Since Hams is just using "ceasefire negotiations" as a delaying tactic; there is not much hope for these talks to be fruitful. Diplomatic efforts for Israel-Hamas hostage talks expected to resume next week, sources say https://www.cbsnews.com/news/diplom...tage-talks-expected-resume-next-week-sources/
An interesting story about Yahya Sinwar - he is only on the face of the earth today because an Israeli doctor previously saved his life from a life threatening brain tumor. The Hamas Chief and the Israeli Who Saved His Life In an Israeli prison infirmary, a Jewish dentist came to the aid of a desperately ill Hamas inmate. Years later, the prisoner became a mastermind of the Oct. 7 attack. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/26/world/middleeast/hamas-sinwar-israel-doctor-prison-swap.html Another link that goes to the NYT article avoiding the firewall - https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...ChAWegQICRAB&usg=AOvVaw3y_D-A_SGEU9z3oe8mEd_O
The Collapse of the Zionist Project An Interview with Israeli Historian Ilan Pappé May 25, 2024 Ilan Pappe and Amy Goodman Democracy Now Wikipedia We speak with renowned Israeli historian Ilan Pappé about his recent trip to the United States, when he was interrogated for two hours by federal agents upon arrival at Detroit airport about his political views on Gaza, Hamas and Israel, as well as demanding to know whom he knew in U.S. Muslim, Arab and Palestinian communities. Pappé was only allowed to enter the country after agents copied the contents of his phone. “They refused to tell me why they stopped me,” he says. Pappé, author of The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, also discusses the Nakba, growing support for Palestinian rights, and why he believes “the collapse of the Zionist project” is imminent. AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González, as we continue our conversation with the renowned Israeli historian Ilan Pappé, professor of history and director of the European Center for Palestine Studies at the University of Exeter. He’s joining us now from Doha, Qatar. And there’s a long delay when he answers a question. I want to ask you, Professor Pappé, about this trip you took to the United States recently. When you arrived at the Detroit airport, you were questioned for two hours by federal agents about Gaza, Hamas and other issues, U.S. agents only allowing you to enter the country after they copied the contents of your phone. Can you take us through what happened? ILAN PAPPÉ: Yes, I will do that, Amy, but if I may, and I think it connects to our previous conversation, I just want to say that there’s something bigger here than just the question of the ICC and Israel abiding or not abiding by it. I think that’s a moment of truth for the international tribunals, such as the ICC and the ICJ, because they would face governments that would not probably implement the rulings, because Israel still has very strong allies. And I think the rest of the world, especially the Global South, would watch to see whether the terms “universal” and “international” really mean something. So, I think Palestine is just one case of many in which we have now a real struggle to define, again, what is universal, what are universal values, and what is international justice. And I think that’s why it’s such an important historical moment. Now, to come back to my ordeal, which was not that big, but I think is part of a bigger picture, I arrived in Detroit after eight hours’ flight from London and was taken immediately to a side room by two federal agents. And they had two sets of questions for me. One was about my views, my views about the Hamas, my views about what’s happening in Gaza. Do I frame what happened in Gaza as genocide? They wanted to know my reaction to the slogan, “Palestine should be free from the river to the sea.” They refused to tell me why they stopped me, why did I have to answer these questions. And then another set of questions had to do with whom do I know among the American Muslim community, the American Arab community and the Palestinian community in the United States. And that was followed by taking my phone for a long period, copying everything in it, and making me wait another time for phone conversations before letting me in, into the country. AMY GOODMAN: Can I ask you exactly, Professor Pappé, what you answered them when they said, “What do you take to be 'Palestine will be free from the river to the sea?' when they asked you about whether genocide is being committed in Gaza, etc.? ILAN PAPPÉ: Yes. Well, to the questions of “Do I define Hamas as a terrorist organization?” to that, I refused to answer that question. And I suggested to them that they should go and listen to my talks in the Michigan area, where I will discuss this issue. As for the question of genocide, I laconically said that, yes, I do frame the Israeli actions in Gaza as genocide. But again, I suggested that if they want a more detailed analysis of why do I frame it like this, they are most welcome both to read my articles and to come to the lectures in the Michigan area. As for the question, “How do I respond to the slogan, 'Palestine should be free from the river to the sea'?” I said that everywhere where there is a river and there is a sea and people living between them, they should be free, which was a moment a bit ironical or comical, when one of them tried to show me his geographical knowledge, and he said, “So, what about Saudi Arabia?” So I corrected my phrase, and I said, “Well, anywhere where there are countries between two sources of water, people should be free,” which seemed to satisfy them at that particular moment. I have to say, they were polite. I don’t want to describe it as an ordeal. They were polite. But what really bothers me is: Why at all do they have the right to ask me, and what was the real subtext for this whole affair? And I have my own understanding of that, although I don’t have the whole facts before me. JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Professor, you’ve been speaking to huge crowds of young people all around the world and many of the protests, students protesting U.S. support for the war against Gaza. One of your books, The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, has been much read in recent months. Could you talk about this? The Nakba or the cleansing of Palestine didn’t happen just in 1948, but there’s been a process of the ethnic cleansing, even going back to the British Mandate period as the British repressed the 1936 Arab revolt against British rule. ILAN PAPPÉ: Yes. Yes, indeed. The Nakba is a bit of a misleading term, because it means, in Arabic, a “catastrophe.” But really what the Palestinians suffered was not an actual catastrophe, but rather ethnic cleansing, which is a clear policy motivated by clear ideology. And that policy was part, an integral part, of the Zionist program for Palestine from the very inception of the movement in the late 19th century. Of course, very early on, they didn’t have the capacity to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from their homeland. But already in the mid-1920s, when the Zionist community in Palestine was still very small, it was able, through purchase of land, on which there were many Palestinian villages, to convince the British mandatory power to evict 13 Palestinian villages, and that was in between 1925 and 1926. And then, slowly, this process of buying land and evicting the people who lived on this for hundreds of years brought the Zionist movement into a moment where it purchased at least 6% of the land of Palestine, which was, of course, not enough. And then they went to the big ethnic cleansing of 1948. But as we know, it didn’t stop in 1948. Israel continued to expel Palestinian villages between ’48 and ’67 from among the Palestinian minority in Israel, which allegedly were citizens of Israel. Israel expelled 300,000 Palestinians during the Six-Day War in June 1967. And since June 1967 until today, about 600,000 Palestinians, in one way or another, were dislocated and uprooted by Israel. And, of course, now we have a magnitude of ethnic — or, a case of ethnic cleansing that even overtakes the magnitude of the ethnic cleansing during 1948. So, there is not one moment in the history of the Palestinians in Palestine, since the arrival of Zionism in Palestine, in which Palestinians are potentially under danger of losing their home, their fields, their businesses and their homeland. AMY GOODMAN: Finally, Ilan Pappé, as you had expressed, more Palestinians have been killed in the last months than at any point in the last 76 years. More Palestinians have been forced to move, have been displaced, than what happened at the Nakba at the time of the founding of Israel. What gives you hope? You’re an Israeli historian, esteemed throughout the world. You have less than a minute. ILAN PAPPÉ: Yes. I would say that what gives me hope is that I do think that the Zionist project in Israel and Palestine, as we see today, doesn’t have long to live, to exist. I think we are seeing processes, important processes, that are leading to the collapse of the Zionist project. Hopefully, the Palestinian national movement and anyone else involved in Israel and Palestine would be able to replace this apartheid state, this oppressive regime, with a democratic one for everyone who lives between the river and the sea and for all the Palestinians who were expelled from there since 1948 until today. I believe that this historical process has begun. Unfortunately, it will take time, and the next year or two are very precarious and are very dangerous. But in the long run, I am really hopeful that there will be a different kind of life for both Jews and Arabs between the river and the sea under a democratic, free Palestine. https://portside.org/2024-05-25/collapse-zionist-project
Looks like the Egyptians are upset about being cutoff from their smuggling and graft. Egyptians, IDF exchange gunfire at Rafah border crossing: reports https://www.foxnews.com/world/egyptians-idf-exchange-gunfire-rafah-border-crossing-reports
It is interesting to note that the Palestinian Authority is preparing to take over the governance of Gaza. Keep in mind that their earlier demand for considering this role was the complete elimination of Hamas as a governing and militant entity in Gaza. 'Palestinian Authority preparing to govern Gaza', says prime minister https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/...y-preparing-to-govern-gaza-say-prime-minister Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa says the Palestinian Authority is making reforms that would allow it to govern Gaza after the war. Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa says his government is preparing to eventually govern all of the Palestinian territories, including Gaza. He's also calling on more European countries to join Ireland, Spain and Norway in recognising the state of Palestine as the first step towards lasting peace in the region. "We need to work quickly to help our people in Gaza" and "prepare for the day that we will be in power in Gaza", he told journalists in a press conference with Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares. We want to "build the institutions of a state", he said, adding "We need to make sure we have a clear plan for governing Gaza and the day after." He says further recognition of the state of Palestine was necessary to build lasting peace – and was a starting point. "This is the beginning of realisation of peace, rather than a promise of peace that we have been waiting for for 30 years. "It’s time to make it a reality recognition of these states and a full membership of the United Nations is the right thing to do to keep the two-state solution viable, and to keep the hope of peace for our people and the region," he said. The Spanish Foreign Minister decried moves to "intimidate" Spain after recognition of Palestine after Israel announced it would no longer allow Spanish NGOs to work in the West Bank. "Spain has been very firm in condemning the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October, against Israel and all actions of Hamas demanded the release of all hostages." "But Spain has always been firm and will continue doing it in demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the entry of all necessary humanitarian aid into Gaza and no one is going to intimidate us on keeping doing this," he said. Mustafa also met with Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, who formally handed over documents confirming the recognition of a Palestinian state. Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borell decried ongoing attacks in the West Bank and the military offensive in Gaza. "The situation in Gaza is beyond words. The occupied West Bank is on the brink, risking an explosion any time," he said. The Spanish and Irish governments will meet with their European counterparts on Brussels on Monday to call on other countries to follow them in recognising Palestine.
It will take a very long time. To change human minds about religious beliefs is painfully slow, it can take generations. But besides that, many religions run a powerful business, there is money, power, prestige, ego, politics involved. For example, try and imagine shaking power and positions and cliques and realestate holdings out of the Mormon or Catholic or Pentecostal or Presbytarian or Masonic or Adventist churches.... They aint gonna let loose easily.
Prince Hussein says Jordan in 'diplomatic battle' with Israel, questions benefits of normalisation The Jordanian royal made scathing remarks against Israel in a rare television interview, as he questioned why the world was still unable to stop the Gaza war. 27 May, 2024 https://www.newarab.com/news/jordan-diplomatic-battle-israel-crown-prince-hussein Prince Hussein said peace was unachievable as long as the Palestinian people were not granted their rights [Getty/file photo] Jordanian Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah said Sunday that his country was in a "diplomatic and political battle" with Israel, as he cast doubt on normalisation and peace agreements between Arab states and Israel. In a rare television interview on Saudi-owned Al Arabiya, the young royal criticised countries around the world for not doing enough to end the war on Gaza. "We are shocked by the world’s inability to stop the massacre in Gaza. The peoples of the region have lost confidence in the international community," he said. "More than 35,000 people have been killed – 70 percent of them women and children. What [death] toll must we reach for the world to act? These are people's lives, not just numbers," he continued. Prince Hussein said that since the start of the Gaza war, Jordan has been waging a "diplomatic and political battle" where it is working to shift the positions of countries towards Israel. Jordan and Israel have shared diplomatic, political, and economic ties since 1994, but bilateral relations have quickly deteriorated since the start of the war in October last year. Last month, thousands of people gathered every night for weeks in Amman demanding that Jordan sever ties with Israel. "The Palestinian cause is our cause, and despite the political or economic costs that Jordan is paying, it will continue in its role towards the Palestinian people," the crown prince said. Normalisation for no peace? Prince Hussein slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for "trying to drag the region into war", noting not only Israel's brutal war on Gaza but also its attacks in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli air and ground offensive has killed over 36,000 people in the Gaza Strip since October 7, and Israeli forces have also stepped up deadly raids in the West Bank, killing over 500 people since then. The war on Gaza was sparked by a Hamas-led attack in southern Israel which resulted in the deaths of around 1,170 Israelis. The Palestinian group also took around 250 hostages, some of whom have been released. Hamas says the attack came in response to decades of Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people and occupation of their lands. "The Israeli government is trying to promote to the whole world that the conflict began on October 7," said Prince Hussein. "Let us go back to before October 7, and to all the speeches of His Majesty the King (King Abdullah II of Jordan) in the past 25 years, and how he warned that continuing to violate the rights of the Palestinian people would lead to disaster in the region. Look at what’s happening today," the crown prince told Al Arabiya. "For years, there have been attempts to marginalise the [Palestinian] issue, and people have lost confidence in the peace process," he added. There has been Arab consensus, since the Arab Peace Initiative, that the only solution to end the conflict is to grant the Palestinians their rights and end the occupation in exchange for relations with Israel, Prince Hussein said. "Since 2002 to date, do you think that Israel wants peace? We are dealing with a government controlled by an extremist agenda, with ministers who openly call for the annihilation of the Palestinians," said the Jordanian royal. He also referred to the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank as another indication that Israel was not serious about peace with the Palestinians. The Arab Peace Initiative was launched by Saudi Arabia and endorsed during a 2002 Arab League summit in Beirut, then re-endorsed at two Arab League summits in 2007 and 2017. It offers Israel full peace in exchange for a full withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza. As well as Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco all share ties with Israel. Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, while the other states normalised ties in 2020, despite wide popular condemnation. Sudan also agreed in January 2021 to normalise relations with Israel, but ties were never formalised. The process has stalled due to the conflict raging in Sudan since April last year. "The important question for all of us today is to ask whether normalisation with Israel happened just for the sake of normalisation." Prince Hussein said. "In the end, true peace is between peoples, and if the peoples are not convinced that the rights of the Palestinians have been met, they will not believe in peace [treaties] and will not accept [normalised] relations."
The peoples of the world have lost confidence in America, it's no more than a zionist wasp nest. Unfortunately it takes a tragedy like this to wake people up.
'I am a Zionist': How Joe Biden's lifelong bond with Israel shapes war policy By Matt Spetalnick, Jeff Mason, Steve Holland and Patricia Zengerle October 21, 2023 https://www.reuters.com/world/us/i-...ond-with-israel-shapes-war-policy-2023-10-21/ Item 1 of 3 In half a century of public life, U.S. President Joe Biden has demonstrated unwavering support for Israel. In this photo Biden is welcomed by Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu, as he visits Israel amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 18, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo WASHINGTON, Oct 21 (Reuters) - When Joe Biden met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet during his visit to Israel, the U.S. president assured them: "I don't believe you have to be a Jew to be a Zionist, and I am a Zionist." The politicians and generals gathered in the ballroom of the Tel Aviv hotel nodded in approval, according to a U.S. official knowledgeable of the closed-door remarks, even as Israel bombarded Gaza in retaliation for a devastating attack by Palestinian Hamas militants and with a ground invasion looming. Biden, who is of Irish Catholic descent, has used similar words in the past to profess his affinity for Israel.
Trump promises crackdown on pro-Palestinian protests if elected Trump tells donors that the student demonstrators are part of a ‘radical revolution’ and promises to defeat them. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds a campaign rally [File: Brendan McDermid/Reuters] 28 May 2024 https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024...ckdown-on-pro-palestinian-protests-if-elected Former United States President Donald Trump has promised that he will crack down on pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses if he wins the 2024 US presidential election. Earlier this month, the likely Republican nominee told a small group of predominantly Jewish donors that he would expel student demonstrators, who he claimed were part of a “radical revolution”, from the US if he is elected, according to a report by The Washington Post released on Monday. “If you get me elected, and you should really be doing this … we’re going to set that movement back 25 or 30 years,” Trump said, according to the report, quoting people at the meeting who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The former president also praised the New York police for clearing the campus at Columbia University in late April, and said the other cities needed to follow suit, saying “it has to be stopped now”.