By Ronen Bergman

US President Joe Biden and his advisors asked the Israeli leaders to refrain from directing a major strike against Hezbollah, which could bring the “terrorist” organization from Lebanon into the Israel-Gaza war. This is what the New York Times published tonight, and it came in a report written by Yedioth Ahronoth and Ynet journalist Ronen Bergman.

According to what was published, the United States fears that the war cabinet “hawks” want to expand the fighting to Lebanon as well, and in the background, there are repeated incidents of attacks on northern towns, the firing of anti-armor shells at army forces on the border, and infiltration attempts by “saboteurs.” ", which previously led to deaths on the Israeli side.

The New York Times indicated that the United States fears an additional front in the north, which will drag Iran and the United States into war. While the United States and Israel are trying to open a united front publicly, there are disagreements behind the scenes. Despite this, the report indicated that the United States is working in additional communication channels to curb Hezbollah. During a “series of meetings in the Middle East,” American officials asked their Arab counterparts to pass a warning message to the “terrorist” organization in Lebanon.

American authorities feared that Netanyahu would approve a pre-emptive strike against Hezbollah, after the deadly attack carried out by Hamas on October 7, in which more than 1,400 people were killed. Although this did not materialize, the United States still fears an “exaggerated response” from Israel to the launching of missiles from Hezbollah or Lebanon, or that a massive ground entry into the Gaza Strip will push the Lebanese organization into the war.

During the meetings between the Americans and their Israeli counterparts during the week, they pointed out the importance of paying attention to the fact that operations in the north or south do not prompt Hezbollah to intervene. These sensitive talks took place during President Biden and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's visit to Israel this week.

The plan proposed by Gallant and rejected by Netanyahu

During meetings with Netanyahu and members of the military cabinet, they expressed their fear of developments in the north. Defense Minister Yoav Galant claimed that Israel's military effort should be focused on Hezbollah "because it is a greater threat than Hamas," the sources said. Gallant told Blinken that he has been pushing a pre-emptive attack against Hezbollah since last week - but other Israeli parties rejected the proposal.

Biden also explained, in his conversation with the military cabinet, where the Minister of Defense was also present, the dangers inherent in a war on two fronts. The President of the United States even asked difficult questions about the major projections of a broad confrontation with Hezbollah. Until now, Netanyahu has refrained from supporting a large-scale attack on Hezbollah, according to American and Israeli sources who spoke to the New York Times, despite the position of Gallant and other military leaders in the army. During internal consultations in Israel, Netanyahu supported a limited strike against Hezbollah.

Even elements in the army proposed a plan focusing on such an attack, in which a ground entry into Gaza would be a camouflage for a broad strike in the north, but Netanyahu refused to carry out this operation, frustrating Gallant and others who supported it.

The differences stem mainly from the lack of clarity regarding everything related to the intervention of Hezbollah or Iran in the surprise attack, about two weeks ago. Israeli and American authorities told the New York Times that no evidence of such interference had been found - to the point that senior officials in Hezbollah and Tehran were surprised by this attack.

American diplomats said that one of the things that worries the Biden administration is the fear that officials in Israel, including Netanyahu and Gallant, were so blinded by the October 7 attack that they were going to launch a large-scale operation against Hezbollah. Diplomats told a small group of American lawmakers that this was one of the reasons why the cabinet session, with the participation of the Secretary of State, lasted no less than 7 and a half hours.

The report in the New York Times revealed that after the Gallant-Blinken meeting, it was supposed to be a photo meeting, without statements, but Gallant surprised the Americans and thanked them in front of the cameras for sending the aircraft carrier that could operate in the event of a major confrontation with Hezbollah. He said the war would be long, which was one of the central concerns of the United States.

The US State Department and the National Security Council in the White House, as well as the Army and the Department of Defense, refused to comment on the news.

A source in Netanyahu’s office said, “Israel is united against Hamas. The prime minister said that if Hezbollah joins the war, this mistake will be huge, and they will pay an unparalleled price, and it will be devastating.”

Source: Yedioth Ahronoth 

Today, Saturday, 5 citizens were injured by live bullets during a settler attack on olive pickers and residents in the village of Yasuf, east of Salfit.

The head of the Yasuf Village Council, Saleh Yassin, told “Wafa” that dozens of settlers attacked the olive pickers on the eastern side of the village, adjacent to the “Taffuh” settlement, and fired live bullets at them, and attacked the homes of the village that rose to confront them, resulting in the injury of 5 citizens so far. And one of the vehicles was destroyed.

This bloodbath must be stopped immediately, as nothing good will come of it. It is true that a massacre can be responded to with a massacre, but it is difficult for any massacre, even if it was as horrific as the one carried out by Hamas in the south of the country, to represent a reason that justifies doing everything after it, without restrictions. Perhaps a massacre can justify another massacre, provided that there is a goal behind the response, other than punishment and revenge, and if the goal is legitimate and achievable.

This is not the case in the ongoing war in Gaza, which is a war that has no clear and realistic goal, and certainly does not have any answers to the question of what should be done after the massacre. But, even if there is a clear goal for war, then there must be limits to the destruction. As for the bloodbath that we are witnessing now in Gaza, which is still in its infancy, it testifies that there are no limits to blood. It cannot be justified in absolute terms.

In the face of the horrific images coming from the Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza, the images of hundreds of piled-up bodies, many of them of mutilated and torn apart children, it is impossible to stand still, just as it was not possible to stand still when viewing our own images of death and destruction. Hundreds of desperate refugees were killed the day before yesterday, after they tried to find refuge for themselves under the dome of the sky, close to the hospital, mistakenly believing that that area would be safe, in light of this cursed war.

It is still not possible to determine who is responsible for the disaster, but this will not change anything for the victims. The identity of the guilty must also not change the way the battle continues: the battle must stop immediately. The hospital disaster must become a turning point in the war, just as the disaster that occurred in the village of Qana, in the "Grapes of Wrath" campaign in Lebanon, was the turning point that led to the end of the campaign.

Israel is moving now, driven by its justified and understandable storm of feelings, and encouraged by the spirit of support for it that is sweeping the world. But this wind will soon change, and turn into a demand for a ceasefire, in light of the disasters of war. The hospital tragedy has already changed the mood among the great chorus of encouragement for Israel.

Even before the disaster, reports from Gaza, most of which were not shown to Israelis, threatened to shake the world into action against the continuation of the war. About a thousand children were killed, and this number does not include the children who were killed in the hospital. This is a fact that cannot be ignored, and cannot be justified. The siege imposed on two million people, and the expulsion of a million people from their homes within one day, is also a reality that cannot be accepted under any circumstances.

This week, I visited the devastated Kibbutz Bari, and the words stuck in my throat; Difficult scenes I have never seen in my life. Scenes that cannot be seen and a return to the routine of daily life, without holding all those involved accountable. Not a single country accepts this to pass unnoticed. But there is a long way between silence and mass bloodshed, meaningless and aimless bloodshed. There is a big difference.

The images coming from Gaza are heart-wrenching, and should tear any heart: endless convoys of ambulances blaring their sirens, terrified fathers and mothers carrying their wounded children; Parents crying over the bodies of their children lying on hospital floors, in light of the shortage of beds. I saw five wounded children on one bed, and the wounded were groaning without receiving treatment.

Killing thousands of people, and rendering thousands more paralyzed and helpless, will do no favors to Israeli interests, even if we set aside questions of morality and law. Here hatred and a desire for revenge will sprout, and even Satan will resent it, whether there is “Hamas” or not.

While Gaza's children are being killed, the Israelis are complaining about their government's procrastination [on the ground invasion]. Israeli sentiments demand a ground invasion and an end to the presence of Hamas. This is a justified demand, but it is doubtful whether it is realistic. In any case, this demand cannot be achieved at any cost, even at the cost of the destruction of Gaza.

What happened on October 7 shook Israel in an unprecedented way, especially its center and left movements. The left and center, in the depths of anger and frustration, should not lose what remains of their consciences. It is forbidden for Israel, as a whole, to become like Hamas.

Source: Haaretz

Author

Ron Ben Yishai

Radically changing the situation and stable arrangements in the short and medium term for the Gaza crisis following the war: According to accumulated information, it is possible to begin drawing up the grand plan that directs the security services and, to some extent, also the auxiliary American forces. This plan is based on 5 basic assumptions:

1. The presence of the "terrorist" armies of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, hundreds of meters from the towns in the northern Negev and 70 kilometers from Tel Aviv, constitutes a threat to the security of the citizens of Israel, their sense of security and their ability to lead a normal life, within a normal economy. This threat was actually fulfilled during the October 7 massacre, which was carried out by thousands of motivated and trained armed men, equipped with good equipment. They stormed Israel, and groups of Gazans followed them. The State of Israel and its citizens cannot and do not want to live with this threat, which Iran reinforces and helps it accumulate deadly capabilities. Therefore, it can become more dangerous. Israel must immediately restore three important components of national security: strategic deterrence vis-à-vis the countries of the region, which declined critically on the disastrous Saturday, physical security, a sense of security, and confidence in the state’s leadership and security services.

2. More than two million Palestinians live in the Gaza Strip, most of whom want a normal life with security and a feeling of security. They also need to work and live and have basic but sufficient freedom of movement to access their civil services (health, education, water, electricity, and public services). Now, they are getting the least possible, because “Hamas” is in control, and has imposed a kind of dual authority: a civilian arm that tries to promote the well-being of the population, but it operates under the roof of the military arm, which sees its primary interest in resistance, and is conducting a holy Islamic battle against the Jewish state. The combat operations carried out by the military arm afflict the residents of the Gaza Strip, time after time, with difficult economic and civil crises, and reconstruction efforts return, again and again.

3. Hence, the one who threatens Israel, and also the ability of Gazans to live a normal life, is “Hamas”, and alongside it are the Islamic Jihad and other “terrorist” forces in the Gaza Strip. Therefore, the basic condition for changing the situation is the removal of Hamas’s rule and the demolition of the foundation on which the military structures affiliated with it and other organizations stand (the organizations’ jihadist motivation cannot be annihilated, but they can be prevented from organizing into large frameworks that can carry out “terrorist” operations and killing on a large scale. strategic). However, this condition is not sufficient. It must be ensured that Hamas and the other factions will not be able to restore their military and authoritarian capabilities, or establish new structures under cover or with a new product.

4. Political and regional dimensions: There is a reasonable possibility that Hezbollah, and even Iran and other parties in the extremist Shiite axis, will join the fight against us on an additional front in the north, and possibly in the northeast as well. In addition, the Gaza crisis proves once again that Israel needs diplomatic support (legitimacy), logistical support, as well as awareness, and even operational support from the United States (intercepting rockets and missiles). This phenomenon will not disappear, but rather will increase, at least as long as Iran continues to wage a continuous battle against us, the goal of which is to wipe Israel off the map. Therefore, it would be good if we acknowledged this fact and the Americans helped us, without losing our freedom of decision-making and independent security and diplomatic action. In addition, Israel does not want to lose the “Abraham Accords” and the possibilities of normalization with Saudi Arabia.

5. We must acknowledge the fact that until now, no party in the world, including the United States, has any applicable recipe for stable, long-term arrangements for effective confrontation on the Gaza border, or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in general. The "two states for two peoples" solution in the current circumstances of the Middle East is now more of a hanger than a viable political plan for the foreseeable future. There is also no way to annihilate and end the idea of “murderous extremist Islam,” which aspires to establish a global emirate on the basis of local emirates based on the destruction of infidel states - especially the Jewish state. The Muslim Brotherhood is one of the branches of this movement, and it includes “Hamas” and “Jihad.”

Five objectives for the fight

These are the basic facts that guide decision-makers in Israel when determining the objectives of the war, and based on them, the plan of action for the state and the army must be drawn up. This plan must be implemented in stages: the first stage, the fighting that we are currently witnessing, and the last stage will involve achieving arrangements in the medium term that will allow the army to be returned home. 

These are the goals of the war:

1. An operation similar to the "defensive wall": a comprehensive attack, including a maneuver in the northern Gaza Strip in order to control the area militarily, in a way that allows the collection of intelligence information and its immediate implementation. This aims to stop the firing of rockets on the home front, and to “cut off” and destroy the military capabilities of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. This is the target of the air strikes currently taking place. Physical control over all of northern Gaza up to the Gaza Strip is necessary to strike fighters and military infrastructure. This is where the actual and symbolic power center of the Hamas regime is located, which will lose its capital.

2. In southern Gaza, Israel is working to achieve these goals precisely, and through other means, based on accurate intelligence available from the Shin Bet and military intelligence.

3. In northern Israel, the army continues its skirmishes with Hezbollah, and with the Palestinians moving from Lebanese territory, and later, perhaps also with armed militias in Syria and Iraq, by seeking to keep the skirmishes below the threshold of war, confining them to the border area, and engaging in days of fighting, no more. The army will continue to maintain its readiness to carry out a large-scale military operation in Lebanon, including a ground maneuver, if orders reach Hezbollah from Iran to launch a comprehensive war. Naturally, Israel would prefer to focus its best forces and resources on the fighting in Gaza in order to achieve quick achievements. But if Hezbollah and the Iranians decide to escalate towards an all-out war, the Israeli army has the ability to fight effectively on two fronts, and on a large scale. This will cause the war to last longer than desired. 

4. In parallel with the fighting in the north and south of the Gaza Strip, Israel will work with the United States and the United Nations on the humanitarian level, to maintain its legitimacy, and the political and logistical support provided by the United States and its allies for military action. This includes establishing humanitarian corridors and safe zones for use by Palestinians who have no connection to the fighting and who have fled their homes after Israel asked them to leave. The influx of displaced people will increase with the start of the fighting, and it is expected that international parties and Arab countries will provide these areas - under the control and supervision of the Israeli army and the United Nations - with the necessary needs of water, food, medicines and essential services, such as electricity (generators) and temporary housing (tents, because winter is coming). .

5. Based on the results that will be achieved on the ground in the first weeks of fighting, Israel must reach decisions with the United States regarding an appropriate “exit plan,” and take all the political steps required to implement it. The plan to exit Gaza and the arrangements for the solution on the ground, after the departure of the Israeli army, must include achieving the strategic goals desired by Israel and the United States in the medium term (5-10 years).

Five strategic objectives

1. The entire sector must become a demilitarized zone, and arrangements and mechanisms are required to ensure this.

2. Governance in Gaza must be civil and professional, not ideological-religious, and non-political. So that his only interest is to ensure the well-being of the Palestinian population. Its powers are based on a broad international legal base, and it must rely on a civilian administration made up of local residents who were not members of the military arm of Hamas or other organizations. The civil administration relies on local police and an international force, whose mission is to enforce the law and implement the arrangements reached at the end of the fighting. Gaza will become a seaport operated under security supervision, allowing the movement of passengers and tourists to and from Cyprus.

3. The State of Israel must establish a warning and defense system on the border that provides safety for the population... Security arrangements must include the establishment of a security zone with an area ranging from one to three kilometres, into which Gaza residents are not allowed to enter without obtaining special approval.

4.The army will not remain in Gaza for longer than is required to achieve its immediate combat objectives and allow for alternative governance in the Strip. However, the army and Shin Bet will retain their right to pursue and thwart “terrorist” attacks, or preparations for war, even after the army returns to Israeli territory.

5. Israel will take into account the strategic interests and considerations of the United States, as well as the internal political considerations, and the religious and strategic interests of the Islamic countries in the region with which we have peace agreements, normalization, and diplomatic relations.

The United Nations estimated today (Saturday) that more than 60 percent of the population of the Gaza Strip has been displaced as a result of the Israeli aggression, which has entered its third week in the fiercest battles with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement, a copy of which was received by Xinhua News Agency, that the cumulative number of displaced people since the start of the round of fighting in Gaza is estimated at more than 1.4 million people.

The statement stated that among them are more than 544,000 people residing in 147 educational districts and schools affiliated with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), including 367,500 in central and southern Gaza alone, and 70,000 in 67 schools not affiliated with UNRWA.

According to the statement, about 101,000 people took refuge in the Orthodox center, churches in Gaza City, hospitals, and other public buildings. In addition, the Palestinian Ministry of Social Development estimates that there are about 700,000 displaced people with host families.

The statement stated that the overcrowding of the UNRWA Educational Operations Department has increased in the central and southern regions of the Gaza Strip at a time when basic resources such as water, food and medicine are suffering from severe shortages.

To confront this situation, on October 19, UNRWA established the first camp for internally displaced people in Khan Yunis, consisting of 60 tents and hosting hundreds of internally displaced people.

The statement indicated that there is anecdotal evidence that some displaced persons are returning to the northern Gaza Strip after the ongoing bombing in the southern Strip, as well as due to the inability to find reasonable accommodation.

The Israeli army announced yesterday that its air force attacked the Gaza Strip during the past two weeks as it had not attacked in decades, indicating that "the war on Gaza will continue for many weeks."

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, the toll of Palestinian martyrs reached 4,137 people, while the number of wounded exceeded 13,000.

The Ministry reported that it had reports of more than a thousand missing persons, most of whom were children, believed to be still under the rubble of destroyed residential neighborhoods in various areas of the Gaza Strip.

Jordanian King Abdullah II considered the forced displacement of Palestinians or causing their displacement a "war crime and a red line."

King Abdullah II’s speech during the Cairo Peace Summit on Saturday stated:

The violent bombing campaign taking place in Gaza at the present time is fierce and rejected at various levels. It is collective punishment of a besieged and helpless population. It is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. It is a war crime.

However, as events become more brutal, the world's interest seems to diminish. Where else would the world have condemned the targeting of civilian infrastructure and the deliberate deprivation of populations of food, water, electricity, and basic needs. Certainly the perpetrator would have been held accountable immediately.

The message the Arab world is hearing is loud and clear: the lives of Palestinians are less important than the lives of Israelis. Our lives are less important than the lives of others. The application of international law is selective, and human rights have limitations. They depend on borders and depend on different ethnicities and different religions. This is a very dangerous message, and the consequences of continued international indifference and inaction will be disastrous for all of us.

Our priorities today are clear and urgent: First: immediately stopping the war on Gaza, protecting civilians, and adopting a unified position condemning their targeting by both sides, in keeping with our common values and international law, which loses all value if it is implemented selectively.

Second: Sustainably and uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid, fuel, food and medicine to the Gaza Strip.

Third: The categorical rejection of the forced displacement of Palestinians or causing their displacement, as this is a war crime according to international law, and a red line for all of us.

This conflict did not begin two weeks ago, and it will not stop if we continue down this blood-stained path, and we are all well aware that this will only lead to more cycles of death, destruction, hatred and despair.

When the bombing stops, Israel will not be held accountable, the injustice of the occupation will continue, and the world will turn its back, until a new spiral of violence begins.

The bloodshed we are witnessing today is the price of this failure to achieve tangible progress towards a political horizon that achieves peace for Palestinians and Israelis alike.

The Israeli leadership must realize that there is no military solution to its security concerns, that it cannot continue to marginalize the 5 million Palestinians living under its occupation, deprived of their legitimate rights, and that the lives of Palestinians are no less valuable than the lives of Israelis.

The Israeli leadership must also realize, once and for all, that a state can never prosper if it is built on a foundation of injustice.

The only path to a secure future for the peoples of the Middle East and the entire world, for Muslims, Christians and Jews alike, begins with the belief that every human life is of equal value, and ends with two states, Palestine and Israel, sharing land and peace from the river to the sea.

Today, Saturday, the Israeli National Security Council asked the Israelis to leave Egypt and Jordan immediately, in light of the escalation of regional tensions and popular protests as a result of the continued Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip for about two weeks, in the wake of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation launched by the Palestinian resistance.

The Israeli Security Council raised its warnings regarding travel to Jordan and Egypt, especially the Sinai Peninsula, to the highest level, and recommended that Israelis not travel there.

The Council also asked Israelis to avoid traveling to Morocco, amid popular protests denouncing the Israeli aggression against Gaza.

Before noon today, the Israeli National Security Council included other countries on the list, asking Israelis residing in Turkey, the Emirates, Bahrain, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Maldives to leave immediately.

Massive demonstrations took place in Egypt, Jordan and Morocco last week in the vicinity of the Israeli embassies, rejecting the war and the siege on Gaza, and in protest against Israel's massacres in the Gaza Strip, especially the Baptist Hospital massacre, which led to the martyrdom of about 500 people last Tuesday.

Source: Al Jazeera + French

Author:

George Abu El-Denein

As soon as the Israeli occupation entity fell under the influence of the attack carried out by the Palestinian resistance in Gaza, the leaders of the first rank came out with a speech directed towards the Western world in particular. The civilized world, according to the words of the head of the Israeli emergency government, Netanyahu, contains a lot of crying, complaining, and lamenting, using lot of incorrect information and data and immoral and inhumane accusations against the resistance fighters who entered the settlements (settlements) of the so-called “Gaza envelope” and its cities in the occupied territories, such as accusing them of beheading children, raping women, and kidnapping families, likening what happened - as they claim - to what ISIS did in the Arab countries where it resided as a heavy guest for quite a while.

What the leaders of the first ranks of the occupation did by fabricating such lies falls within the framework of an introduction and preparation to obtain a license, justification and blessing from the major powers, and the West in particular, to carry out the bloody massacres that were planned to be committed in the Gaza Strip. By demonizing the Palestinian resistance and creating distorted awareness about it; So that what happens to it and to the citizens in its places of activity is acceptable despite its deviance from human values and international human rights law in war, which is a method that the United States of America has used, more than once, in Iraq and Afghanistan.

  I am almost certain that media minds specialized in directing public opinion came together quickly, and in 24 hours, to build an imaginary aura around these lies, represented by foreign journalists and Israeli soldiers portraying, via social media, the matter as if it were a state of “pleasure in killing” experienced by Palestinians who They were in these settlements. This media strategy succeeded in directing public opinion and creating a direct initial reaction. It quickly began to decline, as days passed and images of slaughter and destruction resulting from the heinous Zionist practices of bombing from the sky, land and sea spread.

A question arises in this context: Why did the Israeli entity resort to using ISIS and using words that express the practices of its members in the Arab countries that befell them? Was this hiring arbitrary, or the result of coincidence?

We all know that Europe, the United States, and others have suffered and are still suffering today as a result of Islamophobia, the fear of Islam. Or the Islamic personality that the media of the colonial countries promoted when producing “ISIS” and used it to control Arab resources and destroy the countries there by hijacking their revolutions and wealth. This experience created in the minds of the entire world horrific images of killing, destruction, cutting off limbs, slaughter, beheading, and other behaviors. Which the human mind cannot accept or come to terms with. It is linked to a certain charisma of the person who can carry out these actions, the most important of which is that he is framed in an “organization” that practices “terrorist” military action without belonging to a “political system.”

Knowing that the media machine and the builders of local and international public opinion in the occupying state were aware of this state of mind of the West in particular, they employed a set of expressions containing countless lies, in order to provoke the preconceptions dormant in the Western mind and bring them to the surface once again. To tell them that what you saw over previous years in terms of events in Syria and Iraq in particular, is happening to us now, from people who resemble these “terrorists.” Just as you - the colonial countries - eliminated these "terrorists", you must help us eliminate a group that is just like them, and will attack you after they finish attacking and eliminating us. This is similar to what Ariel Sharon did after the September 11 attacks, when he held a press conference in which he said: “What is happening in America now is similar to what we are experiencing here in Israel.” Building this approach between demonizing the honorable resisting Palestinian, and the satanic acts that are universally agreed upon as such, is a method that did not escape the occupation leadership, except that it took a more extensive path in their war on Gaza during the “Al-Aqsa Flood.”

The success of the Israeli entity in this media speech that it addressed to the West in various languages and in an intense manner - in addition to the high media efficiency of its media machine - is due to what happens to the recipient when the “narrated” collides with the “imagined” and the “preconceived mental image.” This is what I would call, in the field of building and manufacturing public opinion - from the perspective of sociolinguistics - the production of new awareness of the interaction between the old truth and the new illusion. That is, using a group of lies or false facts, and mixing them with a group of old facts that were supposed to be left in distant memory, with specific images and perceptions loaded with usually negative psychological and emotional charges, provided that the motor, vocal, and event elements of the lies overlap with these old facts, resulting in A new awareness that is more emotionally provocative than it was before, ensuring the success of the impact and achieving the goal of the message.

However, this success cannot be entirely related to what I mentioned. There is a peculiarity to some experiences of Western countries. For example, Germany, which is considered one of the countries most supportive of the occupying entity and the closest to the United States of America, lives on a guilt complex as a result of what Hitler did to the Jews in the Holocaust. In this regard; Israel used the term "Holocaust" and described the resistance as "Nazi" in the media directed to the German media, and in interviews conducted by front-line leaders with some German satellite channels, such as ZDF and DW, which provided the appropriate opportunity for the Israelis to address a profound speech to the public in Germany in both languages. Arabic and German.

These two words, “Holocaust” and “Nazism,” have a role in directly directing German public and political opinion, prompting them not to think about anything, except standing by “Israel” in “self-defense,” in order to compensate for the guilt complex and get rid of it. From the stigma of Nazism being a purely German production. The Israeli discourse constituted a permanent and historical accusation against the Germans of being perpetrators of massacres, and this obligated the Germans to defend themselves constantly, over time, and in the future. This time, Germany raised Israeli flags on party headquarters and in government buildings, banned demonstrations in solidarity with Gaza, and gave Israel two military marches for the war in Gaza, and this is a habit that the Germans cannot abandon. In 2013, they placed the Israeli flag on the players’ shirts alongside the German flag in the European Under-21 Championship.

How did Israel control the Germans' reaction? By linking between what the Germans have in mind about the Jewish Holocaust, and the feeling of guilt towards the Jews in the world, on the one hand, which is what Israel has maintained by commemorating the Holocaust annually, to ensure that this event is not forgotten, and what the Germans believe that the Jews were subjected to at the hands of the Palestinian resistance. In the "Gaza envelope". The receiving mind in Germany produces broad fantasies that balance the images of burning and beheading, on the other hand. I focused on the German case because, in addition to what I mentioned, it carries within it what it shares with the West, in terms of Islamophobia, especially after its suffering as a result of the kidnapping of Germans more than once at the hands of ISIS, the execution of some of them, and the display of recordings related to that.

The days after the beginning of the aggression against civilians in the Gaza Strip revealed that the occupation realizes the real period during which this discourse can succeed in convincing the world that it is a victim, and that period is very short. This image quickly disappears on the popular level, after images of destruction, martyrs including children, women, and body parts spread. He is well aware that he will not win popular public opinion, but he adheres to the solidarity of the political level with him. To compensate for this void that will appear after the emotional aura of Israel’s crying lies disappears, he is quick to invite European and American leaders to visit “Israel” and come there to confirm support and solidarity. Here - and I may be wrong - Israel is taking advantage of the sirens that sound in the skies of occupied Palestine when the resistance missiles pass, to put the political leaders in a state of fear and panic over themselves, so that they can experience for themselves “what Israel, its leaders and its people are suffering from” of panic, panic, and difficulty in living, to deepen. The solid state has a sense of solidarity and a belief in the necessity of eliminating the Gaza Strip, stone by stone, human by human, so that Israel can live in peace. We saw the intensity in the German Chancellor's speech in the speech he delivered at the press conference, after landing on the grounds of Lod Airport, the moment the sirens sounded, before leaving to complete his tour in support of the perpetrator over the oppressed.

Referring to the occupation’s rhetoric exploiting Western fear of the manifestations of the “terrorist” personality that the media has created for people; In our analysis of the Israeli crying discourse in the beginning, we do not lose sight of the fact that the role of the media discourse is to exploit human nature in shaping behavior towards a specific issue or situation. One of the things that the media most seeks to exploit in shaping public opinion behavior is fear.

  Fear is a very powerful engine for humanity. Because of it, civilizations and inventions were built. Because of it, humans produced myths and believed them, and then shaped social behavior because of them. The myth that Israel spread to the world about the Palestinian resistance stirred fear among the unconscious society towards the issue and reality. This is what led him to take inappropriate behavior at times, such as US President Biden’s speech at the beginning of the events, and then quickly retracting this speech. After he came up with words that were not based on deliberation and fact-finding, which is what many foreign journalists were upset about at the beginning of covering the events.

Finally, my message that I am directing, based on the above, is that we - Arabs and Palestinians in particular - are living in a battle of awareness with the world, in which those who are able to form self-, regional and global awareness will succeed, through intelligent media, official, political and field discourse capable of touching the mental structure of societies. This is what the Israeli entity’s media machine has excelled at from decades ago until today, which weakens our ability to reap the fruits of our ongoing struggle for freedom, and to obtain our basic and simple right to determine our destiny and our lives.

George Antoun Abu El-Denein: Researcher in issues of sociolinguistics and discourse analysis.

Source: Institute of Palestinian Studies

With the participation of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the “Cairo Peace Summit” kicked off today, Saturday, hosted by the new administrative capital of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and called for by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, to discuss the latest developments on the Palestinian arena, especially in light of the continuing aggression. The ongoing occupation of the Gaza Strip for the 15th day in a row.

Leaders of a number of Arab countries, broad regional and international parties, and a number of legal figures in the world, led by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, are participating in the summit.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi affirmed that “liquidating the Palestinian issue without a just solution will not happen, and in any case it will never happen at Egypt’s expense.”

Al-Sisi said in a speech during the opening of the activities of the Cairo Peace Summit today, “The solution to the Palestinian issue is not displacement, nor is it the displacement of an entire people to other regions. Rather, its only solution is justice, with the Palestinians obtaining their legitimate rights to self-determination and to live in dignity and security in an independent state on their land, like theirs.” Like the rest of the peoples of the Earth.”

He continued that Egypt completely rejects the forced displacement of Palestinians and their displacement to Egyptian lands in Sinai, as this is nothing but “a final liquidation of the Palestinian issue and an end to the dream of an independent Palestinian state.”

He added: He misunderstands the nature of the Palestinian people by thinking that this proud, steadfast people wants to leave their land even if this land is under occupation or bombing, stressing that “liquidating the Palestinian issue without a just solution will not happen, and in any case it will not happen at the expense of Egypt never.”

Al-Sisi stressed that Egypt condemns with complete clarity the targeting, killing, or intimidation of all peaceful civilians, and expresses its astonishment that the world is standing by and watching an unprecedented crisis in which one and a half million people in the Gaza Strip are subjected to siege and starvation.

He called for international protection for the Palestinian people, and asked, “Where is the human civilization that we have built over the centuries? And where is the equality between human lives without double standards?”

The Egyptian President presented a road map aimed at ending the current humanitarian tragedy and reviving the peace process. It begins with ensuring the full, safe, rapid and sustainable flow of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and moves immediately to negotiating a truce and a ceasefire, then urgently starting negotiations to revive the peace process leading to the implementation of the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. , which lives side by side with Israel while working seriously to strengthen the legitimate Palestinian National Authority to fully carry out its duties in the Palestinian territories.

The Palestinian President at the “Cairo Summit”: We will not leave and we will remain in our land

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas confirmed that the Palestinians will not leave and will remain in their land, stressing that the Security Council must fulfill its responsibility to protect the Palestinian people.

Abbas said: “We completely reject the killing of civilians on both sides,” and called for the release of all civilians, prisoners and detainees.

He added: “The cycle of violence is renewed every now and then due to the absence of justice and legitimate rights for the Palestinian people.”

Stressing that “security and peace are achieved by implementing the two-state solution,” he concluded by saying: “We will not leave and will remain in our land.”

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken acknowledged the emotional impact that the war between Israel and Hamas had on his employees, amid media reports that a disobedience was being planned within the ministry in protest against Washington's handling of this conflict.

In a letter to all his ministry employees on Thursday night, Blinken referred to the “difficult” circumstances affecting the American diplomatic corps, some of whose members feel the “waves of fear and fanaticism” generated by the conflict.

American officials, led by President Joe Biden and Blinken, pledged steadfast support for Israel, as they publicly blessed Israel's retaliatory response to the sudden and bloody attack by Hamas on October 7, which included a sustained bombing campaign on the densely populated Strip.

At least one US State Department official announced his resignation in protest against the Biden administration's approach to dealing with the crisis. Josh Paul explained on LinkedIn that his resignation was due to “a policy disagreement regarding our continued lethal aid to Israel.”

An informed source confirmed that Blinken's message was not a response to reports of frustration and rebellion within the ministry.

In his message, Blinken spoke about his recent trip to the Middle East, which included his travel between Israel and many Arab countries.

The message included, "I know that for many of you this time was not only a challenge on a professional level, but also on a personal level." Adding that the United States mourns the loss of "every innocent life in this conflict."

He continued, "For this reason, President Biden (...) made it clear that while we fully support Israel's right to defend itself, how it does so is important," noting the need to respect "international humanitarian standards."

“Let us also make sure we preserve and expand the space for debate and dissent that makes our policies and our institution better,” Blinken wrote. “We have a difficult road ahead of us,” he warned. “The risk of further unrest and conflict is real.”

This week, the Huffington Post reported that State Department employees are dissatisfied with US policy on the conflict in the Middle East, with one reporting to the site about a “disobedience” being planned at the department.

Today, Saturday, the Israeli occupation forces forced olive pickers to leave their lands in the villages of Burin and Duma, south of Nablus.

Local sources said that the occupation forces forced olive pickers in the lands adjacent to the bypass road near Burin, as well as in the village of Duma, and prevented them from picking the fruits.

It is noteworthy that the occupation and its colonialists continue to target olive pickers in several villages in the West Bank, as the villages south of Nablus witnessed repeated attacks during the current season.

A United Nations spokesman said that among the 493,000 women and girls displaced from their homes due to the aggression on Gaza, there are an estimated 900 new widows.

UN Women estimated the number of widows out of the number of women Heads of families after the death of their male partners.

The assessment was based on a census conducted on Thursday of Gaza victims since October 7, which was published by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on its relief network website.

UN Women estimated that 1,487 men were killed, resulting in a rising number of widows, nearly 900 new families headed by women, and 3,103 children who lost their fathers.

The UN Women study also stated that the situation report issued by the United Nations Population Fund on October 13 stated that there are 540,000 women of reproductive age in Gaza, including 50,000 pregnant women and 5,522 expected to give birth in the next month.

The specter of a new "nakba" haunts the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as the most violent round of fighting in years continues with Israel, which is preparing to launch a ground attack aimed at destroying the capabilities of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and the Palestinian factions.

In the cities of Gaza and Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip, two camps containing hundreds of tents were inaugurated to shelter thousands of displaced Palestinians as a result of the outbreak of fighting between Hamas and Israel after an unprecedented attack launched by gunmen from the Islamic Resistance Movement on October 7 on towns in southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,400. person.

Employees wearing a blue jacket at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees (UNRWA) arrange and organize work in the two camps for displaced people.

A week ago, the Israeli army warned more than a million people, or half the population of the Gaza Strip, to leave the Gaza and northern Gaza governorates within 24 hours.

The two camps were established in light of the failure of thousands of Palestinians to flee to the center and south of the Gaza Strip, in addition to accommodating the large numbers of displaced people crowded in Khan Yunis.

UNRWA did not issue any comment regarding the two camps.

However, an employee of the international agency, who requested that his identity not be revealed because he was not authorized to make a statement to the media, told Xinhua News Agency, “Dozens of families who refuse to leave Gaza and the northern Gaza Strip have taken refuge in the place with their entire family to stay here in the Gaza camp.”

He added that UNRWA "had to bring them tents and is now working to care for them."

This step came one day after an appeal by the Hamas movement's media office in which it demanded that the international agency resume its activities in the northern Gaza Strip, including Gaza City.

Palestinian Faryal Abdel Hadi, who was housed in one of the tents with her family of seven, told Xinhua, “The Israeli aircraft destroyed our house in Beit Lahia, killed our relatives and neighbors, and destroyed everything...”

Abdul Hadi added, "There is no electricity, no water, and no food. We have turned into displaced people, sleeping on the ground and covering the sky without any of the necessities of life."

In a repetition of what their ancestors suffered decades ago, the displaced sleep inside tents, rooms and spacious courtyards at night, and in the morning they spread their clothes and blankets on top and sit under the sun’s rays.

This atmosphere brings to mind echoes of the "Nakba", which is the name given by the Palestinians to the expulsion and displacement of about 957 thousand Palestinians, or 66 percent of the total Palestinians who were residing in historic Palestine from the lands that Israel controlled during the 1948 war.

After seven and a half decades, more than a million Palestinians were displaced in the Gaza Strip, including 600,000 displaced people in the Gaza and northern Gaza Strip regions, according to the United Nations.

Half of those who fled are now living in school tents and facilities run by UNRWA, while others are staying in hospital courtyards, near mosques, or with their relatives or friends in the southern Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Muhammad Abu Rizq, who lives in the Rafah camp in a house crowded with dozens of displaced people, and inside which there is no foothold for a new displaced person, told Xinhua, “They (want) to kill us, destroy our homes, and starve us, but we will not respond to them,” referring to Israel.

Abu Rizq (47 years old) added, “My family was displaced from Beit Daras (32 kilometers from Gaza) and they told them that they would return for a few days, but no one returned...”

Abu Rizq's father was displaced when he was a child to the Gaza Strip, which has become the most densely populated place in the world.

A week has passed since the Israeli army asked all Palestinian civilians to leave the northern part of the Gaza Strip, including Gaza City, and head to the south of the Gaza Strip, but tens of thousands of Palestinians and the administrations of major hospitals affiliated with Hamas in Gaza and the northern Gaza Strip refuse to obey.

The Israeli bombing led to the killing of about 4,000 Palestinians, amid a record escalation in the number of victims around the clock.

The United Nations estimated that Israel's raids destroyed 30% of the housing units in the Gaza Strip, including wiping out entire residential squares.

There is a growing feeling among Palestinians that the unprecedented Israeli attacks aim to force the population of the Gaza Strip, which is home to 2.3 million people, to head south to Sinai.

In response, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Jordanian King Abdullah II warned during their meeting yesterday in Cairo of the extreme danger that calls for the displacement of Palestinians pose to regional security.

Egypt has a land border with the Gaza Strip that extends about 13 kilometers.

For many Palestinians, the current atmosphere is similar to that which prevailed in previous times of immigration, whether in terms of the psychological or ideological aspect, or even in terms of spirit and resistance, and everyone has fears about the future and unknown fate.

Displaced people said during open discussions in shelter centers and while queuing in long lines to obtain water and bread, "America and Europe are the cause of our tragedy and crises... but we will not be displaced again no matter what they do."

A man who identified himself as Abu Suleiman Mahani, who is from the Shujaiya neighborhood in eastern Gaza and lives in a shelter center in central Khan Yunis, accused the American president, Britain, and the Europeans of standing behind Israel in its large-scale attack on the Strip.

Mahani's son, a lawyer, said, "People now feel lost and alienated under the weight of the continuous Israeli bombing, the lack of bread and drinking water, and the power outages."

He added, "The idea of leaving or being expelled from the land hurts the conscience of everyone here..."

The first humanitarian aid convoy began entering the Gaza Strip today (Saturday) through the Rafah land border crossing with Egypt.

An Egyptian security source told Xinhua News Agency that 20 trucks carrying humanitarian aid began this morning to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing.

The source did not clarify whether other trucks would later enter the sector or not.

Live footage broadcast by Arab satellite channels showed the entry of aid trucks from the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing into the Gaza Strip, in preparation for its distribution under the supervision of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

Meanwhile, trucks from inside Gaza, accompanied by United Nations vehicles, moved towards the Palestinian side of the border crossing to receive humanitarian aid.

The head of the government media office in Gaza, Salama Marouf, said in a statement today that the aid convoy is loaded with medicines, medical supplies, and a limited amount of food.

Marouf continued, "We are waiting for UNRWA, as the recipient of aid, to fulfill its duty in directing these needs to those who deserve them."

He warned that "this limited convoy will not be able to change the humanitarian catastrophe that the Gaza Strip is experiencing, and it is important to establish a safe corridor that works around the clock to provide the humanitarian and service needs that are completely missing."

Marouf stressed the necessity of permanently opening the Rafah crossing and bringing in all necessary needs for the service and humanitarian sectors urgently, in light of the near exhaustion of fuel, the depletion of the stock of medicines and medical consumables and its reaching the lowest level, the scarcity of food supplies, and the lack of electricity.

Yesterday, Egyptian security forces removed cement barriers that they had placed about 10 days ago in front of the Rafah crossing gate and carried out grading operations on the crossing’s squares after they were exposed to Israeli raids in the first days of the Israeli aggression.

The current aid convoy is the first to Gaza since the start of the ongoing round of fighting between the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Israel since October 7th.

Speaking in front of the Rafah crossing yesterday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a humanitarian ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip “as quickly and widely as possible.”

Last night and early Saturday morning, the Israeli occupation forces launched a massive arrest campaign in the West Bank, targeting at least 110 citizens, including leaders and former prisoners who spent years in Israeli occupation prisons.

The arrests were concentrated in the towns of Aroura/Ramallah, Deir Samet/Hebron, while the rest of the arrests were distributed among the towns and governorates of Bethlehem, Nablus, and Jericho.

This came in light of the comprehensive aggression and mass revenge operations against our people, and the continuation of systematic arrests since the seventh of this October.

The Prisoners’ Commission and the Prisoners’ Club explained that the arrest campaigns in the West Bank are the highest in years, as the number of arrests since the start of the Al-Aqsa Flood battle has reached more than 1,070 arrests, concentrated in the governorates of Hebron, Jerusalem, and Ramallah, in addition to The detainees are workers and detainees from Gaza, whose exact numbers and identities are not yet known.

It is noteworthy that since the beginning of this year, the number of arrests has reached more than (6,500) cases, in addition to detained workers and Gaza detainees whose identities and enemies have not yet been accurately known to Palestinian authorities and institutions.

The people in the Gaza Strip are living in very difficult conditions due to the unjust siege and the Israeli attacks that do not stop, destroying water, electricity, and means of delivering food, and bombing institutions, buildings, and all necessities of life. They continue to mobilize the largest number of reserve soldiers, and more than 4,200 martyrs and 14,000 wounded have joined us in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and the battle is still continuing. 14 citizens were martyred and dozens were injured during confrontations in the West Bank, and the settlers continued to attack citizens and their property throughout the West Bank, from Jenin in the north to Hebron. South.

They talk a lot about storming the Gaza Strip and eliminating the Hamas movement, and they forget that Hamas is part of the entire Palestinian people and represents a realistic logic that fights the occupation and seeks to establish a state after liberation. It came as a result of the occupation and is not a passing force, nor is it just people.
Israel has opened itself another battle in the north, where Palestinian and Lebanese forces are standing there and seeking to defeat the occupation forces, which forced Israel to evacuate about 27 towns from its north for fear of the development and expansion of the fighting, and thus it is located between two fronts in the far north and the far south.
What is strange about this logic is that the United States and Britain claim that Israel, in its attacks and threats to the Gaza Strip, is defending itself, while these two countries forget that Israel has occupied the West Bank and Jerusalem since 1967, is establishing settlements, confiscating the land, and working to displace as many citizens as possible, and that the people of Gaza and the people of the West Bank are one people, one destiny, and one future. The occupation has also turned dozens, if not hundreds, of homes in Gaza into piles of devastation and destruction, and after all of this, senior officials in the United States and Britain come to tell us and the world that Israel is only defending itself, despite the cries of Palestinian refugees and despite the killing of children and the lives of thousands of citizens in all of this. The painful conditions in the open air, in tents, homelessness, and the lack of water and food.

We repeat that if Gallant was saying to his army, “You will see Gaza soon,” and he of course meant that they would occupy Gaza, then we are telling them that they will not see Gaza soon, but rather they will see in Gaza a lot of resistance, steadfastness, and making sacrifices in defense of the homeland and the future... and this future is certainly ours and our people’s, no matter what. The unjust powers were arrogant and haughty, and the coming days are the best evidence.

The American President rushed to save his failed friend, Netanyahu, in one of the darkest pages of history, when the losers stand in solidarity together, under the umbrella of a basket of lies and deceptions that printed their narratives, which began with the fact that the resistance beheaded children and raped women. The size and immensity of the lie became clear hours after this was revealed by a newspaper. "The Washington Post" quoted from the White House, then with successive revelations.
For the first time in the history of "Israel", which grew up on the corpses of Palestinians who were expelled from Palestine, an American president has rushed in person to declare his full support for Tel Aviv and for the Jews, as he said, and activated financial, military and propaganda support packages in the millions, which you cannot count.

Biden's rush to save his friend was linked to the massacre at Baptist Hospital in the Gaza Strip, despite the US President's surprise and declaration of anger at what happened! He took a step forward by announcing the formation of a committee to investigate the hideous massacre. However, while the plane had not yet landed at Lod Airport, his “Zionist” crew was preparing for him the method of his announcement in order to agree with the ridiculous Israeli narrative that had been prepared in a hurry that the “other party” was the one who bombed itself. A failed missile, causing hundreds of casualties.
The American President, who is faltering in his position as he is walking, is living the darkest period of his life, as he moves from a major defeat to a semi-defeat and then a quarter of an illusionary victory, while he dealt with foreign files with Afghanistan, then Syria, and then Ukraine (Western Israel versus Russia). The result would be greater than the dragon, and therefore “Israel”, the mighty newborn of the imperialist colonial mind (mainly Britain and America), was something that could not be abandoned at all, even if America lost all its wars, and even all those who wished to be its allies and the newborn’s allies in the region called the Middle East.
The goal or idea of destroying “Hamas” as a Palestinian faction has become stable among the losers and the two governments, especially the invocation of Zionist “propaganda,” the dictionary of Nazism, 9/11, and “ISIS,” which leads to the continuous movement to form a regional or global alliance to overthrow this new Nazism or “ISIS”!

What is happening is a follow-up to Sharon’s approach in his tireless pursuit of the Palestinian revolution and Yasser Arafat, who exhausted both the American and the Israeli in Palestine, Beirut and all arenas, just as he exhausted the Arab crooks until he died a martyr after sparking a mighty uprising that still resonates in the chest of every Palestinian everywhere.
Perhaps due to his astonishment and surprise at what happened on 10/7, the American President did not notice that the world no longer stopped at the limits of what his thin lips said, but rather that it had preceded him by years and was forming away from the idea of American arrogance and hegemony, while the Pacific Ocean and the China Sea constituted a chronic complex for him that he would not be able to Degrading from it except in the coming certain defeat.
The new Palestinian organization, which Netanyahu, Biden, the German Chancellor, and the British Prime Minister are now fighting as if they were the “Allies” in the Second European (so-called World) War, is being exaggerated globally to become as big or powerful as the state of Nazi Germany - at that time - in adopting Goebbels’ theory of the organization’s ugliness. And to do so, and to demonize the entire ideology of the Palestinian revolution and the Palestinians, and perhaps most of the Muslims behind them, when “ISIS” is called upon to be a representative of Muslims in the world in the Western mind and not for “Hamas.”
Essentially, what Netanyahu and Biden learned from the war on Iraq is that lying and deception are a deadly weapon, and that gathering allies in this way is effective. But the truth is that the world is changing, and people no longer accept the unilateral Western colonial narrative. They are now exploring, researching, thinking, and seeing well, and putting aside what the losers say. It demands revolution, which it will happen.
The two losers and their choir are trying to kill two birds (or more) with one stone, and stones are not a characteristic of the “allies” whose main characteristic is the killing of millions with bombs and nuclear weapons, as occurred in the massacres and massacres in the First and Second World Wars, and in all the wars that America waged against our Arab and Islamic nation, especially in Iraq. And Syria...and the rope on the jars.
Biden and Netanyahu will undoubtedly fall, as the time of reckoning for them is near, and four or five other seniors will fall with them. The world is changing, and failure and defeat are the ally of the oppressors who do not look beyond their noses. Countries change in a natural cycle, organizations fall and end, and leaders die, but issues and peoples do not die.
President Biden rushed to announce that the newborn, who is over the age of seventy, will continue to be showered with compassion and care even if America’s reputation itself is destroyed. Therefore, the Baptist Hospital massacre from which he easily decomposed, and before that in Sabra and Shatila and dozens of massacres, and perhaps after them, will have no value on the path to the imagined victory, and the newborn will remain. He is showered with kisses and hugs, as is the case with the formula that the American and the Englishman wrote together in the Balfour Declaration, and with this work he assumes that he will achieve what he could not achieve throughout his past years or his predecessors, but losers never win, because victory is patience for an hour and the Palestinians do not forget.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Israel is provoking countries in the region instead of undoing the mistakes in Gaza.

Erdogan added, through his account on the “X” platform, that “the region must be saved from the (madness) supported by Western countries and the media,” according to Reuters. He continued: “It is certain that killing children, women and civilians in Gaza, and bombing hospitals, schools, mosques and churches will not contribute to ensuring security.”

The Turkish President stressed that “the Israeli administration, at the instigation of non-regional parties, is behaving like an organization instead of retracting from its mistake and acting with a state mentality.” He called on all countries and international institutions to “sincerely support all initiatives aimed at securing a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza as soon as possible.”

Erdogan said: “I repeat my call on the Israeli leadership not to expand the scope of its attacks on civilians, and to immediately stop its operations that amount to genocide.” He added that Ankara is working to end the fighting between Israelis and Palestinians before it reaches the “point of no return.”

A news report today (Saturday) reported that a base housing American forces in Iraq was attacked by two drones. The Iraqi Al-Sumaria TV reported that the attack targeted the Harir base in Erbil, the capital of the Iraqi Kurdistan region, but said that “it has not yet been confirmed whether there were human casualties.”

On Wednesday, the US Army thwarted an attack with two drones that attempted to target the Ain al-Asad air base in Anbar, Iraq, amid escalating tensions between Israel and Hamas, which prompted Washington to raise its alert level in anticipation of any attacks that might be supported or directed by Iran.

A joint American-European statement said today (Saturday) that Israel has the right to defend itself in accordance with international and humanitarian law, adding that the European Union and the United States are concerned about the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip.

The statement, published by the White House, said that the European Union and Washington will work with partners in the region “to emphasize the importance of protecting civilians and facilitating access to food, water, medical care, and shelter” for those who need it.

The statement warned against escalation of matters in the Middle East, and indicated that the European and American point of view agree that the two-state solution “remains the correct path towards permanent peace.”

A senior Iranian military official warned the United States of its heavy support for Israel in attacks against Gaza, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Friday.

Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Mohammad Bagheri made this warning during a phone call with Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler on Thursday, in which the two sides discussed recent regional developments, especially the situation in Gaza.

Baqeri said that Washington's extensive support for Israel, including the provision of heavy weapons and ammunition, "amounts to the US government's participation in Israeli attacks against the people of Gaza and will further complicate the situation in the coastal enclave."

He called for serious measures to stop the brutal Israeli attacks against civilians in Gaza and to send humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, to the Strip.

Baqeri called on the Turkish government to use all its tools to prevent "Israeli crimes" and support the people of Gaza.

For his part, Guler spoke about the efforts made by his government to reduce tension in Gaza and stop the ongoing conflict, stressing that Turkey will continue these endeavors.

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza, which has entered its fourteenth day, has led to the deaths of more than 5,000 people on both sides.

The International Federation of Journalists announced yesterday evening, Friday, that the death toll since Israel began its aggression against the Gaza Strip on October 7 had risen to 16 journalists.

The union said in a statement on its official website, "16 journalists were killed, several others were injured, and others went missing during the ongoing military confrontations between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip."

According to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate’s inventory, the names of the journalists who lost their lives are: “Muhammad Ali, Khalil Abu Athrah, Samih Al-Nadi, Issam Bahar, Muhammad Balousha, Abdul Hadi Habib, Hossam Mubarak, Ahmed Shihab, Muhammad Fayez Youssef Abu Matar, Saeed Al-Taweel, Muhammad Subh, Hisham Al-Nawajah, Asaad Shamlikh, Muhammad Al-Salhi, and Ibrahim Lafi.” And Muhammad Jarghoun.”

The union noted that contact with journalists Nidal Al-Wahidi from Al-Najah TV and photographer Haitham Abdel-Wahed from Ain Media Agency had been cut off. The next day, the family of journalist Al-Wahidi informed the media that their son was detained by the Israeli army.

The Israeli army announced that a reserve forces officer was killed during an exchange of fire yesterday, Friday, with Hezbollah fighters on the border with Lebanon.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that the army allowed the news of the killing of the officer, called Omar Bello, to be published on Saturday morning, and added that 3 other soldiers were injured during the clash, two of whom were moderately injured, and the third was slightly injured.

The Lebanese News Agency reported that Hezbollah targeted an Israeli infantry force near the Burnett Barracks, announcing that it had confirmed casualties, including one dead and one wounded.

At dawn on Saturday, the Israeli occupation forces blew up the family home of prisoner Maher Shalon in the Aqabat Jabr camp, south of Jericho.

Local sources said that the occupation forces blew up the two-story house of the prisoner Shalon's family, which also led to damage to a number of surrounding homes.

The occupation forces arrested Shalon on the first of last March, and returned and raided his house on the sixth of the same month and took its measurements in preparation for its demolition.

A child was killed, at dawn on Saturday, by Israeli occupation forces’ bullets in the city of Jericho.

The Ministry of Health said that the child, Muhammad Suleiman Nawajaa (17 years old), died as a result of being hit by several bullets during the confrontations between young men and the occupation forces that took place on Al-Quds Street, south of Jericho.

The occupation forces stormed the Aqabat Jabr and Ain al-Sultan camps in the city of Ayha, and blew up the house of detainee Maher Shalon in the Aqabat Jabr camp.

On the 15th day of its war on Gaza, the Israeli occupation army continued to bomb residential areas, resulting in more deaths. The ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza for two weeks has left 4,137 people dead and more than 13,000 wounded, most of them women and children.

The head of the government media office in Gaza, Salama Marouf, announced on Friday evening that 5,500 residential buildings, which included 14,200 housing units, had been completely demolished as a result of the bombing launched by Israel on the Strip since October 7.

Salama said during a press conference: “The Israeli aggression led to the complete demolition of 5,500 residential buildings, which included 14,200 residential units, while about 133,370 residential units were partially damaged, including 10,127 residential units that were uninhabitable, in addition to 62 government headquarters and dozens of public and service facilities.” According to Quds Press newspaper.

The statement by the Government Information Office in Gaza explained that Israel "continues to target educational institutions, as 160 schools were subjected to various damages, including 19 schools that were out of service."

It pointed out that "one of the most prominent scenes of aggression over the past twenty-four hours was the destruction of the towers of Madinat al-Zahra and the bombing of the Greek Orthodox Church."

On Friday evening, the Israeli occupation forces arrested a child from the town of Arraba, at a time when confrontations broke out with the occupation at the Anza roundabout, south of Jenin.

Local sources said that the occupation forces arrested the child, Muhammad Ziyad Fawzi Al-Fahal, from the town of Arraba, adding that confrontations broke out between young men and the occupation forces near the roundabout of the village of Anza, south of Jenin.

UNRWA: “Israel” informed us of the necessity of evacuating 5 schools in the Gaza Strip, which means that our facilities are no longer safe.

By 

Raed Jabr

Relations between Moscow and Tel Aviv were not at their best on the night of October 7, the eve of the situation erupting again between Israel and the Palestinians, and sliding towards the brink of a “major regional war” whose repercussions threaten the region and the world, according to Russian warnings.

Although the positions of the two parties currently reflect a divergence that is considered the widest in the history of relations that began in the early 1990s, what is certain is that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict does not constitute the main reason for this deterioration, but rather a new episode added to the elements of tension that have accumulated severely in recent years. Especially after the outbreak of war in Ukraine.

Serious transformation

In previous years, the Kremlin boasted close ties with Israel. President Vladimir Putin repeated several times the statement that a fifth of Israel's citizens are of Russian and former Soviet origins, which constitutes an important asset to the relations between the two parties. Most notably, Russian and Israeli officials have boasted more than once that official talks between the two parties are conducted in the Russian language, especially in previous stages when Israeli politicians such as Avigdor Lieberman (of Moldavian origin) held prominent government positions.

At that time, Russia did not care much about the fact that some of these people were extremists who called for a “final solution” to the Palestinian issue and supported the worst racist policies towards the Palestinians.

But the serious shift in relations began in 2014, after the ignition of the confrontation with the West, against the backdrop of the decision to annex the Crimean Peninsula, and the outbreak of hostilities in eastern Ukraine, which put Russia before broad Western sanctions packages. The second episode of transformation was completed the very next year, in the wake of direct Russian military intervention in Syria.

These two developments resulted in the inauguration of a new, complex and very thorny phase in Russia-Israel relations. On the one hand, Russian circles continued to bet on Israel, the “Russian-speaking friend,” to play an important role in alleviating Western pressures and establishing Jewish influence in the West to reduce sanctions. But on the other hand, Russia has become a “neighbor” of Israel after consolidating the Russian presence in the Mediterranean and deploying Russian military bases on the territory of Syria. This matter carries a number of complications related primarily to the close relationship between Moscow and Tehran, and to the fact that Russia now has direct interests in the Middle East region that cannot be ignored in any political or military move.

Understandings in Syria

In those circumstances, the close relations between Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu helped to arrange understandings that guarantee the interests of both parties, the most prominent title of which was that Tel Aviv does not obstruct Russia’s movements in the region, in exchange for Moscow turning a blind eye to Israel’s steps directed at protecting its interests and security requirements.

This equation quickly produced an understanding related to coordinating the military movements of the two parties. Among its most prominent features is that Russia ensures that the situation in the Golan region does not slide into a path that harms Israeli security. Many remember how Moscow once conducted patrols along the separation line in the Golan, and pledged to ensure Israel's security as one of its main priorities in Syria. In return, Tel Aviv provided guarantees to Moscow not to target military bases and facilities in which Russian forces or trainers are located, or linked to the decision-making, control and management centers of the Syrian government that are operated with Russian assistance, while it reserved the right to direct strikes on airports and facilities used by Iran, or Hezbollah, to transport weapons and equipment to Lebanon. This understanding lived for years during which Moscow turned a blind eye to Israeli strikes inside Syria.

Certainly, these understandings witnessed ebbs and flows, and the situation almost slid more than once towards their implosion, but the speed and accuracy of communications at the highest levels helped every time to overcome urgent crises.

Ukraine war

But the two sides were facing a new turning point in relations after the outbreak of war in Ukraine. The situation coincided with major internal fluctuations in Israel that led to Yair Lapid becoming prime minister. The Russian war in Ukraine caused the largest and most violent shock in the history of relations, especially with the Israeli side’s tendency to direct unprecedented criticism at Moscow. It was accompanied by practical action to support Ukraine by supplying it with some limited arms shipments and extensive humanitarian aid, as well as through the transfer of hundreds of trainers and unit men. Private individuals who, according to some reports, helped Kiev confront attacks by Russian or Iranian-made drones and other military technologies.

There is no doubt that relations before the outbreak of the war were facing challenges, including the difference in Russian and Israeli visions about the Iranian position in Syria, and about scenarios for a final solution to the crisis in this country.

But the differences between Moscow and Tel Aviv came to light in an unprecedented way with the outbreak of war in Ukraine.

At that stage, it seemed that the delicate balance that Moscow had established for years in relations between Tel Aviv, on the one hand, and Tehran, on the other, had suffered a major crack.

In contrast to the “hostile” statements issued by Lapid, for example, towards Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who is usually described as professional and cautious in choosing diplomatic expressions, detonated a bomb when he did not feel embarrassed during an interview with an Italian newspaper in criticizing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. And the reference to his Jewish origin, and then Tel Aviv responded to him angrily and considered his statement disgraceful and unforgivable.

The “support” visit made by the Israeli Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, to Kiev at the beginning of the year was one of the most intense points of tension between the Hebrew state and Moscow, noting that it was the first visit of its kind by an Israeli official at this level to Ukraine since the start of the war.

For its part, Moscow took a serious step toward showing its anger through the decision to close the Russian office of the Jewish Agency “Sakhnot” against the backdrop of accusing it of violating immigration laws, misleading Russians, and adopting illegal mechanisms to transfer qualified people to Israel.

It is true that this crisis subsided with Netanyahu's return to the Prime Minister's Office and his pledge to repair relations with Moscow, but the repercussions of the Ukrainian war were too great for quick settlements to be reached.

The relationship with Tehran

Strengthening the Russian-Iranian alliance has represented the most significant challenge to the attempt to mend relations. Russian experts say that Israel has expanded its activities within the framework of providing Kiev with intelligence information to combat Iranian drones. It began studying providing Kiev with advanced missile systems to confront air attacks. In this context, it seemed that Israel was seeking to examine the repercussions of the “Russian-Iranian alliance” on the one hand, and to work, on the other hand, to expand its activity to examine the capabilities of Iranian aircraft provided to Russia, and other military systems, a large part of which may also be present with “ Hezbollah” in Lebanon.

Russian “punitive” measures against Israel did not succeed in confronting the new situation, including in terms of giving the Syrians free rein to use Russian air defense systems against Israeli attacks, closing Syrian airspace to Israeli warplanes, and activating Damascus’s anti-aircraft missile systems.

All of these measures did not reduce the scale and intensity of the Israeli attacks in Syria, as they took on a dimension that violated all previous understandings, including targeting airports and military infrastructure of the Syrian government.

Against this background, the situation around Gaza exploded, adding a new element of tension that exacerbates the crisis and widens the gap in an unprecedented way between Moscow and Tel Aviv.

It is true that Moscow avoided condemning Israel's actions, and sought primarily to confirm that its close ties with all parties could contribute to playing the role of an acceptable mediator to reduce the severity of the conflict, but Tel Aviv did not forgive the Kremlin for its insistence on confirming and affirming its rejection of the final solution proposed by Israel for the Palestinian issue. Commitment to the two-state solution, and that “no settlement is possible without the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital,” according to Putin’s assertions.

Russian benefits

Experts say the main reason behind Moscow's position is that it currently benefits from distracting attention from the war in Ukraine.

Based on this, the whole world is focused on Israel and the Gaza Strip, which means that Russia now has freedom of action to a large extent, says expert Nikolai Kozanov. He cites, as an example, the fact that Russia was able to abandon the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty relatively quietly - the Duma adopted a law on this matter this week.

Experts also point out that events on the Ukrainian fronts have faded from the front pages of the world, and a debate has begun in the West about how to distribute aid to Israel and Ukraine - all of which is beneficial for Russia.

In addition, Russia had the opportunity to speak with the international community and undermine attempts to isolate it.

It is true that it is difficult to imagine Israel accepting Russian mediation in the ongoing war, but this does not prevent Moscow from accumulating benefits due to the current situation. This explains its movement in the Security Council, and its continuous affirmations about its vision for resolving the conflict in a way that is also consistent with the Russian and Chinese consensus on seeing the features of the new international order

But the focus of some experts on the idea of “Russian benefits” from the worsening conflict does not alone reflect the level of slide that relations between Moscow and Tel Aviv have reached. Here two main factors enter into the debate. The first is the Russian-Iranian relationship, which has reached levels of coordination and alliance, causing Israeli analysts to talk about confronting “an axis that includes Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and many other countries.” Here, it is important to point out that Moscow has moved from ignoring the accusations directed at Iran that it is behind the current escalation, to directly defending Tehran and affirming its refusal to “place the blame” on the Iranians who, as Minister Sergei Lavrov said, “adopt a very balanced position and seek with the countries of the region to... Reducing tension and preventing a slide towards a major regional confrontation.”

The second element relates to the crystallization of a new Russian vision for alliances against the backdrop of the worsening conflict with the West, which means that Moscow has gradually begun to lose interest in establishing difficult balances such as those it has established since the arrival of its military forces in Syria.

Warning of regional war

In general, experts point out that Russian warnings about the danger of a “regional war” are in fact a direct expression of shared positions with Iran, which also does not wish to engage in a broad and comprehensive confrontation, but may be forced to do so if Israel moves towards undermining its regional centers of influence.

This explains, in part, the degree of anger in Israel toward Russia, even though the latter has not officially announced support for Hamas’ positions.

Israeli experts provide some indications that the “cautious” Russian position actually hides current anti-Israel policies, including the fact that Putin is one of the very few world leaders who did not call Netanyahu to condole the Israeli deaths on October 7. It took Putin eight days after that to contact the Israeli Prime Minister as part of a series of contacts he made with regional leaders to confront the possibility of expanding the conflict.

This showed, according to experts, that any actions taken by Russia in the Middle East can no longer be viewed in isolation from the war in Ukraine and Russia's military relations with Iran.

An Israeli expert says that “in Israel in general, expectations are now very modest, and in a direct translation from Hebrew I say that we do not need help - the main thing is that they (the Russians) cause as little harm as possible. “I believe that today is the most accurate position of public opinion and politicians towards what is happening, and Russia’s position on what is happening.”

Burning bridges

This extremely cautious talk towards Moscow was reflected in another way by the ruling Likud Party in Israel, which until recently was Russia's most important friend. One of the party's most prominent leaders, Amir Whitman, declared that Russia "has become an enemy" and pledged to punish it after the end of the battle with Hamas. “Russia will pay the bills,” he said. Believe me (..) Russia supports the enemies of Israel, supports the Nazis who want to commit genocide against the Israeli people.

Whitman added that after the current battle, Israel will not hesitate to “send its forces to Ukraine to punish Russia.”

Some conspiracy theorists in Russia found in the recent destruction of the Orthodox Church in Gaza a message directed at Moscow as “the protector of the Orthodox world.”

It was noteworthy that the targeting of the Church of Saint Porphyry of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which resulted in the killing of eight people, required the strong intervention of the Russian Church, after it had maintained complete neutrality towards the war. The church said in a statement: “The Russian Orthodox Church sympathizes with the brave priests and parishioners of the Orthodox community in the Gaza Strip, sympathizes with the victims and prays that the Lord will strengthen the people of Palestine in the face of the current ordeal.”

In its statement, the Russian Church supported the message of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which described the Israeli air strikes on humanitarian institutions in the Gaza Strip as a “war crime that cannot be ignored.”

This constituted a new indication that the Gaza war may result in burning the last bridges between Moscow and Tel Aviv.

BY

YASEEN AL-SHEIKH

In Thursday night, President Joe Biden delivered a nationally televised address making the case for an unprecedented military aid package for Israel, as well as Ukraine. Biden is requesting a whopping $74 billion to send to Israel and Ukraine, even amid scenes of mass death, humanitarian crisis, and relentless violence in the besieged Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank.

So where does the US public stand on the crisis in Palestine and Israel? Contrary to the impression one might get listening to the leadership of the Democratic and Republican Parties, there appears to be a breakdown in consensus. 

According to a CBS/YouGov poll released yesterday, over 55 percent of Americans disapprove of Biden’s handling of the conflict thus far (though 62 percent of Democrats say Biden is showing the right amount of support for Israel).

Most notably, roughly 53 percent of Democrats believe the United States should not send additional weapons and supplies to Israeli. If the numbers are accurate — and looking into the weeds of the polling data seems to bolster the takeaway — we appear to be witnessing a significant shift in public opinion.

What can we glean from these results? Two things.

One, the age divide. The CBS poll and a Quinnipiac survey released on October 17 both lay bare the substantial generational split on the issue. In each survey, those under fifty years old are more likely to be critical of the president’s approach and of unconditional support for Israel. Even in the Quinnipiac poll, which frames the question in a way that would depress support for the sentiment, 51 percent of voters aged eighteen to thirty-four say they oppose the United States “sending weapons and military equipment to Israel in response to the Hamas terrorist attack.”

Additionally, the CBS poll finds that 70 percent of Democrats and 57 percent of voters overall, including a perhaps surprising 41 percent of Republicans, believe the United States should directly ferry humanitarian aid into Gaza. All of this lines up with polling from earlier this year and previous years that indicate an uptick in support for Palestinians, particularly from younger Americans.

Two, the malleability of public opinion on this issue is stronger than one might have initially anticipated after the horrific October 7 attacks in Israel. Americans still sympathize deeply with Israel, but there are also worries that the bombardment of Gaza will expand into a regional war. Also, the presence of a larger, louder, and more aggressive pro-Palestinian bloc on the left flank of Congress, in tandem with the brutal stories coming out of the siege of Gaza, seems to have dragged down public support for a full-throated endorsement of Israel’s behavior.

Prominent figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Cori Bush, and Jamaal Bowman have called for a cease-fire. The sole Palestinian American in Congress, Rashida Tlaib, has said that she has one goal in calling for a cease-fire: “save lives.” A new Data for Progress poll finds that “66% of likely voters agree that the U.S. should call for a ceasefire and de-escalation of violence in Gaza to prevent civilian deaths.”

Progressive and socialist groups have also been active. IfNotNow, an organization made up of Jewish anti-occupation and racial justice activists, staged a sit-in at the United States Capitol this week. The Democratic Socialists of America have made a remarkable 103,000 calls to members of Congress in the last five days, seeking  to press key officeholders to demand a cease-fire. Already, the progressive congressman from Texas Greg Casar has signed onto the cease-fire resolution sponsored by Cori Bush.

In other flash points of public discontent, a senior State Department official has resigned from his position, and the Huffington Post is reporting “extremely low morale” at Foggy Bottom. Yesterday, a letter signed by over four hundred Jewish and Muslim staffers on Capitol Hill was released calling for cease-fire. It is clear that, like in May 2021, there is a much stronger and more organized pushback against a uniformly pro-Israel position than in previous decades.

The US left has an opportunity to press on the generational divide in public opinion and use it to advance the struggle for Palestinian liberation and democracy for all those who live between the Mediterranean and the Jordan. The public is not immovable and neither are those in power. This struggle for democracy and equality will require Palestinians, Jews, and people of all backgrounds to insist that the United States end its military aid and call for an immediate cease-fire and for unmitigated humanitarian aid to Gaza and the rest of the land.

Perhaps in the solidarities formed in this moment, we may at last build the movement needed to bring justice and peace to Israel and Palestine. As the historian Rashid Khalidi writes in the conclusion to his The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: “Overcoming the resistance of those who benefit from the status quo, in order to ensure equal rights for all in this small country between the Jordan River and the sea — this is a test of the political ingenuity of all concerned.”

Source: Jacobin