Israel‘s 26th Knesset convened for its inaugural session and swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday.
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Are the Corporate Democrats Gonna Blow This Again?
For its own survival and that of our republic—and the success of our 2028 candidate for president—the Democratic Party must now reject the neoliberals within its own ranks and makes a forceful argument for returning to the systems of Reconstruction, the New Deal, and the Great Society that protected and enriched working class people in the previous cycles.
If Democrats again embrace neoliberals like Rahm Emmanuel (who’s pretty much openly campaigning for the 2028 presidential election), they’ll fail at this critical work and messaging: that could well doom our American experiment in liberal democracy.
In ‘unprecedented confrontation,’ IDF chief said resisting Netanyahu’s order for military action tied to Iran
An “unprecedented confrontation” has been unfolding in recent days between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir surrounding an instruction by the prime minister for unspecified military action that defense officials believe could lead to a swift confrontation with Iran shortly before the election, Channel 12 reported Sunday.
The TV network, which cited anonymous sources, said Zamir had been resisting carrying out the military action, no details of which were provided, and sought further deliberations, as well as signed documentation from Netanyahu regarding legal authorization for it.
Mossad chief said sparring with aides over his support for plan backed by PM to strike Iran before election
Citing unnamed senior sources, Haaretz says that the senior Mossad officials have pushed back on plans to strike Iran now, raising concerns about the timing of such a strike and its possible impact on tomorrow’s election.
The senior Mossad officials questioned Netanyahu’s judgement and expressed concern that political considerations were being conflated with security ones, Haaretz reports.
Regierungsbildung in Berlin: SPD will Basis über rot-grün-rote Koalition abstimmen lassen
Die Berliner SPD möchte ihre Mitglieder über einen möglichen rot-grün-roten Koalitionsvertrag abstimmen lassen. Das bestätigte die Partei am Montag dem rbb.
Von den beiden Landesvorsitzenden Bettina König und Steffen Krach hieß es: „Wir werden die Frage des Mitgliedervotums im geschäftsführenden Landesvorstand in dieser Woche beraten und danach über das Ergebnis und weitere Schritte informieren.“
CDU will mit Grünen und SPD sprechen
(October 23, 2026)
Die Einladung erfolgte der CDU zufolge „angesichts des besorgniserregenden Verlaufs der Sondierungen sowie mit Blick auf anstehende Entscheidungsnotwendigkeiten der nächsten Wochen“. Details nannte die CDU-Sprecherin unter Verweis auf Vertraulichkeit nicht.
Netanyahu’s far-right coalition on course to lose majority in Israeli elections, new poll suggests
“Israel’s election is not a single game, but a tournament — and election day is only the opening round,” Dr Nimrod Nir of Agam Labs told The Independent.
“Our polling suggests that neither bloc is likely to secure a governing majority, leaving three possible outcomes: a unity government bringing Netanyahu together with more liberal parties, an alternative coalition backed by Arab parties, or yet another election.
In opposition infighting, Liberman assails Eisenkot, says he’s secretly planning government with Netanyahu
In a lengthy statement, Liberman brands Eisenkot “Gantz 2,” after Blue and White party head Benny Gantz, who was the main Netanyahu rival in successive elections before deciding twice to join Netanyahu-led governments.
Eisenkot had been Gantz’s No. 2 before quitting last year to form his own party, Yashar, which has become the biggest party in most opinion polls, making Eisenkot the main challenger to Netanyahu.
Netanyahu’s Electoral Strategy: Deadlock
(October 2, 2026)
An AI-generated Likud campaign video, which Netanyahu himself has shared, shows Eisenkot running toward a young man wearing an “Israeli unity” shirt who resembles his son Gal, who was killed in the Gaza war. At the last moment, the young man turns away from Eisenkot to embrace Mansour Abbas, the leader of the United Arab List (Ra’am). Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana has similarly said that “Eisenkot has no coalition without Abbas.” Such messages target so-called soft-right voters who might otherwise drift toward Eisenkot.
US to use military, economic, diplomatic tools to end Iran war: Vance
Asked about the setbacks in negotiations with Iran, Vance cited two factors: “Number one, the Iranians are extraordinarily difficult people. Number two, they have a fractured system.”
“There are people within their system that want the war to be over and there are also people in their system that are crazy radicals who want the war to continue,” he said.
“Our job is to navigate through that and get the best outcome for the American people and for the President of the United States as well.”
Iran‘s new Security Council shake-up reveals growing divisions over US deal
In the mid-1980s, Rezaei became involved in secret contacts with the United States during the Iran-Contra affair, in which Iran received American weapons while proceeds from the arms sales were diverted to support the Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani once told local media that his nephew, Ali Hashemi, a key intermediary in contacts with the administration of then-US President Ronald Reagan, had informed him and, subsequently, Rezaei about meetings with American officials.
Reopening Strait of Hormuz is a humanitarian imperative
It is worth recalling that the conflict did not begin over disputes about the Strait of Hormuz. As recently as February 28, commercial ships transited the waterway without restriction.
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With the US maintaining the naval blockade during the ceasefire period, Iran responded by stopping and, in several cases, attacking vessels attempting to cross the Strait without its approval. Insurance rates spiked, shipping lines rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope, and transit times increased by up to three weeks.
Wars of this nature benefit no party in the long term, and they rarely reach a logical conclusion. Their primary victims are innocent civilians who have no role in the conflict. Many civilians in Iran and Lebanon have lost their lives directly to strikes.
Inside the growing rift between Iran’s dealmakers and ultraconservatives
It was in this climate that a leaked video of Mohammad-Bagher Kharrazi, the brother-in-law of Masoud Khamenei, the younger brother of Iran’s supreme leader, emerged as part of what critics describe as a broader hard-line campaign.
In the video, Kharrazi claimed that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had “formally and publicly announced” that if Pezeshkian attempts to resign one more time, his resignation would be accepted.
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Soon afterward, however, another audio file surfaced in which Ali Saeedi, a conservative senior figure close to the Khamenei‘s office, claimed that the supreme leader had expressed support for the negotiations and criticised hard-line opposition to diplomacy.
According to Saeedi, Khamenei told one of his brothers: “I have never opposed negotiations, and I still do not. I was the one who authorised the negotiations, and I am not satisfied with the hard-line positions adopted by some people.”
Saeedi also claimed that Khamenei supports Ghalibaf, saying: “He is like [the late Quds Force commander] Haj Qassem Soleimani.”
Iran’s military reshuffle signals more offensive strategy
Khoshcheshm noted the appointments could also herald a major restructuring of Iran’s security and military apparatus, with a greater focus on pre-emptive strikes and more powerful responses to any US attack.
While he does not believe Iran would attack the US “offhand with no reason”, he says the new leadership is preparing Iran to develop its capabilities for pre-emptive strikes and stronger attacks on US military forces and positions in the region.
He described the appointments as creating a “more offensive-minded leadership for Iran’s security establishment across the board”.
Iran‘s Security Reshuffle Exposes Rift Dating Back To Cease-Fire Deal
Rezaei is a commander who holds some of the most closely guarded secrets of the 1980s Iran-Iraq war and the IRGC‘s founding years, and for just as long, he‘s been a favorite target of Iranian political satire. Now, at 71, he‘s back at the center of the Islamic republic‘s security decision-making.
Rezaei traded his uniform for politics in 1997 and ran for president four times, dropping out before the vote in 2005, then losing in 2009, 2013, and 2021, never pulling in more than about 3.9 million votes.
Iran Reshuffles Military Leadership as Khamenei Appoints Six Senior Commanders
The appointments came one day after Khamenei named Major General Mohsen Rezaei as his representative to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) and appointed outgoing SNSC secretary Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr as his political adviser.
President Masoud Pezeshkian separately appointed Rezaei as secretary of the SNSC, replacing Zolghadr.
Iran Preparing To Fight A FOREVER WAR
Cenk Uygur and John Iadarola discuss how Trump’s war with Iran is pushing Tehran to dig in for a prolonged conflict.
Surprise strikes signal Iran is digging in for a long war
(August 6, 2026)
In recent weeks, Iran has gone on the offensive, striking commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz and launching a surprise attack on U.S. forces in Jordan. From a distance, these moves look like self-defeating escalation. Why should a badly damaged state, under severe economic pressure, lash out at the U.S. instead of pushing for a ceasefire?
The answer, simply put, is that Iran is digging in for a long war. Whatever Washington‘s intentions, Tehran increasingly interprets sanctions, negotiations, temporary ceasefires and military strikes as different instruments aimed at a single objective: regime change.
As long as this primary objective remains, Iran expects no sanctions relief or meaningful de-escalation. My conversations with Iranian foreign policy analysts suggest that Tehran now believes the war will continue in different forms until the end of Donald Trump‘s presidency.
Der Iran wird zu einem Verlierer des Westasienkrieges
(July 19, 2026)
Irgendeine Gruppe oder Fraktion hat die Staatsführung des Iran übernommen, in deren Interesse nicht der Iran selbst, sondern die Fortführung des Krieges auf unabsehbare Zeit steht. Welche Rolle dabei der Sohn des in der ersten Angriffswelle auf den Iran am 28. Februar ermordeten „Obersten Führers“ („Supreme Leader“) Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba Khamenei spielt, erscheint völlig unklar. Bisher ist er nicht in der Öffentlichkeit aufgetreten. Ausgerechnet über israelische Medien wird gestreut, dies werde so bleiben bis zum unabsehbaren Ende des Krieges. Die formal dem „Obersten Führer“ unterstellten Revolutionsgarden agieren gegen die iranischen Interessen. Gewinner des Krieges sind u.a. Ölmagnate, Kriegsproduzenten und der internationale geheimdienstliche Komplex, nicht zuletzt in der Russischen Föderation, sowie der zum Machterhalt auf Krieg und externe Bedrohung angewiesene Machthaber in Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Dabei ist das Interesse der Kriegsgewinnler auf allen Seiten den Westasienkrieg insgesamt noch auszuweiten.
Tucker Responds to the Israel Lobby Defeating Thomas Massie (Transcript)
(May 21, 2026)
They’re mad at Massie. Why? One Republican out of 217 who hasn’t taken money from the Israeli lobby. Why are they so mad at him? Why was it so important for the Israeli lobby to spend tens of millions of dollars to crush this guy?
It wasn’t stopping really the status quo in any way. He did help get some of the Epstein files released, and God bless him for that. He tried his hardest. But one man against 216 other members of his party is not going to get very far by definition, so why don’t you just leave him alone? Why force the issue?
Iran’s leaders show a united front over the war but are divided over what the goal is
On one side, the ultra-hardliners who oppose any negotiations with the United States are pressing for total victory in the war. Known as the “Paydari” movement – Persian for “stability” – they are hard-core ideologues who want to enforce the Islamic Republic’s control over society.
On the other, those who support President Masoud Pezeshkian and powerful parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf — who doubles as Iran’s chief negotiator — see military pressure as a way to win a negotiated deal with the United States. This camp is also spurred by concern over the economic toll Iran is suffering from the war and the need to adapt to social change in the country.
How Hakeem Jeffries and J Street Teamed Up for Arming Genocide
When House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries sent out a recent “dear colleague” letter, its second sentence cited “the position articulated by… pro-peace organizations like J Street.” The congressman and J Street were opposing an amendment to block $3.3 billion in military shipments and other aid to Israel.
Jeffries (NY) contended that the measure was “overly broad.” On the same day, using the same phrase “overly broad,” J Street issued a statement declaring that “we support Leader Jeffries’ decision to oppose the amendment.”
Both Jeffries and J Street respectfully noted that many members of Congress had understandable reasons to back the measure. The next day, July 15, a record 103 Democrats voted in favor of blocking weaponry to Israel.
Karim Khan dared to hold Israel to account – and that‘s why he was brought down
This included a media campaign in the Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, The Guardian and latterly CNN; private warnings by David Cameron, then foreign secretary, who told him Britain would defund the ICC and withdraw from the Rome Statute if the warrants were issued; Republican senators who told him: „Target Israel and we will target you“, and being named publicly as a suspect before he had even had the chance to defend himself by the president of the Assembly of State Parties (ASP), Finland‘s Paivi Kaukoranta.
Danon threatened Mamdani with the same fate as Khan. „@NYCMayor Zohran Mamdani, take note: using Israel as a political weapon will not shield you from accountability,“ Danon posted.
Mojtaba Khamenei: Iran‘s unseen leader shadowed by late father
(July 1, 2026)
Despite the messages and activity on social media channels, there has been no concrete proof that Mojtaba Khamenei is even alive after the February 28 attack that also killed his wife Zahra Haddad Adel and other members of the Khamenei family.
Iran’s government spars with state TV as mediators push talks with US
The broadcaster, whose head is appointed by the supreme leader, issued a response on Saturday rejecting the government’s “accusations and improper attributions”, and emphasised that it has a duty to prevent “an incorrect and unreal suggestion of duality in the country’s leadership pillars”.
In his speech, Pezeshkian had pointed out that after last year’s 12-day war with Israel, former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei publicly said there would be no negotiations with Washington – but privately had given his approval.
Weltstrafgericht: Staaten beschließen Aus für Chefankläger Khan
Doch Richter des Gerichtshofes stellten nach Darstellung von Khans Verteidiger fest, dass „kein Fehlverhalten oder eine Pflichtverletzung“ nachgewiesen worden sei.
Vor dem Hintergrund dieser Affäre hatte die US-Regierung kürzlich ihre Attacken gegen das Gericht noch verstärkt. Die USA verhängten bereits Sanktionen gegen Richter und Mitarbeiter. Die USA und Israel gehören dem Gericht nicht an.
Former UN oversight chief says ICC prosecutor Karim Khan is ‘victim of massive stitch-up’
(July 20, 2026)
Over the past year, he has submitted four expert‘s opinions commissioned by Khan‘s legal team to the 21-member bureau of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP), criticising the manner in which the investigation into misconduct allegations facing the prosecutor was conducted, and the subsequent handling of the process by the bureau.
In his latest submission on 28 June, obtained by Middle East Eye through independent sources, Swanson denounced the 8 June decision by the bureau, which suspended the prosecutor after concluding by a majority that he committed “serious misconduct”.
The bureau’s decision departed from the unanimous conclusion of a panel of three judges it appointed, which in March concluded that the facts presented in the UN investigation „do not establish misconduct or breach of duty under the relevant framework“.
International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan dismissed
“The Assembly has decided by a majority of 82 States Parties that…prosecutor Karim Kahn committed serious conduct and a serious breach of duty…and to remove [him] from office,” the Assembly president announced, calling for the dignity and privacy of all those involved.
ICC member states vote to dismiss chief prosecutor Khan
Assembly of States President Päivi Kaukoranta said 82 of the court’s 125 member states voted in favor of the prosecutor’s removal, concluding that Khan “committed serious misconduct and a serious breach of duty.”