Today I covered the ongoing war crimes committed by Israel in Lebanon and the US capture of the Lebanese government - cynical destruction of hospitals and prevention of air medical evacuations by the sadistic alliance.
Israel is under attack, the anti-semitism trope is under attack and censorship is becoming more violent and irrational. A sign of desperation or a sign of the times to come?
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I will be mostly offline for a few days but back posting very soon. Thank you to everyone for your continued support. xxx
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George Szamuely and Peter Lavelle sat down for a long, fascinating conversation on what's going on with Israel's wars with journalist, blogger and activist Vanessa Beeley.
You can follow The Gaggle on YouTube or at The Locals.
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Thank you for listening, watching and reading xx
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What needs to be done with Israel is more similar to what was done with Nazism than to what was done with South Africa. We need to keep talking about Palestine. Normalization is impunity.
This is the first time that an EU politician has provided such a clear strategy to not only end the Zionist genocide in Palestine and Lebanon but also provides a way forward to bring the perpetrators to justice. Bravo!
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Graffiti reported to be in Wellington, New Zealand
Because of the time limits I have at the moment, I will provide shorter posts until I can get internet and computer usage for long enough to follow up with a full article. This section of an article by the editor of Lebanese media outlet Al Akhbar, Ibrahim Al Amin provides a succinct and accurate description of what Israel's agenda is in the region:
To Those Who Abandoned Their Duty to Resist: US Won't Save You from Netanyahu's Boundless Expansionism
"There is nothing more valuable than clarity in war", Ibrahim al-Amin asserts in his article today. He emphasizes that Netanyahu has laid bare his expansionist agenda in his recent speech, calling on Israelis to prepare for a prolonged, extensive conflict. Netanyahu's message signals a unified approach in "Israel's" operations across Gaza and Lebanon, with ongoing actions already initiated in Syria. Additionally, he is setting the stage for expanded aggression toward Iraq, Yemen, and potentially Iran, a campaign enabled by the backing of global powers who see Netanyahu's moves as aligning with their interests.
Al-Amin cautions Lebanese factions relying on US intervention, warning that their hope for US pressure on Israel to halt its aggression is misplaced. He urges leaders advocating for a "grand adventure" to consider the dangers of subjecting Lebanon's political, military, security, judicial, and financial sectors to US colonial oversight. Anyone believing that the war will allow the US to reshape Lebanon's institutions without resistance is misguided; such changes will not happen unchallenged. Resistance remains the only viable path forward, as the alternative is a future marked by hunger, oppression, and humiliation.
He warns that anyone blaming the resistance for the current hostilities must recognize their complicity in the ongoing aggression. "Those who abandon their duty to defend Lebanon cannot question others for fulfilling theirs in pursuit of freedom and genuine independence". Moreover, those seeking to isolate resistance efforts misunderstand the reality: "Israel", with explicit support from the US, UK, Germany, and certain Arab nations, is ultimately consolidating these fronts.
Full article by Ibrahim al-Amin, editor-in-chief of Al-Akhbar, can be found in Arabic here - https://www.al-akhbar.com/Politics/387099.
Watch - the beautiful neighborhood of Sfeir in Dahyeh after the wave of Zionist attacks this morning in the capital:
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PM Modi with genocidal Netanyahu.
I am republishing an article published yesterday by Mondoweiss because it confirms so much of what I have been saying since October 7th. As Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said quite clearly - Israel is important to the US as a prevention strategy against China, Russia, Iran and a free "Global South". The article is written by Ahmed Alqarout.
The article in full:
In a recent public address on October 4, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei highlighted for the first time what he described as U.S. and Israeli plans to control the region's natural resources. He stated that Israel's current war campaign aims to position Israel as a hub for exporting energy to Europe and importing technology to ensure its survival. Khamenei called for resistance against the so-called India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), a proposed land bridge connecting India, Saudi, the UAE, Jordan, Israel, and Europe.
Days after his call, the Iranian parliament discussed introducing a bill for a defensive alliance with the countries belonging to the "Axis of Resistance." Khamenei further elaborated on this vision on October 27, calling for the establishment of "a global political and economic alliance, and if necessary a military one" to confront Israel and stop its ongoing crimes against the peoples of the region. This signals a clash of markets might be the next phase of the war. At the heart of this clash is the conflict over dominance in regional and global supply chains.
Supply chain disruptions have become a recurring global issue since the outbreak of COVID-19, which caused countries to implement stringent controls over imports and exports. The concept of supply chain security swiftly became a central concern. The U.S. government adopted protectionist measures, particularly regarding vaccine exports, while Russia and India imposed restrictions on food imports and exports, and China limited the export of protective equipment and medicines. This experience highlighted the importance of supply chain security for many nations.
The emphasis on supply chain security was not solely driven by pandemic-related concerns but also by the escalating geopolitical competition between the West and the BRICS nations. The U.S., in particular, began wielding supply chains as a strategic tool against China and Russia, especially in light of the semiconductor and Ukraine wars. The U.S. imposed restrictions on Chinese companies' access to critical semiconductors produced using American technology, affecting major firms like Huawei and ZTE. In the aftermath of the Ukraine war, the U.S. led a Western coalition in imposing broad sanctions on Russia's supply chains, attempting to isolate the country from the global economy. In response, Russia and China retaliated by limiting critical exports of rare earth minerals and uranium to the West.
The global supply chain conflict extended to the MENA region. In the context of its war on Gaza in 2023, Israel sought to exploit its integration within global and regional supply chains to achieve its military objectives. By weaponizing its position within these supply networks, Israel aimed to further its strategic goals.
Embedding Israel in the regional supply chainBefore Israel could weaponize its regional supply chain, it first needed to establish it. While Israel had trade links with other MENA countries for decades, these connections were limited and often conducted in secrecy. However, the signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020, which included Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, and later Sudan and Morocco, allowed Israel to more deeply embed itself in the regional supply chain. Additionally, Israel's recent gas discoveries over the past decade became a tool to draw countries into closer economic relationships, building on earlier agreements like the Camp David Accords (1978) with Egypt and the Wadi Araba Treaty (1994) with Jordan, as well as the region's growing energy needs due to population growth.
Israel aimed to further entrench itself in the regional economy by signing numerous free trade agreements and strengthening trade ties with countries that had normalized relations with it. Israel signed its first free trade agreement in the region post-normalization with the UAE. In May 2022, both countries agreed on the UAE-Israel Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. This agreement, the UAE's second bilateral trade deal following its agreement with India in February 2022, aims to boost trade by reducing or eliminating tariffs, enhancing market access for exporters, attracting new investment, and creating opportunities in key industries such as energy, environment, and digital trade. It is expected to increase bilateral trade beyond $10 billion.
This agreement has facilitated Israeli companies exporting cyber security services to the UAE, contributing to Israel's economy, even amid global calls for boycotts following allegations of genocide. The UAE became a vital economic lever for Israel to maintain strained global trade relations and establish links with the Indian economy. For instance, Airobotics, an Israeli company, has offices in Dubai, from which it exports Israeli services and drones worldwide. Shipping and energy projects between the two countries are also being discussed and implemented.
Following the normalization of relations with Bahrain in September 2020, Israel sought a free trade agreement with the country. The agreement is expected to allow Israel to leverage Bahrain's strategic position in the global shipping, finance, and energy sectors. Already, Cox Logistics, which manages the land bridge linking India, the Gulf, and Israel via Bahrain, has signed an MoU with Israeli firm Trucknet to use a cloud-based platform to facilitate exports to Israel via the U.S. military supply chain in the MENA region.
Cox Logistics provides logistics services to U.S. military vehicles across the Middle East. With Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the U.S. as Bahrain's key trading partners, this highlights Israel's integration into regional trade links under the U.S. security umbrella. While the volume of trade through this route is not large, it has bolstered Israel's resilience in the face of war, especially after Yemen imposed a blockade on the Red Sea, significantly reducing maritime imports and causing inflation.
Similarly, after joining the Abraham Accords, Israel accelerated its integration into the Moroccan market, using Morocco as a stepping stone to gain greater access to Africa. Morocco's free trade agreements with African nations, such as Tunisia, helped make Morocco a hub for Israeli exports to the continent. In February 2022, Morocco and Israel signed a trade and investment cooperation agreement that created a framework for bilateral economic and trade relations. The deal targeted high-potential sectors, such as automotive, agribusiness, Industry 4.0, aerospace, renewable energy, and water technologies. It also established qualified industrial zones in Morocco that would allow direct access to the U.S. market, thanks to a tripartite agreement between Morocco, Israel, and the United States.
As a result, Israel signed an offshore natural gas exploration and production deal with Morocco in December 2022. In May 2023, Israel and Morocco signed three additional agreements, including a maritime agreement to encourage direct trade links and an agreement to develop drones and self-driving cars. Military and security cooperation has also expanded. After being the first country to sign the U.S.-led Artemis Accords in 2022, Israel Aerospace Industries signed a $1 billion military equipment deal with Morocco in July 2023, supplying satellites used for communication, radar, and espionage purposes. Beyond offering an economic lever, Morocco enabled the sale of technologies used in the Gaza genocide following their testing in the field such as drones.
Israel also aimed to strengthen its energy ties with Egypt, building on a 2018 agreement to buy $15 billion worth of Israeli natural gas over ten years. In June 2022, Israel and Egypt signed an MoU to increase natural gas exports to Europe. Under this agreement, the EU would encourage European companies to participate in Israeli and Egyptian exploration tenders, facilitating Israeli gas exports to Egypt via existing pipelines and Egypt's LNG exports to Europe. This agreement followed Israel's unsuccessful attempts to create its own pipeline directly to Europe. Effectively, Egypt became dependent on Israeli energy for local consumption and to gain foreign currency to fund its budget from the sales of liquified Israeli gas.
In Jordan, Israel sought to deepen the country's reliance on its energy and water resources. After signing a $15 billion gas deal in 2014 to meet 40% of Jordan's electricity needs with Israeli gas, Israel, Jordan, and the UAE signed an MoU in November 2022 to swap Jordanian solar energy for Israeli desalinated water. In 2021, Israel had already agreed to double its water exports to Jordan increasing Jordan's dependence on Israel.
Israel even worked to integrate itself into hostile environments. In October 2022, Israel and Lebanon finalized an agreement defining their maritime borders in the Mediterranean. The agreement allowed for Kraish and Qana fields to be exploited under a revenue-sharing understanding.
Shortly thereafter, in June 2023, Israel quietly approved the development of Gaza Marine, a small offshore gas field near Gaza. This project was intended to benefit both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas through increased revenue and energy independence. Both agreements were designed to secure Israel's energy supplies and deter Hezbollah and Hamas from targeting Israeli energy infrastructure during any military escalation creating a strong dependency relationship.
In its war against Gaza, Israel sought to leverage its new regional economic ties to discourage countries from opposing it and to incentivize those who remained complacent to continue their support.
Israel's weaponized interdependenceAt the outset of the Gaza war, Israel granted 12 licenses to six companies to explore natural gas off its Mediterranean coast, with one beneficiary being Azerbaijan's national oil company, Socar. Azerbaijan has played a crucial role in supplying Israel with energy via Turkey. Despite Turkey suspending trade links with Israel in the aftermath of the Gaza conflict, Israel continued receiving Azeri gas through Turkish ports. This agreement with Socar ensured that Azeri fuel continued to support Israel's blockaded economy via Turkish transport routes.
Israel also utilized its water agreements with Jordan to mute growing criticism of its economic ties and the land bridge connecting it with Gulf countries. In exchange for Jordan's silence on the war and continued support for Israel's regional integration efforts through the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), Israel extended its existing water export agreement. Jordan further benefited from increased Israeli imports via the land bridge with the Gulf, which served as an incentive for its continued support of the war.
Israel increased its gas exports to Egypt during the war to incentivize Egypt's neutral stance despite some disruptions. Egypt also benefited from new trade maritime routes linking Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus with Israel. Israel also used its influence in the global financial system to restrict funding to the UNRWA, an organization on which both Jordan and Lebanon heavily rely to support millions of Palestinian refugees. By designating UNRWA as a terrorist organization, Israel aimed to sever its access to international funding, thereby exerting additional pressure on Jordan and Lebanon to shift their positions on the war.
Moreover, Israel capitalized on its close ties with Germany to secure Saudi Arabia access to advanced military technology. Saudi Arabia contributed to intercepting aerial attacks on Israel via its airspace, and as a result, Germany approved the sale of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, relaxing its previous restrictions on arms sales to the kingdom. This further incentivized Saudi Arabia to remain silent on the Gaza conflict and it made it remain interested in normalization with Israel.
A month before October 7, the U.S. launched the IMEC to link Asia with Europe via the Gulf and Israel, with the aim of enhancing energy, data, and trade links. The project effectively positions Israel as a central hub for regional trade, embedding it irreversibly in the regional supply chain. By integrating Israel into this economic framework, the Arab-Israeli conflict is expected to conclude, regardless of whether a resolution to the Palestinian question is achieved.
While Hamas's attacks have disrupted Israel's plans in the short term, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent speeches to Congress and the UN framed the conflict as a zero-sum game. Israel's view is that the war is about securing the Abraham Market Alliance, underpinned by IMEC's vision of Israel as the commercial hub of the region. Consequently, both Israel and the U.S. are attempting to link an end to the Gaza war with a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia. Israel envisions Gaza becoming part of IMEC, defining victory through its transformation into a regional trade hub — while decimating Gaza in the process.
Dear all,
First of all my eternal appreciation for all of you who contribute to my work through the Substack subscriptions. Thank you so much for your support.
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I will shortly be writing more on the nefarious involvement of the UK FCDO and British 'private security firms' aka former British military mercenaries in the control of Gaza 'humanitarian bubbles' aka concentration camps post-genocide.
Israel threatens Syria with reprisals for harbouring Hezbollah and allowing regional resistance factions to operate from inside Syria.
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HE Jose Gregorio Biomorgi - Venezuela's Ambassador to Syria in the Embassy in Damascus.
Two days ago I had the privilege to have a conversation with the Venezuelan Ambassador at the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the Syrian Arab Republic - Dr. Jose Gregorio Biomorgi.
You can watch a previous interview with Dr. Biomorgi that I did in 2019 when Venezuela was again facing US interference in their sovereign affairs.
Biomorgi was appointed Ambassador to Syria in 2018. He was then recalled to Venezuela to take the position of deputy-minister for Industrial Development before being appointed Venezuelan Minister of Industries and National Production from December 2021 until April 2022. He has since been re-appointed Ambassador to Syria.
During an interview in 2022, as Minister of Industries and National Production Biomorgi said:
Commander Chavez got us into this political wave that seeks to transform the State to build a fairer society with greater equality for the citizens. That is why we go from the stage of resistance to the stage of recovery. To live a stage of the rebirth of the economy that goes hand in hand with the recovery of the productive and industrial spaces.
Biomorgi is acutely aware of the detrimental effect of US sanctions on the Venezuelan oil industry and has been instrumental in combatting these effects, adapting technology to compensate for the lack of spare parts for US-developed machinery:
..in our industries, there was a working-class that knew how to appropriate the productivity and the means of production, and that had proposals for years. From these ideas, the import substitution process was born, which does not only include substituting raw material, but also intervening in the productive process and adapting it according to our strengths and possibilities.
Biomorgi is a graduate in Chemistry from the Central University of Venezuela and a specialist in hydrocarbon sectors.
Since his return to Syria, Biomorgi has focused on the deepening of scientific and cultural collaboration. Originally from Aleppo, the second capital city of Syria, Biomorgi has a profound attachment and understanding of Syrian history, culture and struggle against the Imperialist Bloc that was reignited in 2011 with the ongoing regime change war to topple the Syrian government and Presidency of Bashar Al Assad.
As I wrote back in 2019 - "Dr Jose Gregorio Biomorgi Muzattiz was an immensely warm and welcoming host with tremendous intelligence, humour & geopolitical experience. Dr Biomorgi took the time to explain the history of what is happening now in Venezuela and to dismantle the propaganda that is surrounding events in his country."
Belgian economist and philosopher, Marc Vandepitte wrote in August 2024 (after US interference in Venezuela's elections):
All countries in the region that have followed such a leftist course in the past twenty years have been confronted with attempts at destabilization and regime change, ranging from military coups, lawfare, institutional coups to attempted color revolutions. For an overview of these, see the annex, below the article.
Vandepitte argues that Venezuela has been the most affected by the US hybrid war strategy in the region:
Venezuela is no exception to this rule, on the contrary. As a leader in the development of a multipolar world in which the West can no longer assert its superiority, Venezuela is the most targeted country in the region. Since Chávez was elected president in 1999, the empire has pulled out all the stops in efforts to sabotage this leftist experiment.
These efforts include two coups, an assassination attempt on the president, military provocation through development aid, murderous street blockades, a lockout by oil bosses, diplomatic isolation, hoarding of essential goods to create scarcity, heavy economic sanctions, freezing of foreign assets and making financial transactions impossible.
Maps showing the destabilisation campaigns waged against LATAM countries that have challenged imperialist influence. Cuba should also be included.
During my conversation with Biomorgi we focused on the rise of Chinese influence in Africa and Latin America which, according to Biomorgi, is leading to the increase in activity from Washington to derail LATAM/China collaboration in their "back yard". We also covered the emergence of a multi-polar world and how this might influence the ongoing Zionist genocide in Palestine and Israel's expanding aggression in the region.
Start of Interview - question one.VB: We have discussed the multiple fronts faced by the Resistance states and factions and the convergence of US-led destabilisation campaigns on multiple fronts - Latin America, China, Iran, Russia, West Asia, Africa. Please explain what is happening in LATAM with regards to the US attempts to prevent the expansion of China's influence in these regions.
JB: I think we need to start by understanding what is happening around the world. In 2023 most of the economies in Europe had a GDP growth between -2 and +2.1. The highest, if I remember correctly, was Spain with +2.1 but most of them had a negative GDP in 2023.
If you look at countries in Africa and in Asia in general, they had had positive GDP growth of around 4-5%. The same can be applied to LATAM countries in general. So, China has been increasing their influence in Africa, in Asia. At the same time the US and EU are losing influence in these countries.
In the end we can say that China is the real enemy of the US [because it threatens US unipolar supremacy]. The US is supporting their economic and global hegemony with the dollar. No other country threatens the US like China, not even Russia, not Iran. So, the US is desperate to block and prevent the expanding economic influence of China throughout the world.
China is South America's top trading partner and a major source of both foreign direct investment and lending in energy and infrastructure, including through its massive Belt and Road Initiative.
US-centric Council on Foreign Relations
I will not mention specifics but even extreme "right-wing" leaders in the regions increasing cooperation with China have said that negotiation with China does not include the conditions imposed by any alliance with the US. For this reason the US must act to halt the progress of China and to reduce the threat to US interests in these regions.
Right now we have seen that the EU is almost entirely controlled by the US and is heavily influenced by US policy to the detriment of their own interests - with the exception of some countries like Serbia, Belarus, Hungary. Now I believe the target is LATAM.
The US needs to increase control of all LATAM countries. In the last two years or more we have seen the Commander of the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) Laura Richardson visit countries like Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador multiple times.
You can check the webpages of the US Embassy in those countries and it will reveal that all of them have signed an agreement to allow US military bases on their territory and to develop a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding on military issues. The US is currently planning a military base in Ushuaia, Argentina.
The United States has long sought to extend its military influence in Argentina. But during the presidencies of Néstor Kirchner(2003- 2007) and Cristina Fernández (2007 – 2015), there was resistance.
[My Note: Mauricio Macri succeeded Cristina Fernández as Argentina's president in December 2015. His regime pivoted towards "free trade and an explicit alignment with US economic and foreign policy interests."]
What do these countries have in common? They have right-wing governments. All of them, Ecuador, Chile, Peru. Chile they claim to be left-wing but this is absolutely not true. Argentina is now definitely right-wing.
In Colombia, even if the President, Gustav Petro, is a very honest and decent one [and facing a potential coup attempt], Colombia's historically right-wing governments have unfortunately opened its territories to an estimated 8 US military bases.
All or most of these countries are on the Pacific coast. I am speculating but I believe the US will attempt to control the entire Pacific Coast to block China.
Cargo ships in the Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is an area of interest for both countries. The water levels in the Canal have been dramatically decreasing which is slowing down the passage of ships and leading to blockages because the low water levels are causing severe problems.
China's influence in the Panama Canal has only grown since 2017 when then-president Carlos Varela severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan and recognized China, further opening the door to China's expanded footprint in critical Canal infrastructure and laying the groundwork for alignment with the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Center for Strategic and International Studies
There was a [initiated 2014, allegedly cancelled in May 2024] project to build a rival canal in Nicaragua originally sponsored by a Chinese businessman. As a result of Nicaragua's independent policy and alignment with China, it has been consistently targeted by the US.
[ Article by journalist Rick Sterling - 170 years of US aggression against Nicaragua]
For sure, Venezuela is also under attack because it connects the north of South America to Central America. The policy of the US is without a doubt to block China or at least to increase influence in the countries of their "back yard".
The wars we see are not individual wars. Everything is connected. The US was able to increase their control of Europe with the Ukraine (NATO) war against Russia. A war which is completely illogical for the EU to exclude itself from the supply of Russian gas. This is entirely a US project to cut all relations between the EU and Russia. Right now I don't think Europe has the ability to take decisions without US approval with very few exceptions.
They are talking about Norway as a replacement for Russia but this is impossible. Russia has one of the largest gas reserves in the world. Not only the reserves because we in Venezuela have big gas reserves - Russia has the infrastructure in place to send gas to Europe and to all the world. This is very important. The infrastructure for oil is much cheaper than for gas.
We need to comprehend the scale of mistake Europe has made with regards to Russia and Russian gas. All because US policy takes precedence? What threat does Russia present to Europe? None.
The US is also supporting a war in West Asia [Middle East], they are supporting the genocide in Palestine and a war against Lebanon. Israel cannot survive longer than two weeks in these wars without US support.
The US is behind the provocations in Taiwan against China. Everything is linked to block the rise of a genuine new world order. The multipolar order. This is the greatest threat to the US alliance.
Question 2 - Palestine and Armed Resistance in the regionVB: What's your position on the operations of the armed resistance factions in the region and, of course, in particular in Lebanon and Palestine? Your position and that of Venezuela?
JB: My position is exactly the same as the position of the Venezuelan government for the last 25 years, from the moment Chavez came to power. We have been very clear and forceful with our support for Palestine. We believe in the self-determination of all countries.
Yesterday I made the decision to expel the ambassador of the state of Israel from Venezuela. What else can we do? What else can we do? We are filled with indignity before so much injustice and before a world that seems not to care.
President Chavez 2009
If I remember well, President Chavez expelled the Ambassador of Israel [ due to atrocities committed during the 2008/9 Zionist Operation Cast Lead in Gaza]. This was not only due to the Israeli crimes against Palestinians but also because they were interfering in our internal affairs. We have paid a very high price for this solidarity with Palestine - every day Mossad is working on the destabilisation of Venezuela, through coup d'etats or assassinations of our leaders.
For example, the extreme right [US-backed] 'opposition' leadership member María Corina Machado. It has been reported that Machado signed an agreement and requested Netanyahu's help with regime change in Venezuela claiming to share the same ideology as Israel. What does this mean? What is the ideology of the Israeli regime? It is a Zionist, genocidal ideology. This is the ideology she shares?
We, on the other hand, completely support armed resistance which is entirely legitimate under international law. In the recent election when President Maduro voted he said "long live Palestine".
As Maduro said - in Venezuela we have an economic crisis thanks to the US sanctions against us but despite that, our government sent humanitarian aid to Lebanon. It is a very small gesture but it is significant because very few countries in our position have taken a strong stand in solidarity with Palestine.
We saw at the BRICS summit - Maduro was the only President who spoke out very powerfully about Palestine and condemned the genocide and the UN for doing nothing to prevent the slaughter in Gaza. Maduro spoke about Palestine, Lebanon and Syria. Vanessa, when a country has a sovereign and independent policy it can speak honestly and with integrity. The policy of Venezuela is very clear, we are with the Palestinian cause and we reject the genocide carried out by Netanyahu and his allies. Venezuela will do all in its power to end the genocide.
Venezuela is one of few fully, revolutionary, anti-imperialist countries in the world & even in BRICS. Nicaragua & Cuba being others. While BRICS is trying to create a new world, it will not be allowed to ignore Israel's crimes by LATAM & Africa. The most vocal against genocide.
Journalist Fiorella Isabel
Watch Maduro's speech at BRICS:
VB: Why do you think Maduro was alone in speaking out so strongly about Palestine at BRICS?
JB: I think, primarily, because some of the most important leaders in the world were present at this summit. In my opinion the G7 is no longer the main leadership in the world right now. For sure the US is still very powerful but the rest of the G7 have very little influence in the world right now.
Secondly I think it was because the General Secretary of the UN was there, Antonio Guterres and the President was addressing him directly and questioning his inaction. Maduro said very frankly - every missile dropped in Palestine has a negative consequence for the UN. It means the UN can do nothing to prevent genocide. How is this even possible?
The President's speech was around 10 minutes. For 5 or 6 minutes he was talking about the necessity to take action, real action to stop the genocide. He spoke about many agencies affiliated to the UN that were supposedly created to keep the peace but they are doing nothing.
So, I think Maduro sent a very strong, clear message to these agencies and even to the leadership.
Sometimes the world needs this clarity and forceful discourse. I remember Chavez in 2000 was in Canada and everyone was talking about CO2 emission and the war against pollution. Chavez admonished them - what about poor countries? What about poverty? What about development in these poor countries? The problem is not to reduce CO2, the problem is to change the system.
I remember Fidel Castro sent a message to Chavez saying - I feel that now I am not the only crazy one in Latin America!
So, to reiterate - I think Maduro was doing the same thing. Speaking forcefully to appeal to the consciences of the leaders at BRICS to take action to stop the genocide and we must do it. For me, I hope they listen, I think they will.
VB: We were talking the other day about Venezuela's oil industry and how the sanctions have impacted the actual machinery itself which has caused a downturn in oil production. With the emergence of BRICS do you envisage it being easier to bypass the sanctions and get production back up to pre-sanction levels?
JB: Yes! In 2012 we were producing around 3 million barrels per day. In 2014 the "good guy" President Obama declared Venezuela an "extraordinary threat" to US national security. The sanctions began in 2015.
Then in 2016 under the Trump administration, the sanctions were increased exponentially against Venezuela [and Syria].
In April 2019 our production was only 300,000 barrels per day. 10% of our original production. Our economy was very badly affected. Our income fell dramatically and we were not even able to import medicines. Our economy was largely dependent upon the oil industry and of course the US knew this.
From this moment we began to alter our economic sectors to adapt to the new paradigm. We did increase our relationship with the BRICs countries and with countries that are not US-aligned like Iran, Russia, China. We made the necessary restructuring to our processes that enabled us to prevent any further decrease in oil production. Slowly the production increased after these measures were taken.
Now we are producing an estimated one million barrels per day, after five years. It was very difficult but we succeeded. We changed our technology. The bulk of our technology no longer comes from the US or the EU. We work with BRICS nations, countries that do not accept the US blackmail tactics.
In 2012 our income was 65 billion dollars. In 2019, the worst year for us, our income fell to around 700 million. From 60 billion to 700 million. Last year the oil sector brought in 5 or 6 billion dollars. We expect 2024 to achieve 10 or 12 billion dollars.
We are improving step by step but it takes time. You know, I am a chemist, so I will explain something that I used to explain many times. The entropy concept. Entropy is a disorder. For example, how long does it take to construct a building. The Chinese are very fast - it takes 3,4,5 months which is very fast. How much time does it take to destroy the building? One minute? One second? So, the entropy, the disorder, is spontaneous. It is difficult to build but very easy to destroy. In this way the US was able to destroy our economy and we are trying to rebuild that economy which is an arduous process but we will succeed.
VB: Would you say there is a defined unity among the non-aligned bloc? As you said, the ones that are not under the US umbrella. I presume that BRICS is helping to create this unity but how to improve its efficacy on the global stage? The UN is captured, the ICC is captured, the ICJ is captured. So does the "new, new world order" continue along the same road which is controlled by the US and UK?
JB: I don't have any real hope in these captured institutions but we need to keep occupying these spaces in order to discuss, demand and to generate reforms. Unfortunately these institutions have shown they are not able to solve this problem because they are under the complete control of the US alliance. I don't believe they can offer solutions.
To unify the criteria of the non-aligned movement is difficult. The advantage of BRICS is the respect for the sovereignty of member nations and for the model of each country, each culture.
BRICS does not impose models and I believe in this kind of organisation. I have big hopes for BRICS. I think the last meeting in Kazan gave us hope and demonstrated that we can find the way to a new world system, a more just system - even a scenario where you can discuss global issues and find a solution to benefit the people not the industrialists and ruling classes.
So, in my opinion I don't believe in the old system but we should not abandon it. We have to work within the parameters that they are powerless but use them to send our message.
Sure, not all countries in the non-aligned block are let's say "aligned". There is a different internal situation in every country. We don't pretend to have a uniform or universal policy. Sovereignty is the paramount principle we uphold. This is opposite to the US. We saw some countries were not present at BRICS. They were meeting with the US or the US alliance. That is a small example of how the US pressures any movement away from US control.
Big change is always a big challenge. History teaches us that big change can bring with it, significant turbulence. We hope we don't reach this point. Unfortunately if you see what is happening globally, in Latin America, Ukraine, West Asia, Taiwan, China - who is behind this turmoil? The United States. So, they need to preserve the old system, we need to change to a new system.
From 2002, from the moment George Bush said "are you with me or are you against me" those international organisations lost their objectivity and their function. From this moment. So, for 22 years we have been living in a world devoid of any functioning system, without respect for international law from the US-led alliance.
That is why leaders like Putin, like Xi Jinping and let's say even Erdogan or Iran have developed their military defence capability because the US does not respect International law, has no red lines. Even in Syria, for example.
What else can be done to stop the Zionist genocide of PalestiniansGazans living in inhumane conditions after more than one year of genocide.
JB: We have to look at countries like Yemen who are causing severe damage to the Israeli economy. What is the difference between Israel and the countries they are attacking right now? It is simple. The people living in Israel are not from "Israel". They are Europeans. They are used to living in luxury as they did or do in Europe.
At the moment the economic situation in Israel is catastrophic. Other countries need to boycott and block the Israeli economy even further. People are leaving Israel which will have a long term negative impact on the economy. If you look at people in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq - they are accustomed to these hardships and have survived war, occupation and sanctions for decades.
These people are originally from their country. This means they will not abandon their land. It is completely different to what is happening in Israel.
Yes, countries who say they do not support genocide can do more to pressure Israel. But I told you before there is huge coercion from the US to refrain from taking such measures. The US is still the most powerful economy in the world so they have a lot of influence. They can incentivize or coerce countries into doing nothing about the genocide through financial means, weapons etc. It is not easy to prevent this. There are countries in the region who could do so much more but the US is controlling them.
End of Interview on these topics.
I did also speak to the Ambassador about the Zionist plans for Greater Israel but will include this in a separate article.
"The aggression against Palestine and Lebanon is an aggression against us as well. It is an unjustified aggression. IT is a fascist aggression, much like Hitler…Israel is right in criticizing Hitler and the hostility against Jews, we do to, but they are doing the same thing that Hitler did to the Jews. They are killing innocent children, entire families. They destroyed the legitimate government of Palestine, they destroyed the multi-year effort of the road towards peace, looking for a Palestinian state, and now they are targeting Lebanon and have destroyed half of Lebanon…Behind the hostilities perpetrated by Israel is the hand of the U.S. The worse menace that has the future of humanity is the U.S. Empire and one of its instruments of aggression is in the State of Israel. This plan was prepared in detail a long time ago and it was planned in the Pentagon, only that Israel is the executor."
President Hugo Chavez in 2006
Further reading - Corporate Coup: Venezuela and the End of Us Empire by Anya Parampil
Anya Parampil provides a narrative history of the Chavista revolution and offers character sketches of the figures who took over its leadership after Hugo Chavez's death in 2014. She shows how Guaido 's shadow regime consisted of individuals with deep connections to transnational corporations that sought to overturn the revolution and exploit Venezuela's resources. In particular she uncovers their plot to steal Citgo Petroleum, the country's most valuable international asset. Corporate Coup exposes the hidden personalities and interests driving US policy on Venezuela, revealing that while the recognition of Guaido failed at changing reality on the ground in Caracas, it succeeded in facilitating the unprecedented looting of the country's extensive foreign reserves.
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The Palestinian cause is not a cause for Palestinians only, but a cause for every revolutionary, wherever he is, as a cause of the exploited and oppressed masses in our era.
Ghassan Kanafani.
Decades ago, it was agreed that Resistance and armed rebellion against a settler colonial occupation and apartheid power is not just recognised under international law. It is enshrined specifically as a right for the oppressed, never to be denied.
In accordance with international humanitarian law, wars of national liberation have been expressly embraced, through the adoption of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 (pdf), as a protected and essential right of occupied people everywhere.
This runs counter to what London, Washington and Tel Aviv would have you believe. Proscribing the Resistance factions as "terrorist" groups immediately distracts people from their real role in liberating Palestinian territory from the Zionist occupier and its Western backers.
Prof. Tim Anderson:
The colonial powers almost all abstained on the 1960 Declaration on Decolonisation, the lead principle of which (the right of a people to self-determination) entered the twin covenants of the International Bill of Rights. After that the hegemonic powers tried to deny (but could not block) UN declarations and conventions on the right to resist colonialism, occupation, and apartheid. The result is that today most anti-colonial resistance groups are banned as "terrorist", but only in the hegemonic regimes.
International law clearly supports the right to resist (further, Palestine and Lebanon as recognised nations enjoy the UN chartered right to national self-defence) while the Anglo-Americans and their collaborators live in denial. This hegemonic denial of the right to resist (including the legitimacy of Palestinian insurrection) creates a culture which confuses and must itself be resisted. Proponents of resistance education should inform, encourage and build confidence in support of legitimate popular resistance.
Anderson advocates unequivocal support for the Resistance despite the threats that confront those who do:
Self-determination is not a posthumous medal for helpless victims, it is a great right that must be fought for and taken from the imperial and colonial forces which try to deny and block self-determination. This is not well recognised in colonial cultures, which embed paternal myths.
Yet it is well recognised by anti-colonial leaders, like the great 19th century Cuban patriot Jose Marti who said in 1880, "You take your rights, you do not beg for them. You do not buy them with tears but with blood."
While the Palestinian cause is popular in Western countries, this support begins as sympathy for the victims and is often simply an abstract call for an end to the violence. To take a further step and support the Palestinian and regional Resistance implies confronting Western regimes which have tried to ban and criminalise all Resistance groups.
Because of a natural instinct to avoid conflict and due to the avalanche of neocolonial propaganda, the resistance is poorly understood and poorly represented in colonial cultures. That calls for systematic popular education, stressing:
The need to recognise anti-colonial liberation movements, in particular the Palestinian struggle, as a key contemporary expression of the right of self-determination;
The inherent right to resist, by all appropriate means, denial of that basic right;
That the right to resist invasion, occupation, and apartheid by armed struggle is recognised in international law, in the Geneva Conventions, and in UN declarations over the right to resist occupation and apartheid "by all available means";
The right of the Palestinian people to national Self-Defence (Article 51, UN Charter);
While passive resistance, like the steadfastness of remaining on one's land, is important, it cannot survive without active support;
There is no moral equivalence in the character of armed resistance and armed occupation; one is legitimate and the other is not; suggestions that one should be "even handed" over Palestine-"Israel" are colonial deceptions.
Exposing myths around these issues is important for several reasons:
It can blunt the ideological attacks from colonial cultures on liberation movements;
It can inform false moral equivalence arguments, by which the resistance is urged to disarm, alongside the forces of occupation and apartheid;
Wider international recognition of the right to resist colonialism, apartheid, and genocide can be an effective antidote to imperial propaganda;
Clear moral argument, with evidence, may not be decisive in the propaganda wars, but it can inform honest and curious people in colonial cultures while vindicating the political will, morale, and achievements of Resistance forces.
The following is a clip of an interview with Palestinian nationalist Ghassan Kanafani. Acclaimed journalist, novelist, short story writer, and revolutionary Ghassan Kanafani was assassinated in 1972 by agents of the Mossad.
Louis Allday is a writer and historian. He has a PhD in History. He is the founding editor of Liberated Texts, a book reviewing and publishing project dedicated to reviewing and (re)publishing works that have been neglected, overlooked or suppressed in the mainstream since their publication.
In July 2022, in collaboration with Ebb Books, Liberated Texts published the first English language translation of Ghassan Kanafani's On Zionist Literature to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of his assassination.
Allday writes:
Given that the Palestinians' legal and moral right to pursue armed resistance is clear, endorsement of this position should be uncontroversial and commonplace among supporters of their cause. Yet in the West, such a position is rarely expressed – even by those who loudly proclaim their solidarity with Palestine. On the contrary, acts of Palestinian armed resistance, such as the firing of missiles from Gaza, are condemned by these ostensible supporters as part of the problem, dismissed condescendingly as 'futile' and 'counter-productive', or even labelled 'war crimes' and 'unthinkable atrocities', said to be comparable to Israel's routine collective punishment, torture, incarceration, bombardment and murder of Palestinians.
This form of solidarity, as Bikrum Gill has argued, is essentially 'premised upon re-inscribing Palestinians as inherently non-sovereign beings who can only be recognized as disempowered dependent objects to be acted upon, either by Israeli colonial violence, or white imperial protectors'.
Gaza 2024
To sit in the comfort and safety of the West and condemn acts of armed resistance that the Palestinians choose to carry out – always at great risk to their lives – is a deeply chauvinistic position. It must be stated plainly: it is not the place of those who choose to stand in solidarity with the Palestinians from afar to then try and dictate how they should wage the anti-colonial struggle that, as Frantz Fanon believed, is necessary to maintain their humanity and dignity, and ultimately to achieve their liberation.
Those who are not under brutal military occupation or refugees from ethnic cleansing have no right to judge the manner in which those who are choose to confront their colonisers. Indeed, expressing solidarity with the Palestinian cause is ultimately meaningless if that support dissipates the moment that the Palestinians resist their oppression with anything more than rocks and can no longer be portrayed as courageous, photogenic, but ultimately powerless, victims.
'Does the world expect us to offer ourselves up as polite, willing and well-mannered sacrifices, who are murdered without raising a single objection?' Yahya al-Sinwar, Hamas' leader in Gaza, recently asked rhetorically. 'This is not possible. No, we have decided to defend our people with whatever strength we have been given.'
Watch a video from Gazan journalist Bisan on the situation in northern Gaza:
Everything in this world can be robbed and stolen, except one thing; this one thing is the love that emanates from a human being towards a solid commitment to a conviction or cause. Ghassan Kanafani
Prof. David Miller wrote on X:
I know it's bleak but there is an inescapable fact that, through my work, I have long been trying to explain: the war in the Levant has no borders, because Zionism has no borders.
So when you, in Britain or France or Germany, are having mosques shut down and Muslim homes are raided and academics are fired and journalists are arrested by 'counter-terror' police, that is being done directly on behalf of the State of Israel. And yes, as you say, it has been going on for at least 23 years.
Your state is at war with you because the State of Israel is at war with you. And the soldiers of Zion have penetrated the security establishment of your state to make its policy; penetrated the media to make you a public enemy; and penetrated political parties to create extremist footsoldiers who will execute their strategies in government.
Take Geert Wilders, in the Netherlands, whose statements have been published by the Gatestone Institute for 16 years. Wilders can be said to be a creation of the State of Israel and its foreign intelligence assets, like Gatestone. But there are hundreds like him across Europe.
So the answer is not just to be 'pro-Palestinian', whatever that means. The challenge is to be anti-Zionist, to materially contribute to the global struggle against Jewish supremacism. Your war is right where you are.
Once you recognise a war has been declared on you and has already been fought for 20 years, you will no doubt find it strange that all that's been done to resist is some mild-mannered protests. Does it make sense to protest those who are at war with you? Or do you accept that you're in an existential war and act accordingly?
What do people think schools teaching 'British values' is about? Who is it for? The purpose is to suppress, demobilise and disincentivise any political dissent, but especially that coming from Muslims, because it tends to be more coherent, universalistic and material than other varieties.
Not only are you supposed to shed your beliefs but also your values. That's the price of existence the State of Israel seeks to extract from Muslims globally, from the Gulf to Europe.
Defeating this Zionist strategy requires a few things:
1. Waking up from the stupor of denialism to accept that there is a global, maximalist, eliminationist war being waged against Islam and Muslims (and all dissenters to Jewish supremacy) by the State of Israel.
2. Understanding that the Zionist movement, and Jewish supremacists in general, fight this war by occupying institutions, whether the state or local activist groups or your council or even your mosque. It's not just about 'the lobby' and megadonors. The war goes all the way down, street to street, everywhere in Europe. Wherever you find Jewish supremacists, you will find the war. Confront it where you find it.
3. Evolving away from woolly liberal methods like A to B protests on weekends, which, while symbolic and raised morale in Palestine in the early days of the war, do nothing material to prevent the genocide or create accountability for its perpetrators. And again, the perpetrators of this genocide are all around you. Donors to the IDF and to other Zionist institutions may be on your street or in your workplace and certainly in your neighbourhood or your city. Zionist 'charities', which funnel cash for the purpose of Zionist terrorism, or to advance the cause of Jewish supremacism, are in all the major British cities. They cannot be allowed to operate as normal while perpetrating this genocide. We in Britain may not liberate Palestine, but Palestine may liberate us.
Finally: there's no such thing as 'foreign' policy. The British state has made a colossal miscalculation by participating so directly in this genocide, via the RAF, SAS and its intelligence agencies (including MI5, MI6, GCHQ and the Homeland Security Group).
Watch Resistance valiant operations in Gaza, against all odds:
Miller continues:
Such direct intervention to destroy Palestine is on a par with the Balfour Declaration in historic scale, and will have effects on the future of Britain itself larger even than the invasion of Iraq, which permanently destroyed public trust in domestic institutions.
The British people will have to repair this trajectory by taking British political and public institutions out of the grip of Zionist fanatics. This is the only way to preserve the balance of British society in the long-term. It is essential that Britain is de-Zionised, both to protect others internationally from the harms that this Zionist entryism and subversion has caused, as well as to create a viable and sovereign Britain accountable to its own citizens rather than the US Empire or the State of Israel and its assets. A de-Zionised Britain could be an example to other post-imperial states in how to confront centuries of imperial violence and chart a course away from the suicidal client relationship with the US. It's the least we can do.
It is absolutely necessary for us in the West who oppose our regimes' endorsement, funding and apologism for genocide to support the Palestinian and Lebanese armed Resistance. This is not a struggle we can ignore or fail to advocate for. Yes, we will be pilloried, detained, discredited by our complicit ruling classes and alienated from the establishment but there is no choice, there are no two sides, there are only the right choices in a time that we are being forced to question our own humanity - we must not fail.
No child in the 21st century should be forced to face death, mutilation and starvation on a 24/7 basis:
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In northern Gaza the Zionist forces have begun rounding up the men, separating the from women and children.
In my report I cover the 'General's plan' which is the new label for the ongoing ethnic cleansing and military extermination of Palestinians by every means possible.
Gazan journalist Bisan said the following on X:
"I don't know if this post is to ask for your solidarity.. We tried it, and nothing stopped Israel's thirst for the blood of my people, or it was not enough for that!
But this is to show how horrific our world is, and how alone my people are in the face of the monster.
I once heard a story that I did not like, about a village where everyone was vile and despicable, so they threw the only man in the village who had noble morals off the mountain. They killed him because he reminded them of their ugliness.
This is what is happening with the Palestinians today, unfortunately.
The queue you see now in this photo taken an hour ago in Jabalia / North Gaza is the death queue.
The Israeli terrorist army separates the females from the males (men and male children sometimes)...
They order the women to leave and take the men to a far place, with their hands tied and blindfolded and they are often placed in a deep hole.. and we all know what happens later.
Either they bury them alive, as happened in the north and Khan Yunis during the first ground invasion, or they execute them on the ground, or they take them hostage, as happened to 10,000 who subsequently suffered torture, murder, organ theft, and rape. What do you think? What is the most likely scenario? I feel disgusted with all human ideals and values.
The Zionist colonizers in 2024 are doing this before your eyes.
What oppression and pain, these men survived and protected their families from all kinds of death over the course of a year and until the last moment, and they refused to leave their homes, and now they are being annihilated in this way.
They are depopulating northern Gaza by killing the entire population!"
Literally every image I see reminds me of every holocaust that has been perpetrated since history was recorded.
Why, for example, would male prisoners be forced to wear what appear to be chemical Hazmat suits and blindfolds?
I also cover the Zionist operations in Lebanon where the carpet bombing of entire neighbourhoods is being justified by the "gold reserves under hospitals" narrative broadcast by the IOF lie managers.
This morning Damascus was bombed again in Kafr Souseh, a busy residential area, at 3am. There are civilian casualties but the West does not care. The main border road between Syria and Lebanon has again been bombed multiple times reducing it to rubble.
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