Will California Zionise K-12 Education?
By Rick Sterling | Global Research | October 2, 2025
Factual information about Israel and Palestine may soon be outlawed in the California K-12 school system. Assembly Bill 715 is currently on Governor Newsom’s desk. The legislation was recently rushed through the California legislature, amended just days before passage, and voted on at 1 a.m. with almost no time for public comment.
The hurry is intentional because opposition grows whenever people learn about it. AB715 is opposed by educators across the spectrum, including the California Teachers Association, California Faculty Association, Association of School Board Administrators, California School Boards Association, and Council of UC Faculty Associations. Civil rights organizations, such as ACLU Action, also oppose the legislation.
What It Purports to Do
Assembly Bill 715 aims to “prevent antisemitism.” It asserts, “Jewish and Israeli pupils are facing a widespread surge in antisemitic discrimination, harassment, and bullying. In many cases, such discrimination, harassment, and bullying has been so severe and pervasive that it has placed Jewish pupils at risk, or completely impeded their ability to learn or engage in school programs or activities.”
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is the main source for the claim that there is a “widespread surge” in antisemitism. Their accuracy is widely disputed. As the Jewish Currents publication reports, “A line-by-line reassessment of the organization’s data illuminates the flaws in its methodology.”
There is already protection in the California Education Code for genuine cases of discrimination or bullying. Section 220 of the code specifies that “No person shall be subjected to discrimination on the basis of disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic that is contained in the definition of hate crimes.” Through their ethnicity and religion, Jewish students are clearly a protected group. So are Israeli students. They can file claims of discrimination under existing legislation.
What It Will Actually Do
AB715 aims to expand the definition of “discrimination” and outlaw any textbook, instructional material, or course content that “would subject a pupil to unlawful discrimination.”
But what is “unlawful discrimination”? AB715 specifies that the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism is the basis for identifying antisemitism. That report asserts, “Jewish students and educators are targeted for derision and exclusion on college campuses, often because of their real or perceived views about the State of Israel. When Jews are targeted because of their beliefs or their identity, when Israel is singled out because of anti-Jewish hatred, that is antisemitism.” The document claims, “an unshakeable commitment to the State of Israel’s right to exist, its legitimacy, and its security. In addition, we recognize and celebrate the deep historical, religious, cultural, and other ties many American Jews and other Americans have to Israel.”
The U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism embraces the controversial “working definition” of antisemitism advanced by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). This definition has been widely criticized for its conflation of antisemitism with anti-zionism and criticism of the State of Israel. Over 100 human rights and civil society organizations reject the IHRA definition. Yet this is the definition which AB715 is based on.
If passed, AB715 will result in strict regulation of education and educational material that might subject Jewish students to “unlawful discrimination”. Facts and informed opinions about the reality in Israel and Palestine may be considered “antisemitic” or likely to cause discomfort. For example, students will not learn:
- The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli PM Netanyahu charging him with crimes against humanity.
- The International Association of Genocide Scholars determined that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
- Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Israel’s B’Tselem have ALL independently investigated and determined that Israel is an apartheid state.
- The greatest scientist of the 20th century, Albert Einstein, was against the creation a Jewish state and sought a binational Arab Jewish state in Palestine.
- In 1948, Einstein, Hanna Arendt, and other Jewish leaders denounced Menachim Begin as a Nazi and fascist.
- The Israeli newspaper Haaretz documents a Jewish scholar who was zionist but now supports Hamas and considers their armed resistance legitimate and legal.
All of the above are facts and assessments by credible organizations and individuals. AB715 is so vague yet sweeping that such education about Israel and Palestine may be considered “unlawful discrimination” against a pro-Israel student and therefore prohibited.
The Costs of AB715
If passed, AB715 will cost Californians dearly. It mandates the creation of a new Office of Civil Rights with an Antisemitism Prevention Coordinator and staff producing regular reports, investigations, etc. Incredibly, AB715 allows any member of the public to file a complaint, even anonymously. These complaints must be investigated and responded to within time requirements. School boards and superintendents, already busy, will have to spend precious time and resources investigating each and every complaint in a timely manner. The predictable result will be fear or prohibition on saying anything about Israel or Palestine. The Antisemitism Prevention Coordinator is also mandated to provide antisemitism education to teachers, administrators, and school boards.
Under California’s “Golden State Plan to Counter Antisemitism,” millions of dollars are appropriated for education about the genocide which ended 80 years ago. Meanwhile, there is no funding and it appears the California legislature seeks to prevent education about the genocide happening today in Gaza.
Making it even worse, AB715 invites lawsuits which will further burden the education system. The legislation says, “Civil law remedies, including but not limited to injunctions, restraining orders, or other remedies, may also be available to complainants.” Under AB715, as a gift for zionist activists, any member of the public can be a complainant.
AB715 Should Not Be Signed into Law
The organizations representing California teachers, adminstrators, school superintendents and school boards are ALL against this legislation. AB715 will be costly, wasteful, and damaging to K-12 education in California. Where there are genuine cases of discrimination or bullying, existing legislation is adequate. All students are protected against discrimination or bullying under section 220 of the California Education Code. Where Jewish or Israeli students have been victimized, they have the same recourse as all students. They do not need preferential treatment.
Teaching facts and expert opinions about Israel and Palestine is not antisemitic. It is history and current events.
Feeling uncomfortable when learning some facts or opinions is not being a victim; it is being educated. People can disagree and have different perceptions; they should not be prevented from hearing facts and different perspectives.
The intent of AB715 is clear: to restrict factual information about an important region of the world and to punish educators who present the Palestinian and anti-zionist Jewish perspective. Governor Newsom should not sign the legislation. To encourage him to make the right decision, contact him via this link.
This legislation does not prevent antisemitism; it actually promotes it by demonstrating that major Jewish organizations and the Jewish Legislative Caucus have the power to push this legislation which will deny the history and current reality of the Palestinian people. Meanwhile, Jewish Voice for Peace and organizations across the education profession are working hard to stop this assault on the California education system.
Recognise a state and prevent it from existing?
By José Goulão | Strategic Culture Foundation | October 2, 2025
And suddenly, the overwhelming majority of countries in the so-called Collective West decided to recognise the State of Palestine. Among them were some of the most loyal allies of the Zionist regime and accomplices to its atrocities, such as France, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and even, despite its negligible specific weight, the government of the Portuguese Republic. We know that consistency is not the strong point of the Montenegro clique: recognition was declared just a few weeks after the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, went to bless the crimes of the Israeli regime, precisely at one of the most intense stages of human and physical devastation in the Gaza Strip.
Any reader will naturally wonder what has now led so many important countries, the guardians of “our civilisation”, to adopt a stance that they could, and should, have taken years ago. Was it the blatant and dramatic exposure of the decades-old genocide of the Palestinian people, which is ravaging the Gaza Strip and which the hypocrisy of fine words and the most beautiful intentions can no longer hide? Perhaps a little, although we should not attach too much importance to this response because shame is not something that abounds in Western governments.
Another reason, this one with a much more important political and strategic significance, is the certainty of all those making the declarations that their decision, apart from being couched in plenty of half-truths, has no practical effect on the real recognition of Palestinian rights and on the murderous conduct of the State of Israel. On the same days that the declarations of recognition were made, the Zionist Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, assured with complete conviction that there would never be a Palestinian state. This was a challenge to the attitudes of Western countries, which they received with the most devout silence.
And now?
The most relevant situation, and also the one that raises the most doubts about the genuineness of Western governments’ intentions regarding the restoration of the rights of the Palestinian people, is based on a simple question: What now?
Yes, what could these declarations of recognition of the State of Palestine change in the current situation, controlled by the fascist impulses of the Israeli government and the US administration, this time under Trump’s baton – as it could be, with the same effects, under Biden’s orders?
At first glance, they will change nothing. Colonial and expansionist arbitrariness continues unabated in East Jerusalem and from north to south in the West Bank, while the human and physical levelling of Gaza continues unhindered, except for the guerrilla pockets of Hamas.
Western governments have recognised an abstract state with no effective powers over what should be its territory, disappearing every day in the face of the genocidal advances of hordes of settlers imported from all over the planet. Are Western governments doing anything concrete to force Israel to stop colonisation? Are they stopping sending weapons to Israel? Are they considering imposing sanctions capable of suffocating a state run by a criminal clique that is incapable of living on its own?
So far, there is no indication that any of the Western powers are willing to take these steps, which are essential if any qualitative changes in the balance of power throughout Palestine are to lead to negotiations capable of defining the paths for establishing and applying international law in the region. This would imply that, at least in this case, Western leaders would have to put aside their bureaucratic adherence to the ‘rules-based international order’ defined in Washington. The truth is that no government seems willing to take this risk, which, in practice and under these conditions, reveals that recognising or not recognising the State of Palestine will amount to the same thing, that is, more of the same.
Recognise, yes, but…
Western governments have been careful (which opens the door to backtracking) not to recognise the State of Palestine unconditionally, thus continuing to put the strict application of the principles established by international law on hold. Endowed with authority and power granted by five centuries of colonial violence, which allowed them to invent an entity such as the State of Israel, Western governments have attached a series of conditions to the decision. Taken literally, these translate into recognition without recognition because they effectively limit the Palestinian people’s decision-making powers on matters that concern them and on which only they have the right to deliberate.
In a manoeuvre that transfigures much of what is positive about recognition, Western governments are attempting to breathe new life into Mahmoud Abbas’s moribund Palestinian Authority, confined to Ramallah, by giving it powers that it will be unable to exercise. They also demand its absolute surrender to Israel – a demand that is unnecessary in the situation that has been dragging on throughout this century – and they attribute sole responsibility for terrorism in Palestine to Hamas, while ignoring Israeli terror – disguised as ‘security’ and ‘right to exist’. As always, this double standard vitiates the very declarations of recognition from the outset.
The condition that demonstrates how hypocritical and, for now, useless the declarations of recognition are, however, relates to the demand for the disarmament not only of Hamas but of all structures of the Palestinian Resistance. Such demands leave the entire Palestinian people even more helpless and at the mercy of the criminal free will of the Zionist regime, which can thus pursue its genocidal goal, free from any hindrance, while remaining exempt from accountability before international bodies. In the practical consequences of the measures imposed by Western governments in exchange for the recognition of the State of Palestine, the Zionist state would find the best of all worlds and the full realisation of all its objectives.
The shadow of collaborationism
The most recent developments in the recognition process help to dispel some uncertainties about the interests that lie behind the decision, which are not favourable to the Palestinian people.
It was clear from the outset that the recognition of Palestinian independence by Western governments was not, it bears repeating, unconditional. Most of the speeches on the subject clearly overvalued the Palestinian Authority, which is inactive in practice and, more seriously, entirely conditioned by Israel’s demands. The “shared” management of much of the West Bank between the Ramallah government and the Zionist occupation forces means, in fact, that the former has been placed at the service of the latter’s interests. This is often confirmed by the actions of the Palestinian police forces in repressive actions against the Palestinian population itself.
This situation suits Western governments because it means that the ‘autonomous’ authorities are willing to collaborate in ways that run counter to the legitimate interests of the Palestinian people, which have never been recognised by Western states.
At the same time, the West attributes sole representation of the Palestinians to the decrepit Palestinian Authority and its leader Mahmoud Abbas, who is in fact perpetuated in power despite being completely hamstrung by Israel and the United States. It should be remembered, as it is a fact, that his accession to the presidency was achieved through a soft coup organised in 1994 by the United States, Israel and Western powers, as a result of which the historic leader of the Resistance, Yasser Arafat, was removed from the main positions of power (to which he had been elected) and assassinated a few months later.
It should also be remembered that Mahmoud Abbas, very recently described as ‘pragmatic’ by a pro-Israeli publication such as the weekly newspaper Expresso, was received at the White House, from where Arafat had been banned, shortly after taking office as president of the so-called ‘Autonomy’ in 1994.
These circumstances help to better understand the Western constraints that accompanied the recognition of independence. And they lead to the elementary conclusion that there will be no representative entity that reflects the will of the Palestinian people without the holding of free, open and democratic general elections under the control of international bodies supervised by the UN. This process cannot involve the intervention of Israel and the United States of America, which is by definition biased and self-serving.
Another demand common to Western governments is that the Resistance (wrongly and maliciously equated with Hamas) should ‘renounce’ terrorism, that is, armed struggle, while, it should be repeated, sparing Israeli terrorism. This ‘renunciation’ must be accompanied by the disarmament of the Resistance, which means the total surrender of the Palestinian people to the discretionary and genocidal power of Israel. From this perspective, the recognition of Palestine becomes a poisoned gift.
Abbas’ recent speech to the UN General Assembly, delivered via the internet because, this time, the Trump administration illegally refused to grant the Palestinian president a visa to travel to New York, confirmed the existence of dangerous collaboration with Israeli and Western colonial interests.
Mahmoud Abbas, as Palestinian president, promised that ‘Hamas will never be the government’. But how can the most prominent Palestinian leader, whose party was defeated in the last general elections held in the occupied territories, promise that the most voted political force (according to the last poll, held more than 15 years ago) will not be able to govern the state? By manipulating the election results? By adopting a single-party regime or a personal dictatorship? By preventing a party with significant popular support, Hamas or any other, from being a legitimate and necessary part of a majority government? Let us remember that Abbas and his Western and Arab allies prevented Hamas from governing after it won an absolute majority in free elections; and that, despite multiple negotiations and supposed draft agreements, they always sabotaged the creation of ‘national unity governments’ that would have brought Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem under the same ‘autonomous government’. ‘One of our strategic objectives is to maintain the separation between Gaza and the West Bank,’ Netanyahu confessed to his Likud party’s parliamentary group.
None of these paths implied in the content of the recognition statements correspond to the ‘democratic values’ proclaimed by the Western world, which seems willing to impose, through its latest decision, an authoritarian and undemocratic ‘solution’ centred on Abbas.
In his speech, the Palestinian president stated that he does not want Palestine to be ‘an armed state’. What does this idea mean, which is incompatible with the existence of a full state as established in international law? Would the defence and security of Palestine be handed over to Israel? Would the Palestinian people no longer have anyone to defend them, whether it be the armed resistance or the state apparatus?
In his time, shortly before being assassinated by Zionism in 1995, Israeli Prime Minister Isaac Rabin admitted that the maximum status he would grant to a Palestinian entity at the end of the ‘peace process’ would be ‘less than a state’. Have Mahmoud Abbas and the Western leaders who manipulate him revived this idea? Will Palestine ‘less than a state’ be the future state of Palestine as understood? There will be no better way, then, already considered as the ‘final solution’ to the problem, for the continuation of genocide and the creation of Greater Israel – throughout Palestine, as a first step.
The fundamental question, however, remains: what will come after the recognition of independence, given that Israel occupies almost the entire territory where this state would be created? What will Western countries do to give substance to their decision? It should be remembered that international law requires the creation of an ‘independent and viable’ Palestinian state. In prosaic terms, a state like any other. However, this is not what is being planned, with the collaboration of the incompetent Palestinian Authority. Israel’s dizzying policy of creating settlements is gradually eating away at the territory that is essential for the creation of a viable state. Taking a clear-headed view, the Portuguese head of state admitted that one day there will be no territory left to establish a state. This is a reality that I began denouncing many years ago, because it is obvious and Israel makes no secret of it. Despite recognising these circumstances, the Western world is doing nothing concrete to stop the colonisation and make the state it claims to recognise viable.
Once again, the West’s main objective has been to create propaganda and delaying tactics and, with them, to try to neutralise the increasingly strong, active and genuine solidarity of Western peoples with the Palestinian people. This solidarity cannot be allowed to wane; it must be strengthened, because if we rely on the promises and decisions of our governments, the Palestinian people will continue to be the biggest victims. And we cannot allow that to happen.
Hamas denies links to suspects arrested in Germany over alleged plot against Israeli targets
MEMO | October 2, 2025
Hamas on Wednesday denied having any connection to suspects arrested in Germany on charges of trying to buy weapons to carry out potential attacks on Israeli or Jewish targets.
In a statement, the movement said: “The claims that the detainees are linked to Hamas are baseless, and aim to damage the reputation of the movement and distort the German people’s sympathy with our Palestinian cause.”
The statement added that “Hamas confirms its policy has always been, and remains, to restrict its struggle against the Zionist occupation to Palestine only.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Germany’s federal prosecutor announced the arrest of three suspects in Berlin accused of belonging to Hamas. They are alleged to have attempted to obtain firearms and ammunition to prepare possible attacks on Israeli or Jewish targets inside the country.
IOF kidnaps Gaza nurse as medical staff struggle to work under fire

Palestinian Information Center – October 2, 2025
GAZA – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Thursday abducted nurse Tasneem al-Hems from a medical point in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, in yet another attack on Palestinian health workers. She is the daughter of Dr. Marwan al-Hems, the director of Gaza’s field hospitals, who was kidnapped by an IOF undercover unit in July this year.
Family sources confirmed that Tasneem was seized by a special IOF unit near her workplace. Her father, Dr. al-Hems, was shot in the leg and abducted on July 21 near the International Committee of the Red Cross hospital in western Khan Yunis. He has since been held in Ashkelon prison, denied access to his lawyer, and remains in detention under extended orders.
The Gaza-based al-Dameer Association for Human Rights condemned the kidnapping and confirmed that Israel is using enforced disappearance against medical professionals. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, at least 361 Palestinian medical staff are currently imprisoned by Israel.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Ministry of Health warned that the few hospitals still partially operating in Gaza City are facing extreme risks. In a statement Thursday, the ministry said that reaching Al-Shifa Medical Complex, Al-Quds Hospital, and Al-Helou Hospital has become “highly dangerous” due to ongoing Israeli bombings.
The ministry urged international bodies to intervene immediately to protect medical institutions and staff and to ensure safe access to health facilities.
Health authorities recently reported that 20 hospitals in Gaza have been forced out of service, with only eight functioning at limited capacity under constant threat of IOF strikes.
Since August 11, 2025, Israel has intensified its genocide against Gaza, attempting to destroy the city and forcibly displace its population southward.
Italian dockworkers block ships bound for Israel amid Gaza flotilla tensions

Dockworkers and citizens at the garrison outside the Tuscan dock pose for a photo and rejoice at the news that Israeli ship Zim is preparing to leave the port of Livorno without unloading or loading after Italian dockworkers on strike, block the Darsena Toscana terminal during a protest in support of Gaza, Palestine and Global Sumud Flotilla on September 29, 2025 in Livorno, Italy. [Photo by Laura Lezza/Getty Images]
MEMO | October 2, 2025
Dockworkers in several Italian ports are stepping up actions to block shipments to Israel as tensions mount over the approach of the “Sumud Flotilla” to Gaza.
Labour unions across Europe have pledged coordinated efforts to disrupt maritime trade with Israel if the flotilla comes under attack. In a meeting held in Genoa, union representatives said they had set up an alert system to monitor shipments and respond rapidly by halting the loading or unloading of vessels.
Italy has become the epicenter of the movement. Genoa was the first port to act, followed by Livorno, where union-led strikes have already disrupted operations. The container ship Zim Virginia was kept waiting for five days off the Tuscan coast after dockworkers refused to allow it to dock.
Another vessel, the Zim Iberia, is expected to arrive in Livorno on 3 October and is likely to encounter similar resistance, according to union organizers.
In Genoa, tensions escalated last week when about 2,000 protesters gathered at the port. The demonstration forced the Zim New Zealand to leave without loading any cargo after reports that several containers were suspected of being linked to Israeli shipments.
Union leaders said their campaign is aimed at putting pressure on Israel and demonstrating solidarity with Gaza. They warned that actions would intensify if the flotilla is obstructed.
Protests erupt worldwide against Israeli attack on Global Sumud Flotilla

The Cradle | October 2, 2025
Protests erupted across cities worldwide on the night of 1 October after Israel intercepted the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, with thousands taking to the streets to denounce the raid, demand the release of detained activists, and call for an end to the siege on the enclave.
Demonstrations broke out in Greece, Spain, Sweden, and Belgium, as large rallies took place in Italy, where the country’s largest trade unions announced a general strike for 3 October.
Among the largest gatherings overnight, tens of thousands marched through Rome in support of the Sumud Freedom Flotilla.
Hundreds more blocked traffic at Piazza dei Cinquecento, while in Milan, large crowds shut down train stations, blocking rail traffic as part of nationwide demonstrations.
Organizers estimated around 1,000 people would march toward Piazza Barberini. Italy’s unions USB and CGIL confirmed a nationwide strike call, while dock workers carried out their pledge to blockade in response to the flotilla’s interception.
Hundreds also gathered outside the US consulate in Istanbul, chanting slogans, praying for Palestinians, and denouncing what they called genocide.
In Berlin, protesters gathered at Central Station, and in Brussels, marchers moved from Place de la Bourse to the Belgian Foreign Ministry.
In London, thousands marched to the prime minister’s residence, chanting against him. In Germany, demonstrators briefly shut down the main train station.
The Tunisian capital also saw a mass demonstration, while Mauritania’s Nouakchott hosted protests denouncing the flotilla raid.
A snap protest was held outside Sydney Town Hall in support of the Global Sumud Flotilla, with demonstrators voicing solidarity and chanting “From the river to the sea,” which echoed through the rally.
Latin American cities witnessed parallel mobilizations. Local media in Buenos Aires said hundreds demonstrated against what they called an “assault by the Israeli occupation forces” and demanded an end to the genocide in Gaza.
In Mexico City, Reuters captured images of marchers outside the Foreign Ministry, with demonstrators demanding the release of seven Mexican nationals detained in the flotilla raid.
Activists Arlin Medrano and Sol Gonzalez confirmed in a video that their ship had been intercepted in international waters, calling it an illegal act.
David Pena, the Mexican delegation’s legal representative, told protesters Israel planned to charge them with trespassing and deport them.
In Colombia, protesters gathered outside the headquarters of the National Business Association (ANDI) after the Global Movement to Gaza accused it of ties to Israel’s economic mission – an allegation the group denied in a statement.
Demonstrations also swept Bogota, Montevideo, and several Argentine cities, with protesters in Uruguay’s capital calling for the imprisonment of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Out of 44 vessels that departed with the Global Sumud Flotilla, only four are still marked as ‘sailing’ as of 12:15 pm Thursday, according to live tracking data on the flotilla’s website.
One vessel appeared to have reached Gaza’s waters before communications were lost.
Organizers said one of the boats intercepted was rammed by an Israeli naval vessel.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry labeled the mission on its official X account as the “Hamas Flotilla.”
Colombia expels Israeli diplomats after Gaza aid flotilla raid
MEMO | October 2, 2025
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has ordered the expulsion of all remaining Israeli diplomats from the country, after the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla heading to Gaza.
He also called for suspending trade agreements with Israel after two Colombian citizens were arrested on board one of the ships. “Israel detained two Colombian women in international waters,” Petro said, demanding their immediate release.
Only four Israeli diplomats were still in Colombia after President Petro cut ties with Israel last year.
In a statement, Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on behalf of the government and the Colombian people, strongly condemned what it described as the kidnapping carried out by Israeli armed forces in international waters. The ministry said this act violated international law and the Geneva Conventions, and targeted the two Colombian nationals, Luna Barreto and Manuela Bedoya, both members of the Global Sumud Flotilla.
The ministry also called for the immediate release of its citizens, as well as all other members of the flotilla. It urged the governments of Spain, Bangladesh, Brazil, Slovenia, Indonesia, Ireland, Libya, Malaysia, the Maldives, Mexico, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Thailand, Turkey, and South Africa to take urgent and joint action to protect the lives and safety of their nationals.
According to the ministry, the international flotilla set sail in the Mediterranean with three objectives: to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, to raise awareness of the urgent humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people, and to highlight the need to end the war in Gaza.
Max Blumenthal: Charlie Kirk BOMBSHELL Revelation | Middle East Faces Total COLLAPSE
Dialogue Works | October 1, 2025
Activists report aggressive Israeli cyber, physical harassment as flotilla nears Gaza
Press TV – October 1, 2025
Activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla say they are facing aggressive harassment by Israeli warships as they approach Gaza to break the illegal naval blockade and deliver much-needed humanitarian aid.
The lead vessel, Alma, was deliberately encircled and subjected to communication blackouts early Wednesday, forcing its captain to take evasive maneuvers while Israeli forces continued their intimidation tactics against other ships in the flotilla.
“This was one of the biggest acts of harassment we have faced so far. They tried to scare us, but we weren’t afraid, and we told them we would not be afraid,” Metehan Sari, a Turkish activist aboard the Alma, was quoted as saying by Anadolu news agency.
Sari said that the Israeli navy ships came within 5 to 10 meters of the Alma.
Zeynel Abidin Ozkan, another activist aboard Adagio, said drones were flying “intensively” over their fleet overnight and that at around 5am, two ships which weren’t a part of the flotilla approached them and “launched a cyberattack on the GPS and internet database of the Alma, one of our fleet’s main vessels, cutting off our communication with the ship”.
Another flotilla vessel, the Sirius, also experienced interference. Lisi Proenca, aboard Sirius, said an Israeli naval ship circled her vessel for about 15 minutes, jamming communications and causing tension and fear among the crew. Members of the crew later demonstrated they were unarmed.
Despite these hostile actions, the flotilla comprised of over 40 boats and 500 activists, including prominent international figures such as Italian politicians and climate activist Greta Thunberg, remains undeterred in its mission to challenge the Zionist regime’s suffocating siege on Gaza.
The official page for the Global Sumud Flotilla said the fleet is now 118 nautical miles from Gaza, which it notes is 8 nautical miles from where Madleen, a flotilla which was launched in June this year, was intercepted.
Maritime traffic data is also showing that several vessels from the flotilla are approaching Egyptian territorial waters.
In a Telegram post it said: “We remain committed to non-violence and to creating a People’s Humanitarian Corridor – a lifeline for Gaza. The international community has entrusted us with this mission, and we will not fail.”
The harassment reflects Israel’s ongoing efforts to prevent any aid from reaching the Palestinian people, who have endured months of devastating blockade and violence.
Communications systems on multiple vessels were jammed, and cameras disabled during the Israeli naval maneuvers, cutting off crucial documentation and real-time updates from the flotilla.
The activists have already passed the 120-nautical mile mark, defying repeated Israeli warnings.
International condemnation of Israel’s blockade and military harassment continues to grow, with countries like Italy and Spain criticizing the recent attacks on the flotilla, which included drone strikes and explosions.
Israel’s baseless claims labeling the flotilla as a Hamas operation serve only to justify its ongoing repression.
Explainer: How is Trump’s 20-point Gaza ‘plan’ dangerously tilted in Israel’s favor
By Hamid Javadi | Press TV | October 1, 2025
US President Donald Trump on Monday unveiled a 20-point proposal for post-war Gaza that is dangerously skewed in favor of the Israeli regime and ignores Palestinian realities.
At its core, the plan demands Hamas disarm within 72 hours of a ceasefire, release all captives, and accept a phased Israeli troop withdrawal.
But here’s the catch: there’s no binding commitment to end the military occupation, no clear roadmap for Palestinian sovereignty or right to self-determination of Palestinians and no guarantee that Israel won’t resume its genocidal aggression once its captives are returned.
The much-hyped “plan” that has been welcomed by a group of Muslim countries demands Palestinian surrender without offering sovereignty, envisions the so-called economic development built on displacement, and leaves the door open for continued Israeli occupation.
Trump, who has long eyed Gaza as waterfront property on the Mediterranean, touted the proposal as “a peace plan,” but beneath its diplomatic gloss lies a blueprint that has been designed keeping in view long-term Israeli and American interests.
Under the deal, Israel would release over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 serving life sentences, in exchange for all 48 Israeli captives held by Hamas — both living and deceased — within 72 hours of a ceasefire taking effect.
How does Hamas or Palestinians appear in Trump’s plan?
The proposal, which has grabbed headlines in world media in the past two days, calls for the Hamas resistance movement to relinquish all governing roles in Gaza and lay down its weapons, a condition the group has previously ruled out unless a sovereign Palestinian state is established and the aspirations of Palestinians are taken into account.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he agreed to the plan at a press conference with Trump at the White House on Monday, even as Israeli regime forces continued to rain down bombs on Palestinians across Gaza.
However, speaking to Israeli media later, Netanyahu ruled out the military withdrawal, saying that it “is not going to happen.” It came even before Hamas’ official reaction to the plan.
Hamas’s negotiating team said it was studying the plan. However, a Hamas official told Reuters that Trump’s proposal was “completely biased to Israel” and imposed “impossible conditions” that aimed to eliminate the resistance group, a longtime objective of Netanyahu.
“What Trump has proposed is the full adoption of all Israeli conditions, which do not grant the Palestinian people or the residents of the Gaza Strip any legitimate rights,” the Palestinian official said on condition of anonymity.
While Hamas has frequently said it would welcome any initiative that ends the genocidal war on Gaza — which has killed more than 66,000 since October 2023, mostly women and children — it has every reason to be skeptical.
Last time Hamas leaders were reviewing Trump’s proposal for a ceasefire, Israeli warplanes bombed their headquarters in Qatar, a key mediator in negotiations between the Palestinian resistance movement and the Tel Aviv regime.
So, while Netanyahu has endorsed Trump’s new proposal, he has rejected the only two terms in the plan that could give Hamas a reason to accept the deal: the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces (though conditional and gradual) and the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state.
What does the plan say about Israeli occupation?
A day after he gave his backing to Trump’s plan, Netanyahu said Israeli forces would remain in most of Gaza.
“We will recover all our hostages, alive and well, while the (Israeli military) will remain in most of the Gaza Strip,” he said in a video statement on Tuesday.
This isn’t the only point of friction. Netanyahu also said he would never allow the creation of a Palestinian state, yet the White House document includes language about a “credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood” if the deal is fully implemented.
“It’s not written in the agreement,” Netanyahu claimed, saying that Israel would “strongly oppose” such a move. He insisted that Trump shared this view.
This is a nonstarter for Palestinians. As Ziyad al-Nakhalah, leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, put it, “Israel is trying to impose through the United States what it was unable to achieve through war.”
What does Netanyahu want in Gaza?
Netanyahu appears to be trying to have it both ways: Publicly embracing the deal to pressure Hamas, while privately rejecting its most fundamental terms.
It’s a familiar tactic. The Israeli prime minister, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, has a track record of endorsing negotiations and ceasefire proposals, and at the same time making contradictory statements to kill the momentum.
Captive families, humanitarian groups, and even some Israeli regime officials have accused Netanyahu of prolonging the war for political gains. Hamas says the Israeli prime minister has used negotiations as a smokescreen for continued genocide in Gaza.
In February, Israel kept stalling the second phase of a ceasefire agreement that had already begun by violating terms related to troop withdrawal and humanitarian aid delivery.
Trump’s latest proposal does not address the root causes of the protracted issue — namely, the occupation and the apartheid oppression of the Palestinian people.
How does Trump’s plan address displacement?
The plan is largely driven by Trump’s desire to build a Dubai-style wonderland on the wasteland of Gaza. Though the plan claims “no one will be forced to leave Gaza,” Trump’s vision for Gaza — as publicly announced in the past — is premised on the forced displacement of the native populace.
The more Palestinians are forcibly removed from their land, the cheaper the project becomes to implement.
A reconstruction and economic blueprint for Gaza, published by The Washington Post, estimates that $23,000 will be saved for every Palestinian who leaves.
Trump had previously floated the idea that he would send the US military into Gaza to clear the territory of its residents by force if necessary. Those remarks sparked a fierce global backlash.
The White House text says, “a Trump economic development plan to rebuild and energize Gaza will be created by convening a panel of experts who have helped birth some of the thriving modern miracle cities in the Middle East.”
“A special economic zone will be established, with preferred tariff and access rates to be negotiated with participating countries,” it specifies.
What is the role of Tony Blair in Trump’s plan?
That’s where former British Prime Minister Tony Blair also enters the frame. As part of Trump’s plan, Gaza will be governed by “a temporary technocratic committee,” made up of Palestinians and international experts, supervised by a new transitional body called the “Board of Peace.”
That board will be headed and chaired by Trump himself, with other members and heads of state, including Blair.
Blair is back in business once again, nearly two decades after he presented a 34-page document that outlined a “corridor for peace and prosperity,” which envisioned an agro-industrial park in the occupied West Bank.
Blair promised at the time that more such packages would be unveiled over time. He was forced to resign from office later largely as a result of the Iraq War. He has reportedly been advising the White House about Trump’s latest plan for Gaza.
Blair has reportedly been in contact with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to work out the details. His role in Trump’s plans for Gaza has been criticized by Palestinians and advocates for Palestinian rights across the world.
Earlier this year, the Tony Blair Institute supported a “Trump Riviera” and an “Elon Musk Smart Manufacturing Zone” as part of a post-war plan for Gaza.
The plan included paying half a million Palestinians to leave their homelands to create room for private investors to develop Gaza into a money-making tourist hub.
What did Trump tell Hamas?
Trump issued an ultimatum of “three to four days” to Hamas on Tuesday to respond to his proposal. The US president threatened that he would let Israel “go and do what they have to do” in Gaza if Hamas rejects the deal.
“They could do it pretty easily,” he claimed.
Hamas is still reviewing the proposal. But with Netanyahu signaling that Israel won’t accept the deal’s core conditions, the path to peace remains as murky as ever.
Trump’s Gaza Plan: A Peace Proposal or a Political Cover for Occupation?
By Abbas Hashemite – New Eastern Outlook – October 1, 2025
President Trump has recently proposed a new peace plan for Gaza. However, the biased stipulations, although accepted by major Muslim powers, show that this proposal is anything but a peace plan.
The Reality of Israeli Occupation and Genocide
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have been committing war crimes and genocide in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023. However, the occupation of the Palestinian territory by the Zionist state has been underway for decades. For years, some regional resistance forces, such as Hamas, have been fighting the occupation of the IDF. Since October 7, this resistance has increased manifold. The IDF has also unleashed unimaginable horrors in the Gaza Strip in the last two years. The Western nations, including the United States, had been supporting the Israeli government in its genocidal operations in Gaza. However, due to the growing public pressure, many Western nations have altered their approach towards the Israel-Hamas war. Most of the Israeli supporters have conditionally recognized the state of Palestine.
Trump’s Peace Proposal: A One-Sided Agreement
In a recent move, US President Donald Trump has also announced a new peace proposal for Gaza. This new proposal has been accepted by most of the Muslim and Arab nations. However, the citizens of these countries are against this agreement and equate this to accepting Israel’s occupation of Gaza and blaming Hamas for the years of Israeli aggression in the strip. President Trump’s proposal states, “Gaza will be a deradicalised terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors”—implying that the Palestinian resistance groups are terrorist organizations and pose a threat to Israel. However, reality is quite contrary. The history of Israeli war crimes and its occupation of Palestinian territories predates the October 7 attack by Hamas. For decades, the Israeli government has been illegally occupying the Palestinian lands and illegally detaining the native Palestinians to occupy the Palestinian territory and achieve its “Greater Israel” ambition.
Historical events, facts, and figures of international human rights organizations suggest that the only terrorist organization in the region is the IDF. In the past two years, the Zionist state has attacked several regional countries and has also conducted assassinations of Iranian military officials in Syria and Tehran, along with Ismail Haniyeh, a prominent Hamas leader. Moreover, the Zionist state also disrupted all the previous ceasefire negotiations. Earlier this month, Israel conducted airstrikes on the Hamas negotiation team in Doha to disrupt the peace process, reflecting Israel’s ambition to perpetuate the war.
Moreover, this peace proposal favors Israel by asking Hamas to surrender unconditionally. It asks Hamas to give up all the Israeli hostages and its weapons, rendering it defenseless against the Zionist state. The lack of trust between the two sides makes this proposal ineffective, as the Hamas leadership has not been invited to negotiate the terms of the peace plan, making it a one-sided plan. This also suggests that the IDF has failed against the Hamas fighters. Therefore, it seeks for them to surrender unconditionally. However, in reality, the IDF, which shoots kids in the head and snipes doctors and medical workers, is the entity that should be demilitarized and de-radicalized.
Peace Without Justice Is No Peace
Another stipulation of the plan states, “Once all hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommissioning their weapons will be given amnesty. Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries.” This also indirectly accuses Hamas of igniting and prolonging the war in Gaza, ignoring the indiscriminate bombing of the IDF on Palestinian civilians, resulting in the deaths of thousands of children and women. Moreover, this statement portrays Hamas as an obstacle in the path of peaceful coexistence in the region. However, scores of evidence suggest that it is the Zionist government and ideology that make peaceful coexistence impossible.
President Trump’s proposed plan names Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister of the UK, known for his war crimes in Iraq during the US-led invasion and occupation of the country, as a member of the “Board of Peace”—a body that will “set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza.” This further reveals the seriousness of the Trump administration to establish peace in the Middle East. In addition, it once again exposes the reality that the West stands with the aggressors and war criminals. Trump’s peace plan is also nothing more than a favor to Israeli occupation and an end to the idea of the creation of a Palestinian state.
Trump’s proposal and its acceptance by a large number of Arab and Muslim nations is a success for the Zionist state. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu states, “Instead of Hamas leading to our isolation, we turned the tables and isolated Hamas. Now the entire world, including the Arab and Muslim world, is pressuring Hamas to accept the conditions we set together with President Trump: to release all our abducted—both living and dead—while the IDF remains in most of the territory.” Indeed, the acceptance of this peace proposal by the Muslim states is a betrayal to the Palestinian cause. The proposal holds that if Hamas rejects this plan, Israel will be free to do whatever it wants in Gaza, implying that the Zionist state will be allowed to annex and occupy Gaza.
Overall, President Trump’s proposed peace plan has many loopholes and is entirely at odds with the ground realities. Any peace plan that does not involve actual stakeholders is bound to fail. Hamas is unlikely to accept the proposal, as it favors Israel and rejects all the UN resolutions by defying the right of self-determination of the Palestinian people. For a real and practical peace proposal, all the stakeholders, including Hamas, must be consulted. Moreover, the peace plan must not favor any side and should be in accordance with international law and UN resolutions. Otherwise, this enforcement will lead to more chaos and violence in the region.
Аbbas Hashemite is a political observer and research analyst for regional and global geopolitical issues. He is currently working as an independent researcher and journalist.
