Aletho News

Sexual Blackmail Makes the World Go ‘Round

Jeffrey Epstein may be dead, but the network that created him is still screwing us all

Helen of desTroy | December 17, 2025

American democracy has devolved into a humiliation ritual in which we are expected to pledge support for people who hate us so they can steal our property, molest our children, and punish us for talking about their crimes. In election after election we are pressured to declare allegiance to one morally bankrupt criminal, simply because the other morally bankrupt criminal in the race might be even worse, thus becoming complicit in the election of a morally bankrupt criminal. Casting that vote on an electronic voting machine that even the government’s own intelligence director has admitted is totally hackable only strengthens the power of the ritual. Americans feel dumber every time we feed our choices into the ballot scanner and pray not to be disenfranchised, as if our selections made a difference in a contest that has been limited to the “lesser of two evils” for years. Standing up for ourselves and refusing to participate in such demeaning pageantry is denigrated as un-American, and our sentimental attachment to the democratic ideal masks the understanding that no change is actually possible within a system designed to deprive us of agency, so we legitimize a corrupt system with our participation instead. Like the teenage victims of Jeffrey Epstein, who returned to his mansions again and again even as they felt the humiliating experience draining their life force because they’d become convinced they could expect nothing better out of life, we have grown so accustomed to having our faces rubbed in outrageous and self-evident lies that we are starting to think we deserve the abuse. … continue

Time for These Zionist “Pastors” to Register as Foreign Agents

The Jason Jones Show | December 15, 2025

An army of American pastors handed themselves over to become propagandists for genocide this month, traveling on Israel’s dime to the “Friends of Zion Ambassador Summit” in Jerusalem. The event was zealously cohosted by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who just days earlier was caught after secretly meeting with a convicted Israeli spy, leading to widespread calls for his resignation.

The criticism of this outlandish summit has been widespread too, but I felt the need to weigh in with a practical recommendation which I hope lawmakers urgently pursue: Every one of these pastors should be registered as a foreign agent. And after considering the nature of the summit, I doubt many could disagree.

A Summit of Anti-Christians Parading as Pastors

The rhetoric at the summit was exclusionary, vindictive, and overtly conspiratorial. It was essentially a PR strategy meeting where Israeli government officials instructed their American collaborators on how best to silence the mounting expressions of revulsion among the Christian public in America at the ongoing spectacle of Zionist violence in Gaza and the West Bank.

The whole of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s regime seems bent on that mission, though public polling shows it to be an impossible task. … continue

Trump imposes new ICC sanctions over ‘Israel’ war crimes case

Al Mayadeen | December 18, 2025

The administration of US President Donald Trump has imposed sanctions on two additional judges from the International Criminal Court (ICC), intensifying pressure on the tribunal following its decision to issue arrest warrants for “Israeli” leaders over alleged war crimes committed in Gaza.

The two newly sanctioned judges, Gocha Lordkipanidze of Georgia and Erdenebalsuren Damdin of Mongolia, were targeted for their direct involvement in proceedings related to the court’s investigation into “Israeli” actions in the Gaza conflict, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“These sanctions are a direct response to the ICC’s continued politicization and its abuse of power targeting ‘Israel’ and threatening US sovereignty,” Rubio stated, adding that the United States would not recognize the court’s jurisdiction over its nationals or those of “Israel”.

The sanctions came weeks after ICC judges rejected several legal challenges submitted by “Israel” attempting to halt the probe. The panel ruled that the court’s investigation could include events following the October 7, 2023, Palestinian Resistance operations in the occupied territories.

This latest round of measures follows earlier US actions against six other ICC judges and Prosecutor Karim Khan, who has spearheaded the investigation into possible crimes against humanity. Judges sanctioned by the US face severe restrictions, including asset freezes and travel bans, measures that also make everyday financial transactions nearly impossible.

The ICC sharply condemned the move, calling it a “flagrant attack” on judicial independence and warning that such actions undermine the international legal order. … Full article

Court Approves 6 month Administrative Detention of Palestinian Activist Ayman Ghrayeb

International Solidarity Movement | December 18, 2025

The six months long administrative detention order against Palestinian grassroots activist Ayman Ghrayeb was approved by the Offer military court earlier today. The summary procedure took place in secrecy and behind closed doors, without even Ghrayeb’s lawyer having any knowledge of the allegations against him other than a vague insinuation of incitement, let alone of any evidence to prove it disprove them. Ghrayeb’s detention could be indefinitely extended once this initial six month period is over.

Ayman Ghrayeb, a prominent Palestinian grassroots activist based in the Jordan Valley, was arrested by Israeli forces on Monday, November 17, and was forcibly disappeared for two days before his lawyers were given any information about his whereabouts.

Throughout the first two days of his arrest, both the Israeli police and military refused to acknowledge he was in their custody. Only after repeated legal inquiries and the threat of a habeas corpus appeal that the Israeli army had disclosed Ghrayeb had been covertly held at the Samra military base in the Jordan Valley. […]

Ghrayeb’s detention must be understood in the context of the massive displacement of over 100 Palestinian communities over the past two years, many of them in the Jordan Valley. … Full article

Germany, ‘Israel’ finalize $6.7 billion Arrow 3 missile deal

Al Mayadeen | December 18, 2025

Germany and “Israel” signed an expanded agreement on Thursday for the Arrow 3 missile defense system, following approval from the German Bundestag a day earlier.

Under the new agreement, an additional $3.1 billion will be added to the original contract signed nearly two years ago, bringing the total value of the Arrow 3 missile defense program for Germany to over $6.7 billion. […]

The deal is being hailed as the largest military export agreement in the Israeli regime’s history, underscoring growing military-industrial ties between Berlin and Tel Aviv, which come despite the Israeli regime’s genocide in Gaza and aggressions in the region, which have collectively killed over 80,000 people in the past two years. … Full article

Powerful Israeli Strikes on South Lebanon and Bekaa

Al-Manar | December 18, 2025

The Israeli enemy launched on Thursday a series of air raids on large areas in southern Lebanon and Bekaa in the east of the country, in a new escalation targeting mountainous areas, valleys and the outskirts of several towns.

Al-Manar correspondent reported that the Israeli airstrikes targeted the outskirts of Al-Rihan in Iqlim Al-Tuffah, as well as the area between the towns of Deir Siryan and Qusayr in the south.

The strikes also hit the Litani River between Zawtar and Deir Siryan in the Nabatieh region, in addition to the Al-Jabbour and Al-Qatrani heights in Western Bekaa, according to our reporter.

Israeli aircraft later renewed the raids, targeting the Mahmoudiya area in southern Lebanon, while other airstrikes hit the Zaghrin heights in the Hermel mountains of the eastern Bekaa, Al-Manar correspondents reported.

Meanwhile, an Israeli drone strike targeted a Rapid vehicle near the road linking the border town to Deir Siryan.

The strike took place as a truck belonging to Electricity of Lebanon public company was present nearby, our correspondent in south Lebanon noted.

“A number of workers were injured as the Israeli strike torched the Rapid vehicle and the Electricity of Lebanon truck,” the Al-Manar reporter said. … Full article

UAE-backed militia in Yemen reaches out to Israel for alliance against ‘common foes’: Report

The Cradle | December 18, 2025

The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) has reached out to Tel Aviv and pledged to recognize Israel in the event that its goal of an independent, secessionist state in south Yemen is achieved, Hebrew media reported.

According to Israel’s Broadcasting Corporation (KAN), the STC has called on Israel to support “independence” in southern Yemen, and that this would enhance a common agenda between the two sides.

A diplomatic source close to the STC was cited as saying by KAN that Israeli support for the secessionist cause in southern Yemen could contribute to “protecting maritime routes in the Gulf of Aden and Bab al-Mandab, in addition to combating the smuggling of Iranian weapons to Ansarallah and the terrorist cells affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood that cooperate with Sanaa.”

The source added that the STC needs Israeli backing in military, security, and economic fields in order to form a “new state,” stressing that the two share “common enemies.”

The STC announced on 15 December the start of a new military operation in the southern Yemeni province of Abyan, tightening its grip on the south. … continue

The UAE’s reverse trajectory: From riches to rags

By Dr Zakir Hussain | MEMO | December 18, 2025

One of the most enduring and widely quoted dialogues in Indian cinema is: “Do not throw stones at others’ houses when your own house is made of glass.” Unfortunately, this wisdom appears to be lost on the United Arab Emirates. Instead of exercising restraint and responsibility, the UAE has increasingly been accused of conspiring with, financing, and backing a wide range of actors and armed groups that have contributed to chaos, instability, and even genocidal violence in several countries.

Over the years, the UAE has steadily expanded the scope of its controversial activities—from Libya and Sudan in North Africa to other mineral-rich Muslim-majority African countries, and further eastward to Afghanistan and Yemen. Its involvement in the Palestinian context also raises serious concerns, as there appears to be no clear moral or political limit to its actions. These interventions have not promoted peace or stability; rather, they have intensified conflicts, deepened humanitarian crises, and prolonged wars.

What makes this approach particularly perplexing is that the UAE itself lacks a credible and robust defensive shield to protect its own territory. It does not possess the capability to fully defend its iconic skyscrapers and critical infrastructure even against relatively unsophisticated, low-cost drones. A coordinated volley of such drone strikes would be sufficient to cause panic among the millionaires and billionaires who have invested heavily in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Capital, after all, is highly sensitive to risk, and fear alone can trigger massive capital flight. … continue

Vance comment on criticising Israel raises concern in Tel Aviv

MEMO | December 18, 2025

A comment by US Vice President JD Vance has raised concern in Tel Aviv and prompted questions about whether gaps with President Donald Trump’s administration could widen.

JD Vance wrote in a post on the X platform that “There is a difference between not liking Israel, or disagreeing with a given Israeli policy, and antisemitism.”

His remarks led to questions in Tel Aviv about the direction of US policy and whether Israeli and American interests could clash in the near future.

Anna Barsky, political correspondent for the Maariv newspaper, spoke about the issue in an interview on Radio Tzafon 104.5FM.

She said the message was worrying for Tel Aviv. “This is a major warning sign for Israel. Vance wrote that disliking Israel or criticising it should not be linked to antisemitism. These are not just passing remarks. When they come from the Vice President of the United States, they should be taken seriously,” she said. … Full article

US Suspends $41 Billion Tech Deal with UK over Online Censorship Laws

By Cam Wakefield | Reclaim The Net | December 18, 2025

The great transatlantic tech romance has hit the skids. What was sold as a landmark agreement binding Silicon Valley brains to British ambition has been shoved into neutral, all because Britain decided it quite fancies telling American machines what they are allowed to say.

Washington has now suspended the much-trumpeted US-UK technology agreement, a decision driven by mounting alarm over Britain’s new censorship law, the Online Safety Act.

The idea that a British regulator might fine or muzzle American firms has landed in Washington like a dropped wrench.

One participant in the talks put it bluntly, telling The Telegraph, “Americans went into this deal thinking Britain were going to back off regulating American tech firms but realized it was going to restrict the speech of American chatbots.”

The Online Safety Act gives Britain the power to fine companies it believes are enabling “harmful” or “hateful” speech, concepts elastic enough to stretch around just about anything if you pull hard enough. The communications regulator Ofcom has not been shy about using these powers.

Enforcement notices have already landed on the desks of major American firms, even when their servers, staff, and coffee machines are nowhere near Britain.

From Washington’s perspective, this looks less like safety and more like Britain peering over the Atlantic with a ruler, ready to rap American knuckles.

The White House had been keen on the £31 ($41) billion Tech Prosperity Deal, seeing it as a front door to closer ties on AI research and digital trade.

Instead, officials began to see the Online Safety Act as a mechanism for deciding what American platforms, and their algorithms, are allowed to say. Chatbots like ChatGPT or Elon Musk’s Grok suddenly looked like potential defendants in a British courtroom, accused of wrongthink.

Matters finally tipped over when UK Technology Secretary Liz Kendall announced in early December that the government would “impose new restrictions on chatbots” to close supposed loopholes. That was the moment Washington’s patience packed its bags. Monitoring the rollout, US officials concluded that the law had wandered far beyond its original promise and straight into the regulation of AI speech itself. … Full article

Chris Minns Defends NSW “Hate Speech” Laws Linking Censorship to Terror Prevention

By Cindy Harper | Reclaim The Net | December 18, 2025

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has openly celebrated his government’s reshaping of speech laws, arguing that restrictions on expression are a necessary part of combating hate.

Speaking with Sky News Australia host Sharri Markson, Minns said he wants “a situation where hate speech is not allowed and illegal in NSW and those who practice it are prosecuted,” adding that the state “does not have the same free speech laws that they have in the United States.”

The Premier repeatedly linked speech regulation to public safety, connecting online discussion and public protest to the Bondi Beach terror attack.

According to Minns, “hate speech, antisemitism” begins with chants at marches, “then it migrates online to a tweet or some kind of post,” leading to property damage and arson, and finally, “then you see this horrible, horrible crime.”

He insisted that authorities “need to attack it at every single level,” a statement that positions censorship as part of the government’s crime prevention strategy.

Minns described the Crimes Amendment (Inciting Racial Hatred) Bill 2025 as “absolutely vital” and called for “prosecutions of people” under it. … continue

Ford doubles down on failure

By Mike McDaniel | American Thinker | December 16, 2025

For some time, the automotive and business presses have reported Ford has been considering ceasing production of its F-150 Lightning electric truck line. Here at American Thinker, we’ve been following that story. Ford has been losing billions on its EVs and as much as $130,000 on each one – there haven’t been many – sold. With the end of the $7500 federal EV tax credit at the end of September, the EV doom loop has nearly completely closed, and with the federal government no longer pressuring manufacturers to make, and consumers to buy, EVs the bottom has fallen out of the market. … continue

Czech–Slovak alignment signals growing dissatisfaction with Brussels’ authoritarianism

By Lucas Leiroz | Strategic Culture Foundation | December 18, 2025

The recent visit of Czech parliamentary representatives to Slovakia marked an important step in the consolidation of a sovereignty-oriented axis in Central Europe. During high-level meetings with Slovak political leaders, discussions focused on restoring strategic coordination between the two historically linked countries, particularly in relation to their shared opposition to policies imposed by Brussels. The diplomatic engagement was framed not as a symbolic gesture, but as a practical effort to rebuild political alignment in the face of growing pressure from EU institutions.

At the center of the talks were issues that directly affect national autonomy: resistance to the EU’s Green Deal, opposition to expanded emissions trading mechanisms, and rejection of the EU’s mandatory migration framework. Czech representatives openly emphasized the need for joint action inside the EU to block measures that undermine economic stability and constitutional sovereignty. Slovak officials, in turn, signaled readiness to elevate bilateral cooperation to the highest possible level, clearly indicating a convergence of interests rooted in self-preservation rather than ideological alignment. … continue

Germany: Cost of housing migrants in Berlin hits nearly €1 billion in 2024, nearly triples in 4 four years

Remix News | December 17, 2025

Housing migrants in Berlin has cost taxpayers dearly, and new data confirms this. Figures confirmed to the German Press Agency (dpa) by sources within the Senate, and cited by Die Welt, indicate that in 2024, the city paid €883 million for providing migrant accommodations, up from €312 million in 2020.

At the same time, Berlin is implementing major budget cuts due to budget shortfalls, with the city taking on more and more debt.

Large-scale accommodations such as Tegel and Tempelhof have even higher costs, with Tegel alone accounting for approximately €260 million of total costs in 2024.

Annual expenditures for the accommodation, care, and integration of refugees in Berlin nearly doubled between 2022 and 2025, reaching €2.24 billion. At one point, a state of emergency to secure emergency loans for financing was even considered. … Full article

Germany approves record $58 billion defense package for Bundeswehr

Al Mayadeen | December 17, 2025

Germany’s Bundestag Budget Committee has approved a record defense procurement package worth over 50 billion euros ($58 billion), marking the largest investment in the Bundeswehr in the country’s modern history.

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that the package includes nearly 30 major contracts, aimed at equipping and strengthening Germany’s armed forces over the coming years. … Full article

Self-Inflicted Wound: West’s Sanctions Trigger Collapse of Germany’s Export Market to Russia

Sputnik – 17.12.2025

The West’s short-sighted sanctions campaign has led Germany to lose over 70% of its exports to the Russian market, analysis of Eurostat data shows.

Before anti-Russian sanctions were imposed — in January-September 2021 — German companies exported goods and services worth roughly $22.9 billion to Russia. Over the same period this year, that figure fell to $6.1 billion. Thus, Germany has lost 73.5% of its exports to Russia.

In 2021, Germany earned an average of $2.7 billion per month from exports to Russia. This year, the monthly average has dropped to $683 million. … Full article

Majority of Belgians oppose theft of Russian assets – poll

RT | December 17, 2025

Around 67% of Belgians oppose the EU scheme to use frozen Russian central bank assets to back a ‘reparations loan’ to prop up Ukraine, according to a recent poll conducted by Ipsos and Belgian news outlets published on Monday. … continue

Ukrainian drones kill civilians in southern Russia

RT | December 18, 2025

Ukrainian drones attacked multiple cities in southern Russia, killing civilians and damaging residential and port infrastructure in the Rostov region, Governor Yury Slyusar has said.

According to the regional head, the cities of Rostov-on-Don, Bataysk and Taganrog came under attack early Thursday morning. “Unfortunately, as a result of the UAV strikes, civilians were killed and injured,” Slyusar wrote on social media.

In Rostov, a drone strike on the city’s port set a cargo vessel on fire. Two crew members were killed and three others were injured. The blaze was extinguished after spreading across an area of about 20 square meters, the governor said.

In the nearby city of Bataysk, two private houses caught fire following drone strikes. Seven people were wounded, with three rushed to hospital. One of them later died from their injuries, Slyusar said. … Full article

China condemns US arms sale to Taiwan

RT | December 18, 2025

China has condemned the US decision to approve a record $11.1 billion weapons sale to Taiwan on Thursday, urging Washington to “immediately stop” arming the island.

The warning follows the Department of War greenlighting a massive package of advanced weaponry for Taiwan. China, which views the self-governing island as part of its territory, called the move a “dangerous act” and an infringement of its sovereignty.

”China urges the United States to abide by the one-China principle … and immediately stop the dangerous actions of arming Taiwan,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters on Thursday.

Announced on Thursday and still awaiting US congressional approval, the package would be the second arms sale since US President Donald Trump returned to office in January, after a $330 million deal in November for parts and components.

The deal spans eight separate purchases, including the sale of 82 HIMARS rocket systems and 420 ATACMS missiles valued at more than $4 billion, anti-tank and anti-armor missiles, loitering munitions, howitzers, military software and spare parts, according to details released by both governments. … Full article

Trump orders ‘total blockade’ of sanctioned oil tankers to and from Venezuela

Press TV – December 17, 2025

US President Donald Trump has ordered a “total and complete blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, directly targeting Caracas’ main source of revenue.

Announcing the move on Tuesday, Trump said Venezuela’s leadership had been designated a “foreign terrorist organization,” accusing it of, what he called, asset theft, terrorism, drug smuggling, and human trafficking.

Writing on his Truth Social media platform, the US chief executive said the designation justified a full blockade of sanctioned vessels transporting Venezuelan crude.

The announcement immediately reverberated through energy markets, with US crude futures climbing more than 1% in Asian trading. Oil prices had earlier settled at their lowest level since February 2021, underscoring the sensitivity of markets to potential disruptions in Venezuelan supply.

While the White House has not detailed how the blockade would be enforced, the order follows last week’s seizure of an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast.

Since then, an effective embargo has already taken shape, with loaded tankers remaining in Venezuelan waters rather than risk interception.

The Trump administration has also moved thousands of troops and nearly a dozen warships, including an aircraft carrier, into the region.

Venezuela’s government swiftly rejected Trump’s “grotesque threat.”

President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly condemned Washington for seeking to overthrow his government and seize control of the OPEC member’s vast oil reserves, the largest proven crude reserves in the world.

International law experts have noted that blockades are traditionally considered acts associated with war and subject to strict legal conditions.

Legal and political questions have emerged as far back as in Washington, itself. US Representative Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat, called the move “unquestionably an act of war,” arguing it lacked congressional authorization.

The impact on Venezuela’s oil sector has already been severe. Exports have fallen sharply since the tanker seizure, a decline compounded this week by a cyberattack that disrupted the administrative systems of state-run oil company PDVSA.

Industry data have shown that more than 30 of the roughly 80 vessels recently in Venezuelan waters or approaching its ports are currently sanctioned. … Full article

US strike in Pacific kills 4 amid escalating military campaign

Al Mayadeen | December 17, 2025

The United States military has carried out another strike in international waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing four people aboard what Washington claims was a drug-trafficking vessel, according to the US Southern Command.

The strike was conducted on December 17 at the direction of US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and is part of “Operation Southern Spear,” a military campaign launched by the Trump administration under the pretext of combating narcotics trafficking.

In a statement posted on X, the US Southern Command said that Joint Task Force Southern Spear carried out a “lethal kinetic strike” on a boat allegedly operated by what it labeled as a Designated Terrorist Organization, claiming the vessel was traveling along a known narcotics route.

The US military confirmed that four men were killed in the strike and stated that no US forces were harmed.

This brings the number of people killed by US strikes on similar vessels to at least 99, as Washington intensifies its military operations across the region. … Full article

Here is everything the media is not telling you about the Bondi beach shooting

Ricky Hale and Council Estate Media | December 15, 2025

… The geniuses at Mossad really haven’t learnt from their recent mistakes. They have yet again left their fingerprints all over Google. Google Trends shows two spikes in searches in Israel for one of the shooters—Naveed Akram—in the days before the massacre, and then a huge spike, one day before the massacre.

If you think this is a coincidence, just know that if you search on other locations, you will not find similar spikes. And as I’ve pointed out in previous articles, in recent attacks, we have seen similar spikes in Israel.

For those who are unclear, Google assigns a score from 0-100 based on how many people in a location are searching on a particular term. In Israel, the suspect’s name was registering as zero and then suddenly scored around 40 on two separate days, dropping back down to zero until the day before the shooting when it reached 100. Weird, huh? This is not the only weirdness either…

Remember how in the Charlie Kirk killing, the old man who acted as a decoy turned out to be a crisis actor during 9/11 and the Boston marathon bombing? Well, we have another weird coincidence on our hands…

The above man was reportedly a survivor of both 7 October and the Bondi beach shooting (Grok puts the odds of this happening at 1 in 61 million).

The man is Zionist propagandist Arsen Ostrovsky and he was apparently grazed by a bullet at Bondi beach. Here is what one social media user had to say about the matter…

Another Zionist propagandist—Rabbi Eli Schlanger—was shot and killed. If you think I’m being insensitive about these two men, just search for their social media posts—they make for truly grim reading.

I don’t know what to make of these details, but it seems like more than a coincidence to me. I expect more details to emerge in the coming days and weeks so watch this space. – Full article

Outsourcing Security: The Palantir Paradox at the Heart of French Intelligence

21st Century Wire | December 17, 2025

At a moment when European leaders are finally acknowledging that the United States pursues its interests with ruthless clarity, and that those interests do not necessarily align with Europe, France has chosen a remarkably different path. While Washington openly declares its intent to “cultivate resistance to Europe’s current trajectory” and German leaders now speak of the US as an adversary rather than an ally, Paris has quietly renewed one of the most sensitive intelligence contracts imaginable. For another three years, France’s domestic intelligence service will continue to rely on Palantir, an American data-analysis company deeply embedded in the US national security ecosystem, to process and structure vast quantities of highly sensitive intelligence.

According to French media, Palantir is no longer a peripheral tool but the central software architecture of the French Secret Services (DGSI), a level of dependence so deep that even some of America’s closest allies have refused to accept it on sovereignty grounds. The contradiction is stark. As Europe warns of foreign interference, influence operations, and strategic dependency, France is voluntarily handing the keys to its intelligence infrastructure to a company rooted in a system that explicitly views Europe as a strategic arena to be shaped. … continue

Israel’s all-seeing eye is the stealthiest cruelty of all in Gaza

Journalist Mohammed Mhawish describes how total surveillance is relentlessly controlling, often lethally, the violence is determined algorithmically.

By Connor Echols – Responsible Statecraft – December 16, 2025

Discussions of the war in Gaza tend to focus on what’s visible. The instinct is understandable: Over two years of brutal conflict, the Israel Defense Forces have all but destroyed the diminutive strip on the Mediterranean coast, with the scale of the carnage illustrated by images of emaciated children, shrapnel-ridden bodies, and flattened buildings.

But underlying all of this destruction is a hidden force — a carefully constructed infrastructure of Israeli surveillance that powers the war effort and keeps tabs on the smallest facets of Palestinians’ lives.

Few people understand this system more deeply than Mohammed Mhawish, a Palestinian journalist who fled Gaza in 2024 after being targeted by Israeli airstrikes for his reporting. In a recent essay for New York Magazine, Mhawish traced the contours of Israel’s surveillance system through the eyes of the Gazans who live through it every day.

RS spoke with Mhawish over email to get his insights about how this system of surveillance has powered the war in Gaza and created a culture of fear among Palestinians. The conversation also touches on Mhawish’s decision to leave Gaza — and how he knows that Israel tried to kill him for his journalism. … continue

IOF arrest civilian, raid village in Quneitra countryside

Al Mayadeen | December 16, 2025

“Israel” has continued its violations of Syria, arresting a shepherd in southern Syria amid repeated violations of the country’s sovereignty.

Israeli occupation forces arrested a civilian on Tuesday while he was herding sheep along the road connecting the villages of al-Rafid and al-Mashida in the southern Quneitra countryside, with no information available so far regarding his fate.

Local sources had earlier reported that an Israeli occupation patrol consisting of three military vehicles had advanced into the village of Bariqa in the Quneitra countryside.

On Monday, Israeli forces released three young men from the village of al-Hamidiyah in the Quneitra countryside after detaining them for several hours. According to available information, the youths were apprehended while collecting firewood near the al-‘Alam roundabout in the area, before being released later without any clarification of the reasons or circumstances surrounding their detention. … Full article

Two killed in Israeli drone strikes in South, Mount Lebanon

Al Mayadeen | December 16, 2025

Two Lebanese citizens were killed on Tuesday in separate Israeli drone attacks targeting areas near Odaisseh in South Lebanon and Siblin in Mount Lebanon.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health confirmed that one citizen was killed in an Israeli strike on a vehicle along the Odaisseh–Markaba road in the Marjayoun district of Nabatieh Governorate. Earlier, Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in southern Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone had targeted a panel van in the area.

In a separate incident, the Ministry reported that an Israeli strike on a vehicle along the Jadra-Siblin road in the Chouf district resulted in one death and five injuries. … Full article

Several civilians injured, two critically, in Israeli strike in Gaza City

Palestinian Information Center – December 17, 2025

GAZA – A number of citizens were injured, two of them critically, following an Israeli drone strike in central Gaza City on Wednesday evening.

Palestinian media sources reported that an Israeli drone targeted a group of civilians and a private vehicle at the al-Samer junction in the central area of Gaza City, injuring at least 11 of them.

Medical sources said that two of the wounded suffered critical injuries in the attack.

Earlier, the Hamas Movement said that the number of violations committed by the occupation in the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire agreement came into force on October 10, 2025, has exceeded 813, an average of nearly 25 violations per day.

The Movement described the situation as “very dangerous,” warning that Israel’s persistent violations risk torpedoing the agreement.

Who gets to be a hostage? The language that legitimises Palestinian captivity

By Jwan Zreiq | MEMO | December 17, 2025

The answer lies deeply entangled within global biases in how violence and captivity are framed. Consider two seemingly similar terms: “hostage” and “prisoner.” Hostage evokes an image of innocence violated; a life unjustly taken. Prisoner implies process, legality, perhaps even guilt. A prisoner, after all, tells us less about the person held captive than about the system that confines them. But what happens when the system itself is one of oppression and racial apartheid? Should we blindly adopt these terms without questioning the power structures that deploy them?

The answer here lies within the global biases in how violence and captivity are framed. … continue

Four Palestinians Wounded as Israeli Forces Storm Jenin

IMEMC | December 17, 2025

On Wednesday, Israeli soldiers invaded Jenin city in the northern occupied West Bank, closing streets and detaining dozens of residents. Four Palestinians were assaulted and injured during the invasion.

Media sources reported that an undercover Israeli military unit infiltrated the Eastern Neighborhood of Jenin before several military vehicles advanced from the Al-Jalama military roadblock.

Soldiers then stormed and ransacked homes, converting one into an interrogation center.

Dozens of residents were detained and interrogated, while four sustained cuts and bruises from assaults.

In response to the ongoing invasion, the Directorate of Education in Jenin suspended all classes in government-run and private schools, including kindergartens.

In related news, the Israeli army invaded the town of Jaba’, south of Jenin, and initiated extensive searches.

Army Injures Four Palestinians In Nablus

IMEMC | December 17, 2025

Israeli occupation forces invaded the city of Nablus at dawn, storming the Aqaba quarter in the Old City and spreading across Ras al‑Ein, Khan at‑Tujjar, Martyrs’ Square, and the Fatimiyya School, wounding four Palestinians.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has confirmed that Israeli soldiers shot four Palestinians with live fire in Nablus.

The soldiers closed several streets and main intersections, blocking Palestinian traffic, in addition to stopping and interrogating many residents.

The attacks led to protests before the soldiers fired live ammunition, tear gas, and stun grenades fired extensively, leaving several civilians injured.

Director of the Palestinian Red Crescent Emergency Center in Nablus, Amid Ahmad, stated that ambulance crews treated four injuries from live fire: one to the chest, another to the knee, a third from bullet shrapnel, and a fourth with shrapnel wounds to the head. … Full article

‘Israel’ bars Canadian MPs from diplomatic visit to occupied West Bank

Al Mayadeen | December 17, 2025

The Israeli regime on Tuesday blocked a Canadian delegation, including six sitting Members of Parliament, from entering the occupied West Bank, prompting diplomatic objections from Ottawa and renewed criticism over “Israel’s” restrictions on international scrutiny of its policies in Palestinian territory.

The delegation, organized by The Canadian-Muslim Vote, was attempting to enter the West Bank via the Allenby Bridge crossing from Jordan to meet displaced Palestinians and civil society representatives. Group members said they had received electronic travel authorizations in advance, only to have them revoked upon arrival.

British Columbia New Democratic Party MP Jenny Kwan said the permits were withdrawn “on the day of our arrival,” forcing the entire delegation to turn back to Jordan.

The Israeli occupation justified the move by claiming the delegation had links to Islamic Relief Worldwide, a humanitarian organization that “Israel” designates as a terrorist entity.

In a statement, the Israeli Embassy in Canada said “Israel” will “not allow the entry of organizations and individuals who are associated with designated terror entities.” The embassy further alleged that the Canadian-Muslim Vote receives most of its funding from Islamic Relief Canada, which it described as a subsidiary of Islamic Relief Worldwide.

Islamic Relief has repeatedly denied “Israel’s” long-standing accusations and continues to operate legally in Canada and many other countries.

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand responded publicly, saying Canada has expressed its “objections regarding the mistreatment of these Canadians.”

Ontario Liberal MP Iqra Khalid, who was part of the roughly 30-member delegation, said Israeli border officials used force against her during the incident, adding that she was shoved several times after attempting to check on another delegate who had been pulled aside for additional questioning.

Khalid added that border officials were fully aware of her status as a lawmaker, noting that they had confiscated her special parliamentary passport, which differs from standard Canadian travel documents.

According to delegation members, some were asked to sign documents acknowledging they were being denied entry on security grounds, a characterization they rejected. Advocacy groups later said delegates were informally labeled “public safety threats” without being provided specific allegations or evidence.

In Ottawa, the National Council of Canadian Muslims said the Israeli regime’s decision to bar elected Canadian officials from the occupied West Bank raises serious concerns about transparency, accountability, and “Israel’s” efforts to shield its policies from independent observation. … Full article

CIJA Has Taken Nearly 25% Of MPs On Paid Trips To ‘Israel’

MPs from four major parties have gone on these trips with the Zionist organization, receiving average benefits worth more than $12,000

By Davide Mastracci | The Maple | November 20, 2023

Members of parliament (MP) in Canada are able to take sponsored trips abroad so long as the trip “arises from or relates to his or her position.” After the trip, MPs must disclose the following:

• “the name of the person or organization paying the travel costs”
• “the name of any person accompanying the Member”
• “the destination or destinations, the purpose and length of the trip”
• “the nature of the benefits received and the value”

This information is contained in the Public Registry at the website for the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. It’s also documented in the annual “List Of Sponsored Travel” report released by the commissioner.

I reviewed the registry and found that the Centre For Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) has sponsored trips to “Israel” for at least 73 MPs currently in office, amounting to 22 per cent of all sitting MPs. … continue

Exposing ELNET: US lobby funds pro-‘Israel’ influence in Europe

Al Mayadeen | December 17, 2025

The Intercept on Monday reported that US-based donors have funneled millions of dollars into a Europe-wide lobbying network designed to promote “Israel’s” political, military, and economic interests, exporting tactics long associated with the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) into European institutions.

At the center of the investigation is the European Leadership Network (ELNET), a pro-“Israel” advocacy organization that organizes trips to “Israel” for European lawmakers, hosts policy events inside European parliaments, and lobbies on foreign and security policy. ELNET’s leadership has openly described the group as the “AIPAC of Europe,” a comparison reinforced by its personnel links to AIPAC, the Israeli regime, and the Israeli military apparatus. […]

According to the report, ELNET claims credit for shaping major European policy decisions in “Israel’s” favor, including Germany’s approval of a $3.5 billion purchase of Israeli drones and missile systems, the largest defense export deal in “Israel’s” history. While ELNET is smaller than AIPAC, the group operates within a narrower political arena, focusing on European Union institutions and national parliaments at a time when public opposition to “Israel’s” actions in Gaza has grown across Europe. – Full article

Plurality of Republicans say end US aid to Israel: poll

A new survey shows that the GOP base is tired of funding Israeli weapons

By Connor Echols | Responsible Statecraft | December 16, 2025

A plurality of Republicans oppose extending an agreement that would give $38 billion in U.S.-funded weapons to Israel over the next decade, according to a new poll from YouGov and the IMEU Policy Project.

While 35% of Republicans would renew the arrangement, 42% say they would rather see it lapse. Support for ripping up the deal is particularly high among Republicans between 18 and 44, with 53% of these respondents calling for an end to the aid packages.

The poll comes at a consequential moment. The Trump administration is deciding whether to extend America’s latest memorandum of understanding on military aid to Israel, which is due to expire in 2028. The results indicate that a clean extension of the deal could draw significant blowback on the right, particularly among younger Republicans.

YouGov and IMEU fielded the poll, which included a sample of 1,287 Republican voters, in mid-November.

Reports indicate that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants the next memorandum of understanding to last for 20 years rather than the typical 10. But the poll shows that this idea would be even less popular among Republicans, including older GOP members, with 40% of respondents over 45 saying that they would oppose such a deal. […]

Despite the growing divisions on the right over Israel, Republicans broadly agreed on one thing: The U.S. should conduct independent investigations into the killings of American civilians by the Israeli military and Israeli settlers. Fifty-nine percent of respondents supported such an inquiry, which only 15% of respondents opposed, with minimal variation across age groups. – Full article

The Map Is Not the Territory: Ukraine, Manufactured Consent, and Europe’s War of Attrition

By Gerry Nolan | Ron Paul Institute | December 16, 2025

Western headlines are screaming that Ukraine has “encircled” Kupyansk city… a glorified town, selling it as a nightmare for Moscow. But this is not a battlefield report. It is narrative management, timed precisely to negotiations in Berlin. Kupyansk is not Stalingrad. It is not Kursk. It is not even a decisive urban fight. It is a ruined settlement on the Oskol, a former logistics node reduced to rubble, where control is measured not in flags but in fire control, drone dominance, and whether men can be rotated without being killed.

And when even Reuters couches claims as “unverified,” you know what that means. When it hedges, pauses, and inserts distance between claims and confirmation, it is signaling that fog is being weaponised. What exists on the ground is block-by-block ruin fighting, contested neighbourhoods like Yubileynyy, clashes near Mirovoye and Radkovka, infiltration attempts, temporary interdictions. Battalion-scale collisions between exhausted units in a place that barely functions as a glorified town. … continue

Ajax Defeated by the Achilles Heel of English Bookkeeping

By Bill Buppert | The Libertarian Institute | December 17, 2025

The British Army is in the same crisis mode as the Royal Navy; they’re a post-imperial military basket case that could not fight an invasion of Sports Illustrated swimsuit models. They would be defeated.

Across the board with the possible exception of the vaunted Special Air Service and the Royal Marines, the British military project is a shambles. It can’t float submarines that do the right thing, it can’t deploy its conventional-fueled aircraft carriers and it has experienced a steady decline in manpower across the board. … continue

Russia’s Oreshnik missile system to enter service this year – Putin

RT | December 17, 2025

Russia’s newly developed medium-range Oreshnik missile system will enter combat before the end of the year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday during a keynote speech to the Defense Ministry.

The Russian leader was reporting military achievements over the year and outlined policy goals, including military research. He named Oreshnik alongside other weapons meant to “ensure the strategic parity, security and global positions of Russia for decades to come.”

The other systems he mentioned are the unlimited-range cruise missile Burevestnik and the underwater Poseidon drone, both powered by miniaturized nuclear reactors, which he said reached development milestones this year. […]

Russia “has been seeking diplomatic resolutions to contradictions and conflicts as long as there is the slimmest hope of success. Those who convinced themselves that Russia can be spoken to in the language of force are fully responsible for those missed opportunities,” Putin stressed. – Full article

AfD: “The German government is trying to create the conditions for war without the consent of the people”

AfD Co-chair Tino Chrupalla says the EU’s sanctions, militarism, and support for Israeli crimes are eroding Europe’s democracy and sovereignty.

By Tunc Akkoc | The Cradle | December 16, 2025

With western double standards laid bare by Israel’s war on Gaza, Germany’s political order is facing an unprecedented rupture. The ruling Social Democrats (SPD) and Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU), both staunch backers of Ukraine and Israel, have pushed Berlin into economic turmoil with self-destructive sanctions on Russia and unconditional support for Tel Aviv. Now, with the country in recession and the public burdened by soaring energy costs, Germany’s once-stable centrism is crumbling.

Trends in German politics point to a change unseen since World War II. The INSA poll conducted between 8 and 12 December shows the CDU/CSU has fallen to 24 percent, while the SPD has dropped to 14 percent. The rising force is the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. In the INSA poll, its vote share reaches 26 percent. These figures are consistent with the Ipsos results from 7 to 9 November.

The AfD was founded in 2013, following the 2008 financial crisis. It is now the main opposition party and even a contender for power – that is, if they are allowed to participate in the elections. The party criticizes “mass migration, crime, high taxes, silenced opposition, and poverty.” It is labeled “far-right” by the ‘centrist’ neoliberal bloc. So what views do they defend to be considered “far-right”? What exactly are they saying about current issues in Europe, Germany, and the world?

Tino Chrupalla has co-chaired the AfD party with Alice Weidel since 2019. A Bundestag member since 2017, Chrupalla hails from East Germany and started his political journey in the youth wing of the Christian Democrats. He joined the AfD in 2015 and was the party’s representative at US President Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration in January 2025.

In this exclusive interview with The Cradle, Chrupalla speaks out on the failures of the Ukraine and Gaza wars, the militarization of Europe, and why he believes Germany must break from Atlanticist subservience to pursue a future of peace, trade, and sovereignty. … continue

AfD says it was the target of infiltration after Eichwald confesses his infamous speech was designed to ‘warn’ others

Eichwald did indeed join the party to deceive and “warn” against the AfD

Remix News | December 16, 2025

After a bizarre speech that mimicked much of the rhetorical style of Adolf Hitler at the founding congress of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) youth group, Alexander Eichwald has confessed that he joined the party as a form of provocation.

In an interview with Junge Frieheit, Jean-Pascal Hohm, who serves as the chairman of the youth group, said that: “He deliberately infiltrated the AfD and its youth organization to harm it. The incident shows once again that the political opponent does not shy away from any method, no matter how perfidious.”

Eichwald’s speech, in which he used the term “party comrades” and referred to dog breeds when selecting who is allowed into Germany, drew comparisons to Hitler and his propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels. … Full article

EU nation ‘disrupting normal religious life’ – UN experts

RT | December 17, 2025

Estonian authorities are undermining religious freedoms by fostering an “adversarial environment” for the country’s largest church community because of its spiritual ties to Russia, a panel of experts advising the UN Human Rights Council has warned.

In a statement issued on Monday, the experts criticized Tallinn’s approach toward the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church (EOCC), which maintains canonical links with the Russian Orthodox Church. They pointed to a series of administrative actions, a court decision that stripped the EOCC of state funding on security grounds, and a proposed legislative amendment that the panel said would “disproportionately affect a single religious community.”

“Canonical identity, ecclesiastical hierarchy and spiritual allegiance are integral components of the freedom of religion and are fully protected under international law,” the three-member panel emphasized. … continue

NATO’s Red Pen on Ukraine: Jacques Baud and the Silencing of Dissent

By Freddie Ponton | 21st Century Wire | December 17, 2025 

On 15 December, the European Union took a step that few could have imagined: it sanctioned twelve individuals, including Swiss analyst and former intelligence officer Jacques Baud and French national Xavier Moreau, not for breaking the law, but for expressing views deemed politically inconvenient. Asset freezes, travel bans, and economic restrictions were imposed without any judicial process. While presented as an EU initiative, the fingerprints of NATO’s strategic communications and information-control apparatus are unmistakable, shaping both the targets and the justification. Europe is no longer simply countering disinformation; it is policing interpretation itself, turning independent analysis into a potential liability. The question now is not whether dissent will be punished, but how far these measures will go, and who will decide the boundaries of acceptable thought.

Baud, a Swiss national, is not a political activist, influencer, or anonymous online provocateur. He is a former Swiss intelligence officer and army colonel, trained in counter-terrorism, counter-guerrilla warfare, and chemical and nuclear weapons. Over the course of his career, he helped design the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) and its Mine Action Information Management System (IMSMA), served with the United Nations as Chief of Doctrine for Peacekeeping Operations in New York, worked extensively in Africa, and later held senior responsibilities at NATO, where he led efforts against the proliferation of small arms. He is also the author of multiple books on intelligence, asymmetric warfare, and terrorism,  texts widely read well before the Ukraine war.

Yet this résumé, once considered exemplary, has now been recast as suspicious. On 15 December, the EU placed Baud under sanctions, freezing assets and restricting travel, accusing him of acting as a “spokesperson of Russian propaganda” and of participating in “information manipulation and influence.” No criminal charges have been filed. No judicial process has taken place. No evidence has been publicly tested in court. The punishment is administrative, political, and immediate. … continue

The lobby is milking the Bondi Beach attack to silence critics of Israel’s genocide

By Jonathan Cook | December 15, 2025

I, for one, am struggling to stomach the spew of hypocrisy from pro-Israel groups like the Community Security Trust and its policy director, Dave Rich, in the wake of Sunday’s Bondi Beach attack.

Establishment media, on the other hand, appear to have a bottomless appetite for efforts by Israel apologists to exploit the genuine fear and grief of the Jewish community to advance a political agenda – one designed to silence criticism of Israel over its two-year slaughter and maiming of Palestinian children in Gaza.

Predictably, the supposedly liberal Guardian once again gave Rich a prominent slot in its comment pages, this time to spin the attack in Sydney into a demand for silencing opposition to Israel’s genocide.

Here are extracts from Rich’s piece in italics, followed by my observations. His all-too-obvious double standards and his glaring misdirection ploys should have disqualified this piece from publication. But the British media simply can’t get enough of this kind of bilge. … continue

UK Parliament Rejects Petition to Repeal Online Censorship Law, Calls for Expanded Censorship

By Cam Wakefield | Reclaim The Net | December 16, 2025

This week in the UK, Parliament held a debate in response to a public petition that gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures calling for the repeal of the Online Safety Act (OSA).

It was a rare opportunity for elected officials to prove they still listen to their constituents.

Instead, the overwhelming message from MPs was clear: thanks for your concern, but we’d actually like even more control over what you can do online.

One by one, MPs stood up not to defend free expression, or question whether one of the most radical internet control laws in modern British history might have gone too far, but to argue that it hadn’t gone far enough. … continue

Villains of Judea: Ronald Lauder and his War on American Dissent

For Lauder, Israel always comes first.

José Niño Unfiltered | December 16, 2025

World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder likes to present himself as a civic minded elder statesman, a sober billionaire warning America about a rising tide of antisemitism.

At the Israel Hayom Summit on December 2, 2025, he framed the moment as a crisis of the West itself, calling it “a full-scale assault on truth, on democracy, and on the safety of Jewish people everywhere,” and insisting, “This is not normal. And it is not ‘just criticism of Israel.’ It is the world’s oldest hatred, once again wearing political clothing.”

Lauder was referring to the rise of antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment worldwide in the wake of Israel’s 2-year bombing campaign in Gaza.

Then he sharpened the spear and aimed it at domestic enemies like Tucker Carlson, who has been one of the most vocal critics of Israel in the post-October 7 reality we live in. He told the audience, “Tucker Carlson is the Father Coughlin of our generation.” In the same speech he warned that complacency is over, because “antisemitism is rampant throughout our culture,” and he demanded a political and institutional counteroffensive.

That is the Lauder formula in its purest form. He wraps a totalizing political program in the language of safety and moral emergency, then treats America’s public life as territory to be reorganized around his crusade. The target is never merely hatred. The target is dissent, drift, and disobedience from the priorities he has chosen, priorities that consistently put Israel first. … continue

Stop The Hate UK: The Shadowy Israel-Aligned Group Targeting MintPress staff & anti-genocide organizers

Mint Press News | December 9, 2025

In October, MintPress graphic designer and field photographer, Ibrahim Abul-Essad opened his door to find Patrick Sawer of The Daily Telegraph demanding answers.

A prolific writer who has penned 28 pro-Israel articles in the past two months alone, Sawer asked the British Palestinian journalist to respond to pro-Israel pressure group Stop The Hate U.K.’s campaign for him to be prosecuted for “anti-Semitic hate crimes.”

Abul-Essad’s “crime” was attending an October 2024 demonstration in London protesting an event featuring former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert speaking on the future of Gaza – a case that the Metropolitan Police have already looked into and dismissed.

Sawer has previous connections to Stop The Hate U.K. A 2024 Daily Telegraph article framing pro-Palestine marchers as racists, for instance, appears to have been based largely on intelligence gathered by Stop The Hate U.K., and features multiple images of protestors taken without their knowledge.

But who are Stop The Hate U.K.? And where did they come from? MintPress News explores the group’s rise, its agenda, and its scandalously close links to both the British and Israeli governments. … continue

Parents and three daughters hospitalized after violent settler attack near Jericho

Palestinian Information Center – December 16, 2025

JERICHO – A horde of extremist Jewish settlers savagely assaulted a Palestinian family in the village of al-Auja near the West Bank city of Jericho after midnight on Tuesday.

The Red Crescent said that its paramedics provided medical assistance for five wounded members of a family consisting of a father, mother, and three young daughters after settlers assaulted them in al-Auja village.

The Red Crescent added that the parents and their children suffered different injuries and were taken to the hospital for further medical care.

A Day of Terror in Masafer Yatta: Occupation Army Brutally Arrests Elderly Palestinian Amputee and Raids Apartment of International Activists

International Solidarity Movement | December 16, 2025

Masafer Yatta – Yesterday morning, December 15, 2025, Israeli forces descended on Sheikh Said’s land in Rakiz, a village in Masafer Yatta. The Palestinian family had recently erected a razor wire fence to prevent settler sheep and ATVs from entering onto their land. The fence had only been there a short while when a settler came and began tearing it down. Sheikh Said called the police multiple times though they never arrived at the scene. However, at least twelve members of the Israeli military showed up to further intimidate and harass the Palestinian family. Together the army and the settlers removed the fence and allowed a settler ATV to pass further onto Sheikh Said’s land.

Part of this military harassment included the Israeli occupation forces brutally assaulting Sheikh Said, (who lost his leg in April when he was shot by settler security Binyamin Bodenheimer and prevented from receiving immediate medical care by armed forces). The soldiers stole his crutches and could be heard laughing loudly as Sheikh Said clutched his amputated leg whilst screaming in pain. They violently arrested Sheikh Said and forcibly carried him to a military vehicle, all while he continued to scream in pain. He has since been released but is in hospital due to injuries sustained during the arrest.

In the afternoon, at around 16:05, more than three army and police vehicles invaded the nearby village of Tuwani. At least fifteen armed soldiers then raided the home of prominent human rights activist Hafez Hureini and many of his neighbors. Then, ten to twelve heavily armed occupation soldiers arrived to an apartment where international activists were staying and demanded entry to the apartment, threatening to break the door down.

When a volunteer agreed to open the door, the soldiers assaulted her as they barged into the apartment. They showed no documentation and refused to give a reason as to why they were there. They forced activists out of bed, demanded ID’s and aggressively photographed volunteers alongside their passports. They detained the activists in the apartment for about 20 minutes.

These actions are indicative of the rapidly escalating incursions and land grabs across the West Bank. From attacks on both Palestinian families and International activists in Al Mughayyir, to multiple raids in refugee camps, state-sanctioned violence continues to ramp up daily. These are just two incidents in an area where there are many inexcusable acts of violence intended to drive Palestinians off their land. We call on the international community to not let these acts of increasing violence and intimidation go unchecked.

As we prepared this statement, at 3am 16 December 2025 several settlers invaded a Palestinian family at their own home, attacking both the family and international volunteers. They arrived with sticks and bolt cutters to beat the family, injuring one Palestinian with the bolt cutters.

Jewish settler kills Palestinian teen, injures another in eastern Bethlehem

Palestinian Information Center – December 16, 2025

BETHLEHEM – A Palestinian teenager was martyred and another one was injured on Tuesday when an armed Jewish settler opened fire at them in Teqoa town, east of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.

Local sources identified the martyr as 16‑year‑old Muheeb Jibril, saying he was fatally shot in the head.

“This execution-style killing took place following the funeral of another slain child, 16‑year‑old Ammar Sabah. As mourners dispersed, a number of youths remained near the northern entrance of the town when a settler suddenly stepped out of his vehicle and opened fire directly at them, killing Jibril and seriously wounding another one,” Teqoa mayor Mohamed al-Badan explained. … Full article

Soldiers Shoot Two Palestinians Near Jerusalem

IMEMC | December 16, 2025

On Monday evening, Israeli occupation forces shot and wounded two young Palestinian men in the town of ar-Ram, north of occupied Jerusalem in the West Bank.

Local media reported that soldiers opened fire on one of the men near a section of the illegal Annexation Wall, injuring him in the knee.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said its medics provided first aid before transferring him to hospital.

Shortly afterward, troops shot another young man in the same area, wounding him in both legs. He was also evacuated to hospital for treatment. … Full article

Israel razes two Palestinian homes, threatens to demolish others in West Bank

Palestinian Information Center – December 16, 2025

WEST BANK – The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) demolished two Palestinian homes, on Tuesday morning, and notified citizens of its intent to raze other homes in the West Bank, including Jerusalem.

According to local sources, Israeli bulldozers demolished a house belonging to a Palestinian citizen in the town of Rafat, northwest of Jerusalem.

Other residents of the same town were served Israeli demolition orders against their homes.

Israeli forces also demolished a house belonging to a Palestinian in Deir Qaddis town, west of Ramallah.

According to official Palestinian statistics, the IOA has carried out about 1,000 demolition operations since the beginning of the current year in different areas of the West Bank, resulting in the displacement of more than 8,000 Palestinians.

The Folly of Establishing a U.S. Military Base in Damascus

By José Niño | The Libertarian Institute | December 16, 2025

Recent reports indicate the United States is preparing to establish a military presence at an airbase in Damascus, allegedly to facilitate a security agreement between Syria and Israel. This development represents yet another misguided expansion of American military overreach in a region where Washington has already caused tremendous damage through decades of failed interventionist policies. … continue

US strikes three vessels in Eastern Pacific, killing eight

Al Mayadeen | December 16, 2025

The United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced that it launched deadly strikes on three vessels allegedly involved in drug trafficking in international waters in the Eastern Pacific, resulting in the deaths of eight people.

The strikes were carried out on December 15, under the orders of US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, according to an official statement posted on X.

“Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted lethal kinetic strikes on three vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters,” SOUTHCOM said.

The military reported that all individuals killed were adult males: three aboard the first vessel, two on the second, and three on the third.

While the US claims the targeted vessels were engaged in narco-trafficking, no verification of the alleged links to terrorism or drug networks has been provided for any of the 26 boats it struck. Critics, lawmakers, and legal experts have denounced the strikes as illegal under international law. … continue

The F35 Follies: The Cavalcade of Calamities Continues Part Infinity

By Bill Buppert | The Libertarian Institute | December 16, 2025

… a rather technical discussion that points out yet another flaw in the haunted and ridiculously poorly performing F35 program. … Read full article

Zelensky is stealing the election before it begins

By Tarik Cyril Amar | RT | December 16, 2025

Currently, with intense diplomacy taking place to – perhaps – end the Ukraine conflict, questions surrounding Kiev’s domestic politics may seem secondary. However, in reality, they are as important as the search for peace. … continue

The biggest bank robbery in history

By Ian Proud | Strategic Culture Foundation | December 16, 2025

For over two years, there have been loud and repeated calls for Russia’s immobilised assets in Europe – valued at around $245 billion – to be permanently seized. However, those assets had hitherto been immobilised under EU sanctions which required unanimous agreement every six months.

Not any more. Given Belgium’s sturdy resistance to using $165 billion in immobilised assets held in Euroclear, the European Commission has triggered an emergency clause in the Treaty on the functioning of the European Union to bypass the principle of unanimity on sanctions policy.

On Thursday of last week European Council Ambassadors agreed by majority to freeze indefinitely immobilised Russian assets in European banks. This proposal is separate from specific lending to Ukraine to cover its financial needs, which was subject to a separate proposal.

But, in fact, the two are connected. … continue

UK Urges EU to Justify Theft of Russian Assets, Sideline Dissenters – Russian Foreign Intel

Sputnik – 16.12.2025

MOSCOW – London is urging the European Commission to justify seizing frozen Russian assets via “loopholes” in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), while brushing aside dissenting member states, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said on Tuesday.

“London is calling on the European Commission to justify the theft of Russian money through TFEU ‘loopholes’ and extraordinary circumstances references. Views from disagreeing EU countries are proposed to be ignored,” the statement read.

Another pressure tactic on Washington is to threaten closer EU ties with China, the SVR said. The UK, France, and Germany will signal readiness to pivot toward Beijing if the US pushes a Ukraine deal which Brussels does not like, it added.

The UK’s leadership is aggressively lobbying Brussels to confiscate Russian assets held in Belgium’s Euroclear depository, the statement read. In addition to funding Ukraine’s war efforts, London is hoping that if Washington does not get this money, the White House will lose interest in a deal with Moscow, the SVR said.

“Senior UK officials are feeding the Brussels EU bureaucrats false claims that [US President Donald] Trump is allegedly seeking a compromise with Moscow for financial profit,” the statement read.