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Category: Politics

Will Biden ever stand up to Benjamin Netanyahu? Don’t bet on it

Will Biden ever stand up to Benjamin Netanyahu? Don’t bet on it

Chris McGreal writes: Joe Biden has expended a lot of effort to avoid taking Benjamin Netanyahu at his word. The Israeli prime minister has spent his political life opposing a Palestinian state and acting accordingly. And although Biden has trotted out a rote commitment to the two-state solution when confronted with a crisis in the Middle East, there was barely a murmur from the White House as Netanyahu’s far-right government ramped up creeping colonisation of the occupied West Bank and…

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The past is being destroyed in Palestine — as well as the present

The past is being destroyed in Palestine — as well as the present

Olivia Snaije writes: It is nearly impossible today to imagine Gaza as a thriving port on the sparkling Mediterranean, where a rich socioeconomic exchange took place over thousands of years of human history. Yet for millennia, Gaza was an essential stopping point on the overland route between Africa, Asia and Europe. Rich archaeological treasures found in the area indicate that trading was brisk throughout the Bronze Age — including finds indicating a close relationship with Ancient Egypt — to Hellenic…

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American mercenaries hired by UAE to kill in Yemen

American mercenaries hired by UAE to kill in Yemen

  American mercenaries, hired by the UAE to kill in Yemen, have spoken candidly on camera for the first time in an investigation by BBC Arabic. At a time when Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping have highlighted the international dimensions of the Yemeni conflict, the investigation also reveals how US mercenaries trained Emirati officers to kill the UAE’s political enemies in Yemen. These extra-judicial killings, conducted in the name of counter-terrorism, started in 2015 and continue to this day.

Under fire from Democratic lawmakers, Pentagon scales back military support for human rights violators

Under fire from Democratic lawmakers, Pentagon scales back military support for human rights violators

The Washington Post reports: The Pentagon has abruptly abandoned plans to train alongside the militaries of several countries either involved in the overthrow of democratic governments or accused of human rights violations, reversing course amid recent scrutiny. The plans, disclosed to Congress in October and reviewed by The Washington Post, detailed the Pentagon’s intent to hold joint exercises this year with Sudan, Niger, Mali and other troubled African nations. Each is broadly prohibited under U.S. law from receiving American security…

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The GRU officer helping the Kremlin evade sanctions from his base in Brussels

The GRU officer helping the Kremlin evade sanctions from his base in Brussels

The Insider reports: In October, The Insider revealed how gaps in the complex web of Western sanctions policies have allowed Russia to continue procuring many of the foreign-made tools and components necessary for the production of its hypersonic Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missile, one of the “wonder weapons” unveiled by Vladimir Putin during an infamous 2018 speech that included computer generated graphics showing Russian warheads flying towards the United States. That particular sanctions-busting scheme relied on loopholes and exceptions that make it…

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International Court of Justice says Israel must immediately stop killing Palestinians in Gaza

International Court of Justice says Israel must immediately stop killing Palestinians in Gaza

By fifteen votes to two, the International Court of Justice indicated the following provisional measures: The State of Israel shall, in accordance with its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, in relation to Palestinians in Gaza, take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of Article II of this Convention, in particular: (a) killing members of the group; (b) causing serious bodily or mental…

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This momentous ICJ ruling may be brushed aside by Israel but its allies can’t afford to ignore it

This momentous ICJ ruling may be brushed aside by Israel but its allies can’t afford to ignore it

Steve Crawshaw writes: Israel will no doubt continue to pour scorn on the international court of justice (ICJ) in The Hague in the days and weeks to come. “Hague Shmague” was the first response from the security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir. But the provisional measures ordered by the world court today are historic, by any measure. The requirement that Israel must take steps to prevent genocidal acts, prevent and punish incitement to genocide, and report back on its actions within a…

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South Africa’s genocide case is a diplomatic win, after ‘damning’ verdict against Israel

South Africa’s genocide case is a diplomatic win, after ‘damning’ verdict against Israel

Reuters reports: South Africa’s genocide case against Israel may have ruffled feathers in the capitals of vital Western trading partners, but it has boosted the country’s standing as a champion of the downtrodden Global South. That gamble is likely to pay off, thanks to renewed rivalry for Africa’s minerals and U.N. votes between the West, China and Russia, turbocharged by Russia’s war on Ukraine. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) rejected Israel’s petition to throw out the case on Friday,…

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Defendants Biden, Blinken, and Austin accused in federal court of complicity in genocide

Defendants Biden, Blinken, and Austin accused in federal court of complicity in genocide

Having started my day with @CIJ_ICJ's momentous ruling that SA’s genocide claim against IS is “plausible” & its order of PM, I'll now head to the US Federal Court to testify against defendants @POTUS, @SecBlinken & @SecDef for their failure to prevent & complicity in #Genocide. pic.twitter.com/MezIGIncwn — Ahmed Abofoul | أحمد أبو فول (@AhmedAbofoul) January 26, 2024 Time reports: A federal court case filed against President Joe Biden and two U.S. cabinet officials for allegedly being complicit in Israel’s…

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Biden still wants to look like the climate president

Biden still wants to look like the climate president

The Atlantic reports: All of a sudden, the U.S. has become the biggest liquid-natural-gas exporter in the world. Supplied by a souped-up hydraulic-fracturing industry, and spurred by Russia’s war on Ukraine, which has hampered European gas access, LNG export terminals are being built on a monumental scale throughout the U.S. Gulf Coast, in places so beset by climate disasters that homes there are now deemed uninsurable. Shipping LNG abroad could be its own climate disaster, with questionable benefits: Recent research found that it may be worse for…

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How drones froze Ukraine’s frontlines

How drones froze Ukraine’s frontlines

The Guardian reports: For four months, Russian troops have been trying to seize the eastern Ukrainian village of Synkivka. On a map, this looks easy. Their forward position is on the edge of a forest. It is a mere 500 metres away from the Ukrainian frontline and a shattered collection of cottages. Every few days the Russians attack. Their forays across open ground end in the same way: complete disaster. Armoured vehicles with men perched on top, speed across a…

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Israel tries to rebut genocide charge by declassifying cherry-picked cabinet decisions

Israel tries to rebut genocide charge by declassifying cherry-picked cabinet decisions

The New York Times reports: Israel has declassified more than 30 secret orders made by government and military leaders, which it says rebut the charge that it committed genocide in Gaza, and instead show Israeli efforts to diminish deaths among Palestinian civilians. The release of the documents, copies of which were reviewed by The New York Times, follows a petition to the International Court of Justice by South Africa, which has accused Israel of genocide. Much of South Africa’s case…

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World Bank report finds 45% of residential buildings in Gaza ruined beyond repair

World Bank report finds 45% of residential buildings in Gaza ruined beyond repair

The Times of Israel reports: Some 45 percent of residential buildings in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed since war erupted between Israel and Hamas on October 7, leaving over 1 million people homeless, according to a World Bank study based on satellite images and media accounts. According to data collected by the international body, over 60% of residential buildings in the Gaza Strip, or 132,590 structures, have been damaged amid the war, which has seen Israel bombard the enclave…

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Biden to deploy CIA director to help broker major Gaza deal

Biden to deploy CIA director to help broker major Gaza deal

The Washington Post reports: President Biden plans to dispatch CIA Director William J. Burns in the coming days to help broker an ambitious deal between Hamas and Israel that would involve the release of all remaining hostages held in Gaza and the longest cessation of hostilities since the war began last year, according to officials familiar with the matter. Burns is expected to travel to Europe for the talks and meet with the Israeli and Egyptian intelligence chiefs, David Barnea…

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Trump’s exponential power surge

Trump’s exponential power surge

Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen write: Something shocking — and telling — has unfolded beyond Donald Trump‘s onstage, online and courtroom theatrics: He’s running a professional, well-managed, disciplined presidential campaign. His 2024 operation is more sophisticated — dare we say traditional — than the slapdash improvisation of his White House and two previous runs. Why it matters: Trump likely will wrap up the nomination in record time, with almost universal GOP establishment backing. If he were to win — and run the White House like…

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How Big Pharma is fueling a radical MAGA agenda

How Big Pharma is fueling a radical MAGA agenda

Rolling Stone reports: Big Pharma has invested big money in the organizations planning what a MAGA policy agenda will look like in a new Trump administration. Not surprisingly, that policy playbook contains a major gift for the drug industry: a swift end to the Biden administration’s landmark program to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices. For two decades, Congress barred Medicare from negotiating prescription drug prices, which is a major reason why Americans pay higher prices for drugs than…

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