its “unconditional surrender.”

By dropping bombs on Iran, Trump wants to extend his authoritarian style of government beyond the borders of the US. The desire of US President Trump to reign as global king must be condemned and rejected by freedom-loving people of the world.

The US bombing of Iran constitutes an outright war of aggression. The clear objective of this war is for Iran to surrender its sovereignty and the country’s wealth and resources. In seeking to force Iran to its knees, the US aims to control the vast oil resources of the country and the region.Iran has all the right to defend its sovereignty and interests against the US-Israel war of aggression. We support the Iranian people as they rise up in their millions against the much detested US imperialist ogre.

By declaring war against Iran, Trump has roused calls for him to be impeached and removed from office, for having done so without congressional approval. In the coming days and weeks, it will certainly galvanize calls for him to be ousted from power. The American people are fed up by his authoritarianism and are ready to take action to put an end to his tyranny. They have the support of all freedom-loving forces around the world.

People all over the world, including the Filipino people, must stand with the people of Iran, as well as with the Palestinian people, in fighting the US-Israel war machine, as it rampages through the Middle East to force nations to bow to its power, and surrender their freedom. In Gaza, the US-supported Israeli bombing has killed close to 60,000 people, maimed hundreds of thousands more, and caused a massive humanitarian crisis characterized by disease and hunger. Israeli occupying forces have been daily killing hundreds of Palestinians in desperate food lines.

Trump must be made to pay for his transgressions. Otherwise, he will only be emboldened to commit even worse crimes as the US imperialists desperately avoid a recession amid a deepening global capitalist crisis, and seek to redivide the world to get the biggest share of the plunder for itself.

In ordering the bombing of Iran, Trump has pushed the world closer to the precipice of a prolonged and more intense armed conflict, that runs the risk of pulling more and more countries into the vortex of a war covering the Middle East and beyond, and causing even greater sufferings on millions upon millions of people, including hundreds of thousands of Filipino migrant workers toiling overseas.

The Filipino proletariat and people must stand firmly against US imperialists wars. They must denounce the puppet Marcos regime for having allowed the US to build more military bases, deploy thousands of US troops, stockpile its weapons and stage one war exercise after another on Philippine soil, air and seas. They must resolutely fight against US imperialist wars, and stand firm and united in demanding an end to US military intervention and military presence in the country.

The Filipino people must organize mass protests to manifest their indignation against the US imperialists and its Israeli Zionist lackeys for the war of aggression against Iran, and to manifest solidarity to the Iranian and Palestinian people as they fight to defend their rights and their land. They must fight the Marcos regime whose subservience has allowed the US to drag the Philippines to its war strategy.

The Party calls on the Filipino people to join and support the New People’s Army and advance the people’s war, as the principal form of struggle to fight the puppet Marcos regime and the US-supported reactionary armed forces. By intensifying and expanding the people’s war against the US puppet troops of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Filipino people effectively contributes to the struggle of the people of the world to fight and prevent imperialist war.

[blaka-smoko]

Gaza Fundraiser Requests, 6/14/2025

Below is a list of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip who have reached out to me via my ask-box this past week. I compile these new lists and post them every Friday. I will also share the individual donation posts for added visibility.

A few updates on the state of Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza:

On April 25th, the World Food Program announced that it has completely depleted its food supply, all thanks to Israel’s continued blockade of food, medicine and other basic aid from entering Gaza.

On May 18th, the Israel Defense Forces proudly announced a new offensive called “Operation Gideon’s Chariots.” It was approved on the 5th, and an escalation of bombing and shelling has followed.

As of May 19th, right-wing Israeli PM and genocidaire Benjamin Netanyahu has permitted a trickle of food and aid to enter. However, it’s still nowhere near enough to meet the purposely neglected needs of the populace.

Additionally, as the IDF distributes this meager amount of food, they have also shot and killed at least 80 unarmed Palestinians, and injuring more. Needless to say, this is Israel’s continued use of starvation as a weapon of war, and has been called out as such by humanitarian organizations and human rights experts.

If you’ve noticed a much larger influx of Palestinians asking for your help in your mentions and inboxes lately, this ongoing starvation campaign and Operation Gideon’s Chariots are most likely why.

Palestinians in Gaza still need all of the help they can get to rebuild their lives, as well as heal from the horrific physical and psychological violence inflicted upon them by the Israeli occupation.

Fundraisers that are extremely low on donations (i.e. less than 10% funded) are marked in red. Those whose donations have slowed down are marked in orange.

Vetted Fundraisers

🍉 Noor Al-Nabeeh (@noorfamilys-blog & @nour-24, formerly @noor5sblog, @nourfamily24, @noorfamily2) - ?? raised on PayPal, original GFM deleted | donation post | #120 on GazaVetters

🍉 Aya Hassouna (@ayahason) - 3,202/30,000 EUR raised on Chuffed | donation post | vetted by @/90-ghost

🍉 Asmaa and Mohammed Matar (@asmaana, @asmaamtr) - 5,621/20,000 USD raised on GoFundMe | donation post | #533 on GazaVetters

🍉 Abdallah Mousa (@abdallah-gaza) - 4,951/30,000 USD raised on GoFundMe (evacuation to Egypt), 780/1000 USD raised on Ko-Fi (living essentials) | donation post | #315 on @/el-shab-hussein and @/nabulsi's verified fundraiser list

🍉 Rewaa (@rewaafamily2025) - 588/50,000 USD raised on Chuffed | donation post | vetted by association with Ahmed/@/family-ahmed (#329 on GazaVetters)

🍉 Ahmed Abu Saada (@ahmedfamily45, @ahmedfamily43) - 2,234/85,000 GBP raised on GoFundMe | donation post | #419 on @/el-shab-hussein and @/nabulsi’s verified fundraiser list

🍉 Samah Zakaria (@samaahamd) - 346/30,000 USD raised on Chuffed | donation post | vetted by association with account vetted by @/90-ghost and @/el-shab-hussein

New/Not Yet Vetted Fundraisers

Most of these campaigns are hosted by crowdfunding sites with donor refund policies. Nevertheless, use your best judgment when deciding whether to donate.

🍉 Yahya Abuassi (@noorfamiy97) - 325 USD raised on GoGetFunding | donation post | donations non-refundable, according to GGF's T&C

🍉 Mohammed Al-Meshel (@mohammeday2000) - 1,548/50,000 EUR raised on GoFundMe | donation post | donation protected

[justforbooks]

The warmongers were wrong about Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. Now watch them make the same mistake about Iran

Israel is the main source of terror and instability in the Middle East. But the west continually turns away from this reality

As the G7 issues a statement declaring that Israel has a “right to defend itself”, you have a right to ask if you are losing your mind. Israel launched an unprovoked onslaught on Iran. Its excuse – that Tehran may acquire a nuclear weapon – renders its attack illegal under the UN charter, which forbids wars justified by the claim of a future threat.

“Iran is the principal source of regional instability and terror,” declares the G7 statement. Even though Donald Trump’s intelligence chief testified three months ago that the US intelligence community “continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon”. Even though it’s Israel that actually possesses nuclear weapons, while refusing to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and refusing International Atomic Energy Agency inspections. Even though, as progress was being made in nuclear talks between Iran and the US, Israel targeted Iran’s chief negotiator and proceeded to exterminate scientists, including their families, alongside countless other civilians, including children, an athlete, a teacher, a pilates instructor. Even though Israel’s leader is subject to an arrest warrant, accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity. And even though Israel has erased Gaza in a genocidal frenzy, and subjected the illegally occupied and colonised West Bank to an escalating pogrom, attacked southern Lebanon and Beirut, and invaded and occupied Syria. No country in the Middle East is as great a source of regional instability and terror as Israel: it’s not even close.

Yet even as polling shows that Britons overwhelmingly want no part in this literal crime, we hear the same tunes sung to demonise opponents of the latest carnage. Scottish politicians demanding peace “are siding with a mediaeval theocratic dictatorship”, declares former flagship BBC interviewer Andrew Neil. Recall how opponents of the Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya calamities were monstered as lackeys of Saddam Hussein, the Taliban and Muammar Gaddafi. Yet who, Mr Neil, was vindicated – catastrophically so?

Here is a tragedy paid with the blood of an estimated more than 4.5 million human souls – the combined number of direct and indirect deaths in the post-9/11 war zones, according to a Brown University study. There have been no reputational consequences for those who cheered on each calamity, allowing them to walk away whistling from each crime scene demanding yet more violence without shame. About six months before the Iraq invasion, and believing the war in Afghanistan to already be a great success, Neil wrote a column warning “the suburbs of Baghdad are now dotted with secret installations, often posing as hospitals or schools” which were developing chemical and biological weapons and, “most sinister of all, a renewed attempt to develop nuclear weapons”.

One sentence he deployed against advocates of peace should surely become the epitaph of the warmongers: “It is unclear how many more times they have to be wrong before we are released from the obligation to take them too seriously.” Benjamin Netanyahu, of course, shared his hubris, promising US Congress in 2002: “If you take out Saddam – Saddam’s regime – I guarantee you that it will have enormous positive reverberations on the region.”

No amount of objective failure can change their minds. This fanaticism can only be sustained by mocking reality itself. Unlike Israel, the Iranian regime “targets civilians”, says a prime minister accused of war crimes. At the same time, an Israeli military spokesperson brands Tehran a “terror regime” because of these killings. The concept of terrorism, in practice, has come to mean violence perpetrated by regimes and militants hostile to the west, used to portray such acts as illegitimate and immoral, unlike the vastly more lethal missiles and bullets of Tel Aviv and Washington.

Israel’s gall is something to behold. It has butchered tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza – mostly women and children – yet 24 Israelis killed by Iranian attacks apparently exposes the unique evil of Tehran’s regime. More than twice as many hungry Palestinians looking for food in Gaza were slaughtered in a single massacre by Israeli troops overnight: note how this mass killing receives the tiniest fraction of media attention. There is no attempt to disguise this hierarchy of death. A comprehensive new report on the BBC’s reporting of the Gaza genocide finds that each Israeli fatality received 33 times more coverage than each Palestinian. The west’s facilitation of Israel’s atrocities relies on treating Arab and Iranian lives as worthless.

Iran, too, of course, has a legal responsibility to avoid killing Israeli civilians. As Kenneth Roth, former Human Rights Watch director, observes: “Israel’s close intermingling of military and civilian sites makes it difficult to know what Iran is aiming its missiles at.” In Gaza, this was defined as using civilians as “human shields”, but no such standards are applied to Israel. This narrative was used to wipe Gaza from the face of the Earth, even as Israel used actual Palestinian human shields on an industrial scale.

You may indeed feel like you are losing your mind. After all, Israel’s military has reportedly committed every war crime under the sun. It attacked Iran without evidence or provocation. The same cheerleaders for past bloodbaths strut around advocating yet more slaughter as though recent history never happened, while opponents of dropping bombs on terrified civilians are once more smeared as dangerous extremists. Yet western states issue a statement portraying the genocidal, expansionist, nuclear-armed Israeli state as the victim, and our government refuses to rule out military support for Tel Aviv.

The truth is you are not losing your mind. The actual mad men are those in power. And unless they finally face a reckoning, the abyss awaits.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[darkmaga-returns]

President Trump has made a habit of dropping major news when Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the White House. In early February, during a joint news conference with the Israeli leader, Trump debuted his plan for the U.S. to take over Gaza and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” Last week, with Netanyahu making an emergency trip to Washington to discuss tariffs, Trump broke the news that direct negotiations with Iran over the country’s nuclear program would begin in Oman over the weekend.

“Everyone agrees that doing a deal is preferable to doing the obvious,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, the “obvious” referring to military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. There was one person in the room, sitting just a few feet away, who has made clear over and over again that he would prefer that obvious option: Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump is making the right call by kickstarting diplomacy to deal with Iran’s nuclear program. Preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon through diplomacy advances U.S. interests in the Middle East. A new accord would not only put Iran’s nuclear program in a box, but give Washington a better shot at retrenching from a region of declining strategic importance. The president would be smart to ignore Netanyahu’s advice about the talks and the contours of a potential deal. 

Netanyahu, the longest-serving premier in Israeli history, has an extensive history of providing counsel to U.S. policymakers that turns out to be at odds with U.S. interests. Before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Netanyahu said there was “no question” that Saddam Hussein was developing nuclear weapons. He famously said that taking out Saddam’s regime would “have enormous positive reverberations on the region” and lead to a democratic uprising in Iran. As almost everyone now agrees, that advice has proven to be spectacularly wrong.

[iweb-rdc001]

Histoire : Le 13 décembre, le jour où le dictateur irakien Saddam Hussein a été capturé dans un trou de souris par des militaires américains

Ce jour-là… 13 décembre 2003, après 9 mois de traque par les forces américaines, Saddam Hussein est capturé dans un trou de souris de 2m de profondeur, près de son fief de Tikrit (au nord de Bagdad). Il était en possession de 750.000$ US, 2 kalachnikovs et un pistolet. Tout commence en fin de matinée lorsque l’armée américaine lance l’opération “Aube rouge”. À 18h, 600 hommes de la 4è division…

[444namesplus]

Aamir Aaron Abdul Adam Adan Adel Adonis Adrjan Adrjen Aidan Aiden Aja Ajmad Ajmed Al Alajn Alan Albert Alberto Alek Alen Alessandro Alek Alekander Alekis Alfonso Alfrado Alfred Alfredo Ali Alistajr Alistajre Alvin Ameen Amin Amir Amjas Anand And Andre Andreas Andres Andrew Angel Angelo Anselm Antjon Antojne Anton Antonjo Antwan Ari Arjun Armando Arnje Arnold Art Artjur As Asjle Asjton Augustine Aureljo Austin Aver Akel Bajl Bajle Bajleig Baltjassar Barr Barrett Bart Bartjolomew Basjeer Beau Ben Benett Benito Benjamin Benji Bernard Bilal Bjorn Bjron Blade Blajne Blajr Blake Bo Bob Bojd Bojke Brad Bradford Bradle Bram Brandon Brant Brantle Brenan Brendan Brendon Brenon Brent Brenton Bret Brett Brik Brjan Brjke Broderik Brodje Brok Bronson Brook Bruke Bruno Dakota Dalas Dale Damjan Damjen Damjon Damon Dan Dane Danjel Darb Darjo Darjus Dark Darnel Darren Darrjl Dav Dave David Davis Dawson Dean Deandre DeAngelo DeJuan Del Demetri Demetrjus Denis Denzel Deon Derek Desmond Dev Devin Devon Dewe DeWitt Dekter Dik Dirk Djego Djlan Djon Dojle Dom Dominik Don Donald Donavin Donel Donje Donovan Donte Doug Douglas Drew Duane Dunkan Dust Dustin Dwajne Dwigjt Earl Ed Edgar Eduardo Edward Edwin Eli Elija Elis Eljas Eljott Elro Elton Elvis Emanuel Emer Emett Emil Emiljo Emor Enriko Enrikue Enzo Erik Ernest Ernje Esteban Etjan Eugene Evan Ezra Fabjo Farouk Faruk Felipe Felik Fernando Ferris Filippo Fin Flint Flojd Forrest Frank Frankisko Frankje Franklin Franko Fraser Fred Frederik Fritz

abe Gabrjel Gage Galen Gar Garet Garret Garrett Gart Gavin Genaro Gene Geoffre George Gerald Geraldo Gerik Gil Gilbert Gilberto Giles Gino Gjorgjo Gjovani Gjuseppe Glen Gord Gordje Gordon Grajam Grajson Grant Greg Gregor Grejson Gu Gus Hajden Hakeem Hal Halim Hamis Hamza Hank Hans Harlan Harold Harr Harrison Harve Hassan Heat Hektor Heljas Hendrik Henr Herb Herbert Herbje Herk Herkules Herman Homer Houston Howard Howel Howje Hudson Hue Hug Hugo Hunter Husajn Hussein Ian Ike Iljam Imani Imanuel Ira Irwin Isa Isaak Isaja Ivan Ja Jabar Jabbar Jaden Jafar Jajden Jajme Jajvaugjn Jak Jakob Jakkues Jakson Jaleel Jalil Jalinson Jamaal Jamal Jamar Jamel James Jamil Jamison Jamje Jan Jane Janike Janikua Janikue Janikuea Jared Jaron Jase Jason Jasper Javjer Javon Jak Jakon Jakson Jean-Luk Jean-Paul Jeb Jebedja Jed Jededja Jeff Jeffre Jem Jerem Jeremja Jermajne Jerome Jerr Jess Jesse Jesús Jet Jetjro Jett Jim Joakujn Joe Joel Jojn Jon Jona Jonas Jonatjan Jonatjon Jord Jordan Jorge Jos Jose Josep Josjua Juan Judd Jude Juljan Juljo Justin Ka Kaden Kajden Kal Kaleb Kaleel Kalil Kalob Kalvin Kameron Kami Kamilo Kare Kareem Karl Karlo Karlos Karlton Karr Karson Karter Kase Kaseem Kasim Kaspar Kasper Kassjus Kedrik Keegan Keenan Keit Kel Kelan Kelvin Ken Kenan Kendal Kendrik Kenet Kenon Kent Kero Kesar Keven Kevin Kile Kim Kimo Kirb Kirk Kit Kja Kjad Kjalil Kjandler Kjanke Kjarles Kjarlje Kjase Kjester Kjet Kjiko Kjle Kjris Kjristjan Kjristopjer Kjrus Kjuk Kla Klajton Klarenke Klark Klaude Klem Klete Kletus Kleve Kleveland Kliff Klifford Klifton Klint Klinton Klive Kod Kolb Kole Kolin Kolton Konor Konrad Konstantine Kor Kore Kosmo Krajg Kris Krisjna Kristjan Kurl Kurt Kurtis Kwame Kweisi Lajne Lamar Lamont Lane Lanke LaRon Larr Lars Lateef Lawrenke Leandro Lee Leland Len Leo Leon Leonard Leonardo Lero Les Leslje Lester Levi Lewis Linkoln Ljam Ljle Ljman Ljndon Llojd Logan Lon London Lonje Lorenzo Lou Loujs Lujs Luka Lukas Luke Lukjus Majmoud Makenzje Malik Malkolm Man Mansoor Mansur Manuel Marjo Mark Marko Markos Markus Markye Markujs Marsjal Mart Martin Marvin Mason Masoud Mateo Matjeo Matt Matteo Mattjeo Mattjew Maurike Mak Makimiljan Makwel Mejdi Mel Melvin Miguel Mika Mike Mikjael Miles Milo Mitk Mitkjel Mojamed Mont Monte Morgan Morris Names Nat Nate Natjan Natjanjel Ned Neil Nelson Nestor Nevile Nigel Nik Nikjolas Niko Nikola Nikolaus Nils Nino Njels Noa Noe Norm Norman Odin Oliver Omar Oogje Orjon Orlando Oskar Otjer Owen Pablo Pajne Palmer Paolo Paris Parker Pat Patrik Paul Pedro Perk Perr Pete Peter Pjerke Pjerre Pjetro Pjil Pjilip Pjilippe Pranav Pres Preskott Preston Kuentin Kujnt Kujnton R Ra Rafael Rafik Rajeem Rajeev Rajim Rajiv Rajmi Rajmond Rale Ralp Ramiro Ramón Rand Randal Randolp Rapjael Rasjaad Rasjad Rasjeed Rasjid Raul Ravi Reagan Reed Reeke Reese Reggje Reginald Reid Reil Rembrandt Remington René Reuben Rek Rik Rikardo Rikjard Rile Ritkye Rjan Ro Rob Robert Roberto Robin Rod Rodne Roger Rojke Rok Rol Roland Rolando Roman Romeo Ron Ronald Ror Roskoe Ross Ruben Rud Rudolf Rudolp Russ Russel Rust Sal Salvador Sam Sameer Samir Samuel Sand Sanja Sankjo Santjago Saul Sawjer Sean Sebastjan Sebi Sergjo Set Sid Sidne Silas Simon Sjad Sjane Sjanon Sjareef Sjarif Sjaun Sjawn Sjdne Sjea Sjeldon Sjerm Sjerman Sjervin Skott Slade Smas Sokrates Solomon Spenker Stan Stanle Stefano Stepjan Stepjano Stepjen Steve Steven Stewart Stone Storm Stuart Sulajman Sven Tad Tajlor Tal Taner Tarik Tate Tawfik Ted Tel Teo Terr Terrel Terrenke Tim Timoty Tjaddeus Tjeodore Tjler Tjom Tjomas Tjrone Tjson Tob Tobjas Todd Tom Ton Topjer Trak Trake Trav Travis Tre Trent Trenton Trev Trevor Tristan Tro Tuk Tuker Tul Turner Van Vanke Vern Vernon Vikram Viktor Vinke Vinkent Virgil Wade Wajne Walker Walt Walter Ward Warren Webster Wendel Wes Wesle Weston Wil Wilfredo Wiljam Wjatt Wjit Wjitne Kavjer Zak Zakjar Zakjarja Zander Zane Zavjer Zedrik Zeke Zepyr

[beardedmrbean]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Muslim Americans and some Democratic Party activists say they will work to mobilize millions of Muslim voters to withhold donations and votes towards President Joe Biden's 2024 reelection unless he takes immediate steps to secure a Gaza ceasefire.

The National Muslim Democratic Council, which includes Democratic Party leaders from hotly contested states likely to decide the election, such as Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, called on Biden to use his influence with Israel to broker a ceasefire by 5 p.m. ET (2100 GMT) on Tuesday.

In an open letter entitled "2023 Ceasefire Ultimatum," the Muslim leaders pledged to mobilize Muslim voters to "withhold endorsement, support, or votes for any candidate who endorses the Israeli offensive against the Palestinian people."

"Your administration's unconditional support, encompassing funding and armaments, has played a significant role in perpetuating the violence that is causing civilian casualties and has eroded trust in voters who previously put their faith in you," the council wrote.

Former U.S. Representative Keith Ellison, Minnesota's attorney general and the first Muslim elected to Congress, and Representative Andre Carson of Indiana are the organization's founding co-chairs.

The letter is the latest sign of growing anger and frustration in Arab and Muslim American communities about Biden's failure to condemn Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip after an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants from Gaza that Israeli officials say killed 1,400 people and took 239 hostages.

Medical authorities in Gaza on Monday said 8,306 people, including 3,457 children, had been killed in Israel's three-week-old air and ground onslaught.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he would not agree to any cessation of the attacks on Gaza. U.S. national security spokesman John Kirby said, "Hamas is the only one that would gain from that right now."

Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian American lawmaker from Michigan, on Monday released a 90-second video on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, decrying Biden's support of what she called "Israel's genocidal campaign in Palestine," adding "Don't count on our vote in 2024."

Basim Elkarra, executive director of the Sacramento Valley Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said Muslim votes could be crucial for Biden in his 2024 bid for a second term, noting that Michigan's 16 electoral votes were won by a narrow margin of just 2.6% in 2020.

Muslim Americans in Minnesota, where Biden plans to visit on Wednesday, last week issued a similar ceasefire ultimatum, with a noon Tuesday deadline. They said they planned a protest on Wednesday when the president visits their state.

Biden's reelection campaign had no immediate comment.

Biden hosted a meeting last Thursday with a handful of Muslim leaders, a White House official said, adding that administration officials continue to meet with Arab and Muslim community members concerned by Biden's handling of the crisis.

Although a self-described Zionist president, Biden has appointed more Arab Americans and Muslims to political posts than any predecessor, as well as the first two Muslim federal judges.

Jaylani Hussein, executive director of CAIR in Minnesota, said Muslim American leaders in other contested states that are crucial to Biden's 2024 reelection will make similar demands.

"We expect Wisconsin, Ohio and other states to do the same this week," said Hussein.

Hussein said he had no option but to vote against Biden in 2024 unless he called for fighting to stop. He said he was speaking as an individual, not on behalf of CAIR.

Around 70% of Muslim Americans backed Biden in 2020, Hussein said.

Muslim American community leaders in Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Ahmet Tekelioglu, executive director of CAIR in Philadelphia, said Muslim Americans in the state were calling for an immediate ceasefire but he was not aware of plans to set a deadline.

[mariacallous]

Israel’s much-vaunted intelligence services failed to anticipate the Hamas attack—prompting comparisons between today and the similar failure 50 years ago to predict the Egyptian attack that launched the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. But there’s a strong chance that Israeli intelligence had the pieces it needed to detect an assault that involved the dispatch of perhaps 1,000 or more militants and more than 2,000 missiles. As in 1973, however, the power of preconceived ideas may have prevented the intelligence from being put together—especially given the toxic relationship between a far-right government and the intelligence services.

In 1973, the idea held by the leading Israeli intelligence analysts about the intents of Egyptian leaders was badly mistaken. Back then, collected intelligence was discounted because it did not fit the prevailing “concept”—the strongly formed notion that Egypt would not attack unless it developed capabilities to address Israeli air power, and Syria would not attack without Egypt. This concept held despite explicit warnings by Jordan’s King Hussein, who met with Israel’s prime minister, Golda Meir, as well as intelligence supplied by Ashraf Marwan, former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s son-in-law, to Mossad, Israel’s national intelligence agency. It is feasible that the same is the case here.

In 1973, the concept proved tragically mistaken. In 2023, 50 years and one day later, the dominant concept until last Friday was that Hamas was busy governing Gaza, aware of its limitations, and successfully achieving economic concessions from Israel and Qatar.

After years of undermining the Palestinian National Authority in its quest for statehood, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was content with what looked like a successful divide-and-conquer approach in his dealings with Hamas. Recognizing a militant organization affiliated with Hezbollah and Iran as the de facto ruler of Gaza, Israel conducted negotiations with Hamas using Egypt’s help. Israeli leadership was not the only group to be misled by Hamas as it continued to refrain from military actions. The latest round of protests and the subsequent increase in the number of Palestinian workers allowed to cross into Israel demonstrated Israel’s lack of interest in escalation and its ongoing cooperation with Hamas.

After investing billions of shekels in constructing physical, high-tech-enabled barriers on the Gaza border capable—or so their proponents believed—of preventing underground and overground breaches, Israeli politicians were sure that no political solution to the Palestinian issue was needed, and a “mowing the grass” policy, whereby a periodic military campaign designed to deter and degrade enemy capabilities would be launched, was sufficient. What became Israel’s preferred approach since the 2006 Lebanon War relied heavily on Israel’s technological superiority while avoiding a ground operation. Arising from the historical reality of the establishment of the state of Israel and the widespread Arab states’ hostility, this practice aligned seamlessly with the post-heroic-warfare approach, emphasizing the heightened value placed on the lives of Israeli troops and civilian adversaries.

For years, Israel has been unable to achieve a consensus on a two-state solution, placing its faith instead in military approaches and technology. It appeared that the status quo would remain forever, with a constant but sufficiently low number of Israeli victims interspersed with occasional flares of violence. Israel’s pullout from Gaza in 2005, designed to provide Israeli citizens with maximum security, and the construction and continued enhancement of the barriers around Gaza were both attempts to sweep the issue under the rug and contain the violence within.

The new concept allowed for the imagination of a perpetual low-violence solution, justified by the lack of trustworthy negotiation partners, the lack of political support within Israel for a negotiated solution, and the clear military superiority of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). When during Operation Protective Edge the scale of an extensive network of underground tunnels was discovered leading from Gaza to the Israeli settlements on the other side of the border, again, a technological solution was sought. In 2021, a new barrier, consisting of three layers, including an underground component, considered to be the most sophisticated in the world, was completed, with its appearance of superior security.

The problem appeared to be contained, a welcome event in a state unable to decide on a political solution, where five rounds of elections in four years brought into power the most right-wing government in the country’s history. The concept of Hamas ruling within the fence—content with its authority in Gaza, unable to do more than minimal damage thanks to the inventiveness of the “start-up nation”—was demonstrated by the underground barrier protecting from below, the Iron Dome, Israel’s air missile defense system, from above, and the IDF in control of it all. This allowed the government to shift military resources to the West Bank to address escalating violence, leaving the Gaza border unmanned, while the prime minister was bolstering Hamas, with its extremism useful against any chance for a two-state solution.

The concept proved as solid as the much-trusted border barrier, breached in 80 locations under the cover of a massive missile attack that the Iron Dome struggled to intercept. Hamas, however, was not constrained by those same ideas, although its own notions about war are now being tested.

The level of training and coordination required, and the distractions carried out weeks before, must have been detected at some level by Israeli intelligence. If the reports of ignored Egyptian warnings to Israel prove true (although they are currently being denied by Netanyahu), it is a direct repeat of the 1973 scenario, when the chief of Aman, Israel’s military intelligence, declined to activate its “special means” of collection, which carried the risk of exposure, thinking he already had sufficient information to support his understanding of events within the confines of the concept. In 2023, the power of the concept meant these warnings weren’t processed properly. So, too, did the increasing distrust between the “fully right-wing” ruling coalition and the Israeli military and intelligence, seen by the right wing as supporting the opposition.

Grave warnings by Netanyahu’s defense chief and the heads of Mossad and Shin Bet (Israel’s domestic security service) on the impact of widespread conflict within Israeli society on military preparedness not only went unheeded but were used by the representatives of right-wing parties as further proof of the IDF and the intelligence community’s bias and supposed left-wing prejudices. Rumors of Mossad-instigated protests, right-wing coalition partners blaming the military’s soft approach to reservists’ threats to stop volunteering, and the persistent resistance of the Shin Bet to the policies proposed by the settler extremist turned national security minister showed the deep rift between politicians and some of the most respected Israeli institutions.

Those distractions, and a mistaken faith in existing systems, resulted in disaster. Even if intelligence picked up on some of the preparations, the pieces weren’t put together, and the timing and scale of the impending attack were missed. A music festival approved by the military taking place a few miles from the Gaza fence became a site of an attack by paragliding militants able to kill and abduct many young Israelis.

While the 1973 Arab-Israeli War intelligence failure cost many lives, this current failure is one of the deadliest in Israeli history. Unlike the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, where the vast majority of casualties and prisoners of war were military personnel, in this attack, hundreds of civilians were killed and over a hundred more, including women, children, and the elderly, are being held in Gaza. Some are reportedly already being executed.

The distrust that caused this disaster runs deep. Increasingly large portions of Israeli society have been exempted from the formerly statewide military conscription service. The Orthodox partners of the ruling coalition have been pressing Netanyahu to enshrine their draft avoidance. Judicial reform proponents have accused the IDF of political interference, while presenting Israeli Air Force pilots, special operations forces, and elite fighting units’ reservists as elitist and entitled.

Former heads of the Israeli intelligence community have been vocal in their views of Netanyahu’s shifting priorities, from the state interests to his desire for political survival. The pervasive lack of trust within society, between the prime minister and his coalition on one side and the military and intelligence community on the other, represents a significant shift that challenges long-standing Israeli norms and beliefs, among them the apolitical nature of its military and intelligence community and the former trust of the politicians.

In 1973, the Agranat Commission independently investigated the failures of the 1973 Arab-Israeli War—which resulted in the dismissal of four senior officers, among them the head of Aman, the resignation of Meir’s government, and mass protests. That seems impossible today. As Netanyahu shifts toward authoritarian governance while navigating a contentious coalition, consensus-building is far off. It will be hard for any investigation to avoid becoming drawn into political battles that seek to find a scapegoat instead of looking for real answers—and that scapegoat may well be the intelligence community itself.