On January 14, 2025, during a speech at the Atlantic Council in Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was interrupted by activists:
„you will forever be known as bloody blinken, secretary of genocide.“
On January 14, 2025, during a speech at the Atlantic Council in Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was interrupted by activists:
„you will forever be known as bloody blinken, secretary of genocide.“
(December 30, 2024)
Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHR) petitioned last week Israel’s Supreme Court, demanding an end to ongoing attacks on the hospital, the establishment of humanitarian corridors, and the delivery of essential supplies, and issuing an interim order to cease the attacks immediately. However, the court refused to take immediate action, leaving Kamal Adwan, its staff and patients under the deadly attacks.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said the United States was communicating directly with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the dominant rebel faction, despite its designation as a terrorist group.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron expressed their willingness to engage with Syria‘s new leadership, following the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, under certain conditions, a statement from the German government revealed after a call between the two leaders.
The U.S. government would “recognize and fully support” a future Syrian government that results from an inclusive and transparent transition process, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday, outlining a first set of principles regarding the Biden administration’s hopes to influence discussions over Syria’s future after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.
President Biden: „After 13 years of civil war in Syria, more than half a century of brutal authoritarian rule by Bashar al-Assad and his father before him, rebel forces have forced Assad to resign his office, flee the country.“
Grund ist eine fehlende Beschlussfähigkeit des Parlaments, weil sich an der Abstimmung nur 195 Abgeordnete beteiligten.
Mindestens 200 der insgesamt 300 Abgeordneten hätten abstimmen müssen. Somit scheiterte die Abstimmung automatisch an der fehlenden Beschlussfähigkeit.
President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son has left some Democrats fuming over his choice to repeatedly and unequivocally claim that he would never take that step, even though a pardon long appeared possible to Hunter Biden’s legal team.
Multiple officials who recently worked for Joe Biden said they never believed the president or White House aides speaking on his behalf when they insisted in recent months that a pardon for Hunter Biden was off the table.
President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, sparing the younger Biden a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions and reversing his past promises not to use the extraordinary powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family.
(November 8, 2024)
Kennedy described Trump’s particular focus on the border between Syria and Türkiye.
„He said we have 500 men on the border of Syria and Türkiye, and a little encampment that was bombed. He said there‘s 750,000 troops in Türkiye. There‘s 250,000 militants in Syria. If they go up against each other, we‘re in the middle.“
According to Kennedy, Trump later asked his generals what would happen if a conflict broke out, to which they reportedly replied, „They‘re going to be cannon fodder.“
Trump’s response was decisive: „Get them out.“
Syrian armed rebels have entered Aleppo just three days into their surprise offensive, marking the first time they have set foot in the country’s second largest city since government forces recaptured the city in 2016.
Rebel forces launched a surprise attack this week, sweeping through several villages outside the city and reigniting conflict that had been largely static for years.
(November 22, 2024)
Desperate to bolster Ukraine’s standing in the war before the transition of power on January 20, the Biden administration is looking at a range of serious escalations. “US and European officials are discussing deterrence as a possible security guarantee for Ukraine, such as stockpiling a conventional arsenal sufficient to strike a punishing blow if Russia violates a cease-fire.” The article continues, “Several officials even suggested that Mr. Biden could return nuclear weapons to Ukraine that were taken from it after the fall of the Soviet Union.”
According to some officials who spoke with the Times, the administration believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t significantly escalate the war until Trump returns to the Oval Office.
(November 24, 2024)
„Trump’s Vow to End the War Could Leave Ukraine With Few Options
…
Several officials even suggested that Mr. Biden could return nuclear weapons to Ukraine that were taken from it after the fall of the Soviet Union. That would be an instant and enormous deterrent. But such a step would be complicated and have serious implications.“
We have begun the project of collecting, analyzing, and categorizing official statements in response to the ICC’s announcement, which we consolidate below and will continue to update. If we have missed anything, please send us an email at lte@justsecurity.org.
(September 27, 2024)
The day is dark, the forces arrayed are tenacious, but as the late Nation editorial board member Toni Morrison wrote “No! This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”
I urge you to stand with The Nation and donate today.
Onwards,
Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation
Stefan Niehoff was woken up by police officers at dawn—together with his wife and daughter, who has Down syndrome, according to news portal Nius.de.
The pensioner’s crime, which Habeck could not tolerate, was that, a few months ago, he had posted a meme on his X social media page, in which beauty care brand Schwarzkopf Professional’s logo was replaced by the words Schwachkopf Professional—which means professional idiot or imbecile—with a picture of a smiling Habeck.
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Es ist befremdlich, dass eine deutsche Staatsanwaltschaft all das wegen eines satirisch überspitzten Beitrags für geboten hält. Man kann nur hoffen, dass das keine Schule macht. Sonst stehen bald Hausdurchsuchungen bei Hunderttausenden Deutschen an.
(November 15, 2024)
Wirtschaftsminister Habeck ist auf der Plattform X von einem Nutzer beleidigt worden und zeigte ihn an. Die Staatsanwaltschaft durchsuchte daraufhin die Wohnung des Verdächtigen.
President-elect Donald Trump has picked Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be his next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, a choice that would add to Trump’s list of provocative picks whose confirmation processes will test the loyalty of Senate Republicans.
Trump on Thursday announced the selection, confirming CNN’s earlier reporting, saying he was thrilled to share the pick.
(October 30, 2024)
The defence ministry told Middle East Eye: “As a matter of principle, we only provide intelligence to our allies where we are satisfied that it will be used in accordance with International Humanitarian Law, and in this instance, only information relating to hostage rescue is passed to the Israeli authorities.”
(…)
Brendan O’Hara, the Scottish National Party’s spokesperson for the Middle East, told MEE it was “inconceivable”, given the scale of the destruction and death in Gaza, that the flights “do not contain footage which would be of significant interest to the investigators from the International Criminal Court”.
(…)
Labour MP Rachael Maskell told MEE: “It is crucial that any intelligence of breaches of international law are shared with the courts so they can assess the evidence and secure justice.”
“I trust that the UK government is working with the international courts to aid them in their work.”
(May 8, 2024)
British spy planes have recorded up to 1,000 hours of footage over Gaza, including from the day Israel assassinated three UK aid workers.
“We see no signs that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza,” Fischer stressed to reporters at the press briefing as he was quoted by Anadolu news agency.
He went on to say in reference to a report published by the German Bild newspaper on the topic: “In this light, you may also be able to assess the reporting, and the accuracy of this reporting.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on 16 October promised that Germany would “always” continue delivering arms to Israel for its war against Lebanon and the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
“There are deliveries and there will always be further deliveries. Israel can rely on that,” Scholz said in remarks to parliament, adding that Germany must keep Israel “in a position to defend its country”.
The United States is overwhelmingly the biggest supplier of arms to Israel. In 2023 69% of Israel’s arm imports came from the US, according to a report into international arms transfers by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Germany was the second largest, providing 30%, followed by Italy with 0.9%. The UK, France and Spain were among other minor contributors.
(October 10, 2024)
Lapid advocated regime change in Lebanon, saying, “the international community will need to appoint a sort of oversight committee for Lebanon to manage its civilian life for a set period until elections can be held and a new government can take control.”
Crucial to this effort would be the establishment of a collaborator Lebanese army loyal to Israel and its Western and Gulf allies.
(…)
Lapid claimed it would be easy to recruit Lebanese by paying soldiers in a new army $500 a month. New recruits would then be trained by French, Emirati, and US military officers.
The South Lebanon Army (SLA) was established by Israel in 1976 after the collapse of the Lebanese government due to civil war.
Two U.S. officials told Axios that during a call on Friday White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told Israel‘s minister for strategic affairs Ron Dermer that the U.S. expects „clarity and transparency“ from Israel about its plans to retaliate against Iran because it will have implications for U.S. forces and interests in the region.
– Call was ‚direct and very productive,‘ White House says
– Defence chief Gallant says retaliation to be ‚surprising‘
– Israel‘s UN envoy: ‚It will be painful for the Iranian regime‘
In an interview with the CBS television network aired on Monday night, the Democratic presidential candidate said Iran is the “obvious” answer when asked about the country she considers to be the US’s “greatest adversary”.
“Iran has American blood on their hands – this attack on Israel, 200 ballistic missiles,” she said. “What we need to do [is] to ensure that Iran never achieves the ability to be a nuclear power. That is one of my highest priorities.”
US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he does not support strikes on Iran‘s nuclear sites in response to its missile attack against Israel.
„We‘ll be discussing with the Israelis what they‘re going to do, but all seven of us (G7 nations) agree that they have a right to respond but they should respond proportionally,“ Biden told reporters before boarding Air Force One.
The resolution urged Israel to „comply with international law and withdraw its military forces, immediately cease all new settlement activity, evacuate all settlers from occupied land, and dismantle parts of the separation wall it constructed inside the occupied West Bank“. It also demanded Israel return land and other assets it has seized since 1967.
Apart from the US, Argentina, Hungary and Paraguay also voted against the resolution. Other opposers were: Oceania‘s Palau, Micronesia, Nauru, Fiji, Tonga, Tuvalu and Papua New Guinea, East Africa‘s Malawi and Europe‘s Czechia.
(23. Mai 2013)
Now, the speech:
The president who dramatically expanded the CIA secret drone war, ordered a troop surge in Afghanistan and aggressively prosecuted leakers made a forceful defense of his actions and an even more forceful case for winding down the war on terrorism.
The key line: „This war, like all wars, must end. That‘s what history advises. That‘s what our democracy demands.“
“Netanyahu‘s insistence to free prisoners through military pressure, instead of sealing a deal, means they will be returned to their families in shrouds. Their families must choose whether they want them dead or alive,” he said
On Sunday, the Israeli military reported the recovery of the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, claiming that Hamas was responsible for their deaths. Obaida said his group holds Israel responsible for the deaths.
He said the new instructions, which he did not detail, were given to guards of hostages after a rescue operation by Israel in June.
(July 7, 2024)
There are exceptions of course. The Reform Movement issued a statement supporting President Joe Biden’s announcement of a potential ceasefire and hostage release plan, and calling on Netanyahu to accept it. T’ruah, the organization I lead, has been clear in our calls for a bilateral ceasefire that brings home the hostages and ends the war. Ditto our partners in the Progressive Israel Network, including J Street, Americans for Peace Now, New York Jewish Agenda and New Israel Fund.
But many of the largest Jewish organizations, including legacy groups such as Jewish Federations of North America, American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League have decoupled calls to “Bring them Home” from any talk of ending the war, and have refrained from placing any blame on the Israeli government.
Pro-Israeli lobbies have hijacked most western liberal democracies.
The whole world is now privy to the shameless pimping of western politicians previously documented in Congressman Paul Findley‘s 1985 book They Dare to Speak Out and reinforced by the 2007 book The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy, by political scientists John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt.
As an anonymous commentator wrote: “People think Gaza is occupied, but in reality, Gaza is free but the whole world is occupied.”
Columbia called the NYPD on its own students Tuesday night for protesting Israel‘s war on Gaza. Similar raids have taken place at UCLA, USC, and NYU. The president and vice president responded with cringe tweets about women‘s rights and mental health.
President Joe Biden on Thursday defended the right to protest but insisted that „order must prevail“ as college campuses across the country face unrest over the war in Gaza.
„Dissent is essential for democracy,“ he said at the White House. „But dissent must never lead to disorder.“
(1. März 2024)
Gestern habe ich ein Video aus einer Diskussionsveranstaltung zur Aufarbeitung der Coronakrise geschnitten. Die Diskussionsveranstaltung fand bereits am 24. Januar 2024 an der Universität Graz statt unter dem Titel “Gesellschaft im Ausnahmezustand – Was lernen wir aus der Coronakrise?“. Auf dem Podium waren Heinz Bude (Uni Kassel), Alexander Bogner (ÖAW Wien) und Klaus Kraemer (Uni Graz). Moderiert wurde die Diskussion von Daphne Hruby (freie Mitarbeiterin beim ORF.
(…)
Heinz Bude: Jetzt noch einmal aus dem Nähkästchen geplaudert. Wir haben gesagt, wir mussten, wir müssen ein Modell finden, um Folgebereitschaft herzustellen, das so ein bisschen wissenschaftsähnlich ist. Und das war diese Formel „Flatten the curve“, dass wir gesagt haben „Wie können wir die Leute zu überzeugen, mitzutun?“ Wir sagen denen, es sieht so nach Wissenschaft aus, ne? Man sagt, „wenn ihr, wenn ihr schön diszipliniert seid, könnt ihr die Kurve verändern“. Das heißt quasi man kann – es gibt eine Veranschaulichung von individuellen Verhaltensveränderungen in einer Art von wissenschaftlicher Darstellbarkeit. Das war in dieser, in dieser Form mit drin. Das haben wir geklaut von einem Wissenschaftsjournalisten haben wir nicht selber erfunden. Aber wir fanden das irgendwie toll, dass man so, also dass man so ein quasi Wissenschaftsargument noch in der Art der Erzeugung von… (Heinz Bude wird an dieser Stelle unterbrochen. Der weitere Redebeitrag setzt wenige Minuten später wieder ein)
Also das ist glaube ich jetzt ein ganz wichtiger Punkt. Meiner Ansicht nach laufen wir auf wieder singuläre Krisen absehbar hinaus. In unserer gesellschaftlichen Entwicklung. Nehmen wir nur Extremwetterereignisse und singuläre Krisen, die ich vor Augen sehe, werden damit zu tun haben, dass man auf individuelles Verhalten zugreifen muss. Also indem etwa bei Extremwetterereignissen wird man Leute evakuieren müssen. Man wird Leuten sagen müssen, Du kannst dein Haus nicht mehr an dieser Stelle aufbauen. Und man wird Zwang ausüben müssen auf Leute, die sagen, ich habe aber andere Informationen, ich lasse mich hier nicht evakuieren. Und zwar legitimen Zwang. Wir werden mit Situationen vermehrt zu tun haben in der Zukunft. Solche Art von Krisen, die individuelle Verhaltensveränderungen verlangen, wenn man den Krisen als Gesellschaft in kollektiver Handlungsfähigkeit standhalten will. Und das ist das entscheidende Argument. Können wir das überhaupt in einer modernen liberalen Gesellschaft? Geht das eigentlich? Und muss man da nicht hinterrücks ganz furchtbare Dinge wie Angstkommunikation, also sozialpsychologische Dinge benutzen, um solche Arten von Folgebereitschaften zur Veränderung von individuellem Verhalten vorzunehmen? Das ist ein Unterschied, als ob man eine Krise wie 2008/2009 durch eine Stellschraubenveränderung in Bezug auf die Finanzmärkte lösen kann. Das ist eine andere Sorte von Krisenlösung. Die Krisenlösungen, die uns bevorstehen, haben den Charakter von Kriegen, sie haben den Charakter von Pandemien, und die haben den Charakter von Extremwetterereignissen. Das ist absehbar. Auch Europa wird in mittlerer Frist noch wieder Kriege haben. Und da sind die Dinge, wo man sich überlegen muss, Welche Art von Vorratsreflexion sozialwissenschaftlicher Art braucht man auf diese absehbare Herausforderung, die vor uns steht?
Israeli fighter jets have bombed two homes in Rafah in overnight strikes, killing a total of 10 people, including six children and women.
(today)
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
(18.04.2024)
The US has approved a potential Israeli Rafah operation in exchange for the Jewish state not conducting counterstrikes on Iran, according to a Thursday report from the Qatari newspaper The New Arab.
A senior official told The New Arab that „Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu managed to obtain American approval for a military operation in Rafah, in exchange for [Israel] refraining from carrying out a wide military operation against Iran in response to its recent attack.“
„This (US accusations – TASS) is nothing more than another attempt to find pretexts to smear Moscow‘s policies. We repeat once again for those who have not yet memorized this, that Russia is fully committed to its obligations under multilateral agreements, including those related to outer space,“ Ryabkov said. „These agreements speak for themselves. We will also continue to promote initiatives concerning the prevention of an arms race in outer space and no first placement of weapons in space.„
(06.03.2024)
Israel needs to start getting used to the number 10. That’s the number of years Israel will probably stay in the Gaza Strip, according to the current thinking emanating from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
The estimates are that it will take one or two years for the first stage of the war — eradicating Hamas — to be complete, and another eight years for an alternate government to stabilize, if it does at all.