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More Disregard for International Law: Moscow Hits Out at US-UK Attack on Yemen

Sputnik – 12.01.2024

MOSCOW – Strikes by the US and the UK on Yemen are another example of the distortion of UN Security Council resolutions and complete disregard for international law in the name of escalation in the region, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.

The US and the UK carried out overnight airstrikes against Houthi positions in four governorates of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and the cities of Al Hudaydah, Saada and Taiz, provincial government officials told Sputnik. The US and UK officials confirmed the airstrikes, saying these were targeting Houthi military facilities and positions in Yemen in response to attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and not civilian population centers.

“US airstrikes on Yemen are another example of the Anglo-Saxons’ distortion of UN Security Council resolutions and complete disregard for international law in the name of escalating the situation in the region for their own destructive purposes,” Zakharova wrote on Telegram.

January 12, 2024 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, War Crimes | , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Iran strongly condemns ‘arbitrary’ US, British attacks on Yemen

Press TV – January 12, 2024

Iran has strongly condemned US and British military attacks on Yemen, calling them an “arbitrary” action and a clear violation of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a violation of international laws and regulations.

Yemen’s Ansarullah officials said explosions hit the cities of Sana’a, Hudaydah, Sa’ada and Dhamar early Friday, with a US official announcing that American and British attacks against Yemen were carried out by airplanes, ships and submarines.

In Iran’s first reaction to the aggression, Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan’ani stressed that the “arbitrary attacks will have no result other than fueling insecurity and instability in the region”.

“These military attacks are carried out in line with the continuation of the full support of the United States and the United Kingdom for the last hundred days of the Zionist regime’s war crimes against the Palestinian nation and the oppressed citizens under the complete siege of the Gaza Strip,” he said.

“While the Zionist regime continues its attacks and war crimes in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in Palestine, the United States and England are trying to detract the attention of the people of the world from the crimes of this fake, criminal and aggressor regime against the people of Palestine by expanding their umbrella of support for the Zionist regime,” he said.

Kan’ani expressed his concern about the consequences of such arbitrary attacks for regional and international peace and security, calling on the international community to prevent the spread of war, instability and insecurity in the region with responsible reactions and actions.

Earlier, President Joe Biden said US and British forces launched airstrikes on Yemen, characterizing them a “defensive action” and pledging that he “will not hesitate” to order further attacks if needed.

The attacks come as Israel’s three months of a ferocious military campaign against the besieged people of Gaza is sputtering in the face of heroic resistance from Palestinian fighters.

The economic costs of the invasion are also beginning to mount as operations by Yemeni armed forces in the Red Sea against Israeli ships and vessels bound for Israeli ports in solidarity with the Palestinian people are having a mark.

Earlier, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian called Yemen a part of the reality and security of the West Asian region.

“Yemeni leaders, emphasizing the security of navigation, say that they will only stop the ships that are going to spread the war and send weapons to the occupied territories,” he told his Norwegian counterpart Espen Barth Eide.

The US-led aggression, however, came on the first of two days of hearings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague where Israel faced the charge of being involved in genocide in Gaza.

The ricochet from the case, observers say, will inevitably land at the doors of the West, especially the US and Britain which have supported the invasion with continued shipments of armament and ammunition.

“America’s entry into direct war against civilians, women and children of Gaza is a strategic mistake,” Amir-Abdollahian said in a phone conversation with Eide late Thursday.

“We have warned since the beginning of the bombing and genocide in Gaza that war is not the solution, but if the killing of civilians in Gaza and the West Bank continues, the scope of the war will expand. This warning is due to our understanding of the situation in support of Palestine in the region.”

The Norwegian foreign minister emphasized the need for an immediate ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the sending of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and the start of a political process based on the formation of an independent Palestinian government, as he welcomed Iran’s constructive role in the region to reduce tensions.

January 12, 2024 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, War Crimes, Wars for Israel | , , , , , | 2 Comments

DeSantis Doesn’t Oppose Israel’s Ethnic Cleansing of Gaza

By Kyle Anzalone | The Libertarian Institute | January 11, 2024

During the latest GOP debate, Governors Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis argued which candidate would give more support to Israel. Desantis pledged to support Israel even if it conducts an ethnic cleansing in Gaza. Haley said she has a record of fighting for Tel Aviv.

Moderator Jake Tapper asked the Florida Governor, “Some Israeli cabinet officials are pushing for the mass removal of Palestinians from Gaza. Governor Haley told CNN last week, she does not support that, do you?”

He responded, “We’ve got to support Israel in word and in deed, in public and in private, and they’ve got to be able to finish the job. I think to be a good ally, you back them in the decisions that they’re making with respect to Gaza.” The Florida Governor added, “But for us to be sitting in Washington second-guessing them, I don’t think that’s the right way.”

When asked for clarity, DeSantis explained further, “As president, I am not going to tell them to do that. I think there’s a lot of issues with that. But if they make the calculation that to avert a second Holocaust, I think some of these Palestinian Arabs, Saudi Arabia should take some. Egypt should take some,” DeSantis said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials have called for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza. Netanyahu said he was looking for other countries that would “absorb” the Palestinians.

The Florida Governor attempted to contrast himself with the former South Carolina Governor on Israel policy. He said he does not support the creation of a Palestinian state, unlike Haley.

“We also have a disagreement, Gov. Haley and I. When she was at the [UN], she supported the idea of a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs. The problem with that is the Palestinian Arabs don’t recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.” DeSantis continued, “So doing a two-state solution doesn’t create something that’s going to lead to a lasting peace. It creates a stepping stone for Israel’s destruction. So under no circumstances as president am I going to pressure Israel to risk their security to do a so-called two-state solution.”

When asked about Israel, Haley endorsed Israel’s current policies. “Right now we have to make sure that Israel has the support that it needs.” She explained, “There should be three things. Give Israel whatever it wants to get the job done. Two, eliminate Hamas once and for all. And three, do whatever it takes to bring the hostages home.”

Haley said she fought for Israel every day when she was the US Ambassador to the UN. She attacked DeSantis for his relationship with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY). “It’s really rich that Ron is going to act like he suddenly cares for Israel when he brought [Massie] to Iowa,” she said. “That’s the most anti-Israel Republican in the state, the person that went and voted against Israel’s right to exist in Congress, the person that voted with the squad against antisemitism on college campuses.”

Massie has voted against providing additional military funding for Tel Aviv and opposed laws restricting Americans’ First Amendment rights. The Congressman also criticized Republicans who prioritize Israel over the US.

During the debate, Haley explained in her worldview, “First of all, we need to understand that the reason we need to support Israel is Israel’s a bright spot in a tough neighborhood. They’re the tip of the spear when it comes to defeating terrorism. It has never been that Israel needs America, it has always been that America needs Israel.”

Several Israeli and international human rights groups have concluded Israel is an apartheid state. The Israelis subject millions of Palestinians to a brutal military occupation. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called the Palestinians that live in Gaza “animals.”

DeSantis also attacked President Biden, claiming the White House had not done enough to support Israel. “So we’ve got to support Israel, in word and in deed, in public and in private. And they need to be able to finish the job. Joe Biden is knee capping them. He’ll say one thing, then he goes, and his base doesn’t like Israel, so he’s got to do all these other things.” He argued, “This is a time to recognize that they suffered the most murder of Jews since the Holocaust. Hamas wants a second Holocaust. They want to annihilate the state of Israel.”

The Biden administration has placed some pressure on Israel to scale back operations in Gaza and release tax money to the Palestinian Authority. However, Tel Aviv has publicly snubbed Washington’s requests. Even with Israeli noncompliance, Biden has remained steadfast in providing Israel with all the support it needs to continue military operations in the besieged Gaza Strip.

January 12, 2024 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Wars for Israel | , | Leave a comment

UK Communications Regulator Forms 350-Person Team to Enforce UK’s New Online Censorship Law

By Didi Rankovic | Reclaim The Net | January 11, 2024

The authorities in the UK are “thinking of the children” – but really, of online censorship, say critics – and in doing so, thanks to Online Safety Act, are dipping their toes into the long since established in the US “revolving door” policy.

In the UK there is evidence of this flow going in one direction – from private Big Tech corporations to government jobs.

Reports say that in order to implement the controversial law that considerably restricts online speech, the regulator tasked with this, Ofcom, has employed as many as some 350 new staff – those from tech giants among them.

Former senior Microsoft, Google, and Meta employees are now working for Ofcom – and a further 100 jobs will be created in order to make sure the Online Safety Act is enforced.

Those who pushed its adoption for a long time and continue to justify it, as well as the new, ex Big Tech hires, like to frame and sell the legislation as necessary in order to protect children’s well-being online.

However, this is also the easiest way to protect themselves from criticism, as few people are willing to argue against a case positioned in this way.

However, many still have and do, and the gist of their opposition to the act and nebulous terms like “legal but harmful content” that must be suppressed is that one of the provisions – forcing messaging apps to scan user content (with child sexual abuse always first mentioned as a target – but not the only one) means a serious threat to encryption and therefore, online safety of everyone, including children.

But when big legacy media outlets are now reporting about the law, and the Ofcom hiring policy that has just come to light, they too like to focus on just the part of the Online Safety Act that its creators say is there for the sake of the children.

If they mention any “critics” – it’s to, bizarrely, like the FT has done, say that despite the move to bring in hundreds of new people, Ofcom will still be “stretched” – in, that is, its effort to control and censor at such a large scale.

January 12, 2024 Posted by | Civil Liberties, Full Spectrum Dominance | , | Leave a comment

What Really Happened in Maui?

John Leake appears in documentary about Lahaina disaster

JOHN LEAKE | COURAGEOUS DISCOURSE | JANUARY 11, 2024

Last fall I was invited by Blaze Media to give an interview about my findings for my forthcoming book, Goodbye, Lahaina: The Perfect Firestorm, which will be released on August 9, 2024, the one-year anniversary of the disaster.

I combined the on-location interview with another extended research trip to Maui. My initial intuition about the Lahaina disaster has been confirmed beyond my worst suspicions. The story is a perfect expression of the following themes:

  • Federal and state governments consistently fail to do daily managerial work because such work does NOT benefit the special interests that drive policy.
  • With unlimited debt financing always (eventually) made available for state-contracted emergency response and/or cleanup, emergencies always turn out to be bonanzas for players and stakeholders who are well-positioned to exploit them.
  • Federal and state agencies are now a striking mixture of corruption and incompetence in equal measure. In a corrupt system, incompetence that amplifies disasters is rewarded by the greater sums of state funds allocated for the response. In the case of the Lahaina fire, the cleanup is proving to be a bonanza, with billions being shoveled to contractors who are excavating, testing, and hauling away the ash and soil.
  • Similar perverse incentives are at play in state responses to financial crises, emerging infectious diseases, and wars. Proper management of public affairs requires skill and diligence, but there is no money in conscientious management for special interests and industries. The payoff—i.e., bailouts, pandemic countermeasures, weapons, and billions of “aid”—comes with the catastrophe.

Please watch Blaze’s brief documentary (no longer behind paywall) and share it with your friends.

January 12, 2024 Posted by | Corruption, Fake News, Mainstream Media, Warmongering, Video | | 1 Comment

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