Nèdeem Elmahjoub's blog

A geopolitical summary and ‘forecasts’ “Rather than transforming the Middle East … the war may leave intact the ‘security architecture’ built by Trump and Biden. Yet the instability of this edifice has been proven. It would only be a matter of time before it buckles once again.” The US and the war on Gaza Illustrasjon: Knut Løvås, knutlvas@gmail.com

A liberal criticism of a social democrat . There is no grounding of Sanders’s general position within the U.S. imperialism. Compare his double standard in his position towards Israel’s war on Gaza and the one in the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine .

Targeted for their stance on Israel. Yet they won.

This was three weeks ago. Youssef : … those Palestinians are very dramatic, ‘Ah, Israel is killing us.’ But they never die, they always come back. They’re very difficult people to kill. I know because I’m married to one. I tried many times, couldn’t kill her. Morgan : There’s a dark humour there, and I understand why… / Youssef : Oh, it’s not dark humour: I try to get to her every time but she uses our kids as human shields. I can never take her out. Morgan : Again, I understand the humour, but to be serious, Bassam, about this… Youssef : Okay, I will be serious. I was watching your interview with Ben Shapiro, and I will tell you one thing: I think Ben Shapiro is one of the smartest people who ever walked this earth. He’s very, very smart. I follow him and I believe everything he says. And… his solution was, the solution for this is for “Israel to annex Gaza and to kill as many sons of bitches as possible to make sure this will never happen again”. And anyone who called for a c

Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza

“According to media reports, since 7 October, hundreds, and potentially thousands of British citizens have left the UK to fight for the Israeli Defense Forces in Israel’s war on Gaza. Many of these Britons may already be complicit in potential war crimes and crimes against humanity, and could face future prosecution should these matters go to trial.  ICJP has urgently asked the government to clarify its position on the legality of British citizens going to fight in Israel or Gaza, noting the difference with its policy on Ukraine.” ***** In a panel discussion in London ,  emeritus professor Avi Shlaim, lecturer of International Relations at the University of Oxford  spoke about how Palestinian resistance has been “decontextualised” and that Palestinians are engaged in a decolonial struggle. During the panel discussion, Wadah Khanfar spoke about a “shameless, explicit hypocrisy” from Western politicians. “Every kind of mask has dropped. And we see the faces of these leaders in front of

It is simple and clear: It is not the Israeli state to blame; it is the Palestinians who do not follow warnings and instructions.

“Many terrorist organisations, pilloried as such in the course of recent history, have ceased to be pariahs and become legitimate interlocutors. The Irish Republican Army (IRA), the Algerian National Liberation Front, the African National Congress (ANC) and many others have been by turns described as ‘terrorists’, a word which serves to depoliticise their struggle, to present it as a confrontation between Good and Evil. Each time the Palestinians rebel, the West, – so prompt to glorify the resistance of the Ukrainians – speaks of terrorism. In 1967, following the Israeli aggression, General de Gaulle spoke these premonitory words: ‘Now Israel is organising, on the territories it has conquered, an occupation which will necessarily involve oppression, repression, and expulsions. If they encounter any resistance, they will call it terrorism…‘ Contrary to what many Israelis claim (…) this is not a ‘unilateral’ and ‘unprovoked’ attack. The fright which Israelis are experiencing just now, me

Casting doubt on Gaza’s statistics Related

One cannot fail to see how Hamas has been ‘blitzed’ . All the evidence is in one image. All those destroyed buildings harboured Hamas fighters. Everybody knows that. The strikes were so precise that Hamas now is just a ghost, something of the past. Metro is a free paper owned by the right-wing reactionary Daily Mail. When I looked at the BBC Middle East section yesterday, I could not find anywhere the number of Palestinians killed so far. The hostages stories are more visible though. Compare that with the war in Ukraine and how the BBC counted/estimated the killed. Updated 24 October 15:40 BST: I have finally seen a figure published by the BBC . But the corporation implies that we mustn’t believe the number because it is published by the Hamas-run ministry of health. Thus back to the Metro front page: strikes by the Israeli army have been so precise that any number of victims claimed must be inflated, and we should ignore any historical precedent to prove otherwise. It would be better

Support for the brutal, indiscriminate bombardment of Gaza finds its roots in the historical context of western settler-colonialism

 without paying a cruel price

and Western and Arab regimes complicity with the Israel’s crimes The solution is “dismantling the structure of violence.” Who’s going to do it is the issue. The international situation does not favour the oppressed anywhere. The failure to topple the Arab regimes in 2011 has even made the possibility of a genuine change more remote. The imperialist powers have the upper hand on the means of violence, ‘diplomacy’ bribing, manufacturing public opinion, arm-twisting, domination and subjugation. For the Palestinians, like for the Russians and Ukrainians, there is no solution but a sweeping broom across the board.

A free ebook by Ilan Pappe

BBC: Hamas attack on Israel. Middle East Eye: Palestinian attack on Israel. That is expected from the BBC. Watch how little sympathy and concern there will be from the West for the many Palestinian men, women and children who are killed once again by Israel. Their immense suffering will be obscured, and justified, by the term "Israeli retaliation ". —Jonathan Cook Related Blood and Religion - The Unmasking of the Jewish and Democratic State   (Pluto Press 2006). Interview with Jonathan Cook, a former staff journalist of the Guardian and Observer newspapers, from Nazareth, Israel.   >>  Listen to Jonathan Cook . How Israel went from helping create Hamas to bombing it My interview with Khaled Hrub , author of  A Beginner’s Guide to Hamas

“ Seeking rational explanations for Israel's strange behaviour may be superfluous , because the best explanation may come from the world of social psychology. Israeli society no longer sees the occupation at all - because the status quo appears to Israelis as normal and natural. And, under these circumstances, Israel is bewildered every time this situation arouses resistance.”

A good summary by Avi Shlaim . He skipped the origin of Hamas though, particularly the role of Israel in its creation.

How the Jewish state’s founding ideology shapes it to this day Related Even the liberal Ban Ki-moon is better than the ‘liberals’ in power: “The starting point of a new approach must be to recognise the fundamental asymmetry between the parties. This is not a conflict between equals that can be resolved through bilateral negotiations, confidence-building measures or mutual sequencing of steps — the traditional conflict-resolution tools.  The reality is very different: a powerful state is controlling another people through an open-ended occupation, settling its own people on the land in violation of international law and enforcing a legal regime of institutionalised discrimination. Calls for a return to unconditional bilateral talks every time there is a fresh flare-up in fighting will only serve to perpetuate the status quo if these root causes are not addressed.  What has become increasingly clear in recent years is Israel’s intent to maintain its structural domination and oppression