The departure of the spectacular “Freedom Flotilla” to Gaza carrying 5,500 tonnes of aid has been postponed (again), because the flag state of the major vessels, Guinea Bissau, has withdrawn their registration.
The key question is why the organisers were proceeding with such an unreliable flag state in the first place?
In the 2010 Freedom Flotilla, the vessel Mavi Marmara was boarded by Israeli troops and ten aid workers were executed in cold blood. Just days before sailing, the Mavi Marmara had changed its flag from Turkey to the Comoros Islands.
On a vessel at sea outside the twelve mile territorial limit of a state (as the Mavi Marmara was when boarded), the law that applies is that of the flag state. Had the vessel still been Turkish flagged, the murderers would have been within Turkish jurisdiction and subject to investigation by Turkey and prosecution in Turkish courts.
I flew to Izmir to investigate the case and I concluded that it was Turkish security services who had obliged the change of flag to the Comoros Islands, thus facilitating the Israeli murderous attack.
Plainly the Mavi Marmara incident should indicate to organisers of aid to Gaza the vital necessity of having a vessel registered to a flag state which would be able to react strongly to an attack by Israel on its ship, and indeed whose flag might deter Israel from such an attack.
So it makes no sense to me that the organisers intended to proceed under the flag of Guinea Bissau.
On 8 April I received a Whatsapp message from organisers asking me to publicise the flotilla. This was my reply.
Hi Irfan and thank you. May I ask what are the flag states of the four vessels?
This is extremely important.
The Mavi Marmara organisers made the literally fatal mistake of allowing the ship to reflag to the Comoros Islands before sailing. Outside the 12 mile territorial sea the vessels are under the law of and entitled to the protection of the flag state
After a holding reply I received
Sorry for the late reply. It is still to be confirmed sir
I reiterated
OK, I am very keen that people understand that it is crucially important.
I have always believed pro Israeli security services influenced the change of flag of the Mavi Marmara.
Any Israeli forces boarding the ships beyond the 12 mile territorial limit are subject to the law of the flag state of the vessel. I should be grateful if you confirm to me the organisers fully understand this.
The reply was simply
Thank you sir
I am therefore entirely perplexed that the organisers went with Guinea Bissau as the flag state rather than a state likely to stand up to Israel and the US. Of course it failed.
Is the problem incompetence, or is it again security service influence?
I should make plain that I absolutely support the aims and the strategy of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. I have several friends on board, and I believe my good colleague Ann Wright is among the organisers. I am however intensely frustrated.
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Rebuilding Gaza could take up to 80 years.
Rebuilding bombed Gaza homes may take 80 years, UN says
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240502-rebuilding-bombed-gaza-homes-may-take-80-years-un-says/
Imagine if a western state were bombed to bits and the rebuilding were to take up to 80 years. Still westerners are unfazed by the destruction carried out by Israel. No sympathy for the victims. And the people that are going to pay for israel’s destruction, is of course the same clueless westerner.
On that topic, why is it that russian money could be taken over in the west but not jewish/israelis money will not be confiscated?
EU moves toward using profits from frozen Russian assets for Ukraine
Brussels and G7 could use money generated by the frozen funds to rebuild the war-struck country.
https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-moves-toward-using-profits-from-frozen-russian-assets-for-ukraine/
Let Israel pay for the damage and the war reparations!
“.. use money generated by the frozen funds to rebuild the war-struck country”
I thought, what if the war will be lost by Ukrainian regime, and the country will become a part of Russia? Just like it was some 30 years ago, Zelensky must remember well, as he is of my age, and I do.
According to the West, it’s exactly what Putin wants – to conquer Ukraine.
So, they will give Russian money back to Russia to restore Russia 🙂
How does one call this sort of irony?
Tatyana
Thus far, they’re only using the interest. The bulk of the Russian reserves are in Belgium : some $260bn of the estimated $300bn in Russian central bank reserves that were frozen. Belgium are reluctant to get into a direct tit-for-tat /seizure-for-seizure game with Russia for understandable reasons. Belgium, probably more than any other European country, knows how such arguments over money and reparations can spiral after bearing the brunt of the consequences in large part flowing from the perceived overly-punitive, WWI victor’s justice terms, in the Treaty of Versailles ; terms which Hitler exploited to rally the masses posing as their saviour.
There are also concerns it’ll undermine investor confidence in Europe, especially that of ME countries, and China. There’s a good reason it isn’t the done thing. Seizing sovereign wealth would rightly be viewed as an attack on all Russian people.
Reckless David Cameron again. A man who thought bombing successful Libya back to the stone age, on a false pretext, a good thing. He then turned his attention to swapping out Assad for a bunch of ‘headchoppin’ Jihadists, jolly sensible stuff old boy, bravo chaps! Boris Johnson is of the same creed. I don’t know what it is with Eton and these ‘Devil-may-care’ posh boys? But the world would be safer without them anywhere near power.
If they do confiscate the funds, then they’ll have no leverage whatsoever. It seems self-defeating to me.
I always wondered what happens if the Russians just declare that the frozen funds or holding of same by the EU is invalid, because it’s their money and they can just say that.
Furthermore, that an account with an equivalent value of rubles, gold or whatever held in their central bank is the real fund.
So thus the EU holds effectively bugger all, it’s just bytes and paper with no inherent value after all.
Also the reported numbers have changed wildly over time, so Euroclear might be actually be holding little or nothing. So the “300 billion” is itself a scam used to fraudulently raise funds.
These people have plenty of form for doing just that..
“Thus far, they’re only using the interest”.
Nevertheless, theft is theft. They may console themselves that “it’s only a little, they’ll never miss it”. But the Russians are legalistically minded, and will notice every ruble.
I abominate Cameron, but I did notice a couple of things he said recently.
1. It’s fine for Kiev to use Western missiles to bombard any part of Russia.
2. It would be far too risky to send NATO troops to the front line.
So – sneaky, cowardly, dishonest, and inconsistent.
The more this goes on, the more desperately I wish the UK could get rid of all the nuclear weapons on its soil and its ships/submarines. If a real war breaks out, we in Britain are toast.
IHH reflagged their two boats in 2010, because turkey is not a member of the ICC and Cormoros island is. And thank God, they had the common sense and foresight to do that, because Cormoros took Israel to the ICC in 2013. I can send all of that detail to you. Israel has already been charged at the ICC.
That is nonsense Tatyana. Yes, Russia will conquer Ukraine but Russia does not want Ukraine to be a part of Russia. That’s because Russia has difficulty enough providing for its own population. Russia does not want more land or more people; it just wants to make sure USA military forces are not on its border. As you know well, Ukraine were annoyed when Russia built Nord 2 through the baltic, because Nord 1 through Ukraine had provided Ukraine with a pretty good deal for many years. Ukraine started to bomb Nord 1 when Russia refused to pay more money and when Russia rerouted gas supply through Nord 2 we thought that was the end of that dispute – until Zelensky turned up and made a deal with USA. They agreed USA would offer Ukraine membership of NATO and modern missiles that Ukraine could install on their border with Russia, missiles just 400 miles from Moscow. Now excuse me a moment while I move a few thousand miles away and ask what the USA would do if Ukraine decided to install missiles on Cuba aimed at Houston? hmmm
Terence,
excuse me please, I have to say I find most of your comment hard to understand.
Actually, there was an announcement here about 30% increase in excise tax on imported alcohol, starting May 1. I was late to replenish Campari and Cinzano supply, so today is just one perfect Saturday evening to try if they still import the same product for higher price 🙂
They say Putin wants to conquer Ukraine, and after that Putin will conquer all of the Europe! If my government ever puts it on referendum, I’ll vote to conquer Italy first 🙂
Tatyana
We never get any serious analysis of Russia’s intentions for Ukraine eg. post-conflict, Just scaremongering about Putin’s alleged revanchist desire to re-write the post-Cold War settlement, by “recreating the USSR”. And how, “he won’t stop at Ukraine if he isn’t stopped.”
Western news media has never been quite so patronising towards audiences as it is today. I’m sure everyone here would agree that the UK media these days are too heavily editorially controlled, and thus incredibly risk averse, when it comes to debating certain controversial foreign policy issues in an adult way. Paradoxically, for an information age, obtaining neutral factual information on the war in Ukraine, for instance, seems harder to come by than it was before the internet. This is because certain people in authority are overreaching in terms of trying to control public opinion.
We’ve had numerous radio presenters taken off air, recently, without further explanation. Merely for pressing Israeli spokespeople over the carnage and starvation they’re creating in Gaza. Some have even been replaced with outspoken, openly Zionist presenters.
https://metro.co.uk/2024/04/25/lbc-presenters-disappearance-station-sparks-petition-fans-20715073/
BBC 2’s Newsnight sometimes, though v. rarely, have a Russian politician on, putting the Russian perspective. But the presenters keep aggressively interrupting like stroppy teenagers, making rational discussion impossible. And/or the connection mysteriously develops technical problems … ho hum. It’s embarrassing that the UK no longer feels able to conduct grown-up debates.
It’s probably idealistic, utopian even, but I think a world community of mutual respect could and should be possible, if we could only just get rid of the poor leadership preventing understanding.
“We’ve had numerous radio presenters taken off air, recently, without further explanation”.
Tatyana, I took Western media “off air” some years ago, so I don’t care. The truth is available in such fora as this, if people care to seek it.
Russia has already absorbed Crimea and Donbas/Donetsk so there’s no reason why it won’t do the same with rest of the Ukraine. As and when it does of course Russia will be responsible for the clear up and rebuilding; so Tatyana could end up paying even more for her Cinzano.
” Ukraine started to bomb Nord 1 when Russia refused to pay more money and when Russia rerouted gas supply through Nord 2 we thought that was the end of that dispute – until Zelensky turned up and made a deal with USA. They agreed USA would offer Ukraine membership of NATO and modern missiles that Ukraine could install on their border with Russia, missiles just 400 miles from Moscow. ” Complete fantasy.
Pears Morgan
There are plenty of reasons: local opposition and guaranteed resistance in more pro-European Western Ukraine being the main one.
Western Ukraine is impossible to simply incorporate into Russia. I’d guess the Russian intention is only to force Ukraine’s leadership to formally accept loss of territories in the East and Crimea. It’s ridiculous, that so many Russian and Ukrainian lives will have been lost, with so much destruction, simply to reach a position and a deal Ukraine could’ve had years ago. I think that’s why Ukrainian armed forces are reportedly surrendering at a higher tempo. Low on ammunition and morale, they know they can’t hope to force Russia out, and maintaining the bloody stalemate, along the 620 mile frontline, for years and years, is just futile.
Wikipedia
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_Soviet_Socialist_Republic
Note in particular the population of the USSR, which fell 20% by 2010, years before the glorious “revolution of dignity”. Which would bring everything Western & good and erase everything Russian & bad.
Also Ukraine used to be noticeably richer than Russia, under the Soviets. Now it’s multiple times poorer; again that was true even before 2014.
Thus given how catastrophic the last 30+ years of “independent” misrule, mass-formation cargo cultism and digging up a rat-faced serial killer and making him father of the nation, has been.
Getting annexed to Russia might be Ukraine’s last best chance at some form of salvation.
After this NATO instigated Paraguayan-style war of national suicide is over, of course.
Need further education, look at how Belarus – another East Slavic former SSR – has fared comparative to Ukraine.
Up until 2014 Russia was Ukraine’s biggest trading partner. Unsurprisingly that’s now stopped. Belarus is a dictatorship with an appalling human rights record and an economy currently propped up by Russia.
Oh, now it’s “absorbed” 🙂 And what happened to the good old “annexed”?
All you have to do is add “for no reason”, Pears.
As for me, I sometimes watch the news and again hear the names of the cities of Rabotino, Kramatorsk and Slavyansk. Have I ever mentioned that I think my memory is pretty good? These are the names of cities where fierce fighting took place a dozen years ago, when a coup d’état took place in Kiev and the new regime tried to force the Donbass to submit by military force.
So I hope that before The Day of Burning Russians in the Trade Unions becomes a national holiday there; Odessa will also prefer to be absorbed.
If the price for this is only Cinzano becoming more expensive, then sign me up.
The war sponsors’ patience is starting to run out, that is, they want to see a return on investment. Perhaps this fuss around Russian frozen funds is connected with this:
Bondholders to Push Ukraine to Resume Debt Payments After Hiatus
Firms including BlackRock, PIMCO form committee, hire advisers to negotiate deal
https://www.wsj.com/finance/ukraine-debt-payments-russia-war-1c0c301e
Pears
¨Up until 2014 Russia was Ukraine’s biggest trading partner. Unsurprisingly that’s now stopped.¨
That was a big part of a problem.
Ukraine had a Free trade agreement with Russia plus other ex Soviets republics (CIS).
Most of Eastern Ukraine exports went to CIS.
After European Union–Ukraine Association Agreement Eu insisted for Ukraine to put ¨borders¨ on free trade with Russia.
Only during Brexit negotiation with EU I understood implication for the Industries in East Ukraine and lack of enthusiasm for EU Association Agreement and Yanukovich change of mind. As they say the rest is history.
The natural resources of Ukraine – even before allowing for the strategic necessity of a buffer against Western sneak attacks – are vast. Rebuilding will be a huge, lengthy and expensive task, but well within Russia’s ability. As an investment, it is extremely profitable just from an economic point of view.
And Russia, with its almost invisible debt level and very healthy economy, is one of the nations best able to tackle such a challenge and come out well ahead.
I heard that Zelensky gave contracts for the post-war reconstruction of the country to the Black Rock company. I’m curious where they plan to get the energy for such activity? Import liquefied gas from the USA by sea? Or, buy the one generated by wind turbines in Germany? (We here have vulgar jokes about “an engine powered by fart steam.”)
Tom, I invite you to take a look at the Leopards and Abrams in Moscow, there is a fascinating exhibition of captured Western military machines
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/forums/topic/ukraine-date-nov-2023/page/10/#post-96510
Thanks, Tayana, I noticed the exhibition of used Western hardware a few days ago. More examples of the kind of Russian wit I enjoy so much (in my own words):
If Western visitors wish to avoid queuing, they are welcome to come to the front of the line. After all, it’s their kit and they paid for it.
And
If Americans are upset that their Abrams tank is in so much worse condition than other exhibits, they are encouraged to send equipment directly to Russia in future, rather than via Ukraine.
It’s bleeding obvious to most that the surest way for Russia to have NATO on its borders is to expand Russia, for example by the annexation of Ukraine.
I’m expecting that if/when Russia invades the Baltic States and a few other EU countries it wants, there will be plenty of apologists on here to claim it’s all our fault and that “the west made Russia do it”. As for the “missiles 400 miles” trope, anybody foolish enough to deploy it should have the honesty to admit it justifies Russia occupying all of Europe to the Atlantic coastline. Then the UK, of course. The Channel is just 25 miles after all.
I guess appeasers have to appease and the apologists for aggressive imperial expansionist colonialism have to continue with the spiels they’ve been honing for two years now. Sad that even after two years, their spiels still make no sense.
I don’t think even Western leaders privately believe that’s Russia’s intention. For what it’s worth, I certainly don’t think that likely.
Putin himself completely dismisses the idea, as pure NATO fantasy. But even if we can’t believe the Russian leader, the fact is, the people promoting this idea in NATO, the EU and various European govts are desperately trying to maintain European public support and keep the billions in funding flowing to a war everyone is tired of. The scary specter of Soviet armies past, on the march, is really aimed at the US – where a majority of the Republican representatives reject any more funding for the war.
No the surest way for post-Soviet Russia to have NATO on its borders is to exist, that’s a matter of inarguable historical record*.
If the Baltics – with their witless bellicosity, racist policies and bizarre collective national rape-fantasies – finally got what they’ve been screaming about & practically asking for, it’d be grimly funny to see NATO screech and do sweet f**k all about it (short of nuclear exchange). Because they’re chickenhawks who don’t (and can’t nowadays) fight people who can actually fight back directly.
Russia won’t take over Romania or Poland etc., because Moscow doesn’t (and didn’t) want them. They’d would be an even bigger net-drain today, than they were under the Warsaw Pact.
A fact that the Eastern European collective ego, cannot handle. They *must* be precious treasures lusted after, by those semi-Mongols to the east. It makes them feel important.
As for appeasement, don’t care. That MSM/regime trope is old, tired, abused, ahistorical, manipulative, repetitive and above all boring. Let it finally die and rest.
* Before Finland & Sweden are mentioned. Finland has been Atlanticist for decades and Swedish neutrality had been an outright fraud since the 1960’s. They’ve been de-facto NATO for generations (they also both supported the Axis in WW2, funny that).
John Main, the only appeasing that has been going on ever since 1948 is of the USA by everyone else. Including the UK, the rest of NATO and Europe, and the Commonwealth.
Today the appeasing is tapering off, and the bloodsucking rent-seekers are soon going to be confronted by the appalling prospect of having to work for a living.
What has been happening in Ukraine is just one aspect of the end of appeasement. Finally, the Russians have accepted that no amount of concessions will ever satisfy the West. The only language a bully understands is delivered by a large fist.
How I shall laugh.
Partly true, Terence. Much of “Ukraine” is really Russian – perhaps as much as 80%. That’s not the point now, though – what matters is how much territory Russia needs to take over to push back Western missiles and bombers a safe distance. (Incidentally, that was also the motive for the Iron Curtain and the Moscow Pact – to create a buffer zone against the next sneak Western attack).
I disagree that Russia has difficulty providing for its own population. If you ignore hostile propaganda and look at the facts, you see that Russia is the only large nation in the world whose population is not excessive for its natural resources. Right now, they balance nicely. Ignore dollar comparisons: the question is, do Russians have enough healthy food and drink, clothing and shoes, houses and transport. Mostly they are doing very well, especially compared to where they were 25 years ago.
Tom, re.: Much of “Ukraine” is really Russian.
I’d like to comment on this in more detail. Mr. Murray recently raised the issue of national identification of Ukrainians, so I, as a diligent student, thought about it quite a lot.
Here it would probably be appropriate to mention that Ukrainians are among my ancestors, and my father identifies as a Kuban Cossack, since his mother and father (my grandparents) were Kuban Cossacks without a doubt. So, I became familiar with the concept of “Cossack vs. Katsap” earlier than with “Russian vs. Ukrainian”
Coming from the same genetic root, both peoples have only slight cultural and linguistic differences, mostly due to territorial characteristics. They understand each other without translators and get married, like my parents did. In practice it looks like:
you’re a Zaporozhye Cossack living around the 18th century, and you are dissatisfied with Polish rule in your area, so you accept the offer of the Russian Empress and settle in the Wild Steppe (analogous to the Wild West), where you’ll be an absolutely free person (compared to peasants enslaved by the landowners). Your only duty under the agreement with the Russian (actually a German distant relative of the English Queen Victoria, but who cares, Victoria was then the grandmother of all Europe) Empress is to live on your land and protect it from the Ottomans and other enemies. Pretty the same as you’d have done in any other place of our planet.
That’s how you now identify as Russian (as a subject of Russian Empress) and at the same time you identify as Ukrainian (that is a Russian who lives in the Ukraine, it’s word for ‘border’ or ‘edge’ in our language). So, If you were a Cossack here at that time, you most probably would identify both Russian and Ukrainian, the first is for your ‘citizenship’ and the latter is a clarifying ethnonym. Like a Welsh from UK, or a Scot from UK, or a Cherokee from USA, or a Taiwanese in China.
—
With all that historical things, let’s see what it looks like in modern generations.
Western NGOs with Nuland, Blinken, and Hunter Biden came to Ukraine. Mr Snyder wrote a history textbook for them (pretty much castrated textbooks, I should say).
The impoverished new post-USSR generation, in search of what they did wrong and where the solution is, came to the Maidan. One of the symbols was that naive young girl standing with the sign “I’m a girl! I don’t want to learn that politics of yours! I just want to wear lace underpants and to be considered an EU citizen!”.
For a person who grew up respecting their culture, knowing their history, such a statement is unthinkable.
This can be vaguely compared to savages selling their land for glass beads. Still, Ukraine’s new ‘leaders’ did that.
Russia is bigger than Ukraine and Russia didn’t fall under the West’s Beautifying Spell. People here share the sort of a mentality: “well, my parents were impoverished and were alcohol addicts, but this is only a small part of my rich ancient family heritage, so I can work through this trauma and find the way to prosperity. I know I can.”
Well, I can illustrate all of the above much easier with the help of art.
Post-war Europe was poor. Young people immigrated to the US and accepted the image of a citizen of that Richer Country, not destroyed by war. And such songs appeared:
Renato Carosone, Tu vuo’ fa’ l’americano (1956)
https://youtu.be/6vYcQaWdhm4
I just want to share with you this recording with Sophia Loren (1960)
https://youtu.be/UtXWBiI5o-M
so that you compare it with this of Zhanna Friske (2009)
https://youtu.be/05jRFv1_h1M
please confirm that Russian women are more beautiful than Italian women 🙂
(and much more beautiful and in the style than Penny Mordaunt in her fake waist swimsuit. I find it necessary to leave this remark here for Harry Law. And, your “lady” doesn’t know about hygiene if she allows herself to jump into the pool without a swimming cap on her hair)
“Like a Welsh from UK, or a Scot from UK, or a Cherokee from USA, or a Taiwanese in China”.
Good analogies, Tatyana. (And apologies for misspelling your name a few comments back).
As a Scot from UK, I have always thought of myself as a Scot and a British citizen. (“British subject” to be legally precise). Some commenters on this log – and, more important, Mr Murray himself – would apparently rather be just Scots.
I am well aware of all the blood and suffering in the past; the incessant medieval wars between England Scotland, the big battles – Bannockburn was the only one Scotland managed to win – the union of the crowns under James VI and I, the Civil War, the execution of Charles I, the union of the states, the Catholic rebellions, and so on. But as of the 20th century, things had settled down and the UK was doing fairly well as a union. It seemed best to keep it that way. Sunk costs, and all that.
But nowadays, with insane politicians starting wars, I am begining to think the safest course would be for Scotland and Wales to devolve, Ireland to be reunited, and then England and Scotland to split up into the little states that existed before 1000 AD. At least none of them – I hope – would have nuclear weapons or biolabs. Free Dalriada! I could either go back there, or continue to live in Wessex.
Terence
I believe you are mixing pipelines.
Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 run parallel under Baltic sea and are not crossing Ukraine .
They build fast in the Arab world – a couple of years and it’ll be done. I’ve seen it happen so often, whole neighbourhoods flash up in an instant. But of course they may run out of money and leave projects unfinished. Hospitals will take longer.
IHH reflagged their two boats in 2010, because turkey is not a member of the ICC and Cormoros island is. And thank God, they had the common sense and foresight to do that, because Cormoros took Israel to the ICC in 2013. I can send all of that detail to you. Israel has already been charged at the ICC.
Here is the new Hitler…
Republican Senator Tom Cotton denounces pro-Palestinian protests in US college campuses as little Gazans and ‘disgusting cesspools of anti-semitic hate’. Cotton led a group of GOP senators who also asked Americans to vote out Joe Biden to stop ‘another four years of Little Gazas’ in US. Watch!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNh_8CjTEmM
Cotton would gladly see these protests fired on by National Guard, making Kent state look like a picnic.
Cotton is no different to Biden, the NYT or any other element of the western establishment in pretending that student protesters against genocide are more degenerate than the politicians and journalists who are participating in/ supporting one.
reactionary establishment-supporting students have been attacking young and elderly protesters on campuses across America, spitting and throwing boxes of mice at them, calling them the n-word and directing monkey noises at them. none of these establishment stormtroopers have been arrested or assaulted by police or criticised or called racists by the media.
The very public, police unmasking of U.C.L.A. protesters before the assembled press cameras, was completely outrageous. The US seems to be hell bent on embracing aspects of totalitarianism.
The antisemitism bill the US House rushed through – with bipartisan support, passing by 320-91 – uses the ultra-flawed, and in-parts contradictory, IHRA definition of antisemitism. They’ve basically delegated US citizens’ free speech rights to the whims of Zionists in other countries. Isn’t such a law inherently unconstitutional? And as for banning debate…IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH?
The first draft of the US constitution stated:
“The people shall not be deprived or abridged of their right to speak, to write, or to publish their sentiments; and the freedom of the press, as one of the great bulwarks of liberty, shall be inviolable. The people shall not be restrained from peaceably assembling and consulting for their common good; nor from applying to the Legislature by petitions, or remonstrances, for redress of their grievances.”
If those students who were involved in the violent pro-Israel counter protests we’ve seen, had faced that treatment, the same politicians would’ve been up in arms; calling it antisemitism. And the various Israeli-govt linked advocacy groups would’ve been filing lawsuits.
Mice?
Vermin
To my mind the likes of Cotton are evil hatemongering Nazi shit. and OUR objective should be to wake everyone on the planet up to who and what they are and, as such, render them utterly impotent.
And, do all we can to put the media outlets who give them a platform – and credibility – out of business.
American politicians, on the whole, are transparent in that what you see is what you get. However, UK politicians who, IMO, are all are a devious, underhanded, corrupt bunch are no different deep down to their American counterparts. If you think Sunak, Starmer or any of the others are any different or better than Cotton then I’d suggest you’re mistaken. End of the day you get what you voted for.
I mentioned Penny Mordaunt in a comment up thread on clamping down hard on UK Uni Gaza protestors. Including a link to Penny in a swimsuit. Giving Craig Murray’s blog a sort of page three, thus exploding his readership. Below is a very funny exposure of the delightful Penny. With just a reminder to Mr Galloway that he must address her in the commons as the Rt Honorable and ‘Gallant’ member, since she is a Captain in the Royal Navy Reserves:
“Like Mr Johnson, there has never been any self-doubt about Captain Mordaunt, which is presumably why she is described in Alan Duncan’s diaries as “self-inflated”, as well as “angst-ridden” and a “nutter”.
No-nonsense, serious and organised as she is, she also has a sailor’s bawdy sense of humour, which might not be to everyone’s taste. Early in her time as a very junior minister, for example, she apparently took on a bet to utter a rude word as many times as possible in a single speech in Parliament. The chosen word was “cock” and the forum was a debate on the welfare of poultry on British farms. Indeed, Ms Mordaunt added a smutty bonus with a few egg-based jokes about getting laid, on top of the six “cocks” she treated herself to during her performance.
Kate Hoey thought Ms Mordaunt had demeaned Parliament. No matter. With her characteristic fearlessness, Ms Mordaunt did the same during her witty speech on the loyal address in 2014, an honour given to a chosen up-and-coming newish MP.
She cheerfully offered this anecdote to a packed house: “Training must be tailored to enable us to be our best. I have benefited from some excellent training by the Royal Navy, but on one occasion I felt that it was not as bespoke as it might have been. Fascinating though it was, I felt that the lecture and practical demonstration on how to care for the penis and testicles in the field failed to appreciate that some of us attending had been issued with the incorrect kit.” In one sense, Ms Mordaunt has talked more bollocks than anyone else in parliamentary history”.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/penny-mordaunt-policies-who-next-pm-b2209108.html
What a dickhead. But then they ALL are. The Tories, that is. Whatever complexion.
I don’t recall ever having seen the lady in any apparel. But surely if she is inflated she can’t look very good in a bathing costume.
“ can’t look very good in a bathing suit”
Tom beauty is in the eye of the beholder and you haven’t been at sea for 12 months
Is this TPTB attempting to save money on labour costs by introducing blow-up personnel to the armed forces? We had blow-up tanks and balsa wood guns and whatnot in WW2, it is the next logical step.
Maybe some Jolly Jack Tars have already tripped the light fantastic and experimented with blow-up naval dolls like Mordaunt, especially now they self-inflate? You remember the old song don’t you?
“ My mommy told me
If I was good-ee
That she would buy me
A rubber dolly
My aunty told her
I kissed a soldier
Now she won’t buy me
A rubber dolly”
Inter-service rivalry is alive and well it would seem.
“Tom beauty is in the eye of the beholder and you haven’t been at sea for 12 months”.
Very true! In fact I have hardly been at sea since my 11th birthday, before which I had spent over 6 months on the Atlantic.
That six months at sea must be an abiding memory Tom. I tried it for a while, decades ago – it was wunderbar until after a few trips, I experienced my first force 12 storm. Got back to land after a couple of days and funnily I have not been near a boat or the sea since apart from distant looks from the shore.
Back then I knew an Old Salt who moonlighted as a serial sex-offender. They said there was a statistical correlation between the number of days a vessel had been at sea and the percentage of golden rivets used in the ships construction. When I challenged them about the scientific basis of this assertion he explained that he had observed as the days went by on a voyage he found more and more crew members looking for for a golden rivet – he admitted that he had never found one but he had never looked – though he had held the candle for the many who said they had.
Seven trips from England to Buenos Aires (or back). I’m not still in Argentina because once we flew.
And seven trips to and from Lisbon – far shorter. Somewhere along there I discovered train and aircraft technology, so goodbye Blue Star Line and Royal Mail.
The Blue Star ships displaced well under 10,000 tons so I’m glad we never met a rogue wave.
That Force 12 storm must have been frightful. You have my sympathy. I was too young to have any clear idea of the danger. Besides, I have a theory that young children don’t worry about death. It’s so little time since they didn’t exist, the idea of not existing again isn’t a problem. But I guess your boat was still smaller!
A conflict
Danny Devlin
Brian uk usa with israel oh what about suicide attack on our shores eh manchester arena concert killing kids no mention of attacks like that eh all 1 sided
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Brian
Danny..I do With Passion..I have Been all over with Marches ..And CND.. I’ am Not An Armchir Mouth ..And Many Pro Palestine events in George Square..Accousted by Zionists ..the very same Gye THREEapproached
times.. ” Look Cunt”this is the Third T… See more
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Brian
Danny Ok Bye..You Win”I’m Not Interestd in Give a Shake.. Petulance .You support Genocide Fack
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Edited
Danny Devlin
Brian stick up for Yr country our country pffftt you should move to middle east
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Brian
Danny Devlin What a hatefull Comment
Brian, some people can’t be told, they have to learn the hard way – at least you tried to tell your truth – most fudge and hide.
In a recent comment on JVLs website someone said how there are some people who believe Starmer is just playing a game to appease and deceive the PTB and their propaganda machine (suspending and expelling left-wingers and members of groups like Labour Against the Witchhunt, for example), and that when the LP wins the GE he’ll then emerge as a true social democrat. I first came across this… er, theory, about two years ago when someone posted a comment on Skwawkbox to that effect (only in THEIR case, they said that there are MANY people who believe it). I can’t remember what I said in my response exactly, except that I’d never heard of it before and never come across anyone saying such a thing, and that they – those that believe it – must be deluded, and then promptly forgot all about it. But on reading the comment on JVL and been reminded of it, it occurred to me shortly afterwards that it was just the sort of assertion – deception – the likes of the Integrity Initiative and the 77th Brigade would churn out all over social media. And it’s quite clever (in a devious and underhand way), because it plays on peoples hopes – ie on the emotion of hope – and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it was Starmer himself who came up with the idea.
Needless to say, the MS corporate newspapers wouldn’t have endorsed him during the leadership election campaign if they’d believed for one billisecond he was gonna implement all the pledges he made at the time, and they of course knew that he made such pledges so as to deceive left-wingers so as to get as many votes as he could from them (and knew that he would drop the pledges one by one in the first year or so after he was elected). The point being that he and his ‘advisers’ knew that it was highly unlikely he would win the leadership election if he stood on a neoliberal right-wing platform.
And the fact that the corporate media DID endorse him was the big giveaway!
Allan Howard
Fat chance. It’s about as coherent a theory, as those in the US who believed Trump was working with the mysterious QAnon, to bring down some secret US paedophile network. In other words: it’s nonsense.
Starmer is almost certainly 100% establishment backed. His appointment as DPP attests to that. Then there’s his record: his relentless pursuit of Assange including his trips to Washington; his anger over Theresa May blocking Scottish systems administrator and hacker Gary McKinnon’s extradition on compassionate grounds – McKinnon has Asperger’s syndrome. His dismissive handling of the allegations of complicity in US torture, made against UK’s MI6. And if that weren’t enough his Trilateral Commission membership, by invite only iirc. Goes almost without saying, that you don’t become DPP, get a knighthood and become a Sir in the UK, if you’ve made a career and name for yourself making life difficult for the establishment. That’s simply a known fact.
The best ‘realistic’ scenario at the next election, is a hung parliament. After these locals, we’re already seeing nerves in the Telegraph and among other Tory newspapers, that Labour may fall short of a majority leaving power in the left’s and/or assorted others’ hands. Others’ possibly like the Greens, Lib Dems and Craig and George Galloway’s. Unbelievably these RW Tories are rooting for Starmer to win big, because they know Starmer is mere placeholder. A hung parliament isn’t part of the plan.
Goose, your last paragraph implies that Craig Murray could be our next Prime Minister, did he sign up for that?
Wouldn’t that be something. 🙂
I wasn’t suggesting he could end up as PM mind. Merely, that he, along with others could possibly play some kind of ‘kingmaker’ role in a hung parliament. It could be that smaller parties do far better than expected. The next GE result is obviously dependent on many variables: the prevailing public mood; levels of apathy; and yes, contemporary world events. Nobody knows what is going to happen to turnout either. A low turnout election could produce extraordinary upset results across the country. In such a scenario; that of smaller parties doing well, the temptation to simply ‘go to the polls again’ among Labour and the Tory leaders, may be dimmed – for fear of even worse results. You have to fear the SNP implosion could well save Starmer’s bacon. Just as Scotland returned enough Tory MPs to get Theresa May across the line in 2017, albeit with the help of the DUP.
Craig would certainly be a wiser, more compassionate PM than the ‘billionaire nobody voted for’ we’ve currently got ensconced in No.10. If Gaza/Palestine is still a live issue, or if another war – against Iran(?) – is on the cards, Craig will have a very good chance of winning the seat he’s planning on contesting.
Harry law
Read Camilla Tominey’s piece in the Telegraph. She bemoans the fact Starmer may not win a huge majority: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/05/03/voter-apathy-will-unleash-a-dangerous-labour-government/
It’s been quite clear for some time, that the UK elite, including the media elite, see elections and democracy as just an inconvenience. In terms of outcomes they desire, either : a huge RW Blairite Labour majority, functionally no different from the Tories. Or a huge Tory majority.
Their sole concern is maintaining the status quo; current wealth disparities, Capital/Stock market stability and their interests therein. They simply do not think pesky general elections and the hoi polloi should endanger their personal wealth or the current modern capitalistic socioeconomic paradigm in any way. They’ve basically de-risked elections in the West by ensuring the big two offer no choice.
But guess what. In the end, I’m sure the public will wise up to the fact what we’re being offered is simply the veneer of democracy.
The mainstream media shilling for Starmer and even rubbishing a Tory like Sunak is a giveaway that Starmer is an unprincipled fraud. I’d sooner vote Tory than the present Labour Party.
Tom, I feel it don’t matter who you vote for, you get the Uniparty – which amongst other things, is the party of property which inter alia is the Tory Party which Labour has become – endless transformations. Brit party politics is a palimpsest upon which extreme wealth rewrites endless scripts.
But “local” politics has developed an edge, at least in my view. I have never had much time for it but I took a look around several months ago and noticed all sorts of people taking an interest. Whether this is merely a flash in the proverbial pan or a glint of something more enduring, just coming into view, I don’t have the data that would allow me to differentiate.
Starmer is being challenged by Andrew Feinstein in the constituency in which he sits. Mr Murray gave us a look at Mr Feinstein in the post announcing his candidacy in the parliamentary election in Blackburn, by way of a vid in which Mr Feinstein spoke cogently and with passion. A prospective politician with something to say – for me, an almost unique experience. Mr Feinstein and Mr Murray would bring different qualities to the debate in the House, but both
(and surely more) are needed?
Maybe after nearly 14 years of fucking the country over the tories are happy to let Labour have a go at sorting out the enormous mess they made, confident that after four years of labour cock-ups all the drones will be back voting tory again. Wouldn’t it be nice if they would all fuck off and die ?
“Wouldn’t it be nice if they would all fuck off and die ?“
If WW3 lives up to its billing Stevie Boy, your whimsy might come to pass without anyone fucking off anywhere lol
I think he signed off on the Secret Police in Britain producing children with targets of their surveillance in order to maintain the cover of these undercover infiltrators – spying on peace groups and whatnot – this seems the most anti-human decision he has been responsible for, though it is a close call with many others.
When I heard the Secret Police were siring children with the women they were spying on, I felt physically sick. My first thought was of these children when they become adults and understand the sort of child abuse men like Starmer and the political system he represents are capable of. This abuse occurred at conception and in the womb, it is beyond incredible to me this decision was taken. The depth of contempt for human rights, human values, for humanity itself, show Starmer as a true moral degenerate.
In case anyone doubts my point, imagine if you were that kid, who finds they are only alive because Keir Starmer told an undercover pig to ckuf your mum, so that MI5, Special Branch and all the rest of the hogs rolling in the mud, could continue a decades-long undercover operation on some completely railroaded peace campaigners with no relevance to “National Security”. Mr Murray has made the point about what sort of thing goes on when the budgets of these disgusting spy-freaks are increased – operations like this.
I suggest the ethics of this operation should be viewed as a guide to what “top people” like Starmer and his ilk actually think of the citizens of this country – human grist for their insane policy mills.
Yes, it was tantamount to multiple rape (by each of the spycops involved). And in more ways than one.
Haven’t heard anything re the inquiry for a while (NetPol usually update), but I just did a search and came across the following book review in the results, published on April 28th:
‘Sister in Law review – how Harriet Wistrich fought the law and women won’
The other cases Wistrich covers in the book include the fight for justice and compensation for eight women who were tricked into relationships, and some bearing children, with undercover police officers from the now disbanded Special Demonstration Squad, a unit within Special Branch. Incredibly, the Met initially said this behaviour was no worse than a husband lying to his wife about an affair. A public inquiry that began in the summer of 2015 into undercover policing spanning more than half a century was intended to take three years. Wistrich writes that it is not expected to be completed until 2026. What is already known is that more than 50 women, so far, have been in long-term relationships with men they were unaware were undercover officers. Wistrich warns that the adoption of the so-called “Spycops” act in 2021 means that further victims of undercover cops could be denied the right to bring a claim for compensation. She writes: “Most of the women had devoted years to nurturing a relationship that was never going anywhere and some had spent many more driving themselves mad searching for a man who did not exist.”
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/apr/28/sister-in-law-review-harriet-wistrich-fighting-for-justice-in-a-system-designed-by-men
I have nothing but respect and admiration for undercover cops who infiltrate crime gangs etc and risk their lives, but the people who do this sort of thing are obviously psychopathic scum.
Yea Alan anyone who is doing a “job” gets an open hearing from me – I am a great believer in listening to new info, new views but also very good at parsing their relationship with the source they come from. These ops must be costly and like you say why not go after traffickers, be it drugs, people or what have you.
I had to stop myself introducing sneering remarks about the “legal eagles” yukking at videos of their “boys” in action.
There is also something of “the mote in Gods eye” about it. It makes me feel deeply creepy – like some kind of insect. However or whenever I bring it mind I am close to uncomfortably shifting in my seat. It is so merciless and “godlike” and it is not fiction.
“The king is in the counting house
Some folk have all the luck
And all we get are pictures of Lord and Lady Muck
They come from lovely people with a hard line in hypocrisy
There are ashtrays of emotion for the fag ends of the aristocracy
The sugar coated pill is getting bitterer still
You think your country needs you but you know it never will”
Pills and Soap – Elvis Costello
The problem as I see it is that there is no way to go undercover without breaking the law to maintain cover. That leads to corruption and more ‘approved’ crime. Maybe ‘they’ are tackling the problem in the wrong way. If the authorities know who the criminal gangs are then intelligence is a cleaner way to tackle the problem than infiltration.
IMO, the police and security services are mostly corrupt with a mindset that everyone is guilty until proved innocent. I await proof that I’m wrong – and have been for over 50 years …
Stevie Boy
As well as being the only Western country in which special forces (SAS, SBS) have no operational democratic oversight. We’re the only Western country, as far as I know, that permits CI’s (Covert Intelligence) to seriously injure and even kill, British ctiizens in the course of maintaining their deep cover. The domestic US equivalent, the FBI, can’t do that to US citizens.
Starmer whipped his party to support the Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Act 2021, without demanding major alterations. Personally, I see no circumstance whereby those tasked with protecting should be allowed to kill or seriously injure UK citizens to maintain their cover. The sanctity of life is more important than any operation. The Intel agency chiefs, supported by ministers, argued that if you forbid certain actions, then terrorist groups, may try to test any recruit using that knowledge of their limitations. That’s a genuine risk and a good point; but having no limits at all, is surely equally dangerous?
https://www.wired.com/story/national-cyber-force-uk-defence-gchq/ – This opaque operation is deeply problematic too. As it possibly lowers the ‘evidence’ threshold, and puts unaccountable officials in the role of being judge and jury. It reads like off-the-record vigilantism and seemingly contravenes the ECHR & basic tenets of English law and the principles of natural justice that underpins it. They talk about proactively influencing behaviours, very Orwellian.
This is why I think we need a digital bill of rights as Sir Tim Berners-Lee has argued. We should adopt the Lib Dem 2017 manifesto policy of post-surveillance notification too – if only to limit agency overreach and bulk surveillance orders. No actions should be undertaken against British citizens based of guesses, hunches, or some silly chart, replete with false linkages, created by the likes of Paul Mason; that looks like the product of someone snorting excessive amounts of caffeine, or something much more powerful perhaps?
Not suggesting anyone does this, merely illustrating how bad it is, that the UK, uniquely among Western democracies, has no democratic oversight of special forces. This, in 2024, in a supposedly accountable Western democracy.
If you ask your member of parliament whether the UK (SBS) were involved in the Nordstream blasts, they’ll respond dismissively, “No, absolutely not!”. If you were to persist, they’d probably say you’re being a conspiracy theorist. But the fact is, like us, they simply don’t know. There aren’t even SF post-operational reviews involving our elected representatives, e.g. ISC or the Defence Select Committee. This isn’t a criticism of the special forces; they’re no doubt talented, very courageous individuals. But they’re deployed all around the world, in places like Syria, in Ukraine, and nobody in parliament, except the PM and Defence Secretary knows what they’re up to. And even those two, may only be briefed on a ‘need to know’ basis, in order to protect them via plausible deniability.
The story I read when it broke, had Kennedy or whatever his name really is, supplying the money, “the group” had no money. He would suggest they go on a demo and end up hiring the transport himself – it was so fucking pointless. How to make an industry out of people with no power, the same sort of thing as the US prison system – a vicious circle from which the Secret Police and their owners stood to gain, the victims lose and everyone else? Well if you have nothing to hide…
All of this is to be expected – I get it, spies have gotta spy. If the budget is there, they will spy. The relationships with the victims was grim but producing new people? People nothing to do with the shallow frauds the Security State perpetrate and feed off, people nothing to do with the argument – people with the birthright of the damned.
It would take tenacity to rise above this poisoned legacy, gifted by those who are lost who claim to lead, and I hail any and all of these folk who live forever with barbarity of Britain – not Imperial Britain, mind, but modern Britain. I guess the leopard never changes its spots.
Any idea that Mr Starmer would try to deceive or trick the PTB is wrong headed.
As the bank robber said, it’s where the money is. Bears like honey, and politicians like money.
Moreover, Mr Starmer is also a lawyer.
With all but one council having declared, as no one else seems to have done one, here’s my (English) local elections round-up (with an emphasis on the minor parties, mainly because I’m bored to **** with the big ones):
— SNIP —
[ Mod: Your analysis is very interesting but sadly off topic, so it was moved to the most recent relevant thread – “I Stand in Blackburn” – Lapsed Agnostic, 4 May 2024 @ 20:05. ]
I’m by no means an historian, but I’ve never heard of a war – not that this is a war of course, it’s just mass slaughter and destruction on the part of one side – where one side says it’s not going to stop the war until the enemy is completely destroyed. In this case, Hamas (I’m thinking in terms of the past 120 years or so, since the onset of modern warfare). And BN and his fascist buddies have been saying for months that the reason they have to completely destroy Hamas is because if they DON’T, Hamas will perpetrate another October 7th type attack. It’s complete and utter B/S of course, and there’s no way it could ever happen again – i.e. that Israel wouldn’t do everything necessary to prevent such an attack from ever happening again. If, during the past seven months, Israel had been taking mass casualties, both military and civilian, and widespread damage to infrastructure, I have little doubt that BN and Co would have been ready to accept Hamas’s terms months ago, under pressure from a majority of the Israeli population to do so, if for no other reason; but we all know what their real objective is. And after what Israel have been doing these past seven months, would Hamas ever think to try and carry out another attack anyway? It was years in the making, training and preparing and acquiring everything they needed.
Anyway, I was going to make some other points, but it’s late and time to hit the sack, but just one last thing. I can’t think now how I came to think of it – except to say I’ve had several experiences myself at the hands of such people in the past 35 years or so – but a couple of days ago it occurred to me that Netanyahu and his fascist buddies are mind-fuckers, and they have been in the process of mind-fucking everyone in Gaza (and beyond) for the past seven months. And mind-fuckers are addicted to mind-fucking people, and just lurve doing so, and the bigger the mind-fuck the bigger the rush, and what these cnuts are doing now during the past seven months is undoubtedly the high of all highs for them. And I have no doubt whatsoever that BN and Co (and I include Biden et al) knew months in advance that an attack was coming, and, as such, let it happen.
Well said Allan.
Of course the only way to really defeat these so-called terrorists is by removing the reasons for their actions. But the sad fact is that our democratic governments love and need wars because any political solution that doesn’t involve death and corruption is going to impact their bottom line.
You won’t hear Biden, Trump, Sunak, Starmer, etc. campaigning for ending poverty or inequality in their own countries; they are more concerned with spreading ‘democracy’ abroad. Well fuck their democracy, it stinks.
Permanent austerity, war/hatemongering, colonial genocide
Vs.
Permanent austerity, war/hatemongering, colonial genocide
The crock of gold at the end of the democratic rainbow.
“There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always— do not forget this, Winston— always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless.
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face— forever. ”
George Orwell – 1984.
Certainly a crock of something.
“ Permanent austerity, war/hatemongering, colonial genocide…”
The crock of shit at the start of the start of the “democratic” sewer.
Mayday in Gaza.
Trucks at the border.
Detained the flotilla.
With commands from the killer.
Kill-her kill-her kill her and her children,
Starve and contain them, drought generation,
Restricting the flow.
With lullabies to sing, their intention is clear:
Dam the spring.
Princelings and kinglets,
Fawn just like beggars,
For alms and munitions, treaties and letters,
According them honours.
Once they were Arabs.
Let them pray at Al-Asqa
Taste the dust blown from Gaza,
That swirls in the street,
Is dearer to me than your crown or your feasts,
Or the fat General’s army in patient retreat.
Sold in to bondage.
Shame on your heads
O’ Brothers of Joseph.
“Once they were Arabs”
Only when Ali and Foreman were kings – the Rumble in the Jungle gave the local youth a symbolic choice, according to Ali. Foreman, a black man made good, a success story. Ali, a superstar tied intimately to the Imperial main line
But Foreman arrived with his two pet Alsatians and was instantly hated because this same breed was used by the Belgians to terrorise the locals during the dark days of Belgium’s genocide. Ali was mobbed by adoring crowds of street-youth during his time in the country, all chanting
“Ali Boma Ye”
Which translates as “Ali, kill him”
Maybe they will be Arabs again? Certainly, if they listen to the Arab Street they will be.
Israel tells Hamas to accept ceasefire terms or risk new onslaught ‘in near future’
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/05/israel-tells-hamas-to-accept-ceasefire-terms-or-risk-new-onslaught-in-near-future
This is a despicable threat on many levels. For starters, the ‘onslaught’ won’t be targeting Hamas, it’ll involve randomly dropping bombs and firing shells into the now densely populated – with starving refugees – Rafah. Secondly, the deal offered is only a temporary pause: Hamas negotiators have rightly pointed out Israel will just use the pause to take back any remaining hostages, before commencing another Western-backed onslaught regardless.
Apparently Qatari authorities are reconsidering their hosting of Hamas if they reject this offer. Never understood why Hamas viewed the Qataris as trustworthy. They also host USCENTCOM, located at the Al Udeid Air base, and were close partners with the West in the regime-change plans for Syria.
It feels awkward claiming Hamas negotiators made a valid point, such is the vindictive, prohibitory policing of opinion in the West right now. No doubt a by-product of the warped, unquestioning defence of Israel’s OTT violence among our elites.
But that’s not the same as support per se. No more than agreeing with Ismail Haniyeh, were he to say the sky is blue. You’re simply agreeing on that specific point.
BN does not like it when his people get to hear or see of his genocide. He has killed many journalists during this massacre/Holocaust and hates it when the whole world is tuning into Al Jazeera for the real coverage of his murderous deeds and war crimes in Ghaza and beyond.
From today Al Jazeera is banned from reporting from the Westbank and Ghaza.
He does not like truth.
Yes, banning, censoring one of the biggest news companies, but as usual, no reaction by the West and/or reaction by the so called liberal class of journalists, it is hilariously disturbing how Israel just can commit any crime and there is zero reaction by the west, everything is excused and justified.
I think one should move away from the view that the problem is Netanyahu, Netanyahu have been elected time and time again by the israelis, and there is no oppositional candidate to him or rather, there is no oppositional candidate that is against the war/annexation/apartheid etc, The problem is the israeli society/mentality/foundational ideology. Norman Finkelstein touch upon this in this video below:
Norman Finkelstein: Everything you know about Israel is wrong
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyvOlllV_NI
Abby Martin on the same topic:
Only two percent of Israelis think the IDF is using too much firepower in Gaza
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzPvQ5O0APU
The wall, euphemistically called the ‘separation barrier’, hardened attitudes in Israel. Before it existed, twenty-odd years ago, there was always the risk of IDF raids resulting in suicide bombings in Israel proper, in retaliation. The wall, changed the power dynamics; allowing Israel to hit without being hit. There was no longer any real pressure on Israel’s leaders to negotiate or compromise on a two-state solution, because the suicide bombings had ceased.
Our leaders say, as they did back then, that they still support the idea of two states. They say this must be agreed through negotiation between the parties. But where is the pressure going to come from to force Israel to compromise, given the fact the Palestinians are completely powerless?
“to hit without being hit“
Yet the Wall, we are told, failed on the day Hamas attacked, after twenty years of satisfactory service – a conjunction of remarkable consequence.
The searing, revolutionary images from Gaza are but one of these global ripples.
will moon
Indeed, Israel have very sophisticated surveillance systems around these territories.
There’s a well-researched video someone has made, it was on X/Twitter, explaining the multiple failings on the day of Oct 7. The meticulous planning involved: the way Hamas had to sequentially take out certain key surveillance infrastructure i.e. in a certain order; plus command posts that otherwise would have triggered various systems. You’d be forgiven for thinking such inside knowledge would be known only to the IDF itself, or undercover officers in Hamas perhaps? Everyone comments on the slow response time, but that was due to how Hamas conducted the operation.
I don’t though, at least not for now, believe the so-called ‘sacrificial lamb’ theory; namely, the idea that Israel allowed these events to unfold to justify the greater prize of grabbing Gaza. It’s too dark a plan, even for the likes of Netanyahu, surely?
Who knows – not us chickens
Knowing something of technology, I am surprised by Israel’s “blind” response on the 7th. Consider the Global Hawk drone and its capabilities. Consider ISR and intelligence sharing with “five eyes”, humint, sigint and all the rest. If all else fails a quick recon in a helicopter, it is not rocket science merely recon – militarily as old as organised warfare.
People who kill tens of thousands of civilians, to strike at their “hated” enemy – an enemy they have raised up themselves, would not balk at acts that most decent folk would consider beyond the pale. Where the line falls between that and what psychopaths consider necessary to their interests is the question you pose as to what manner of darkness we perceive.
Schacht said at Nuremberg that he’d “even join the Devil for a big strong Germany” when asked about his Nazi days building the Wehrmacht. He was treated mildly, dying decades later in comfort. How dark is that?
Good video from Al Jazeera on YouTube: “October 7”.
Well worth a watch, explains what happened.
Nice to see the alleged Western Defenders of Truth backing their Brothers and Sisters in their support of Al Jazeera.
Tumbleweed rolls across the Farm………………………..
It’s as if the Israelis don’t want us (or maybe their own people) to know what’s actually happening in Gaza.
Would not be a surprise if Al Jazeera was banned like RT and the Iranian News Channel at the behest of the US and Israel from Western eyes.
Same thing happened in Ukraine. It’s the accepted strategy, kill independent/dissenting news. It’s already been achieved in the west, to a large extent, with the establishment approved MSM.
Stevie Boy
Of course it is.
The problem and danger is: if Al Jazeera is banned in Israel are Al Jazeera reporters going to become a target for the IDF when they continue reporting from Gaza?
Another of course: the Western MSM will not fill the information void as they are busy being ’embedded’ in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv moment.
Plus the Hotel’s and food are better reporting from there.
the question now is whether Netanyahu and his Crazies accept the Quatari/Egypt negotiated Ceasefire agreement from Hamas?
For the sake of those people in Rafah I hope so but a ceasefire is not what they (The Israelis) want as that is a defeat for them – even a temporary one.
We shall see.