How much is shoddy, pro-Israel journalism worth? Ask Bari Weiss.
As her Free Press is poised to seal a $200 million deal with the mainstream news giant CBS, let us reflect on why
By Branko Marcetic | Responsible Statecraft | July 29, 2025
A thought experiment: would anyone who referred to the killing of 50 Jewish people, many of them “entirely innocent non-combatants, including children,” as “one of the unavoidable burdens of political power, of Palestinian liberation’s dream turned into the reality of self-determination,” ever be hired by a major television news network?
Would their news outlet ever be potentially offered more than $200 million to merge with that major news network?
Of course not, and for good reason. Yet that’s exactly what’s happening, only with one small but major difference: the writer and her news outlet responsible for this statement, Bari Weiss and The Free Press, were not talking about Hamas’ murder of Israelis, but rather about Israel’s killing of 50 Palestinians — “Zionism’s dream turned into the reality of self-determination,” as Weiss described it in 2021.
Weiss is currently in talks to sell The Free Press to CBS News for between $200-$250 million, after reportedly winning over its new owner, David Ellison, “by taking a pro-Israel stance,” according to the Financial Times. Ellison “wants to position The Free Press alongside CBS News,” the paper reported, while another source told the New York Times that Ellison is weighing up giving Weiss “an influential role in shaping the editorial sensibilities of CBS News.”
If so, it would be a major new development in a pervasive double standard we’ve seen in the past nearly two years. Weiss and her outlet have engaged in rhetoric and professional behavior that would ordinarily never pass muster in a newsroom — but are considered acceptable because they are in support of Israel’s war against Palestinians.
For one, The Free Press has repeatedly spread misinformation. In May 2024, the outlet charged that the UN had “admit” the civilian death toll was 50 percent lower than what was being claimed, a quickly debunked and borderline willful misreading of a UN document, a misreading that the UN secretary-general’s office swiftly came forward to correct (a fact left out of The Free Press’ piece).
One year later, The Free Press declared the idea that Israel was engineering a man-made famine that was underway in Gaza a “myth,” even as Israel was in its third month of blocking all food, fuel, and medicine into the territory and at least 57 civilians had already starved to death, most of them children. As recently as this past Sunday, another Free Press article argued that “there isn’t mass starvation as claimed by pro-Hamas propaganda,” which flies in the face of not just basic reality, but testimony from doctors, major news organizations with journalists on the ground, and even the conclusion of President Donald Trump, a supporter of the war.
Just this past June, The Free Press charged simultaneously that there had both been no massacre of Palestinian aid seekers, and that, if there was, Hamas may have been responsible. Of course, since then, not only have Israeli soldiers admitted to shooting aid-seekers but U.S. contractors are coming forward to back up their gruesome stories. These accounts are becoming a near-daily occurrence, with over 1,000 Gazans killed at or close to aid distribution sites in the past two months.
In late May, The Free Press even published a puff piece on the group running these virtual slaughterhouses, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), painting it as an unsung success story, despite ample controversy at the time over its reliance on mercenaries and lack of independence. Two months of bloodshed later, condemnation and calls for GHF’s dismantling are widespread, with one former GHF staffer — a retired U.S. special forces officer — saying he had never witnessed such brutality and indiscriminate violence against “an unarmed, starving population” as at GHF’s distribution centers.
All of these pieces are still up, uncorrected on The Free Press website. And this is by no means an exhaustive list.
When it’s not spreading outright misinformation, The Free Press engages in more insidious propaganda. For instance, it has, depending on the public relations needs of the moment, shifted between ignoring, indignantly denying, and justifying Israel’s attacks on Gaza’s hospitals.
When a blast in the war’s first month that killed hundreds at al-Ahli Hospital ignited global outrage, The Free Press jumped on evidence that it may have been an errant Hamas rocket to charge again and again and again, even as recently as two days ago, that the media were rampantly defaming Israel through fake news of crimes it had never committed.
Since then, The Free Press has simply ignored the Israeli attacks on hospitals, often openly done and fully admitted to by the IDF, that have left 94 percent of hospitals in Gaza damaged or destroyed, including just this year attacking al-Ahli at least twice. In fact, both the outlet and Weiss personally pivoted quickly from denying Israel would do such a terrible thing to actively justifying its targeting of hospitals.
Of course, the vast majority of Israel’s war crimes in Gaza are simply never discussed by the outlet. The same goes for Palestinian suffering more generally and the massive and ever-mounting Palestinian death toll, which a group of experts last year concluded is likely undercounted by hundreds of thousands. Typically, the only time these topics are discussed by the outlet is to deny them and to lament their negative effect on Israel.
This is hardly surprising, considering new revelations that The Free Press has serially regurgitated content pushed by the Center for Peace Communications — an organization staffed by figures from pro-Israel think tanks and funded by money from pro-Israel donors.
Another largely absent topic: antisemitism, which is a charge The Free Press exclusively reserves for antiwar protesters, college campuses, teachers unions, Peter Beinart, Ireland, and anyone else who expresses pro-Palestinian sentiment, while it dutifully ignores accusations of antisemitism among Trump appointees and nominees and allies who also happen to be supporters of Israel’s war.
That brings us to the conduct of Weiss herself. She has a personal history of both playing fast and loose with the truth and what can only be described as a high degree of tolerance for anti-Arab and Islamophobic bigotry.
Weiss first rose to prominence due to her efforts to get Muslim and Arab professors at Columbia University fired by accusing them of racism, only for the resulting investigation to find “no evidence of any statements made by the faculty that could reasonably be construed as anti-Semitic.” She then later misleadingly claimed she had never tried to get them fired.
The supposedly rabid bigotry of ordinary Muslims is a favorite topic of Weiss, who has previously blamed rising antisemitism in Europe on the Muslim presence there, and warned that European Jews have “reason to worry” because of it. Soon after October 7, she approvingly shared a Free Press article whose central argument was that protests against Israel’s war — dishonestly characterized as hateful antisemitic rallies “celebrat[ing] mass murder in the streets” — were thanks to immigrants from Middle Eastern countries who could be either “80-year-old Armenian retirees or jihadi terrorists plotting another 9/11.” The Free Press later published an error-riddled article explicitly blaming a surge in Canadian antisemitism on Muslim immigration.
At the same time, Weiss has often promoted, often through The Free Press, her “friend” Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Hirsi Ali believes that “we are at war with Islam,” which she has called “a destructive, nihilistic cult of death,” that “there is no moderate Islam,” and that it must be “defeated” and “crush[ed],” including by closing all Muslim schools.
Ali has been a favorite of Islamphobic think tanks and neoconservative activists since the Global War on Terror. She has written that “every devout Muslim” at the very least “approved” of Al Qaeda’s 9/11 attacks and wrote a book that argued that Muslim immigration threatens the rights of Western women, partly because of Muslim men’s supposedly rapacious appetite for sexual violence.
Weiss eagerly promoted that book, spending an hour teeing Hirsi Ali up in a question and answer session to hold forth unchallenged about the dangers of ordinary Muslim men. Elsewhere, Weiss has waxed lyrical about her pride in associating with Hirsi Ali, and that she regards someone’s support for her as a “litmus test.”
If Weiss expressed or promoted any of these same views about Jewish immigrants and Judaism, she would likely be blacklisted in U.S. media, and for good reason. Instead, because they are aimed at Muslims, she is now being richly rewarded.
That a major network like CBS is seriously considering giving Weiss and The Free Press an even bigger platform and the imprimatur of mainstream legitimacy — given not just its promotion of anti-Muslim views, but its history of spreading outright, uncorrected falsehoods — is a sad reflection of the degradation of press standards.
And it seems to only be happening because a top media executive regards Weiss’ history of shoddy journalism less important than her support for Israel’s wars.
Canada continues arms transfers to Israel despite official denials: Report
Press TV – July 30, 2025
Canada has continued to supply weapons to the Israeli regime during its genocide in Gaza, contradicting official claims that such exports had stopped, a new investigation reveals.
Published by Arms Embargo Now Campaign (AEN) on Tuesday, newly uncovered shipping records and Israeli regime data show 47 documented shipments of military components from Canadian manufacturers to Israeli weapons firms between October 2023 and July 2025.
This includes over 421,000 bullets, with one shipment of 175,000 in April 2025.
Three cartridge shipments from a Quebec-based General Dynamics facility were also sent just nine days after Canada pledged to block munitions exports. These exports primarily supplied Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest arms manufacturer.
This comes as former Foreign Minister Melanie Joly and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as well as current Prime Minister Mark Carney, have repeatedly insisted that Canada has restricted arms exports to Israel, this report uncovers.
In March 2024, Canada’s parliament passed a non-binding motion urging the government to suspend further arms sales to Israel.
As pressure continued to mount, in September of last year, Joly announced that the government had not approved any new export permits for Israel since January 8, 2024.
This report, however, unveils the hidden reality behind Canada’s public statements on arms exports to Israel, revealing a systematic deception that has enabled the flow of Canadian-made weapons directly into one of the deadliest military aggressions in modern history.
Canada is currently breaching its own domestic legislation and international legal obligations by continuing to supply arms to Israel amid the ongoing ethnic cleansing and widespread starvation of Palestinians in Gaza.
Several Western countries have continued to supply lethal weapons to the Israeli regime despite the enormous human toll caused by its genocide in the Palestinian territory.
At least 60,034 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and another 148,870 individuals injured in the brutal Israeli onslaught on Gaza since October 7, 2023.
In protest over Gaza, Brazil withdraws from International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance
By Eman Abusidu | MEMO | July 30, 2025
The government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has formally withdrawn Brazil from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), intensifying diplomatic tensions with Israel and reigniting global debate over the boundaries between antisemitism and criticism of Israeli policies. The decision, made on 18 July but only confirmed publicly on 24 July by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has drawn both praise and criticism at home and abroad, particularly in the context of Brazil’s recent support for genocide accusations against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Brazil had joined the IHRA in 2021 during the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, holding observer status within the organisation. According to sources within Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty), the accession was “hasty” and lacked sufficient public or institutional debate. These officials cited unmet obligations, such as financial contributions and participation in plenary sessions, as contributing factors in the decision to leave.
Brazil’s withdrawal from the IHRA comes on the heels of its decision to join South Africa in accusing Israel of genocide at the ICJ. Despite the timing, Brazilian officials insist the move is not directly linked to its formal entry into the ICJ lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel on 23 July. However, the diplomatic and symbolic overlap is hard to ignore.
In its official statement, the Brazilian government condemned Israel’s conduct, citing a lack of accountability and accusing it of violating international norms.
“There is no longer room for moral ambiguity or political omission,” the Itamaraty statement read. “Impunity undermines international legality and compromises the credibility of the multilateral system.”
The government emphasised that its participation in international alliances must reflect Brazil’s constitutional values, particularly the defence of human rights and the self-determination of peoples.
Israel swiftly condemned Brazil’s withdrawal from the IHRA. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs labeled the move a “profound moral failure” and accused Brazil of abandoning the global consensus on fighting antisemitism. Fernando Lottenberg, the Commissioner for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism at the Organization of American States (OAS), also criticised the decision, calling it a “mistake.”
Domestically, the reaction was polarised. Senator Sergio Moro (União Brasil–PR) described the move as “yet another international embarrassment” by the Lula administration, accusing it of adopting a hostile stance toward the Jewish community.
The Palestinian Arab Federation of Brazil (Fepal) celebrated Brazil’s withdrawal from the IHRA. In a public statement released on July 25, Fepal described the move as a “necessary break” from what it characterised as the misuse of historical memory to justify “crimes against the Palestinian people.”
Fepal further urged the Brazilian government to take what it called a “final civilizing step”: the complete severance of diplomatic relations with Israel. According to the federation, Brazil’s IHRA membership served to “legitimise colonial, racist, and apartheid policies.” Its exit, they argue, symbolises a rejection of efforts to “criminalise anti-Zionism and silence reports of the genocide in Gaza.”
The organisation also criticized Bill 472/2025, authored by Representative Eduardo Pazuello (PL-RJ), which proposes adopting the IHRA’s definition of antisemitism. Fepal called it the “Zionist gag bill” and cited a legal opinion from the National Human Rights Council deeming the bill unconstitutional and a threat to free expression. According to Fepal, the IHRA definition conflates criticism of Israel with hate speech and has been weaponised internationally to suppress students, activists, intellectuals, and even dissenting Jewish voices.
“Rejecting this definition is protecting democracy and political freedom,” the federation wrote.
Brazil’s withdrawal sends a strong signal that historical memory and contemporary international policy are now more intertwined—and more contested—than ever.
That signal became even clearer on Monday (28 July), when the Brazilian government announced a series of retaliatory diplomatic, commercial, and military measures against Israel in response to what it described as “genocide” in Gaza. The announcement came from Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira during a speech at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Among the steps, Brazil will ban the export of defence equipment to Israel and launch investigations into imports from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The government framed these actions as part of its commitment to upholding international law and rejecting impunity.
“These are the legal measures that countries can take now,” Vieira said at the conference. “The credibility of the international system depends on this non-selective enforcement. What we need now is political will and effective action to monitor this conference.”
These developments occur against the backdrop of worsening diplomatic tensions between Brazil and Israel, which have been escalating since February 2024, when President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva compared Israel’s military actions in Gaza to the Holocaust. The controversial remark prompted Israel to declare Lula persona non grata. In May, Brazil recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv, and the position has remained vacant since. Furthermore, the Brazilian government has refused to approve the appointment of Israel’s proposed ambassador to Brasília, deepening the diplomatic standoff.
Egypt training hundreds of Palestinians for ‘Gaza security roles’
The Cradle | July 30, 2025
Egypt is training hundreds of Palestinians to assume security responsibilities in Gaza after the war ends, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told Al Arabiya in an interview yet to be aired.
“Egypt is training hundreds of Palestinians to take on security responsibilities in Gaza,” Abdelatty said, adding that Cairo has a clear plan for governance and security in the strip following the end of hostilities.
He said the plan is already being implemented. In April, he told the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkiye that Egypt had begun recruiting and training Palestinian police who would “take care of the law, order, and security in Gaza.”
At the time, he also stated that Egypt was prepared to support the deployment of an international force “to provide security and protection for the Palestinians.”
Abdelatty confirmed that Egypt continues to work toward a ceasefire and holds daily talks with Qatar and the US. He accused Israel of weaponizing hunger, saying starvation in Gaza is “beyond imagination.”
Cairo’s initiative was first unveiled in March as part of a $53 billion reconstruction and governance proposal endorsed by the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
It came in response to US President Donald Trump’s announcement that Washington would “take over” Gaza and relocate its population.
According to a source cited by Ultra Palestine in April, around 300 Palestinian Authority (PA) officers were selected for training in Egypt, with personnel instructed not to refuse the assignment “under penalty of liability.”
The source said the training would last two months and declined to elaborate on the assigned tasks.
The Egyptian plan envisions a phased reconstruction process and transfer of authority from Hamas to the PA. The Palestinian resistance has agreed to a previous Egyptian proposal for a Community Support Committee to govern Gaza, but rejected Cairo’s demand that it hand over its weapons.
The demand to disarm has been renewed and endorsed by the Arab League and Turkiye in the latest UN session in New York that took place on 29 July.
Israel has been continuously escalating military operations across Gaza and has made disarmament a condition for any ceasefire.
On Tuesday, Israeli ministers reportedly discussed formally occupying and annexing parts of Gaza.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich recently led a far-right conference promoting Israeli resettlement in the strip as a “Gaza Riviera.”
Germany blocks EU effort to impose sanctions on Israel over Gaza
MEMO | July 30, 2025
Germany and several other European countries are blocking a proposal to impose sanctions on Israel over its role in worsening the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, according to diplomats.
EU member states’ permanent representatives convened in Brussels but failed to reach a consensus to initiate the formal decision-making process.
Diplomats said countries, including Germany, called for more time and further analysis of the situation on the ground.
Some delegations also raised concerns that sanctions might harm essential dialogue with the Israeli authorities.
Under EU rules, any proposal must be backed by at least 15 of the 27-member states, representing at least 65 per cent of the EU population, to proceed.
Germany and Italy are considered key players in the talks, while all other major European countries, along with several smaller ones, have shown openness to the idea of imposing sanctions.
HRF Files Criminal Complaint in the UK Over Israeli Attack on Handala
Hind Rajab Foundation | July 28, 2025
London – The Hind Rajab Foundation has today filed a formal criminal complaint with the UK Metropolitan Police War Crimes Unit regarding the Israeli military assault on the British-flagged humanitarian vessel Handala in international waters on the night of 26–27 July 2025.
The complaint, lodged under the Geneva Conventions Act 1957 and the International Criminal Court Act 2001, urges UK authorities to open an immediate investigation into grave breaches of international law and war crimes committed by Israeli forces.
The assault was carried out by the Shayetet 13 naval commando unit, under the command structure of the Israeli Navy, whose Commander-in-Chief is Vice Admiral David Saar Salama. The complaint also targets officials within the Israeli military and government who may have authorized, planned, or facilitated the operation. The Hind Rajab Foundation is calling for these individuals to be identified, investigated, and—where evidence permits—prosecuted or arrested under UK jurisdiction.
At the time of the raid, the Handala was sailing approximately 49 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza, carrying 21 unarmed civilians, including:
- Chloé Fiona Ludden, a British humanitarian volunteer
- Emma Fourreau, Member of the European Parliament (France)
- Gabrielle Cathala, Member of the French National Assembly
- Jacob Berger, a Jewish-American activist
- Journalists, lawyers, and aid workers from 12 countries
All were detained without legal basis and forcibly taken to Israel.
The ship’s humanitarian cargo—baby formula, medical supplies, and food—was confiscated, and communications were cut immediately after Israeli forces boaed the vessel.
The Handala is a British-flagged vessel, and as such, constitutes an extension of UK sovereign jurisdiction. The seizure of the ship and arrest of its passengers in international waters constitutes an assault on British legal territory, a violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention. It also directly defies the binding orders of the International Court of Justice, issued in early 2024, which require the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The Hind Rajab Foundation is requesting the following from UK authorities:
- Immediate opening of a criminal investigation into the operation;
- Identification and questioning of all 21 passengers, especially UK nationals;
- Legal action against Vice Admiral David Saar Salama, Shayetet 13 commanders, and any political or military officials responsible;
- Placement of suspects on watchlists and preparation of arrest warrants for any who may enter the UK;
- Coordination with Interpol, the International Criminal Court, and UN mechanisms to ensure international accountability.
This case follows the pattern of previous illegal interceptions, including the recent attack on the Madleen and the 2010 Mavi Marmara raid. The Handala incident is not isolated—it is part of a systematic campaign to criminalize humanitarian aid and suppress civilian solidarity with Gaza under the guise of military enforcement.
The Hind Rajab Foundation will not relent.
We are committed to exposing and confronting every act of illegality and brutality carried out under the cloak of state power. The attack on the Handala is an attack not only on aid workers and civilians—but on international law, human dignity, and the very principle of accountability.
Justice must be done. The perpetrators must face consequences.
Settlers kill Palestinian in Masafer Yatta
International Solidarity Movement – Palestine | July 28, 2025
Israeli settlers murdered activist and dear friend Awda Hathaleen and critically injured Ahmad Hathaleen today during a settler invasion on the village of Umm al-Khair. Another member of the community, Ibrahim Al-Faqir also died as a result of a severe stroke during the attack.
The deadly attack took place after illegal Israeli settlers, including internationally sanctioned settler Yinon Levi, invaded the Bedouin village, located in the Masafer Yatta region. They were using an excavator in an attempt to destroy Palestinian infrastructure, including the communities’ water pipes. When residents gathered to stop the demolition, the excavator intentionally hit Ahmad in the head, causing serious injury and loss of consciousness.
Eyewitnesses said Levi then shot Awda in the chest causing critical injuries. He was evacuated to the Soroka Medical Center, where he was pronounce dead on arrival. A relative of Awda confirmed his death to the International Solidarity Movement.
Israeli forces later arrived at the scene, arresting 7 Palestinians and 2 internationals at the request of Levi.
Levi is under international sactions for crimes against Palestinian communities. In January of this year, Donald Trump reversed US sanctions on Levi and other settlers. Israel has never brought criminal proceedings against him despite years of violence and terrorizing Palesitian communties.
Awda, 31 years old, was a teaching staff member at al-Saray’a Secondary School in the Bedouin desert of Masafer Yatta. He was a father of three children, the eldest of whom is 6 years old.
On behalf of his community, Awda was relentless in his pursuit to tell the world of Israel’s campaign of ethnic cleansing and violence against the people of Umm al-Khair, including the confiscation of land, choking of water supplies and poisoning of trees and livestock.
For many years the ISM has stood in solidarity with the Bedouin community in Masafer Yatta, who live under constant threat of ethnic cleansing. Umm al-Khair is one of the many villages in Area C under total Israeli control, meaning almost every structure has a demolition order. Meanwhile Israel provides the neighbouring illegal settlement of Carmel with running water from pipes built over Umm al-Khair land. An ISM spokesperson said: “Awda was an incredibly kind friend and couragous member of his community. He was forced to live his short life under the constant threat of violence and displacement, yet he never gave up hope for justice and a free Palestine.”
In the hours before he was killed, Awda sent an urgent call to action, “If they cut the pipe the community here will literally be without a drop of water”. The international community must now take up Awda’s call to take action to protect the village of Umm al-Khair and the residents of the wider Masafer Yatta region against Israel’s escalating campaign of ethnic cleansing. Settlers generally walk free, and continue to harass Palestinian communities. Sanctions against individual violent settlers are not enough. The international community must demand accountability.
Is Europe pushing for Palestinian statehood or Palestinian surrender?
By Malek al-Khoury | The Cradle | July 28, 2025
Since its inception in 1948, Israel has never operated within fixed borders. Expansion has always been its doctrine – not constrained by law, but propelled by force and endorsed by unwavering western support. Israel has refused to define its boundaries for almost eight decades because its very identity is rooted in a colonial ambition that has never truly ended.
From the Nakba (Catastrophe) to the Naksa (Setback), from territorial invasions to the annexation of Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, and the West Bank, the occupation state has continued to redraw its borders according to power, not legitimacy.
This expansionist project has only grown stronger with the rise of the messianic-nationalist current inside Israel, which sees full control over “Greater Israel” as a historical right that cannot be compromised.
Today, 77 years since the Nakba, Israel has advanced to full-throttle expansion mode – dispossessing Palestinians, destroying entire towns and villages, entrenching illegal Jewish settlements, and enforcing apartheid. Yet paradoxically, European states like France and the UK are preparing to recognize a “Palestinian state” precisely when Palestinian political geography is at its most fragmented, and when the Zionist project is at its most aggressive.
So what does this recognition actually mean? Is it a strategic achievement for Palestinians, or a diplomatic ruse that rebrands surrender as success?
A state without borders, a project without restraint
The 1917 Balfour Declaration marked the formal launch of a settler-colonial project in Palestine. What followed was not immigration but calculated dispossession – from British-facilitated land seizures and massacres, to the mass expulsions of the 1948 Nakba, which ethnically cleansed over 750,000 Palestinians.
This was not mere colonialism. It was ethnic replacement: Land was seized under imperial protection, then militarily conquered. This campaign never ended. It continued with the occupation of Gaza, Jerusalem, and the West Bank, and escalated after 1967. Israel’s goal has never been coexistence. It has always been Jewish supremacy.
The 1947 UN Partition Plan (Resolution 181) granted over 55 percent of historic Palestine to the Zionist movement, despite Jews owning just six percent of the land. The Zionist movement accepted this on paper to gain international legitimacy, then immediately violated its terms, occupying 78 percent of the territory by force.
To this day, the occupation state has not adopted a formal constitution, and the reason is that basing itself on the Partition Plan would have constrained its expansionist ambitions. The Zionist doctrine never recognized final borders, instead establishing a state with no official frontiers – because its ambitions stretch beyond Palestinian geography to include parts of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt.
The internal debate in Israel over declaring a “Jewish state” is not merely a legal argument, but an attempt to solidify an exclusionary and replacement-based identity – one that legally enshrines racial discrimination and denies Palestinians their status as an indigenous people.
Resistance realignment: 7 October and the Two-State shift
The earthquake triggered by Operation Al-Aqsa Flood shook not only Israel but also the political discourse of the Palestinian movement. Strikingly, Palestinian factions – including Hamas – have begun explicitly voicing support for the “Two-State Solution” after years of insisting on liberating historic Palestine in its entirety.
In an unprecedented statement, senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said in May 2024:
“We are ready to engage positively with any serious initiative for a two-state solution, provided it entails a real Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital and without settlements.”
This tactical adaptation signals a significant shift. Key Palestinian actors are now openly considering a truncated state. Is this a reflection of changing power dynamics? Or an imposed realignment under regional and international duress?
Recognition as Leverage: France, Saudi Arabia, and normalization
Last week, in a post on X, French President Emmanuel Macron said:
“Consistent with its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the State of Palestine. I will make this solemn announcement before the United Nations General Assembly this coming September … We need an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and massive humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza. We must also ensure the demilitarization of Hamas, secure and rebuild Gaza. And finally, we must build the State of Palestine, guarantee its viability, and ensure that by accepting its demilitarization and fully recognizing Israel, it contributes to the security of all in the region. There is no alternative.”
France’s anticipated recognition of a Palestinian state in September is not driven by principle, but is a hard, cold geopolitical maneuver. It would appear that Paris is seeking closer ties with Riyadh, which has tethered normalization with Tel Aviv to progress on the Palestinian file. French recognition is thus a calculated signal to Saudi Arabia – not a gesture of solidarity with Palestinians.
In this equation, Palestine becomes currency. Its statehood is not affirmed as a right, but dangled as a precondition in normalization deals between Arab monarchies and the occupation state.
Strategic alignments: The Ankara–London Axis
With a third of MPs calling on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to recognize Palestine, pressure is also piling on London.
In a statement, Starmer said:
“Alongside our closest allies, I am working on a pathway to peace in the region, focused on the practical solutions that will make a real difference to the lives of those that are suffering in this war. That pathway will set out the concrete steps needed to turn the ceasefire so desperately needed, into a lasting peace. Recognition of a Palestinian state has to be one of those steps. I am unequivocal about that.”
Britain, too, is not moving toward recognition out of moral clarity, but to reinforce its post-Brexit strategic axis with Turkiye. Ankara, a key trading partner of Israel and political backer of Hamas, views the recognition of Palestine as a tool to elevate its regional stature and energy leverage. For London, deepening ties with Turkiye promises economic and geopolitical dividends. The result is a converging Paris–Riyadh and Ankara–London recognition track.
Thus, two informal axes are forming: Paris–Riyadh and Ankara–London, both converging on the recognition of a Palestinian state. Yet neither axis approaches it from a principled belief in Palestinian rights, but rather through the lens of power, influence, and realpolitik.
The Palestinian state: Recognition without sovereignty
Even if every European country were to recognize Palestine, it would amount to little more than symbolism without enforcement. There would be no defined borders for the state, no control over its own territory, and no halt to the settlement expansion or annexation policies pursued by the occupation state.
Tel Aviv rejects the premise entirely. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that any future Palestinian state would be “a platform to destroy Israel,” and that sovereign security control must remain with Israel. He has repeatedly ruled out a return to the conditions that existed prior to 7 October.
The reality is that 68 percent of the West Bank, classified as Area C, remains under full Israeli control. More than 750,000 settlers are embedded across that territory, under the full protection of the occupation army. How can a state exist on occupied, fragmented land, under constant siege, and without sovereignty?
“I’ve just returned from a lecture tour around the world, and I can confidently say Israel’s global image and position are at their lowest point in history,” writes Israeli journalist Ben-Dror Yemini.
Yet despite this, Netanyahu’s far-right government is doubling down – pushing for full annexation of the occupied West Bank, eyeing new territorial footholds in Sinai, southern Syria, even Jordan, while maintaining military positions in south Lebanon.
Israel’s global brand may be eroding, but its strategic project is advancing.
If Israel is expanding and entrenching, while the Palestinian movement scales back demands and regional states normalize ties, what exactly has been achieved?
Resistance factions that once rejected Tel Aviv’s existence now propose statehood on its terms. European recognition comes with no teeth. Settlements grow. Displacement continues. This is not liberation. It is the burial of the dream under the guise of diplomacy.
The interim solution will become the final arrangement. The Palestinian “state” becomes a diplomatic euphemism – an empty structure praised in speeches, but denied on the ground.
Yemeni army announces ‘new phase’ of attacks on Israel-linked ships
Press TV – July 27, 2025
The Yemeni Armed Forces have announced plans to escalate military operations against Israel in response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
In a statement issued on Sunday evening, the Yemeni Armed Forces called on nations around the world to exert pressure on the Israeli regime to cease its aggression and lift the blockade on Gaza to prevent further escalation.
They emphasized that their decision to intensify attacks on Israel stems from their moral and humanitarian obligation to address the suffering of the Palestinian people.
The Yemeni Armed Forces highlighted the rapid developments in occupied Palestine, particularly in the Gaza Strip, where the ongoing conflict has resulted in the deaths of thousands of Palestinians amid a prolonged siege and military assault.
They said that in light of the continued, horrific massacres occurring in our contemporary history, Yemen finds itself facing a profound religious, moral, and humanitarian responsibility toward the oppressed people who are subjected daily to relentless killing and destruction by air, land, and sea bombardments.
The severe blockade has led to starvation and thirst in steadfast and proud Gaza, which is unacceptable to any human being, especially Arabs and Muslims, the statement read.
Consequently, the Yemeni Armed Forces said they have decided to escalate military support operations and implement a fourth phase of a naval blockade against Israel. This phase includes targeting all ships belonging to any company that engages with Israeli ports, regardless of the company’s nationality, in locations accessible to the Yemeni armed forces.
The Yemeni Armed Forces have issued a warning to all companies to cease dealings with Israeli ports immediately upon the announcement of this statement. Failure to comply will result in their vessels being targeted anywhere within reach of Yemeni missiles and drones.
The Armed Forces reiterated their call for countries to intervene to prevent this escalation, urging them to pressure Israel to halt its aggression and lift the blockade on the Gaza Strip. “There is no free person on this earth who can accept what is happening,” they stated.
The actions of the Yemeni Armed Forces reflect a moral and humanitarian commitment to stand against the injustice faced by the Palestinian people. They declared that all military operations would cease immediately upon the cessation of aggression against Gaza and the lifting of the blockade, the statement said.
The Yemeni army condemned the persistent aggression against Gaza, attributing it to what they described as the shameful silence of the Arab, Islamic, and international communities.
Since the onset of the conflict in Gaza, the Yemeni Armed Forces have launched numerous attacks on vessels bound for Israel and have targeted locations deep within the occupied Palestinian territories using missiles and drones.
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Book Summary
The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food
Lies Are Unbekoming | January 20, 2026
Soybeans generate approximately $80 million annually in mandatory producer assessments alone, funding a marketing apparatus that has transformed an industrial commodity into one of America’s most trusted “health foods.” The campaign succeeded. Soy milk lines supermarket shelves beside dairy. Soy protein fortifies everything from infant formula to energy bars. Vegetarians rely on tofu and tempeh as dietary staples. Doctors recommend soy to menopausal women. School lunch programs serve soy-based meat substitutes to children. An estimated 60 percent of processed foods contain soy derivatives. The premise underlying this proliferation—that Asians have thrived on soy for millennia and that modern science validates its health benefits—has been repeated so often it functions as established fact.
Kaayla T. Daniel’s The Whole Soy Story dismantles this premise through systematic examination of the scientific literature. The book documents that traditional Asian soy consumption averaged roughly one tablespoon daily, consumed as fermented condiments after processing methods that neutralized inherent toxins—a pattern bearing no resemblance to American consumption of industrially processed soy protein isolate, soy flour, and soy oil. Daniel catalogs the antinutrients that survive modern processing (protease inhibitors, phytates, lectins, saponins), the toxic compounds created by industrial methods (nitrosamines, lysinoalanine, hexane residues), and the heavy metals concentrated in soy products (manganese, aluminum, fluoride, cadmium). She traces the mechanisms by which soy isoflavones—plant estrogens present at pharmacologically significant levels—disrupt thyroid function, impair fertility, and interact with hormone-sensitive cancers. The evidence emerges from peer-reviewed journals, FDA documents, and industry sources themselves.
The stakes extend beyond individual dietary choices. Infants fed soy formula receive isoflavone doses equivalent to several birth control pills daily, with blood concentrations 13,000 to 22,000 times higher than their natural estrogen levels. Soy protein isolate—the ingredient in formula, protein bars, and thousands of products—has never received GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status; its only pre-1960s use was as an industrial paper sealant. Two senior FDA scientists formally protested their own agency’s approval of soy health claims, citing evidence of thyroid damage and reproductive harm. The Honolulu Heart Program found that men consuming tofu twice weekly showed accelerated brain aging and increased dementia. These findings have not penetrated public awareness because the institutions responsible for consumer protection have been compromised by the industry they regulate. The Whole Soy Story presents the evidence that has been systematically excluded from mainstream health messaging, enabling readers to evaluate for themselves what the soy industry prefers they never learn. … continue
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