Forced displacement of Palestinians from occupied West Bank ‘largest since 1967’
The Cradle | February 17, 2025
The mass displacement carried out by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank is the largest since 1967, according to experts cited by the New York Times (NYT) on 17 February.
“What makes this moment unprecedented is not only the scale of the displacement but also the accompanying discourse, which increasingly normalizes the idea of permanent forced displacement,” said Maha Nassar, a Palestinian historian at the University of Arizona.
“This represents a significant escalation in the longstanding conflict, one that threatens to fundamentally alter the political and demographic landscape of the region,” she went on to say.
At least 55 Palestinians have been killed since the Israeli army began its operations in the occupied West Bank last month – which were kicked off by a massive assault on Jenin and its refugee camp that remains ongoing.
The operation quickly expanded to include other cities and towns, including Tulkarem, Tubas, and Nablus.
In Jenin and Tulkarem alone, at least 26,000 Palestinians have been uprooted from their homes. Israeli forces have been destroying houses and wiping out infrastructure. Homes that have not been destroyed are being emptied out, taken over by occupation forces, and transformed into military posts.
“The Israelis have two objectives – first, to push refugees from the northern West Bank toward the central areas, aiming to erase the refugee camps entirely. The second goal is to eliminate resistance and weaken the Palestinian Authority’s ability to govern,” a displaced resident of Tulkarem told NYT.
The Israeli army launched a new raid in Nablus on Monday, after a violent raid in its Old City a day earlier – which injured at least 14, including several children.
Video footage showed Israeli forces opening fire on school children in the Old City of Nablus on Sunday.
Reinforcements have continued to arrive in Jenin and Tulkarem. In Jenin, the assault has been ongoing for nearly a month.
The UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) warned last week that the forced expulsion of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank is “escalating at an alarming pace.”
“Jenin Camp stands empty today, evoking memories of the Second Intifada. This scene stands to be repeated in other camps,” UNRWA stated, noting that 40,000 Palestinians have recently been displaced from the occupied West Bank.
“Repeated and destructive operations have rendered the northern refugee camps uninhabitable, trapping residents in cyclical displacement,” the UN agency added.
Israeli troops used 80-year-old Palestinian as human shield in Gaza before killing him
Press TV – February 16, 2025
Israeli forces have tied explosives around the neck of an elderly Palestinian man in the Gaza Strip and forced him to act as a “human shield” before killing him and his wife, according to an investigation by Israeli media.
The Israeli news website HaMakom revealed that the incident took place last May when Israeli soldiers from several different brigades amassed near the house of a Palestinian couple, both in their 80s, in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood.
“Fighters who were with the force at the time of the incident… said that in one of the houses in the neighborhood that the force cleared, an elderly Palestinian couple in their 80s was present,” the report said.
“They said they had nowhere to run, and that they could not evacuate to Khan Yunis. The man was walking with a walking stick and they said they simply would not be able to walk all the way there.”
The report added that the Nahal Brigade, the Carmeli Brigade and the Multidimensional Unit, decided to use the elderly Palestinian man, who was not named in reports, as a “human shield.”
An Israeli soldier told HaMakom that after explosives were placed around the Palestinian man’s neck, he was told “that if he does something wrong or not the way we want, the person behind him will pull the rope and his head will detach from the body.”
The soldier added, “That’s how he walked around with us for eight hours, even though he’s an 80-year-old man and even though he couldn’t run away from us. And that’s knowing that there’s a soldier behind him who can pull the rope at any second – and he’s done.”
According to the report, after the elderly Palestinian was forced to enter homes and tunnel allegedly used by the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, the soldiers ordered him and his wife to leave the area for al-Mawasi, a small area that was just 1km wide and was being used to house hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
However, it added, no other battalions were informed that the couple would be making their way south and within 100 meters of being allowed to leave they were both shot dead.
“They died like that, in the street,” another soldier was quoted as saying.
The report highlighted that the decision to use the elderly man as a human shield was part of a long-standing tactic called the “mosquito protocol” which involves Israeli soldiers ordering Palestinians to enter potentially booby-trapped locations – houses, tunnels, and other structures – ahead of the regime’s troops.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported in August that the Israeli occupation army had repeatedly used innocent Palestinians to enter homes and tunnels in its war on Gaza.
During the 15 months of the Israeli regime’s genocidal war against the people of Gaza that began in October 2023, over 48,000 Palestinians were killed, most of them children and women.
Amid severe shortages of essential resources such as food, water, and medical supplies due to deliberate restrictions, the Israeli war on Gaza has forcibly displaced almost all of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.
On January 15, the Israeli regime, having failed to achieve any of its war objectives including the “elimination” of Hamas or the release of captives, was forced to agree to a ceasefire deal with the Gaza-based resistance movement.
RAF operated surveillance flights over Gaza on captives release days
Al Mayadeen | February 16, 2025
The Royal Air Force (RAF) conducted surveillance flights near Gaza on each of the five days during the ceasefire when Palestinian Resistance released Israeli captives, Declassified UK revealed.
No such planes were observed heading toward the Strip on the remaining days of the truce.
No information is available on whether the sixth exchange saw similar reconnaissance flights.
The latest flight, operated by a Shadow R1 spy plane, took place on February 8, the same day three Israeli captives— Eli Sharabi, Or Levy, and Ohad Ben Ami — were released. Evidence uncovered by Declassified suggests the plane was airborne at the time of the release.
Other captives were freed on February 1 and on January 19, 25, and 30 as part of the ceasefire deal between “Israel” and Hamas. Among them was British-Israeli Emily Damari. RAF aircraft were also active during these releases, according to flight data.
The surveillance planes take off from Britain’s RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus, heading toward Gaza before switching off their transponders.
Before the ceasefire, these reconnaissance missions occurred almost daily, with the UK government claiming they were assisting “Israel” in locating captives.
‘What intelligence is RAF Akrotiri sharing with Israel?’
Labour MP Brian Leishman said, as quoted by Declassified, “The ongoing use of a British military base in Cyprus with spy planes flying near Gaza is concerning. The purpose of these flights, the activities they undertake, and what happens with any information they gather should be both questioned and explained.”
Campaigners in Cyprus are also skeptical of the UK government’s justification for the continued surveillance.
Melanie Steliou, a Cypriot actress and spokesperson for Social Alliance — a movement affiliated with Cyprus’ main opposition party AKEL — told Declassified, “The explanation that the flights from RAF Akrotiri are only for rescuing captives is not convincing.”
“Why are these flights continuing during a ceasefire? Why are they near Gaza during captive releases? What intelligence is RAF Akrotiri sharing with Israel?”
“Are they only sharing intelligence, or is the involvement of the bases at a greater level, creating even more risks for Cyprus and its people? These are legitimate questions,” Steliou said.
A spokesperson for Britain’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) also said, as quoted by Declassified, “The UK’s operational mandate has been narrowly defined to focus on securing the release of the captives only.”
They claimed that RAF flights in the Eastern Mediterranean during the truce “did not enter Gazan airspace and at all times operated in accordance with the ceasefire and captive release agreement between Israel and Hamas.”
However, the UK military may be violating the spirit, if not the letter, of the ceasefire agreement. The original text of the deal between “Israel” and Hamas stipulated that during the first phase, “all aviation (military and reconnaissance) in the Gaza Strip shall cease for 10 hours a day, and for 12 hours on the days when captives and prisoners are being exchanged.”
This condition was meant to provide Palestinians with respite from Israeli bombardment and assure Hamas that “Israel” would not collect intelligence on captive movements or locations for use if the ceasefire collapsed.
The potential for the UK military to gather intelligence on Hamas during these releases raises concerns that “Israel” could later use such information to resume its offensive against Gaza. The Shadow R1 planes are capable of collecting data for “target acquisition”.
Cypriot concerns grow over British military presence
The surveillance flights from Cyprus have sparked protests outside Akrotiri air base, where Britain retained 3% of the island following its independence in 1960.
Steliou stated, “What has been going on at the bases for the past 16 months has basically opened a Pandora’s box for the actual existence of the British bases in Cyprus. Cypriot citizens who in the past might have turned a blind eye to the activities on the British bases are now more aware than ever of the implications and the dangers these activities entail for the entire population.”
“We have a right as citizens of this island to know how the British bases are involved in the ongoing genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza. These activities, amongst others, make the bases a target which consequently lead to Cyprus being a target,” Steliou added.
She stressed that Social Alliance, AKEL, and other groups on the island have urged Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides to demand answers from the British government.
Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Akrotiri in December and thanked RAF personnel there, saying, “Quite a bit of what goes on here can’t necessarily be talked about all of the time. We can’t necessarily tell the world what you’re doing.”
‘Israel’ targeting police officers in Rafah violates ceasefire: Hamas
Al Mayadeen | February 16, 2025
Hamas has denounced an Israeli drone strike that targeted police officers in Rafah this Sunday morning, killing three officers. The attack occurred while the officers were securing the entry of humanitarian aid, and Hamas has labeled it a “serious violation” of the ceasefire agreement currently in place.
In an official statement, the movement reiterated its belief that “Israel’s” actions show a deliberate disregard for the terms of the ceasefire. Hamas pointed out that “Israel” had promised to allow the entry of caravans and heavy machinery to Gaza but failed to follow through, as evidenced by their announcement today that these supplies would be denied entry. This breach adds to “Israel’s” ongoing failure to maintain the truce, according to the Palestinian movement.
The statement also criticized “Israel’s” delay in beginning the second phase of negotiations, casting doubt on its commitment to the agreement brokered by international mediators. Hamas further accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of obstructing the peace process, using the time to continue military aggression and pursue policies that could lead to further war crimes.
Hamas condemned the attack and all other violations of the ceasefire and humanitarian protocols, holding “Israel” fully responsible for the repercussions. The movement called on international mediators to step in and pressure “Israel” to fulfill its commitments, including stopping its violations of the ceasefire, implementing the full humanitarian protocol, and immediately starting the second phase of peace talks.
Israeli violations tantamount to agreement failure: Gaza Media Office
In a similar vein, Salama Maarouf, the Director of the Government Media Office in Gaza said earlier today that “Israel’s” refusal to allow the entry of mobile homes and heavy equipment to Gaza constitutes a clear violation of its commitments under the ceasefire agreement and its accompanying humanitarian protocol.
In statements to Al Mayadeen, Maarouf emphasized that “Israel’s” refusal is tantamount to declaring the failure of the ceasefire agreement, despite the Palestinian Resistance’s commitment to its obligations as long as the occupation upholds its own.
He added that the Israeli occupation’s actions are clear proof to the world which party is obstructing the agreement, underscoring the need for mediators to intervene and pressure “Israel” to fulfill its commitments.
Maarouf also highlighted that “the catastrophic living conditions endured by the Palestinian people in Gaza due to the genocide and humanitarian crisis cannot withstand further delays, evasion, or obstruction of the entry of shelter materials and other essential supplies.”
The Palestinian official urged mediators and the international community to assume their responsibilities, respond immediately to Gaza’s urgent needs, and put an end to the ongoing suffering by compelling “Israel” to cease its violations and its exploitation of the plight of 2.4 million people in Gaza.
The Government Media Office in Gaza has repeatedly pointed out that “Israel” continues to stall and delay the implementation of the humanitarian protocol, while the humanitarian situation in Gaza deteriorates at an alarming rate.
Despite the entry of 801 aid trucks into the besieged Gaza Strip on Wednesday, humanitarian organizations warn that “Israel” continues to severely limit the flow of essential supplies, in violation of the ceasefire agreement with the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.
According to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the aid deliveries were made “through interactions with the Israeli authorities and the guarantors for the ceasefire deal.” However, the agency cautioned that restrictions remain stringent, particularly on critical supplies like fuel and medical equipment.
It is noteworthy that Hamas intended to postpone the prisoner exchange set for February 15 due to the ongoing Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement before mediators intervened to overcome obstacles hindering the completion of the implementation of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement. The violations include Palestinians being shot at, tanks trespassing the permitted distance, and preventing the entry of heavy equipment, medical supplies, and caravans.
Osasuna fans call for expelling ‘Israel’ from FIFA, UEFA
Al Mayadeen | February 16, 2025
Fans of Spain’s La Liga joined the wave of pro-Palestine protests sweeping European football stadiums during Saturday night’s match between Osasuna and Real Madrid.
During the game, Osasuna supporters displayed a banner reading, “Show ‘Israel’ the red card,” mirroring a similar sign waved by Scotland Celtic’s fans during Wednesday’s Champions League match against Bayern Munich. Both messages called for “Israel’s” suspension from FIFA and UEFA over its war on the Gaza Strip.
Attention now turns to the Spanish League and how it will respond to the Osasuna supporters.
The Green Brigade, a prominent Celtic fan organization, urged football supporters worldwide to demand “Israel’s” exclusion from international competitions. In a statement on the X platform, the group announced: “At the start of the second half we will wave the sign calling on UEFA and FIFA to suspend Israel from all activity. We call on you to do the right thing, and join soccer fans around the world who support this message.”
“‘Israel’ is committing genocide, ethnic cleansing and apartheid. In the last 15 months, at least 382 Palestinian footballers and 235 other athletes have been killed, including 96 children and 286 youths. The Israeli occupation has destroyed 147 football facilities and 140 other sports venues across Palestine. These crimes have no place in our beautiful game,” the Celtic fans wrote.
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is expected to launch an investigation and impose sanctions on Celtic over its fans’ actions, likely including a financial penalty, as it has done in similar cases in the past.
Russia’s Lavrov and US’ Rubio Hold Phone Talks
Sputnik – 15.02.2025
Russian and US foreign ministers have held a phone conversation at the initiative of Washington, a source in the Russian Foreign Ministry told Sputnik.
Over the course of this conversation, Lavrov and Rubio:
- Agreed to maintain a communication channel to address accumulated issues in Russian-American relations. This effort aims to remove unilateral barriers inherited from the previous administration that have hindered mutually beneficial trade, economic, and investment cooperation.
- Expressed a mutual commitment to engage on pressing international issues, including the settlement of the situation around Ukraine, developments concerning Palestine, and broader issues in the Middle East and other regional matters.
- Exchanged views on ways to promptly end the policy initiated by the Obama administration in 2016, which significantly tightened conditions for the functioning of Russian diplomatic missions in the US, prompting reciprocal measures.
- Agreed to organize an expert meeting in the near future to coordinate concrete steps for the mutual removal of obstacles to the operations of Russian and US diplomatic missions abroad.
- Reaffirmed their readiness to work together on restoring a respectful intergovernmental dialogue in line with the tone set by the presidents.
- Agreed to maintain regular contacts, including for the preparation of a high-level Russian-American meeting.
House panel seeks Columbia Palestine protesters’ disciplinary records
Al Mayadeen | February 14, 2025
The US House Committee on Education and the Workforce demanded Columbia University turn over disciplinary records by the end of this month for students who participated in anti-“Israel” protests between April and January 2024, denouncing the Ivy League University’s handling of the students.
The House panel sent a six-page letter to the university leadership saying that the university failed to deliver its promise to students, faculty, and Congress that it’d address “anti-semitism”, saying that “Columbia’s continued failure to address the pervasive anti-semitism that persists on campus is untenable, particularly given that the university receives billions in federal funding.”
The letter cites the protesters taking over the campus last year, and students disrupting an Israeli professor’s lecture this semester. The letter adds that Columbia failed to properly discipline those responsible, which created a “hostile environment for members of Columbia’s Jewish communities.”
Trump cracks down on student protesters
Students across major universities in the US launched anti-war, pro-Palestine protests across the country, setting up solidarity encampments, with some students calling for their universities to cut ties with “Israel.”
Trump signed an executive order that allows the US government to use “all available and appropriate legal tools to combat anti-semitism, including prosecuting and deporting those accused of anti-Semitic harassment,” with the order targeting pro-Palestine student protesters.
The current US president vowed to expel student protesters from the United States and get rid of pro-Palestine protests to a group of donors saying, “One thing I do is, any student that protests, I throw them out of the country. You know, there are a lot of foreign students. As soon as they hear that, they’re going to behave.”
American-Zionist group World Betar compiled a list of names of students on Visas to send to Trump to deport them for joining in anti-“Israel” protests after the group launched a campaign to identify these students.
Columbia professor, NYU students persecuted over pro-Palestine activism
Earlier last month, Katherine Franke, a law professor and outspoken supporter of pro-Palestine students, parted ways with Columbia University on January 11, following an investigation into comments she made about Israeli students. This marked the consequence of activism surrounding Gaza on a major university campus amid the ongoing Israeli genocide.
Franke, a tenured professor, had supported pro-Palestine students amid protests at the university last year. She was one of several faculty members investigated for alleged anti-semitism.
She described her departure as “a termination dressed up in more palatable terms,” stating in a Friday statement that she agreed to leave due to Columbia becoming a “toxic and hostile environment.” Columbia University spokesperson Samantha Slater confirmed that a complaint had been filed accusing Franke of discriminatory harassment in violation of university policies, leading to an investigation.
The Center for Constitutional Rights, a nonprofit legal group, condemned the end of Franke’s career at Columbia as an “egregious attack on both academic freedom and Palestinian rights advocacy.”
In a related context, more than a dozen NYU students and faculty distributed flyers and hung banners throughout the Bobst Library, while 13 individuals staged a sit-in on the library’s administrative floor.
The protesters were demanding a meeting with university administrators, who had previously promised to reveal details of the university’s endowment, including investments in weapons manufacturers and companies linked to “Israel” and its occupation of Palestine, during the spring Gaza solidarity encampment movement.
Neocon think tanks persuading Trump to stomp down on West Asia
By Hassan Fakih | Al Mayadeen | February 13, 2025
Think thanks are making attempts to persuade the reinstated Donald Trump administration to take an iron fist approach to West Asia in light of news that US government bodies are making moves to begin pulling troops out.
The Vandenberg Coalition, an American neoconservative think tank headed by Elliott Abrams, a US politician who held foreign policy positions in the offices of presidents Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and Trump, published a report with their recommendations on how the 47th president should handle the region.
Mainly, the report seeks to have Trump’s administration ensure that the region remains in line with American interests by seeing to it that olive branches are not to be extended to nations like Iran, China, or Russia.
“To protect U.S. security and ensure America has the resources to deter and confront adversaries outside of the Middle East, we must implement new policies toward the region,” the report reads.
The think tank lays out multiple methods as to how the reinstated White House Administration should act towards all of the nations of West Asia, whether they house forces hostile to the US or are Gulf allies.
The report sees Iran as the major roadblock to expanding US power over the region. It calls the Islamic Republic “the greatest threat to American interests in the Middle East and the cause of most of the region’s security problems.”
The coalition calls on Trump to reinstate “maximum pressure” on the Islamic Republic in order to deter it from gaining influence.
On the economic front, it demands that Washington fully enforce existing US oil sanctions so as to prevent economic growth via business between Iran and China.
Hostile words alluding to military action against Iran are littered throughout the report. It notes that the US should make Iran “pay” in the case that allied Resistance Axis forces carry out operations against an invading American force and considers it an attack carried out by Tehran.
“Any attack on U.S. forces or military assets by proxies must be considered an attack by Iran so as to encourage deterrence,” the report read. “The proxy attacks will not cease until Iran is made to pay a serious price for them. That should be US policy, communicated unequivocally to Iran.”
The Washington Institute, another US neoconservative think tank, also states in a report that the US should increase pressure on Iran. Its author, Michael Singh, outrightly declares that Washington should look towards a military solution as a means to combat Tehran’s nuclear enrichment project in place of complex diplomacy.
“One of the difficulties with diplomatic resolutions to nuclear crises is that they require the sort of domestic buy-in that was not obtained in America for either the Agreed Framework or JCPOA,” Singh wrote. “Given Iran’s vulnerability and the advanced state of its nuclear program, the Trump administration would be remiss not to consider, and indeed prepare seriously for, military strikes against Iran’s nuclear program.”
In regards to other West Asian countries, the Vandenberg coalition says that the US should keep its presence and sphere of influence in Iraq and Syria to prevent Iranian-backed groups from gaining power, as well as to try and cut off growing ties with China and Russia.
It supports the Israeli annexation of Syria’s land and attacks on military sites, adding that Washington should back such military moves by Tel Aviv.
“America must strongly support Israel’s efforts to identify, secure, and destroy the former Assad regime’s military infrastructure and chemical weapons stockpiles,” the Vandenberg Coalition’s report reads. “The United States must continue to allow Israel to obliterate these sites and equipment lest militant groups seize them.”
As for Lebanon, the coalition says that the Lebanese Republic should be treated “as a state captured by Iran” so far as Hezbollah exists.
It claims that “Israel” is the only capable body that can “secure the Israeli-Lebanese border,” and condemns the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) by saying that they and other international organizations are too outspoken about “Israeli defensive actions.”
It wrongly justifies “Israel’s” occupation of Lebanese territory, done so under the guise of border protection, by pinning the blame on Hezbollah for breaking the 27 November ceasefire agreement.
The reality is that during the 60-day ceasefire, Israeli violations were north of 1,300; this includes the imposed ceasefire as well as breaches of UN Resolution 1701, with “Israel” targeting areas north of the Litani River. The counter continues to climb as the Israeli army is still bombing Lebanese territory during this extended ceasefire.
For its part, Hezbollah launched one “initial warning defensive response” against the Israeli army’s Ruwaysat al-Alam site after multiple violations by the Israeli forces.
The claim that “Israel” should stay in Lebanon is also a view held by the Hudson Institute’s Rebeccah Heinrichs, who claims Hezbollah’s presence in the south, generalizing the entire region and not just south of the Litani, is justification for “Israel’s” occupation of Lebanese territory.
When it comes to recommended actions against Palestine, the Vandenberg Coalition says that Gazan sovereignty should be replaced with overseers from volunteer Arab States vetted by the Americans, noting that “American policymakers should prohibit the participation of any entities with longstanding support for Hamas.”
The main goal for US foreign policy regarding Palestine, according to the think tank, is to “prioritize the security of Israel and our Arab partners,” Palestinian rights will only go so far as the Americans will allow them.
“Israel’s” Institute for National Security Studies’ Chuck Freilich gave the opinion that Trump should help with the idea of creating a Jordanian-Palestinian confederation instead of looking at a viable means for Palestinians to stay on their lands.
Trump seems to have taken this view, as he said during a February 5 presser with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that neighboring nations should absorb the Palestinians living in Gaza.
“Being in [Gaza’s] presence just has not been good, and it should not go through a process of rebuilding and occupation by the same people that have really stood there and fought for it and lived there and died there,” Trump said. “Instead, we should go to other countries of interest with humanitarian hearts, […] and build various domains that will ultimately be occupied by the million Palestinians living in Gaza, ending the death and destruction and frankly bad luck.”
The US president failed to mention “Israel” as being the reason for the death and destruction of the besieged enclave, instead, referring to them as “wonderful people.”
Normalization between “Israel” and Arab states is still also a significant goal of these recommendations. Both the American Vandenberg Coalition and the Israeli think tank, The Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, call for an expansion of the Abraham Accords under the guise of creating a strong network to combat Iran.
The coalition also declares that the US should remove “unwarranted” restrictions to arms sales with “Israel”, noting, “Arming Israel in a timely manner shows Iran and its proxies that the United States stands shoulder to shoulder with its ally.”
Even Gulf states that have taken positions very kind to America and “Israel” historically are being targeted as nations in need of American discipline.
Growing ties with China are listed as a reason for cracking down on Saudi Arabian, Qatari, and UAE ambitions, as the three nations have been in talks with Beijing on military matters, a subject which Washington sees as a notable threat.
Censorship of Saudi Arabian speech is also a part of the recommended acts, noting, “Saudi Arabia should be asked to stop rhetoric about Iran or Israel that creates any confusion about the Kingdom’s allegiances,” highlighting statements made at the 2024 Arab League in which Riyadh called on Washington to respect Iran’s sovereignty.
The Vandenberg coalition called on Trump to revoke Qatar’s Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status due to its “overt support of Hamas and other Iranian-affiliated terrorist groups.”
In Yemen, there are calls for the Americans to conduct operations in the Red Sea to ensure the safe travel of ships, and “destroy Iranian ships,” as a means of fulfilling this goal.
It also calls for the US to discipline UN bodies operating in West Asia, the Vandenberg Coalition outrightly declares that Washington should “immediately cease all funding to UNRWA” and authorize UNIFIL to be able to independently search private property in South Lebanon to find weapon caches.
If UNIFIL doesn’t comply, the recommended act is for the US to halt all voluntary funding to the group.
The coalition states that the US should also “vet potential appointments of senior UN officials” in order to “prevent conflicts of interest.”
What these think tanks desire from Trump’s administration is for it to adopt a Henry Kissinger-esque view of America first policy towards West Asia, meaning that the US and its Israeli ally should always come before the natives of the land by any means necessary.
Trump’s vision of pulling out troops from the region is undesirable to these academic hawks because they view that without the policing of America, the region’s nations will turn their back to Washington and benefit adversaries like China or Iran.
Neoconservatives want a diplomatic strategy from Trump that sees the sovereignty of West Asian nations taking a back seat if they do not comply with America’s vision of the region.
We can expect that Trump will eventually comply in one way or another with the demands brought forward, as policymakers want to ensure that the US stays on the throne it commandeered following the collapse of the USSR by making Trump a Machiavellian prince.
Lawyer visits Dr. Abu Safiya, reveals his exposure to torture and abuse
Palestinian Information Center – February 12, 2025
GAZA – Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights said its lawyer was able on Tuesday to visit Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya for the first time since he was kidnaped from the Gaza Strip 47 days ago.
“Around 3:00 p.m. today, al-Mezan’s lawyer visited Dr. Abu Safiya in Ofer prison, located in the unlawfully occupied West Bank. During the visit, Dr. Abu Safiya detailed the various forms of torture and abuse to which he has been subjected both during his unlawful arrest and throughout his arbitrary detention by Israeli forces and authorities,” al-Mezan explained in a statement on Tuesday.
“When he was captured from Gaza and transferred to the Sde Teiman military detention camp, he was subjected to various forms of torture and inhuman and degrading treatment — methods that are emblematic of Israeli mass arrest operations in Gaza,” al-Mezan said.
Dr. Abu Safiya told the lawyer that he was being forcibly stripped, having his hands tightly shackled, and being made to sit on sharp gravel for approximately five hours by Israeli forces.
He was also subjected to severe physical abuse, including beatings with batons and electric shock sticks, as well as repeated blows to the chest, according to the lawyer.
“In Ofer prison, where he was transferred on January 9, 2025, he was held in solitary confinement for 25 days — a period so prolonged as to constitute a form of torture in itself. During this time, he endured nearly continuous interrogation for 10 days. At one point, he lost consciousness in his cell due to severe breathing difficulties,” the lawyer said.
“During interrogation, Dr. Abu Safiya was confronted with accusations that he firmly denied, stressing that he is a doctor whose sole duty is to provide medical care to patients and the wounded,” the lawyer added.
The detained doctor also reported a severe decline in his health, with his weight dropping from 96 kilograms to 84 kilograms, a 12-kilogram loss in less than two months — further evidence of Israel’s systematic starvation policies against Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
Additionally, Abu Safiya disclosed that he suffers from heart muscle enlargement. Despite repeatedly requesting medical attention from Israeli authorities, he has been systematically denied access to a specialist examination and deprived of essential care, further endangering his already deteriorating condition.
Al-Mezan has unequivocally condemned “the torture and other grave human rights abuses inflicted upon Dr. Abu Safiya by Israeli forces and authorities.”
Al-Mezan has urged the international community, particularly Israel’s allies, to take immediate action to demand the immediate and unconditional release of Dr. Abu Safiya, as well as of all Palestinians who have been unlawfully and arbitrarily detained by Israeli authorities, including hundreds of healthcare workers.
Gaza ceasefire in peril as Israel’s non-compliance sparks diplomatic crisis with Qatar
MEMO | February 12, 2025
Qatar has issued a stark warning to Israel that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conduct is jeopardising the current hostage deal, as mounting evidence reveals multiple violations of the ceasefire by the occupation state.
According to Haaretz, Qatar has conveyed “angry messages” to Israel after Netanyahu’s controversial statements about ethnically cleansing Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and his failure to send a high-level delegation to Doha for negotiations. The Qataris emphasised that their role is guarantors of the agreement and they are not merely intermediaries between Israel and Hamas.
Israel’s violations of the ceasefire terms are extensive and well-documented. The agreed humanitarian aid target of 12,000 trucks has fallen dramatically short, with only 8,500 reaching Gaza. The shelter crisis continues as Israel has delivered just 10 per cent of the promised 200,000 tents, while none of the pledged 60,000 mobile homes have materialised.
The medical evacuation programme has largely failed, with only 120 patients permitted to leave Gaza instead of the anticipated 1,000. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports ongoing Palestinian casualties during the ceasefire period, while Israel continues to block both the return of displaced persons to northern Gaza and the entry of essential equipment needed for the removal of debris and the recovery of dead bodies. At least 48,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel, mainly women and children, and thousands more are missing, believed dead, under the rubble.
Israel’s violations of the ceasefire agreement have been confirmed by three Israeli officials and two mediators. Speaking anonymously to the New York Times they said that Hamas’s claims about Israel’s non-compliance with the agreement terms were accurate.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry has taken the unusual step of publicly condemning Netanyahu’s recent television interview proposing the transfer of Gaza’s Palestinian population to Saudi Arabia, describing it as “a flagrant violation of international law.” The diplomatic crisis deepens as Hamas threatens to pause the implementation of the agreement which in turn has been met with threats by US President Donald Trump and Netanyahu.
US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to visit the region, including stops in Israel and Doha, to assess the deteriorating situation first hand. Sources suggest that without swift progress in negotiations for the second stage, further delays in hostage releases could lead to a complete collapse of the agreement’s first phase.
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By Prof. Tony Hall | American Herald Tribune | July 28, 2016
The Kevin Barrett-Chomsky Dispute in Historical Perspective – Sixth part of the series titled “9/11 and the Zionist Question”
In his chapter on “Left Gatekeepers” and the “Shame of Noam Chomsky,” Barrie Zwicker refers to the the “New World Order” as the “diaboligarchy’s” directing agency. Less compelling is Zwicker’s reference to the “New World Order” as the “diaboligarchy’s” directing agency. To me this unfortunate choice of words is much too closely associated with the often crude and chauvinistic populism of Alex Jones and his Infowars media network. Many have come to see Jones’ lucrative media operation as a limited hangout set in place by handlers trying to hold the activities of the 9/11 Truth Movement within manageable constraints.
Due to the important findings over fifteen years of the citizens’ investigation into 9/11, the culprits most deeply implicated in the crime can be identified with much more specificity than an entity vaguely described as a “New World Order.” As Kevin Barrett and many others insist, the time has come to name the names of the probable culprits, Noam Chomsky prominent among them.
While Alex Jones ultimately serves the same masters as Chomsky, the former’s media product is often much closer to the mark of what is really going on than the content of Noam Chomsky’s more magisterial pronouncements. Jones goes at least part of the way into realities of the deep state politics of the twenty-first century. Chomsky, however, sacrificed his capacity to contribute cogently to sensible discourse on contemporary geopolitics by making himself a primary instrument of the most consequential deep state deception of recent times. As a leading agent of disinformation in the psychological trenches of the ongoing Global War of False Flag Terrorism, Chomsky has reduced himself to the level of skeptic pretender Michael Shermer. In the style of Shermer, the elder Chomsky has become an establishment TV professor readily available on Netflix. … continue
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