The members of Likud who could stop the carnage but continue to participate in this government will go down in history as far worse than collaborators. Petain, the ruler of Vichy France, at least believed he was saving France. I cannot believe that Nir Barkat, Avi Dichter, Gila Gamliel, Yoav Gallant, Yuli Edelsein think they are saving Israel. They know in their heart of hearts that without legitimacy, they are gambling with the entire future of the country. To you distinguished ministers and members of Knesset, I ask: Will you willingly sacrifice the country you served for the sake of a cabinet position or Knesset seat? Will you silence your conscience for that?
Archiv: far-right
PM Modi calls for consensus at G20 foreign ministers‘ meeting
In his video message at the G20 foreign ministers‘ meeting, Modi also invoked Mahatma Gandhi and Buddha to urge the delegates to draw inspiration from India’s civilisational ethos and „focus not on what divides us, but on what unites us.“
GOP Megadonor Is Funding a Far-Right Israeli Think Tank — and Establishment Democrats
Pulling from the playbook of the American Legislative Exchange Council — a Koch-backed group that writes model legislation for conservative lawmakers across the U.S. — Kohelet’s founder helped draft the law that became Israel’s Basic Law on the Nation-State in 2018. The controversial policy established Jewish people as having the sole right to self-determination, downgraded Arabic from its status as an official language, and declared the development of Jewish settlement a “national value.” Kohelet also drafted a new law that gives Israel’s Parliament the power to override Supreme Court decisions, grants the government complete control over judicial appointments, and abolishes the courts’ reasonableness doctrine, which was most recently used to disqualify a thrice-convicted criminal and Netanyahu ally from serving as health and interior minister.
J Street Bashers Back Off: AIPAC Backs America and Israel’s Most Dangerous Right-wingers
AIPAC demands that American Jews leave their consciences and values at the door. But we will no longer automatically back a ‚pro-Israel‘ organization that supports those who subvert democracy – at home and in Israel
Netanyahu Tells AIPAC It’s Time for the US and Israel to ‘Close Ranks’ on Iran
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) on Monday and said it was time for the US and Israel to become more closely aligned on Iran.
“It’s time to close ranks between Israel and the United States – and others. And I look forward to discussing this issue with President Biden and his team. I think there is more of a meeting of the minds today than there has ever been,” Netanyahu said in a video address to AIPAC members in Washington.
Netanyahu is a staunch opponent of the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal, known as the JCPOA, and played a major role in convincing the Trump administration to pull out of the agreement in 2018 and reimpose sanctions on Iran. Now that he’s presiding over a new Israeli government, Netanyahu is set to continue Israel’s hawkish approach toward Tehran.
Top Ben Gvir Aide: Legal Adviser for Group that Donates to Rabin Assassin and Jewish Terrorists
Chanamel Dorfman, the adviser who racist Otzma Yehudit chairman MK Itamar Ben Gvir (Religious Zionism) has described as his “right-hand man” helped establish an organization that donates money to incarcerated Jewish terrorists and extremists, among them prime minister Yitzhak Rabin’s assassin Yigal Amir, Channel 13 revealed Thursday.
Islamist Ra’am Will ‘Leave Door Open to Dialogue’ With Incoming Far-right Coalition
(15.11.2022)
The Islamist Ra’am party stressed on Sunday that although it sits in the opposition, it will not necessarily vote in line with the bloc that opposes incoming prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and will keep the channels of communications open with the next far-right and racist coalition, specifically when it comes to matters that concern Arab-Palestinian communities in Israel.
Russia obstructs Iran nuclear deal as the Kremlin frets over its oil income
(March 5, 2022)
Hopes had been high that international negotiators from the permanent five members of the U.N. Security Council, Germany and the EU would be able to secure a deal with Tehran on Saturday to put strict limits on Iran’s atomic work in exchange for sanctions relief for the Islamic Republic.
Such a deal would bring significant volumes of Iranian crude oil back to global energy markets in the months ahead, and that could spell trouble for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Iran admits to drone delivery to Russia ‘before the war’
(05.11.2022)
The minister added that Tehran’s ties with Putin are based on neighborliness and common interests, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported.
The Iranian diplomat maintained that during a conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, they agreed that Kyiv would hand over evidence of the use of those Iranian drones in the conflict. “If it is confirmed that Russia used Iranian drones in the war against Ukraine, we will not be indifferent to this issue,” Abdollahian stressed.
‚Welcome Back!‘: Hungary’s Orban first to congratulate Netanyahu
As the election fog clears, Netanyahu poised to ride a hungry, far-right tiger
Conflicting priorities to maximize the performance of their own anchor slates and also strengthen the market shares of their allied factions—with which they would aspire to craft ruling coalitions—were the source of schizophrenic messaging by Likud and Yesh Atid, which left voters to choose in whom to place their trust. Those decisions shaped the current playing field.
Kahanism Won. Israel Is Now Closing in on a Right-wing, Religious, Authoritarian Revolution
In recent years, Israel has become terrifyingly more extreme. Everything we were warned about is happening right before our eyes.
Israel Election Exit Polls: Netanyahu Secures Razor-thin Majority, Shock Triumph for Far Right
According to Kan 11 public television, the exit polls show:
– Likud: 30 seats
– Yesh Atid: 22 seats
– Religious Zionism: 15 seats
– National Unity Party: 13 seats
– Shas: 10 seats
– United Torah Judaism: 7 seats
– Labor: 5 seats
– Yisrael Beitenu: 5 seats
– The United Arab List: 5 seats
– Meretz: 4 seats
– Hadash-Ta’al: 4 seats
– Habayit Hayehudi: Under electoral threshold
– Balad: Under electoral threshold
Rishi Sunak replaces third of Liz Truss’s Cabinet as he vows to fix mistakes of her premiership
Three were given their old jobs – Dominic Raab, the Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, Mr Gove, the Communities Secretary, and Steve Barclay, the Health Secretary.
New Italy government will be pro-NATO, pro-Europe, says Meloni
(19.10.2022)
„On one thing I have been, am, and will always be clear. I intend to lead a government with a clear and unequivocal foreign policy line,“ she said. „Anyone who does not agree with this cornerstone cannot be part of the government.“
Italian Far-right Leader Shared Values with Likud
(12.08.2022)
Italy’s far-right leader Giorgia Meloni called on Wednesday Fascism “history” and highlighting her party’s links to Israel’s Likud and conservative factions. In her video, Meloni emphasized her party’s “shared values and experience” with Israel’s Likud party, US Republicans and British Conservatives. The “Italian conservatives” she leads are “a bastion of freedom and defense of Western values,” she said, highlighting her “Christian and family values.”
Iran Nuclear Deal: Protests in Iran make restoring the JCPOA more urgent than ever
If the idea of withdrawing from the JCPOA was always bad, it is even more detrimental now considering the political shifts in Tehran. The moderate administration of Hassan Rouhani which sought better relations with the West has been wholly discredited by Trump’s aggressive policies. The hardliners who now dominate the whole political landscape in Iran have always been skeptical of the JCPOA.
Moreover, an influential faction within the hardline camp sees the JCPOA as irrelevant at best and constraining Iran’s security options at worst. According to this line of thinking, Iran has already weathered the storm of the U.S. sanctions. Following on from that, what Iran needs now is not to get sanctions lifted, but rather to further immunize Iran from them by seeking closer ties with Russia and China. Iran notably has become a full-fledged member of the Shanghai Security Organization.
Obama Charges Netanyahu as a World Leader Who Fueled ‚Putinism‘, Report Reveals
„What I worry about most is, there is a war right now of ideas, more than any hot war, and it is between Putinism — which, by the way, is subscribed to, at some level, by [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan or Netanyahu or [former Philippines President Rodrigo] Duterte and [former U.S. President Donald] Trump — and a vision of a liberal market-based democracy that has all kinds of flaws and is subject to all kinds of legitimate criticism, but on the other hand is sort of responsible for most of the human progress we’ve seen over the last 50, 75 years,“ he told reporters in off-the-record comments first published by Bloomberg.
Confindustria calls for authoritative new govt ASAP
„We hope for a government with authoritative, competent and irreproachable ministers as soon as possible“.
Brothers of Italy (FdI) leader Giorgio Meloni, who looks set to become the next premier after her right-wing party spearheaded the right coalition to victory, is currently holding a series of meetings on the make-up of the new executive.
Brazil Deserves the Right to Be Happy: Lula Da Silva
„In 2018, I couldn’t vote because I was in jail for being a victim of a lie. Four years later, I’m voting with full recognition of my freedom and the possibility of being president again so that this country can return to normal,“Lula said, recalling that he remained in prison for 580 days as a result of a political persecution orchestrated by conservative elites.
Hadash-Ta’al Slams Lapid, Michaeli for Refusing to Block Barring of Arab Parties
Hadash-Ta’al commented on the Central Election Commission’s decision to disqualify Balad’s candidacy for the 25th Knesset. “The decision to disqualify Balad is an unfortunate decision. [Benny] Gantz, [Yair] Lapid and [Meirav] Michaeli proved that they are right-wing in disguise. Despite the anger of the racists who want to keep the Arabs away from the polling stations, on election day we all flock to the polling stations.”
Elections panel blocks Balad party’s run for Knesset, against AG’s advice
Balad and several of its lawmakers have been disqualified by past elections panels, and have so far won every appeal to the High Court to be reinstated. The party is expected to make a similar appeal to return to November’s contest following Thursday’s disqualification.
Earlier on Thursday, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara released a letter to the committee stating that there was no basis for disqualifying either Balad or the Islamist Ra’am party. The panel ultimately cleared Ra’am’s path to the ballot box, dismissing petitions that alleged the party supported terrorist organizations.
Israel: Balad banned from election run, Ra’am qualifies
(29.09.2022)
Despite appeals filed alleging that Ra’am „supports terrorism,“ the vote to allow their running passed 14-0, with representatives from Likud, the Religious Zionist Party, Yesh Atid, and Labor not present.
Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz of the National Unity Party ruled on Thursday that all of his party representatives on the election committee will vote to disqualify Balad from running for parliament.
Orban, Le Pen congratulate Meloni on election win
„Congratulations, a deserved victory,“ said Orbán on Facebook under a photo of the two leaders together.
National Rally leader Le Pen also hailed Meloni’s „historic“ victory at the head of a centre-right coalition featuring League leader Matteo Salvini and Forza Italia (FI) chief Silvio Berlusconi.
Election: Centre right set for victory – projections
The centre-right coalition is set to win Sunday’s general election in Italy, with Brothers of Italy (FdI) leader Giorgia Meloni looking poised to become Italy’s first woman premier thanks to the strong showing of her rightwing group, according to projections.
Veni, vidi, veto: Giorgia Meloni’s march on Brussels
More than useless, Brussels had been hostile, she added: “We are facing the most powerful and violent attack against governments of sovereign nations opposing the dictatorship of politically correct ideology.” As examples, she cited the EU’s attempts to punish Poland and Hungary for democratic backsliding and efforts “to humiliate the British people who have freely chosen Brexit.”
Salvini, Berlusconi cross swords with Brussels
Meloni, who is poised to become Italy’s first woman premier and the most rightwing since the Second World War, has often praised the policies of Orban and her Polish allies.
Von der Leyen said Thursday that if the general election ushers in an autocratic, nationalist and Euroskeptic shift then „we have the instruments, as in the cases of Poland and Hungary.“ However, she added that „we are ready to work with any democratic government that is disposed to work with us“.
Salvini branded her statement as squalid and arrogant meddling in Italian domestic politics.
Italian Far-right Leader Shared Values with Likud
(12.08.2022)
Italy’s far-right leader Giorgia Meloni called on Wednesday Fascism “history” and highlighting her party’s links to Israel’s Likud and conservative factions. In her video, Meloni emphasized her party’s “shared values and experience” with Israel’s Likud party, US Republicans and British Conservatives. The “Italian conservatives” she leads are “a bastion of freedom and defense of Western values,” she said, highlighting her “Christian and family values.”
Lapid: Israel conducting ‘successful’ campaign to thwart Iran nuke deal, but still ‘long way’ to go
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Sunday described as “successful” his government’s diplomatic offensive against a revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. However, he conceded that there was a “long way” to go to ensure that Tehran does not benefit to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars should an accord be reached.
PM Lapid: „I thank France, the United Kingdom, and Germany for their strong position on this matter. In recent months, we held a discreet and intensive dialogue with them, and presented them with up-to-date intelligence information about Iranian activity at nuclear sites.“
(11.09.2022)
Iran – Joint statement by France, Germany and the United Kingdom (10 September 2022)
Our position remains clear and steadfast. Iran must fully and, without delay, cooperate in good faith with the IAEA. It is up to Iran to provide technically credible answers to the IAEA’s questions on the whereabouts of all nuclear material on its territory. The JCPoA can in no way be used to release Iran from legally binding obligations that are essential to the global non-proliferation regime.
Given Iran’s failure to conclude the deal on the table we will consult, alongside international partners, on how best to address Iran’s continued nuclear escalation and lack of cooperation with the IAEA regarding its NPT safeguards agreement.
Election: ‚Gravy train is over‘ Meloni tells EU
The leader of the right-wing group said she was ready to „break the glass ceiling“ and become the nation’s first woman head of government.
Election: Centre-right and FdI maintain big poll leads
A quorum/youtrend poll for Skytg24 gave Giorgia Meloni’s FdI the support of 25.3% of the electorate; with the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) second on 21.2%.
The 5-Star Movement (M5S) was third with 13.8%, followed by FdI’s centre-right allies, Matteo Salvini’s League on 12.9% and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia (FI) on 7.9%.
The first act of Liz Truss’ premiership should be taking immediate action to tackle the cost of living crisis that is pushing millions into poverty — this must be a wealth tax and bringing energy companies, water, mail and rail into public ownership.
She must also commit to giving workers a pay rise, ending the creeping privatisation of our NHS and the appalling treatment of refugees fleeing war.
Netanyahu congratulates Liz Truss on succeeding Boris Johnson as UK PM
“I am sure that under your leadership the deep friendship between Britain and Israel will be further strengthened in all fields,” tweets Netanyahu.
The former prime minister also adds his thanks to outgoing PM Boris Johnson “for his valued contributions to the excellent relations between our two countries.”
New Prime Minister LIVE: Liz Truss on course to be named next Tory leader at 12.30PM after brutal six-week battle with rival Rishi Sunak to succeed Boris Johnson
Follow updates here as the next Prime Minister is revealed as the winner of the Tory leadership contest is announced at Westminster’s Queen Elizabeth II Centre:
The more Tory voters see of Liz Truss, the less they like her, polls show
The latest polling by Opinium for the Observer shows that whereas 49% of people who voted Tory in 2019 had believed Truss “looks like a prime minister in waiting” at the beginning of August, this had dropped to just 31% by 30 August.
Similarly while 55% said she was competent at the start of August, this had dropped to 35% among 2019 Tory voters by the end of the month. And while 52% of the same voters thought she was likeable at the start of August, only 31% felt that way by the end of the month.
Tory MPs warn Liz Truss ‘don’t lurch to the right’ amid fears of ‘Thatcher tribute government’
Conservative MPs have warned Liz Truss not to lurch the government to the right if, as expected, she triumphs over her rival Rishi Sunak and becomes prime minister next week.
Tory MPs cautioned that the new Conservative leader must not abandon the centre ground or surround herself with an inner circle of right-wing allies now that a general election is looming.
Is Liz Truss the British Trump?
If you are a right-wing MP or ambitious wonk on the Truss campaign ‘pivot’ is such a useful word. Far better to say ‘we need to pivot from campaign mode to governing mode,’ than to blurt out that ‘now we have their votes we can forget the lies we told to win over Conservative members’. Far better for Truss herself to say, ‘I am pivoting from my previous position on tax cuts’ to ‘I admit that I was wrong’.
Pivoting calls to mind the elegance of a ballerina turning on her points. Not the cynicism of a politician breaking promises she made only a few days before.
Putin has pulled off a shock win that could destroy the free world
We risk ending up with calamitous poverty, civil disobedience, a new socialist government by next year, a break-up of the UK, nationalisations, price and incomes policies, punitive wealth taxes and eventually a complete economic and financial meltdown and IMF bailout. The situation in the EU is, if anything, worse.
This is not a plea for pacifism, for looking away when Ukraine is being illegally invaded by a savage regime. Britain was – and remains – morally right to back Ukraine in a carefully calibrated way. Instead, this is a plea for an economic counter-offensive, for Liz Truss, the next PM, to tackle Putin’s economic and energy war head-on.
Some Politicians Delayed Revival Of Nuclear Deal – Iranian Lawmaker
Rahimi was implicitly referring to hardliners who during the presidency of Hassan Rouhani opposed the agreement his government had concluded with world powers in 2015.
The lawmaker said that opposition to the deal was driven by political motives. He retorted that some politicians “did not want the previous government to restore the agreement. They wanted to be the ones to do it.”
Rahimi, a Sunni Muslim and a two-term parliament member, told the former opponents of JCPOA that they have to answer to the people as “why they did that to their livelihood.”
NATO members pushing to brand Russia a ‚terrorist state‘ tells us that the US and its allies lack self-awareness
Perennial American Russophobes from opposite sides of the political spectrum, Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Sen. Lindsey Graham, are now agitating members of Congress to include Russia in Washington’s list of ‘state sponsors of terrorism,’ which presently includes North Korea, Iran, Cuba and Syria.
UK: Conservative PM candidates back moving Israel embassy to Jerusalem
Rishi Sunak joins Liz Truss in suggesting he would be open to relocating Britain’s diplomats from Tel Aviv
Italian Far-right Leader Shared Values with Likud
(12.08.2022)
Italy’s far-right leader Giorgia Meloni called on Wednesday Fascism “history” and highlighting her party’s links to Israel’s Likud and conservative factions. In her video, Meloni emphasized her party’s “shared values and experience” with Israel’s Likud party, US Republicans and British Conservatives. The “Italian conservatives” she leads are “a bastion of freedom and defense of Western values,” she said, highlighting her “Christian and family values.”
Ball in U.S. court on nuclear deal
He also said that any agreement being achieved in Vienna should be passed by Parliament.
As things stand, Iran appears to have done its part and made every necessary decision needed to resuscitate the JCPOA. Therefore, it’s now the U.S.’s turn to do the same and facilitate the conclusion of the talks.
The U.S. confirmed that it has received the Iranian response via the EU and said that it will need “some time” to study it.
U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Tuesday, “We are still studying [the response].”
He added, “It will require some time to digest what has been provided to the EU and in turn what has been provided to us.”
Iran Setting the Ground for Signing Nuclear Deal Despite Unresolved Issues, Israeli Officials Say
After several months during which Israel offered contradictory assessments regarding Iran’s intention to sign a new agreement, in the past two days senior Israeli officials have voiced similar assessments: Since Tehran conveyed its reply to the draft agreement last Monday, the chances of a treaty have increased significantly, even if still not great.
Analyst: Anti-JCPOA parties to use Rushdie attack to torpedo deal
A political analyst says pro-Israel lobbies and groups that oppose Iran’s nuclear deal with the West, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), would take advantage of the Friday night attack on anti-Islam blasphemous novelist Salman Rushdie and pin it on Iran to diminish the prospects of an agreement.
Overhaul campaign before it’s too late, Rishi Sunak told
To make an impression on the race, Sunak announced last night plans to charge patients £10 for a missed medical appointment to help clear the Covid backlog. He said he would revive high streets, slash the number of empty shops and backed tougher punishment for graffiti and littering, as well as additional powers for police to tackle anti-social behaviour.
Right before meeting with Putin in Iran, Turkey’s Erdogan threatens to ‚freeze‘ Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday once again threatened to stand in the way of Finland and Sweden joining NATO — a day before he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Iran.
Putin to make rare trip abroad to meet Erdoğan and Raisi in Iran
Russian President Vladimir Putin will make a rare foreign trip Tuesday for a summit in Iran with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
Why it matters: With Syria, Ukraine and oil on the agenda, all three leaders have something to gain from the summit.
Nearly 60 per cent of US voters would back independent candidate over Biden or Trump, poll finds
(Tuesday 26 April 2022)
According to a newly-released survey of 1,966 registered voters conducted by Harvard University’s Centre for American Political Studies and Harris Poll, 58 per cent of respondents — including 47 per cent of Republicans, 60 per cent of Democrats, and 71 per cent of registered independents — said they would consider a “moderate independent candidate” in the 2024 election if faced with a repeat of the choice they were presented with in November 2020.
Trump Leads Biden By 5 Points In Hypothetical 2024 Presidential Poll
(01.07.2022)
An Emerson College poll released Friday found President Joe Biden is down 44% to 39% to former President Donald Trump in a hypothetical 2024 rematch, as Biden’s approval rating continues to plummet.
A Warning From Israel’s Left
We shouldn’t downplay the threat posed by a return to power by Netanyahu, a criminal defendant who caused great damage to the fabric of Israeli life, undermined its democratic institutions, eroded its values and is willing to cooperate with Kahanists to regain power. But this threat should not obscure the substance of Rinawie Zoabi’s arguments, which deserve serious attention. Not every abomination can be koshered by citing Netanyahu, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotric
U.S. says it is now preparing for a world both with and without an Iran nuclear deal
„Because a mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA is very much an uncertain proposition, we are now preparing equally for either scenario,“ Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a briefing.
Foreign Ministry: We hope that Hungary to contribute to unity in EU, including in terms of introducing embargo on oil from Russia, providing Ukraine with military assistance
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine hopes that Hungary will contribute to unity in the EU, including in terms of introducing the embargo in relation to the oil of the Russian Federation and the provision of military assistance to Ukraine, speaker of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Oleh Nikolenko said.
„We hope that Hungary will contribute to unity in the EU, including in terms of introduction of embargo on Russian oil and the provision of military assistance to Ukraine,“ Nikolenko told the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Thursday.
Israeli-U.S. Billionaire Saban Donates $1 Million to AIPAC’s Super PAC
Long-term AIPAC supporter Haim Saban is the biggest individual donor to the super PAC since its establishment late last year. His contribution came weeks before the pro-Israel lobby’s traditional PAC endorsed Republican election deniers
‘Turned diplomacy into a religion’: Israel officials said to lash Biden on Iran deal
As reports swirl of an imminent new Iran nuclear deal, Israeli officials on Sunday lashed out at Washington, according to a TV report.
“The Biden administration has turned diplomacy into a religion, and the agreement the US will sign with Tehran is meaningless,” officials quoted by Channel 13 news said.
Pelosi Headed to Israel With Iran, Ukraine on the Agenda
(Feb. 14, 2022)
Pelosi will head the congressional delegation set to visit the Knesset on Wednesday, over two years since her last official visit to Jerusalem, with the Iran talks in Vienna sure to be on the agenda. She will be accompanied by key lawmakers related to foreign relations, appropriations and intelligence — including Reps. Adam Schiff, Ted Deutch, Barbara Lee, Bill Keating, Eric Swalwell, Ro Khanna and Andy Kim.
Israeli Ministry Seeks Extention of Controversial Fingerprint Collection Order
Despite its statements, the Interior Ministry plans to continue collecting fingerprints for its biometric ID database until 2025, at the earliest. Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked has proposed a three-year extension of the emergency order that provides for gathering fingerprints from citizens. The Knesset must vote on the measure.
The ministry’s Population and Immigration Authority says it needs about two years to buy and introduce facial recognition technology that will obviate the need for fingerprints. The agency is considering retaining the fingerprint database for victim identification in the event of a national disaster.
Racist ‘Citizenship Law’ Advances, Months after Ban on Palestinian Spouses Lapsed
The bill was rejected by the Knesset plenum six months ago, and since then, Shaked has struggled to obtain a majority. Joint List leader MK Ayman Odeh (Hadash) said he was determined to prevent its passage. “We toppled the Citizenship Law, because we oppose racist, anti-democratic legislation”, Odeh said. “We will do everything we can to topple it again.” According to Hadash MK Ofer Cassif (Hadash), “This Israeli law is racist, collective, pre-emptive punishment. It can neither be justified, nor redeemed.” The Joint List also oppose Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s bill on drafting yeshiva students. All parties in the coalition support the bill, including Islamist Ra’am (United Arab List).
Controversial right-wing citizenship bill advanced by ministers
The controversial bill would tighten immigration controls and make it harder for Palestinians who marry Israeli Arabs to receive citizenship. The passage of a bill backed by right-wing parties and opposed by Meretz and Ra’am (United Arab List) was seen as a first step toward the formation of a right-wing government if opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu accepts a plea agreement.
House Jan. 6 committee dismisses ‘unsupported’ claim of FBI involvement in riot
(January 11, 2022)
“The Select Committee is aware of unsupported claims that Ray Epps was an FBI informant based on the fact that he was on the FBI Wanted list and then was removed from that list without being charged,” said a committee spokesman. “The Select Committee has interviewed Mr. Epps. Mr. Epps informed us that he was not employed by, working with, or acting at the direction of any law enforcement agency on January 5th or 6th or at any other time, and that he has never been an informant for the FBI or any other law enforcement agency.”
Among Those Who Marched Into the Capitol on Jan. 6: An F.B.I. Informant
(Published Sept. 25, 2021 Updated Oct. 18, 2021)
But the records, and information from two people familiar with the matter, suggest that federal law enforcement had a far greater visibility into the assault on the Capitol, even as it was taking place, than was previously known.
At the same time, the new information is likely to complicate the government’s efforts to prove the high-profile conspiracy charges it has brought against several members of the Proud Boys.
The NDAA Needs These Two Narrow Immigration Bills
Although not an ideal solution to Congress’ struggle to pass legislation, lawmakers have historically used the NDAA to push their agendas. Concerns that these bills do not belong in the National Defense Authorization Act are misguided; this is not the first time immigration policy has been included in the NDAA. What’s more, these particular bills are narrowly tailored with bipartisan support and have legitimate ties to national security. Now, the responsibility lies with the Senate to approve the bills as part of the NDAA to optimize U.S. innovation and national security.
Pompeo Delivers R.N.C. Speech From Israel, With Eye Toward 2024
(25.08.2020)
No sitting secretary of state had previously addressed a national political convention in at least 75 years.
Joint List: No Support for a Budget that Will Deepen the Occupation
“If we need to, we’ll recruit one or two of the Joint List lawmakers without shame. We have a majority for the budget, we don’t need 61 votes,” racist Minister of Finance Avigdor Lieberman told Channel 12 on Monday evening. In response, the Joint List, said it “can’t be bought.” “We won’t support a budget that deepens the occupation and settlements, raises the prices of electricity and gas, raises the retirement age for women and disenfranchises the weak,” the Joint List statement read.
GOP senators fight to preserve Biden’s war powers amid tensions with Iran
(13.07.2021)
It’s a strange dynamic for members of Congress, who have long seen presidents of both parties expand and sometimes abuse their war powers even after campaigning on ending conflicts in the Middle East. Nearly 20 years after the horrors of Sept. 11, GOP lawmakers are now in the awkward position of fighting to maintain a Democratic president’s authority to conduct military operations without congressional approval.
Brazilians To Mobilize Against Bolsonaro on July 3
On June 30, the Chamber of Deputies will receive an impeachment request against Bolsonaro.
US says may walk away from Vienna talks, not to remove all sanctions
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has sought to take pressure off the US by saying that it will become “very hard” to return to the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement if negotiations in Vienna continue without progress.
Washington is dragging its feet on removing sanctions despite having declared that it is ready to undo the wrongs of the former Trump administration which abandoned the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018.
State Dept. official says talks with Iran over reviving nuclear deal cannot last ‘indefinitely’
(24.06.2021)
Indirect U.S. negotiations with Iran over reviving the 2015 nuclear deal cannot go on “indefinitely”without success, a senior State Department official said following the completion in Vienna of a sixth round of talks.
“We’ve made progress” and “the Iranians have been serious,” the official said in a briefing for reporters Thursday. “But we do have differences, and if we can’t bridge them in the foreseeable future, we’re going to have to regroup.”
U.S. to Withdraw Hundreds of Troops, Air Defense Systems From Across Middle East, WSJ Reports
The report, confirmed by administration officials to the paper, said that the Pentagon will withdraw around eight Patriot antimissile batteries from countries including Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
The U.S. will also reduce the number of fighter jet squadrons in Saudi Arabia, as well as ordering the removal of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, from the kingdom.
Ebrahim Raeisi wins presidential race by landslide, preliminary results show
Iranian Deputy Interior Minister Jamal Orf said 28.6 million Iranians participated in the election, and with around 90% of the votes counted, Raeisi garnered over 17.8 million votes, followed by Mohsen Rezaei who secured 3.3 million.
Nasser Hemmati garnered 2.4 million votes, and Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh-Hashemi won almost one million votes.
Iran election likely to seat new, hardline president as nuclear deal hangs in the balance
Ebrahim Raisi, the frontrunner, is particularly controversial. Head of the country’s powerful judiciary, he led the crackdown on anti-government protesters in 2019, and he tolerates zero dissent. If elected, he would become the first Iranian president to take office with U.S.-imposed sanctions already listing him personally: He was sanctioned by the U.S. government over his involvement in a mass-execution of political prisoners almost three decades ago.
Presidential candidate Zakani quits Iran’s election race in favor of Raeisi
Principlist candidate Alireza Zakani has resigned from the 2021 presidential election in support of fellow contender Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi, who enjoys the highest support among voters, according to opinion polls.
AIPAC congratulates Bennett, Lapid for establishing ‚diverse‘ coalition
AIPAC also reiterated its dedication to strengthen ties with the new prospective government and the United States, to „advance our shared interests and values.“
Report: Jahangiri, Larijani disqualified from running in June 18 election
The report, titled “Council rejects those responsible for the status quo,” also included an image of Reformist candidate Mostafa Tajzadeh, but did not name him in the text.
Leading conservatives Raisi and Larijani enter Iran presidential race
(15.05.2021)
Iran’s judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi and former parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani have registered to run in next month’s presidential election.
The two conservatives, who have close ties with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, are seen as the leading contenders to succeed Hassan Rouhani.
Supreme Leader directly intervenes in Iran’s June vote
(05.05.2021)
On April 10, Khamenei told a grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the late leader of the 1979 revolution, that he should not run. Hassan Khomeini, who had already chosen a well-known revolutionary catchphrase of his grandfather—”All of us together”—as his campaign slogan, had perhaps the best potential to increase turnout in the election and provide a victory to the embattled reformist-pragmatist camp.
With Khomeini out of the game, this faction convened in late April to choose alternative candidates.
Vienna talks: Significant progress made, key issues remain unresolved
Iranian lead delegate Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the issues that needed resolution were difficult. Araqchi said Iran is standing firm on its position that the US needs to fully lift all sanctions in a verifiable manner before Tehran can take action to come back to full compliance with the JCPOA.
Reports indicate that though the US has agreed to ease sanctions on various sectors like oil and gas, banking, shipping and insurance there are still differences on sanctioned individuals and entities including Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).
Settlers to tell ICC West Bank not occupied, Israel good for Palestinians
The Yesha Council plans to launch their own diplomatic initiative against any International Criminal Court war crimes suits, including sending a folder to The Hague explaining that the West Bank is not occupied and that Israel’s presence there is good for the Palestinians.
The document, which is likely to be sent out in the next few weeks was first published on the Hebrew news website Ynet.
Sa’ar could back government led by Lapid and Bennett in rotation: report
The report cited sources close to Sa’ar as saying that the former rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Likud ranks is unlikely to team up with Lapid without Bennett.
Without Yamina chief onboard, Israel would be in for nothing but a „left-wing government,“ the sources told the outlet.
Liberman conceives plan for anti-Netanyahu bloc: report
This entails replacing the Knesset Speaker, taking over the chairmanship of the House Committee and the chairmanship of the Finance Committee and the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committees as well, Maariv reported.
Liberman further stressed in discussions the need to advance immediately legislation that will prevent an indicted individual to contend for the premiership.
Right-wing Central American leaders praise neoliberal ‘Biden Plan’ to strengthen US ‘sphere of influence’
Right-wing Central American politicians are applauding Plan Biden, a US strategy promising corporate investment in return for neoliberal reforms. They pledge to remain in the US “sphere of influence” and isolate China and Russia, while calling for regime change against Nicaragua’s leftist government.
The U.S. Billionaires Secretly Funding the Right-wing Effort to Reshape Israel
The Kohelet Policy Forum has wielded increasing influence on Israel’s decision-making centers, with an ideology that weds conservative, settlement-supporting politics to free-market economics. Who is the guiding force behind this under-the-radar enterprise – and who’s bankrolling it?
CPAC: Trump rules out new political party in speech to conservatives
His appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando on Sunday represents his continued influence over the Republican Party.
The mood of the conference – which began on Thursday – has been extremely pro-Trump, with loyalists including Texas Senator Ted Cruz and his son Donald Trump Jr among the speakers.
The Israeli Left’s Test: Standing Up for Arab Labor Candidate
The left must embrace Mara’ana and respect her opinions. She is married to a Jew, she joined a Zionist party – what more does Zionism expect of her? Other than collaborators, there are no Arabs who can feel any differently than she does. Neither is there a left wing except the kind that knows how to accommodate the positions of the members of the other people that lives here. Those who don’t stand up for Mara’ana are not left wing. They are right wing.
After condemning Trump for inspiring the Capitol riot, Biden sent inaugural invite to @carlosvecchio – Venezuelan coup leader charged with inciting insurrectionist 2014 attack on gov’t building.
It’s sorta weird that Twitter does this mass banning of accounts, including, like, Red Scare, and the response from so many people is „Well they were all Nazis.“ Were they? What has Twitter revealed to you guys about the process that they are hiding from the rest of us?
This Israeli Election Season Will Feature Vaccines, Generals and Political Cannibalism
Netanyahu will flaunt COVID vaccines and peace, Kahol Lavan might fall into oblivion and the Joint List is facing a split as Israel gears up for its fourth election in two years.
Gideon Sa’ar’s Party Would Be Second Largest in Knesset, Election Poll Shows
A poll released by Channel 12 News Tuesday shows the party led by former Likud lawmaker Gideon Sa’ar surging ahead to become Israel’s second largest party, were elections held now.
The party led by Sa’ar, a rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, would garner 21 seats, trailing Likud by just six seats.
Gideon Sa’ar Just Paid a High Price in Future Battle Against Netanyahu, but It’ll Be Worth It
There was some nervousness over the weekend at the Balfour Street residence. Someone close to the royals, employed in a very rewarding job at the Prime Minister’s Office as a “consultant on the outbreak of the coronavirus,” had written an article. Its convoluted thesis was that the deserter Gideon Sa’ar was leading a move which has party, community and governmental implications, aimed at turning back the 1977 overthrow of the long-reigning Labor Party by Likud.
The Master Plan: Clone Likud Without Bibi and His Sycophants
For several months the prime minister’s rival has been secretly spinning his web. Each week more advisers, lawmakers, mayors, key activists joined the secret circle
Biden leads Trump. So did Hillary Clinton. For Democrats, it’s a worrisome campaign deja vu
Democrats went to the polls last time certain they would elect the first woman ever to become president, and were punched in the face with a Trump upset. This time they feel the punch coming from a thousand miles away. The worry is visceral and widespread, unassuaged by Biden’s lead in the polls.
What if the laptop was stolen from Hunter Biden (not a claim I have heard though). What would that mean from a legal perspective?
6. Then things get very weird. The shop owner says, before turning over the computer to the feds, they made a copy of the contents of the computer and gave them to Rudy Giuliani’s lawyer
Mmmmhmmmm
Hunter Biden email story: Computer repair store owner describes handing over laptop to FBI
The man, John Paul Mac Isaac, said he ‚can’t be 100% sure‘ it was Hunter Biden who dropped off the computer for repair.
Facebook And Twitter Limit Sharing New York Post Story About Joe Biden
The New York Post published a series of stories on Wednesday citing emails, purportedly sent by Biden’s son Hunter, that the news outlet says it got from Trump’s private lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon.
Trump Makes ‚Law and Order‘ Pitch to Black, Latino Voters in ‚Blexit‘ White House Speech
„In order to protect the lives of Black Americans and all Americans, you have to have your police support you,“ Trump continued. „If the left gains power they will launch a nationwide crusade against law enforcement, which they’re already doing.“
Coronel Leads the National Foundation of the Arts in Brazil
As part of his conservative agenda, however, the former Captain Bolsonaro is determined to prevent schools, universities, art centers, and other cultural spaces from continuing to be „niches“ for Marxist thought, as he claims.
From China to the Arab world, India is playing its geo-strategic cards effectively
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi’s proactive diplomacy with the countries in the Arab world has led to the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) shedding its anti-India rhetoric. A virtual split seems imminent in the OIC between the Arab and non-Arab countries. The Arab world is led by Saudi Arabia, while Turkey and Pakistan are playing an active role in mobilising non-Arab Muslim states.
Pompeo Delivers R.N.C. Speech From Israel, With Eye Toward 2024
No sitting secretary of state had previously addressed a national political convention in at least 75 years.
Basically nobody in liberal circles is taking seriously the consequences of the fact that the exiled cadre of the Republican Party are building a massive power base in the Democratic Party
All The Republicans Who Have Endorsed Joe Biden For President
Though Trump has largely seized control of the Republican party and the loyalty of GOP officials, a number of prominent former GOP officials, and even some of his ex-staffers, have come out in favor of former Vice President Joe Biden.
Bush endorsing Biden? Don’t hold your breath
Behind the scenes, some Biden allies have been reaching out through backchannels to friends in the Bush universe to see if an endorsement would ever happen — or if it’s just a pipe dream.
“We tried a little unofficially to see if there was a way to make it happen but we couldn’t get there,” said one Biden ally. “And I do think it would make a difference because we’ve learned every vote counts.”
Democratic Convention Proves That on Israel, This Is Still Joe Biden’s Party
Much of this was by design. Onstage and off, the convention organizers delicately and carefully walked a tightrope in order to create as unified a front as possible. They needed to show respect to Sanders, who came in second in the primary contest, and to win the trust of high-profile acolytes like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, so that the party’s activist progressive wing will remain engaged in the election.
Bibi Awaits Biden? F-35 Ordeal Proves Again the Complex Relations With Trump
In light of all this and more, one may certainly imagine a scenario in which, very quietly, at night before he goes to sleep, Netanyahu is secretly waiting for Joe Biden. The Democratic presidential nominee and his vice-presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, are much easier for AIPAC to maneuver and have a proven record of support for Israel.
True, they won’t pull a gesture out of their sleeve like a new embassy, and it’s also true that there is a wing of the Democratic Party that is very critical of Israel, partially because Netanyahu’s backing of Trump spurred opposition. But they are much more conventional, predictable and easier to work with.
Biden praises Israel-UAE peace deal announced by Trump, credits Obama administration
The former vice president praised the move as “a historic step to bridge the deep divides of the Middle East,” calling the UAE’s offer to “publicly recognize the State of Israel is a welcome, brave, and badly-needed act of statesmanship.”
“It is a critical recognition that Israel is a vibrant, integral part of the Middle East that is here to stay,” Biden said. “Israel can and will be a valued strategic and economic partner to all who welcome it.”
Israel-UAE deal condemned by Palestinians, cheered by Egypt and Bahrain
Other Arab governments mostly stayed silent, as signs of anger from some of the region’s citizens trickled out.
Remarks by President Trump Announcing the Normalization of Relations Between Israel and the United Arab Emirates
Just a few moments ago, I hosted a very special call with two friends — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed of the United Arab Emirates — where they agreed to finalize a historical peace agreement. Everybody said this would be impossible. And, as you know, Mohammed is one of the great leaders of the Middle East.
After 49 years, Israel and the United Arab Emirates will fully normalize their diplomatic relations. They will exchange embassies and ambassadors, and begin cooperation across the board and on a broad range of areas, including tourism, education, healthcare, trade, and security.
This is a truly historic moment. Not since the Israel-Jordan peace treaty was signed more than 25 years ago has so much progress been made towards peace in the Middle East.
Pro-Israel org praises Kamala Harris for being to the right of Obama on Iran Deal
(10.10.2019)
One of those questions came from Kat Wellman, a woman affiliated with the organization Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI). Wellman asked if Harris would reenter or renegotiate the Iran Deal if elected president. While Harris condemned the Trump administration for violating the deal, she also made it clear that she would take a more aggressive stance than the Obama administration originally did. “We will reenter the agreement,” she said, “but also I will want to strengthen it. And that will mean extending the sunset provisions, including ballistic missile testing, and also increasing oversight.”
How Biden VP Kamala Harris Could Tip U.S.-Israel Ties
Not long after her election as California senator, but well before her presidential bid, Harris was the star performer at the powerful pro-Israel lobby’s 2017 Policy Conference, in a much-quoted appearance: “Having grown up in the Bay Area, I fondly remember those Jewish National Fund boxes that we would use to collect donations to plant trees for Israel,” she said at that conference, followed by a rapturous travelogue of a recent tour of Israel and the West Bank, which she visited with her Jewish husband, Doug Emhoff, whom she married in an interfaith ceremony in 2014.
Trump antagonizes GOP megadonor Adelson in heated phone call
Now, Republican leaders are pleading to billionaires for help. Trump advisers are pining for new outside groups to form, and the White House is growing anxious to see what Adelson, who has pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into Republican super PACs over the past decade, will do.
Trump Lashes Out at Mega-donor Adelson for Not Giving Enough to His Campaign, Report Says
Republican Party officials had to intervene in order to assess the damage to the key relationship. Sources close to Adelson said it’s not clear whether this will dissuade Adelson from donating more to Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign. Adelson was the largest single political donor during the 2018 mid-term elections in the U.S. – giving some $113 million dollars to conservative candidates.
Thousands in Jerusalem for anti-Netanyahu Demo; Protesters Allegedly Attacked in South
10,000 protesters gathered on Saturday outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s official residence, and thousands more across the country in demonstrations against the government for the fourth week in a row.
Uruguay: Human Rights Defenders Reject Bill Seeking Amnesty
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) Wednesday expressed concern about a bill seeking to reinstate the Expiration of Punitive Claims Law, a regulation that would benefit those who trampled on human rights during the Dirty War of the 1970s and 1980s.
The Likud Continues to Drop in Polls; Joint List Gaining Strength
Labor, Otzma Yehudit, Derech Eretz, Gesher and Bayit Yehudi all part of the right-wing coalition led by Netanyahu would not pass the electoral threshold (3.25%), according to the poll. Consequently, based on this poll, the right-wing bloc, would win a total of 60 seats, one short of a majority in the 120 seat Knesset.
Here you can hear a group of far-right Israelis chanting „leftists are sons of wh****s“ and „death to leftists“ at tonight’s anti-Netanyahu protest in Jerusalem.
Members of the far right also assaulted journalists and a Palestinian bus driver
WATCH: #JerusalemProtests: i24NEWS Defense Correspondent @DanielTsemach ’s camera knocked down by members of the far-right extremist group ‚La Familia‘ as they ran past him
Fifteen Far-right Activists Arrested After Attack on Press, Palestinian at anti-Netanyahu Rally
Meanwhile, dozens of the far-right extremist group La Familia, composed of fans of the Beitar Jerusalem soccer team, gathered at Jerusalem’s Hatachana outdoor mall complex.
This came after the group said it would hold a counter-protest to support the premier and to show the „leftist wimps“ that the „rules of the game have changed.“
Gantz: Protests must not be silenced, attackers must face justice
Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Wednesday demanded the arrest of perpetrators of violent attacks on demonstrators calling for the ouster of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
„They must be caught and brought to justice, the protest will not be silenced as long as we are here,“ he said.
How Israel’s Far Right Went on the Attack Against anti-Bibi Protesters
According to demonstrators, police ignored their calls for help and only arrived at the scene later to break up the clashes. The attackers, whose identity is unknown and who pretended they are part of the anti-government protest, managed to flee the scene.
Broken Bottles, Fists and Pepper Spray: Protesters Against Netanyahu Gov’t Recount Assault
According to the demonstrators, police ignored their calls for help and, only later arriving at the scene to break up the clashes. The attackers, whose identity is unknown and who pretended they are part of the anti-government protest, managed to escape the scene.
סרטון שתעד אסף שפיר. המשך בתגובה. האלימות של לה פמיליה הלילה, היא לא מלחמת אזרחים. הם פושעים ששלח הפושע הראשי: ביבי. גם הסמויים בשליחותו.
A lot of videos from Tel Aviv tonight showing far-right soccer hooligans attacking anti-Netanyahu protesters
Here’s another:
Many Claim Extremists Are Sparking Protest Violence. But Which Extremists?
(31.05.2020)
People associated with both the extreme right and left are being accused of igniting the conflagration. The Trump administration blamed what it called the radical left, naming antifa, a contraction of the word “anti-fascist” that has come to be associated with a diffuse movement of left-wing protesters who engage in more aggressive techniques like vandalism.
Others said white supremacists and far-right groups were responsible, pointing to online statements by adherents that the upheaval would hasten the collapse of a multiethnic, multicultural United States.
Engel bragged, ‘I sit down with AIPAC on every piece of legislation’ coming out of Foreign Affairs Committee
(20.06.2020)
Embattled congressman Eliot Engel, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has bragged that he sits down with the rightwing pro-Israel organization AIPAC on “every piece of legislation coming out of the Foreign Affairs Committee.”
In a 2018 speech to an AIPAC gathering in his NY district, Engel noted that he and Rep. Nita Lowey had both been in the House 30 years and were soon to assume chair positions that they could use to help Israel.
German intel says Iran ‚massively promotes antisemitism, Israel hatred‘
The domestic intelligence agency for the city-state of Berlin disclosed Thursday in a new report on antisemitism that Iran’s clerical regime is a leading sponsor of Jew-hatred.
Coalition Against Annexation Meets Israeli Diplomats in 18 Cities Worldwide
Meetings like this have also taken place at the Israeli consulates in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco, as well as at the Israeli embassies in Berlin, Paris, Madrid and Copenhagen.
“In each meeting we have between three to ten representatives of local Jewish groups attend, because it’s important for us to show that this isn’t a concern just among the ‘usual suspects’ of the left.
Meet the far-right oligarchs working to topple Mexico’s progressive President AMLO
From the beginning of AMLO’s term in December 2018, members of the parties that have dominated Mexican politics for decades, particularly the right-wing National Action Party (PAN) and neoliberal Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), have worked tirelessly to block the new administration’s reforms and abort the Fourth Transformation.
President Trump tweets at ‚protesters, anarchists, agitators, looters or lowlifes‘ today before Tulsa rally
(20.06.2020)
President Trump tweeted this Friday morning, a day before his rally in Tulsa:
„Any protesters, anarchists, agitators, looters or lowlifes who are going to Oklahoma please understand, you will not be treated like you have been in New York, Seattle, or Minneapolis. It will be a much different scene!“
The New York Times Admits Key Falsehoods That Drove Last Year’s Coup in Bolivia: Falsehoods Peddled by the U.S., Its Media, and the Times
Once he fled, Bolivia’s first-ever president from the country’s Indigenous population was replaced by a little-known, white, far-right senator, Jeanine Áñez, from the country’s minority European-descendent, Christian, wealthy region. Her new, unelected government promptly massacred dozens of Indigenous protesters and then vested the responsible soldiers with immunity. Seven months later, Áñez predictably continues to rule Bolivia as “interim president” despite never having run for president, let alone having been democratically elected.
Hong Kong’s ‘pro-democracy’ movement allies with far-right US politicians that seek to crush Black Lives Matter
As Dan Cohen reported for The Grayzone, Lai is a billionaire media tycoon widely referred to as the Rupert Murdoch of Asia who is a major financial and media backer of Hong Kong’s protest movement. In addition to pouring millions of dollars into Hong Kong’s opposition in recent years, the self-described “head of opposition media” and founder of the anti-government Apple Daily tabloid, has provided protesters with “unswervingly favorable coverage” according to The New York Times. Lai has received glowing coverage in US and Western media, with the oligarch often being praised as a “‘troublemaker’ with a clean conscience” who is “standing up to China.”
On June 2, Lai shared a video by Avi Yemini, a far-right YouTube personality and former Israeli army soldier, declaring that it was “bloody disgraceful” to liken the “riots in America” with Hong Kong’s protest movement.
CBP is the largest law enforcement agency in the country, & it very well may be one of the most dangerous. They do NOT have oversight. Not even the measures local PDs have. Their culture is toxic, they have 0 accountability,& Congress gave them a blank check. This is dangerous.
Customs and Border Patrol deploys troops to DC
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have deployed troops in Washington, D.C., officials announced Monday, as President Trump mobilized the military in the capital city to address the protests over George Floyd’s death.
CBP Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan posted on Twitter that the law enforcement’s personnel has been sent to the National Capital Region “to assist law enforcement partners.”
Brazil: Coronavirus Kills Historic Leader of Amazonian Peoples
Messias Kokama, the main Indigenous leader of the Manaus city, died a victim of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus on Wednesday. His community mourns his departure without being able to pay homage to him with their traditional rituals.
Coronavirus: Salvini defends Orban taking new powers
Nationalist opposition League leader Matteo Salvini said, amid criticism of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban getting full powers Monday, that it had been a democratic choice by the Hungarian parliament.
Trump calls for ousting GOP congressman from party ahead of coronavirus relief vote
„Looks like a third rate grandstander named (Thomas Massie), a congressman from, unfortunately, a truly GREAT state, Kentucky, wants to vote against the new Save Our Workers Bill in Congress,“ Trump tweeted early Friday.
Massie’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but the congressman signaled he was moving forward despite bipartisan calls to forgo calling for a roll call vote.
Bennett, Liberman, Deri call for emergency unity government
„Unite now, fight later,“ Bennett said at a Tel Aviv press conference in which he proposed passing a bill to freeze the current political situation for six months.
Liberman suggested a government of only Likud and Blue and White to deal with the coronavirus on Thursday in an interview with the Russian-language Channel 9.
BREAKING: @AIPAC front group is endorsing @JoeBiden .
The Joint List in a gesture towards Gantz: MK @AidaTuma says „I think there’s no need for a law of return. Whoever [Palestinian Arab citizens] wanted to return are already here.“ #boom
#BOOM: Gantz in message to Ayman Odeh: „We would never dare to say that the votes of 20% of Israeli citizens are worth less.“ The Joint List chairman has demanded Gantz retract his statement, copied from Netanyahu, about forming a government with a majority.
Erik Prince Recruits Ex-Spies to Help Infiltrate Liberal Groups
(today)
One of the former spies, an ex-MI6 officer named Richard Seddon, helped run a 2017 operation to copy files and record conversations in a Michigan office of the American Federation of Teachers, one of the largest teachers’ unions in the nation. Mr. Seddon directed an undercover operative to secretly tape the union’s local leaders and try to gather information that could be made public to damage the organization, documents show.
Israel Election Results: Gantz Vows to Form a Government, Says Voters ‚Want an End to Netanyahu’s Rule‘
Joint List MK and Balad Chairman Mtanes Shehadeh said Saturday following Gantz and Netenyahu’s statements that „the arab community has spoken, they want a change in their position and aim for an end to discrimination and racism. Netanyahu would die to disqualify them but could not, and Gantz would have liked to ignore them but he couldn’t.“
AIPAC chief promises to defeat ‚those who try to harm the U.S.-Israel relationship‘ in veiled shot at Sanders
Howard Kohr, CEO of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), opened the organization’s annual conference in Washington D.C. by issuing a stark warning to push back against “political leaders and their supporters” who call for conditions on U.S. support for Israel.
Sanders is the only candidate in the Democratic presidential race to raise the issue of conditioning military aid to Israel.
Gantz Fires Campaign Strategist After He Was Caught Calling Him a ‘Danger to Israel’
In the recordings, published by Israel’s Channel 12 News on Thursday — less than a week before Israelis head to the polls — the strategist was heard telling an anonymous source that his boss might „endanger the people of Israel,“ and that he „doesn’t have the guts to strike in Iran.“
The adviser to the former army chief was also heard saying that a Kahol Lavan lawmaker had harshly criticized the leader of her party. „She [Knesset member Omer Yankelevich of Kahol Lavan] says that he’s stupid and a total loser and that he shouldn’t be prime minister.“
Our statement on the news that both @PeteButtigieg and @amyklobuchar are joining @BernieSanders and @ewarren in not attending @AIPAC ’s conference. This is a watershed moment and a major victory against the bigotry that AIPAC has legitimized for decades. #SkipAIPAC
The Israeli people have the right to live in peace and security. So do the Palestinian people. I remain concerned about the platform AIPAC provides for leaders who express bigotry and oppose basic Palestinian rights. For that reason I will not attend their conference. 1/2
Germany Goes 19th Century with New Statement on Law of Occupation – On Status of US Forces in Syria
In Germany’s current view, the United States cannot be considered an occupying power in these areas, because although it exercises physical control over them, it does not “exercise jurisdiction” there. On this approach, for an occupation to materialize, two cumulative elements must be fulfilled: effective physical control and the actual establishment of an administration in the area.
Granted, this interpretation can be read into the text of Article 42 of the 1907 Hague Regulations,
Bolivian Coup Leader Visits US Again Ahead of Elections
Camacho’s visit to the United States reopens the revelations that the blog ‚Behind Back Doors‘ published before the coup perpetrated on Nov. 10, 2019, which exposed links between the government of United States and opposition Bolivian leaders.
Colombia: Paramilitary Black Eagles Threaten Social Activists
In the last few hours, in the capital of the country, a threatening pamphlet by the self-styled ‚Black Eagles‘ began to circulate threatening the promoters and defenders of the marches supporting the national strike.
‚Genocide‘ fears for isolated tribes as ex-missionary named to head Brazil agency
Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous people, said: “This is a dangerous decision that may have the potential to cause genocide among isolated indigenous people.”
Intel: Pelosi seeks to reassure Israel as Democrats debate military aid
(23.01.2020)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is leading a congressional delegation to Israel this week amid an intraparty debate over conditioning military aid to the close US ally and Democratic efforts to limit President Donald Trump’s ability to attack Iran.
“And no matter what our party — or wherever we are within our party — the fact that we have the shared values with Israel and that is one reason for our joy in the creation of Israel as a historical miracle, the greatest accomplishment of the [20th] century,” Pelosi said at a working lunch with Knesset members.
I’ve never heard Netanyahu this ecstatic. He’s talking about humiliations imposed by Trump on the Palestinians like mouth watering items at an apartheid all you can eat buffet.
Donaldus Trumpus Caesar Set to Reward Provincial Governor Netanyahu With ‚Deal of the Century‘
If one believes the leaks emanating from Netanyahu’s office and other top right-wing politicians in recent days, Trump’s “deal of the century” shouldn’t be classified as a proposal at all. Its main purpose is to serve as a crude cover for Israel to annex the Jordan River Valley and most Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Once the Palestinians reject the plan as expected, Israelis have been led to believe, the U.S. administration will give Israel a green light to unilaterally seize areas earmarked for annexation, which it has long desired.
Needless to say, this is not the way peace proposals are supposed to work.
Watch live: Trump delivers remarks with Netanyahu on Mideast peace plan
The press conference is slated for noon. Watch the live video above.
Brazilian Indigenous Tribes to Sue Bolsonaro Over Crude Remarks
The primary organization representing Brazil’s 300 Indigenous tribes issued a joint statement on Friday that threatened to sue far-right President Jair Bolsonaro over his crude comments.
Trump’s Mideast Plan Is Seen Mainly as an Election Lift for Netanyahu
“I think we’re going to make a deal,” he said in 2017. “It might be a bigger and better deal than people in this room even understand.”
“As with any successful negotiation,” Mr. Trump continued, “both sides will have to make compromises. You know that, right?” he added, turning to his guest.
Mr. Netanyahu grinned. “Both sides,” he replied.
CPI Rejects Any Imperialistic Steps by US Violating International Law
The CPI observed that “The true ‘Deal of the Century’ is a prime minister accused of corruption and a president under an impeachment trial attempting to save each other through a dangerous political maneuver that will set military rule over the Palestinian people in the occupied territories for generations.” The CPI reiterated its consistent and well-known position that “Only recognition of a Palestinian state, its people and its borders, and the end of the occupation is a long-overdue international obligation and a positive step towards peace. All states must now formally recognize a sustainable Palestinian state being established contiguous with the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, demanding the end of the settlements policy and a just resolution of the Palestinian refugee question.”
Gantz Niftily Averts White House Hazing but Trump Plan Still on Course to Rescue Netanyahu
Deal of the century offers Israelis annexation right now and Palestinians a Bantustan in the far future
Annexation for Dummies: Making Sense of Netanyahu and Gantz’s Declarations
“The moment Israel carries out annexation it destroys this alibi and admits it does not think the final status needs to be determined by negotiations, and that Israeli control of the Palestinian population is not temporary,” says Sfard. “It destroys its only defense against the claim it is establishing an apartheid regime.”
It is no coincidence that the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Fatou Bensouda, mentioned Netanyahu’s intentions for the Jordan Valley when she determined that, as far as the objectives of international criminal law are concerned, the authority of the ICC should be recognized. These statements, she said, “reflect concerns of a potential de jure annexation.”
Bolsonaro: ‘More and More the Indian Is a Human Being Like Us’
On another occasion, he also said that Brazil should have followed Colonel George Armstrong Custer’s example in dealing “efficiently” with Indigenous peoples in the United States.
Racism is considered a serious crime in Brazil and can carry a sentence of up to five years.
Pence: Netanyahu, Gantz Accepted Invitation to White House to Discuss Mideast Peace Plan
Israeli officials say that the plan would promise the application of Israeli sovereignty to all existing Jewish settlements in the West Bank, in addition to annexing the Jordan Valley
Reports: Trump’s plan stipulates all West Bank territories to remain under Israel’s security control
Plan offers demilitarized Palestinian state; borders controlled by Israel under overall Israeli sovereignty
With Trump’s Peace Plan, the Plot to Save Netanyahu Enters Next Phase
Let’s imagine the next scenario: A unity government has been set up in Israel along the lines of President Rivlin’s proposal – which specifies a rotation of the premiership between Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz. Donald Trump lays the “deal of the century” on the table. Netanyahu would say this is no time to change a prime minister. This is a historic, one-time opportunity Israel is getting a de facto green light for annexation from the United States.
Gantz Vows to Annex Jordan Valley, ‚Hopes Trump Releases Peace Plan Soon‘
Up until recently, Kahol Lavan leader opposed publication of peace plan during campaign, calling it ‚outright intervention‘ in Israeli election
Whoever Wins Israel’s Next Election Will Be a Right-winger
Kahol Lavan needs to break sharply to the right, not just to attract the voters it needs, but also to make it easier for other right-wing parties to join a Gantz government
Bolivia’s Anti-Imperialist Army School Renamed After Che’s Assassins
„Bolivians are not anti-anything,“ Bolivia’s Interim Defense Minister Luis Fernando Lopez declared to media in La Paz, while explaining that the anti-imperialist orientation with which Morales launched this academy in 2016 „did not fit with military doctrine.“
Brazil: Bolsonaro Leads 2019 Record for Attacks on the Press
The latest example of the Brazilian presidency’s style occurred on Friday when citizens criticized the Culture Minister Roberto Alvim, who had previously published a video with clear Nazi connotations.
Greenblatt: Trust Trump to have Israel’s back, not ‚far-left, anti-Israel‘ Sanders
Contrast this, Greenblatt wrote, to Sanders, who said that “right now, Israel is under the leadership of Netanyahu… who in my view, is a racist.”
„This slur on the leader of Israel echoes the anti-Semitic claims of Israel’s enemies, who falsely argue that Zionism itself – the movement supporting a Jewish homeland where Judaism was born more than 3,000 years ago – is a racist philosophy,“ Greenblatt charged.
US, UK & Aussie Capitalists Donate to Netanyahu and Sa’ar Campaigns
Far-right Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his challenger in today’s (December 26) internal Likud election for the party leadership, MK Gideon Sa’ar, each received hundreds of thousands of shekels in campaign contributions from American, British millionaires, the State Comptroller’s Office website revealed on Sunday, December 22.
The Knesset passed a law last year preventing Knesset candidates from raising money from private donations and instead providing public funds for primaries. However, the law does not apply to races for the leadership of a party.
Trump Privately Tells Confidants That ‘Socialism’ Won’t Be ‘So Easy’ to Beat in 2020
(09.09.2019)
That Trump has been conceding that socialism could be politically potent didn’t catch Sanders’ campaign by surprise.
“One of the reasons I feel so strongly about Bernie’s ability to beat Trump is because we know that the Democratic nominee will have to credibly explain that Trump betrayed the working class with false promises and that he does not put forward real solutions to help struggling people,” said Faiz Shakir, Sanders’ 2020 campaign manager. “Bernie can and will do that successfully.
Kahanists Gear Up for Third Israeli Election With Far-right Merger
„We must not reach a situation in which one of [the right-wing] parties doesn’t pass the electoral threshold, thus wasting thousands right-wing votes,“ the statement added.
In addition, it said that Habayit Hayehudi Chairman Rafi Peretz and Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben-Gvir call on National Union’s Bezalel Smotrich to „Close ranks as soon as today, and join the ranks of religious Zionism. National Union is an inseparable part of the Union of Right-Wing Parties.“
The fall of Farage: What next for Nigel?
Others who know him tell me he’ll move to the United States in the new year to work for Fox News and on the 2020 campaign to re-elect the man he would coyly refer to in his speeches as „his American friend“ – Donald Trump.
Add Your Name: Tell Donald Trump to Stop Using Jews to Shut Down Free Speech
Donald Trump cannot be trusted to define antisemitism for Jews. He incites deadly white nationalist violence against our communities. He calls us disloyal. When speaking to American Jews, he refers to Israel as “your country” because he believes we do not really belong here. Conflating criticism of the Israeli government with antisemitism is actually antisemitic because it implies that all Jews agree with, and are responsible for, Israel’s actions.
This order will not protect our communities from Trump’s white nationalism or the violent threats we face. It will be used to target and silence human rights advocates and, in particular, Palestinian and Muslim college students.
American Jews will not allow Trump to speak for or silence us.
The order defines Judaism as a “nationality,” promoting the classically bigoted idea that American Jews are not, well, American.
‚A dangerous move to silence free speech‘: Jewish groups react to Trump’s plan to designate Judaism as a nationality
“Trump’s executive order is not about keeping Jews safe. After a week in which he spewed classic antisemtiic tropes about Jews and money, this is just more anti-Semitism,” wrote Emily Mayer, the political director of the Jewish advocacy group IfNotNow, in a statement. “The order’s move to define Judaism as a ‘nationality’ promotes the classically bigoted idea that American Jews are not American.”
Trump is legally promoting the white nationalist & antisemitic idea of Jews as a „nationality“ and pretending it’s in service of protecting Jews. This is how the weaponization of antisemitism works. #NotMyShield
Jewish people are of many different nationalities. The notion that a Jewish citizen of the United States (or a Jewish citizen of Germany) is of a different nationality than fellow Americans (or Germans) is lunacy. Been there, done that. Didn’t end well.
Trump to sign order to interpret Judaism as a nationality
Jared Kushner, the President’s son-in-law and a senior White House adviser, pushed for the move, according to the Times.
The definition of anti-Semitism will be adopted from the State Department, whose definition was originally formulated by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, the senior administration officials said.
Report: Two former Trump campaign aides to meet with Netanyahu in Israel
Additionally, The Jewish Insider said that Republican John Mclaughlin, who is noted for his surveys on Republican candidates and served as Netanyahu’s pollster, will not be providing his services following two failed campaigns in which Netanyahu fell short of a majority. He declined comment to JI.
McLaughlin is currently working for the Trump re-election campaign.
From Now On, Every Palestinian Is an anti-Semite
The plague is spreading. Under cover of the (just) war against anti-Semitism, Europe and the United States silence every voice daring to criticize Israel. Under cover of this war, they are undermining their freedom of speech. Incredibly, this new phenomenon is not triggering any protest, as one would expect. Laws labeling anti-Zionism as anti-Semitism and the anti-occupation movement as anti-Semitic, are passed with overwhelming majorities.
Operation Condor Trial Tackles Coordinated Campaign By Latin American Dictatorships To Kill Leftists
(07.03.2013)
A historic trial underway in Argentina is set to reveal new details about how Latin American countries coordinated with each other in the 1970s and ’80s to eliminate political dissidents. The campaign known as „Operation Condor“ involved military dictatorships in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. They worked together to track down, kidnap and kill people they labeled as terrorists: leftist activists, labor organizers, students, priests, journalists, guerilla fighters and their families. The campaign was launched by the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, and evidence shows the CIA and former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger were complicit from its outset.
With the right-wing coup in Bolivia nearly complete, the junta is hunting down the last remaining dissidents
On the day of my scheduled interview with a leftist Bolivian journalist, I learned that he had been disappeared. Every outspoken opponent of the military junta is a target and subjected to charges of sedition.
The Right-wing protest held tonight in Tel Aviv showing support for Netanyahu–and attacking the judicial institution–is an overall failure. Only about 2-3 thousand people show up. This shows more than anything that the cracks in the Likud are serious.
India: Intimations of an Ending
While protest reverberates on the streets of Chile, Catalonia, Britain, France, Iraq, Lebanon, and Hong Kong, and a new generation rages against what has been done to their planet, I hope you will forgive me for speaking about a place where the street has been taken over by something quite different. There was a time when dissent was India’s best export. But now, even as protest swells in the West, our great anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist movements for social and environmental justice—the marches against big dams, against the privatization and plunder of our rivers and forests, against mass displacement and the alienation of indigenous peoples’ homelands—have largely fallen silent.
Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman is set to meet with Netanyahu again on Monday.
Poll: 49% of Israeli-Arabs back minority gov’t led by Benny Gantz
The survey, commissioned by Army Radio, showed 49% of Israeli-Arab citizens supporting the Joint List, made up of four separate Arab parties, backing Gantz from outside a coalition government even if it includes secular right-wing politician Avigdor Liberman, head of the Yisrael Beiteinu party.
Bolivia coup led by Christian fascist paramilitary leader and millionaire – with foreign support
(11.11.2019)
Bolivian coup leader Luis Fernando Camacho is a far-right multi-millionaire who arose from fascist movements in the Santa Cruz region, where the US has encouraged separatism. He has courted support from Colombia, Brazil, and the Venezuelan opposition.
By Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton
Donald Trump talks to Nigel Farage – Brexit, Boris, Corbyn, the NHS and impeachment
Watch President Donald Trump and Brexit Party Leader Nigel Farage discuss Brexit, Boris, Corbyn, the NHS and impeachment.
Chile Unrest Rages on as 11 Dead Amid Curfew, Militarization
Protesters continue unabated in Chile, as President Piñera claims to be ‚at war‘ amid increasing criticism of heavy handed repression that has lead to 11 deaths so far. Miners and dockers unions have now called for an instensification of the protests by calling for a general strike.
Uruguay: Leftist ‚Broad Front‘ Leads Polls With 38% of Vote
While there are only a few days left before the October 27 elections, most Uruguayans maintain their firm rejection of right-wing politicians and their proposals.
These Arrested Giuliani Associates, Linked to Trump’s Ukraine Scandal, Have Ties to Israel’s Right
Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, who have been arrested while trying to leave the U.S., were pictured next to Netanyahu’s son and envoy Friedman at a Jerusalem party
Israel Election Results: Arab Alliance Endorses Gantz for PM, Lieberman Won’t Back Anyone
Rare move by Joint List in bid to ‚end the Netanyahu era‘ could give Kahol Lavan leader first chance at forming coalition ■ Lieberman: ‚Joint List members are enemies‘
Israel Election Results: President to Start Consultations With Party Leaders to Designate Next PM
All eyes are on Yisrael Beiteinu’s Avigdor Lieberman and the Joint List, comprised of four Arab-majority parties, in order to gauge Kahol Lavan leader Benny Gantz’s chances at unseating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Neither parties have announced officially whether they would recommend Gantz to the president, and are expected to make their decisions public later Sunday.
Israeli Election Watch Parties by American Zionist Movement
i24NEWS DESK | The American Zionist Movement are holding election watch parties throughout US. Our Michelle Divon with the details.
2. Just to be clear, this ad where a sitting member of Congress‘ face (@AOC) is lit on fire didn’t just air on the Sinclair station in DC. It also aired on ABC stations in NYC and Houston. Unlike the DC ABC station, the NYC & Houston stations are owned & operated by Disney/ABC
(13.09.2019)
Political Ad Attacking AOC: ‘Beyond the Pale’
A Catholic nun is shocked that ABC would run an ad with “horrific images” during the Democratic debate.
ABC can go to hell. Running propaganda with a picture of @AOC being set on fire, with dead bodies & skulls in the background, was absolutely despicable. People need to be fired over this. It’s ridiculous & evil. ABC profited off of it, during the #DemDebate. Shame on ABC. Shame.
(12.09.2019)
#BoycottABC Trends in Outcry Over Ad With Burning Photo of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
(13.09.2019)
The ad, created by a Republican PAC called New Faces GOP, showed a photograph of Ocasio-Cortez that begins to burn, followed by graphic photographs purported to be from the Cambodian genocide under the dictatorship of Pol Pot.
The rise of the AfD: The German establishment’s complacency and elitism are assisting the AfD.
The key political difference between east and west Germany is that the disintegration of the mainstream political parties is far more advanced in the east. This is one of the main reasons the AfD performs best in the east. Unlike in the west, the traditional parties have never had a stable electoral base in the east. Election successes have been largely down to the popularity of individual leaders. In the west, the traditional parties are still able to rely on some form of voter loyalty. But these loyalties have been breaking down quickly in the west too, as the broader decline of the SPD illustrates.