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Shot, amputated, and imprisoned: Palestinian man seeks to rebuild life after being maimed and tortured by Israeli forces

International Solidarity Movement | January 25, 2026

Ahmad is a 27-year-old Palestinian living in the occupied West Bank. On June 12, 2023, an Israeli soldier shot him in his village near Jenin, in the northern occupied West Bank. A bullet hit him in the leg as the military invaded the city; the soldiers left him bleeding and prevented the ambulance from arriving. He almost died. It is a miracle he survived with the blockade delaying rescue efforts, requiring his leg to be amputated. Four months later, he was arrested and placed in administrative detention without charge. He was held for two years in al-Naqab prison in Israel and subjected to repeat torture.

Ahmad was released two months ago. Now, he requires a prosthetic leg, which costs 24,000 shekels, so he can regain control over his life. He is an only child, his father died years ago, and he now lives alone with his elderly mother. Economic conditions are difficult in the West Bank, and he and his mother receive no subsidies. For income and his livelihood, Ahmad used to be a truck driver, which he is no longer able to do because of his injuries and the amputation.

Ahmad’s story:

The bullet that struck Ahmad was the type that explodes when it hits its target. His leg was seriously injured and Ahmad lost a lot of blood. The ambulance was blocked by the Israeli army, and Ahmad was taken to a distant hospital because the road was also blocked by the army. If he had been rescued in time, his leg could have been saved.

“I just want to be able to have a semi-normal life,” he says. “To support myself, to support my mother. I used to drive heavy vehicles, it was my job. Without a leg, I can’t do any job, and I don’t know how to survive.”

Ahmad was arrested just four months after he was injured. No charges, no conviction: he remained for two years under administrative detention, which allows Israel to imprison anyone for years without reason. Despite his health condition, Ahmad was not spared the torture inflicted on the approximately 11,000 prisoners held in Israeli prisons since October 7.

“They beat us every day,” he says. “They fed us only once, and almost exclusively rice. One cup per person. You had to drink a lot of water so you wouldn’t feel hungry all the time,” he reports.

Ahmad lost a lot of weight. The total lack of medical care inside the prison and the harsh living conditions caused him to suffer from severe pain throughout his body, which he still has to deal with today. For weeks, they didn’t give him crutches, and Ahmad couldn’t even get up without help.

“It was very cold, and they took all our clothes. They removed the windows to make us colder, and left us with only one blanket. We all had scabies, and they never gave us any medicine. When we washed our clothes, we had to put them back on wet, because they were the only ones we had.”

The torture described by Ahmad is only a fraction of the torment suffered by Palestinian prisoners.

January 25, 2026 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Subjugation - Torture | , , , , | Leave a comment

Building Disney Land on the Moon More Likely than Kushner’s Gaza Plan

By Robert Inlakesh | The Palestine Chronicle | January 25, 2026

On Thursday, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, presented his Gaza “master plan.” “We have no Plan B,” he remarked, pre-empting queries regarding what happens if the project fails.

In the more than three months since the Gaza ceasefire was implemented, this is all the Trump administration has to show for its alleged “hard work.” The reality is, the plan is flat out ridiculous.

To break down what was just presented in Davos, Switzerland, we need only use common sense. No geopolitical mastermind is required to figure out that the project just outlined is not only disconnected from reality, but flat-out cruel.

The sticking point here is that the US and Israeli governments are demanding that Hamas, along with the other Palestinian resistance groups, disarm. Without disarmament, as Kushner made clear, there can be no reconstruction.

In other words, either surrender or the genocide will start once again – but perhaps in a different form this time.

It is important to consider the following stances adopted by the Palestinian and Israeli sides. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demands total disarmament, with zero compromises.

On the other side, Hamas and the rest of the resistance say that they will store their weapons, but will not disarm until a Palestinian state is created. Only to a Palestinian state military will they hand over their weapons.

The so-called “Board of Peace,” which makes Trump the de facto Supreme Leader of Gaza, is tasked with a nation-building endeavour – something that contradicts the White House National Security Strategy doctrine.

Its military wing will be provided in the form of the “International Stabilisation Force” (ISF).

The ISF has not yet been formed, but is projected to be composed of tens of thousands of soldiers. It is set to be a multinational force, which will be headed up by the US military, coordinate with Israel, and run certain details by Egypt.

One enormous issue the ISF will face is that, in the event it is used to inflict regime change by attempting to disarm Hamas, it will not have the soldiers necessary.

It will be hundreds of soldiers from one country, perhaps thousands or dozens from others, who will be roughly the same in total manpower as the Palestinian resistance.

For a little perspective, when Israel announced its Operation “Gideon’s Chariots 2,” a mission to occupy Gaza City, Israeli military experts projected that a minimum of 150,000 soldiers would be required to complete such a task and that it could take up to a decade to achieve their goals.

Even if private military contractors, the five ISIS-linked militias Israel created in Gaza, and some form of a new Palestinian police force are used to do this, it is a messy, long-term, and costly mission – one that will undoubtedly result in foreign soldiers returning to their home nations in coffins.

Reconstruction Delusions

Jared Kushner presented a reconstruction and economic development proposal, during which he made it clear that he has no idea what he is doing.

The slides he displayed — which appear to have come from an early proposal floated around weeks ago — featured futuristic skyscrapers along the beaches of Gaza, which they claim will be for tourism.

The figure presented for what this will cost is around $25 billion, and they say it will be completed in a decade.

Let’s assume Hamas disarms, or that Israel agrees to allow the Palestinian resistance to store its weapons. Working on this assumption, there are a few basic follow-up questions that demonstrate just how flimsy the proposal is:

  1. Why are the Israelis still destroying Gaza’s infrastructure?
  2. What happens to the Palestinians?
  3. How are the Israelis going to tolerate such a city’s existence, if at all?

To address the first question, which is in part rhetorical, the Israeli military has not stopped its military operations aimed at totally erasing the Gaza Strip’s remaining infrastructure since the so-called ceasefire came into effect.

If they were truly seeking to allow Palestinians to remain there and to permit reconstruction, then why continue a process — which is continuing as you read this article — of eliminating civilian infrastructure?

Is it plausible that Israel has spent over two years committing a genocide, mass displacing the civilian population, and destroying every square inch of Gaza’s infrastructure, all to allow a high-tech billionaire’s paradise to be built in Gaza?

To allow 500,000 Palestinians to take on the jobs built there? Will this be a Palestinian city?

Everyone can draw their own conclusions about how plausible that seems when the majority of the Israeli cabinet is in favor of ethnic cleansing and/or settlement construction.

This then brings us to what truly happens to the Palestinian people during this process. Israel has not even allowed mobile homes and basic materials to enter Gaza that would allow people to at least escape being forced to live in ever-deteriorating tents.

These tents are easily torn to pieces or worn out by moderate changes in weather conditions, let alone events like floods.

Is the plan to build a super city and let everyone live in tents? Do they want to displace the people into Egypt for a period of a decade?

If the people leave, can they return? What is to become of their homes? Can they not decide what happens to their own buildings and neighbourhoods, or have any say in their own future?

The questions here could go on for days.

If you look at the AI-generated images of what the “New Gaza” will look like, it is more impressive than Tel Aviv, let alone Israeli-controlled cities closer to Gaza like Ashkelon (Askalan) or Ashdod (Isdud).

Are we supposed to believe that Palestinians are going to build a massive city that resembles Dubai or Singapore, while the Israeli Jewish supremacist population living next to them remains in cities that don’t even come close to comparing?

The majority of Israeli society is genocidal. They hate Palestinians with such a passion that they seek to see them wiped off the face of the earth. Nothing is off limits when committing acts against the civilian population of Gaza.

Yet we are supposed to believe that they and their government are going to allow Gaza to become a territory that is more impressive than the stolen lands on which Israelis live?

Bringing us back to reality for a moment, the Israelis have killed around 500 Palestinians since the ceasefire. They refuse to withdraw even to the territory designated to them under the agreement they signed.

Instead, the Israelis continue their military operations as if no agreement is in place, with the only exception being that they are no longer murdering over 100 civilians per day.

Meanwhile, Phase 2 of the ceasefire was supposed to have started months ago, but somehow never seems to come about. Now we are told there will be another 30-day period in which Hamas will be forced to disarm, or there will be military action against them.

It is crystal clear why there are no detailed proposals, why everything is so incredibly flimsy and disorganised, and why they are kicking the can down the road.

The people of Gaza are being presented with a vague image of living in a super city. They are also being told that there is an unelected ex–Palestinian Authority figure being imposed upon them.

No one knows what is happening, and nobody has any answers for them.

Why? Because the US and Israelis are simply toying with the people of Gaza, demonstrating pure sadism. There is no genuine attempt to better their lives. If there were, the US would have put together meaningful plans.

Yet the Zionist son-in-law of the US President doesn’t even bother dedicating enough time in his day to put together anything coherent.

The message is to submit or feel our wrath, reviving the decades-old claim that “Gaza could have become Singapore.”

Another thing to point out here is that every country participating in this colonial-style “Board of Peace” is now complicit in genocide, just as all of the nations that participated in the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC).

Leaders without backbones, who refuse to stand up to the US, even by simply leaving the CMCC for its failures or refusing to join the BoP without guarantees.

It may not be nice to hear, but history will record every individual who participated in this board, designed to reward Israel for genocide.

So, where does this go from here? Either Israel decides to continue its genocide, or the BoP works to keep the situation in a state of pause for a longer period of time, during which the people of Gaza suffer.

If the US seeks to pursue any of its BoP proposals, they will likely turn out exactly as the floating aid pier and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation did.

– Robert Inlakesh is a journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker. He focuses on the Middle East, specializing in Palestine.

January 25, 2026 Posted by | Deception, Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, War Crimes, Wars for Israel | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Israel moves to restrict Palestinian re-entry to Gaza, ‘encourage outflow’: Report

Press TV – January 24, 2026

The Israel regime is reportedly seeking to limit the number of Palestinians re-entering Gaza through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt in a bid to ensure that more people leave the coastal sliver than return.

Reuters carried the report on Friday, citing “three sources,” who also said it remained unclear “how Israel planned to enforce limits on the number of Palestinians entering Gaza from Egypt, or what ratio of exits to entries it aimed to achieve.”

According to the report, the regime additionally sought to establish a military checkpoint inside Gaza near its border, through which all Palestinians entering or leaving would be required to pass and be subjected to Israeli “security checks.“

“Israeli officials had insisted on setting up a military checkpoint in Gaza to screen Palestinians moving in and out,” the sources noted.

Plans for such strict checks have been under discussion since last year, according to multiple reports at the time.

The sources further said it was not clear how “individuals would be dealt with if they were blocked by Israel’s military from passing through its checkpoint, particularly those entering from Egypt.”

The report came a day after US President Donald Trump officially launched his Gaza “Board of Peace” during a signing ceremony in Davos, Switzerland, attended by dozens of officials, who signed onto Washington’s “peace plan” for the war-ravaged territory.

Trump claims his plan is aimed at ending the regime’s war of genocide on Gaza, which began in October 2023.

A ceasefire deal was signed in early October between the regime and Gaza’s Hamas resistance movement towards implementation of the proposal.

The regime, though, has killed hundreds of Palestinians since the deal was concluded in, what observers call, a continued pattern of genocide, besides preventing sufficient entry of direly-needed humanitarian supplies into the territory.

The regime has also recently barred the Palestinian technocratic committee, which is set to administer Gaza under the “Board of Peace,” from entering the coastal sliver.

Tel Aviv has been repeatedly delaying the crossing’s opening and continues to prevent adequate amounts of aid from entering Gaza.

In February this year, Trump unveiled a plan to transform Gaza into a “Riviera of the Middle East” and vowed to expel its population for the people’s own “safety.” Numerous reports followed that Washington and Tel Aviv were in talks with African states to relocate Palestinians.

Among these countries was Sudan, which denied that any such development was taking place. Another was Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia that Tel Aviv has controversially recognized.

January 25, 2026 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, War Crimes | , , , , | Leave a comment

UN rapporteur says Israeli demolition of UNRWA compound reflects broader attack on UN system

MEMO | January 23, 2026

The UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory on Thursday cited the demolition of a UNRWA compound in East Jerusalem as sign of a broader attack on the UN system, calling for a special session at UN General Assembly, Anadolu reports.

Francesca Albanese said in a statement that she was “horrified by the Government of Israel’s relentless destruction,” and that “Israel is dismantling the United Nations and international law brick by brick in full view of the world.”

Israeli forces forcibly entered the UNRWA headquarters compound in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem on Jan. 20 and demolished it using bulldozers and heavy machinery.

“Attacking UNRWA is tantamount to bulldozing the world’s efforts to sustain Palestinian life,” Albanese said, referring to what she described as accompanying “genocidal rhetoric by Israeli officials.”

She said Israel’s Interior Minister Itamar Ben Gvir appeared on camera supervising the demolition and cited a public call by Jerusalem’s deputy mayor outside the compound to “kill and annihilate UNRWA staff.”

“This constitutes yet another instance of genocidal incitement that has become disturbingly normalised in Israel,” the rapporteur warned.

Albanese described the demolition as “an outrageous attack by a UN member State against a UN General Assembly-mandated organisation,” calling it “unprecedented and dangerous.” She urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to request a General Assembly special session and said it was time to consider suspending Israel’s credentials and authorizing sanctions and embargoes.

January 24, 2026 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism | , , , , | Leave a comment

US sanctions Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad over alleged Hamas links

MEMO | January 23, 2026

The United States has imposed sanctions on the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad, accusing the organisation of supporting Hamas and engaging in deceptive fundraising practices, according to a decision announced on Wednesday.

The sanctions, which also target six charitable organisations operating in the Gaza Strip, include freezing any assets held within the United States and prohibiting US citizens and companies from conducting transactions with the listed entities.

According to the US Treasury Department, the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad was “founded and operated by elements linked to Hamas,” claiming that the movement exercises control over the organisation’s strategic and operational activities. The department also cited the presence of individuals within the conference who have previously been placed on US sanctions lists.

Founded in February 2017, the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad was launched during a large gathering in Istanbul attended by Palestinians from around 50 countries. The organisation describes itself as a grassroots framework aimed at unifying Palestinians in the diaspora, enhancing their political engagement, and reinforcing their role in the Palestinian national movement.

Based in Lebanon, the conference has organized events and conferences in several countries, including Turkey, and has participated in political and popular initiatives related to the Palestinian cause. Its founders say the conference serves as a coordinating umbrella for hundreds of Palestinian institutions worldwide and stress that it does not seek to replace the Palestine Liberation Organisation, but rather to complement its role.

In response to the US decision, the conference has described itself as an independent and open organisation representing a broad spectrum of Palestinian political affiliations. It rejected the accusations, stating that its activities are public and focus on political advocacy, popular mobilisation, and humanitarian support.

The sanctions decision comes amid heightened US scrutiny of organizations accused of links to Hamas, particularly in the context of the ongoing war in Gaza.

January 23, 2026 Posted by | Full Spectrum Dominance, Wars for Israel | , , , , | Leave a comment

Jordan using Israeli software to monitor journalists, rights defenders: Report

The Cradle | January 22, 2026

A multi-year investigation by Citizen Lab has found that Jordanian security agencies used Israeli-made Cellebrite phone-extraction technology to pull data from civil society activists and journalists without consent, according to a report published on 22 January.

The researchers said they forensically analyzed four seized-and-returned phones and reviewed three court records tied to prosecutions under Jordan’s 2023 Cybercrime Law, with cases spanning late-2023 to mid-2025 during protests in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

Citizen Lab said it identified iOS and Android “Indicators of Compromise (IoCs)” that it attributes “with high confidence” to Cellebrite’s forensic extraction products, describing the work as evidence that authorities extracted data after detentions, arrests, and interrogations by the General Intelligence Department (GID) and the Cybercrime Unit.

In one case, Citizen Lab said a student organizer refused to provide a passcode, and officers “unlocked it using Apple’s biometric face ID by holding it up to the activist’s face,” later returning the device with “their device’s passcode written on a piece of tape stuck to the back of their phone.”

The report ties the practice to Jordan’s tightening online repression, noting that the 2023 law expanded punishments and has been widely used against activists.

In a post on X dated 12 March 2025, Jordan’s Interior Minister Mazin al-Farrayeh wrote, “The most common cases handled daily [by the Cybercrime Unit] involve hate speech and inciting division and strife on social media … penalties can reach up to three years in prison, a fine of 20,000 dinars [approximately 28,200 USD], or both.”

Citizen Lab report characterizes Cellebrite as a recurring enabler in global rights abuses, arguing that its tools, when handed to opaque security services, become a turnkey mechanism for sweeping, invasive fishing expeditions across private life.

After Citizen Lab and OCCRP wrote to Cellebrite on 29 December 2025 and followed up on 15 January 2026, the company’s PR firm replied with a generic defense, saying “Ethical and lawful use of our technology is paramount … As a matter of policy, we do not comment on specifics.”

Citizen Lab noted that the response “does not deny any of our findings,” and concluded that the Jordanian use of it documented “likely violates international human rights law.”

Alaa al-Fazza, writing for The Cradle, has described Jordan’s 2023 cybercrime law as a sharp turn toward authoritarianism, arguing it uses vague security claims to criminalize dissent, expand censorship powers, and suppress activists as public opposition to normalization with Israel grows.

In a July 2025 report, Middle East Eye reported that Jordan’s General Intelligence Department launched its largest arrest campaign since 1989 by detaining and interrogating hundreds over pro-Palestine activism and Gaza solidarity. The detainees were held without charge amid claims the crackdown was driven by pressure from Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

Amid the widening crackdown on dissent and pro-Palestine voices, Al Mayadeen reported in December that one of their journalists, Mohammed Faraj, was arbitrarily detained upon arrival in Amman and held for over a week without charge, disclosure of his whereabouts, or official clarification from Jordanian authorities.

January 22, 2026 Posted by | Civil Liberties, Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Full Spectrum Dominance | , , , | Leave a comment

Israelis SUDDENLY Mass Deported From Many Countries

The CJ Werleman Show | January 22, 2026

In this urgent report, I expose why Israelis are now being mass deported or denied entry by countries around the world – from Eastern Europe to South America, from the Maldives to even North Korea. These are not isolated incidents. They are a direct consequence of Israel’s policies, its ongoing atrocities against Palestinians, and a historic collapse in Israel’s global image. Watch to the end to understand how all of this connects to war crimes, apartheid, racism, and Western hypocrisy – and why platforms like YouTube are punishing channels that dare to tell the truth.

❌ YouTube Demonetized Our Channel Because We Expose Israel ❌ 💪

Please HELP me expose Israel and injustices in Muslim world via Patreon HERE: ▶   / cjwerleman  

One-time donations can be made here: ▶ https://www.paypal.me/cjwerleman

We can’t sustain, improve and grow this program without your help via Patreon membership, and you will be helping us push back against Zionist censorship, produce more in-depth investigations, platform Palestinian voices and other victims of occupation and war. Thank you for your support and understanding.

January 22, 2026 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Video, War Crimes | , , | Leave a comment

Peace Plan Phase 2 Without Phase 1: Can the US Really Bring Peace to Gaza?

By Abbas Hashemite – New Eastern Outlook – January 22, 2026

US President Donald Trump announced Phase 2 of the Gaza Peace Plan despite the failure of Phase 1 to bring any relief to the Palestinians, reasserting the fact that it only intends to legitimize the Israeli occupation.

On January 16, the United States announced the launch of the 2nd phase of the infamous 20-point Gaza Peace Plan, which is supposed to end Israel’s genocidal operations against native Palestinians in Gaza. The Trump administration portrays Phase 1 of the Gaza Peace Plan as a success. However, the reality on the ground is in sheer contrast to the US government’s claims. Most of the expectations of Phase 1 were never materialized on the ground in Gaza. Phase 1 of the 20-point Gaza Peace Plan was supposed to immediately stop the fighting between Israel and Hamas, allow full admittance of humanitarian aid in the Gaza enclave, open the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza, enable the exchange of captives between the two sides, and set a limit for the Israeli withdrawal from the boundary of Gaza.

Phase 1: Broken Promises

Although the Israeli attacks in Gaza have decreased since the start of the ceasefire, the genocide still continues. The Zionist government continues to violate the ceasefire by launching unprovoked attacks in the Gaza enclave, violating the ceasefire at least 1193 times, resulting in the deaths of at least 451 Palestinians since October 10. According to a UNICEF report, “More than 100 children have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire of early October. That is roughly one girl or boy killed every day during a ceasefire.” It further states, “Since the ceasefire, UNICEF has recorded reports of at least 60 boys and 40 girls killed in the Gaza Strip. The 100 figure only reflects incidents where sufficient details have been available to record, so the actual number of Palestinian children killed is expected to be higher. Hundreds of children have been wounded.”

Hamas has released all the living and dead captives except one. However, reports suggest that Israel has not released all the prisoners as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement. It still holds numerous children, women, and doctors. Moreover, reports suggest that the Israeli government continues to block much of the essential humanitarian aid in Gaza, only allowing around 43 percent of the total aid trucks. The Zionist government does not allow the passage of the trucks containing meat, dairy products, and vegetables, which are necessary for maintaining a balanced diet. It only allows trucks containing soft drinks, chocolates, snacks, and crisps into the Gaza enclave. In addition, the Israeli government has banned more than three dozen charity organizations from working in Gaza, further worsening the dire conditions of the Gazans. Furthermore, the key lifeline for the entry of aid, medical evacuation, and travel, the Rafah crossing, also remains closed by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

Phase 2: Political Theatre or Real Solution

Phase 2 of the Gaza Peace Plan aims to shift the focus to establishing a Palestinian technocrats’ panel to supervise and lead post-war Gaza, as well as long-term governance in the enclave. Steve Witkoff, Special Envoy of the US President Donald Trump, stated the Phase 2 “establishes a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in Gaza” and would initiate “the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel.” However, without the success of Phase 1 of the 20-point Peace Plan, the announcement of Phase 2 seems nothing more than a political theatrics to enhance President Trump’s international stature.

Controversial Appointments Undermine Trust and Peace

The Trump administration’s announcement of the former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, responsible for the death of thousands of Muslims in the Middle East, along with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner – a staunch Zionist, as one of the founding executive members of the so-called Board of Peace, which is supposed to overview the implementation of the so-called Gaza Peace Plan, also reflects the nonchalance of the US government to end the Israeli genocide in Gaza. The United States has appointed US Major General Jasper Jeffers as Commander of the International Stabilization Force (ISF) for the Gaza Enclave. According to the White House, Jeffers would lead the ISF in a wide range of areas, including “comprehensive demilitarization.”

However, this “comprehensive demilitarization” is limited to de-weaponizing Hamas. The United States has been a key supporter of Israeli war crimes in Gaza. It has also been the prime supporter of Israel’s demand to demilitarize Hamas, a demand unacceptable to the Palestinian group. The appointment of Major General Jasper Jeffers would make the ISF more controversial. The US government needs to address the concerns of all the stakeholders effectively to successfully implement the 20-point Gaza Peace Plan. Moreover, appointing people with controversial backgrounds like Tony Blair and Jared Kushner would only lead to a trust deficit, further complicating the peace process in Gaza.

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

January 22, 2026 Posted by | Deception, Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, War Crimes | , , , | Leave a comment

Hamas: Netanyahu’s inclusion in ‘peace council’ threatens justice

Al Mayadeen | January 22, 2026

The Hamas Resistance movement has condemned the inclusion of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the so-called “Peace Council” for Gaza, calling it a dangerous sign that undermines justice and accountability.

In an official statement issued Thursday, Hamas said, “We strongly condemn the inclusion of war criminal Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, in the Peace Council for Gaza.”

The movement stated that Netanyahu’s participation contradicts the very principles such a council should represent. It warned that “the war criminal Netanyahu continues to obstruct a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and carries out the most heinous violations by targeting unarmed civilians.”

Hamas stressed that “the first step toward stability lies in ending the occupation’s violations and holding all those responsible for genocide and starvation accountable.”

The statement came after US President Donald Trump and several international leaders signed a decree on Thursday establishing the “Peace Council” concerning the Gaza Strip. The signing took place during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Netanyahu confirmed his participation on Wednesday, saying: “I will join the Peace Council in response to President Trump’s invitation.”

Others who joined the so-called “Peace Council” include Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and others, bringing the total number of those who accepted Trump’s invitation up to 25.

January 22, 2026 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, War Crimes | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Report warns that ‘Jewish terrorism is out of control’ and could lead to major security escalation

MEMO | January 22, 2026

An Israeli report warns of a rapid rise in Jewish terrorism against Palestinians in the West Bank, saying it has become a widespread phenomenon with serious security and strategic implications. The report cautions that this trend aims to undermine the Palestinian presence and could trigger large waves of violence, while also causing growing damage to Israel’s international standing.

The report, issued on Tuesday by the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University (INSS), says recent years—especially since 7 October 2023—have seen a sharp increase in both the scale and severity of attacks carried out by Jews against Palestinians. It describes these acts as part of a “struggle over control of land” and “growing attempts to weaken the Palestinian presence”, particularly in areas classified as Area C.

According to the report, data from Israeli military and international sources point to a steep rise in such attacks. Figures from the Israeli army’s Central Command show that in 2025 there was an increase of about 27 per cent in incidents classified by the security establishment as “nationalist crime”. Around 870 offences were recorded, including 120 described as serious, compared with 83 serious offences in 2024.

United Nations data, however, present an even darker picture. In 2024, about 1,420 attacks against Palestinians were documented, a 16 per cent rise compared with 2023 and the highest level since systematic monitoring began in 2006. The report says these attacks led to the killing of five Palestinians and injuries to around 350 others. More than 300 Palestinian families — nearly 1,700 people — were also displaced from their homes.

The report adds that the upward trend has continued, noting that the number of attacks in 2025 has “exceeded 1,770 incidents”, surpassing the peak recorded the previous year.

January 22, 2026 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Subjugation - Torture | , , , , | Leave a comment

Why Trump’s ‘Board Of Peace’ Is Destined To Crash And Burn

By Robert Inlakesh –  The Palestine Chronicle – January 21, 2026

The recent announcement of US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” (BoP) has stirred intense debate over what Phase 2 of the Gaza Ceasefire will look like. In reality, figuring this out is rather simple: it is a mission destined to crash and burn, similar to how the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and the Floating Aid Pier did.

Proponents of the Trump administration’s BoP have little to show other than fancy rhetoric, churned out unironically, due to their lack of any basic understanding of Gaza’s predicament.

The Board Of Zionist Failure

As of the White House press briefing issued on January 16, the so-called Board of Peace was initiated with seven appointed members to its “Executive Board.” None of them is Palestinian, let alone from Gaza, and none possesses even the slightest credibility in dealing with such a sensitive and arduous task.

They include Trump administration officials Steve Witkoff, Marco Rubio, Robert Gabriel, and the demonstrably incompetent son-in-law of the US President, Jared Kushner. Then there is former British Prime Minister—the butcher of Baghdad himself—Tony Blair. That leaves pro-Israel billionaire Marc Rowan and World Bank Group President Ajay Banga.

However, the individual granted the most consequential role, the High Representative for Gaza, is none other than Nickolay Mladenov. While serving as a United Nations envoy to the Middle East, he developed a relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He also earned the favour of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and was awarded the ‘Grand Star of the Order of Jerusalem’ by its President, Mahmoud Abbas.

Mladenov is presented as a man who maintains relations with all sides, yet those citing his ties to the PA as evidence of this are doing so disingenuously. Setting aside questions of the PA’s legitimacy, it has not ruled Gaza since 2006. As such, his relationship is not with the governing authorities of the besieged territory.

In addition, Mladenov left his UN post to become director-general of the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi. He not only resides in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) but also serves as a Segal Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP).

His affiliation with WINEP should raise major red flags. The institute is often referred to as the think-tank wing of the Israel Lobby in Washington and, according to the Quincy Institute’s ‘Think Tank Funding Tracker,’ is funded by dark money. Mladenov is also a passionate supporter of the Trump administration’s so-called “Abraham Accords,” an initiative aimed at pushing Arab states to abandon the demand for a Palestinian state before normalizing relations with Tel Aviv.

While there is much more to be said about the so-called BoP, it suffices to note that it is a pro-Israel endeavour—one that reportedly demands a $1 billion sign-up fee for participating nations, as though it were a subscription service, a kind of Netflix for states.

The mere existence of the BoP constitutes a clear violation of international law and even contradicts the US’s own newly adopted National Security Strategy doctrine. None of this would have been possible, however, without the utter cowardice of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) members back in November.

UNSC Resolution 2803 authorized this colonial throwback board—an unelected, illegitimate authority imposed upon Gaza—while effectively rewarding Israel for committing genocide. Every state that voted in favor is complicit, with no exceptions. The resolution erased decades of UNSC and UN General Assembly resolutions, undermined the Geneva Conventions, and authorized a plan that violates rulings issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN’s own legal body.

Why It Will Fail

As for what the BoP is actually meant to do, meaningful analysis is nearly impossible at this stage. It has no clear vision—only a pro-Israeli orientation. The BoP is a cash grab, trafficking in vague concepts such as “peace,” “accountability,” and “reconstruction,” while offering no substance. Its continued existence rests largely on the unwillingness of states to challenge it, out of fear of the occupant of the White House.

What is clear is that this project has no viable options. Already, the Israeli government has begun objecting to it, as members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet openly call for the permanent occupation of the Gaza Strip to facilitate illegal settlement construction. Netanyahu himself is demanding the return of the body of Israel’s last captive and the disarmament of Hamas—both demands that remain unresolved.

Under only one condition are Israeli leaders prepared to consider extending the ceasefire into Phase 2: the violent overthrow of Hamas through “disarmament.” In a Monday address to the Knesset, Netanyahu echoed Trump’s threat—“we do it the easy way or the hard way”—in reference to demilitarisation.

Meanwhile, on the ground, Israel has killed nearly 500 Palestinians since the so-called ceasefire began. It has also refused to halt attacks on civilian infrastructure and violated the “Yellow Line” meant to separate the 53 percent of Gaza under occupation, instead seizing roughly 60 percent of the territory.

These ceasefire violations—including the restriction of agreed-upon aid flows—have been monitored by the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC), led by the United States and involving more than 20 national militaries.

The CMCC does not engage in combat; it merely monitors violations—a mission it has clearly failed. It has made little to no tangible difference, aside from rendering the US military directly complicit in facilitating Israeli war crimes.

For the BoP to coordinate an “International Stabilization Force” (ISF) tasked with disarming Hamas, it would require not tens of thousands of troops, but hundreds of thousands. Alternatively, as suggested by Israeli and American officials and private military contractor UG Solutions, private mercenary forces could be deployed to compensate for an incoherent and vastly outnumbered ISF.

Compounding this is the existence of five Israeli-created ISIS-linked militias operating in Gaza, reportedly backed by the UAE, which may be used as cannon fodder in such a conflict.

Israeli officials themselves previously estimated that occupying Gaza City alone would require approximately 200,000 soldiers and could take up to a decade, simply to replicate a West Bank-style occupation. How, then, are tens of thousands expected to succeed where Israel could not?

If the ISF, under the direction of the BoP’s Zionist loyalists, truly wages war on Hamas, it would likely collapse—and in doing so, confirm that the so-called international community has chosen to resume Israel’s genocidal campaign. The proposition borders on madness.

Either Trump’s “peace plan” will be subordinated entirely to Israeli dictates, or it will be blocked altogether—leaving regime change in Gaza and foreign occupation as its core objectives. Phase 2 was supposed to begin months ago, yet it remains stalled because no one is willing to confront the current ultra-Zionist American administration.

On October 8, even before the ceasefire was announced, I wrote in The Palestine Chronicle that what lay ahead was a prolonged limbo between Phases 1 and 2. I warned it would amount to little more than a glorified pause—one Israel would violate whenever it suited its interests. Thus far, that prediction has proven accurate.

A BoP may well be assembled, and an ISF may even be deployed, but it will neither deliver sustainability nor realize the fantastical visions being proposed. Eventually, something will break—and this prolonged stalling, misleadingly labelled a “ceasefire,” is likely to backfire catastrophically.

Robert Inlakesh is a journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker. He focuses on the Middle East, specializing in Palestine.

January 21, 2026 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism | , , , , | Leave a comment

‘Board of Peace’ resembles a club that turns the world into the ‘law of the jungle’

By Li Zixin | Global Times | January 21, 2026

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to impose 200 percent tariffs on French wines and champagne after French President Emmanuel Macron was reported to be unwilling to join his “Board of Peace” on Gaza, according to media reports.

The so-called Board of Peace is part of a “20-point peace plan” proposed by the US to end the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip. According to the draft charter of this board, it will be chaired by Trump. Membership would be by invitation from the chairman, who would hold key authority over terms, renewals and removals. What shocked the international community even more was that the US plan openly priced the board’s “permanent seats” at $1 billion each. This act of “privatizing” international affairs and “commodifying” regional peace not only disregards the will of the Palestinian people but also poses a huge challenge to the existing international governance system and norms of conduct.

The current Israel-Palestine conflict has lasted nearly 30 months, and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen. The White House’s push to form a “Board of Peace” is primarily aimed at demonstrating US influence over the situation in Gaza. However, this institution, which should be responsible for peace in Gaza, is a typical product of “transactional diplomacy.” The nomination list is filled with US politicians and their cronies, but conspicuously absent is the most critical stakeholder – the Palestinians. This “absence” has drawn widespread criticism from the international community, with some even suggesting it reveals the institution’s “colonial” nature – attempting to privately outline Gaza’s future without the consent of the Palestinian people.

Even more shocking is the White House’s explicit offer of a “permanent seat” for $1 billion. This move reduces the solemn cause of international peace to a game of money. Gaza’s future should not be a commodity to be bought; under the influence of capital and hegemonic will, it will find it difficult to achieve true peace.

Judging from the proposed charter of the “Board of Peace,” this mechanism is unlikely to resolve the current crisis and may even poison the political landscape of the Middle East. First, it has not prioritized the imminent humanitarian crisis in Gaza, instead focusing more on the capital operations of postwar reconstruction.

Second, this board seriously hinders a comprehensive and just solution to the Palestine-Israel issue. The US-led Gaza peace plan not only eliminates the political role of the Palestinian National Authority in Gaza but also establishes a so-called Board of Peace controlled by external forces above the Palestinian technocratic committee. In essence, this replaces sovereign governance with external intervention, undermining the political foundation of the “two-state solution.” The US thereby deprives Palestinians of their fundamental right as a state to handle their own affairs, effectively further dividing the Gaza Strip from the West Bank and making a just and lasting peace even more unattainable.

Third, this move has severely impacted the global governance system. The current Gaza crisis is a brutal illustration of the disorderly state where “might makes right.” If peace seats can be bought and major powers can arbitrarily establish their own systems outside the existing international order, the fairness of the postwar international order will be undermined. This “club governance” model reduces international law to a private contract among major powers, forcing the world back into the law of the jungle.

To truly resolve the Israel-Palestine issue, we must return to the international order of fairness and justice. Any arrangements regarding the postwar governance of Gaza must be discussed within the framework of the UN and must fully respect the fundamental principle of “Palestinians governing Palestine.” Genuine peace should be built on the basis of the “two-state solution” and the restoration of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, not on a “small group” privately established by a hegemonic power. The international community should be wary of the dangerous tendency to place geopolitical games above international law and ensure that the reconstruction of Gaza is the reconstruction of justice, not an expansion of hegemony.

The author is a research fellow with the China Institute of International Studies. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn

January 21, 2026 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism | , , , , | Leave a comment

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