Crooked Bough News Round-up

— How Private Israeli Security Firms Are Killing Free Speech on College Campuses

 

at 12/6/24 7:17am

Following the unprecedented proliferation of student-led protests against Israels war on Gaza across U.S. and international college campuses, educational institutions have found themselves under immense pressure to crush the movement from private Israeli security firms. Following a surge of demonstrations and acts of civil disobedience in protests of Israel’s genocide in Gaza by students across U.S. college campuses, university administrations faced immense pressure to strengthen security measures and suppress the movement. In response to escalating demonstrations against Israel’s onslaught in Gaza, the City University of New Yorks (CUNY) Board of Trustees authorized a $4 million contract with Strategic Security Corp. (SSC), a private security firm with connections to Israel. SSC highlights on its website that its counter-surveillance experts have received formal training in Israel, and its CEO, Joseph Sordi, has also undergone training there. A more troubling development has surfaced at Concordia University in Montreal, where the administration has reportedly enlisted the services of not one but two Israeli private security firms. The first, Perceptage International, is led by Adam Cohen, a former Israeli soldier whose military pedigree appears to underpin the company’s operations. The second, Moshav Security Consultants, is managed by Eyal Feldman, a reserve major in the Israeli army and a former special advisor to Israel’s Ministry of Defense. At Concordia University, students have taken to the streets in protest against the college’s decision to employ private security firms with contentious backgrounds. Social media posts from the demonstrators have unveiled allegations that these companies employ former IDF soldiers, mercenaries with battlefield experience in Ukraine, and individuals who once served in the Canadian Armed Forces. As protests rage across Canada, the backlash against these student movements has taken on a sharper edge. Right-wing outlets like the National Post have stoked tensions, branding academic institutions as “Hamas HQs” in incendiary headlines. Simultaneously, allegations of anti-Semitism and accusations of terrorist sympathies have fueled a toxic atmosphere, with reports of racial abuse directed at anti-war student protesters intensifying the divisions. Just got this video from a student at George Washington University @GWtweets which attacked the anti Gaza genocide student encampment in May. The university has now set up huge permanent fencing where the encampment was. It’s like a check point…anyone who stands up for… https://t.co/4wmM7OQNco pic.twitter.com/rVI7TySLhV — Sam Husseini (@samhusseini) December 4, 2024 In May, a tense standoff unfolded at UCLA’s campus when an encampment of students protesting Israels war on Gaza became the epicenter of disturbing violence. At the heart of the controversy was Apex Security Group and its parent company, Contemporary Services Corporation (CSC). Witness accounts described security personnel acting aggressively with protesters, with one incident involving a student being punched near Powell Library. CSC is an affiliate of ASIS International, an association of security professionals with an exclusive chapter in Israel. Apex and CSC’s reach extends far beyond UCLA; their fingerprints can be found on college campuses across the United States. According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the private security firm Magen Am, which employs former Israeli military personnel, played an active role in the violence that erupted during the UCLA student encampment in April. Protesters accused the firm of engaging directly in confrontations with student demonstrations. Magen Am’s has ties to local law enforcement across the United States. The firm coordinates closely with the Los Angeles Police Department and, until August, was poised to receive $1 million in funding from the city. Zionist gangs play the sound of babies crying to mock the UCLA student encampment. Israeli quadcopters did the exact same thing in Gaza to lure out Palestinians and kill them. pic.twitter.com/7YTUVSC5KL — Lowkey (@Lowkey0nline) May 1, 2024 Private security firms have become something of an Israeli specialty, their proliferation fueled by Tel Aviv’s ongoing occupation of Palestinian territories. That occupation has created a fertile environment, offering opportunities to profit from contracts to operate checkpoints and test new surveillance technologies, and often weapons, on Palestinians—a grim yet profitable proving ground. These security firms are often, like their U.S. and Canadian-based counterparts, staffed by former intelligence and army personnel, allowing them to take on tasks such as manning up to 49 checkpoints. Across university campuses in North America, peaceful student encampments have become the targets of coordinated crackdowns by private security forces and police alike. These actions are carried out with the tacit approval—or outright endorsement—of university administrations eager to avoid scrutiny from special interest groups and overzealous lawmakers. This has largely been attributed to the immense pressure influential donors and public officials placed upon universities. Despite efforts to comply with the demands leveled against them, concessions have not spared the heads of these institutions. Several academic leaders have been outright removed from their positions amidst the furor. Harvard University President Claudine Gay and Columbia University President Minouche Shafik, in particular, faced scathing public criticism and were ultimately forced to step down. Despite the overwhelming number of reported cases of racism and violent attacks being perpetrated by pro-Israel counter-protesters, police officers, and private security personnel, students critical of Israels war on Gaza at these universities continue to face accusations of being terrorism supporters and racist anti-Semites. Feature photo | A group of protesters demanding peace in Gaza is violently dispersed by police in Orlando, Florida, on May 11, 2024. Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo | AP Robert Inlakesh is a political analyst, journalist and documentary filmmaker currently based in London, UK. He has reported from and lived in the occupied Palestinian territories and hosts the show ‘Palestine Files’. Director of ‘Steal of the Century: Trump’s Palestine-Israel Catastrophe’. Follow him on Twitter @falasteen47 The post How Private Israeli Security Firms Are Killing Free Speech on College Campuses appeared first on MintPress News.

[Category: National, anti-Israel protests North America, anti-semetism, Columbia Harvard presidents resign, Concordia University protests, free speech, Israeli military ties in North America, Israeli private security firms, Magen Am security controversy, private security in student protests, student protests Gaza war, UCLA student encampments, university crackdowns on protests]

— Trump’s Pro-Israel Dream Team: Patel Nomination Caps Hawkish Cabinet

 

at 12/5/24 8:23am

On November 30, Donald Trump nominated Kash Patel to serve as FBI director. A staunch MAGA activist and loyalist with significant standing in Trump’s orbit, Patel aligns closely with the president-elect on both domestic and foreign policy matters. Indeed, he appears to struggle to pinpoint areas of disagreement with Trump’s agenda. Patel has consistently advocated for a hardline approach to China and is an unabashed supporter of Israeli interests, often prioritizing them over U.S. considerations. On October 7, marking the first anniversary of the Hamas attack, Patel delivered a fiery interview on Fox News. During the segment, he vowed that the incoming Trump administration would intensify its crackdown on anti-Israeli elements. We should be side by side [with Israel]When we are back in power with President Trump…we will shut off the machinery that feeds money into Iran…We need America to wake up and prioritize Israel, and that is not what Kamala Harris is about, we need to bring home Americans and end this war, bring home Israelis, and stand by our number one ally in Israel, and people need to wake up on November 5.” A relative political outsider who has never occupied high office, the media has been awash with profiles of Patel and fevered speculation about what his management of the Bureau could mean in practice ever since. In the process, he has been subject to a level of mainstream scrutiny and criticism that was entirely lacking over recent weeks, as Trump filled his cabinet with a rogue’s gallery of dedicated hawks, hardcore pro-Israeli elements, and characters both unknown and notorious with potential extremist ties and views. For some, the composition of Trump’s cabinet is a crushing disappointment. On November 9, Trump caused shockwaves when he announced neither Nikki Haley nor Mike Pompeo would be invited to join his administration in any capacity. The news, coupled with comments he made in a late October appearance on Joe Rogan’s popular podcast, perked optimism in some quarters that the President-elect’s longstanding anti-war posturing could produce real-world results in Ukraine, if not elsewhere. In his discussion with Rogan, Trump professed that “the biggest mistake” of his first term was he “picked a few people that I shouldn’t have picked” “neocons or bad people or disloyal people,” among them John Bolton. Haley was the U.S. ambassador to the UN under Trump and perhaps the most ardent, outspoken Zionist ever to fill the role. She, Bolton and Pompeo who personally orchestrated Iranian General Qasem Soleimani’s assassination, among other hostile deeds were widely regarded as the administration’s leading hawks. Yet, any slight hope that the pair’s absence from Trump’s new White House might herald an influx of some doves and, in turn, a more peaceful shift from the U.S. government was comprehensively dashed when the President’s transition team nominations began rolling in. Now the cabinet is fully stocked, countless millions around the world have urgent and grave concerns about what the future could hold for them, their families, countries, regions, and more. In particular, Trump’s prospective government can already claim the mantle of the most fervently pro-Israel in U.S. history. This is despite replacing an administration that has done more than any before to accelerate, encourage, and facilitate Israel’s war on Gaza. The prospect that Tel Aviv’s deadly assaults on Gaza and Lebanon will escalate somehow further is now not only very real but seemingly inevitable. However, as we shall see, there are minor rays of hope among the mass doom and gloom.   ‘Promised Land’ New Secretary of State Marco Rubio hardly needs any introduction as one of the most pro-war members of the modern U.S. political class. Since his career kicked off in 2000, he has been consistently among the loudest voices on how America’s officially designated enemy states should be dealt with, be that China, Iran, Venezuela, or otherwise. Threats of sanctions, coups, and military intervention are almost a daily staple of his political oratory. A close friend of Benjamin Netanyahu, in 2019, Rubio cosponsored a Senate resolution condemning UN Security Council resolutions designating Jewish settlement expansion in occupied Palestine as a violation of international law. He has referred to Israel’s mass murder in Gaza since October 7, 2023, as legitimate self-defense, claimed Hamas is “100% to blame” for any civilian casualties inflicted by the horrific onslaught, and ominously declared Palestinian resistance must be “eradicated,” as Tel Aviv cannot coexist “with these savages.” The media has reported that the Trump administration is already concocting plans to “bankrupt Iran” with “maximum pressure” upon taking office. Rubio, who has long called for tightening already crippling sanctions on Tehran, is reportedly at the forefront of this effort, alongside nominated National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, a Pentagon journeyman who previously sat on the House Armed Services Committee. At an event convened by NATO adjunct the Atlantic Council, in October, Waltz bragged: Just four years ago…[Iran’s] currency was tanking, they were truly on the back foot…we need to get back to that posture.” Neutralizing Iran has long been touted as a prerequisite for reclaiming Israel’s waning dominance in West Asia. Any measure that destabilizes Tehran—economically, militarily, or politically—diminishes its capacity to curb Israel’s actions, leaving Tel Aviv emboldened to act without restraint. The logic is stark: weakening Iran strengthens Israel. Within the Trump administration, with its hawkish alignment, policies serving this end will likely be met with uncritical endorsement. Already, Trump has pledged to lift the few remaining restrictions and end delays in the supply of military equipment and ammunition to Israel immediately after his inauguration. This includes an embargo on certain weapons shipments and limitations on various combat-related equipment. This embargo reportedly impacts Israel’s war-fighting capabilities, as its forces struggle with multiple self-initiated active battle fronts, requiring “strict control” over ammunition supply and use. The pro-Israel credentials of Senator Marco Rubio and Representative Michael Waltz are unquestionable. Yet their fervor for supporting Israel’s controversial policies pales in comparison to some of President-elect Donald Trump’s other nominees. Take Mike Huckabee, the ultraconservative former Arkansas governor and twice-failed presidential candidate, now tapped to serve as U.S. ambassador to Israel. Huckabee, an ordained Southern Baptist pastor, wasted no time declaring his intentions. He vowed to publicly refer to Israel in biblical terms, calling it the Promised Land, and proclaimed that Jews hold a rightful deed to Palestinian territory. Huckabee, centre right, attends a ceremony for the opening of a Jewish-only settlement in the Palestinian West Bank, Aug. 1, 2018. Oded Balilty | AP   ‘American Crusade’ Despite its unwavering consensus on Israel, Trump’s cabinet has been labeled “eclectic” by the mainstream press—and not without cause. Alongside establishment stalwarts like Huckabee and Rubio, Trump has tapped figures long considered political outsiders. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a polarizing figure in his own right, has been nominated for a senior post. Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host and U.S. military veteran, has also emerged from the fringes to claim a role in Trumps cabinet. Hegseth, who quietly advised Trump during his first term, pushed for the pardons of American soldiers convicted of heinous war crimes—a campaign that, in some cases, was effective. Hegseth, a contender for Defense Secretary, has made his allegiances to Israel unmistakably clear. He has described Israels settler population as God’s chosen people. He has openly advocated for transforming Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque into a Jewish-only recreation of the historic Temple Mount, framing such an act as a miracle. At a 2018 National Council of Young Israel gala in New York City, Hegseth left no room for ambiguity:  Zionism and Americanism are the front lines of Western civilization and freedom in our world today.” Such disturbing comments have elicited little media interest since Hegseth’s nomination. However, NPR has chronicled his unsettling array of tattoos, including a Jerusalem cross—a Christian emblem with origins in the Crusades—and the Latin phrase deus vult, often interpreted as a call to reclaim the Holy Land through the slaughter of Muslims. Both symbols have been co-opted by Neo-Nazi groups. Perhaps predictably, Hegseth’s 2020 book, “American Crusade,” brims with incendiary Islamophobic rhetoric. Another wildcard nomination is Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence. Concurrently a politician and serving U.S. military officer, for years she occupied a dissident, dovish space on the Democrat left, all along smeared as an Assad or Putin apologist for her anti-war positions. However, she acrimoniously quit the party in October 2022, slamming it as “under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers who are driven by cowardly wokeness” and for purportedly “stoking anti-white racism.” Gabbard had, by that point, been distancing herself from previously held progressive stances on issues such as abortion and LGBTQ rights, and she has rapidly grown ever more conservative since formally joining the Republican party. Despite her longstanding criticism of U.S. military interventionism, Gabbard effusively supports Israel, opposing any limits on its assaults on Gaza and Lebanon. She has slandered protesters critical of Israel as “puppets” of a “radical Islamist organization,” accusing them of supporting Hamas.   ‘Maverick Appointment’ Despite her inflammatory rhetoric and overt support for Israel’s most belligerent policies, Gabbard’s nomination as Director of National Intelligence (DNI) could be a silver lining in Trump’s cabinet. The position wields immense power, coordinating the work of America’s sprawling intelligence apparatus across 18 agencies. Since the announcement, deep anxiety has rippled through intelligence circles on both sides of the Atlantic, with veterans voicing fears about the potential consequences of her leadership. Trump spent much of his first term at war with the U.S. intelligence community. The President and his supporters quite legitimately accuse the CIA, FBI et al. of seeking to undermine and sabotage his first term in office. On November 24, The Economist forecast—based on interviews with U.S. and European intelligence officials—a “likely” mass exodus from American spying agencies, as many operatives are “fearful of falling foul” of Trump and Gabbard, under whom “spies are on notice.” Gabbard’s disdain for America’s spy agency alphabet soup was writ large in her April book, “For Love of Country.” She blamed the CIA, FBI, “and a whole network of rogue intelligence and law enforcement agents working at the highest levels” of the U.S. government, in conjunction with “the Democratic National Committee, propaganda media, [and] Big Tech” for America’s most egregious ills. She declared this shadowy nexus “so dangerous that even our elected officials are afraid to cross them.” Gabbard reserves some of her sharpest criticism for the intelligence community’s role in fueling the Ukraine proxy war, accusing it of laying the groundwork for conflict to benefit defense contractors. “How would their friends in the military-industrial complex make trillions of dollars from the fear they fomented in America and Europe by stoking the fires of the new Cold War?” she wrote. American spies, it seems, are taking her seriously. “We are all reeling,” a “current intelligence official who’s worked through multiple administrations” told TIME magazine following the announcement of her nomination. Gabbard poses with Benjamin Netanyahu apologist Shmuley Boteach and top GOP donor Miriam Adelson at the Champions of Jewish Values 2016 Gala Per The Daily Telegraph, the intelligence community in London is likewise “alarmed” by Gabbard’s nomination. The doggedly pro-Ukraine outlet quoted a number of “British defence figures” which slammed the move in the harshest possible terms. Disgraced former MI6 chief Richard Dearlove attacked the “maverick appointment,” lambasting her lack of “experience of intelligence and security.” Elsewhere, former British Army tank commander Hamish de Bretton Gordon angsted that the “special relationship” between Britain and the US “could be impacted.” The perspectives of Dearlove and de Bretton Gordon are striking, for both have long histories of exploiting the “special relationship” to further London’s ends and bounce the U.S. intelligence and military establishment into war. MI6 chief Dearlove was responsible for cooking up false intelligence that formed the basis of the formal British and U.S. case for invading Iraq. The subsequent Chilcot Inquiry was completely damning of his activities in this regard. Its report noted that Dearlove personally informed Prime Minister Tony Blair that Baghdad could definitively strike Britain with chemical and biological weapons within 45 minutes, and this information had been provided to MI6 by an Iraqi with “phenomenal access” to the highest levels of Saddam Hussein’s government. That false claim was central to London’s justification for war and much repeated in the media at the time. In reality, British spies were furnished with the claim “indirectly” by a taxi driver.   ‘Perfect Nominee’ More recently, Dearlove was a central figure in Russiagate and a prominent advocate for the credibility of former MI6 operative Christopher Steele and his ‘Trump-Russia’ dossier in the media, despite the document’s self-evident falsity and concerns about its veracity within British and U.S. intelligence circles. Russiagate was clearly intended to ensure relations between Washington and Moscow didn’t improve under Trump, and were it not for the belligerent stance resultantly taken by his administration, the Ukraine proxy war could well have been avoided. Hamish de Bretton Gordon also played a personal role in pushing for a U.S. war in Syria. He was part of an MI6 operation that smuggled soil samples out of Syria, purportedly to prove the Syrian government’s responsibility for chemical weapons attacks. These samples were later revealed to be falsified. A senior Western source acknowledged in August 2013 that the true aim of British intelligence was to pressure Washington into direct boots-on-the-ground military intervention, ala Iraq. While that catastrophic outcome was avoided, a supposed government chemical weapons attack in Douma in April 2018 succeeded in pushing Trump to launch missile strikes against Syria. Leaked documents and independent investigations have since revealed that this incident was staged by British intelligence operatives and their assets. Notably, Gabbard publicly criticized Trump’s response, questioning whether Douma was a staged ruse by the opposition to prolong the conflict at a time when the White House appeared ready to de-escalate. With Gabbard in the role of DNI, the sway of intelligence agencies over political decisions and the readiness of figures like Rubio, Trump and Waltz to act on dubious intelligence could be blunted. While this may not provide immediate solace to the Palestinians, who remain under constant threat of death and displacement, it could signal a positive shift in the unchecked influence of British and U.S. intelligence on the White House. These tentative grounds for optimism are somewhat reinforced by Patel’s nomination as FBI director. As a committed Israel-firster, he comfortably aligns with the rest of Trump’s prospective cabinet, and one might expect that mainstream news outlets eager to advance a pro-Israel agenda would embrace him as a result. Yet the media’s response has been anything but supportive. The New York Times warns that Patel would bring bravado and baggage to the role, while The Washington Post branded him a “dangerous and unqualified choice” to lead the Bureau. The Atlantic, run by long-time pro-Israel activist Jeffrey Goldberg, has intensified this scrutiny of Patel, publishing multiple hit pieces in recent weeks. A November 30 op-ed warned that senior FBI officials would likely resign rather than serve under Patel, which would probably suit Trump just fine. The article concluded, If Trump’s goal is to break the FBI and undermine its missions, Kash Patel is the perfect nominee. This may well be one of the administration’s core objectives—on top of galvanizing Israel. Patel has vowed that a future Trump administration would come after government officials, intelligence agency leaders, journalists, and other establishment figures he associates with what he describes as the Russiagate hoax. It’s hardly surprising that these same factions view his rise—and the broader ascent of a new administration—with trepidation. Like Gabbard, Patel’s combative disdain for the U.S. deep state offers little solace. His stance does not mitigate, let alone counteract, his Pro-Israel leanings or the Trump administration’s aggressive resolve to ensure that Israel’s actions in Gaza, which human rights groups characterize as a genocide, proceed to their grim conclusion. Yet, one might argue that the left could find itself in a stronger position to oppose the ongoing atrocities in Gaza under a Republican administration that makes no pretense of sympathy for the Palestinians. Unlike Democratic governments, which weaponize progressive rhetoric to attempt to shame solidarity activists and progressive dissidents into supporting its doggedly pro-Israel actions, the Trump administration’s overtly pro-Israel stance strips away such falsifications. And the possibility that entrenched institutions like the CIA and FBI—longstanding adversaries of progress and justice in America—might finally face accountability for their actions could be a potential silver lining. Watch this space. Feature photo | Illustration by MintPress News Kit Klarenberg is an investigative journalist and MintPress News contributor exploring the role of intelligence services in shaping politics and perceptions. His work has previously appeared in The Cradle, Declassified UK, and Grayzone. Follow him on Twitter @KitKlarenberg. The post Trumps Pro-Israel Dream Team: Patel Nomination Caps Hawkish Cabinet appeared first on MintPress News.

[Category: Investigations, National, Top Story, Donald Trump cabinet, Israel Gaza conflict escalation, Kash Patel FBI Director, Marco Rubio Secretary of State, Trump administration intelligence shakeup, Trump foreign policy 2024, Trump hawkish cabinet, Trump pro-Israel administration, Tulsi Gabbard Director of National Intelligence, U.S. Middle East policy under Trump]

— Dutch Rapper Appa: Amsterdam ‘Pogrom’ Was Self-Defense Against Israeli Hooligans

 

at 12/4/24 12:52pm

The MintPress podcast The Watchdog, hosted by British-Iraqi hip-hop artist Lowkey, closely examines organizations about which it is in the public interest to know—including intelligence, lobby, and special interest groups influencing policies that infringe on free speech and target dissent. The Watchdog goes against the grain by casting a light on stories largely ignored by the mainstream, corporate media. It was a pogrom, the likes of which have not been seen in Europe since World War Two. Or at least that is how corporate media across the world presented last month’s violence in Amsterdam, as Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv came to play Ajax in football’s Europa League. Five people were hospitalized, with a few dozen more minor injuries. And yet, the event generated hysteria across the West. President Biden, for example, described the supposed attacks against Israelis as “despicable,” adding that they “echo dark moments in history when Jews persecuted.” Dutch King Willem-Alexander, meanwhile, compared the events to the Holocaust. Yet even as public official after public official was denouncing the Dutch and spreading the persecution narrative, video clips showing a very different reality were going viral on social media, challenging the official story. On today’s episode of “The Watchdog,” Lowkey catches up with an eyewitness to November’s violence. Rachid El Ghazoui, better known as Appa, is a legend of Dutch hip-hop. Active for over two decades, the rapper is known for his political content and his fierce criticism of racist Dutch politicians, such as Geert Wilders. His lyrics have made him a leading voice among the Moroccan community in the Netherlands. Appa tells a very different story to Biden or King Willem-Alexander, presenting it as a tale of Israeli football thugs trashing a beautiful city and then being challenged and overpowered by locals. As he told Lowkey: It actually started with the Maccabi Tel Aviv hooligans tearing up the streets, attacking people, throwing stuff at people, kicking people off their bikes, destroying taxis. Being hooligans, actually. They started singing racist songs in the main square, [about] killing Arabs and raping women” From there, the Israeli thugs were beaten back, and the resistance put up by locals – many of them of Moroccan descent – was treated as a vicious racist attack. Thus, what was a pretty typical case of European soccer hooliganism was transformed for political gain into a supposedly senseless anti-Semitic pogrom. It cannot be overlooked that this media circus came just as support for the State of Israel and its genocidal policies against its neighbors is plummeting across Europe. It also should be remembered that Ajax Amsterdam – the team whose supporters supposedly brutally beat up Jews for no reason – is strongly associated with Amsterdam’s Jewish population and is known the world over as something of a pro-Israel, “Jewish club.” The plot thickened even further after Israeli media revealed that Israel had sent many Mossad agents to Amsterdam who were present among the Maccabi fans. Ajax won the game 5-0. Make sure to watch the full interview here to learn how a small-scale skirmish between rival soccer fans was amped up into a major international incident. Lowkey is a British-Iraqi hip-hop artist and academic and political campaigner. As a musician, he has collaborated with the Arctic Monkeys, Wretch 32, Immortal Technique and Akala. He is a patron of Stop The War Coalition, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the Racial Justice Network and The Peace and Justice Project, founded by Jeremy Corbyn. He has spoken and performed on platforms from the Oxford Union to the Royal Albert Hall and Glastonbury. His latest album, Soundtrack To The Struggle 2, featured Noam Chomsky and Frankie Boyle and has been streamed millions of times. The post Dutch Rapper Appa: Amsterdam Pogrom Was Self-Defense Against Israeli Hooligans appeared first on MintPress News.

[Category: Behind The Headlines, Foreign Affairs, Podcasts, Top Story]

— How the US and Israel Quietly Revived Al-Qaeda Allies in Syria’s Idlib Offensive

 

at 12/4/24 8:18am

As Syrian opposition forces, spearheaded by the Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, intensify their offensive to seize more territory after capturing Aleppo, Washington has distanced itself from the attack—a remarkable reversal, considering its longstanding support for weaponizing so-called “moderate rebel” groups based in Idlib. Under President Barack Obama, the U.S. government secretly poured billions into a covert operation designed to topple Bashar al-Assad’s government. The CIA’s Timber Sycamore program, one of the agency’s most expensive undertakings, at its peak, funneled $100,000 per Syrian militant trained—many of whom would ultimately fight under the banner of Al-Qaeda-linked factions. The full extent of Washington’s complicity was laid bare in leaked cables, which revealed a startling admission from Jake Sullivan, then-Deputy Chief of Staff, to Hillary Clinton in 2012: Al-Qaeda “is on our side in Syria.” Brett McGurk, the National Security Council’s coordinator for the Middle East, later labeled Idlib as “the largest Al-Qaeda safe haven since 9/11.” In a 2020 subcommittee hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Dana Stroul, who would later become the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for the Middle East under the Biden administration, argued that “Russia and Iran do not have the resources to stabilize or rebuild Syria.” She pointed out that the Syrian economy, already reeling, was “continuing to spiral downward,” a situation worsened by the economic crisis in Lebanon and the U.S.-led sanctions regime. Stroul went on to suggest that “here is the opportunity,” advocating for a proactive approach. She proposed the U.S. begin planning how to “leverage the next outbreak of violence to reinvigorate a political process.” Stroul went on to emphasize that this strategy should include U.S. rapprochement with Turkey, along with maintaining a firm stance on political matters, sanctions, and the denial of reconstruction aid. The objective has been unwavering: to drive Iran out of Syrian territory and compel Damascus to forsake its alliance with Lebanese Hezbollah. This ambition is more than strategy—it is a vision to reshape the regions balance of power in favor of Israeli and American interests. In the aftermath of the HTSs capture of Aleppo, the United Arab Emirates and the United States seized the moment to push forward their vision of a new Middle East with calculated precision, extending an offer that speaks to the heart of Syrias struggle: sanctions relief in exchange for severing ties with long-time ally Iran. Earlier this year, the pro-regime change lobbyist coalition, calling its American Coalition for Syria, held meetings with US officials in Washington during its annual day of advocacy, where there was advocacy for financing al-Qaeda-linked groups. According to a report published by The Grayzone, Republican Florida Sen. Rick Scott’s chief of staff reassured the Syrian opposition advocates that “the Israelis want you guys in charge.” The extremist rebranded Al-Qaeda "rebels" in Syria told the Israeli media, “We love Israel”. They praised Israel for bombing Hezbollah and other resistance groups. They asked Israel to help them overthrow Assad so they can create a new pro-Israel, pro-Western regime in… pic.twitter.com/S1frP72rE6 — Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) December 3, 2024 Analyses from pro-Israeli think tanks, such as the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP), portray an Arab League that has shifted its stance to support Damascus. However, this support comes with a calculated purpose: advancing an anti-Iran agenda that aligns seamlessly with the objectives of both the United States and Israel. The overarching goal is clear—a negotiated settlement in Syria that compels President Bashar al-Assad to sever ties with Iran and halt the flow of weapons to Hezbollah. Over the past few years, as the war in Syria settled into a stalemate, the Western foreign policy establishment embarked on an effort to rebrand Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Central to this effort was the reinvention of HTSs leader, Abu Mohammad al-Julani. Known for his military fatigues, al-Julani reappeared on American television in a dramatically different fashion—donning a suit and presenting himself as a polished, formal leader. In its analysis of HTS, Washington-based think tank the Center for Strategic and International Studies noted: HTS’s messaging has clearly publicized its Syrianization measures, counterterrorism campaigns against transnational Islamist groups, and attempts at building a governance structure in northern Idlib. This sustained messaging and the lack of military operations outside areas HTS controls indicate that the group will continue to position itself as a relatively moderate governing force in Syria in an effort to receive international aid, resources, and eventually recognition.” James Jeffrey, a former U.S. ambassador and Special Representative for Syrian Engagement during the Trump administration, described Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as an asset to U.S. strategy in Idlib. The rebranding of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham HTS has moved forward despite damning reports of torture and human rights abuses, with the group even targeting journalists in Idlib who were sympathetic to its cause. A 2020 United Nations report cast an even darker shadow, noting that every major faction in Syria, including HTS, has relied on child soldiers to bolster its ranks. While the United States publicly distances itself from direct involvement in the latest escalation in Syria, the reality is more complex. Openly supporting groups officially designated as terrorist organizations risk embarrassment that Washington would prefer to avoid. Feature photo | A fighter from the extremist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militant group takes part in a military manoeuvrer with live ammunition in Idlib,Syria on August 17, 2023. Anas Alkharboutli | AP Robert Inlakesh is a political analyst, journalist and documentary filmmaker currently based in London, UK. He has reported from and lived in the occupied Palestinian territories and hosts the show ‘Palestine Files’. Director of ‘Steal of the Century: Trump’s Palestine-Israel Catastrophe’. Follow him on Twitter @falasteen47 The post How the US and Israel Quietly Revived Al-Qaeda Allies in Syria’s Idlib Offensive appeared first on MintPress News.

[Category: Foreign Affairs, Al-Qaeda Syria connections, Bashar al-Assad sanctions relief, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebranding, HTS Aleppo offensive, Iran Syria alliance, Israel Hezbollah strategy, Syria regime change efforts, Timber Sycamore program, U.S. sanctions on Syria, U.S. Syria strategy]

— After Lebanon Ceasefire, Israel Revives Old Playbook: Backing Militants in Syria

 

at 12/3/24 7:35am

Since 2013, Israel has quietly cultivated ties with factions of the Syrian opposition, weaving a complex web of alliances to advance its strategic aims in Syria and beyond. According to Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), the recent offensive in Aleppo, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a group with roots in Al-Qaeda, represents more than a battlefield victory for the Syrian opposition. For Israel, it could mark a critical step toward achieving its long-held strategic goals in the region, particularly cutting off Iran from its allies in Syria and Lebanon. A recent Hebrew-language publication by the INSS outlined the potential fallout from the weakening or collapse of the Syrian government. The report predicted that such a shift would compel Iran to withdraw its forces from Syria, sever the supply route to Hezbollah through Iraq and Syria, and destabilize pro-Iranian militias in Iraq. Most significantly, the analysis suggested Tehran would be forced to divert its focus toward securing its own borders, limiting its ability to retaliate against Israel. In an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 News, a Syrian rebel officer made a bold declaration: if President Bashar al-Assad were overthrown, peace and security with the entire region and with Israel could become a reality. Former Israeli military intelligence officer Lt. Col. Mordechai Kedar added weight to this claim, revealing that he has maintained direct contact with Syrian rebels. “I passed on to senior officials in Israel a detailed list of equipment that they requested to receive from Israel,” Kedar stated. He claimed the rebels are prepared to sign a peace agreement with Israel—on one condition: they must first take control of Syria and Lebanon. On Sunday, the Israeli military announced that its air force had conducted a mission over Syria to prevent an Iranian airliner from landing, alleging it was transporting weapons to Hezbollah. The operation, along with a series of airstrikes targeting the Syrian-Lebanese border, has been cited as evidence of Israels involvement in the conflict. Israeli military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari delivered a sharp warning against Iran’s influence in Syria, vowing that Tel Aviv would act unilaterally to disrupt any weapons transfers into Syrian territory. The announcement came on the heels of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pointed remarks accusing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of “playing with fire.” Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a source close to the Syrian leadership revealed to MintPress News that the United States had approached Damascus with an offer of sanctions relief. The proposal, tied to Syria’s participation in the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire agreement, hinged on cutting off weapons supplies to Hezbollah. According to the source, Damascus rejected the overture outright.   Proxy Wars: From Medical Aid to Military Support In 2014, it was revealed that the Israeli military had provided medical aid to fighters from Jabhat al-Nusra (now known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham) while the group controlled parts of the Golan Heights. This controversial decision sparked widespread criticism, given the group’s alignment with extremist ideologies and its later formal association with Al-Qaeda in Syria. In a 2016 interview, former Mossad chief Efraim Halevy defended the move, dismissing concerns about potential repercussions. “No, I don’t think so,” Halevy said when asked about the risks of blowback, adding, “Al-Qaeda, to the best of my recollection, has, up until now, not attacked Israel.” Israel’s involvement with Syrian opposition groups extended far beyond medical aid. By July 2018, reports emerged that Israel had been covertly funding and arming as many as 12 opposition factions in Syria. Fighters aligned with these groups were allegedly paid a monthly salary of $75, with the explicit aim of advancing Israeli interests in the region. A Wall Street Journal report revealed that Israel had been transferring at least $5,000 per month to Forsan al-Julan, a Syrian opposition group based in Quneitra, near the country’s southern border. Backed by Israel since 2013, Forsan al-Julan emerged as one of Tel Aviv’s early proxy organizations in the Syrian conflict. Its commander, Mu’atasem al-Julan, candidly acknowledged the groups dependence on Israeli support, declaring, “Israel stood by us in a heroic manner. We would not have survived without its assistance.” The majority of fighters receiving medical treatment from Israel in the Golan Heights were reportedly members of al-Nusra Front, a group with direct ties to al-Qaeda. In one notable instance, Israel allegedly opened its border gates to allow the militants access to its territory. A United Nations report, bolstered by the testimony of a journalist arrested while investigating the Israeli-al-Nusra connection, painted a picture of a significant partnership. Benjamin Netanyahu shakes hands with an injured Syrian, suspected to be an anti-government militant, being treated at an IDF field hospital. Kobi Gideon | Israeli Government Press Office Al-Nusra, now operating under the name Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, is currently leading the offensive against the Syrian army in Aleppo. During the Syrian war, the group was directly aided by Israel at a time when it was allied with ISIS—a collaboration that saw both groups working together to take control of the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus. During the early years of the Syrian war, the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC spearheaded a campaign to pressure policymakers in Washington to launch military strikes against Syria, explicitly aiming to achieve regime change in Damascus. Israel’s long-standing ambition to establish a buffer zone extending into Syrian territory, even as far as Suwayda, has gained quiet support from the U.S. occupation of Syria’s southern al-Tanf province. Yet this expansionist vision has faced stiff resistance from the Druze-majority population in Suwayda, which remains staunchly aligned with the Syrian government. Still, the crippling economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. and EU have destabilized the region, allowing Druze gangs to thrive on the profits of the narcotics trade. In 2020, a new Druze-led group, the Syrian al-Liwa Party, surfaced under the leadership of Malek Abu Kheer. The organization presented a brazen plan to U.S. forces stationed in al-Tanf, proposing to overthrow Syrian government forces in the region and expel factions allied with Iran from the country’s southern territories. In 2020, protests flared in Suwayda over government mismanagement, and Israel saw an opportunity to advance its ambitions in Syria. The unrest was used as a lever for Tel Aviv’s push to establish a “Druze self-administration” in the region. By 2022, Israel had sent Mowaffaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel, to Moscow with demands for federalization. The gesture was clearly aimed not at supporting Druze aspirations but at dismantling Syrian sovereignty. Israel’s support for Syrian opposition groups has been a consistent thread in its regional strategy since at least 2013. The rebels, in turn, have demonstrated a notable reverence towards Israeli interests. In a blatant display of this dynamic, militants in Idlib recently celebrated an Israeli bombing in Beirut that killed some 300 civilians. Holding up a placard written in Hebrew, they publicly expressed their gratitude to Israel for the attack. Feature photo | A Syrian anti-government militant sits on an office chair posing for a picture at the Aleppo International Airport in Syria, Dec. 2, 2024. Omar Albam | AP Robert Inlakesh is a political analyst, journalist and documentary filmmaker currently based in London, UK. He has reported from and lived in the occupied Palestinian territories and hosts the show ‘Palestine Files’. Director of ‘Steal of the Century: Trump’s Palestine-Israel Catastrophe’. Follow him on Twitter @falasteen47 The post After Lebanon Ceasefire, Israel Revives Old Playbook: Backing Militants in Syria appeared first on MintPress News.

[Category: Foreign Affairs, Aleppo offensive strategic goals, Druze self-administration Syria, Forsan al-Julan Israeli funding, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Israel ties, Israel Hezbollah tensions, Israel Syria conflict, Israeli support for Syrian Rebels, Syria Iran proxy war, Syrian opposition Israeli aid, U.S. sanctions on Syria]

— Marco Rubio: From ‘Perfect Little Puppet’ to Most Dangerous Man Alive

 

at 12/2/24 1:28pm

With the appointment of Marco Rubio to the post of Secretary of State, the Trump administration has elevated one of the most pro-war extremists ever to serve in the cabinet of the United States of America.In this article, MintPress highlights Rubio’s history as one of the most reliable warmongering voices in Washington, an individual who has led or supported many of America’s most aggressive foreign policy decisions, including military interventions, coups, and sanctions. Trump, who promises to be the “most pro-Israel president ever,” has picked a cabinet replete with neoconservative, pro-war voices. Rubio, however, may be the most belligerent of all of them, and his ascension to the most powerful position in Trump’s team does not bode well for the world.   Sanctioning China, The World Of all the situations to trigger a global nuclear war, a confrontation with Beijing appears among the most likely. The U.S. has constructed a network of over 300 military bases encircling China – another nuclear-armed state. Rubio is doing more than almost anyone to make that doomsday scenario an eventuality. He has made clear that he supports Taiwanese independence, breaking more than a half-century of official U.S. policy in the process. His “Taiwan Peace Through Strength Act” promotes direct military collaboration between the U.S. and Taiwan and calls for increased arms spending on the island. Rubio was also one of the faces of the 2014 Hong Kong protest movement, a U.S.-backed attempt to wrest the island city from Chinese influence. He invited the movement’s leaders to Washington, D.C., and attempted to introduce legislation to force the United States into supporting Hong Kong’s independence. At home, he has led the clampdown on Chinese businesses such as Huawei and has spearheaded a movement to uncover and stamp out China’s supposed undue influence over American media and educational institutions. Unsurprisingly, then, the former Florida senator also supports a trade war and sanctions against China and, indeed, much of the world, including Russia, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and Iran. Unilateral sanctions, of course, are illegal under international law. However, Rubio believes the United States can and should use its economic might to crush countries resisting Washington’s dictates. The waning power of the dollar as the global reserve currency, though, makes this increasingly difficult. As Rubio lamented on Fox News last year, Brazil, the largest country in Latin America, signed a comprehensive trade agreement with China whereby goods and services would be paid for in local currencies rather than the dollar: They’re creating a secondary economy in the world, totally independent of the United States. We won’t have to talk sanctions in five years, because there will be so many countries transacting in currencies other than the dollar, that we won’t have the ability to sanction them.” U.S. Senator @MarcoRubio slams Brazil-China deal to do trade in own currencies for undermining U.S. power to impose sanctions: In 5 years there will be so many countries transacting in currencies other than the dollar that we wont have the ability to sanction them. pic.twitter.com/RbWTn6tpIB — No Cold War (@NoColdWar) April 11, 2023   Genocide Denier Rubio has strongly supported Israel in its campaign against its neighbors. “Israel takes extraordinary steps to avoid civilian losses,” he said during a solidarity visit to Tel Aviv earlier this year, adding that the problem is that its enemies “don’t value human life.” “Israel has consistently sought peace with the Palestinians… Israelis rightfully living in their historic homeland are not the impediment to peace; the Palestinians are,” he wrote in a letter to his predecessor, Antony Blinken. When asked by activists from peace group CODEPINK whether he supports an end to Israeli atrocities, he answered in the negative, stating, “On the contrary. I want them to destroy every element of Hamas they can get their hands on. These people are vicious animals.”   Narco Rubio Hailing from the notoriously conservative Cuban-American community in Florida, Latin American policy has always been among Rubio’s chief interests. Described as the unofficial “Secretary of State for Latin America” during Trump’s first term, he will undoubtedly hold enormous influence over U.S. policy in the region in the years to come. This is bad news for the people of Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia, and Venezuela, all of whom have watched as Rubio supported coup attempts against their countries. In 2019, for example, he went as far as directly tweeting images of the capture, death and bloody assassination of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi at Nicolás Maduro during an ongoing U.S.-backed coup against the Venezuelan president. .@marcorubio tweets bloodied Gaddafi photo as he calls for Maduro to step down in Venezuela. https://t.co/eNYdUPaUyI pic.twitter.com/dzVp3jPBTt — Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) February 24, 2019 Rubio has always favored a more aggressive, punitive approach to Cuba. Last year, for example, he introduced legislation to ensure that Cuba would remain on the U.S. State Sponsor of Terrorism List, offering no evidence of the island’s supposed support for such groups. A right-wing conservative Christian, Rubio has also made well known his contempt for much less radical Latin American leaders, such as Mexico’s Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Brazil’s Lula da Silva. On the other hand, he has openly embraced far-right presidents, like Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro (in power between 2019 and 2023) and Argentina’s Javier Milei. Rubio has attempted to link Maduro with the organized drug trade, insisting, with little evidence, that the Venezuelan leader is a narcotics kingpin. On this issue, he appears to be living in a glasshouse; his own brother-in-law is a cocaine drug lord. Orlando Cicilia spent 12 years in a Florida prison for crimes related to the smuggling and distribution of cocaine. Rubio enjoys a very close relationship with Cicilia and, after the latter’s release from prison, used his political position to pressure a Florida regulator to grant him a real estate license. Across much of Latin America, the new Secretary of State is known as “Narco Rubio.”   Neocon Warmonger A consummate Washington insider, Rubio cheerled the U.S. action in Libya that led to Gaddafi’s execution and the country being turned into a failed state replete with open-air slave markets. He also supported the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, condemning Biden for his pullout from Kabul in 2021. In addition, he helped Saudi Arabia in its genocide against Yemen while expressing outrage over alleged Houthi human rights abuses, minuscule in comparison with the Saudi-led, U.S.-backed genocide. Studies by Brown University have shown that America’s post-9/11 wars have killed at least 4.5 million people and displaced at least 37 million more. One of the most shocking stories arising from the Global War on Terror is the torture camp at Guantánamo Bay. By the mid-2010s, the facility was causing such negative publicity for the U.S. that the Obama administration was reportedly considering shutting it down. Rubio, however, was enthusiastic in his support for the center, promising to reopen it if elected president. He also supported the dramatic expansion of the surveillance state into American life, voting to continue the practice of collecting vast amounts of data on ordinary American citizens, and has effectively argued that First Amendment protections should not be applied to anti-Israel campus protestors.   Sheldon Adelson’s “Perfect Little Puppet” Few in 2016 would have predicted Rubio’s rise to become arguably the most powerful man in Trump’s cabinet. The Floridian was once one of Trump’s fiercest critics, describing him as a fraud when the two were battling for the Republican Presidential nomination. “I think it is time to unmask [Trump] for what he is,” he said during a campaign speech in Oklahoma City, adding: He’s trying to take over the conservative movement even though he’s not a conservative, but more importantly, he’s a con. I mean, he’s a conman who is taking advantage of people’s fears and anxieties about the future, portraying himself as some sort of strong guy. He’s not a strong guy.” Trump was, if anything, even more scathing towards Rubio, stating that “[Pro-Israel billioniare] Sheldon Adelson is looking to give big dollars to Rubio because he feels he can mold him into his perfect little puppet. I agree!” One of Adelson’s key issues is stopping the rise of clean, renewable energy, and in that, he found an ally in Rubio, who consistently denied the reality of man-made climate change, stating that there was “no scientific evidence” to back up the theory. Funded by big money donations from the oil and gas industries, he even voted against legislation protecting low-lying cities such as Miami from severe weather events. Since their public spat, Trump has clearly buried the hatchet with both Rubio and Adelson. The latter’s widow, Miriam, contributed a gigantic $100 million to Trump’s recent presidential run, becoming his biggest donor in the process. Clearly, then, both Trump and Rubio are willing to make major concessions in the pursuit of power. However, given Rubio’s track record, his appointment as Secretary of State does not bode well for either America or the rest of the world. Feature photo | Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., talks to reporters at an election night watch party for Donald Trump, Nov. 5, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. Alex Brandon | AP Alan MacLeod is Senior Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent, as well as a number of academic articles. He has also contributed to FAIR.org, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, and Common Dreams. The post Marco Rubio: From Perfect Little Puppet to Most Dangerous Man Alive appeared first on MintPress News.

[Category: Foreign Affairs, Investigations, Top Story, Israel Palestine Rubio stance, Marco Rubio foreign policy, Marco Rubio Sheldon Adelson connections, Narco Rubio Latin America policies, Rubio climate change denial, Rubio Taiwan Peace Through Strength Act, Trump cabinet neoconservatives, Trump Secretary of State Rubio, U.S. sanctions against China, U.S. Yemen conflict Rubio]

— Setback or Strategy: Hezbollah’s Ceasefire Deal Sparks Confusion

 

at 11/27/24 2:02pm

Many are confused by the sudden ceasefire between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. One of Hezbollah’s initial operational goals was to maintain military pressure on Israel until a ceasefire was achieved in Gaza. That outcome now seems increasingly unlikely, though some remain hopeful that the ceasefire in Lebanon could spark similar agreements elsewhere in the region. The recent ceasefire between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon has raised questions, especially given reports of the IDF facing shortages in munitions and manpower. To delve into this issue, analysts and journalists Batool Subeiti and Ghadi Francis join us on State of Play. Conventional military wisdom suggests that from a strictly strategic perspective, this acceptance is a significant misstep by Hezbollah and the broader Axis of Resistance. Under the ceasefire terms, all military infrastructure and positions will be dismantled, and unauthorized weapons confiscated. A committee acceptable to both Israel and Lebanon will be formed to monitor and assist in enforcing these commitments. Israel and Lebanon will report any potential violations to the committee and UNIFIL. Lebanon is required to deploy its security forces along all borders, crossing points, and the line defining the southern region, as outlined in the deployment plan. Israel, in turn, will withdraw and consolidate its forces south of the Blue Line in a phased manner over 60 days. Additionally, the United States will promote indirect negotiations between Israel and Lebanon to establish a recognized land border. There is considerable wariness surrounding the campaign of U.S. influence in Lebanon, exemplified by the construction of a new 43-acre American embassy in Beirut. Turning to Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the question: Why establish a ceasefire now? He outlined three primary reasons. First, to focus on the threat posed by Iran, though he declined to provide further explanation. Second, to rearm, resupply, and renew the Israel Defense Forces, as it is widely acknowledged that the Israeli defense apparatus is low on munitions, manpower, and morale. Third, to separate the fronts and isolate Hamas and other resistance networks in Gaza. Israel appears to be buying time to replenish its military, both in firepower and manpower, while waiting for a potentially more compliant U.S. administration. The ceasefire also separates resistance fronts, enabling the IDF to focus on defeating Palestinian resistance through what critics argue is the only means possible: the complete ethnic cleansing of northern Gaza. This also grants Israel time to prepare for a broader confrontation with the Axis of Resistance and Iran. The concern is that allowing Israel this opportunity to regroup and mobilize could cost Hezbollah in the long run. However, this mirrors conventional wisdom that failed during the 20-year Global War on Terror. Much like the 2006 Lebanon War, Israel was widely declared the victor at the time, but nearly two decades later, it is almost universally regarded as having suffered a strategic defeat. Tonight, we explore why this might be the more reasonable interpretation of events. Greg Stoker is a former US Army Ranger with a background in human intelligence collection and analysis. After serving four combat deployments in Afghanistan, he studied anthropology and International Relations at Columbia University. He is currently a military and geopolitical analyst and a social media “influencer,” though he hates the term. MintPress News is a fiercely independent media company. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and subscribing to our social media channels, including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Also, check out rapper Lowkey’s video interview and podcast series, The Watchdog. The post Setback or Strategy: Hezbollah’s Ceasefire Deal Sparks Confusion appeared first on MintPress News.

[Category: Behind The Headlines, Foreign Affairs, Top Story, Axis of Resistance ceasefire, Hezbollah military strategy, IDF munitions shortages, Israel Gaza conflict separation, Israel Hezbollah ceasefire terms, Lebanon Blue Line negotiations, Netanyahu Iran strategy, regional stability Middle East, U.S. embassy Beirut expansion, U.S. influence in Lebanon]

— Marco Rubio’s Yemen Gamble: Is the US Headed for Another Middle East War?

 

at 11/27/24 1:26pm

Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has taken a hardline position against Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement, advocating policies aimed at reigniting the conflict between Riyadh and Sana’a. Critics warn that his approach could risk dragging the United States into a direct confrontation, escalating tensions in an already volatile region. As vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Marco Rubio has carved out a reputation as a steadfast proponent of hardline policies, particularly against Yemen’s Ansar Allah-led government and its allies. Rubio, who has received over $1 million from pro-Israel donors, has consistently aligned himself with neoconservative hawks. Until the political tides shifted under Donald Trump, Rubio remained one of the few Republican stalwarts still publicly defending the invasion of Iraq—a position he quietly tempered once it became a liability. Since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, Rubio has doubled down on his narrative that Iran and its regional allies, which he pointedly calls “proxies,” are the true architects of instability in the Middle East. This framing has bolstered Rubio’s push for an aggressive U.S. stance toward Tehran and its partners, including Ansar Allah. Well, new Trump Secretary of State pick Marco Rubio told everyone what he’s going to do to the Palestinians as Secretary of State. Is this what America wants. pic.twitter.com/4NMxlVQkGO — Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) November 12, 2024 On June 27, the incoming Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, published an op-ed in the National Review titled “President Biden’s Misguided Policy toward the Houthis Hurts Americans.” In it, Rubio made the case for a significantly more aggressive U.S. stance against Yemen, specifically targeting its blockade of ships bound for Israel’s Port of Eilat. He called for an intensified air campaign, framing Yemen’s actions as a direct threat to American and Israeli interests that demanded a decisive military response. “Until Biden corrects course and imposes a real cost on the terrorist group, we should expect prices to continue to rise and more Americans to be put at risk,” Rubio declared in his op-ed. Yet the Biden administration had already launched Operation Prosperity Guardian in December 2023—a multinational naval mission aimed at dismantling Ansar Allah’s blockade and free passage of ships to Israel. Initially, the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) focused their efforts exclusively on targeting Israeli interests, with the blockade clearly intended to pressure Tel Aviv into halting its war on Gaza. However, the Biden administration’s aggressive response not only failed to lift the blockade but also escalated the conflict, leading to broader disruptions in international shipping as Yemen retaliated against what it perceived as unprovoked acts of aggression. Despite these developments, Rubio advocated for arming and backing Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in renewed attacks against Yemen’s Ansar Allah. Such a move would almost certainly collapse the fragile ceasefire that has held since 2022. If the United States finalizes a security agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, such a strategy—especially under a potential second Trump administration—could risk pulling America into direct involvement in the conflict. While the Trump administration designated Ansar Allah—referred to as The Houthis—as a foreign terrorist organization, President Joe Biden rescinded the designation in 2021, signaling his administrations intention to end the war in Yemen. However, the Biden administration abandoned its initial anti-war stance. Following Ansarallahs support for Gaza, the group was added to the U.S. specially designated global terrorist organization list—a move Rubio criticized as insufficient. On November 1, Rubio, alongside Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen, spearheaded a bipartisan push to reclassify Ansarallah, penning a formal letter to President Biden urging action. Following a November 2018 Senate vote to limit U.S. involvement in the Saudi-led war on Yemen, Rubio defended Washingtons support for Riyadh, arguing for continued logistical assistance and arms supplies to the Saudis and framing the U.S. role as indirect and insufficient to invoke the War Powers Act, which requires presidential consultation with Congress on military actions. Once again, the Yemen war powers resolution has unnecessary, gutting language in it that renders it largely toothless. The following language is a word-for-word copy of Ken Buck’s amendment to the House’s resolution. Marco Rubio got it into the final bill without a recorded vote. pic.twitter.com/HbUnCeb3Uc — Follow me on BlueSky and Threads (@WalkerBragman) March 15, 2019 If Rubio maintains his hard-line stance on Yemen as he transitions into the role of Secretary of State under Trump, his calls for intensified airstrikes and the provision of lethal weaponry to Gulf nations as proxies could spark a catastrophic regional war—one that threatens not only stability in the Middle East but also the safety of U.S. assets and military personnel. Feature photo | Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., left, walks off the stage with President Donald Trump after a speech in 2017, in Miami. Lynne Sladky | AP Robert Inlakesh is a political analyst, journalist and documentary filmmaker currently based in London, UK. He has reported from and lived in the occupied Palestinian territories and hosts the show ‘Palestine Files’. Director of ‘Steal of the Century: Trump’s Palestine-Israel Catastrophe’. Follow him on Twitter @falasteen47 The post Marco Rubio’s Yemen Gamble: Is the US Headed for Another Middle East War? appeared first on MintPress News.

[Category: National, News, Yemen Coverage, Ansar Allah designation policy, Marco Rubio Secretary of State, Middle East stability risks, Rubio Iran proxy narrative, Rubio Saudi UAE alliance, Saudi Arabia U.S. security deal, Trump administration Middle East strategy, U.S. naval operation Yemen, U.S. Yemen conflict escalation, Yemen blockade Israel tensions]

— TikTok isn’t anti-Israel: It’s Hired Unit 8200 Agents to Run its Affairs

 

at 11/27/24 3:00am

TikTok has been under intense pressure as of late from U.S. officials, who accuse the video platform of being a hub of anti-Israel hatred. “TikTok is a tool China uses to spread propaganda to Americans. Now it’s being used to downplay Hamas terrorism,” wrote Republican Senator Marco Rubio. “TikTok needs to be shut down. Now,” he added. Nikki Haley, another top Republican, claimed that every 30 minutes spent on the app makes Americans “17% more antisemitic [and] more pro-Hamas.” The platform’s future remains uncertain, as President Biden approved a law that could see it blocked in the U.S. Incoming president, Donald Trump, however, has intimated that he does not favor an outright ban.   Spies In Our Midst Yet, for all the discussion that it is a hotbed of anti-Semitic prejudice turning the youth against Israel, a MintPress News investigation has found that TikTok has hired a myriad of former spooks from Israeli spying agency, Unit 8200, the Israeli Defense Forces’ (IDF) most controversial organization. Responsible for covert operations, spying, surveillance and cyber warfare, Unit 8200 has created a vast digital surveillance dragnet for Palestinians, uses AI-generated kill lists to target Gazans, and pioneered worldwide spying software used against politicians, activists, journalists and world leaders. It was widely reported to be behind the recent Lebanese pager attack that injured thousands of civilians. Reut Medalion, for example, enjoyed a long career at Unit 8200, serving as an intelligence commander and later becoming head of its cybersecurity operations team. In the wake of Israel’s attack on Gaza, she moved to New York City to work as a global incident manager for TikTok’s trust and safety division. Considering the events going on in the world at the time, it is fair to wonder what sorts of “global incidents” she is helping TikTokTok with. Asaf Hochman is also a longtime veteran of Unit 8200, spending far longer than standard Israeli military service requires. In 2021, TikTok hired him as their global head of product strategy and operations. Hochman now works at Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Omer Carmeli is currently TikTok’s global marketing manager. But this was not always so. Between 2004 and 2007, he was a field operations specialist with Unit 8200, serving throughout Israel’s 2006 War on Lebanon and Operation Summer Rains, the IDF’s four-month attack on Gaza. Einav Meir was an intelligence analyst with Unit 8200 until 2015. She is now a client solutions manager at TikTok. Omri Hollander, a client solutions lead with the global video platform, followed the same Unit 8200 intelligence analyst to the TikTok pipeline. Diana Shpakovsky Magen, meanwhile, was once both an intelligence analyst and training commander at Unit 8200. After she left the military, she worked in tech and is now an account manager for TikTok. Shpakovsky Magen’s dates of service align with Operation Cast Lead, the 2008-2009 campaign against Gaza widely seen as one of the worst war crimes of the 21st century (until Israel’s current campaign vastly surpassed it). What her role as a commander was during the campaign is unknown.   An Elite Israeli Spying Unit Why should it be of concern that TikTok is hiring so many former Israeli intelligence agents? Firstly, Unit 8200 is the centerpiece of Israel’s repressive and hi-tech state apparatus. It is responsible for pioneering the technology that has allowed it to create both a gigantic digital dragnet to surveil, harass and intimidate the Palestinian population and for creating spying tools aimed at penetrating and compromising foreign governments and individuals. Unit 8200 agents use facial recognition technology to track Palestinians’ every move and listen to their phone conversations, the information they glean being used as material for blackmail. One Unit 8200 whistleblower revealed that, as part of their training, they were assigned to memorize different Arabic words for “gay” so that they could listen out for them in conversations. The unit is also behind Project Lavender, a giant, A.I.-generated kill list of tens of thousands of Gazans that the Israeli military uses to target the strip’s civilian population. Earlier this year, it planned and carried out an attack on Lebanon, exploding thousands of pagers at the same time, injuring thousands of civilians. The event was widely described, even by former director of the CIA, Leon Panetta, as an act of terrorism. Former Unit 8200 agents, working hand-in-hand with the Israeli national security state, have gone on to create some of the world’s most notorious malware and hacking products. A case in point is the Pegasus software used to spy on more than 50,000 journalists, politicians, diplomats, business leaders and human rights defenders. This included heads of state, such as President Emmanuel Macron of France, Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan, and President Barham Salih of Iraq. Known purchasers of Pegasus include the Central Intelligence Agency and the government of Saudi Arabia, who used Pegasus to spy on Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi before he was assassinated by Saudi agents in Türkiye. All sales of Pegasus had to be approved by the Israeli government, who reportedly had access to the data Pegasus’ foreign customers were accruing. Former agents of Unit 8200 doubtless possess highly desirable tech skills and knowledge. However, given the organization’s past and present actions, it is highly questionable that global tech companies hire them, especially in roles that give them access to sensitive user data or decision-making power over the content on their platforms.   Don’t Mess with Project Texas Since the October 7 attack, senior U.S. politicians have been demanding a complete government ban on TikTok, citing what Missouri Senator Josh Hawley described as a “ubiquity of anti-Israel content.” “The Chinese Communist Party is doing this on purpose,” added his Nebraska colleague, Pete Ricketts, “they are pushing this racist agenda with the intention of undermining our democratic values.” This is not the first time the app has faced total deletion in the U.S. In 2020, Washington branded it a Chinese Trojan horse and threatened to close it down. To appease the government, TikTok launched “Project Texas,” a $1.5 billion initiative to move the company’s data to Austin and partner with Oracle, a corporation with exceptionally close ties to the CIA. A lesser-known aspect of Project Texas, however, was the company’s hiring of scores of U.S. national security state officials, which gave Washington significant control over the platforms direction. For example, Jade Nester, TikTok’s director of data public policy for Europe, was a top official in Washington, previously serving as the State Department’s Director of Internet Public Policy. Mariola Janik, meanwhile, was a senior diplomat in the State Department and a former high official in the Department of Homeland Security before being hired in 2022 to become TikTok’s Global Trust and Safety Operations Program Manager. Beau Patteson is one of a host of ex-CIA officials now working at TikTok. Until 2020, Patteson was a targeting analyst with the agency. TikTok hired him to identify “extremist” content on the platform, and he is now a data security manager for the company. The company’s product policy manager, Greg Andersen, has an even more intriguing past. According to his LinkedIn profile, Andersen went from working on “psychological operations” at NATO to being a policy specialist at Twitter and then onto TikTok two years later. Shortly after, MintPress first publicized this fact in an investigation entitled “The NATO to TikTok Pipeline: Why is TikTok Employing So Many National Security Agents?” Andersen deleted all references to the military alliance from his social media profiles.   Media Wars It is little wonder why Washington, Tel Aviv, or any other government would wish to control TikTok. The app has grown rapidly and now boasts over 1 billion global users, including around 170 million in the U.S. The platform is particularly popular with young people. It is a primary source of news and information for Generation Z, who spend nearly one hour per day, on average, using it. While there is no doubt that pro-Palestine content is more popular than pro-Israel videos, it appears that U.S. politicians reflexively consider this to be down to algorithmic bias and not a reflection of the global sentiment. The United Nations continues to vote overwhelmingly to condemn Israel’s attack on its neighbors, and global polls show the country’s image has dropped precipitously in the past 12 months. Yet it would be a mistake to assume that TikTok is biased in favor of pro-Palestine voices. Last year, MintPress News had its account suspended without warning and has not been reinstated. Popular Middle East News website Mondoweiss was also suspended, and other figures calling for Palestinian liberation have claimed their content is being suppressed. TikTok has also taken steps to align itself with U.S. government policy, deleting more than 320,000 Russian accounts and removing at least 41,000 videos it claims were spreading misinformation about the war in Ukraine. This includes Russian state-owned media such as RT and Sputnik, which it removed in September. Other state enemies of Washington are also suppressed. The platform attaches “state-controlled media” warning labels to China’s CGTN and Iran’s PressTV. It does not, however, do the same to Britain’s BBC, Canada’s CBC, or TRT World of Türkiye. The hiring of individuals who were openly former agents of Israel’s most notorious spying agency – one implicated in gigantic data gathering and blackmail operations – is another sign that TikTok does not plan on being a haven for radical, anti-imperialist politics. Decisions such as the hiring of Israeli spooks to oversee proceedings are messages to Western governments not to be alarmed. It should, however, be a cause for concern for the rest of us. Feature photo | Illustration by MintPress News Alan MacLeod is Senior Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent, as well as a number of academic articles. He has also contributed to FAIR.org, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, and Common Dreams. The post TikTok isn’t anti-Israel: It’s Hired Unit 8200 Agents to Run its Affairs appeared first on MintPress News.

[Category: Investigations, National, Top Story, Chinese influence TikTok, Israeli spying influence TikTok, Project Texas TikTok, TikTok anti-Palestine bias, TikTok former CIA hires, TikTok Israel content moderation, TikTok Israeli intelligence hires, TikTok pro-Palestine suppression, TikTok U.S. government ties, Unit 8200 TikTok controversy]

— Legislating Silence: How Congress Plans to Target Critics of Israel

 

at 11/26/24 7:41am

A coalition of civil rights groups is sounding the alarm over three proposed bills that, they argue, represent an audacious attempt to stifle dissent and curb free expression in the United States. The legislation—H.R.6408, H.R.9495, and S.4136—claims to combat terrorism by targeting the tax-exempt status of nonprofits deemed to be in violation. But critics insist the true aim is more insidious: to suppress organizations that are critical of Israel. Championed by lawmakers with deep ties to AIPAC, the bills, if passed, could pave the way for an unprecedented crackdown on dissent under the guise of national security. While federal laws already prohibit supporting proscribed terrorist organizations, these bills would expand the government’s reach over nonprofits under the guise of countering such threats. H.R.6408 and H.R.9495 have already passed the House of Representatives, with S.4136 poised to add further amendments to the legislative effort. Critics have dubbed H.R.9495 the “nonprofit killer bill,” drawing sharp condemnation from groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). In a letter signed by over 300 nonprofits, the ACLU called on Congress to reject the legislation, warning of its potential to erode constitutional rights and empower government overreach. CAIR echoed these concerns in a press release, labeling the bills “undemocratic” and accusing them of undermining fundamental freedoms. With growing opposition, the fate of these controversial bills may hinge on the ability of civil rights advocates to mobilize public and legislative resistance. Critics argue that the legislative push embodied by H.R.9495 and H.R.6408 hand unprecedented authority to the U.S. Treasury Secretary, enabling them to unilaterally revoke the tax-exempt status of nonprofit organizations accused of “supporting terrorism.” The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) warns that this could be done using classified evidence without formal charges or sufficient opportunity for organizations to defend themselves. Despite this criticism, both bills have cleared Congress, with H.R.6408—billed by its supporters as a response to the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel—receiving less attention but facing similar backlash. The Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee contends the legislation creates “virtually no limitations or accountability” on the Treasury Secretary’s discretion, allowing decisions based on viewpoints that differ from those of the administration in power. Jonathan Schanzer, vice president of the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, a Neoconservative Washington-based think tank, has claimed that pro-Palestinian student protesters take guidance and support from American nonprofit organizations. Schanzer claims that one such charity, American Muslims in Palestine, carries a striking resemblance to the Hamas charities that were dismantled here more than a decade ago. Schanzer was likely referring to the Holy Land Foundation, who were subjected to a highly politicized trial that led to their designation as a terrorist organization in the post-9/11 era. Republican Congressman David Kustoff, the sponsor of H.R.6408, has received nearly $230,000 from pro-Israel lobby groups. A vocal advocate for legislating away antisemitism, Kustoff’s initiatives have drawn condemnation for silencing criticism of Israel on college campuses. After the bill’s passage, Kustoff claimed, “Recent reports indicate there are U.S.-based nonprofits suspected of providing support and funding to terrorist groups.” Senators John Cornyn and Angus King, beneficiaries of significant donations from pro-Israel donors, introduced S.4136, a bill that proposes suspending the tax-exempt status of organizations accused of terrorism support. Cornyn has received at least $488,888 from pro-Israeli donors, and Senator Angus King’s top donor from 2019-2024 was AIPAC. Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, who has received over $178,000 from pro-Israel donors, sponsored H.R.9495, which opponents have labeled the nonprofit killer bill, warning it could lead to government overreach and stifled dissent. GOP Sen. John Cornyn has received nearly HALF A MILLION DOLLARS in support from pro-Israel interest groups. #TXSEN #RejectAIPAC https://t.co/8H3qCFnGyG pic.twitter.com/dC3jRTFrP0 — AIPAC Tracker (@TrackAIPAC) March 29, 2024 Claudia Tenney is an AIPAC Rep: pic.twitter.com/flkGsd3MDq — AIPAC Tracker (@TrackAIPAC) May 30, 2024 If the U.S. Treasury Department chooses to follow the advice of AIPAC, it could usher in an era of unprecedented scrutiny for any charitiy critical of Israel. Historically, targeting such organizations, along with universities, rights groups, and media outlets, required the cumbersome step of designating them as terrorist entities. The proposed legislation, however, threatens to streamline this process, turning what was once a legal labyrinth—a process of checks and balances ensuring that Americans civil rights are protected—into a fast track for silencing dissent. This shift dovetails with former President Trump’s fiery rhetoric about cracking down on university campuses that allow protests against Israel to occur. The bills—crafted primarily by Republican lawmakers—seem designed to dovetail with Trump’s ideological crusade, poised to gain traction under his potential return to the presidency. Trump’s promises to take aim at institutions deemed insufficiently supportive of Israel loom large over this legislative push. Central to these concerns is Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent, a hedge-fund manager with a storied and, at times, controversial career. As George Soros’s former top investor, Bessent made waves in 2014 when he reportedly threatened to resign over the Open Society Foundations proposal to divest from companies tied to Israel. According to The Wall Street Journal, Bessent’s ultimatum effectively quashed the idea. The fears surrounding this legislative shift are not entirely speculative. Recent government actions, such as the designation of the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network as a terrorist organization, have already showcased the state’s willingness to stretch the bounds of such classifications. With these new bills poised to pass, critics worry that the target list will grow to encompass not just pro-Palestinian nonprofits but also any group that dares to criticize Israel. For many, the specter of an all-encompassing crackdown looms, threatening the very foundations of free expression and dissent. Feature photo | Jewish demonstrators hold placards against AIPAC at a rally in Manhattan, New York City condemning the pro-Israel lobby group. Photo | Sipa via AP Images Robert Inlakesh is a political analyst, journalist and documentary filmmaker currently based in London, UK. He has reported from and lived in the occupied Palestinian territories and hosts the show ‘Palestine Files’. Director of ‘Steal of the Century: Trump’s Palestine-Israel Catastrophe’. Follow him on Twitter @falasteen47 The post Legislating Silence: How Congress Plans to Target Critics of Israel appeared first on MintPress News.

[Category: National, AIPAC influence in Congress, antisemitism, free speech under threat U.S., H.R.9495 nonprofit crackdown, neoconservative influence legislation, nonprofit tax status Israel, pro-Palestine activism suppression, Samidoun designation controversy, tax-exempt status terrorism claims, Trump Treasury Secretary pick, U.S. anti-dissent legislation]

— Trump’s Peace Promise: Three Flashpoints That Could Ignite Global Chaos

 

at 11/25/24 3:05pm

There are three geopolitical flashpoints that could ignite a great-power confrontation between the collective West and nations aligned with the emerging multipolar world: Israel/Iran, Russia/Ukraine, and China/Taiwan. The incoming Trump administration has branded itself as a peace-making entity. But is this claim accurate? Moreover, given the realities of great-power politics, is peace even attainable? On the Ukrainian front, the past week has marked the most significant escalation in hostilities since the high-intensity phase of the war began nearly three years ago. This development ushers in a new chapter of uncertainty and fear. The escalation was triggered by President Joe Biden’s decision to overturn a longstanding NATO policy that prohibited Ukraine from launching long-range missile strikes into Russian territory due to concerns over nuclear escalation. In short, that is precisely what has happened. Last Thursday, Nov. 21, Moscow launched a nuclear-capable intermediate-range ballistic missile at a munitions factory inside Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin also announced a significant shift in Russias nuclear doctrine. The updated policy now permits Moscow to initiate a nuclear strike if it is attacked by a nonnuclear state (such as Ukraine) that is supported by a nuclear power like the United States, the United Kingdom, or France. Western think tanks have largely downplayed the severity of this change in Russia’s nuclear posture. However, the Carnegie Center for Russia Eurasian Studies raised concerns, stating: Taken as a whole, the updated doctrine significantly lowers the threshold for Russia’s use of nuclear weapons. The problem is that the lower this threshold becomes, the harder it is to convince anyone that any such threshold actually exists.” While this may be a blasé take in the face of potential nuclear annihilation, analysts do not anticipate any significant escalation from Russia—either up or down the conflict ladder—until President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Turning to the flashpoint in West Asia, where the ongoing genocide in Palestine continues, Trump has stated he wants the war concluded by the time he assumes office but has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “finish the job.” In this context, it appears the Israeli administration is working to secure a temporary ceasefire with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon as a gift to Trump. This move could create the political flexibility needed to continue to annex the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The overarching question remains whether Trump, given these developments and his belligerent stance toward China, is genuinely the anti-war candidate he campaigned as. This is challenging to determine, particularly in light of his prior presidency, which included episodes of violence and brinkmanship with Iran and Russia, as well as his selection of hawkish cabinet members whose aggression varies by region. Another pressing question is whether the United States has the capacity to maintain a hawkish stance—both militarily and economically—over the next four years of Trump’s presidency. Tune in to State of Play as we dissect Trump’s foreign policy challenges, from Russia’s nuclear brinkmanship to escalating tensions in West Asia, and what these developments mean for America’s role in an increasingly volatile world. Greg Stoker is a former US Army Ranger with a background in human intelligence collection and analysis. After serving four combat deployments in Afghanistan, he studied anthropology and International Relations at Columbia University. He is currently a military and geopolitical analyst and a social media “influencer,” though he hates the term. MintPress News is a fiercely independent media company. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and subscribing to our social media channels, including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Also, check out rapper Lowkey’s video interview and podcast series, The Watchdog. The post Trump’s Peace Promise: Three Flashpoints That Could Ignite Global Chaos appeared first on MintPress News.

[Category: Behind The Headlines, Foreign Affairs, News, Top Story, China Taiwan tensions, geopolitical flashpoints 2024, Israel Iran conflict analysis, Russia Ukraine nuclear escalation, Trump anti-war claims, Trump foreign policy 2024, Trump military strategy, Trump West Asia strategy, U.S. great-power confrontation, West Bank annexation Trump]

— Six Months of Lies and Pressure: How US and Israeli Interference Stalled Netanyahu’s ICC Arrest Warrant

 

at 11/22/24 7:06am

More than six months after the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor sought arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister and defense minister, a ruling was finally issued Thursday. In the interim, both Israel and the United States took unprecedented steps to obstruct the court’s decision-making process. In May, ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan publicly announced his request for warrants targeting three Hamas officials and two Israeli leaders. Khan accused Israel of crimes against humanity, describing the actions as part of a “widespread and systematic attack against the Palestinian civilian population pursuant to State policy.” Israeli officials, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, dismissed the ICC’s actions with scorn. Netanyahu called the court anti-Semitic and remarked, “I’m not concerned at all about our status. I think the prosecutor should be concerned about his status.” His defense minister at the time, Yoav Gallant, denounced the charges as politically motivated. In the weeks following the ICC prosecutors announcement, backlash against the court reached a fever pitch. Both U.S. and Israeli officials issued a barrage of threats and condemnations, prompting UN experts to release a statement decrying the escalating rhetoric. According to sources cited by Axios, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly turned to President Joe Biden, urging him to intervene and block the arrest warrants. Simultaneously, bipartisan voices in Congress began threatening retaliatory legislation against the ICC. The pressure campaign soon escalated. Twelve Republican senators openly threatened the ICC with sanctions if its judges proceeded with warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Meanwhile, a wave of legal challenges poured in from Israel and allied nations, including the United Kingdom and Germany, seeking to undermine the prosecutor’s case. Despite appeals from human rights groups urging the Biden administration to disavow the threats, there has been no such distancing. Incoming Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune recently went further, suggesting the U.S. should introduce sanctions legislation against the ICC—a measure he expects to materialize under a second Trump administration. If the ICC bends to such pressure, might as well close the expensive shop, because no one has deserved an arrest warrant more than Netanyahu. In any event, the ongoing genocide will be condemned by the International Court of Justice, just near the ICC building in The Hague. — Alfred de Zayas (@Alfreddezayas) November 19, 2024 Such rhetoric advocating sanctions against the ICC is not new. During Donald Trump’s first term, similar threats were made, drawing sharp rebukes from prominent human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch. Allegations of sexual misconduct against ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan have sparked controversy, with many viewing the accusations as politically motivated attempts to derail the court’s high-profile cases. Khan, accused of groping a female aide, has denied the claims but now faces an external investigation by the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services. Critics argue that the timing of these allegations—coinciding with the ICC’s pursuit of arrest warrants for Israeli leaders—suggests a concerted effort to undermine the court’s work. The Guardian reported allegations from unnamed ICC staff questioning the impartiality of the United Nations’ Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) in its investigation of Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan. These allegations, centered on Khans wife, Dato Shyamala Alagendra, who briefly worked with the OIOS four years ago, have been seized upon by critics of the ICC Romanian Magistrate Iulia Motoc, one of three judges assigned to the Netanyahu case, abruptly resigned citing health reasons. Her replacement, Slovenian Judge Beti Hohler, was immediately met with an Israeli challenge to her impartiality, further stalling the ICC’s deliberations. Observers have noted a pattern of disruption, alleging a deliberate strategy to obstruct justice. Reports from May 2024 revealed that former ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda was subjected to a targeted harassment campaign by Israel’s Mossad during her investigation into war crimes in Palestine. The reports claimed that Mossad’s former chief, Yossi Cohen, acted as an unofficial messenger for then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, using covert threats to pressure Bensouda into dropping the case. It could not be more obvious whats happening here. Israel threatened Karim Khans predecessor as ICC chief prosecutor. Now hes on the receiving end of a smear campaign. It could hardly be less subtle. https://t.co/kmQrPd1Wcw pic.twitter.com/kqXElpFUd4 — Owen Jones (@owenjonesjourno) October 24, 2024 The timing of the allegations against ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan has drawn scrutiny, with media coverage increasingly dominated by calls for his resignation. The New York Times ran a headline reading, “ICC Prosecutor Seeking Arrest of Israeli Leaders Faces Own Inquiry,” reflecting the intensity of the moment. As debates unfold across social media, any definitive judgment on the allegations remains fraught amid the charged political climate. Six months after the International Criminal Court (ICC) submitted its request for arrest warrants against Hamas and Israeli officials, the landscape has shifted significantly. Israel has killed two of the Palestinians targeted by the investigation, and Yoav Gallant has been replaced as Defense Minister. The contrast with the court’s swift action in issuing an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin—completed within a month—is striking. The protracted delay in the case of Gallant, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Hamas military leader Mohammed al-Deif underscores the intense U.S. and Israeli efforts to undermine the ICC’s work and question its legitimacy. Feature photo | Demonstrators gather against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus address at the United Nations General Assembly, September 26, 2024. Aashish Kiphayet | AP Robert Inlakesh is a political analyst, journalist and documentary filmmaker currently based in London, UK. He has reported from and lived in the occupied Palestinian territories and hosts the show ‘Palestine Files’. Director of ‘Steal of the Century: Trump’s Palestine-Israel Catastrophe’. Follow him on Twitter @falasteen47 The post Six Months of Lies and Pressure: How US and Israeli Interference Stalled Netanyahu’s ICC Arrest Warrant appeared first on MintPress News.

[Category: Foreign Affairs, Hamas ICC investigation, ICC arrest warrants Israel, ICC Karim Khan investigation, ICC legitimacy crisis, ICC vs Israeli leaders, Israeli pressure on ICC, Mossad intimidation ICC, Netanyahu Gallant war crimes, Netanyahu war crimes charges, U.S. sanctions ICC]

— Why Did the FBI Show Up at Alison Weir’s Door? Critics of Israel Say They Know the Answer

 

at 11/21/24 7:40am

Journalist and author Alison Weir has raised concerns over what she describes as an unsettling visit from the FBI, alleging that agents showed up at her home unannounced to question her. In a public statement on November 18, Weir revealed that she was approached by agents who informed her the visit was connected to a matter involving Press TV, the Iranian state-owned news outlet. She said she asked agents to allow a family member to be present before continuing the discussion, during which she learned the agents had been directed by one of their offices to “check in with certain people.” The encounter has drawn attention amid growing fears among advocates for Palestinian rights, who say federal authorities are targeting individuals critical of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. The FBI has declined to comment on the visit or clarify whether it is part of a larger investigation. FBI agents suddenly showed up at my home recently. They asked me about a person whose name I didnt recognize. I asked to have a family member present and ascertained from the agents that one of their offices had asked them to check in with certain people in regard to something… — Alison Weir (@alisonweir) November 18, 2024 The U.S. government’s targeting of Iran’s PressTV has been ongoing since June 2021, when its website domain was seized. Despite this, the channel has continued to interview guests from the United States and maintain correspondents there. Among its guests has been Weir, who says she has been interviewed by PressTV multiple times over the years without issue—until now. Weir, best known for her book “Against Our Better Judgment: The hidden history of how the United States was used to create Israel.” also runs the website “If Americans Knew,” which offers critical perspectives on occupied Palestine. Following the FBI’s unexpected visit to her home, Weir expressed concern over what she perceives as a coordinated effort to suppress dissenting views on Israel. “It would appear someone is now trying to set the stage to silence dissent on Israel-Palestine in the United States by trumping up ‘connections with Iran,’” Weir said, noting that other pro-Palestine activists have reported similar visits from the FBI. On November 1, pro-Palestinian TikTok influencer Guy Christensen faced a harrowing ordeal when his familys home was encircled by police vehicles. Authorities informed him that an individual had impersonated him, making bomb threats against several synagogues. Christensen, en route to a speaking engagement with Green Party figures Jill Stein and Butch Ware, was detained at the airport for questioning and is now under FBI investigation. When he inquired about the impersonators identity, officials disclosed that the caller had used a VPN, obscuring the origin of the call. I’m finally speaking out. I was targeted by a Zionist who impersonated me to the FBI in an attempt to put me on a No Fly List. This is the story of what happened. This is what Zionists do to people who try to help Palestinians: pic.twitter.com/e1FSh33COo — YourFavoriteGuy (@guychristensen_) November 13, 2024 In June, U.S. human rights activist Osama Abuirshaid revealed he had been placed on an FBI watchlist without explanation. Speaking to Turkish media outlet Anadolu Agency, Abuirshaid described harassment that he believes was motivated by his advocacy for Palestinian rights. Months earlier, on March 19, an Egyptian-American woman faced a similar experience when FBI agents arrived at her home over screenshots of Facebook posts. A video of the encounter, in which she repeatedly asked the agents to leave and referred them to her attorney, went viral, garnering millions of views. Her comment, “This is America,” as she confronted the agents sparked widespread debate about federal overreach and the implications for freedom of expression. According to the Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility (CLEAR) project at the City University of New York, government surveillance targeting Muslims, Palestinians, and Arabs expressing support for Palestine has surged since the onset of the war in Gaza. However, the scrutiny has not been confined to minority groups. U.S. civil rights organization Palestine Legal reported that as early as February, it received multiple accounts of FBI agents visiting activists in response to social media posts criticizing what the activists described as Israels genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. The FBI’s discriminatory targeting of people who speak up for Palestinian rights on social media is an attempt to silence popular criticism of Israel. You have a right to speak up against genocide. You have a right to refuse to speak to FBI agents without an attorney present. — Palestine Legal (@pal_legal) January 23, 2024 It was revealed earlier this year that, under pressure from U.S. members of Congress, the FBI began monitoring pro-Palestine student protesters who had set up encampments on college campuses. Pro-Israel groups in the United States reportedly lobbied for warrantless surveillance of these student-led demonstrations.. While the FBI focused on surveilling anti-war protesters and investigating its own citizens, reports emerged that an ex-Israeli special forces agent had infiltrated a student encampment at UCLA. The former operative suggested the operation may have been conducted in coordination with the Los Angeles Police Department. Requests for comment from Middle East Eye regarding the incident went unanswered. Feature photo | Alison Weir Robert Inlakesh is a political analyst, journalist and documentary filmmaker currently based in London, UK. He has reported from and lived in the occupied Palestinian territories and hosts the show ‘Palestine Files’. Director of ‘Steal of the Century: Trump’s Palestine-Israel Catastrophe.’ Follow him on Twitter @falasteen47 The post Why Did the FBI Show Up at Alison Weir’s Door? Critics of Israel Say They Know the Answer appeared first on MintPress News.

[Category: National, Alison Weir FBI visit, anti-war protest monitoring, civil rights Palestine Legal, FBI surveillance Palestine activism, freedom of expression Palestine, Israeli influence U.S. policies, pro-Palestine dissent suppression, pro-Palestine FBI watchlists, student activists under surveillance, U.S. PressTV investigation]

— Chris Hedges: Organized Oblivion

 

at 11/20/24 7:07am

Washington DC — (Scheerpost) — I am in the The Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center next to the St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral in Manhattan. I am holding a bound, hand-written memoir, which includes poetry, drawings, and scrapbooked images, by Zaven Seraidarian, a survivor of the Armenian genocide. The front cover of the book, one of six volumes, reads “Bloody Journal.” The other volumes have titles such as “Drops of Springtime,” “Tears” and “The Wooden Spoon.” “My name will remain immortal on the earth,” the author writes. “I will speak about myself and tell more.” The center houses hundreds of documents, letters, hand-drawn maps of villages that have disappeared, sepia photographs, poems, drawings and histories — much of it untranslated — on the customs, traditions and notable families of lost Armenian communities. Jesse Arlen, the director of the center, looks forlornly at the volume in my hand. “No one has probably read it, looked at it or even knew it was here,” he says. He opens a box and hands me a hand drawn map by Hareton Saksoorian of Havav village in Palu, where Armenians in 1915 were massacred or expelled. Saksoorian drew the map from memory after he escaped. The drawings of Armenian homes have the tiny, inked in names of the long dead. This will be the fate of the Palestinians in Gaza. They too will soon battle to preserve memory, to defy an indifferent world that stood by as they were slaughtered. They too will doggedly seek to preserve scraps of their existence. They too will write memoirs, histories and poems, draw maps of villages, refugee camps and cities that have been obliterated, set down painful stories of butchery, carnage and loss. They too will name and condemn their killers, lament the extermination of families, including thousands of children, and struggle to preserve a vanished world. But time is a cruel master. Intellectual and emotional life for those who are cast out of their homeland is defined by the crucible of exile, what the Palestinian scholar Edward Said told me is “the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place.” Said’s book “Out of Place” is a record of this lost world. The Armenian poet Armen Anush was raised in an orphanage in Aleppo, Syria. He captures the life sentence of those who survive genocide in his poem “Sacred Obsession.” He writes: Country of light, you visit me every night in my sleep. Every night, exalted, as a venerable goddess, You bring fresh sensations and hopes to my exiled soul. Every night you ease the waverings of my path. Every night you reveal the boundless deserts, The open eyes of the dead, the crying of children in the distance, The crackle and red flame of the countless burned bodies, And the unsheltered caravan, always unsure, always faltering. Every night the same hellish, deathly scene – The tired Euphrates washing the blood off the savaged corpses, The waves making merry with the rays of the sun, And relieving the burden of tis useless, weary weight. The same humid, black wells of charred bodies, The same thick smoke enveloping the whole of the Syrian desert. The same voices from the depths, the same moans, soft and sunless, And the same brutal, ruthless barbarity of the Turkish mob. The poem ends, however, with a plea not that these nighttime terrors end, but that they “come to me every night,” that “the flame of your heroes” always “accompany my days.” “The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting,” Milan Kundera reminds us. It is better to endure crippling trauma than to forget. Once we forget, once memories are purged — the goal of all genocidal killers — we are enslaved to lies and myths, severed from our individual, cultural and national identities. We no longer know who we are. “It takes so little, so infinitely little, for a person to cross the border beyond which everything loses meaning: love, convictions, faith, history,” Kundera writes in “The Book of Laughter and Forgetting.” “Human life — and herein lies its secret — takes place in the immediate proximity of that border, even in direct contact with it; it is not miles away, but a fraction of an inch.” Those who have crossed that border return to us as prophets, prophets no one wants to hear. The ancient Greeks believed that as the souls of the departed were being ferried to Hades they were forced to drink the water from the River Lethe to erase memory. The destruction of memory is the final obliteration of being, the last act of mortality. Memory is the struggle to stay the boatman’s hand. The genocide in Gaza mirrors the physical annihilation of Armenian Christians by the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Turks, who feared a nationalist revolt like the one that had convulsed the Balkans, drove nearly all of the two million Armenians out of Turkey. Men and women were usually separated. The men were often immediately murdered or sent to death camps, such as those at Ras-Ul-Ain — in 1916 over 80,000 Armenians were slaughtered there — and Deir-el-Zor in the Syrian desert. At least a million were forced on death marches — not unlike the Palestinians in Gaza who have been forcibly displaced by Israel, up to a dozen times — into the deserts of what are now Syria and Iraq. There, hundreds of thousands were slaughtered or died of starvation, exposure and disease. Corpses littered the desert expanse. By 1923, an estimated 1.2 million Armenians were dead. Orphanages throughout the Middle East were flooded with some 200,000 destitute Armenian children. The doomed resistance by several Armenian villages in the mountains along the coast of present-day Turkey and Syria that chose not to obey the deportation order was captured in Franz Werfel’s novel “The Forty Days of Musa Dagh.” Marcel Reich-Ranicki, a Polish-German literary critic who survived the Holocaust, said it was widely read in the Warsaw ghetto, which mounted a doomed uprising of its own in April 1943. In 2000, when he was 98 years old, I interviewed the writer and singer Hagop H. Asadourian, one of the last survivors of the Armenian genocide. He was born in the village of Chomaklou in eastern Turkey and deported, along with the rest of his village, in 1915. His mother and four of his sisters died of typhus in the Syrian desert. It would be 39 years before he reunited with his only surviving sister, who he was separated from one night near the Dead Sea as they fled with a ragged band of Armenian orphans from Syria to Jerusalem. He told me he wrote to give a voice to the 331 people with whom he trudged into Syria in September 1915, only 29 of whom survived. “You can never really write what happened anyway,” Asadourian said. “It is too ghoulish. I still fight with myself to remember it as it was. You write because you have to. It all wells up inside of you. It is like a hole that fills constantly with water and no amount of bailing will empty it. This is why I continue.” He stopped to collect himself before continuing. “When it came time to bury my mother, I had to get two other small boys to help me carry her body up to a well where they were dumping the corpses,” he said. We did this so the jackals would not eat them. The stench was terrible. There were swarms of black flies buzzing over the opening. We pushed her in feet first, and the other boys, to escape the smell, ran down the hill. I stayed. I had to watch. I saw her head, as she fell, bang on one side of the well and then the other before she disappeared. At the time, I did not feel anything at all.” He halted, visibly shaken. “What kind of a son is that?”’ he asked hoarsely. He eventually found his way to an orphanage in Jerusalem. “These things dig into you, not only once, but throughout life, throughout life, through these days,” he told an interviewer from the USC Shoah Foundation. I am 98-years-old. And today, to this day, I cannot forget any of this. I forget what I saw yesterday maybe, but I could not forget these things. And yet, we have to beg nations to recognize genocide. I lost 11 members of my family and I have to beg people to believe me. That’s what hurts you most. It’s a terrible world, a terrible experience.” His 14 books were a fight against erasure, but when I spoke with him, he admitted that the work of the Turkish army was now almost complete. His last book was “The Smoldering Generation,” which he said was “about the inevitable loss of our culture.” The present is something in which the dead hold no shares. “No one takes the place of those who are gone,” he said, seated in front of a picture window that looked out on his garden in Tenafly, New Jersey. “Your children do not understand you in this country. You cannot blame them.” The world of the Armenians in eastern Turkey, first mentioned by the Greeks and Persians in 6 B.C., has, like Gaza, whose history spans 4,000 years, all but disappeared. The contributions of Armenian culture are forgotten. It was Armenian monks, for example, who rescued works by ancient Greek writers such as Philo and Eusebius, from oblivion. I stumbled on the ruins of Armenian villages when I worked as a reporter in southeastern Turkey. Like Palestinian villages destroyed by Israel, these villages did not appear on maps. Those who carry out genocide seek total annihilation. Nothing is to remain. Especially memory. This will be our next battle. We must not forget. Feature photo | Forget Us Not by Mr. Fish Chris Hedges is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist who was a foreign correspondent for fifteen years for The New York Times, where he served as the Middle East Bureau Chief and Balkan Bureau Chief for the paper. He previously worked overseas for The Dallas Morning News, The Christian Science Monitor, and NPR. He is the host of show The Chris Hedges Report. The post Chris Hedges: Organized Oblivion appeared first on MintPress News.

[Category: National, Opinion & Analysis, Top Story]

— Escalation Flashpoint: Biden Approves Ukrainian Strikes Inside Russian Heartland

 

at 11/19/24 7:06am

President Joe Biden’s executive legacy will likely be marked by genocide, reckless great-power politics, massive and escalating deportation policies, and nuclear brinkmanship. With two months remaining in office, the president has authorized the Armed Forces of Ukraine to employ ATACMS, a U.S. supersonic ballistic missile system, against Russian and North Korean military forces inside Russian territory. The first strikes using ATACMS could occur within days. But why are these weapons significant for Ukraine? It is no secret that Kyiv has been lobbying Washington to use ATACMS against targets in Russia for some time. However, President Biden is now under more pressure to give Ukraine an upper hand now that President-Elect Trump has repeatedly stated that he will seek a speedy end to the War, presumably at the expense of Ukrainian interests. President Biden had previously prohibited the use of ATACMS within Russia, stating, Were trying to avoid World War III, in response to President Vladimir Putins warnings that such actions would escalate the conflict. However, this policy shift appears to be a reaction to the influx of North Korean troops into Russia, reportedly fighting alongside Russian forces to reclaim territory lost during Ukraines Kursk offensive. There are concerns that Pyongyang could deploy up to 100,000 soldiers to support Russias efforts in Ukraine, potentially leading to a disastrous confrontation with NATO. Despite alarmist narratives in corporate media, the deployment of North Korean troops would likely occur in rotations, similar to how other militaries cycle their forces. The purpose of employing ATACMS is to target command and control centers, supply depots, and logistical hubs within Russia. This strategy aims to deter Pyongyang from providing substantial military reinforcements to the Russian army. NATO continues to seek a short-term silver bullet fix to complex, enduring challenges. Ukraine is currently losing the war, losing ground in Kursk and the Donbas, and is facing a morale and recruitment crisis. Ballistic missiles do not hold ground, secure operational objectives, or sustain morale during a war of attrition. Like previous weapons packages, aid packages, and rules-of-engagement revisions, this new policy may serve as a minor obstacle to Russian advances or, at worst, prompt the Kremlin to escalate in unforeseen ways. The tragedy of great-power politics lies in the reality that neither side will likely back down. Russia, after enduring a prolonged campaign, is in a strong position, while the United States and its NATO allies are unwilling to let the fighting end. A cessation of hostilities would discredit them, embolden geopolitical adversaries such as Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran, and strengthen the BRICS initiative, which directly challenges Western unipolarity. While the use of ATACMS within Russia is unlikely to trigger an immediate global conflict, the alignment of geopolitical alliances is hardening, and the prospect of broader confrontation is becoming increasingly plausible. One sliver of hope lies in the limitations of the U.S. industrial base, which lacks the surge capacity for a major war. The bombs fueling the genocide in Palestine and the attritional conflict in Ukraine have exposed the weaknesses in the U.S. defense manufacturing sector. How might a Trump presidency alter this equation? Join us on State of Play for an in-depth analysis of this escalating conflict and its potential flashpoints. Greg Stoker is a former US Army Ranger with a background in human intelligence collection and analysis. After serving four combat deployments in Afghanistan, he studied anthropology and International Relations at Columbia University. He is currently a military and geopolitical analyst and a social media “influencer,” though he hates the term. MintPress News is a fiercely independent media company. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and subscribing to our social media channels, including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Also, check out rapper Lowkey’s video interview and podcast series, The Watchdog. The post Escalation Flashpoint: Biden Approves Ukrainian Strikes Inside Russian Heartland appeared first on MintPress News.

[Category: Behind The Headlines, News, Top Story, ATACMS strikes analysis, Biden ATACMS policy, Biden Trump Ukraine policy, NATO escalation Russia, North Korea troops Ukraine, Russia Ukraine NATO conflict, U.S. military aid Ukraine, Ukraine ballistic missiles, Ukraine morale crisis, Ukraine war escalation]

— Trump Election Win Triggers Houthi War Drills as Yemen Braces for US Invasion

 

at 11/18/24 9:19am

The goal is not to repel or kill enemy soldiers but to capture them,” said Ali Mohammed Hassan, his voice steady as he adjusted the strap of his AK-47. Dressed in the traditional Tahami uniform, grenades hanging from his belt and ammunition at the ready, Hassan spoke with the confidence of someone deeply familiar with the terrain. “I know this land. That is our advantage.” Hassan recently joined a cadre of armed residents in a military drill along the coastal areas of eastern Hodeidah Governorate. The exercise, rooted in a mix of strategy and necessity, reflected growing local fears of an impending foreign incursion. Dozens of local military drills have been held across Yemen’s western regions in recent weeks, particularly in the coastal areas, as residents brace themselves for what they believe is an imminent invasion led by the United States. We prepare to face any bad scenarios, such as the army’s inability to confront the invading forces or an airdrop by enemy paratroopers that may attempt to exploit large areas inside the country,” said Hassan. Hassan’s words reflect the mounting fear gripping communities in the wake of recent threats directed at Yemen’s government by the United States. These grassroots maneuvers, marked by participation from local residents, align with broader and more complex drills conducted by Yemeni military forces. Over the past week, the Naval Forces and Coastal Defense units have executed tactical exercises under the name To Make Your Faces Disgraced. The operations simulated the defense against a hypothetical American attack, complete with four distinct waves of assaults. Yemeni naval forces have intensified their readiness with a series of five large-scale maneuvers that spanned regional waters, coastal areas, urban streets, and even residential neighborhoods. These exercises, which simulated violent clashes, underscore the escalating seriousness of perceived threats, particularly as reinforcements arrive in Mokha—a strategic area under the control of Saudi coalition allies. Compounding the tension is a surge in recruitment activity in southern Yemen by forces that have openly expressed a willingness to normalize relations with Israel. The maneuvers showcased an array of advanced weaponry, including drones, sea and air missiles, torpedoes, and naval mines, alongside tanks, anti-armor systems, and other cutting-edge equipment. Hypothetical scenarios included strikes on battleships, submarines, minesweepers, and amphibious assaults. Troops also engaged in simulated clashes along Hodeidah’s shores, using urban warfare tactics such as clearing occupied buildings, ambushing armored vehicles, and capturing hypothetical American soldiers. These exercises even included the evacuation of wounded personnel and the detonation of landmines under combat-like conditions. In a rare move, military media released only 45 minutes of footage from the drills, hinting at the secrecy surrounding the deployment of new weapons, including home-grown autonomous underwater vehicles. Key technologies like air defenses, ballistic missiles, anti-ship weaponry, and systems designed to counter advanced aircraft and destroyers remained classified. The training also prepared for unconventional scenarios, such as countering a scorched-earth strategy that might involve fire belts created by modern warships and aircraft. During a televised address on Thursday, Abdulmalik AlHouthi, leader of Ansar Allah, announced that over half a million fighters had been mobilized and trained, with many completing military courses. AlHouthi also revealed that Yemen had conducted 2,900 maneuvers, marches, and military displays in preparation for potential conflicts.   US Ultimatum Raises Stakes In a development that could spell disaster for millions of Yemenis, Sanaa has received an ultimatum: halt military operations targeting Israeli ships in the Red Sea or face an occupation of Hodeidah. As the primary entry point for humanitarian aid and economic goods into Yemen, Hodeidah is a lifeline for the country’s war-stricken population. Renewed conflict in the city threatens to unravel the fragile calm brought by a United Nations-brokered truce following more than eight years of devastating war. The U.S. threats against the Sanaa government come alongside heightened diplomatic activity. U.S. Ambassador to Yemen Steven Fagin has reportedly held intensive discussions with key opponents of Ansar Allah, including Rashad al-Alimi, Tariq Afash, and Aidaroos Al-Zubaidi. Sources familiar with the matter told MintPress News that these meetings are part of a broader U.S. plan to destabilize Yemens internal security and ultimately seize control of Hodeidah. The justification? Ensuring the security of international navigation and countering Ansar Allahs alleged threat to Israeli vessels. In response, the Sanaa government, Ansar Allah, and the Yemeni army have flatly rejected the U.S. demands. Reaffirming their stance, they declared that operations against Israeli or affiliated ships would persist until the aggression against Gaza and Lebanon came to an end. In a recent statement, Jamal Amer, Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Sanaa government, asserted that the U.S. is actively seeking to undermine Sanaa. He claimed that, upon failing in its efforts, the U.S. began leaking information about a potential invasion of Hodeidah to support Israel and pressure Yemens leadership to cease its support for Gaza. Amer warned that any such action would result in a conflict surpassing the Vietnam War in severity for U.S. forces, emphasizing that free people do not kneel and that the American regime does not hold divine authority. Abdulmalik al-Houthi, the leader of Ansar Allah, responded to escalating threats by declaring, “We are on a practical path, in which we prepare for any level of escalation that America and Israel may resort to.” He also cautioned the Saudi coalition against further entanglement in Yemen. Echoing this sentiment, al-Houthi stated, “The Yemeni Armed Forces support our Arab brothers in Gaza and Lebanon, and any other movement the armed forces will face.” He warned that confrontations would not be confined to mercenary forces but could extend to Saudi Arabia and the UAE if further provocations occur. Newly recruited Houthi fighters gather in Sanaa, Yemen, Feb. 21, 2024. Osamah Abdulrahman | AP These warnings follow an unprecedented escalation by Washington and London against Yemen, including participation in Israeli attacks on power stations in Hodeidah. U.S. warplanes recently struck Sana’a, Sa’ada, and Hodeidah, deploying B-2 stealth bombers for the first time. A U.S. defense official confirmed that the bombers targeted five underground weapons storage sites, showcasing their capability to penetrate heavily defended airspace. Sources cited by MintPress News suggest that recent U.S. airstrikes in Yemen targeted remote mountain areas, a small communications network in Saada, and abandoned military camps—falling short of hitting weapon depots or making any significant dent in Yemens military arsenal. These strikes, conducted by the B-2 stealth bomber, are particularly striking, as they underscore the mounting difficulties faced by the U.S. in countering Yemens increasingly formidable air defense systems. Over the past year, Yemeni forces have downed at least 11 MQ-9 Reaper drones, each costing approximately $32 million. This alone amounts to more than $350 million in taxpayer-funded losses. Similarly, the cost of defending Israeli territory against Yemeni-launched projectiles has added to the mounting financial strain. Each missile from the U.S.-supplied THAAD and Patriot air defense systems, often priced between $2 million and $4 million apiece, has contributed billions of dollars in expenditures, with American taxpayers footing the bill. The U.S. naval presence near Yemen, including deployments such as the USS Bataan Amphibious Ready Group and guided missile destroyers, further inflates this cost. Sustaining this naval operation to patrol the Red Sea and defend Israel runs into millions per day. Tensions have not been limited to aerial clashes either. Earlier this year, the Red Sea was the backdrop for a dramatic and violent confrontation between Yemeni Coastal Defense Forces and a commando squad believed to include American mercenaries and Israeli soldiers. The elite team attempted to liberate the Galaxy, an Israeli ship seized by Yemen’s navy near Hodeidah. Despite heavy fighting that left dozens of soldiers dead, the mission ultimately failed, leaving the Galaxy in Yemeni hands. The episode serves as a grim preview of the kind of direct confrontations that could unfold along Yemen’s coast should an American invasion move ahead.   Trump Policies Stoke Defiance As tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate, Yemen has emerged as an unexpected flashpoint, particularly following the election of Donald Trump, whose policies have already emboldened both Saudi Arabia and Israel. Trump’s previous administration, deeply aligned with Israeli interests and the Saudi-led coalition, intensified the militarization of the region under the guise of countering perceived threats from Yemens Ansar Allah. The consequences of these policies were stark. Yemeni forces, undeterred by U.S. and Israeli threats, continued their operations in the Red and Arabian Seas and even targeted Israel’s Nevatim Air Base with a hypersonic missile. The downing of yet another MQ-9 Reaper drone—valued at over $32 million and the 12th of its kind lost since the assault on Gaza—symbolized a humiliating blow to the U.S. military’s efforts to contain Yemen’s growing capabilities. Despite the Trump administrations claims of advancing peace in the region, Yemenis mobilized in defiance. In cities like Hodeidah, Hajjah, and Sanaa, massive demonstrations condemned U.S. and Saudi adventurism, asserting solidarity with Gaza and Lebanon. Protesters openly warned that any military escalation would backfire, framing Trump’s policies as exacerbating suffering rather than resolving conflicts. For many Yemenis, the prospect of an expanded war under a second Trumps presidency seems inevitable but not insurmountable. But their chants, speeches, and massive protests reflect a readiness for resistance, rejecting what they perceived as attempts to liquidate Palestine and halt Yemen’s role in supporting its struggle. Yet instead of deterring Yemen’s operations, these threats galvanized a population already hardened by years of war and resilient against foreign intervention. There is no doubt that a palpable tension has gripped Yemen since the election of President Donald Trump was announced, yet millions came out on Friday in Hodeidah, Hajjah and Sanaa, and other cities to warn against any adventure that Washington or Saudi Arabia might undertake. Demonstrators filling the streets of Yemen declared unwavering solidarity with Gaza and Lebanon, undeterred by mounting threats. They emphasized their intimate familiarity with war and suffering, framing any potential new conflict as not only inevitable but profoundly sacred and morally justified. Feature photo | A gathering aimed at mobilizing AnsarAllah fighters into battlefronts across Yemen. Hani Mohammed | AP Ahmed AbdulKareem is a Yemeni journalist based in Sanaa. He covers the war in Yemen for MintPress News as well as local Yemeni media. The post Trump Election Win Triggers Houthi War Drills as Yemen Braces for US Invasion appeared first on MintPress News.

[Category: Foreign Affairs, Investigations, Top Story, Yemen Coverage, Ansar Allah military readiness, grassroots defense drills Yemen, Hodeidah invasion threat, Trump policies Middle East, U.S. airstrikes in Yemen, U.S. missile costs Yemen, Yemen Red Sea operations, Yemen U.S. conflict, Yemen-Israel tensions, Yemeni solidarity Gaza]

— The High Cost of Empire: US Weapons Depletion Fuels Concerns Over Military Readiness

 

at 11/15/24 2:14pm

As the United States channels tens of billions of dollars into wars in Palestine and Ukraine, data reveals a concerning depletion in its missile production capacity. Critics argue that the primary beneficiaries are weapons manufacturers, not American security. Since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, U.S. defense companies have significantly outperformed major stock indexes. RTX, which produces the 2,000-pound bunker-busting bombs used by Israel in Gaza, outpaced the S&P 500 by roughly 46 percent. In 2023, U.S. weapons sales to foreign governments surged 16% to a record $238 billion, as defense contractors report unprecedented demand and growing backlogs. Although this may be cause for excitement among shareholders and CEOs in the Military-Industrial Complex, a recent report by Responsible Statecraft points out that these backlogs are not positive for Washington’s defense strategy. The data shows that the U.S. is shipping weapons at a pace its domestic industry cannot sustain, leaving it vulnerable in a potential conflict with China. American military aid to Israel since the beginning of the war has exceeded $17.9 billion. This figure does not account for weapons bridges set up to supply Israel. In August alone, President Joe Biden approved a $20 billion weapons package. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Washington has authorized $64.1 billion in military assistance, much of which remains undisclosed. Wow, watch StateSpox respond to @prem_thakker Q: US envoy told aid groups that US would not consider withholding weapons to Israel for blocking food, that essentially the rules don’t apply to Israel Miller: That’s not accurate Q: So you will enforce US law potentially blocking… pic.twitter.com/CPjM9uV0zX — Assal Rad (@AssalRad) October 17, 2024 It is not just the United States grappling with looming weapons shortages—NATO allies face similar challenges. In February, Belgian ex-General Marc Thys starkly remarked, “It’s not a joke, we’re in deep sh*t,” referring to the severe deficits in European weapons production. The shortfall has been attributed to a “cultural problem” of overreliance on the United States. In 2022, top European generals estimated it would take “five to seven years” to scale up the continents defense industry to address these deficits. Focusing on U.S. weapons supplies to Israel, air defenses have emerged as a significant concern for security officials. Although the U.S. had an annual budget of $500 million for anti-air systems, this past year saw a dramatic surge, with air defense aid totaling $5.7 billion. In April, during Irans retaliatory strikes against Israel under Operation True Promise, reports indicate that Israel and the U.S. spent at least $1 billion to intercept around 300 projectiles. Following a second wave of Iranian strikes on October 1, which Israel failed to counter effectively, the U.S. deployed its THAAD missile system to bolster future defenses. However, the U.S. possesses only seven of these billion-dollar systems, each equipped with 48 interceptors costing $13 million per missile. If Tel Aviv received even a few reloads, this could account for up to a quarter of the U.S.’s total THAAD missile stockpile. On Times Radio explaining that the Iranian response to the Israeli attack on the embassy was a clear success. The West wasted over $1.3 billion to shoot down cheap drones/missiles. Iran gathered intelligence for future use. Israel gained nothing. Also, Iran hit the 2 targets. pic.twitter.com/Ijpnia1p3d — Seyed Mohammad Marandi (@s_m_marandi) April 15, 2024 The costs of the American-led multinational “Operation Prosperity Guardian” in the Red Sea remain undisclosed, raising questions about the missions financial strain. A January 2023 study highlighted a troubling vulnerability: the U.S. would likely deplete its stock of anti-ship missiles in a conflict with China. In the Red Sea operation, defending Israel has come at a steep price. The U.S. has deployed $2 million interceptor missiles to shoot down Yemeni drones reportedly constructed for just $2,000—an imbalance that illustrates the mounting economic burden of a naval mission that has yet to yield clear success. Germany’s faltering economy and strained weapons production capacity haven’t deterred its role as Israel’s second-largest arms supplier. Despite increasing pleas from Ukraine for more support, Berlin refuses to halt arms shipments to both Kyiv and Tel Aviv. The mounting pressures, however, have led Chancellor Olaf Scholz to engage directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Feature photo | A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile defense system is displayed during a Made in America showcase on the South Lawn of the White House, July 15, 2019, in Washington. Alex Brandon | AP Robert Inlakesh is a political analyst, journalist and documentary filmmaker currently based in London, UK. He has reported from and lived in the occupied Palestinian territories and hosts the show ‘Palestine Files’. Director of ‘Steal of the Century: Trump’s Palestine-Israel Catastrophe’. Follow him on Twitter @falasteen47 The post The High Cost of Empire: US Weapons Depletion Fuels Concerns Over Military Readiness appeared first on MintPress News.

[Category: National, arms sales record 2023, Israeli air defense aid, military aid to Israel, military-industrial complex profits, NATO defense shortages, Red Sea operation costs, THAAD missile stockpile, U.S. missile production crisis, U.S.-China conflict risks, weapons backlog vulnerability]

— Are You Debating a Bot? Investigation Reveals Israel’s AI Bots Argue With Online Critics

 

at 11/15/24 7:47am

In recent months, reports have surfaced that Israel is deploying artificial intelligence not only on the battlefield in Gaza but also online, where the goal is to influence public opinion through social media bots spreading disinformation. Israel has a long history of using social media for propaganda, whether by working with tech companies to flag pro-Palestine content or by mobilizing troll armies to support its narrative. With the advent of AI, Israel has found new methods to shape public opinion in its favor, employing AI-driven social media accounts to “debunk” allegations against the state. Nour Naim, a Palestinian AI researcher, has observed this shift firsthand. “From day one, I have encountered a troubling number of fake accounts disseminating Israeli propaganda,” Naim told MintPress News. “These accounts, functioning as digital trolls, systematically attempt to either discredit well-documented evidence of the genocide in Gaza—backed by audio and video proof—or distort the facts altogether.”   Israel’s AI Troll Army Israel has long used social media to manage its image with great effect. It collaborates with tech firms to flag pro-Palestinian content and employs coordinated online groups to quell online criticism. But now, AI offers new tools for influence. MintPress News has identified several accounts operating under names like Fact Finder (@FactFinder_AI), X Truth Bot (@XTruth_bot and @xTruth_zzz), Europe Invasion (@EuropeInvasionn), Robin (@Robiiin_Hoodx), Eli Afriat (@EliAfriatISR), AMIRAN (@Amiran_Zizovi), and Adel Mnasa (@AdelMnasa96892). Each account appears designed to “debunk” criticisms and circulate a streamlined pro-Israel perspective. These people arent real. Ai israel bots. I got banned for a week when I made this list btw and Ive been shadowbanned ever since pic.twitter.com/ahzHvQMcmk — PoliticallyApatheticBozo (@the1whosright) September 10, 2024 The first three accounts do not mention Israel in their bios, but most of their posts exhibit clear signs of pro-Israel propaganda. Fact Finders bio states: “Empowering #SmartConversations with AI-driven facts. Countering misinformation with knowledge, not censorship, one post at a time! #FactOverFiction.” The accounts posts aim to debunk information portraying Israel negatively. This is done by replying to news articles or pro-Palestinian voices or by creating posts purportedly refuting reports on Israel’s killings of Palestinian civilians and aid workers, as well as other acts of state violence. Yet these so-called clarifications read like theyre straight from a military spokespersons transcript—often justifying attacks as the elimination of terrorists. The X Truth Bot operates under two profiles: @XTruth_bot, established in August 2024, and @xTruth_zzz, created in January 2024. Both accounts are managed by the user Vodka & Seledka (@seledka_vodka), a British-Russian blogger. They promote a Telegram bot that claims to utilize Google search for verifying statements made on X, which Vodka & Seledka asserts to have developed. Notably, Vodka & Seledka follows several pro-Israel accounts and frequently shares Zionist content. Europe Invasion focuses mainly on xenophobic content targeting immigrants, particularly Muslims. The account frequently draws connections between pro-Palestine protesters and Hamas supporters, equating the two in its posts. Recent investigations have uncovered that the X account Europe Invasion, known for disseminating xenophobic content targeting Muslim immigrants and equating pro-Palestinian protesters with Hamas supporters, is likely operated by a Turkish entrepreneurial couple based in Dubai. Swedish news outlet SVT reported that this couple is also connected to the X account Algorithm Coach (@algorithmcoachX). When approached, the couple denied direct involvement, stating they had engaged an advertising agency to promote their business. Both accounts have undergone multiple rebrandings; notably, Europe Invasion was previously a cryptocurrency account under the username @makcanerkripto and has a bot score of 4 out of 5, according to Botometer. Following SVT’s investigation, Europe Invasion updated its profile, claiming to be managed by Stefan, a Montenegrin of Serbian origin. However, SVT reported that when they contacted the advertising agency linked to the Turkish couple allegedly behind the account, a person named Stefan responded — with an email account set to Turkish. The next three accounts on the list—Robin (@Robiiin_Hoodx), Eli Afriat (@EliAfriatISR), and AMIRAN (@Amiran_Zizovi)—do explicitly reference Israel or Zionism in their Bios. Robin, who joined X in May 2024, describes himself in his bio as: “• Think of nothing but fighting • PROUD JEWISH & PROUD ZIONIST.” Two of these accounts use AI-generated profile pictures of Israeli soldiers. They frequently interact with each other, replying to and reposting each other’s content, and follow various pro-Israel accounts. Other accounts, including Mara Weiner (@MaraWeiner123), Sonny (@SONNY13432EEDW), Jack Carbon (@JaCar97642), Allison Wolpoff (@AllisonW90557), and Emily Weinberg (@EmilyWeinb23001), display bot-like behavior. Their usernames include random numbers, and they either lack a profile picture or use vague images. Most of these accounts were created after October 2023, coinciding with the start of Israel’s military actions in Gaza. They predominantly respond to pro-Palestine posts by promoting Zionist talking points. Lebanese researchers Ralph Baydoun and Michel Semaan, from the communications consulting firm InflueAnswers, describe “superbots” as Israel’s new secret weapon in the digital information war over its operations in Gaza. Earlier versions of online bots were far more rudimentary, with limited language abilities, and were able only to respond to predetermined commands. “Online bots before, especially in the mid-2010s … were mostly regurgitating the same text over and over and over. The text … would very obviously be written by a bot,” Semaan told Al Jazeera. On the other hand, AI-powered super bots that utilize large language models (LLMs)—algorithms trained on vast amounts of text data—can produce smarter, faster, and, most critically, more human-like responses. Examples of these LLMs include ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. These AI bots have not only been covertly deployed on social media; pro-Israel activists have also assembled AI-powered troll armies to bolster their messaging. In October 2023, as Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza, Zachary Bamberger, a graduate student at Israel’s Technion University, created an LLM specifically designed to counter what he saw as “anti-Israel” content and amplify pro-Israel posts across online platforms. Bamberger’s company, Rhetoric AI, is designed to generate translations of Arabic and Hebrew social media content, assess whether posts violate platform terms of service, and swiftly report any infractions. For posts that don’t violate terms, the tool generates what it considers the most effective counter-argument. “When deployed on a larger scale, our platform will shift the balance of content and take away the numbers advantage of those who propagate hate, violence, and lies,” Bamberger told the American Technion Society. To develop Rhetoric AI, Bamberger enlisted the help of 40 doctoral students, and the company now collaborates with tech giants Google and Microsoft. Another platform, AI4Israel, also leverages AI to craft counter-arguments on social media. Founded by Israeli-American data scientist and pro-Israel activist Amir Give’on, the tool is part of a volunteer-based project. In November 2023, Give’on promoted AI4Israel in a LinkedIn article and has since posted about the platform on his X account. Give’on provided details on how the AI4Israel platform operates, explaining: It scans incoming claims and checks them against a pre-existing database. If a claim has been encountered before, the tool retrieves a stored response. If it’s a new claim, the tool generates a response using a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) model, which draws on a vast corpus of data.” He also emphasized the role of volunteers in enhancing AI4Israel’s effectiveness: Volunteers prioritize claims based on frequency and refine responses, ensuring relevance and accuracy. They also identify gaps in our knowledge base, constantly enriching it, especially in response to current events.”   The Israeli government’s role AI has played a central role in Israel’s online influence operations, aimed at swaying public opinion on the war. In May 2024, social media company Meta and ChatGPT’s owner, OpenAI, disclosed that they had banned a network of AI-powered accounts spreading pro-Israel and Islamophobic content. The campaign, orchestrated by Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and executed by Israeli political consulting firm Stoic, was designed to influence online discourse. Naim, a Gaza resident, highlighted the damaging effects of these disinformation efforts. “Every day, I face comments on Twitter [now X] where I am either accused of lying or my news is questioned, despite providing verified sources,” Naim told MintPress News. Some individualshave denied the news of the death of seven of my cousins and family members, falsely claiming that their families are responsible for their sacrifices. This persistent disinformation campaign is a daily challenge as I strive to share accurate information about the atrocities occurring in Gaza.” In September, Israel joined the first global treaty on AI — an international agreement established to regulate the responsible use of the technology while safeguarding human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. The treaty is in cooperation with the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, and other countries, and Israel’s participation was met with backlash, especially given Israel’s weaponization of AI to carry out its genocidal campaign in Gaza. Yet Israel’s dangerous AI advancements on the battlefield and online may only intensify. In addition to joining the international treaty, Israel announced the second phase of its Artificial Intelligence Program, which will run until 2027 with an allocated budget of NIS 500 million (approximately $133 million). For Naim, Israel’s misuse of AI to distort and fabricate information reveals a troubling side of the technology, particularly in its manipulation of public opinion, erosion of trust, and incitement of hate and violence. As AI’s darker applications make it harder to distinguish fact from fiction, Naim suggests approaching social media content with “a healthy dose of skepticism.” “Not everything you see online is true, especially if it seems overly sensational or emotional,” Naim cautioned. “Always verify information by searching for the original source, checking its credibility, and looking for confirmation from multiple sources.” She recommends watching for red flags, like spelling errors and doctored images, and utilizing verification tools, such as reverse image searches and fact-checking websites. Yet, Naim notes, AI isn’t inherently harmful. “While Israel exploits AI for harmful purposes, we have the opportunity to use AI constructively,” she said. “By leveraging AI, we can amplify and accurately convey the Palestinian narrative, ensuring that the true stories of those affected by the genocide in Gaza are heard across multiple languages and platforms.” Feature photo |Illustration by MintPress News Jessica Buxbaum is a Jerusalem-based journalist for MintPress News covering Palestine, Israel, and Syria. Her work has been featured in Middle East Eye, The New Arab and Gulf News.  The post Are You Debating a Bot? Investigation Reveals Israels AI Bots Argue With Online Critics appeared first on MintPress News.

[Category: Foreign Affairs, Investigations, News, Top Story, AI bots Israel, AI misinformation Middle East, AI-powered propaganda tools, Gaza AI influence operations, Hezbollah AI counterarguments, Israeli AI propaganda, Israeli digital warfare, online disinformation campaigns, pro-Israel troll networks, social media manipulation AI]

— The Nasrallah Phenomenon: A Life and Legacy That Refuses to Die

 

at 11/13/24 10:08am

Sayed Hassan Nasrallah, the general secretary of the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah, was assassinated by Israel in late September, an event that reverberated across the region and beyond. According to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), they decided to target Nasrallah after concluding that he would not accept a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon unless a ceasefire was also implemented in Gaza—a demand echoed by the vast majority of the international community and in UN resolutions for over a year. To carry out the assassination, the IDF dropped 85 American-made bunker-buster bombs, each weighing 2,000 pounds, on Beirut, leveling six residential towers and killing dozens of civilians in the process. President Biden described the action as a small measure of justice but omitted any acknowledgment of civilian casualties, despite the irony given the U.S. sensitivity to towers filled with civilians being destroyed. Nasrallah, who had openly condemned both Osama bin Laden and the 9/11 attacks, was nonetheless portrayed as a type of terrorist akin to bin Laden due to his role as the leader of Hezbollah, which is designated as a terrorist organization by both the U.S. and the U.K. Following the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in late September, hostilities between southern Lebanon and Israel have intensified. Throughout October, Israel launched a ground invasion aimed at securing its northern border. This campaign has resulted in significant casualties, with hundreds of Israeli soldiers killed or wounded and numerous Merkava tanks destroyed. Despite these efforts, rocket fire into Israel has escalated. Hopes that Nasrallahs death might de-escalate tensions were further dashed when a drone attack recently targeted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus residence. Nasrallah, the man, may be gone, but his assassination appears to have galvanized his followers, raising a pressing question: Who is more dangerous—Nasrallah the man or Nasrallah the idea?   From Humble Beginnings to Regional Icon At face value, it might seem surprising that Christians in the region have mourned Hassan Nasrallah as deeply as Muslims or that his image is appearing in murals across South America. Hassan Nasrallah was born in 1960 in a small village in southern Lebanon, coming from humble beginnings. He spent his formative years studying Islam in the holy cities of Najaf and Qom, where he was mentored by Sayed Abbas al-Musawi, the previous secretary general of Hezbollah. Al-Musawi played a pivotal role in establishing Hezbollah as a movement to resist the Israeli occupation of Lebanon, which began in 1982, following an earlier invasion in 1978. For a decade, Sayed Abbas led the fight against the occupation and eventually rose to lead Hezbollah. However, in 1992, the Israeli military targeted him, firing missiles from Apache helicopters at his family’s vehicle in southern Lebanon, killing him along with his wife and 5-year-old child. Israeli investigative journalist Ronen Bergman later revealed that some Israeli military officials had opposed the assassination, cautioning that “Hezbollah is not a one-man show, and Musawi is not the most extreme man in its leadership… [al-Musawi] would be replaced, perhaps by someone more radical.” The death of his mentor, Sayed Abbas al-Musawi, prompted Hassan Nasrallah to return to Lebanon from his scholarly pursuits and assume the leadership of Hezbollah. Nasrallah successfully stepped into his predecessor’s role, using his leadership to galvanize an unprecedented number of fighters and implement new guerrilla tactics against the Israeli army. His legend grew further in 1997 when his 18-year-old son, Hadi, was killed in battle on the southern Lebanese front. Nasrallah appeared on live television shortly after receiving the news, expressing pride in his son for dying while confronting the enemy. He stated that he could now face the parents of fallen fighters with his head held high, as he, too, had become one of them. Over the years, Nasrallah built a reputation across the Arab world as the leader of the only movement to inflict a military defeat on the Israeli army. This first occurred in 2000, when Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon after an 18-year occupation. May 25, now celebrated as Liberation Day in Lebanon, became etched in national memory with scenes of Lebanese citizens returning to their villages, dancing in the streets, and reuniting with family members who had been held in Israeli prisons for years. Hezbollah’s second victory over Israel came during the 33-day July War in 2006. In a defining moment, Nasrallah broadcast the destruction of an Israeli battleship on live television, thanking his followers for their patience under relentless Israeli airstrikes.   “Fida al-Sayed” Nasrallah’s iconic status in Lebanon became one of his most powerful assets during conflicts. Despite the damage inflicted on Lebanese people and their homes, many would respond in interviews with the phrase “fida al-Sayed,” meaning “may it all be sacrificed for him.” This sentiment was echoed countless times by widows, orphans, and parents who had lost loved ones in airstrikes and wars. Nasrallah recognized the symbolic weight of this devotion. In a 2007 speech, he addressed his supporters, saying, “Because of our Arab culture, you sometimes express yourself by saying ‘fida al-Sayed,’ but what you are truly expressing is your support for the resistance because you know that it is myself and my soul and my children who are sacrificed for all of you.” The Nasrallah phenomenon continued to grow throughout his life, with many comparing him to a modern-day Che Guevara. Legendary journalist Robert Fisk observed that Nasrallah’s blend of religious and political rhetoric and “a fierce charisma” allowed him to project a powerful image of authority and resilience, saying, “he talks as if he’s the Lebanese president.” Edward Said, who once met Nasrallah, famously described him as a “remarkably impressive man.” This aura likely influenced Julian Assange’s determination to feature Nasrallah as the first guest on his show in 2012. Assange explained his interest, noting that he wanted to understand why “so many millions across the world call him a terrorist whilst many other millions call him a freedom fighter.”   Syria: A Divisive Stand, a Unifying Symbol Nasrallah’s involvement in Syria during the Arab Spring as an ally to Bashar al-Assad damaged his standing in much of the Arab world. In an interview, he explained his stance, acknowledging that Syria needed reforms and expressing support for the legitimate grievances of Syrian protesters. However, he said he could not support the toppling of an anti-imperial government, especially after the protests were, in his view, co-opted by the U.S. and its allies. He warned that Syria might suffer the same fate as Libya and beyond. Nasrallah framed his role in Syria as a fight against ISIS, al-Qaeda, and other extremist groups allegedly armed by the U.S., which Hezbollah would battle for years. His support also extended to Syrian Christians whose churches were targeted by ISIS. Images of Hezbollah fighters lighting candles by statues of the Virgin Mary and Jesus in Syrian churches went viral, highlighting the support he garnered from Syrian Christians and once again crossing religious divides and breaking stereotypes. The Syrian conflict was often portrayed as a sectarian struggle, a narrative Sayed Nasrallah firmly rejected. His unwavering support for Palestine and Gaza, along with his rhetoric of unity, frequently emphasized respect for symbols and revered figures within the Sunni world. For many, this stance underscored his efforts to promote Islamic unity beyond Sunni-Shia divisions.   The Nasrallah Legacy Perhaps the most unmistakable evidence of Nasrallah’s commitment to cross-sectarian unity is the cooperation between the Palestinian Sunni group Hamas and the Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah following October 7. On October 8, Hezbollah initiated operations against Israel to, as they described, lighten the load on Palestinian resistance by diverting a significant concentration of Israeli forces from Gaza to the Israeli-Lebanese border. Since his assassination in late September of 2024, the Muslim world has seen an increasingly unified stance, as the leader of millions of Shia Muslims is regarded to have given his life in defense of Sunni Muslims in Gaza, putting to bed the whispers of sectarianism through his very death. Rather than signaling weakness or defeat, Nasrallah’s absence has only intensified Hezbollah’s fight against Israel. The group has been introducing new weaponry into the battlefield near-weekly. Followers who once said, “May our homes be sacrificed for Sayed Nasrallah,” now say, “May our homes be sacrificed for the soul of Sayed Nasrallah,” underscoring how, in death, Nasrallah has evolved from a mere individual into an enduring symbol—an idea that Israel cannot seem to escape or eliminate. Hussain Makke, a London native, holds degrees in Journalism, Religion, and Global Politics. The post The Nasrallah Phenomenon: A Life and Legacy That Refuses to Die appeared first on MintPress News.

[Category: Behind The Headlines, Foreign Affairs, Top Story, Biden response Nasrallah, Gaza ceasefire demand, Hassan Nasrallah, Hassan Nasrallah biography, Hassan Nasrallah early years, Hezbollah Israel conflict, Hezbollah retaliation, Israeli airstrikes Lebanon, Lebanon sovereignty, Middle East sectarian unity, Nasrallah assassination, Palestinian resistance support, Syrian conflict Hezbollah]

— Revealed: The Israel Lobbyists Writing America’s News

 

at 11/12/24 6:09am

A MintPress News investigation has found hundreds of former employees of Israel lobbying groups such as AIPAC, StandWithUs and CAMERA working in top newsrooms across the country, writing and producing America’s news – including on Israel-Palestine. These outlets include MSNBC, The New York Times, CNN and Fox News.  Some of these former lobbyists are responsible for producing content on Israel and Palestine – a gigantic and undisclosed conflict of interest. Many key U.S. newsroom staff were also formerly Israeli spies or intelligence agents, standing in stark contrast to journalists with pro-Palestine sentiments, who have been purged en masse since October 7, 2023. This investigation is part of a series detailing Israel’s influence on American media. A previous report exposed the former Israeli spies and military intelligence officials working in U.S. newsrooms.  The fight for control over the Israel-Palestine narrative has been as intense as the war on the ground itself. U.S. media have been widely criticized for displaying a distinct bias towards the Israeli perspective. However, a new investigation from MintPress News reveals that not only is the press skewed in favor of Israel, but it is also written and produced by Israeli lobbyists themselves. This investigation unearths a network of hundreds of former members of the Israel lobby working at some of America’s most influential news organizations, helping to shape the public’s understanding of events in the Middle East. In the process, it helps whitewash Israeli crimes and manufacture consent for continued U.S. participation in what a wide range of international organizations have described as a genocide.   Advocacy to Journalism: Israel’s Influence at NBCUniversal “Hi! My name is Kayla Steinberg…The summer before my first year of college, I attended the AIPAC New England Leadership Dinner and absolutely loved it. After going to Saban, I knew I had to get involved in [AIPAC] and go back to Israel…I dream of being a journalist someday, and I hope to write about Israel or Judaism. WIPAC and AIPAC have taught me so much about how important it is for the U.S. to be Israel’s greatest friend, and I know now why I am proudly pro-Israel.” So wrote Kayla Steinberg in 2018, while she was working for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, widely considered the centerpiece of the pro-Israel lobby in the U.S. AIPAC has been one of the most generous political donors this election cycle, doling out $100 million to hundreds of political candidates. Steinberg did indeed become a journalist. Since 2022, she has been a producer at NBC News, pitching, scripting, producing and editing stories across NBCUniversal’s news channels, including MSNBC, CNBC and NBC News. Steinberg, who once stated publicly that “pro-Israel advocacy” was a key interest of hers, produced the NBC documentary, “Epidemic of Hate: Antisemitism in America,” which equated U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s criticism of AIPAC with the white supremacist marchers at the infamous Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville, VA. Steinberg is one of many former Israel lobbyists hired by NBCUniversal, a conglomerate that owns over a dozen channels, including CNBC, NBC News and MSNBC. Emma Goss, for instance, began her career in media by traveling to Israel to make a documentary for Write on For Israel. This Zionist group aims to educate young Jewish students to “make a difference on college campuses” by learning about Jewish identity and anti-Semitism in American universities. While in college, she was a reporter for the Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC). The ICC states its mission is to “inspire American college students to see Israel as a source of pride and empower them to stand up for Israel on campus” and to “unite the many pro-Israel organizations that operate on campuses across the United States” through coordination and sharing research and resources. Even before graduating, Goss had already begun to work for MSNBC, helping to produce “Morning Joe,” one of their flagship news shows. She went on to work for NBCUniversal for four years, helping produce, pitch, research, edit and book guests for The Today Show, MSNBC and NBC Nightly News. In 2018, she left to work in local media and, as of 2023, works as a reporter at NBC Bay Area. CNBC lead work reporter Gili Malinsky has an even closer relationship with Israel and its lobby. Until 2011, she was a commander in the Israeli Defense Forces, specifically in their public relations department. Malinsky (who has dual American and Israeli citizenship) led a unit dedicated to communicating the IDF’s story with the outside world, overseeing the military’s social media presence, as well as sending IDF officers abroad on public relations trips and organizing tours for foreign dignitaries to see the Israeli military in action. In 2011, she moved seamlessly into working for Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces (FIDF), becoming their marketing coordinator. FIDF is an American group that raises money for supplies and support for Israeli soldiers, as well as encouraging Americans to enlist in the Israeli military. Its stated goal is to “champion the courageous men and women of the IDF and care for their needs through transformational opportunities and support as they protect the State of Israel and her people.” After working for the FIDF, Malinsky embarked upon a career in journalism, becoming a staff writer at CBS and contributing to The New York Times, Vice, The Daily Beast, NBC News and others. Since 2020, she has worked at CNBC. Although a business reporter, in the wake of the October 7 assault, Malinsky contributed to the network’s coverage of Israel-Palestine. For example, she co-wrote one article detailing the trauma suffered by the families of the Israeli festivalgoers killed by Hamas, a group she matter-of-factly identified as a terrorist organization. Noga Even, an NBCUniversal manager, is also a former Israel lobbyist. Between 2017 and 2018, she worked for StandWithUs, a conservative group that coordinates closely with the Israeli government to push a pro-Israel message on campuses globally. StandWithUs’ mission statement notes that its purpose is to “support Israel and fight antisemitism around the world.” In 2017, she organized an IDF soldier speaking tour in Texas with the intent of “putting a human face” on the Israeli military. The soldiers in question told hundreds of high schoolers in attendance about the supposed “strict IDF moral code while fighting an enemy that hides behind its civilians.” Even later went on to work for the Israeli Embassy in the United States before, in 2023, being hired by NBCUniversal. CNBC’s markets and investing reporter Samantha Subin began her career working for various Israel lobby groups. In 2016, she interned at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP), a pro-Israel think tank created by the research director of AIPAC as a front group. One former AIPAC employee involved in its creation noted, “There was no question that WINEP was to be AIPACs cutout. It was funded by AIPAC donors, staffed by AIPAC employees, and located one door away, down the hall, from AIPAC Headquarters.” In their book, “The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy,” authors John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt describe WINEP as a core part of the lobby, “funded and run by individuals who are deeply committed to advancing Israels agenda.” Subin went on to work for the TAMID group, which describes itself as “seek[ing] to forge a strong connection to Israel for the next generation of business leaders.” While still at TAMID, she managed to get her foot in the door at CNBC, and has worked as a reporter there since 2021. Another former TAMID employee working at CNBC is Benji Stawski. In 2016, Stawski co-founded a TAMID chapter at his local Bentley University. He later moved to CNN and, since 2022, has been an editor at CNBC. For Israel and its lobby, having these sorts of advocates in newsrooms across America is a dream. With dozens—if not hundreds—of individuals fact-checking pro-Palestine arguments, booking pro-Israel guests, pitching stories that cast Israel in a positive light and its adversaries negatively, and weaving Zionist narratives into reporting, it’s no surprise that U.S. corporate media shows a pronounced bias in favor of Israel and its perspectives. Older Americans who still rely on cable news and newspapers support the Israeli attack on its neighbors, while younger people who use social media as their primary source of information side with the Palestinians. The connections to pro-Israel organizations extend to the leadership of NBCUniversal as well. Danny Bittker, the company’s vice president of production and operations, worked for many years for BBYO, eventually becoming its regional director. BBYO (Bnai Brith Youth Organization) is a group that sends young Jewish teens to Israel. It is far from a politically neutral body, however. A measure of this can be seen on its homepage, where visitors are currently greeted with a gigantic banner reading, “We Support Israel and Stand By Its Right to Defend Itself.” Brandon Glantz, NBCUniversal’s senior director of global privacy operations, previously worked for Hillel International, the largest Jewish campus organization in the world. Some at Hillel might object to being called part of the Zionist Lobby in America. Helpfully, then, on his own LinkedIn page, Glantz described his role at Hillel as “conduct[ing] all Israel advocacy on the University of Florida campus.” Yelena Kutikova, a director and vice president of learning and development at NBCUniversal until May of this year, was previously a director for the United Jewish Appeal — Federation of New York. Kutikova worked for over three years at UJA-NY, a group that raises money to build illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine and coaches American politicians and pundits on how to best advocate for Israel. Earlier this year, leaked documents showed sessions convened by the UJA advised U.S. officials to spread highly questionable claims about mass rapes on October 7 as a way to deflect criticism away from Israel’s slaughter in Gaza. Other former Israel lobbyists who have gone on to work for the network include longtime MSNBC producer Alana Heller, a former intern at AIPAC; Sara Bernstein, formerly of Hillel International, who went on to work for Paramount, the Discovery Channel and NBCUniversal; and Sarah Poss, a former intern at the Anti-Defamation League, who, since 2019, has worked in various roles at NBC News and MSNBC. NBCUniversal does not appear to view these individuals’ backgrounds as conflicts of interest or red flags. In fact, their history of lobbying for Israel may be seen as an asset, especially given that MSNBC’s executive producer, Moshe Arenstein, was an IDF intelligence commander for many years. Arenstein joined MSNBC in 2003 and has since produced news on a broad range of political topics, including coverage of Israel and Palestine. It seems likely that the enormous overlap between the Israel lobby and MSNBC at least played a part in the network’s decision to, in the wake of the October 7 attacks, suspend its only three Muslim anchors. MSNBC quietly and without explanation pulled Ayman Mohieddine, Ali Velshi and Mehdi Hasan from the air. Employees immediately understood this as a message to the rest of the staff. “The mood is very similar to what had happened post 9/11 with the whole you are either with us or against us argument,” one employee told Arab News. Hasan, a vocal critic of Israel, left the network and has never addressed speculation about his departure, only adding to the evidence that he was pushed out due to his political views.   Fox News and the Pro-Israel Pipeline At the other end of the American elite political spectrum lies Fox News. And yet, on the issue of Israel, the network’s coverage has been markedly similar to MSNBC’s. Like MSNBC, Fox News employs a wide range of former Israeli lobbyists in key positions within its company. Before becoming a journalist, Rachel Wolf worked for the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting (CAMERA), a right-wing pressure group that tries to minimize or silence criticism of Israel in the press. While still at CAMERA, Wolf interned at the Zionist Organization of America, compiling dossiers on pro-Palestine figures and authoring memos full of talking points against anti-Zionist speakers appearing on campuses. She left CAMERA to work at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. and soon became a speechwriter for Israel’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, where she worked aiding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Wolf then moved to Israel to join the IDF, where she served as a spokesperson for the military, producing press releases, running their social media campaigns, and developing, in her own words, “innovative” strategies to humanize the group. Only one year after leaving the IDF, she joined the “Hannity” program on Fox News and is now the company’s homepage and social media editor. A retweet by Fox News social media editor Rachel Wolf on her personal X account Wolf’s colleague at Fox News, Olivia Johnson, was formerly Director of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA), an organization that aims to build and strengthen the military bond between the United States and Israel. A recent JINSA report calls for the United States to support Israel in a war against Iran. After leaving JINSA, Johnson worked for CBS News and, since 2011, has been a broadcast associate at Fox. Nicole Cooper worked for AIPAC between 2019 and 2020, helping to organize conferences and other events. Soon after leaving the lobby group, she was offered the executive assistant position to the Fox News network President. Finally, Sarah Schornstein’s career has seen her run the gamut of pro-Israel groups, including seven months with AIPAC, an internship with Hillel and JINSA, and a position with CAMERA, where she, in her own words, was charged with “monitor[ing] any anti-Semitic/anti-Zionist activity on my campus” – a statement that suggests she sees the two as one and the same. In 2021, she also worked for Israel’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, where she policed NGOs being invited to the forum to ensure they do not “have a harmful impact on Israeli interests.” In 2022, she worked at the Abraham Accords Peace Institute, a group dedicated to promoting the normalization of Israel in the Arab world. Since 2021, she has been at Fox News, producing some of its most influential shows, including “Cavuto Live!” Host Neil Cavuto regularly invites Israeli advocates and officials onto his show, throwing them softball questions and allowing them to present a pro-Israel narrative unchallenged. In October, for example, Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon appeared on the show, claiming that his country was responding to Iranian aggression by launching “retaliatory” strikes against a rogue state.   CNN’s Israel Connections: Former IDF, Unit 8200, and Israel Lobbyists CNN is widely considered among the most prestigious networks in broadcast journalism. And yet, like NBCUniversal and Fox, this study found large numbers of CNN employees with backgrounds in Israeli advocacy. Jenny Friedland began her professional career at the American Jewish Committee, a strongly pro-Israel organization, which lists “defeating Boycott Divestment and Sanctions” as one of their primary goals and recently published an article headlined, “Five Reasons Why the Events in Gaza Are Not ‘Genocide.’” Friedland  has been a producer for CNN since 2019, primarily for Fareed Zakaria’s show. Another CNN producer, Hannah Rabinowitz, previously worked for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a group that purports to be an anti-racist organization but, in practice, often uses claims of anti-Semitism to shield Israel from criticism. A recent MintPress News investigation found that the ADL’s claims of a surge in Anti-Semitism across America were based upon labeling pro-Palestine marches as inherently anti-Semitic. ADL chief Jonathan Greenblatt stated as much, going so far as to say that anti-Zionism was not just anti-Semitic but that it equates to “genocide.” Greenblatt explained that “Every Jewish person is a Zionist…it is fundamental to our existence.” This will undoubtedly be news to the large plurality of American Jews under 40, who, polls show, consider Israel to be a racist Apartheid state. The ADL has, for decades, spied on progressive American groups, including the AFL-CIO, Greenpeace, the United Farmworkers, and a host of left-wing Jewish groups. It also secretly passed much of this research onto the Israeli government, whom the FBI, internal memos show, believe funded their activities. CNN also employs an alarming number of former Israeli soldiers and spies. Among them is Ami Kaufman, a writer and producer of “Amanpour,” the network’s flagship news and global affairs show. Before working at CNN, Kaufman was a weapons specialist in the IDF, and between 2003 and 2004, worked for the CIA at their Foreign Broadcast Information Service. Another CNN producer, Tamar Michaelis, previously served as an official spokesperson for the IDF. Shachar Peled, meanwhile, spent three years as an officer in the Israeli military intelligence group Unit 8200, leading a team of analysts in surveillance and cyberwarfare. She also served as a technology analyst for the Israeli intelligence service, Shin Bet. In 2017, she was hired as a producer and writer by CNN and spent three years putting together segments for Zakaria and Amanpour’s shows. Google later hired her to become their Senior Media Specialist. Unit 8200 is among the most notorious spying agencies in the world and is widely thought to be behind the recent Lebanon pager attack that injured thousands of civilians. It utilizes big data to create a digital dragnet on Palestinians and uses A.I. to determine the likelihood of individuals being members of Hamas or other proscribed organizations. The agency then uses this data to create gigantic kill lists of tens of thousands of people, which it used in its campaign against Gaza. Unit 8200 alumni also went on to work closely with Israeli authorities in developing the infamous Pegasus spying software, created to spy on politicians, journalists and civil rights leaders the world over. Tal Heinrich is another Unit 8200 agent turned journalist. In 2014, CNN hired her to be the field and desk producer for the network’s Jerusalem Bureau, where she oversaw its coverage of Operation Protective Edge, Israel’s 2014 attack on Gaza. Heinrich later left CNN and is now the official spokesperson of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A previous MintPress News investigation profiled Peled, Heinrich and other Israel ex-spies who work in America’s newsrooms. And while never having worked for a lobby organization, Israeli-American CNN news producer Gili Ramen seems to act as an unofficial lobbyist, beseeching anyone with the chance to go on birthright tours and penning long “love letters” to Israel, detailing how she “fell in love” with her “magical” “homeland.” Critics have claimed that CNN’s coverage of the attack on Gaza has been among the most biased and misleading anywhere to be seen, the network repeating Israeli talking points and ignoring Palestinian suffering. This has not gone unnoticed by ordinary Palestinians. Last year, a live CNN segment from Ramallah was broken up by angry demonstrators. Fuck CNN! You are genocide supporters! You are not welcome here, genocide supporters” Fuck CNN! one man told host Clarissa Ward before the live broadcast was cut.   From Birthright to Byline: Israel Ties Run Deep in America’s Newspaper of Record Pro-Israel lobbyists are not confined to broadcast media; they are also present in print newsrooms nationwide, including at the United States most prestigious and influential publication, The New York Times. Dalit Shalom, the Times’ director of product design, was formerly a guide for birthright trips – an Israeli government-funded program to gift free tours of Israel for young Jews in the hopes that they will settle there. He also worked for the Jewish Agency for Israel, an offshoot of the World Zionist Organization, whose mission statement is to “ensure that every Jewish person feels an unbreakable bond to one another and to Israel,” and encourages Jewish immigration to the country. Before his career in journalism, Adam Rasgon, the Times’ correspondent in Jerusalem, interned at the Shalem Center, a now-defunct group founded in 1994 to “enrich and strengthen the State of Israel.” From there, he went to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Sofia Poznansky, a New York Times newsroom assistant, previously worked for Masa Israel Journey, an Israeli government-funded project to entice foreign Jewish people to the country. It works closely with lobby groups such as StandWithUs, the ADL and Hillel. Before joining the New York Times as an editorial assistant, Rania Raskin worked for the Tivkah Fund, an organization dedicated to promoting Zionism among young Jewish Americans. Raskin aids top Times columnists such as Pamela Paul, David French, and Bret Stephens. Since Raskin has been assisting Stephens, he has produced columns entitled “We Absolutely Need to Escalate in Iran,” “The Genocide Charge Against Israel Is a Moral Obscenity,” “Hezbollah is Everyone’s Problem,” “The Appalling Tactics of the ‘Free Palestine’ Movement,” “Abolish the U.N.’s Palestinian Refugee Agency,” “The left is Dooming any Hope for a Palestinian State,” and “Hamas Bears the Blame for Every Death in this War.” Of course, neither Stephens nor the Times needed Raskin’s assistance to promote an aggressively pro-Israel agenda. A study by MintPress News earlier this year analyzed coverage of the Yemeni Red Sea blockade by The New York Times, CNN, Fox News, and NBC News. The study found that these outlets consistently maintained a pro-Israel perspective. This included frequently highlighting that Yemens Ansar Allah is Iranian-backed while not similarly noting U.S. support for Israel and portraying Yemen as the aggressor in the conflict.   From Lobbyist to Local News While this investigation has concentrated on four outlets, the phenomenon of former Israel lobbyists producing America’s news is widespread across the corporate press. For example, between 2010 and 2012, Beatrice Peterson was a delegate for AIPAC. She later became a producer for Politico and is currently a reporter and producer at ABC News. In 2018, Erica Scott left her job as the ADL’s media and communications specialist to work at CBS This Morning. She is currently CBS News’ editorial producer. Another current CBS News producer, Betsy Shuller, previously was a public relations associate for Hillel International. Shuller has also worked for CNN, ABC, and NBC. In 2021, Oren Oppenheim left UChicago Hillel to join ABC News, where he is currently a political unit journalist. Currently a technical project manager for The Washington Post, Lisa Jacobsen was previously the program director at the American Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, a group pushing for more robust pro-Israel policies in the United States. Eliyahu Kamisher was formerly an intern for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a research assistant at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle East and African Studies in Tel Aviv and is now a reporter at Bloomberg News. In addition, this investigation found dozens of former Israel lobbyists working in local news across the United States.   Switching Sides: The Newsroom to War Room Pipeline Not only do pro-Israel partisans go to work in America’s newsrooms, but journalists also leave their jobs to work for the Israel lobby, creating a highly problematic revolving door between the two professions. Benjamin Bell, for example, left a long and successful career in the media that included being deputy managing editor and politics coordinating producer for ABC News and the senior editor of features and planning at CNN+ to become the director of broadcast media at the Israeli Consulate General in New York. Jake Novak’s career arc followed a similar trajectory. A former producer at CNN and senior producer at Fox Business, in 2021, he left his job as a columnist and political analyst at CNBC to become the media director of the Israeli Consulate in New York. The previous year, Novak wrote an article about the assassination of Iranian leader Qassem Soleimani entitled “America just took out the world’s no.1 bad guy.” Originally an associate producer for CNN, where she wrote and produced content for leading shows such as “Amanpour,” Phoenix Berman left her job at CBS Philadelphia earlier this year to become an investigative researcher for the Anti-Defamation League. In 2008, Darren Mackoff ended a long career as a producer for Fox News and NBC News, taking up the position of senior communications manager and deputy press secretary for AIPAC. The ADL’s social media strategist and director of sports engagement, Alex Freeman, also has a background in broadcast journalism. Freeman left his position as a writer and producer for Fox News to join the pro-Israel group. Former CBS News, PBS and Fox News producer Anna Olson is currently serving as director of digital content for Hillel International. Naveed Jamali, meanwhile, has jumped between journalism, the lobby and back again. A former intelligence analyst at MSNBC and contributor to The Daily Beast, between 2020 and 2022, he was the ADL’s Belfer Fellow. His ADL profile describes him as an “FBI asset.” Today, he is the executive producer and editor-at-large of the influential magazine Newsweek. Jonathan Harounoff, currently a contributing writer to the New York Post, was, until recently, JINSA’s director of communications. He has just started a new job as an international spokesperson and senior communications advisor to the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations. Considering Israel’s actions and the U.N. response to them (the U.N. continues to vote to condemn Israel and demand a ceasefire), Harounoff is likely a busy man.   Censorship or Standards? The Cost of Pro-Palestine Advocacy The ease with which hundreds of individuals can jump between the pro-Israel lobby and the newsroom stands in stark contrast to how journalists publicly (or even privately) advocating for Palestinian rights have been treated. In 2021, the Associated Press fired news associate Emily Wilder after it was alleged that, while at college, she was a member of pro-Palestine groups, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and Students for Justice in Palestine. The witch hunt against a young Jewish journalist was led and amplified by the likes of Fox News, who appeared to believe expressing support for Palestine robbed her of her credibility, even as the network, as this investigation has shown, employed multiple former members of Israel lobby groups. Three years previously, CNN sacked contributor Marc Lamont Hill after he called for a free Palestine “from the river to the sea” during an address he made to the United Nations. Unsurprisingly, pro-Israel groups were among those lobbying CNN the hardest to take action against what they deemed unacceptable speech. The Hill, meanwhile, dismissed Katie Halper after she called Israel an Apartheid state on air. That so many of those fired for their positions on Israel have been Jewish is no coincidence. The Middle East has always been of particular concern to American Jews, and progressive, anti-Zionist Jewish groups are among the primary targets of the Israel lobby. Halper’s exit set the tone at The Hill. And so when its host, Briahna Joy Gray (another strong critic of Israel’s attack on Gaza), was also dismissed earlier this year, it came as no surprise to her. “It finally happened. The Hill has fired me. There should be no doubt that [The Hill] has a clear pattern of suppressing speech — particularly when it’s critical of the state of Israel,” she tweeted. Gray’s departure was part of a broader post-October 7 trend, with newsrooms across the West cracking down on pro-Palestine sentiment being shared. In the wake of the Hamas assault, the BBC pulled six reporters from its Arabic news service off the air. Around the same time, The Guardian announced it would not renew the contract of one of its longest-serving cartoonists, Steve Bell. The newspaper had recently refused to print a cartoon satirizing Netanyahu and the attack on Gaza. Across the Atlantic, The New York Times fired Palestinian photojournalist Hosam Salam over comments he made supporting factions resisting Israel. Thus, while outlets across the board were rushing out editorials declaring their solidarity with Israel, even as it embarked on a rampage through Gaza, young, progressive journalists received the message loud and clear: this is no place for you. A case in point is Malak Silmi, a Palestinian-American reporter who left the profession in disgust, filled with disillusionment at what she experienced. “I do not believe I can be valued as a journalist by a media industry that delegitimizes and demonizes Palestinian journalists and allows for reporting that incites and justifies attacks against them,” she wrote in January, explaining her decision to walk away from the industry.   Words Matter: How Newsrooms Shape the Narrative Silmi’s comments are borne out by studies. More journalists were killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza than in any other conflict over a similar period. Yet outlets such as the New York Times have shown little interest in Israel’s war on journalists, and when they do cover it, they rarely identify Israel as the culprit in their headlines. A study of leading American outlets by media watchdog Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting found that the word “brutal” was overwhelmingly used in reference to Palestinians and their actions and rarely used to describe Israel. These choices cue and prompt readers to feel one way about the conflict; they are brutes, and we are compassionate. These sorts of discrepancies do not happen by accident. A leaked New York Times memo from last November revealed that company management explicitly instructed its reporters not to use words such as “genocide,” “slaughter,” and “ethnic cleansing” when discussing Israel’s actions. Times staff must refrain from using words like “refugee camp,” “occupied territory,” or even “Palestine” in their reporting, making it almost impossible to convey some of the most basic facts to their audience. Likewise, CNN employees face similar pressure. Last October, new C.E.O. Mark Thompson sent out a memo to all staff instructing them to make sure that Hamas (and not Israel) is presented as responsible for the violence, that they must always use the moniker “Hamas-controlled” when discussing the Gaza Health Ministry and their civilian death figures, and barring them from any reporting of Hamas’ viewpoint, which its senior director of news standards and practices told staff was “not newsworthy” and amounted to “inflammatory rhetoric and propaganda.” German media conglomerate Axel Springer, meanwhile, forces all of its employees to sign what amounts to a loyalty oath to support “the trans-Atlantic alliance and Israel.” Last year, the company fired a Lebanese employee who, through internal channels, questioned the requirement.   An outsized role in American politics The Israel lobby played an outsized role in this year’s elections, spending over $100 million to promote Zionist candidates and relentlessly attack progressive critics of Israel. All 362 AIPAC-endorsed candidates won their races. “Being pro-Israel is good policy and good politics,” AIPAC boasts. To be sure, AIPAC only endorses candidates it believes have a good chance of winning to promote its image as a kingmaker in U.S. politics. But it has also played a significant part in suppressing progressive change in the country by successfully primarying critics of Israel, such as Jamal Bowman and Cori Bush. AIPAC spent over $30 million ousting the pair in two of the most expensive House primaries in history. “I want to thank our partners at AIPAC,” Bush’s opponent, Wesley Bell, said, adding that he was “not getting across the finish line without you.” AIPAC also helps push reactionary and racist political ideas into American life, supporting one candidate who proposed a bill to deport Palestinians from the U.S. It is clear that Israel and its supporters play an outsized role in American politics. But few are aware of the extent to which our news is written and produced by individuals with backgrounds in groups lobbying for Israel. This investigation was able to find hundreds of individuals from prestigious news outlets who previously worked for AIPAC, StandWithUs, CAMERA, or other organizations commonly identified as core pillars of the pro-Israel lobby. It is still far from an exhaustive list. For brevitys sake, it only highlighted a handful of the most prominent and influential U.S. media networks. Nor did it touch upon the army of former lobbyists working at smaller channels or in local media. This investigation does not accuse any of those noted above or claim they are unworthy of holding those positions and should be fired. But it does highlight the extent to which pro-Israel sentiment is considered so normal in elite circles, so much so that former Israel lobbyists, spies, and soldiers can be charged with producing supposedly objective and unbiased reporting, even on Middle Eastern issues. And even as former employees of Israel lobby groups are hired en masse, those speaking out against Israel’s attacks on its neighbors, or even suspected of harboring pro-Palestine sympathies, are jettisoned from corporate media’s ranks. When it comes to Israel-Palestine, there exists a glaring double standard in our media. In our supposedly free and open system, you can hold any opinions you like, so long as they are pro-Israel. The information presented here is likely common knowledge in newsrooms. And yet, it has been essentially ignored by the media, who seem to consider it unremarkable. This investigation is not claiming that people with pro-Israel views should be barred from working in the media. However, these backgrounds and blatant conflicts of interest should, at the very least, be disclosed, particularly when covering the ongoing violence in the Middle East. Despite the commitment to truth, transparency and journalistic integrity often touted by the likes of the New York Times and other newsrooms across America, U.S. media have failed in their ability to provide the public with truthful reporting of the facts when it comes to Israel-Palestine. Their approach throws to the wind guidelines from organizations like the Society of Professional Journalists, which dictate that journalists “avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived,” and “disclose unavoidable conflicts.” Similarly, the Global Charter of Ethics for Journalists outlines a newsrooms duty to disclose any affiliations that could affect coverage. Instead, former lobbyists and figures with ties to pro-Israel groups are given free rein to shape narratives around the Middle East. No wonder that Americans’ understanding of the conflict, its history, and the stakes involved is so poor. This lack of transparency is, in part, the reason for Americans’ fragile trust in the media—now at roughly 30%, according to recent polls. The revelation that much of our news is literally written and produced by former Israeli spies and lobbyists is not going to help that number improve. Feature photo | Illustration by MintPress News Alan MacLeod is Senior Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent, as well as a number of academic articles. He has also contributed to FAIR.org, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, and Common Dreams. The post Revealed: The Israel Lobbyists Writing America’s News appeared first on MintPress News.

[Category: Investigations, National, Top Story]

— Empire in Decline: How the Trump Presidency and Forever Wars Will Destroy US Imperium

 

at 11/11/24 3:01pm

If last weeks U.S. election results took you by surprise, then you may not have been closely following the converging social, economic, and political issues coalescing in America—an empire in decline. On Tuesday, the majority of voting Americans cast their ballots for President-elect Donald Trump, choosing to accelerate that decline. The Democratic Partys collapse is evident and undeniable. It validates left-wing critiques of its rightward drift, reliance on hollow identity politics and lack of an egalitarian economic agenda. While this may be validating for leftists who were criticized, lampooned, and defamed by Democratic Party elites for warning about this collapse, the partys decades-long failure to become a bastion of the working class has paved the way for a full-on fascist and ultimately self-destructive takeover of the United States. Predictably, self-identifying liberal elites are now raising their voices to cast blame on everyone but themselves voices that were previously silent about the genocide in Palestine, the betrayals of progressive climate and immigration policies by the Biden Administration, and the suppression of Stop Cop City activists in Atlanta. While they decry the downfall of democracy, it is unlikely that they will learn from their mistakes and will be sublimated into a junior partner in an overridingly fascist system rather than alter course and become a genuinely radical party. Here we are—locked into supporting two high-profile, ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East—with a volatile and unpredictable president-elect showing signs of cognitive decline. Predicting his actions is challenging; his policy positions are often mutable and vague. However, he has publicly discussed seven potential action items. First, he has promised mass deportations of undocumented migrants, aiming for the most extensive deportation effort in U.S. history. Many experts warn that such an operation would face significant legal and logistical obstacles and could hinder economic growth. Second, Trump has proposed sweeping tax changes, including extending his 2017 tax overhaul, eliminating taxes on Social Security payments, and further cutting corporate taxes. He also plans to impose punitive tariffs on China, a move likely to raise consumer prices. Trump has also pledged to slash climate regulations to support the American auto industry and boost domestic fossil fuel production. He has suggested ending U.S. involvement in Ukraine, aligning with his stance against entanglement in foreign conflicts. Regarding the Gaza war, Trump, a vocal supporter of Israel, has urged the U.S. ally to end the conflict by his inauguration. On abortion, Trump stated in a debate with Kamala Harris that he would not sign a national abortion ban, leaving the issue to individual states. He has also suggested he would pardon January 6 rioters and has expressed intent to fire Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is leading two investigations against him. Join us on State of Play to examine Trumps incoming cabinet, the promised policies mentioned above, and what they would mean for America and the world in general. Greg Stoker is a former U.S. Army Ranger with a human intelligence collection and analysis background. After serving four combat deployments in Afghanistan, he studied anthropology and International Relations at Columbia University. He is currently a military and geopolitical analyst and a social media influencer, though he hates the term. MintPress News is a fiercely independent media company. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and subscribing to our social media channels, including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Also, check out rapper Lowkeys video interview and podcast series, The Watchdog. The post Empire in Decline: How the Trump Presidency and Forever Wars Will Destroy US Imperium appeared first on MintPress News.

[Category: Behind The Headlines, Foreign Affairs, Top Story, climate deregulation Trump, corporate tax cuts Trump, Democratic Party collapse, January 6 pardons, mass deportations America, Trump Gaza stance, Trump policy agenda, U.S. decline empire, U.S. election 2024, U.S. foreign wars]

As of 12/7/24 1:07pm. Last new 12/5/24 8:49am.