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Netanyahu: Israel Does Not Need US Approval to Strike Gaza

By Kyle Anzalone | The Libertarian Institute | October 26, 2025

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that he can order strikes in Israel at his discretion and that he is not controlled by the US.

Haaretz reports that the Israeli leader said Sunday that Israel “does not seek anyone’s approval” for strikes in Gaza. The remarks follow a report on Thursday that top US officials told Netanyahu that Washington expects to be informed before Tel Aviv attacks Gaza.

He says the US approves of Tel Aviv having full decision-making over striking Gaza. “Israel will decide which forces are unacceptable. The US agrees to this,” he said.

Last week, Israel bombed Gaza dozens of times, claiming it was reacting to a Hamas attack in Rafah. However, the White House knew there was no Hamas attack. When Washington informed Tel Aviv, it was aware that the explosion was caused by an Israeli bulldozer hitting an unexploded munition.

While the reporting said that Washington’s expectations did not amount to Netanyahu needing Trump’s permission to bomb Gaza, the President has sent a number of high-level officials to Israel to keep the Prime Minister from breaking the ceasefire. Trump’s policy has been dubbed “Bibi-sitting.”

Some Israeli officials said that Israel is struggling to dictate policy to the US. Israeli officials told Haaretz that they “have the impression that American scrutiny of Israel has reached a point that usurps Israel’s military and diplomatic power.” They added, “Netanyahu continues to deny this new reality because it contradicts his attempts to create a narrative of victory in the war, at least in the eyes of his political supporters.”

In his remarks, Netanyahu argued he has been able to violate the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah and Hamas at his discretion. “I want to make one thing clear – our security policy is in our own hands. We are not willing to tolerate attacks against us, we respond at our discretion against attacks, as we saw in Lebanon and recently in Gaza,” he said.

October 26, 2025 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism | , , , | Leave a comment

Israeli army turns Gaza border areas into a dumping ground for settlements’ waste

Palestinian Information Center – October 26, 2025

GAZA – Footage has shown Israeli trucks transporting construction debris from settlements adjacent to Gaza into the Strip through the Kissufim crossing, dumping it in areas destroyed by the genocide war.

The footage, published by Haaretz on Sunday, shows Israeli trucks leaving the settlements loaded with construction waste and heading into Gaza. The trucks advance roughly 200 to 300 meters inside the Strip and unload their cargo along roadsides, rather than at designated sites, before returning empty to the settlements.

On the Israeli side, bulldozers refill the trucks with more waste, which then follow the same route back into Gaza to dump their loads again.

According to the report, massive amounts of construction debris and waste have accumulated in the area, much of it left behind by the Israeli army during the war as it built dozens of bases and military posts near the border, along with infrastructure, fences, roads, and concrete barriers.

Haaretz quoted Israeli army officers as saying that field commanders had issued orders allowing trucks owned by private companies to enter Gaza and dump their waste “wherever they see fit.”

A soldier currently serving inside Gaza and living in a nearby kibbutz said, “Mountains of garbage will remain inside the Strip right in front of our homes for the rest of our lives. What’s the logic in dumping thousands of tons of waste just a few hundred meters from our houses?”

According to one source who asked his commanders why waste was being dumped inside Gaza in undesignated locations, the response he received was that “countries will soon enter Gaza to oversee reconstruction, and they will handle this debris.”

The Gaza Strip faces the largest construction and humanitarian disaster in modern history. Estimates indicate there are between 65 and 70 million tons of rubble and debris resulting from the genocidal war waged by Israel over the past two years, according to figures from Gaza’s Government Media Office.

This rubble includes the remains of thousands of homes, facilities, and vital infrastructure deliberately destroyed by the occupation army, turning the Strip into an environmentally and structurally devastated area. It has also severely hindered rescue operations and the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Efforts to remove the rubble face immense obstacles, as Israel continues to block the entry of heavy machinery and rescue equipment, in addition to the presence of around 20,000 unexploded ordnances, bombs and missiles dropped during the war.

The Government Media Office stresses that this reality compels the international community to shoulder its legal and humanitarian responsibilities by pressuring Israel to open the crossings and immediately begin clearing the debris, paving the way for Gaza’s reconstruction after the catastrophe that has befallen it.

October 26, 2025 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism | , , , | Leave a comment

Four militias backed by Israel, Arab states plan ‘Project New Gaza’ to dismantle Hamas: Report

The Cradle | October 26, 2025

Israel is backing four militias as part of a project to oust Hamas and create a “new Gaza,” according to a report released by Sky News on 25 October.

These armed groups – which throughout the war have been engaged in hostilities against Hamas on behalf of Israel – are currently operating along the Yellow Line of Washington’s ceasefire map, in Israeli-held territory.

“We have an official project – me, [Yasser] Abu Shabab, [Rami] Khalas, and [Ashraf] al Mansi,” militia leader Hossam al-Astal, a Palestinian Bedouin with links to the Palestinian Authority (PA), told Sky News.

“We are all for ‘The New Gaza.’ Soon we will achieve full control of the Gaza Strip and will gather under one umbrella,” he added.

According to footage which was geolocated by Sky News, the headquarters of Astal’s militia in south Gaza’s Khan Yunis lies on a military road less than 700 meters from an Israeli army outpost.

“I’m hearing the sound of tanks now while I’m speaking, perhaps they’re out on patrol or something, but I’m not worried. They don’t engage us, and we don’t engage them … We’ve agreed, through the coordinator, that this is a green zone, not to be targeted by shelling or gunfire,” Astal went on to say.

Astal added that the rifles used by his gang members are purchased from former Hamas fighters on the black market. “Ammunition and vehicles, on the other hand, are delivered through the Kerem Shalom border crossing after coordination with the Israeli military.”

Karem Shalom crossing is also used by ISIS-linked drug-trafficker and smuggler Yasser Abu Shabab, who leads his own anti-Hamas militia with Israel’s backing.

According to Sky News, Astal and Abu Shabab use the same car dealer to smuggle vehicles into Gaza. Hebrew writing can be seen on some of the vehicles used by these groups.

Abu Shabab’s militia is said to be the largest, and consists of at least 2,000 fighters. It is based in the southernmost city of Rafah, which was completely destroyed by Israeli forces during the genocide.

Rami Khalas (or Halles), an anti-Hamas activist affiliated with the Fatah party, is also leading an Israeli-backed militia in northern Gaza.

The fourth leader participating in the so-called “New Gaza” project is Ashraf al-Mansi, who leads a group in north Gaza called the People’s Army. Mansi’s group is said to be the weakest of the militias in Gaza.

Sky News has revealed that these groups are receiving backing from Arab states as well.

A photo featured in the report shows Abu Shabab’s deputy Ghassan al-Duhine, standing near a vehicle with a UAE-registered license plate.

Additionally, the logos of two of the militias, one of them led by Astal, are nearly identical to those used by UAE-backed groups in Yemen. The UAE did not respond to a request for comment from the outlet.

When asked if the militias were receiving UAE support, Astal told Sky News: “God willing, in time everything will become clear. But yes, there are Arab countries that support our project.”

Regarding links to the PA, Astal said, “I have people within my group who are still, to this day, employees of the Palestinian Authority.”

The PA, who previously denied having links to any of these militias, did not respond to Sky News’s questions.

“Very soon, God willing, you will see this for yourselves; we will become the new administration of Gaza. Our project is ‘The New Gaza.’ No war, at peace with everyone – no Hamas, no terrorism,” he added.

US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner, who is involved in ceasefire and post-war efforts, recently used the phrase ‘New Gaza.’

“There are considerations happening now in the area that the IDF controls, as long as that can be secured, to start the construction as a new Gaza in order to give the Palestinians living in Gaza a place to go, a place to get jobs, a place to live,” Kushner said during the week.

Other reports have indicated an Arab unwillingness to initiate reconstruction in areas still held by Hamas.

This falls in line with a broader US-Israeli plan to divide Gaza, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. The proposal envisions splitting the enclave into two zones – one under Israeli control and one under Hamas – with reconstruction limited to the Israeli-held area until Hamas is disarmed and removed from power, effectively cementing a “new Gaza” under prolonged Israeli oversight.

Hamas has been cracking down on gangs supported by Israel. Throughout the war, these groups – including Abu Shabab’s militia and others – carried out extensive aid looting (to blame on Hamas) and provided Israeli forces with intelligence for military operations.

In mid-October, Gaza’s Interior Ministry forces clashed with armed groups and killed dozens of fighters. Scores of others have been apprehended. An amnesty period announced by authorities in Gaza – strictly for militia members who were not involved in killings – has expired.

According to Gaza Interior Ministry sources who spoke with Mondoweiss on 21 October, Hamas is preparing for its “largest yet” crackdown on Israeli-backed militias.

“Our evidence demonstrates that these individuals are implicated in acts of sabotage, kidnappings, the execution of civilians, looting aid, offering armed cover for the occupation, and receiving logistical and financial support from the occupation,” one of the sources said.

October 26, 2025 Posted by | Corruption, Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism | , , | Leave a comment

Israeli settler attacks during West Bank olive harvest ‘organized terrorist policy’: Hamas

Press TV – October 25, 2025

A senior official of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has strongly condemned the ongoing brutal attacks carried out by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, condemning them as part of “an organized terrorist policy.”

Abdul Rahman Shadid made the remarks on Saturday, as Israeli settlers’ attacks on Palestinian farmers across the West Bank have intensified in recent days, particularly in an attempt to deter them from tending to olive trees during the harvest season.

Shadid further characterized these attacks as “an organized terrorist policy” that specifically targets land, people, and various aspects of Palestinian life in the West Bank.

He also stressed that the assaults are designed “to expand the settlements, terrorize residents and force them to abandon their lands.”

On Friday, in the town of Turmus Ayya near Ramallah, a focal point of violence this year, Israeli settlers targeted Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest season, culminating in a disturbing incident captured on video.

The video footage depicted a young masked man striking an older Palestinian woman who was in the process of picking olives, causing her to collapse.

The distressing scene has brought attention to the heightened violence characterizing this year’s olive harvest in the West Bank.

The annual harvest, once a peaceful gathering for families in the West Bank, has transformed in recent years into a series of increasingly violent confrontations involving Israeli settlers, troops, Palestinian harvesters, and foreign activists.

The olive harvest season began in October and will last until mid-November, as Palestinians across the West Bank harvest olives from trees they see as deeply connected to their national identity.

According to the agriculture ministry’s 2021 census, the West Bank is home to over eight million olive trees for its three million Palestinian inhabitants. Every autumn, Palestinian farmers, as well as urban residents with family-owned trees, venture into the fields to handpick olives.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that 27 West Bank villages experienced attacks related to the harvest in the week of October 7 to 13 alone, underscoring the widespread impact of these incidents.

October 25, 2025 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism | , , , , | Leave a comment

Saudi Arabia’s path to normalization with Israel threatens a regional rupture

By Fouad Ibrahim | The Cradle | October 24, 2025

On 17 October, US President Donald Trump told Fox News, “I hope to see Saudi Arabia go in, and I hope to see others go in. I think when Saudi Arabia goes in, everybody goes in.” The statement was calculated to reignite Washington’s normalization push and reassert Riyadh’s place at the heart of the US-Israeli regional alliance plan.

Trump is determined to complete the regional realignment he initiated in 2020 with the signing of the Abraham Accords. Including Saudi Arabia would crown his foreign policy legacy and fundamentally alter the Arab political order. But the costs may be steeper than the gains.

The 2023 near-deal that faltered

In the months preceding Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, US-mediated talks between Riyadh and Tel Aviv were approaching a breakthrough. The kingdom sought US security guarantees, access to advanced weapons systems, and backing for its civilian nuclear ambitions. The Israeli side, eager for regional legitimacy, saw in Riyadh a historic opportunity.

But Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on 7 October 2023, and Tel Aviv’s ensuing carpet-bombing of Gaza, derailed the entire process. Saudi officials were forced to retreat in the face of overwhelming public outrage across the Muslim world.

Trump’s renewed confidence, however, suggests the framework forged before the war was never truly discarded. It has merely been shelved, pending a more favorable political climate.

Saudi Arabia is not just another Arab state. Its symbolic weight derives from a rare trifecta: custodianship of Islam’s two holiest sites, vast oil wealth and economic clout, and considerable political leadership of the Arab and Islamic mainstream.

If the kingdom normalizes ties with Tel Aviv, a domino effect across Arab and Muslim nations could follow. For Israel, this would be the ultimate regional prize. For Washington, it would cement an American-led bloc from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf, aimed squarely at containing both Iran and China.

What could drive normalization forward?

Despite the political fallout from Gaza, several factors continue to draw Riyadh toward normalization. Both Saudi Arabia and Israel view Iran and the Axis of Resistance as their primary regional adversaries.

This strategic alignment has not been fully undone by the 2023 China-brokered thaw between Tehran and Riyadh. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan to diversify its economy sees potential in Israeli sectors like defense technology and cybersecurity.

Trump’s preference for transactional diplomacy means a grand bargain offering defense pacts, nuclear cooperation, or substantial investment flows could appeal to Saudi ambitions. And within the kingdom, a younger, globally attuned population may be less ideologically opposed to normalization – if it is presented as part of a broader modernization drive.

However, polls conducted by the Washington Institute before and after 7 October 2023 show a different inclination. Surveys in December indicated that a majority of Saudis oppose normalizing ties with Israel.

Strategic and moral hazards

Normalization is not without peril. On the contrary, its very success could destabilize the region.

Any Saudi–Israeli deal that sidelines Palestinian rights would be seen as a betrayal of the kingdom’s religious mandate and leadership role. The devastation in Gaza has reignited pan-Islamic solidarity, and any Saudi alignment with Tel Aviv while Palestinians endure siege and bombardment could shatter the kingdom’s legitimacy in the wider Muslim world.

The Axis of Resistance – particularly Iran, Hezbollah, and Ansarallah – would seize on the normalization to portray it as an alliance of apostates and occupiers, fueling more intense and frequent confrontations. By committing to a volatile US-Israeli partnership, Riyadh risks entanglement in wider conflicts, undermining its strategic autonomy and exposing itself to blowback it cannot control.

The security dimension: A trilateral axis

If normalization ushers in a US–Israel–Saudi security architecture, the implications for West Asia would be profound. Tel Aviv would contribute intelligence and military prowess, Washington would provide oversight and guarantees, and Riyadh would bankroll the venture.

But this alliance would be read in Tehran as yet another encirclement strategy, prompting the Islamic Republic to accelerate its missile and nuclear capabilities. The region could slide into an arms race that undermines development, drains budgets, and magnifies the risks of miscalculation.

Moreover, such a pivot could unravel Saudi Arabia’s recent diplomatic gains – including its rapprochement with Iran, Iraq, and Oman-mediated talks with the Sanaa government in Yemen – and alienate its Eurasian partners like China and Russia. The net result could be diminished regional influence and increased dependence on the west.

Domestically, too, the kingdom would face challenges. Clerical critics and nationalist voices could depict normalization as ideological surrender. The government would find itself more reliant on US and Israeli backing to suppress dissent, exacerbating its internal vulnerabilities.

In this sense, the very security guarantees sought through the trilateral axis could paradoxically generate new forms of insecurity – both internal and regional – making the kingdom’s stability increasingly contingent on external actors and volatile power dynamics.

Economic integration

Economic incentives are central to the normalization pitch. Saudi–Israeli integration could unlock massive investment flows and tech partnerships in fields ranging from Artificial Intelligence (AI) to renewables.

Yet this alignment risks reinforcing structural dependencies. Israeli firms, backed by western capital and technological superiority, would dominate the value chains. The Saudi economy could shift from oil dependency to digital subordination.

Further, such a move could sour ties with China, currently Riyadh’s largest trading partner. Over-alignment with the US–Israel axis might jeopardize the kingdom’s multi-vector strategy and reduce its diplomatic room to maneuver.

Even the promise of modernization may ring hollow if perceived as elite enrichment at public expense. The economic corridor could become a tool of inequality, modernizing infrastructure while leaving social contracts untouched.

Economic integration can bring regional prosperity if fair and balanced, but without safeguards, it risks reinforcing dependency and fueling conflicts.

Surveillance state: Normalization’s dark underbelly

One of the least discussed aspects of normalization is cyber collaboration. Israel’s role as a global surveillance hub and Saudi Arabia’s deep pockets could converge to create a formidable digital control grid.

Such a system – integrating spyware, predictive policing, and AI surveillance – would strengthen the US-led intelligence grid across West Asia, enhancing early-warning systems, missile defense coordination, and digital containment of the Axis of Resistance.

It could also extend the reach of western intelligence into theaters such as Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, and the Red Sea. In practical terms, the alliance could evolve into a regional integrated military and intelligence system encompassing command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance – underpinned by joint data centers, AI-driven threat analysis, and shared satellite networks.

However, this integration would carry profound ethical and political implications. The same tools designed to deter external threats could easily be repurposed for internal control. By combining Israeli-developed spyware, predictive policing algorithms, and US-supplied surveillance hardware, the Saudi government would vastly expand its capacity to monitor dissent, pre-empt protests, and neutralize political opposition.

The normalization process could thus serve as a legitimizing cover for what might become the most sophisticated surveillance apparatus in the Arab world.

Regionally, a Saudi–Israeli cyber partnership would alarm neighboring states, particularly Iran and Qatar, which would perceive it as a threat to their own sovereignty and national security. The likely response would be the acceleration of rival cyber alliances, possibly involving Russia, China, or Turkiye – ushering in a new digital Cold War in the Persian Gulf.

In the long term, the fusion of surveillance technology and political authority poses a deeper civilizational question: Can the Arab world’s quest for security coexist with the preservation of freedom and privacy? If the digital frontier becomes another instrument of domination, the promised “technological peace” may end up securing governments, not peoples – turning the dream of innovation into the architecture of control.

Riyadh’s choices: Three possible trajectories

The Saudi leadership now faces three broad options. First, conditional normalization, where recognition of Israel is tied to measurable progress on Palestinian statehood and sovereignty. Given Tel Aviv’s accelerated settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, this appears increasingly unrealistic.

Second, incremental engagement (soft normalization), involving quiet cooperation below the threshold of formal recognition that gradually lays the groundwork for future deals.

Third, strategic hedging, in which Riyadh continues to balance between US pressure and regional diplomacy, keeping normalization in reserve as a bargaining chip.

Between realpolitik and regional rupture

Trump’s statement has reignited the debate over the kingdom’s path forward. The immediate gains of normalization – security assurances, economic incentives, and prestige – are tempting. But the long-term consequences could be corrosive.

To join the Abraham Accords while Gaza remains in rubble will irreparably damage Saudi Arabia’s credibility as a leader of the Islamic world. It could sever the kingdom from the Arab street, provoke resistance retaliation, and entrench a neocolonial security order.

Unless normalization is tied to justice for Palestine, it will be remembered not as peace, but as betrayal.

October 25, 2025 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism | , , , , , | Leave a comment

War and Business. Peace Negotiations are “A Waste Of Time”.

By Manlio Dinucci | Global Research | October 25, 2025

Following the announcement of the impending summit with President Putin in Hungary, President Trump declared that the summit with the Russian President on Ukraine would be a “waste of time” on the grounds that “Russia is pursuing territorial ambitions that make a peace agreement with Ukraine impossible”.

He then proceeded to summon NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to the White House, wherein he conveyed his decision to withhold the provision of US Tomahawk missiles to Kiev at that particular juncture.

This decision was precipitated by the perceived impracticality of allocating a substantial amount of time to train the Ukrainian army in the utilisation of such missiles. Concurrently, the US lifted the key restriction on the use of long-range missiles supplied by other NATO members to Ukraine, while NATO conducted the Steadfast Noon nuclear warfare exercise directed against Russia in Europe under US command. In response to the aforementioned events, a Strategic Nuclear Forces exercise was conducted in the Russian Federation. President Putin observed this exercise via video conference.

One example among many: that of the fast-growing German Rheinmetall, which is integrated into the US military-industrial complex through American Rheinmetall Munitions.

Rheinmetall has announced its intention to supply Ukraine with an electronic system designed to enhance the combat capabilities of the German Leopard tanks that have already been supplied to Kiev. The production and integration of this system is carried out by the Italian subsidiary of Rheinmetall, Rheinmetall Italia SpA, at its headquarters in Rome. In Italy, Rheinmetall has established a facility dedicated to the assembly, testing and production of warheads for kamikaze drones. The series is being produced at full speed. The plant is operated by the Italian subsidiary RWM Italia at its sites in Musei and Domusnovas in Sardinia. Rheinmetall is collaborating with the Israeli manufacturer UVision Air Ltd. on this project. It is evident that these Italian-manufactured kamikaze drones will be utilised by the Israeli army in attacks against Palestinians in Gaza, as well as in other operations primarily conducted in Libya, Yemen, and other regions.

Trump has imposed sanctions on Russian oil companies, representing the most stringent measures yet taken by the US against the Russian energy sector. It is evident that these sanctions are favourable to large US oil and gas companies. The European Union is participating in this operation, which has decided to completely block the import of Russian natural gas in three stages: from 1 January 2026, it will be forbidden to sign new contracts; short-term agreements already in place must end by 17 June 2026; and long-term agreements by 31 December 2027.

It should be noted that the aforementioned proposals have met with opposition from the countries of Hungary and Slovakia. Concurrently, Italy’s Edison entered into an agreement with Shell, securing the procurement of US liquefied natural gas (LNG) for a duration of 15 years. In consideration of the marked disparity between the price of gas in the US and that of gas in Russia, it is evident that consumer gas prices for households in Italy are rising.

The United States and the State of Israel are contemplating a plan to divide the Gaza Strip into two separate zones: one to be controlled by Israel, the other formally by Hamas pending its “disarmament”. This was announced at a press conference in Israel by US Vice President Vance and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. The plan is to immediately start “reconstruction” in the Israeli-controlled area, according to Trump’s plan to transform Gaza into a luxurious “Riviera of the Middle East”.

The Palestinian area, de facto controlled by Israel, would remain in its current situation: the Palestinian population would be locked there in a scenario of destruction and deprivation that would continue the genocide.

President Trump confirmed that Australia will obtain nuclear-powered submarines from the United States and the United Kingdom, indicating a strategic focus on deterring China and Russia.

Concurrently, he signed an agreement on rare earth minerals with the Australian Prime Minister at the White House. The AUKUS submarine agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States could cost Australia up to $235 billion over the next 30 years. The governments of the United States and Australia have announced their intention to invest in excess of $3 billion in critical minerals projects over the forthcoming six-month period. The recoverable resources in these projects are estimated to be worth $53 billion.

The US Department of War expressed its intention to invest in the construction of an advanced gallium refinery with a capacity of 100 metric tonnes per year in Western Australia. Gallium has several military applications, primarily in high-tech electronics such as radar and satellite communications. The material is also used as an alloy to stabilise nuclear weapons components and in aluminium-gallium alloys for the production of hydrogen bombs for thermonuclear warfare.

October 25, 2025 Posted by | Militarism | , , , , | Leave a comment

Iran calls for end to Western impunity for ‘Israel’ after ICJ ruling

Al Mayadeen | October 25, 2025

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has called for an end to the “chronic impunity” granted to “Israel” and its supporters, following a new International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion that sharply censures Tel Aviv for breaching international humanitarian law and obstructing UN aid operations in Gaza.

The ICJ opinion, issued on October 22, reaffirmed that as an occupying power, “Israel” is legally obliged to cooperate with UN agencies, including UNRWA, to facilitate humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip. The court stressed that “Israel” is “under a negative obligation not to impede the provision of these supplies,” and found that its restrictions on food, water, and medicine violate international law.

The judges further concluded that “Israel” failed to substantiate its allegations that UNRWA employees are affiliated with Hamas, and that the agency remains indispensable to humanitarian operations in Gaza. The opinion reiterated “Israel’s” obligations under the UN Charter and the Fourth Geneva Convention to protect civilians and ensure the population’s basic survival needs.

Ending Impunity

In a post on X, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the ICJ’s ruling once again exposes “the undeniable truth that the Israeli regime continues to be the tremendous violator of each and every norm of international humanitarian law.” He noted that the court reaffirmed “Israel’s” duty to guarantee access to essential goods and services for Palestinians under occupation and “must not obstruct the provision of such supplies.”

Baghaei added that “Israel’s” persistent defiance of international rulings reflects a broader culture of impunity sustained by Western powers. “The chronic impunity granted by the powers that support and defend Israel must come to an end,” he said, calling for international accountability.

He also referred to the ICJ’s earlier opinions, including the July 2024 ruling that declared “Israel’s” occupation of Palestinian territories “unlawful” and demanded its immediate cessation. The court is currently reviewing South Africa’s case accusing “Israel” of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention through its conduct in Gaza.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, “Israel’s” war since October 7, 2023, has killed 68,519 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 170,000 others.

October 25, 2025 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, War Crimes | , , , , | Leave a comment

‘Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

By Rasha Reslan | Al Mayadeen | October 24, 2025

“Israel” has long invested in shaping its image online, but its latest initiative, the Digital Iron Dome, represents a new level of sophistication in information warfare. Marketed as a “civilian defense initiative,” the platform (lp.digitalirondome.com) invites users worldwide to join a “digital army” tasked with countering what it describes as “disinformation” and “defending Israel online.”

A closer look, however, reveals a different reality. The initiative functions less as a neutral fact-checking tool and more as a coordinated influence operation. Users are encouraged to register and access pre-scripted posts, hashtags, and visual content optimized for viral sharing across X, Instagram, and TikTok. By centralizing narrative control in this way, the platform effectively outsources public diplomacy to civilians while framing entity-aligned messaging as grassroots activism.

The platform’s design mirrors modern marketing technology, with embedded tracking scripts and analytics monitoring engagement in real time. The Digital Iron Dome turns seemingly spontaneous online support into a highly engineered content amplification system aimed at shaping global perceptions of the Israeli genocide in Gaza and countering criticism through algorithmic dominance.

Claims vs. reality  

The Digital Iron Dome markets itself as a “24/7 digital defense system” and “the world’s first pro-Israel influence engine,” claiming to monitor the web for anti-“Israel” narratives, produce “fact-based” countercontent, and place targeted ads alongside material it deems “biased” or “antisemitic”. Its landing page cites impressive metrics – “300M+ targeted ads delivered” and “200K+ websites reached” and solicits donations.

Independent inspection, however, raises questions about transparency and actual scope:

  • Advocacy over journalism: The platform functions more like an advertising campaign than a newsroom, blending campaign branding and donation solicitation with AI-driven narrative detection claims.
  • Unverified metrics: Reach and engagement numbers are presented without a third-party audit, leaving scale unconfirmed.
  •  Financial opacity: While donations are solicited via PayPal, there is no clear legal structure, charity registration, or financial reporting.
  • Limited founder transparency: The founders’ professional backgrounds are only partially documented, and potential conflicts of interest remain unclear.
  • Marketing masks technology claims: References to AI-driven monitoring and ad injection resemble product marketing rather than verifiable functionality.
  • Coordinated outreach: Multiple domains and social media promotion suggest systematic campaign efforts, though claims of ad placement on mainstream sites require independent verification.

Digital Iron Dome exploits bias to silence Palestinian voices online

AI Engineer and the head of AI Department in a consultation company, Ali Hadi Zeineddine, speaking to Al Mayadeen English, warned that focusing solely on the technical mechanics of the Digital Iron Dome risks obscuring a much deeper issue.

“Discussing the technical aspects of the Digital Iron Dome,” he noted, “may lead to misleading conclusions, especially when filtered through Western slogans of ‘democracy’ and ‘freedom of speech.’”

“The real story lies not in its code, but in the unequal terrain of the digital battlefield where it operates,” he asserted.

In an age where frontlines are increasingly digital, Zeineddine argues that the Digital Iron Dome enters a space already distorted by entrenched inequalities, from algorithmic bias to economic exclusion and platform moderation practices that disproportionately silence Palestinian voices. “These imbalances don’t just create opportunities for such campaigns, they amplify them,” he explained.

Mounting evidence supports his concerns. Independent investigations have shown that major platforms, including those owned by Meta, Facebook, and Instagram, apply double standards to content relating to Palestine.

A report by the Middle East Institute revealed that Meta had quietly lowered the certainty threshold required to remove Arabic or Palestinian content from 80% to as low as 25%. In effect, Palestinian posts are far more likely to be taken down or shadow-banned with minimal justification. Human Rights Watch also documented over 1,050 incidents of peaceful pro-Palestine content being removed or suppressed on Meta platforms during October and November 2023, of which 1,049 were in support of Palestine, and only one favored “Israel.”

“In today’s conflicts, algorithms and ad policies have replaced tanks and trenches,” Zeineddine stressed. “When platform moderation already disfavors Palestinian voices, projects like the Digital Iron Dome don’t create imbalance; they exploit one.”

Weaponization of algorithmic asymmetry

Economic exclusion further compounds this digital marginalization. A Wired investigation spotlighted the case of Bilal Tamimi, a content creator from the occupied West Bank whose viral videos on YouTube have amassed millions of views. Yet, despite his reach, Tamimi remains barred from monetization through the YouTube Partner Program, not because of content violations, but because “the program is not available in [his] current location, Palestine.” This systemic restriction denies Palestinian creators not only potential income but also algorithmic reach, reducing the visibility of their narratives before they can even enter the global conversation.

Zeineddine stressed that what is unfolding is more than a clash of perspectives. “What we’re witnessing isn’t merely a battle of narratives,” he said. “It’s the weaponization of algorithmic asymmetry. The very systems designed to ensure fairness, moderation rules, monetization access, and ad transparency are reinforcing geopolitical hierarchies online.”

“When Palestinian creators are excluded from monetization programs or flagged for benign content,” he added, “they’re not just denied income, they’re denied visibility. You cannot challenge disinformation when you’re structurally silenced.”

In such a landscape, the Digital Iron Dome thrives not due to technological innovation, Zeineddine contended, but because it is designed to exploit an already tilted playing field. “The Digital Iron Dome does not succeed because it’s more advanced; it succeeds because the digital game is already rigged in its favor. Without meaningful transparency, parity, and accountability from the platforms themselves, this imbalance will remain the invisible architecture of modern information warfare.”

His conclusion is clear: the future of digital freedom and of global narrative equity hinges not only on dismantling influence operations, but also on confronting and reforming the systems that allow them to flourish in the first place.

Limits of the Digital Iron Dome

In a similar vein, Dr. Hassan Younes, a university professor and consultant, told Al Mayadeen English that after October 7, the digital space became more than a platform for news; it became a frontline.

In response, “Israel” and its allies deployed a highly organized narrative machine: coordinated talking points, PR campaigns, bot networks, sudden surges in “security justification” rhetoric, and attempts to flood timelines with distraction content.

Analysts dubbed this a digital “Iron Dome”, not designed to intercept rockets but to intercept sympathy, neutralize outrage, and sow doubt about what people were seeing.

“You cannot hide starvation. You cannot algorithmically blur the image of a mother holding her child under the rubble,” Dr. Younes explained.

“You cannot label every voice ‘extremist’ when millions say the same thing: this is not self-defense, it is mass punishment.” Influence engines, he warned, can distort timelines, amplify one narrative, and bury alternative perspectives. Yet, in this instance, they could not fully succeed.

These operations contributed to polarization and narrative suppression by design, seeking to isolate voices and make anger seem like a minority opinion. But the opposite occurred: millions aligned organically around a clear message, enough. Even those previously neutral began questioning why “context” is demanded from the oppressed but never from the occupier. “Israel” lost moral credibility online as well as on the ground.

Human voice refuses to be formatted

Attempts to control the narrative, shadow-banned posts, removed videos, and algorithmic friction triggered by words like “Gaza”, “occupation”, and “Palestine” were circumvented by users. People misspelled words to bypass AI filters, coordinated captions, and redistributed content through smaller accounts. What was meant to be silenced became a trending narrative, a form of digital civil disobedience driven by ordinary users, not institutions.

Do influence campaigns still matter? Absolutely. They can delay outrage, shape political responses, and sanitize the language of international discourse. They can reframe genocide as a “conflict” or forced famine as a “humanitarian logistics issue.”

Yet Dr. Younes highlighted a boundary: data manipulation cannot withstand stark reality. Live images of children under attack cannot be spun into comforting narratives.

This moment accentuates the need for transparency. When states or political actors provide talking points, monitor engagement, and mobilize users through dashboards and data, the process is no longer organic; it is manufactured consent. Citizens deserve to know who is speaking to them and why.

The events following October 7 proved a simple truth: distribution can be automated, but humanity cannot. The digital Iron Dome attempted to contain the story, and it failed because the people refused to look away. In an age dominated by AI, the most potent technology remains the human voice that refuses to be formatted.

October 24, 2025 Posted by | Deception, Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Full Spectrum Dominance | , , , | Leave a comment

Western journalists know they have a case to answer for their betrayal of Gaza, and it frightens them

By Samuel Geddes | Al Mayadeen | October 24, 2025

Pulitzer Prize-winning war correspondent and former Middle East Bureau chief for The New York Times, Christopher Hedges, this week delivered the Edward Said memorial lecture in Australia. He had also been invited to address the country’s national “Press Club” in which he was to highlight the overwhelming moral failures of Western establishment media outlets, chiefly by amplifying Israeli propaganda and undermining the credibility of journalists in Gaza, most of whom “Israel” has subsequently killed in its decimation of the territory’s population.

It shouldn’t really have come as a surprise then, when the Press Club rescinded its invitation to Hedges on the grounds of “balancing out” its programming. Whether or not the withdrawal was directly influenced by Israeli pressure, the collective media aristocracy of the country would hardly have looked forward to the prospect of an actual, decorated reporter scathingly indicting them to their faces on their systematic malpractice and dereliction of duty that has contributed to perhaps the definitive atrocity of the 21st century.

Stalwart ABC journalist David Marr came out to defend “The Club” in a radio interview with a furious Chris Hedges. Rather than seek to engage with the content of what his speech would have been, Marr set about using his training as a barrister to ambush the real journalist in the room, smearing the sponsorship of his tour by a Palestine advocacy group as a “fundamental breaking of the rules,” according to his definition of journalism.

Beneath the sniveling pettiness and affected outrage of his attacks on Hedges, lurked a palpable sense of indignation that anyone, least of all a decorated journalist, would attack his “club” of establishment approved media personalities for having not done their job, to the point of betraying those Gazans practicing journalism in its purest form.

Marr, whose career is not particularly distinguished by international reporting, much less from a warzone, attempted to impugn Hedges’ authority on Gaza (where he lived for seven years) by pointing out that he hadn’t been in the territory since 2005 and hence his lack of recent experience there might not have measured up to the Club’s exacting standards.

The substance, to the degree there was any to Marr’s arguments, was that those organizations, Sky NewsCNN and Reuters, by privileging Israeli talking points about the victims of their attacks, was merely standard due journalistic diligence of including “Israel’s” “perspective” in the interests of balance.

Hedges immediately and rightfully fired back that the job of a journalist is to tell the truth, not to balance it out with lies. “Israel’s” excuses and misdirection do, of course, merit being referred to, but not in a way that explicitly lends them credibility, by literally headlining the report.

What Marr evidently did not seem to understand was that Hedges is not saying that Western journalists manipulate or distort the truth. It is that they systematically amplify Israeli narratives which they know to be false, in a way that drowns out the truth of the story. This creates a false equivalence between Palestinian and Israeli “narratives.” It is precisely this mixing in of lies with truth that allowed “Israel” to get away with killing almost all professional reporters working in Gaza, along with untold numbers of other civilians.

While culpability is by no means exclusive to the Western mainstream press, it is unquestionably responsible for curating a global media discourse that manufactures the kind of doubt and hesitation that has permitted a livestreamed genocide to be perpetrated with full state complicity without consequence.

Perhaps the only valuable insight to be drawn from Marr’s affected and clearly unsuccessful attempt to pillory a journalist worth the title is that leading Western career journalists are, on some level, aware of their complicity. Like the endlessly weaponized accusations of anti-Semitism against opponents of the Israeli regime, it is not borne out of real anger but of a desperate attempt to intimidate those speaking the truth into silence.

There will inevitably come a point at which countless individuals and institutions in Western societies will be called to answer for their conduct during this genocide. That realization seems only now to be tentatively dawning on them.

October 24, 2025 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Mainstream Media, Warmongering, War Crimes | , , | Leave a comment

Palestinian justice group seeks UK prosecution of British-Israeli citizen for serving in IDF

MEMO | October 24, 2025

The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) has formally applied for a court summons to prosecute a dual British-Israeli national for allegedly breaching UK law by voluntarily serving in the Israeli military. If successful, the case could set a legal precedent for accountability under Britain’s rarely used Foreign Enlistment Act of 1870.

The individual is accused of serving first on the Lebanese border and then in the illegally occupied West Bank as a member of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). ICJP alleges that the engagement constitutes an offence under Section 4 of the Foreign Enlistment Act (FEA), which prohibits British subjects from enlisting in the military of a foreign state that is at war with a state friendly to the UK.

In a statement released yesterday, the ICJP confirmed that its application for a court summons was submitted on 20 October. The preliminary hearing is expected to take place in the coming weeks.

“This is a significant step in holding suspected war criminals accountable within domestic jurisdictions for offences that they have committed outside of their home countries,” said Mutahir Ahmed, ICJP’s Head of Legal. “War criminals must be held accountable for their role in the genocide, from the most senior generals to the most junior foot soldier.”

The individual named in the filing, who remains unnamed for legal reasons, is not believed to have been conscripted. Israeli law does not compel dual nationals residing abroad to enlist, which ICJP argues makes the engagement a voluntary act  and therefore subject to prosecution under UK law.

The legal submission, drafted by senior King’s Counsel, includes both expert testimony and supporting evidence of alleged FEA violations. ICJP says this is the first in a series of prosecutions it is pursuing as part of its broader Global 195 campaign, a reference to the number of UN-recognised states whose nationals may be subject to domestic accountability for war crimes committed abroad.

Palestine has been a State Party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court since April 2015. Its statehood was reaffirmed by a 2021 ICC ruling and more recently recognised by the UK government. As Palestine is considered a “friendly state” under the terms of the Foreign Enlistment Act, ICJP argues that British citizens who engage in hostilities against it through service in the IDF are in breach of UK law.

The organisation says it has gathered evidence on more than 10 British citizens — including dual nationals — who may have either fought in the IDF or provided material support to its military activities. The current application marks what ICJP calls a first test case, with further prosecutions anticipated.

October 24, 2025 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, War Crimes | , , , , | Leave a comment

Israel Issues Demolition Orders to Clear Path for Colonial Road

IMEMC | October 24, 2025

Israeli occupation authorities issued demolition orders on Thursday targeting large industrial structures at the entrance of Anata, northeast of occupied Jerusalem in the West Bank.

According to Jerusalem Governorate advisor Marouf Al-Refa’ey, Israeli forces stormed the town’s entrance and distributed demolition notices affecting metal workshops, furniture factories, and storage units.

He stated that the move is part of a long-standing plan to construct a road, traffic circle, and bridge connecting the Anata junction to the Hizma military roadblock.

This infrastructure is linked to the so-called “Greater Jerusalem” scheme and the colonial E1 plan.

Al-Refa’ey emphasized that Israeli authorities are systematically eliminating Palestinian presence along the path of this project. Demolitions in the area have been repeatedly carried out under various pretexts, including lack of permits or proximity to the illegal separation wall.

He warned that the developments at Anata’s entrance and along Az-Za’ayyem Road are part of a broader plan to establish a segregated road system. The goal is to bar Palestinians from using Abu George Road, which leads to the Jerusalem–Jericho highway and is reserved exclusively for illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizers.

In contrast, the Anata/Az-Za’ayyem entrance would be restricted to Palestinian traffic only, connecting Anata, Az-Za’ayyem, and the Hizma checkpoint roundabout.

October 24, 2025 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Illegal Occupation | , , , | Leave a comment