With Iran war as pretext, Israel suffocates the West Bank

With Iran war as pretext, Israel suffocates the West Bank

Shatha Yaish reports: As Israelis awoke early last Friday morning to discover that their country had started a war with Iran, Palestinians in the West Bank found that the Israeli army had placed them under lockdown. Closures and checkpoints have been the norm in the occupied territory for decades, becoming even more numerous and restrictive in the wake of October 7. But after striking Iran, the army reduced Palestinians’ movement to a near-total standstill — sealing off towns and cities with iron gates, closing checkpoints between the West…

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Federal judge appointed by Reagan: ‘I’ve never seen government racial discrimination like this’

Federal judge appointed by Reagan: ‘I’ve never seen government racial discrimination like this’

Politico reports: A federal judge appointed by Ronald Reagan on Monday accused the Trump administration of “appalling” and “palpably clear” discrimination against racial minorities and LGBTQ+ Americans. “I’ve never seen a record where racial discrimination was so palpable. I’ve sat on this bench now for 40 years. I’ve never seen government racial discrimination like this,” said U.S. District Judge William Young, a Massachusetts-based jurist who took the bench in 1985. Young’s sweeping rebuke during a court hearing was a reference…

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Our crisis, not of loneliness, but of people becoming invisible

Our crisis, not of loneliness, but of people becoming invisible

Allison J Pugh writes: Paul was a gig worker in the San Francisco Bay Area. Formerly a project manager in tech until several companies in a row laid him off, he started working entirely for platforms like Lyft, Uber and TaskRabbit. He managed to eke out a living, but the jobs posed a different problem. ‘Honestly, a lot of times, I go out and the person doesn’t even know my name, even though I introduced myself as Paul,’ he told…

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Is the MAGA movement really antiwar?

Is the MAGA movement really antiwar?

Tucker Carlson confronts Sen. Ted Cruz on his support for regime change in Iran:   Greg Sargent writes: You may have heard it said that Donald Trump won in 2024 in part by vowing to end “forever wars.” During the campaign, Trump ripped Democrat Kamala Harris for campaigning with Liz Cheney, slamming her for wanting “war with every Muslim Country known to mankind.” News organizations credulously insisted that this sort of anger over military entanglements in Iraq and Afghanistan fueled…

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GOP Sen. Josh Hawley warns Trump against entering Israel’s war on Iran. Trump approves attack plan

GOP Sen. Josh Hawley warns Trump against entering Israel’s war on Iran. Trump approves attack plan

The New Republic reports: Senator Josh Hawley has added his name to the short list of Republicans in Congress voicing their opposition to Trump’s current and potential further support of Israel’s war on Iran. “Josh Hawley, who spoke to Trump last night, told me he ‘would not’ be comfortable if the US took offensive action against Iran,” CNN’s Manu Raju posted on X on Wednesday. “I don’t want us fighting a war. I don’t want another Mideast war…. I’m a…

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Vali Nasr warns about the ‘Syriafication’ of Iran

Vali Nasr warns about the ‘Syriafication’ of Iran

'Israel wants once and for all to deal with the Iran problem' Speaking to @SkyYaldaHakim, @vali_nasr adds: 'Israel's concern is the collapse of the Iranian state, not just the regime'https://t.co/sWLCyUvG5E 📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/00F3J0lrVF — Sky News (@SkyNews) June 17, 2025

Netanyahu’s Iran gambit, aimed to realign the world behind Israel, may backfire

Netanyahu’s Iran gambit, aimed to realign the world behind Israel, may backfire

+972 reports: Five days after Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran, this volatile new war shows no signs of winding down. What began with a series of Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites, military leaders, and scientists has escalated into a tit-for-tat exchange, with civilians in Israel and Iran bearing the brunt of the damage. While Israel has claimed initial tactical victories — establishing aerial dominance and carrying out coordinated operations inside Iranian territory — it now faces mounting…

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Why Israel’s attacks are backfiring as Iranians rally around the flag

Why Israel’s attacks are backfiring as Iranians rally around the flag

Mohammad Eslami and Ibrahim al-Marashi write: Israel appears to have forgotten a lesson from the Iraqi invasion of Iran in 1980. Instead of inducing regime change, it led to the people of Iran rallying behind the Islamic Republic in the name of nationalism, not necessarily out of love for the clerical elite. Rather than fuelling internal dissent, Israel’s recent strikes have similarly sparked a resurgence of nationalist feeling – centred not on support for the regime, but on defence of…

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Through attacking Iran, Israel further alienates would-be Arab allies

Through attacking Iran, Israel further alienates would-be Arab allies

The New York Times reports: It wasn’t long ago that supporters of burgeoning ties between Israel and Arab countries were promoting Dubai as the epicenter of regional harmony. Israeli influencers were moving to the dazzling Emirati city, which is just a ferry ride away from Iran. Investors were flitting between Dubai and Tel Aviv. Since the war began last week with Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, the Emirates has waived all visa overstay fees for Iranians stranded in the…

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A DOGE operative found the government is ‘not as inefficient as I was expecting.’ Then he got fired

A DOGE operative found the government is ‘not as inefficient as I was expecting.’ Then he got fired

Benjamin Wallace-Wells writes: On March 27th, Sahil Lavingia walked into the Secretary of War Suite, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, to attend an all-hands meeting of the Department of Government Efficiency. Lavingia had been a DOGE employee for two weeks, part of a small team embedded at the Department of Veterans Affairs. So far, it had been an unexpectedly isolating experience. Lavingia communicated over the messaging app Signal with another member of the V.A.’s DOGE team, but there didn’t…

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Trump, no longer ‘in the mood’ for further negotiations, demands Iran’s ‘unconditional surrender’

Trump, no longer ‘in the mood’ for further negotiations, demands Iran’s ‘unconditional surrender’

The Times of Israel reports: US President Donald Trump declared Tuesday that he is seeking Iran’s “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER” and that Washington is only holding off on assassinating Islamic Republic Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei “for now.” Trump’s comments, delivered via social media, suggested a more aggressive stance toward Iran, as he weighs whether to deepen US involvement in the conflict. “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there — We…

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How Trump became Netanyahu’s junior partner in Israel’s war against Iran

How Trump became Netanyahu’s junior partner in Israel’s war against Iran

The New York Times reports: Trump knew he was wading into dangerous political territory. More than perhaps any other subject, the Israel-Iran issue splits Mr. Trump’s coalition, pitting an anti-interventionist faction, led by media figures like the influential podcast host Tucker Carlson, against anti-Iran conservatives like the radio host Mark Levin. But inside the administration, despite much hype about disagreements between “Iran hawks” and “doves,” ideological divisions were far less important than they were in Mr. Trump’s first term, when…

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Netanyahu’s nuclear pretext for seeking regime change in Iran

Netanyahu’s nuclear pretext for seeking regime change in Iran

Jeffrey Lewis writes: One reason that many hawkish Israelis and their Washington fanboys opposed the nuclear deal was precisely because it might work. Resolving the nuclear issue would have removed some sanctions on the regime. This initial wave of attacks isn’t about the nuclear threat; it’s about using the nuclear threat to justify an attempt to topple the regime. Netanyahu essentially admitted this, telling Iranians: “Our fight is with the brutal dictatorship that has oppressed you for 46 years. I…

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How the Trump regime is emulating the Pinochet regime

How the Trump regime is emulating the Pinochet regime

HuffPost reports: The only information Ysqueibel Yonaiquer Peñaloza Chirinos’ family has received about him in the past three months came from former Republican congressman Matt Gaetz. Gaetz probably didn’t mean to help. But last month, as part of a propaganda video for the far-right One America News Network, he took a tour of the infamous Salvadoran prison to which President Donald Trump has sent hundreds of U.S. immigrants for indefinite detention, without charge, trial or sentencing: El Centro de Confinamiento…

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