The Israeli authorities have forcibly removed students and shut down a school run by the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in occupied Jerusalem, Wafa news agency has reported.
The Jerusalem governorate reported that Israeli occupation forces stormed the UNRWA-affiliated Jerusalem Boys’ Elementary School in Wadi Al-Joz district, and ordered staff to close the institution after forcibly removing students.
The move follows an order by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to enforce the ban on UNRWA operations in the city. Under the new restrictions, UNRWA activity within “areas under Israeli sovereignty” is now prohibited, including the operation of representative offices and providing services. Israelis are also prohibited from having any contact with the agency. Jerusalem was annexed by the occupation state in the 1980s, in a move which is not recognised by the majority of countries as annexation of territory acquired by force of arms is illegal under international law.
In May 2024, the UNRWA management was forced to close the headquarters under the pressure of attacks by illegal settlers, which reached the point of its buildings being set on fire twice in one week. The Israel Lands Authority announced on 10 October last year the seizure of the land on which the UNRWA headquarters is located in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem, and the transformation of the site into an illegal settlement outpost containing 1,440 housing units. All of Israel’s settlements and the settlers who live on them are illegal under international law.
The occupation regime also targeted the UNRWA Kalandia Training Centre (KTC), with the Israel Lands Authority issuing a decision on 14 January 2024 demanding that UNRWA vacate it and pay retrospective occupancy fees of 17 million shekels (about $4.76 million), on the pretext of constructing and using buildings without a permit.
UNRWA provides essential services, including humanitarian aid, healthcare and education, to more than 110,000 registered Palestinian refugees in Jerusalem alone. The UN agency operates two refugee camps, Shuafat and Kalandia, in the occupied city.
February 18, 2025
Posted by aletho |
Illegal Occupation | Human rights, Israel, Israeli settlement, Jerusalem, Palestine, Zionism |
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Israel has destroyed 1,675 kilometres of water and sanitation networks in Gaza leaving a “dangerously critical” situation for Palestinians in the enclave, Oxfam warned yesterday.
“In North Gaza and Rafah governorates, which have suffered the most destruction, less than seven per cent of pre-conflict water levels is available to people, heightening the spread of waterborne diseases,” it added.
Warning against a restart of bombing, Oxfam said: “Any renewed violence or disruption to fuel and the already inadequate aid would trigger a full-scale public health disaster.”
Oxfam’s Humanitarian Coordinator in Gaza, Clemence Lagouardat, said: “Now that the bombs have stopped, we have only just begun to grasp the sheer scale of destruction to Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure. Most vital water and sanitation networks have been entirely lost or paralyzed, creating catastrophic hygiene and health conditions.”
In the North Gaza governorate, almost all water wells have been destroyed by Israeli occupation forces. Over 700,000 people have returned to find entire neighbourhoods wiped out. For the few whose homes remain standing, water is non-existent due to the destruction of rooftop storage tanks, Oxfam explained.
In Rafah, over 90 per cent of water wells and reservoirs have been partially or completely damaged, and water production is less than five per cent of its capacity before the conflict. Only two out of 35 wells are currently operational.
Oxfam added that “Despite efforts to resume water production since the ceasefire, the destruction of Gaza’s water pipelines means that 60 per cent of water is leaking into the ground rather than reaching people.”
The lack of safe water, combined with untreated sewage overflowing in the streets has triggered an explosion of waterborne and infectious diseases. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 88 per cent of environmental samples surveyed across Gaza were found contaminated with polio, signalling an imminent risk of outbreak. Infectious diseases including acute watery diarrhoea and respiratory infections – now the leading causes of death – are also surging, with 46,000 cases, mostly children, being reported each week.
Lagouardat said: “Israel continues to severely impair critical items needed to begin repairing the massive structural damage from its air strikes. This includes desperately needed pipes for repairing water and sanitation networks, equipment like generators to operate wells.”
The charity added that its own water pipes, fittings and water tanks had been held up for over six months, they have now been approved for entry into the enclave, however, they have not entered yet.
February 18, 2025
Posted by aletho |
Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, War Crimes | Gaza, Human rights, Israel, Palestine, Zionism |
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Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich signed an order on 17 February to seize NIS 320 million ($90 million) in Palestinian tax funds to use as compensation for families of Israelis affected by the war.
“There is no more moral and just signature than to prevent the Palestinian Authority from funding terrorism and to garnish its funds for the benefit of the families of terror victims. This is a necessary step in our national struggle against terrorism and against the Palestinian Authority that encourages it,” Smotrich stated.
In August, the finance minister confiscated NIS 100 million (nearly $27 million) from the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah, accusing it of supporting “terrorism.”
Israel’s security cabinet was set to meet on Monday to discuss whether to move forward with negotiations on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire.
If agreed to, the second phase is intended to see Hamas release dozens of remaining captives from Gaza, while Israel would release hundreds more Palestinian prisoners. Israeli forces are supposed to withdraw entirely from Gaza, and a lasting truce should go into effect.
However, Smotrich and other Jewish supremacist ministers have said they would quit Netanyahu’s ruling coalition if the war does not resume.
On Saturday, the Israeli finance minister announced that US President Donald Trump’s plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza will start within weeks, with the displacement starting slowly but accelerating with time.
“Preparations have started amongst our teams, alongside teams of the US President Donald Trump,” Smotrich told reporters, according to Israel’s Channel 12.
He explained that the plan involves two parts. “One is to find countries that can receive people, and two, it’s a huge logistical operation to take such a large number of people out of here.”
Palestinians in Gaza have rejected Trump’s plan to ethnically cleanse them from their homes and lands, while rights groups have said that the plan is illegal under international law.
February 18, 2025
Posted by aletho |
Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Illegal Occupation | Israel, Israeli settlement, Palestine, United States, Zionism |
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A former head of Saudi Arabian intelligence has ruled out the possibility of US President Donald Trump sending troops to “expel the Palestinians” from Gaza and liquidate the Palestinian cause. Prince Turki Al-Faisal called on people not to be disturbed by Trump’s statements.
He made his comment to Al-Arabiya channel on Sunday, adding that what Trump says is not necessarily what the world will do, because talk is easy, but action has its conditions.
“I doubt that [Trump] will consider sending an army to expel the Palestinians, so there is no need for confusion or chaos surrounding his statements,” said Al-Faisal. He described the comments as being suggestive of Trump’s “arrogance”.
The former Saudi official stressed the importance of a unified Arab position to confront the challenges related to the Palestinian issue. “If the Arabs stand as a group, no one will be able to influence it.”
Al-Faisal touched on this principle applying to the Palestinians as well. “It is better for our Palestinian brothers to leave the differences aside and to be one unit, rather than for things to be scattered as they are now. If there is a difference between the leaders, they must fix what is between them.”
Nevertheless, he insisted that a united Arab position is necessary even if the Palestinians differ. “This does not prevent the Arab world from taking clear, firm and strong positions, and the Arab world is required to stand as one unit.”
The prince described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement about establishing a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia as “disgusting arrogance”, and pointed out that the kingdom has already responded comprehensively to what was said.
February 18, 2025
Posted by aletho |
Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism | Gaza, Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, United States, Zionism |
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For 15 months, the majority of the Arab and Muslim World’s leaders sat back as the first live-streamed genocide took place inside the land of Palestine. Praying for a return to the status quo that once supported their rules, they have now been faced with an ultimatum. Now, it’s time to pick a side.
While US President Donald Trump presented his idea of clearing out Gaza’s civilian population, taking control of the territory, and reconstructing it, he did so using the tone of someone believing such actions would be humanitarian in nature. In reality, what was being proposed was an invasion, mass murder, and ethnic cleansing.
To be clear, the likelihood of such an invasion occurring is slim, not least because it involves an enormous amount of planning to implement correctly and there is simply no evidence that any moves are being made in this direction. However, the threat of such a monstrosity alone has proven enough to instantly mobilise the Arab and Muslim nation’s leaderships in a way we have not witnessed in decades.
Suddenly, they woke up, after behaving as if the people of the Gaza Strip were not being mass murdered on an industrial scale, on the land of the Prophets, on the land of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Holy Sepulchre. Not even the invasion of Lebanon, the murder of some 3,000 people, nor the occupation of more Syrian lands, nor the threats of annexation in the West Bank, had mobilised these leaders. The screams of Gaza’s youths, the tears of Gaza’s mothers, the honor stripped from the tortured and raped, nothing registered.
But now, for the first time, we feel a pulse. Why? Because everyone’s head is on the chopping block. A glimpse was caught of what Donald Trump’s proposed future could cause and the likes of Jordanian King Abdullah II realised they are just another Arab in the eyes of the Israeli-US alliance, nothing more and nothing less. The only reason they remain is because they capitulate. This was Trump’s true message; it was not so much as a threat but a reminder.
Without delving too deep into the issue of an American invasion of Gaza, it would prove disastrous in so many ways that it seems unrealistic on the face of things. This is not least due to the enormous costs involved in a US occupation that could travel north of hundreds of billions in US taxpayer dollars, while the US soldier casualties would be high and place enormous domestic pressure on Trump. This would likely be America’s new Vietnam, as the star-spangled coffins would trigger outrage across the States.
A US invasion would also fail to achieve the objectives set out by Trump, because Palestinians will not leave willingly and this could easily turn into a situation where the US army picks up from where the Israelis left off; inflicting Genocide. If the ethnic cleansing would work partially, the destabilizing effects would be horrific.
As mentioned above, the majority of the leaders of Arab and Muslim nations may have stood aside and allowed the Gaza Genocide to unfold, yet their populations are now more motivated to defeat the Zionist occupiers than ever before.
Opening the ‘gates of hell’
When Hamas announced that it would postpone the weekly prisoner exchange arrangement until the Israelis allowed sufficient humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement, Donald Trump’s reaction was to threaten opening the “gates of hell”. Despite the threats that came from Trump and Netanyahu, the Israelis caved under pressure and were quickly set to allow the prisoner exchange to go ahead as planned.
Whether the US President is truly the mastermind behind his own rhetoric or not, which is quite frankly unlikely, reading between the lines has actually helped achieve four objectives:
- The outrageous and illegal proposals that Trump has put forth have helped save the image of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in front of his extremist coalition.
- The rhetoric has therefore given the Zionist regime more wiggle room to reach the second phase of the agreement, as the more extreme elements in the regime now feel as if they will get to complete their ethnic cleansing, settlement, and occupation endeavors.
- Upon the initial conclusion of the ceasefire agreement, the momentum in terms of popular understanding of power dynamics – manufactured as a result of the ongoing media war – had Hamas painted as the victor and the Zionist regime a loser. Trump managed to suddenly shift the conversation and manipulate popular understandings of who is in control and “winning” the war.
- It has brought together the Arab and Muslim leaders who were previously inactive or distant from the post-war Gaza plan.
Donald Trump is actively speaking as if he is a more extreme Zionist fanatic than Netanyahu, but is yet to follow through on any of his threats. If he continues to speak in such a way, it is possible that the US will have to start following through on some of the President’s rhetoric, however, in order for Washington to maintain credibility.
The reality in the region is that the leaderships of West Asia are still trying to revert back to the status quo that existed pre-October 7, 2023. Now they are having to come to terms with the fact that this is no longer an option.
Although this may seem hyperbolic, the “Israel” that everyone knew from before is no more, it no longer exists. To those who have studied the issue closely, this was somewhat inevitable. Right now, we are living through a scenario that occurred prior to 1948, where the Zionist regime had to try and define itself. For some time, they managed through their military superiority to pacify those around them or overcome armed confrontations with brute force, all while developing their economy and pretending as if they were operating a European State in the Eastern Mediterranean.
This was never going to last, not least because the Palestinian to Jewish population inside the borders of historic Palestine had become roughly 50/50. On top of this, the fastest growing Jewish group has been the Haredim (Ultra-Orthodox), who do not serve in the army and don’t even believe in the worth of modern Nation States. Yet, all Israelis wanted the West Bank and to rule over occupied Jerusalem. With land concessions to the Palestinian Authority off the table, there were only ever going to be two options that the Zionists were going to have to choose from: Commit a genocide or mass ethnic cleansing; or both.
With the rise of right-wing nationalist religious fundamentalism, the secular-leaning right-wing system that modelled itself off of “Western Liberal Democracies” suddenly found itself under threat. Prior to October 7, 2023, this was a dominant theme in Israeli politics, where the religious ultra-nationalists were challenging the somewhat contradictory vision that was held onto by around half of the Israeli Jewish population.
What happened here is that the secular-leaning Israelis were trying to cling onto their delusion that they could simply live in a liberal Jewish supremacist Apartheid colony forever and expect a level of stability that they had long enjoyed due to the overwhelming power of their military. On the other hand, the extremist right-wing coalition of Benjamin Netanyahu that won power in late 2022 began to present an alternative vision in a way that hadn’t been done before.
Then came the wakeup call, Hamas launched Operation al-Aqsa Flood, and the Zionists were forced to wrestle with the fact that you cannot continue oppressing the Palestinian people and expect them to simply go away or give up on their struggle for national liberation. Because of the racist collective narcissism trained into the minds of the Zionist settlers, they reacted in the most emotional way possible. This is why Zionists in the West have also been working overtime to suppress any criticism; their racism is being challenged.
The knee-jerk reaction of the Zionists was to think “how dare these people challenge our supremacy”. For the first time in its history, the Zionist Entity had been militarily torn to pieces and proven incapable of overcoming an indigenous resistance force armed primarily with light weapons and self-produced armaments. US-Israeli supremacy in West Asia appeared to be crumbling, so the occupying entity and its imperialist backer responded in the only way they know how, mass murder.
What happened in Gaza was a frenzy of racist violence that was supposed to “teach a lesson” to the Arab and Muslim peoples that they will remain forever inferior. The genocide was calculated to send a message: resist our supremacy and you will die.
Two things are now happening:
- The “Israel” of the past died, now it is scrambling to redefine and recreate itself.
- The US is attempting to revive its efforts to transform the region through normalisation and the construction of new trade routes, but is going to do so using maximum force in order to put down any semblance of dissent.
So where does this all fit into Donald Trump’s crazy threats? It’s simple. The United States is projecting its intention to remodel the entire region. This message is clear, yet it won’t likely come through a US invasion of Gaza, rather from putting tremendous pressure on the nations of the region to capitulate and work as slaves of the US-Israeli alliance.
If Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia do not capitulate, their leaderships will be replaced by ones that do. In the event that either a US invasion of Gaza or mass ethnic cleansing occurred, Egypt would be destabilised and likely face a limited Israeli incursion into the Sinai, while the Jordanian government could be toppled, or at the very least the nation will be totally destabilised, then, in the backdrop, Saudi Arabia could also be in the cross-hairs.
Hundreds of thousands of Gazans being ethnically cleansed into the Kingdom of Jordan would inevitably birth a new Palestinian Resistance front also, which could happen regardless at this point.
The ethnic cleansing of Palestine between 1947-49 left a major scar on the Arab World as a whole, one that has never healed. What just occurred in Gaza is a much deeper wound that will inspire Resistance until the end of the Zionist regime. Although it is often not factored into the equation, the Israelis also murdered 3,000 people in Lebanon too, including the late Secretary General of Hezbollah, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah.
A mistake often made by the imperialists and settler colonialists is assuming that because a population appears pacified today, it will also be tomorrow. In reality, revolutions and resistance movements take time, with mass mobilisation sometimes occurring due to what could be perceived as mere chance when it emerges.
Meanwhile, the US is now offering the same option to the Arab and Muslim World that was presented by George W. Bush Jr. upon his announcement of the so-called “War on Terror”: “You are either with us or with the terrorists!”
It may be presented in a different way, but the truth is that there is no way to play the role of holding a middle-ground position. Now is the time, submit to being a slave, even losing your territory, pride and stability; or you decide to resist. The problem for a nation like Jordan is that if you resist, you may also be overthrown.
Donald Trump’s comments for now were designed to force the Arab and Muslim leaders to come to a joint consensus and present an alternative plan to his insane proposal, which appears to be working. Interestingly enough, it appears as if this is actually helping to allow for the Gaza ceasefire to reach phase 2.
Unfortunately for these leaders, the Palestinian issue they now face is not over with Gaza. In the event of the Israelis annexing the West Bank, this could eventually trigger the downfall of the Palestinian Authority and/or initiate a major uprising. In such a scenario, the Israeli military could then seek to ethnically cleanse large swathes of the West Bank too. The destination of these displaced refugees could also end up being Jordan.
Even former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned, in his second last address about foreign policy, of the collapse of the normalization agreements between the Zionist regime and its neighbours in Amman and Cairo. Speaking at a conference organised by the Atlantic Council, Blinken used the first part of his speech to espouse pure Israeli propaganda, before speaking candidly on a few issues towards the latter half of his address. He stressed that without a so-called “Two-State solution”, the normalisation deals with Egypt and Jordan could collapse.
If a resistance front opens inside Jordan, it could be the beginning of the end for the Zionist regime. Jordan shares the largest, mostly undefended, land border with occupied Palestine. Once a major resistance movement is rooted there, the war would expand in such a way that no one is capable of predicting. It is also clear that the Zionists seek to continue their aggression against Iran, Yemen, and to degrade Hezbollah at all costs in Lebanon.
All of what is mentioned above will not likely just unfold overnight, everything takes time. Yet there is no question that the war is far from over.
February 18, 2025
Posted by aletho |
Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, War Crimes, Wars for Israel | Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Middle East, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, United States, Zionism |
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A statement from the Lebanese presidency on Tuesday emphasized the necessity for Israeli forces to fully withdraw from Southern Lebanon as mandated by the ceasefire agreement.
The statement, issued following a meeting between President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, reaffirmed Lebanon’s full commitment to Resolution 1701, despite ongoing Israeli violations.
The statement, delivered by the presidential spokesperson Najat Charafeddine, emphasized the role of the Lebanese Army and its readiness to deploy in Southern Lebanon to ensure the security of its people.
The presidency’s statement referenced the joint declaration by the American and French presidents before the ceasefire decision, in which both parties affirmed their collaboration with “Israel” to fully implement Resolution 1701.
It further said that the attendees of the tripartite meeting will seek the UN Security Council to compel the occupation to abide by the resolution. The attendees also discussed the presence of the occupation in the South, and that Lebanon is committed to regaining full control over its land by all means.
The statement highlighted that the attendees will continue negotiations with the International Monitoring Committee and the International Red Cross to secure the release of Lebanese held by “Israel.”
On Monday, President Joseph Aoun stressed that the presidential office is following up on contacts at various levels to push “Israel” to comply with the ceasefire agreement.
At dawn Tuesday, the Israeli occupation army withdrew from all border villages in southern Lebanon, except for five positions where it stated it would maintain a presence. This withdrawal coincides with the expiration of the deadline for implementing the ceasefire between Lebanon and “Israel.”
A security source, speaking anonymously to Agence France-Presse, confirmed, “The Israeli army has withdrawn from all border villages except for five specified locations. The Lebanese Army is gradually deploying, but progress is hindered by the presence of explosives in some areas and damage to the roads.”
Additionally, Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Southern Lebanon reported on Tuesday morning that Israeli occupation tanks and vehicles had once again advanced into the town of Kfar Chouba.
February 18, 2025
Posted by aletho |
Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Illegal Occupation | Israel, Lebanon, Zionism |
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Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the Islamic Republic does not condone threats, stressing that the US’s “maximum pressure” campaign will certainly fail.
Araghchi made the remarks at a meeting with Wolfgang Amadeus Bruelhart, the Swiss Special Envoy for the Middle East and North Africa, on the sidelines of the 8th Indian Ocean Conference in Oman on Monday.
During the meeting, Araghchi referred to the three rounds of negotiations held between Iran and the three European signatories to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and expressed Tehran’s readiness to continue talks with the three European countries, namely the United Kingdom, France, and Germany (E3).
The minister stressed that the Islamic Republic “does not brook the language of threats or pressure”, asserting that the policy of maximum pressure led by the US “is bound to fail.”
That came as US President Donald Trump has signed a memorandum re-imposing his so-called “maximum economic pressure” on Iran.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian minister hailed the long-standing ties between Iran and Switzerland, stressing the importance of the “constructive” role played by the country, which acts as the protecting power for the US in Tehran, in promoting peace and stability in the region.
He also welcomed the upcoming round of political talks scheduled to take place between Tehran and Bern in the Iranian capital.
“We emphasize [the importance] of continuing dialogue and cooperation in this regard”.
For his part, Bruelhart stressed the “significant and influential” role played by Iran in the region.
He also underscored the importance of talks with Iran on bilateral and regional issues, and expressed his country’s keenness to continue dialogue with Tehran, especially during the upcoming meeting in Tehran.
Iran and the E3 have been conducting on-again, off-again talks since 2021, three years after the United States illegally and unilaterally left a historic nuclear accord between Iran and world powers under Donald Trump, returning Washington’s unlawful sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
The trio then failed to live up to their promise of bringing Washington back into the deal.
Reacting to the counter-party’s non-commitment to its obligations, Tehran initiated a set of retaliatory nuclear steps, including by activating more advanced centrifuges.
The country has been stepping up the measures in response to the other parties’ continued refusal to uphold their obligations.
February 18, 2025
Posted by aletho |
Economics, Wars for Israel | Iran, Sanctions against Iran, Switzerland, United States |
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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has firmly rejected attempts by left-wing organizations to secure European Union funding following U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to freeze USAID programs worldwide. In a defiant tweet, Orbán accused globalist, liberal, and Soros-backed NGOs of seeking refuge in Brussels after their financial pipeline from the U.S. was cut off.
“Our fears have come true,” Orbán wrote. “The globalist-liberal-Soros NGO network is fleeing to Brussels after President Trump dealt a huge blow to their activities in the U.S. Now 63 of them are asking Brussels for money under the guise of various human rights projects. Not going to happen!”
The Hungarian leader’s statement came in response to an urgent appeal from the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), which, alongside more than 60 civil society organizations, is pressuring the EU to replace the financial void left by the U.S. aid freeze.
Last month, President Trump signed an executive order imposing a 90-day freeze on all U.S. foreign aid, effectively shutting down USAID funding for international organizations the new U.S. administration believes is often wasted, misused, and out of line with the president’s “America First” approach.
The White House subsequently published a list of USAID projects it said highlighted the “waste and abuse,” including a grant of $1.5m to an LGBTQ group in Serbia, $2.5m for electric vehicles in Vietnam, and $6m for tourism in Egypt. In total, the U.S. spent $68bn on international aid in 2023.
The move immediately prompted widespread criticism from pro-migration, feminist, and LGBTIQ advocacy groups.
With their budgets suddenly cut off, affected organizations have turned to Brussels, urging the EU — the world’s largest foreign aid provider — to step in and cover the shortfall. Their appeal outlined specific demands, including emergency EU funding to replace lost U.S. aid; reduction of “bureaucratic barriers” to make EU funding more easily accessible to progressive groups; and the exertion of diplomatic pressure on the Trump administration to reverse the aid freeze.
Orbán’s staunch rejection of the EU funding request reiterates his long-standing opposition to foreign-funded NGOs, particularly those affiliated with George Soros and his Open Society Foundations.
The Hungarian leader has repeatedly accused such groups of promoting mass migration, radical progressive policies, and undermining national sovereignty.
Referring to Trump’s USAID-files exposé, which alleged misuse of U.S. aid funds by left-wing organizations, Orbán emphasized that Hungary and its allies would not allow these groups to establish a stronghold in Europe.
“We will not let them find safe haven in Europe!” he declared. “The USAID-files exposed the dark practices of the globalist network. We will not take the bait again!”
February 18, 2025
Posted by aletho |
Corruption | European Union, Hungary |
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Germany’s left is going all in on its pro-war effort, with Europe reportedly plotting its own course behind the scenes, which was not supposed to be made public until after Germany’s elections on Feb. 23. The Berliner Zeitung has reported that German Defense Minister Annalena Baerbock, of the Green Party, let slip the details of Europe’s plan to provide weapons to Ukraine on its own, with a projected allocation of some €700 billion for such purchases, with much of the money coming from Germany.
“We will launch a large package that has never been seen on this scale before,” Baerbock told Bloomberg on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, calling it an emergency measure “for security in Europe.”
Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene also spoke to Bloomberg about the inspiration behind the move, saying the “realization that it is not the United States that will defend Europe, but that Europe will defend itself with the help of the United States (…) We need to spend quickly on defense, and spend a lot, hundreds of billions need to be spent immediately. We will all need to act quickly, including Germany.”
It is interesting that Sakaliene notes “with the help of the United States.” The question is: Will the U.S. want anything to do with Europe’s plan for massive arms procurements to Ukraine when Trump has made clear the only goal is peace. Of course, Trump has also been adamant that Europe ups its own defense spending, but that has nothing to do with U.S. “help,” in fact, it is meant to cut it.
The plans to boost defense spending at a historic scale came just after an emergency meeting hosted by French President Macron in Paris, Macron got behind the idea of a “security force” to be deployed behind the future ceasefire line. While British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the U.K. was ready to send troops to Ukraine if necessary, other countries are more reluctant.
“At the moment, no one is considering sending troops to Ukraine,” said Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albarez, reports Do Rzeczy, after a meeting of EU leaders in Paris. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said at the meeting that Poland was also not ready to send its troops to Ukraine, but promised that his country would continue to provide aid to Kyiv.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called sending troops to Ukraine “completely premature.”
“It is a difficult situation for Europe. We welcome the talks about peace for Ukraine. But it must be a fair and sustainable peace. And: Ukraine must be part of these talks. Europe will keep on supporting Ukraine. This is what I stressed in my meetings with Volodymyr Zelensky,” he wrote on his X account.
Just an hour later, Scholz also wrote: “NATO is based on the fact that we always act together and share risks. This must not be called into question. There must be no division of security and responsibility between Europe and the USA.”
In terms of enforcing any eventual peace agreement, President Trump has said the United States will send zero troops.
Present at the meeting were France, U.K., Spain, Poland, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Denmark. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa have also been invited to Paris.
An area of agreement among all parties was the need for greater defense spending across Europe, with joint financing also discussed.
On X, Tusk wrote: “If we, Europeans, fail to spend big on defense now, we will be forced to spend 10 times more if we don’t prevent a wider war. As the Polish PM, I’m entitled to say it loud and clear, since Poland already spends almost 5% of its GDP on defense. And we will continue to do so.”
Of course, it is hard to draw any sort of consensus on what Europe wants or expects when the vast majority of EU countries were not even at this latest meeting. As Fidesz MEP Andrász László posted on X: “If the 8 countries who gathered in Paris on Monday for a crisis summit supposedly represent ‘EU unity’, what should the two-thirds of EU countries think, who were not invited?” He then called the meeting an “absolute clownshow.”
February 18, 2025
Posted by aletho |
Militarism | France, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, UK |
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US companies lost more than $300 billion by leaving the Russian market amid Ukraine-related sanctions, Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), has said. He noted that Moscow and Washington need to reestablish dialogue to jointly solve problems that affect both economies.
Following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, the West slapped Russia with unprecedented sanctions aimed at destabilizing the country’s economy and forcing Moscow to end its military operation. The measures, coupled with Moscow’s countersanctions, led many Western firms to divest from their businesses in Russia, losing billions in investment and profits. According to estimates from the Yale University School of Management, over 1,000 foreign firms have voluntarily curtailed operations in Russia to some degree since February 2022.
“US businesses lost over $300 billion from leaving the Russian market,” Dmitriev told CNN on Tuesday, ahead of the first direct Russia-US negotiations over the Ukraine conflict in Saudi Arabia. The figure is nearly equal to the amount of Russian central bank assets frozen in the West as part of sanctions.
The official noted that given such hefty losses, lifting sanctions would be in the interests of the US as well as Russia.
“What we want is good dialogue… finding joint economic ways to solve problems is extremely important, mainly for the US,” Dmitriev stated.
Commenting on the Russia-US talks, Dmitriev said “the entire globe is waiting to see whether the US and Russia will be able to improve relations.”
“Our better relations will allow us to solve a large number of global tasks and problems that the world faces,” added the official, who will be responsible for the economic aspect of the talks as part of the Russian team.
“I think it’s very important to build bridges. I think US-Russia relations are very important for the world. I think it’s very important that the US and Russia cooperate.”
Dmitriev noted that Moscow was already in contact with members of US President Donald Trump’s administration ahead of the talks, and considers them “great problem solvers.” He said that signals from Washington have so far been positive, with Trump and his team indicating they want to reestablish dialogue.
The talks in the Saudi capital of Riyadh were proposed following last week’s phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
While neither head of state is expected to attend the talks, they are being conducted by high-level officials, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Neither Ukrainian nor EU diplomats will be present at the meeting.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov earlier explained that the location for the talks was selected because it suited both countries. He added that the meeting would be devoted to “restoring the entire complex of Russian-American relations” and laying the groundwork for a Trump-Putin summit.
February 18, 2025
Posted by aletho |
Economics | Russia, United States |
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The EU has no plans to lift sanctions against Russia even if the US decides to do so, and is working on the next raft of measures, EU Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis has said.
The bloc has proposed a 16th round of sanctions on Russia to be imposed next week for the third anniversary of the start of the Russian military operation against Ukraine on February 24. Along with the US, the EU has slapped numerous rounds of sanctions on Russia since 2022 in a bid to isolate the country, cutting it off from the Western financial system and freezing its foreign reserves.
Asked if the EU would lift its sanctions on Russia if the US eases its restrictions in exchange for a potential ceasefire in Ukraine, Dombrovskis stated that Brussels would pursue an independent sanctions policy.
“It’s very clear with the moves of the current Trump administration that the EU will have to take issues related to the EU’s security more in its own hands. It also concerns the sanctions policy as you know the work continues on preparing the 16th package,” the commissioner said.
Last month, the EU extended its existing sanctions against Russia until the end of July. The restrictions already target a broad range of sectors and include trade embargoes, travel bans, and individual sanctions against Russian businessmen and public officials.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in an interview with Franceinfo on Tuesday that the EU’s upcoming batch of measures will primarily target Russia’s energy sector.
Barrot claimed the new package aims to “force [Russian President] Vladimir Putin to sit down at the negotiating table,” adding that the EU will continue to “raise the cost of the war” for Moscow. The sanctions will also target countries that facilitate bypassing the restrictions, the minister said.
Earlier this year, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban renewed calls on the EU to lift its sanctions on Russia in order to align the bloc’s policies with the new US government. Budapest has long criticized Brussels’ approach to the Ukraine conflict as being incapable of ending hostilities and damaging to the bloc’s member states.
Last week, Orban predicted that Russia will be “reintegrated” into the world economy and the European energy system once the Ukraine conflict ends.
Moscow has condemned Western sanctions as illegal, repeatedly arguing that they have failed to destabilize Russia’s economy or isolate it from the global financial system.
February 18, 2025
Posted by aletho |
Economics, Russophobia | European Union, Russia |
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By Lucas Leiroz | February 18, 2025
The Kiev regime continues its escalatory measures in an attempt to undermine the diplomatic process between Russia and the West. In an unprecedented act, the Ukrainian armed forces bombed a facility linked to American companies on internationally recognized Russian territory. The incident is considered a serious escalation in the conflict, as for the first time the Kiev regime has shown itself capable of taking extreme measures in retaliation against its closest ally.
Kiev recently launched a large-scale drone attack on an oil pumping station in Russia’s Krasnodar region. The facility is partially owned by the American group Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC). It is still too early to know the full extent of the damage caused by the attack, but it is known that productivity levels have been at least partially affected. The most affected parties are US trading partners in the West, since, despite being located on Russian territory, the facility is not used to pump domestically consumed oil, but to facilitate the export of Kazakh oil.
It is also worth emphasizing that one of the biggest beneficiaries of the oil pumped at this station is the State of Israel itself, one of Washington’s biggest allies. Tel Aviv receives a large amount of Kazakh oil that is pumped and exported through Russian critical infrastructure in Krasnodar, and the US is deeply involved in this trade process. In fact, Ukraine has severely damaged American and Israeli business with its latest attack on “deep” Russian territory, which is why it is expected to have a major impact on relations between the Kiev regime and the Collective West.
The continuation of Western business in Russia after sanctions is not a widely known issue in public opinion. Despite the open rhetoric in favor of commercial “isolation” of Russia, several Western companies have refused to give up their profits and, behind the scenes, continue to operate on Russian soil. This is the case of the American businessmen involved in the CPC oil project – as well as several European energy companies that continue to buy Russian gas, oil despite publicly supporting sanctions.
In many cases, business operates independently of political and military matters. Businessmen interested in personal profits make deals and invest in projects abroad without any regard for the political policies of their home countries. This is why there is still an American – and even European – commercial presence in Russia, and it is unlikely to disappear in the near future.
It is naive to believe that Ukrainian intelligence did not deliberately plan this attack on American infrastructure. Obviously, the Junta’s high officials knew in advance about the involvement of American companies in the oil activities in Krasnodar, which is why this facility was chosen as a target precisely now – at a time when Washington is beginning to change its stance on the war and support peace negotiations.
Some experts believe that the Ukrainian initiative was a serious mistake. Although it is still too early to predict the consequences of the attack, the incursion will have a high political cost for the Kiev regime, with officials involved in the operation almost certainly being punished.
“Ukraine’s large-scale drone attack against the partially US-owned CPC will therefore probably end up being something that it comes to regret. It would be premature to describe it as a game-changer, but it couldn’t have occurred as a worse time for Ukraine given the ongoing Russian-US talks over that country. Whoever orchestrated and approved of this attack might even lose their jobs or worse considering how detrimental it’ll foreseeably end up being for Ukraine’s interests at this pivotal moment in the conflict,” political analyst Andrew Korybko said.
Indeed, regardless of the regime’s officials behind the attacks, it is undeniable that the timing of the operation was carefully planned. Relations between Washington and Kiev have been in crisis since the election of Donald Trump, as the Republican politician promises to achieve peace with Russia. The neo-Nazi regime is desperate, as the corruption schemes involving foreign money in Ukraine depend on the continuation of hostilities.
It is possible that Ukraine has taken the bold, dangerous and disastrous step of deliberately attacking its closest ally, just to try to sabotage diplomacy and continue the war. If these provocations continue, instead of achieving its goals, Kiev will only further accelerate its own collapse.
Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, geopolitical consultant.
February 18, 2025
Posted by aletho |
Economics, Militarism | Israel, Russia, Ukraine, United States |
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