MintPress News

1. Trump’s Day One: Sanctions Lifted, Settler Violence Explodes

On his first day in office, Donald Trump lifted all sanctions previously placed on Israeli settlers in the West Bank, a political move that coincided with a series of violent attacks by Israeli settlers targeting Palestinians that same night. While the President has publicly committed to combating violent extremism, extremist settler groups continue to finance their activities through American charities.

On Monday night, with the backing of the Israeli military, settler groups launched a series of violent assaults on residents in the West Bank. The most severe attacks occurred in two villages near Qalqilya, where masked settlers set fires and fired indiscriminately. Amid the chaos, Israeli soldiers deployed tear gas against villagers attempting to flee, leaving 21 people injured.

After last night's pogrom by Israeli settler terrorists, the Palestinian village of Al-Funduq is sealed off: shops are closed, Palestinians are confined to their homes, and only Israeli settlers' cars use the main road.

The Israeli army punishes the victims instead of the… pic.twitter.com/pqmZKH0F5b

— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) January 21, 2025

Amidst the wave of violence, an Israeli police officer mistakenly shot two masked settlers, believing them to be Palestinians. One was killed instantly. In the aftermath, Israeli authorities imposed a complete lockdown on the West Bank, leaving civilians stranded in their cars and on the streets.

The following day, Israel announced a major military operation targeting the northern West Bank, beginning with an assault on the Jenin Refugee Camp. Defense Minister Israel Katz dubbed the campaign "Operation Iron Wall," vowing to crush the growing number of anti-occupation resistance groups that have expanded in the region since 2021. The operation, Katz declared, would draw upon Israel's "method of repeated raids in Gaza" to achieve its objectives.

On January 17, the Washington-based advocacy group Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) released a report accusing Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund and its subsidiaries of funding illegal settlement expansion and encouraging violence against Palestinian civilians. According to the report, the Israeli-registered entities use affiliates in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. to raise money.

DAWN has called on the U.S. government to impose sanctions on the organizations it accuses of funding Israeli settler extremism. However, they are far from the only entities using American donations to support such activities.

An investigation by Haaretz revealed that the Temple Institute—an organization with the stated goal of demolishing the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest site, to construct a Jewish synagogue in its place—has received financial backing from a prominent U.S. donor closely linked to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Through platforms like America Gives, a partner of Israel Gives, Americans can make tax-deductible donations directly to the Temple Institute. The organization, which has previously relied on donations for half of its funding, benefits from this streamlined flow of contributions, and it's not the only one. In 2019, The Nation magazine exposed a network of U.S.-registered non-profit organizations that have been used to finance Israeli extremists.

The role of U.S. citizens and their donations in enabling messianic-extremist settler movements cannot be overstated. However, the Trump administration has adopted one of the most hardline pro-settler positions in American history, a stance made abundantly clear by the individuals selected to fill key cabinet roles.

On Tuesday, during her confirmation hearing, Trump's nominee for U.N. ambassador, Elise Stefanik, declared her belief that Israel possesses a "biblical right" to the entirety of the occupied West Bank. When pressed, she refused to affirm that Palestinians have a right to self-determination.

Trump's incoming U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Elise Stefanik, believes Israel has a 'Biblical right to the entire West Bank'. Different administrations, different domestic and foreign policies, same-old unconditional support for Israel's occupation. pic.twitter.com/YJbXXupWJn

— Dr. Omar Suleiman (@omarsuleiman) January 22, 2025

This comes as little surprise given the financial entanglements at the heart of the Trump campaign. The campaign's top financier, Miriam Adelson—Israel's wealthiest billionaire—pledged $100 million to support the former president. According to Haaretz, the contribution came with a clear understanding: Trump would allow Israel to annex the West Bank.

Trump's very own son-in-law and close confidant, Jared Kushner, has well-known ties to the financing of illegal settlements. The Kushner Foundation funneled money not only to the West Bank settlement of Beit El, but to an extremist Yeshiva (Jewish religious school) located in a settlement near Nablus. This Yeshiva, infamous for hosting extremist rabbis who help organize violence against Palestinians, has been linked to incendiary rhetoric, including providing religious justification for the murder of Arab children.

Feature photo | Israeli soldiers carry out a forced expulsion of Palestinian refugees from a camp in Jenin in the West Bank, Jan. 23, 2025. Majdi Mohammed | AP

Robert Inlakesh is a political analyst, journalist and documentary filmmaker currently based in London, UK. He has reported from and lived in the occupied Palestinian territories and hosts the show 'Palestine Files'. Director of 'Steal of the Century: Trump's Palestine-Israel Catastrophe'. Follow him on Twitter @falasteen47

The post Trump's Day One: Sanctions Lifted, Settler Violence Explodes appeared first on MintPress News.

2. Israel Isn’t Leaving Syria: Settlement Plans Signal a Permanent Land Grab

Israel wasted no time following the abrupt collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria. Within hours of Assad's fall on December 8, 2024, Israeli forces seized the buffer zone separating the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from the rest of Syria. They raised Israel's flag atop Mount Hermon.

More than a month later, Israeli troops remain stationed in the United Nations-patrolled area — raiding government buildings and summoning residents for questioning — all the while alleging its presence is necessary to secure Israel's border as the balance of power shifts in Syria.

Yet a combination of soldier and settler actions as of late question whether Israel has long-term plans for Syria.

 

Eyeing Syria

The same day as Assad's ousting and Israel's invasion, Uri Tzafon, an Israeli settler movement to reoccupy southern Lebanon, wrote on their blog, "In Syria too, we must go at least 10 kilometers [approximately six miles] deep and reclaim the entire Hermon range. Jewish settlement will ensure Israeli control for generations."

The Nachala settler movement, which has been active in advocating for Israeli resettlement of Gaza, also called for occupying Syria for the sake of security.

The answer to the chaos in Syria – taking territory and Jewish settlement," Nachala wrote on Facebook on December 8, 2024. "Whoever still thinks it's possible to leave our fate in the hands of a foreign actor — forsakes Israel's security!"

The post included a biblical map showing Israel's territory, including all of Lebanon and most of Syria and Iraq.

While some settlers stressed the need to establish settlements to safeguard security, others were more transparent with their rationale.  For instance, Yaakov Socol, a member of Uri Tzafon, wrote in an op-ed on the Israeli right-wing news website Arutz Sheva:

The territories in question are part of the Land of Israel and are full of Jewish heritage sites. We have every right to own these territories and annex them to the State of Israel…This is not about taking over the land of another people, but rather taking over a territory that originally belonged to us…these are our territories by right, and to ensure our continued existence in these territories for the distant future, a Jewish settlement should be established on the ruins of the Arab villages."

Other social media posts also expressed enthusiasm over further Israeli occupation of Syria.

My Israel, which describes itself as a Zionist Israeli online movement, posted images of soldiers raising the Israeli flag on Mount Hermon with the caption "Syria. The nation of Israel lives" in Hebrew.

סוריה.
עם ישראל חי pic.twitter.com/vI7D7HUrjV

— ישראל שלי | MyIsrael (@MyIsraelorgil) December 11, 2024

A video of Orthodox Jews praying in what they alleged was the Syrian village of Hader circulated online.

According to Israeli news site The Hottest Place in Hell, the video was shared in Uri Tzafon's WhatsApp group with members confused about how the activists entered a closed military area. One Uri Tzafon member wrote that they "probably entered with the help of one of the soldiers in the area, it happens all the time. They wouldn't have entered without the cooperation of soldiers."

הדפסת ולימוד ספר התניא בבית חב"ד החדש בכפר חדר שבחבל הבשן (סוריה) המשוחרר.
זו ארצנו כולה! לכבוש וליישב!! pic.twitter.com/hyck0n36Vm

— עמישב מלט (@amishav_) December 11, 2024

The website also detailed how the ideology of messianic soldiers is infiltrating Israel's army. Footage of reservists carrying a Torah scroll into the post they were staying at in Syria went viral across Israeli social media.

Speaking to The Hottest Place in Hell, one soldier said how, after they entered Syria, another soldier said on the radio that "he was very excited that we were here, and signed off with 'Blessed are you, sir, expanding Israel's borders.'"

"There is no gap that religion is not pushed into, but in Syria, it is simply an expression of our foothold there," the anonymous soldier told The Hottest Place in Hell.

In 2024, speculation began to abound on whether Israel's war goal wasn't just eliminating Hamas but also included establishing an empire in the Middle East, as Israeli forces headed into Lebanon and now Syria.

"Under the fog of all of this, there's this empire-building project, which is like greater Israel on steroids in a way," Shaul Magid, a Jewish Studies professor at Harvard Divinity School, told MintPress News.

The definition of Greater Israel varies, but generally, it refers to the state of Israel expanding its territory to include what proponents consider the historic land of Israel according to the Bible. Some define this as having Israeli sovereignty from the Mediterranean Sea (including Gaza) to the occupied West Bank and sometimes the Sinai Peninsula and occupied Golan Heights. Some attribute the term to envision it extending from the Euphrates to the Nile rivers.

"Mount Hermon will either become permanently or formally [occupied] in the sense that it will be considered sovereign Israeli territory," Palestinian-Dutch analyst Mouin Rabbani told MintPress News.

Rabbani explained, however, that from the state's perspective, capturing this fertile, water-rich area is less about ideology but rather about exerting pressure.

"Israel has seized the highest peak in Syria, which is very valuable for military and intelligence purposes," Rabbani said. "The main reason it's being done is not so much ideological, territorial expansion, greater Israel, and so on, but primarily in order to establish Israeli hegemony in the Middle East and particularly decisive Israeli influence over what happens next in Syria."

 

Who is behind the movement to 'settle' Syria?

The Uri Tzafon movement was established to commemorate Yisrael Socol, an Israeli soldier killed in Gaza in January 2024. Socol advocated for settlements in the besieged Gaza Strip but also dreamed of conquering Lebanon.

"Even when he went to fight the enemy in Gaza and take possession of the Gaza Strip, he knew that the entire war in the south was only a prelude to the great war in the north," Uri Tzafon's website reads. "He saw the Gaza war in the shadow of the approaching Lebanon war, and both in the shadow of the Temple Mount."

His family even engraved the following on his tombstone:  "I saw you, Gaza, in the shade of the cedars of Lebanon."

Following his death, Amos Azaria, a professor at Ariel University located in the Israeli settlement of Ariel, visited Socol's family and, through their discussions, decided to found the Uri Tzafon movement in Socol's honor.

Nachala was founded by Rabbi Moshe Levinger, a leader in Gush Emunim (Bloc of the Faithful), a messianic Jewish movement promoting the settlement of the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967. Prominent settler-activist Daniella Weiss now leads the movement. The organization made headlines in 2021 for establishing the Evyatar outpost in the northern West Bank and, in the wake of Israel's war on Gaza, has found a new target — resettling Gaza.

While Uri Tzafon is listed in Israel's Registrar of Associations, the organization hasn't filed any financial documents, given how new it is. According to a review by MintPress News, Uri Tzafon hasn't led any donation campaigns except for crowdfunding a children's book encouraging Jewish settlement in southern Lebanon.

On the other hand, Nachala is funded in a myriad of ways. The settlement movement receives money through its financial arm, Geula Titnu La'aretz (in English: "the land shall be redeemed"), a registered non-profit in Israel's Registrar of Associations, through its public benefit company, Hakupah Haleumit Lebinyan Eretz Yisrael or "The National Fund for the Building of the Land of Israel," and through donations on crowdfunding websites, Charidy and Peach.

Geula Titnu La'aretz hasn't filed annual reports with the Israeli registrar since 2021 when it received NIS 709,513 (approximately $196,000) in domestic donations. According to its recent filings, Hakupah Haleumit Lebinyan Eretz Yisrael received nearly $91,430 in 2022, with almost 40% coming from abroad.

On Charidy, donations can be made to Seu Ziona Nes Vedegel, an organization promoting Jewish settlement. According to its Israeli registrar page, it raised nearly one million dollars in donations in 2023. The name refers to a Zionist pioneering song from the early days of the Jewish settlement of Palestine, "Bear Your Banner to Zion." While little is known about Seu Ziona Nes Vedegel, it does share an address and phone number with Geula Titnu La'aretz.

MintPress News contacted Charidy and Peach on why it allows campaigns advocating for Jewish settlement in occupied territory — which is against international law — on its platforms but did not receive a response by the time of publication. Uri Tzafon and Nachala also did not respond to MintPress News' requests for an interview.

 

From military bases to 'settler outposts'

A week after Assad's fall in Syria, Israel's government approved plans to expand Israeli settlements in the occupied Golan Heights, which Israel seized during the 1967 Six-Day War. Netanyahu said he wants to double the settler population in the Golan, which currently has a settler population of approximately 30,000 concentrated in 35 settlements.

While settlement expansion in the Golan has received significant support from Israel's parliament, so too has the idea of settling Syrian land beyond the Golan.

"The State of Israel must seize a security belt against the new jihadist regime in Syria that will include the Syrian Mount Hermon and a significant area close to the border," Israeli parliamentary member Zvi Sukkot said. "The political and military price is probably lower than ever… the security benefit is enormous."

On X, Israel's Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, who is a member of Netanyahu's Likud party, wrote: "Israel must urgently renew its control over the peak of Mount Hermon and establish a new defense line based on the 1974 ceasefire line. Jihadists must not be allowed to establish themselves near our communities."

הארועים בסוריה רחוקים מלהיות סיבה למסיבה. למרות הריברנדינג של הייאת תחריר א-שאם ומנהיגה אחמד א שרע, בשורה התחתונה מרבית סוריה נמצאת כעת בשליטת ארגוני בת של אל- קאעידה ודעאש.

החדשות הטובות הן התחזקות הכורדים והרחבת שליטתם בצפון מזרח המדינה (מרחב דיר א-זור).

אופרטיבית על ישראל… pic.twitter.com/AJG3fhFrji

— עמיחי שיקלי – Amichai Chikli (@AmichaiChikli) December 8, 2024

And in June 2024, at Uri Tzafon's "First Lebanon Conference," Dr. Hagi Ben Artzi, Netanyahu's brother-in-law and Uri Tzafon member, told participants that Israel's borders should be expanded to include Syria — according to what was promised in the Bible.

"We don't want even one meter beyond the Euphrates River. We are humble. [But] what we were promised, we must conquer," Ben Artzi said.

Southern Lebanon and southern Syria have long been part of the Zionist vision of a Jewish state. In fact, Zionist leaders were in conversation with the United Kingdom and France to include these areas while working to establish a state.

"They said they need these lands to absorb hundreds of thousands of Jews from all over the world," Nizar Ayoub, founder and director of Al-Marsad, an Arab rights center in the Golan Heights, told MintPress News. "Southern Lebanon and southern Syria are very crucial for the future state of Israel."

Al-Marsad researcher Dr. Nazeh Brik pointed out that military control often serves as a prelude to eventual Israeli settlement — just as it's done in the West Bank and Golan.

"Most of the settlements began as a military base, and then it became a civilian settlement," Brik said.

Local Syrian sources say Israel has expanded beyond the buffer zone to occupy the villages of Arab al-Sudi, Shabraq, Sihyun, Nofa and the east of the town of Sayda. Israeli forces have also taken control of Syrian water sources, including the Saharan al-Julan Dam. Taking control of the water supply is part of the settlement strategy, Ayoub explained.

"Israel won't leave the new occupation area," Ayoub said. "They need new settlers to control the land and the water. So they need a new settler power to continue controlling the area." And with Uri Tzafon and Nachala, they already have Israelis ready to take up that mantle.

Feature photo | An Israeli tanks blocks a road leading to the Syrian town of Quneitra, Jan. 5, 2025. Mosa'ab Elshamy | AP

Jessica Buxbaum is a Jerusalem-based journalist for MintPress News covering Palestine, Israel, and Syria. Her work has been featured in Middle East Eye, The New Arab and Gulf News.

The post Israel Isn't Leaving Syria: Settlement Plans Signal a Permanent Land Grab appeared first on MintPress News.

3. What the Financial Press Tells Elites That Mainstream Media Won’t

The US should show it can win a nuclear war, The Answer to Terrorism? More Colonialism and The Middle East is Up for Grabs. These are all real headlines from The Wall Street Journal and illustrate how the financial press is often more direct about America's imperial ambitions than the rest of the mainstream corporate media.

This is because the market for outlets like the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, or the Financial Times is elite traders rather than the general public. As such, these publications trust their audience in a way that other big platforms simply do not. This means that they are typically a goldmine of information that cannot be found elsewhere, and they will regularly report on issues that the rest of the corporate media dare not.

As media critic Professor Noam Chomsky stated, business leaders need to be more informed than the public about what's really going on in the world. The drivel about the United States being the leader of the free world and spreading democracy is not for them. Instead, they need to know about capitalism's brutal, harsh realities to continue to reap gigantic profits from it. That is why stories such as "More money for welfare means less for the Pentagon" are published in the business press but not elsewhere.

Stay tuned to MintPress News and Behind the Headlines for more quick bites of media analysis and education.

Alan MacLeod is Senior Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent, as well as a number of academic articles. He has also contributed to FAIR.org, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, and Common Dreams.

The post What the Financial Press Tells Elites That Mainstream Media Won't appeared first on MintPress News.

4. Musk’s Favorite X Accounts Lead in Community Notes Corrections for Propaganda

Elon Musk, CEO of X (formerly Twitter), has lauded his Community Notes feature as a tool to combat fake news. Yet, despite his public commitment to accuracy, Musk has been amplifying tweets from accounts that have garnered the most Community Notes corrections—many of which are right-wing, pro-Israeli, or anti-Muslim.

On October 29, 2023, Musk announced that posts corrected by Community Notes would no longer be eligible for revenue sharing on the platform. "The idea is to maximize the incentive for accuracy over sensationalism," he declared. The concept of users fact-checking their peers to curb disinformation aimed to reduce engagement with false content. However, not only does this approach appear to have failed, but Musk's own actions seem to undermine its effectiveness.

A research article published on November 8, 2024, analyzed whether the rollout of Community Notes had significantly curtailed disinformation on X. The findings were sobering: while the system increased the number of incorrect posts flagged with fact-checks, it had little impact on curbing the spread of falsehoods. By the time corrections were applied, the damage was often already done, with sensationalist posts continuing to dominate engagement metrics.

In defense of X's community notes, this does not necessarily mean that the feature has not been received favourably. In fact, the choice of Meta to recently adopt this approach to "combating disinformation" is a testament to its superiority to prior compared to traditional fact-checking methods.

While the frequency of Community Notes on a given account should not be the sole metric for evaluating its reliability, it does offer insight into how often inaccuracies are posted. What raises concern, however, is that many of the accounts most frequently corrected by Community Notes continue to receive amplification from Elon Musk himself.

Accounts like Visegrad24, End Wokeness, Ian Miles Chong and Wall Street Mav—among the most community-noted on X—are regularly retweeted or engaged with by Musk. These accounts share common traits: a distinct political slant, the promotion of pro-Israel narratives, rhetoric about the so-called "culture war," and anti-immigrant sentiments. Musk's interaction with these accounts not only undermines the ethos of Community Notes but calls into question the platform's commitment to curbing disinformation when its CEO actively engages with the very sources that are most frequently flagged for inaccuracies.

When Elon Musk acquired Twitter in 2022 and rebranded it as X, the platform underwent an unmistakable political shift. Right-wing accounts saw a rapid increase in followers, while those linked to the Democratic Party experienced notable losses. Initially, these changes were largely attributed to a combination of liberal users leaving the platform and the restoration of previously banned accounts. Yet as time has gone on, it has become increasingly clear that the shift reflects a deliberate decision in how Musk manages the platform.

Since October 7, 2023, hundreds of accounts sharing pro-Palestinian views have been suspended. While some of these accounts were later restored, many remain banned. In contrast, pro-Israeli accounts, even those with histories of racist remarks or incitement, have faced no similar scrutiny.

Musk further escalated tensions by threatening to ban accounts using the phrase "from the river to the sea," claiming it was a call to genocide. This move appeared to echo the narrative of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who previously promoted this interpretation, even though the phrase is historically linked to Netanyahu's own Likud Party. Musk's relationship with Netanyahu, underscored by his attendance at the Prime Minister's controversial address to the U.S. Congress in 2023, has raised questions about the platform's commitment to neutrality under Musk's leadership.

Beyond his attempts to stifle certain kinds of speech, Musk's regular interaction with and promotion of accounts frequently flagged by Community Notes undermines the effectiveness of the fact-checking tool. One prominent example is Visegrad24, an account that has faced numerous scandals, particularly for its role in spreading Zionist propaganda during the Gaza war. Following the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, Visegrad24 quickly rose to prominence as the most influential social media page covering the Gaza-Israel conflict.

Visegrad24 has been embroiled in numerous disinformation controversies. Among the most notable was its promotion of the widely discredited claim that Hamas had beheaded 40 Israeli babies. Beyond this, the account engaged in calculated distortions, such as misrepresenting a video of Israeli comedian Yoni Sharon condemning Hamas, framing it as though the speaker were Palestinian. Similarly, it manipulated footage captured by Palestinian journalist Motaz Azaiza, which depicted Israeli forces firing on civilians, falsely presenting it as evidence of Hamas targeting those same individuals.

Other prominent right-wing accounts frequently interacted with by Musk include EndWokeness, Visegrad24 and RadioGenoa. Notable, those same accounts promoted the egregious lie that a Palestinian baby killed in an Israeli airstrike was a doll, a claim that the Jerusalem Post would later publish before eventually taking it down.

Feature photo | Elon Musk speaks at President-elect Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again Victory Rally at Capital One Arena," on Jan. 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. Michael Nigro | AP

Robert Inlakesh is a political analyst, journalist and documentary filmmaker currently based in London, UK. He has reported from and lived in the occupied Palestinian territories and hosts the show 'Palestine Files'. Director of 'Steal of the Century: Trump's Palestine-Israel Catastrophe'. Follow him on Twitter @falasteen47

The post Musk's Favorite X Accounts Lead in Community Notes Corrections for Propaganda appeared first on MintPress News.

5. Vijay Prashad: Hyperimperialism, the Fall of Syria and Capitalist Gangers

As 2025 begins, California is on fire. And it feels like much of the rest of the world is burning, too. From the slaughter in the Middle East to a new Cold War brewing in Asia, everywhere we look is filled with uncertainty.

At home, the California wildfires have exposed much of the true face of capitalism. From prison laborers risking their lives for pennies by fighting the blazes to massive price hikes for rents in Southern California, the U.S. is crumbling.

Yet externally, America is as aggressive as ever. Only last month, it helped force through a coup against the Assad government in Syria, and Trump has made noises about using force against Panama, Greenland, and has threatened Canada, Cuba, Venezuela and other nations in the Global South.

This is one reason why so many people around the world do not see the United States as a global leader, but as a dangerous, hyper-imperialist force hellbent on world domination. Joining us on the MintCast today to discuss the state of the world in 2025 is Vijay Prashad. Vijay is a historian, journalist and the executive director of the Tricontinental Institute, an organization seeking to build a bridge between academic production and political and social movements.

Vijay has written more than 40 books. His most recent is "On Cuba: Reflections on 70 Years of Revolution and Struggle." Co-written with Noam Chomsky, the book explores the history of Cuba since 1959, and how the island has interacted with and survived onslaughts from the U.S. empire.

In this episode, Adley and Prashad discuss the California wildfires, the toppling of the Syrian government, the situation in the Middle East, and Washington's obsession with China.

Mnar Adley is an award-winning journalist and editor and is the founder and director of MintPress News. She is also president and director of the non-profit media organization Behind the Headlines. Adley also co-hosts the MintCast podcast and is a producer and host of the video series Behind The Headlines. Contact Mnar at mnar@mintpressnews.com or follow her on Twitter at @mnarmuh.

MintPress News is a fiercely independent media company. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and subscribing to our social media channels, including YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.

Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud.

Also, check out rapper Lowkey's video interview/podcast series, The Watchdog.

The post Vijay Prashad: Hyperimperialism, the Fall of Syria and Capitalist Gangers appeared first on MintPress News.

6. The Resistance Is Not Dead, With Ghadi Francis

The coming year is promising to be a crucial one in the history of West Asia. Just weeks have passed since the ouster of Syria's Bashar al-Assad and his replacement with pro-Western leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani.

Syria was a key member of the so-called "Axis of Resistance" – a coalition of actors opposing Israel and its actions. What will Assad's departure mean for the resistance against Israel, especially given Jolani's overt friendliness with Tel Aviv? Given their new government, what is in store for Lebanon and Hezbollah now? And how about Iraq and Yemen?

To discuss all of this and more is returning guest, Ghadi Francis. Ghadi is an author, journalist, and war correspondent who has covered the situations in Syria and Palestine in great detail. Born in Lebanon, she is the author of the book "My pen and pain: One hundred days in Syria" (2012).

Last month, Ghadi joined The MintCast to discuss the fallout of Israel's attack on its neighbors. During the interview, she set her sights on the Erdoğan administration in Ankara, stating that "Türkiye is as expansionist as Israel – and it is not new!"

We lived in a nation that was called 'Greater Syria' that was occupied by the Ottomans for around 300 years. And it stretched from Lebanon to Syria to Iraq. Nineveh, Aleppo, all of that was occupied by the Ottomans. We were part of the Ottoman Empire. We were ruled by them in a dictatorship and in an occupation."

The defeat of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the First World War, she said, did not bring an end to this occupation. "When you look at the map today, southern Türkiye is nothing but northern occupied Syria. Gaziantep Diyarbakır, Mardin – these are areas that are historically Syria, not Türkiye," she added.

Despite Assad's ouster, Francis is convinced that the resistance to Israeli occupation is far from over. Today, she says, some of the most principled and committed solidarity with Palestine comes from Yemen. "God bless Yemen and the Yemeni people," she said, noting that Yemen is the most impoverished nation in the region but also the most courageous.

Yemen has faced years of Saudi-led bombing, as well as months of U.S. attacks, and yet it has stood up to those and continued to resist. "What can the Americans do?" asked Francis; "Yemen is a vast nation. They have nothing to lose, and they have everything to win," she added.

Francis recently returned from a trip to Iraq, where she was impressed by the rebirth of the country after decades of occupation. Unlike Yemen, she assessed, Iraq is not in a position to face down the might of either the U.S. or Israel. "If the Iraqis continue to resist on their own and they get attacked by the Israelis, nobody is going to protect them," she said. "So if they refrain for a while from being in active resistance operations and, rather, being a good and strong community…this itself is a great achievement."

Mnar Adley is an award-winning journalist and editor and is the founder and director of MintPress News. She is also president and director of the non-profit media organization Behind the Headlines. Adley also co-hosts the MintCast podcast and is a producer and host of the video series Behind The Headlines. Contact Mnar at mnar@mintpressnews.com or follow her on Twitter at @mnarmuh.

MintPress News is a fiercely independent media company. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and subscribing to our social media channels, including YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.

Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud.

Also, check out rapper Lowkey's video interview/podcast series, The Watchdog.

The post The Resistance Is Not Dead, With Ghadi Francis appeared first on MintPress News.

7. The Burning Questions: LA Fire Cuts vs. Billions for Israel and Ukraine

As Los Angeles battles historic wildfires, residents are demanding accountability for why the city's fire department faced budget cuts while greater disaster preparedness measures were overlooked. These frustrations have fueled questions about the prioritization of aid to Israel and Ukraine.

Just months before the wildfires ravaged the city, LA Mayor Karen Bass approved the budget for the next fiscal year, which included a $17.5 million reduction to the fire department's funding. The department's budget slashed to $819.64 million, prompted warnings from Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, who cautioned that the cuts were already impeding emergency response capabilities.

All of this comes amid a revelation that the State of California has sent approximately $610 million in taxpayer funds to Israel, making it the most significant state contributor to Israeli aid in the U.S. This disparity gained attention online after Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson suggested imposing conditions on federal disaster relief for Los Angeles.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has been a staunch advocate of unconditional aid for Israel, notably championing a $74 billion aid package in April 2024 that included $60 billion for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel, despite mounting public and congressional pressure to curtail such transfers. Specifically, the Leahy Law, named after its author, former Senator Patrick Leahy, prohibits the transfer of military aid to nations credibly accused of committing human rights abuses. In a recent Washington Post op-ed, Leahy urged that the law be applied to Israel, arguing that ongoing rights violations demand accountability and adherence to U.S. legal standards.

Mike Johnson wants to put conditions on aid to those affected by the fires in California – but didn't allow one condition on the more than $100 billion in aid we gave to Ukraine or the more than $20 billion we gave to Israel.

Once again, the American ppl come last. https://t.co/5vqKhNa8GV

— Prof Zenkus (@anthonyzenkus) January 13, 2025

In October 2024, U.S. President Joe Biden drafted a $100 billion aid package for Ukraine and Israel—a striking coincidence, as this is the same amount now proposed to confront the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. The announcement of a one-time payment of $770 to each wildfire victim by the administration has drawn mixed reactions, with some calling it a necessary gesture while others see it as woefully inadequate. This announcement came mere days after the White House informed Congress of its intention to send an additional $8 billion in military aid to Israel.

Although the aid package isn't a cash handout to Israelis, the cost of the military aid package would be the equivalent of handing each Israeli over $820. Israel is the largest recipient of U.S. aid in history, amounting to a total of over $250 billion in American taxpayers' dollars, at least $25 billion of which has been publicly disclosed to have been sent since the beginning of the war in Gaza. At a time when U.S. domestic crises demand urgent attention, the government's unwavering commitment to foreign aid for Israel continues unabated.

The concern extends beyond monetary figures. Cities across the U.S. struggle to provide safe drinking water, veterans face mounting suicides due to inadequate access to healthcare, and Los Angeles grapples with a homelessness crisis. Experts estimate that $22 billion—roughly equivalent to the aid Israel received in a year—could eliminate homelessness in LA over the course of a decade. Meanwhile, Israelis enjoy clean drinking water year-round and are even expanding their control to include six key water sources in southern Syria, in contravention of international law.

Feature photo | Locals help a firefighter stretch a hose as an apartment building burns, Jan. 8, 2025, in the Altadena section of Pasadena, Calif. Chris Pizzello | AP

Robert Inlakesh is a political analyst, journalist and documentary filmmaker currently based in London, UK. He has reported from and lived in the occupied Palestinian territories and hosts the show 'Palestine Files'. Director of 'Steal of the Century: Trump's Palestine-Israel Catastrophe'. Follow him on Twitter @falasteen47

The post The Burning Questions: LA Fire Cuts vs. Billions for Israel and Ukraine appeared first on MintPress News.

8. Sarah Adams and the Return of the Iraq War Playbook

A network of former intelligence operatives has woven itself into the fabric of right-wing alternative media, amplifying anti-Muslim scare narratives that appear aimed at countering a noted decline in conservative support for Israel since October 7, 2023. Central to this effort is Sarah Adams, a figure promoting conspiracies about a supposed Palestinian-linked Al-Qaeda plot against the West.

On December 12, 2024, Adams appeared on the Shawn Ryan Show for a two-hour interview that quickly amassed over 2.5 million views on YouTube. Shorter excerpts have gained further traction across social media platforms.

The central theme of Adams's podcast appearance is her assertion that Al-Qaeda is planning a series of large-scale attacks on civilian targets in the West, claiming the Hamas-led October 7 attack was "only the beginning." She elaborates on the alleged threats while positioning herself as a Pentagon critic, accusing the U.S. government of ignoring its own intelligence.

Throughout the interview, Adams frequently references Hamas, often in contexts where the connection seems tenuous, reinforcing the conflation of disparate narratives under a singular alarmist frame. She even attempted to connect Hamas to the 9/11 attacks, hearkening back to the days leading up to the Iraq War, when fantastic claims were made without being challenged and tenuous connections promoted as evidence of the pressing threats against Americans.

"Al-Qaeda found the building 7 conspiracy stuff fascinating," Adams claims, referencing theories that question the events surrounding the September 11 attacks. She elaborates, stating, "They [Al-Qaeda] actually had discussions on how we can do ruses and bring in the building 7 people to blame their government more. So they are actually looking at our conspiracies and targeting those people for the homeland attack. Basically, those people almost back Al-Qaeda, as 'revolutionaries' and 'rebels' and 'heroes' against our government, kind of like how the Hamas supporters do it."

A former CIA contractor, Shawn Ryan has built his own reputation for entertaining provocative and often unsubstantiated claims. Earlier in January, he interviewed another ex-intelligence officer who made another unsubstantiated and outlandish claim: that Iranian missiles had been smuggled into the United States.

The girl who told us if we question the collapse of Building 7 we are helping the Taliban is even talking shit about Gorka.pic.twitter.com/k0wmcDWOaP

— RyanMatta (@RyanMattaMedia) January 10, 2025

 

A Recycled Narrative

Both Sarah Adams and Shawn Ryan are riding a new wave of anti-Muslim frenzy reminiscent of the lead-up to so-called the first War on Terror that has taken hold across social media. Adams, a former CIA operative elevated to the status of a whistleblower, has positioned herself as a harbinger of warning for the West, claiming to expose an alleged Al-Qaeda plot with Palestinian ties.

Ryan, who recently appeared on the Joe Rogan Podcast, is a conservative, conspiracy-leaning commentator critical of the U.S. government. During his conversation with Rogan, Ryan remarked, "My podcast was started with all my former colleagues," as part of a broader point about the consensus within the military and intelligence community that the Iraq War was a disaster. The exchange caught wider attention when it was shared on X by none other than its CEO, Elon Musk.

Adams, meanwhile, has embraced her role as a self-styled whistleblower, amplifying her message on the Tudor Dixon Podcast on January 9. Dixon, a conservative commentator with frequent appearances on Fox News and Newsmax, provided another stage for Adams's alarmist claims. While her statements often veer into the explosive and outlandish, her central assertion remains consistent: that the U.S. government is ignoring the presence of thousands of Al-Qaeda militants allegedly embedded within the United States.

Former CIA intelligence expert @TPASarah: "The terrorists are already here. The plan is operational." pic.twitter.com/mbAwFROGjy

— Tudor Dixon (@TudorDixon) January 10, 2025

A former Secret Service agent, Scott Bryson, emerged suddenly in the aftermath of the New Year's Day car-ramming attack in New Orleans and the Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas, posting a video urging viewers to heed Adams's warnings. "I think it's here," Bryson concluded ominously. Though relatively unknown, Bryson recently launched a show called "Beyond the Service." His video gained traction after being shared by prominent conservative Trump supporter Juanita Broaddrick, amassing 6.8 million views on X (formerly Twitter).

"They are going to get the same October 7 attack in Europe as we're getting in the U.S.," Adams claims, pushing her conspiracy linking Hamas to a plot involving Al-Qaeda operatives planning "multi-coordinated attacks" across the West. Adams repeatedly intertwines her narrative about the alleged planned attacks with references to October 7, suggesting an alliance between Hamas and Al-Qaeda.

Adams also alleges that Al-Qaeda was aware of the October 7  attack in advance and asserts it was merely the opening act in a broader series of planned assaults against the West. She goes so far as to claim that Hamas trained in Afghanistan to prepare for its assault on Israel. These allegations are presented without evidence, and notably, even the Israeli government has not made such claims.

Adams has built a reputation on outlandish and unsubstantiated claims, including her assertion that Al-Qaeda's special forces are more advanced than the Taliban's—a claim entirely devoid of evidence. This penchant for hyperbole was on full display in a July 13, 2024, tweet, where she attempted to link Mohammed Deif, the elusive commander of Hamas's al-Qassam Brigades, to Al-Qaeda.

"Important to note—Deif was also a close associate of the now-deceased 2012 #CIAAnnex in #Benghazi mastermind #WissamBinHumaid," she wrote. "Yes, the #terrorist responsible for the deaths of our brothers Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty. Prior to his death and according to Hamas spokesman Abu Obaida Wissam was one of the top weapons suppliers to the Al-Qassem Brigades"[sic].

The assertion is, at best, an elaborate stretch. Abu Obaida, the spokesperson for the al-Qassam Brigades, never made such a statement publically, and there is no credible evidence linking him to Al-Qaeda. Deif himself remains a shadowy figure, so enigmatic that only two known photographs of him exist. Compounding the absurdity, Hamas has actively suppressed Al-Qaeda's influence in Gaza, making the purported alliance fantastical at best.

Even the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP), a bastion of neoconservative thought, and a reliable proponent of Israeli interests, doesn't partake in such dangerous speculation. WINEP, who was instrumental in manufacturing public consent for the Iraq war, has argued that Al-Qaeda has sought to exploit the Gaza crisis for propaganda purposes but stops short of claiming any partnership between Hamas and Al-Qaeda. Adams's rhetoric is more extreme than even the most hawkish think tanks. Yet, because she packages her conspiracies under the guise of government critique, she can grant her assertions a false veneer of credibility.

 

Who is Sarah Adams?

Far from being the "outsider" or ex-CIA "whistleblower" she markets herself as, Adams has a well-documented history within the U.S. government. Under the Biden administration, she worked as a Program Analyst for the Air Force, where her role focused on the Concepts, Development, and Management Office's Intelligence Systems Support Office (ISSO).

To this day, Adams remains firmly tied to government work. Given the rising skepticism among Republicans about U.S. foreign aid, with 42% believing the government is providing too much assistance to Ukraine, it is unlikely that Adams' conservative audience is aware that she not only served as Chief of Operations for the Ukraine NGO Coordination Network (UNCN) but also serves as Vice President of Ukraine Operations at Heart of an Ace Inc.

Adams's professional connections further complicate the narrative of her as an independent whistleblower. She is an advisor to Metis Analytics, a predictive geospatial intelligence company specializing in threat detection. Notably, the company's purchase page features an image of the Gaza Strip. Metis Analytics maintains a partnership with Fox2sierra, a security consulting firm headquartered in Tel Aviv, San Antonio, and New York. The firm is led by Israel "Izzy" Fried, a former Israeli soldier who has openly voiced support for Tel Aviv's ongoing war against Gaza.

Fox2sierra's activities extend to providing services to the illegal West Bank settlement of Barkan. A LinkedIn post by Fried about the firm's work in the settlement even tagged Adams. Adams is also a Senior Consultant for Wolf Global, a crisis management legal firm whose president touts recognition from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) among his accolades. Adams's affiliations paint a portrait not of a detached government critic but of an active participant in a network deeply entwined with U.S. and Israeli intelligence and security interests. Notably, despite her access to government intelligence circles, Adams provides no sources for her claims; her information is disseminated solely on the strength of her credentials. Moreover, she is propped up within a network of media personalities, nearly all of whom maintain ties to government agencies and private security firms.

Her oddly specific warnings about alleged Al-Qaeda conspiracies and the supposed number of militants involved raise important questions. If she genuinely possessed detailed intelligence about such a large-scale operation—allegedly beginning with the October 7, 2023, attack—would her public disclosures not alert the militants that their plans had already been exposed to U.S. intelligence? Such revelations seem counterintuitive if the threat were as imminent and coordinated as she claims.

The content Adams promotes appears to be strategically tailored for a conservative audience in the United States, a demographic historically more inclined to support foreign interventions when framed as responses to threats against American security. This approach mirrors the messaging seen in the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq, where fear played a central role in garnering public approval for the war.

Yet the public's trust in major media outlets has eroded significantly as their credibility and influence continue to wane. Increasingly, audiences are turning to social media platforms to find information they perceive as more reliable. The rise of X (formerly Twitter) as the top global news app reflects this shift. According to the Pew Research Center, Republicans and younger Americans are now as likely to trust social media as traditional broadcast news. Simultaneously, the Gaza war has contributed to a decline in support for Israel across the political spectrum.

Media outlets that once shaped public opinion during Washington's "War on Terror," providing legitimacy to an otherwise unpopular war, now face declining trust. Yet, their past effectiveness cannot be denied. A month before the invasion of Iraq, 83% of Republicans and 52% of Democrats supported the war. By 2019, a majority of Americans had come to believe the war was not worth waging.

There is no question that media complicity in promoting falsehoods—such as Saddam Hussein's alleged ties to al-Qaeda and supposed stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction—played a central role in generating public support for the invasion. Today, these outlets, often labeled by alternative media voices as "legacy media," no longer command the public trust they once enjoyed. Ironically, the tactics once weaponized by corporate media appear to have simply been retooled for "new media" platforms.

Feature photo |Illustration by MintPress News

Robert Inlakesh is a political analyst, journalist and documentary filmmaker currently based in London, UK. He has reported from and lived in the occupied Palestinian territories and hosts the show 'Palestine Files'. Director of 'Steal of the Century: Trump's Palestine-Israel Catastrophe'. Follow him on Twitter @falasteen47

The post Sarah Adams and the Return of the Iraq War Playbook appeared first on MintPress News.

9. Pro-ISIS Accounts Surge on Meta After Assad’s Ouster

Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government in Syria, fears of a renewed ISIS insurgency have intensified. MintPress News has uncovered that, despite Meta's previously strict policies on banning terrorism-related content, ISIS-linked accounts have been posting freely on its platforms.

Although Meta previously removed 26 million pieces of terrorism-related content—an impressive 99% of such material on its platform—MintPress News has revealed that content supporting ISIS, often referred to by its pejorative epithet 'Daesh' in the Arab world, is now flourishing on the platform. Many of these accounts are based in regions of Syria historically known as strongholds for the extremist group.

In early 2020, following the U.S. drone strike that assassinated Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)'s Quds Force, Meta's platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, swiftly began removing posts featuring images of Soleimani. Meta implemented measures to detect and block such images, preventing users from posting them altogether.

Similarly, videos commemorating the late Secretary General of Hezbollah, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, were swiftly targeted and removed by Facebook for allegedly violating the platform's guidelines. In October 2024, The Intercept revealed that Meta's Israel policy chief, Jordana Cutler—a former senior Israeli government official—had actively advocated for censoring pro-Palestine accounts across Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram.

These efforts included targeting prominent organizations like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP).

However, following the rebel offensive that overthrew Assad, there appears to be a resurgence of openly pro-ISIS content that Meta has yet to address. For instance, a pro-ISIS Facebook user posted an image of former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi held up at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. The post, which glorifies al-Baghdadi, has remained on the platform since December 22, garnering over 1,000 likes and countless supportive comments.

A series of seemingly pro-ISIS accounts have emerged, concentrated in areas such as Binish, Sarmeen, Jarablous, Manbij, Palmyra and Deir Ezzor—regions historically known as strongholds for the terrorist group. New accounts appear daily, with some prominently displaying ISIS flags as their profile pictures.

These accounts frequently post speeches by ISIS leaders, which remain active on the platform and often garner hundreds of likes and comments. These include videos of the group's fighters parading with weapons in the back of SUVs, attracting significant attention and interaction on the platform.

Notably, Facebook had previously taken significant measures to ban and censor this type of content. In July 2020, the London-based think tank Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) published a study on ISIS propaganda, highlighting Facebook's past efforts. The report revealed that, over a two-year period, Facebook removed 99% of what it classified as terrorism-related posts, amounting to approximately 26 million pieces of content.

The surge in popularity of pro-ISIS content, which has evidently followed the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's government in Syria, contrasts sharply with the relentless censorship of such material in the past. Previously, engaging with ISIS propaganda online required navigating a labyrinth of accounts that often employed cryptic language to obscure their affiliations.

The surge also comes amid numerous warnings from experts and officials, including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, about the group's attempts by ISIS and its affiliates to exploit the chaos in Syria to stage a revival. These warnings underscore the critical need for vigilance in countering extremist propaganda, yet the response from platforms like Meta has been inconsistent.

Meta recently announced plans to scrap its "fact-checker" system and replace it with "community notes," a change pitched as a step away from overt censorship. However, this shift appears to have coincided with a more lenient approach to pro-ISIS content, even as pro-Palestinian content continues to face shadow bans and restrictions.

A Syrian military analyst with direct insight into the country's security landscape, speaking on the condition of anonymity, provided MintPress with a sobering assessment of the chaos following the overthrow of Assad's government. "Weapons depots are open around the country, which many terrorist groups could easily supply themselves from," the analyst explained. "There is no real state or security apparatus here yet."

The source further revealed that there had already been a significant uptick in extremist activity over the past year, including operations by ISIS members in areas such as Eastern Hama. "The ISIS terrorists had started to make a comeback before the fall of the regime, which is why the U.S. was even launching airstrikes in territory technically held by the Syrian state last year," the analyst explained.

He added, "These people are not happy with Ahmad al-Shara'a. They believe that he sold them out, that he betrayed their cause." Ahmad al-Shara'a, Syria's new de-facto leader, only recently resumed using his given name. He was previously known as Abu-Mohammad al-Jolani, a moniker he adopted during his tenure as a leader of ISIS and later Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

To Meta's credit, Syria's myriad other militant groups, even those backed by the United States, are often flush with former ISIS fighters. This can make it difficult to differentiate between the grFor example, Jund al-Aqsa, initially an affiliate of the al-Nusra Front, was heavily populated by former ISIS members. The situation became so fraught that al-Shara'a, then leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, launched a military offensive in 2017 to crush the rebranded group in Idlib, accusing it of serving as a front for ISIS.

Even the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), close allies of the U.S. government,  were not immune to such overlaps. The SDF's "Deir Ezzor Military Council" reportedly included numerous former ISIS fighters.

There is growing chatter online about a potential ISIS resurgence during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, fueling anxiety within Syria. Such a revival could notably serve to justify the continued presence of U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria under the pretext of combating terrorism through "Operation Inherent Resolve." This could provide the U.S. with a rationale to increase its troop numbers in the region, which some experts anticipate, despite murmuring that the Trump administration may have its eye on winding down the U.S. military presence in the country.

An ISIS resurgence would also pose a significant challenge for Turkiye, which currently seeks to target the SDF in northeastern Syria. A renewed insurgency could blunt Ankara's efforts by creating additional instability, complicating its military objectives.

Following Israel's largest-ever air campaign, which decimated much of Syria's military infrastructure, the country now lacks the air power necessary to combat a potential ISIS insurgency. The power vacuum left behind has not yet been effectively addressed by the new HTS-led administration. Compounding the issue is the absence of key actors who previously countered ISIS on the ground—Russia, Iran, Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), and Hezbollah are no longer actively engaged in Syria, removing a critical layer of resistance against the extremist group. Meta, it seems, has left its own vacuum, allowing Syria's myriad extremist groups to rebuild their ranks unhindered.

Feature photo | Syrian militants take a selfie in downtown Hama, Syria, Dec. 6, 2024. Omar Albam | AP.

Robert Inlakesh is a political analyst, journalist and documentary filmmaker currently based in London, UK. He has reported from and lived in the occupied Palestinian territories and hosts the show 'Palestine Files'. Director of 'Steal of the Century: Trump's Palestine-Israel Catastrophe'. Follow him on Twitter @falasteen47

The post Pro-ISIS Accounts Surge on Meta After Assad's Ouster appeared first on MintPress News.

10. From Genocide Joe to Trump’s Israel First: What’s Next for Palestine?”

As President Biden greenlights another $8 billion in weapons to Israel in his last days in office and Secretary Blinken gives a parting New York Times interview in which he denies that a genocide is taking place in Gaza, many pro-Palestine activists are anxiously counting down the days until "Genocide Joe" and his crew exit the White House. But what will activists have to contend with under the Trump presidency?

Donald Trump proved his pro-Israel agenda in his first term by moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, supporting West Bank settlements, recognizing the Golan Heights as part of Israel, pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal and enacting the Abraham Accords to normalize relations between Israel and Arab states, while disregarding the plight of Palestinians. Recently, Trump has said that the U.S. should let Israel "finish the job," warned that there will be "all hell to pay" if the hostages aren't released by the time he takes office, and threatened to blow Iran to smithereens.

Trump has signaled his intentions this time around by the people he has selected for key positions. Mike Huckabee, his pick for U.S. ambassador to Israel, is a religious fanatic who doesn't think Israeli settlements are illegal and says, "There is no such thing as a West Bank. It's Judea and Samaria [the territory's biblical name, revived in Israeli propaganda]." He even insists there is no such thing as a Palestinian. Elise Stefanik, Trump's pick for U.S. ambassador to the UN, used her position in Congress to stifle free speech on college campuses and advocates deporting pro-Palestinian protesters who have student visas.

What about Congress? While the 118th Congress was overwhelmingly pro-Israel, the new one, with both the Senate and the House under Republican control, will be even more aggressively biased. Members want to pass a host of horrific bills that will further cement U.S. ties to the Israeli government, punish international actors that dare try to hold Israel accountable and repress the domestic movement for Palestinian rights. This legislation includes a bill that equates criticism of Israel with anti-semitism, a bill that gives the Treasury Department the power to investigate non-profit groups for links to "terrorism" and then shut them down, a bill to sanction the International Criminal Court for issuing an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu, a bill to make permanent the U.S. ban on funding the relief agency UNRWA, and a bill to cancel trade agreements with South Africa because of its genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice.

And, of course, we can't leave out the challenges posed by three powerful forces: AIPAC, Christian Zionists and military contractors. Best known is the lobby group AIPAC, which used its financial muscle in the recent elections to knock out two of the most pro-Palestinian members of Congress, Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman, leaving others terrified of becoming AIPAC targets. Lesser known but enormously influential are the tens of millions of Christian Zionists, who are driven by the radical belief that Israel is key to Jesus' return to Earth after a bloody final battle of Armageddon in which only those who accept Jesus as their savior will survive. Christian Zionists—already numerous in Congress, the White House and even the military—will be emboldened by Trump.

The third powerful lobby group is the military contractors, which has more lobbyists than members of Congress. Thanks to the $18 billion that Congress allocated for Israel in 2024, weapons stocks have soared over the past year, dramatically outperforming the major stock indexes.

But there are countervailing forces as well. The American public has become more and more sympathetic to Palestinians. A November opinion poll showed that, despite the pro-Israel bias of our government and corporate media, most Americans (63 percent) want a ceasefire, and 55 percent think the U.S. should not provide unrestricted financial and military assistance to the Israeli government.

This is especially true among young people and among Democrats. And with a Republican in the White House, more Democrats in positions of power should be willing to oppose Israel's actions since they will no longer be defying their own party's president. And it's not just Democrats. Many Trump supporters oppose U.S. involvement in overseas wars, and Trump himself, on the campaign trail, repeatedly claimed that he wants to bring peace to the Middle East.

Worldwide, more countries are not only voting for a ceasefire at the UN but taking concrete measures to hold Israel accountable. The long list of countries and parties that have either submitted or announced their intention to join South Africa's case at the International Court of Justice includes Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ireland, Jordan, Libya, Maldives, Mexico, Namibia, Nicaragua, Palestine, Spain, Türkiye and the Arab League. Countries that have either banned, limited or announced their intention to embargo arms to Israel include Italy, Spain, the UK, Canada, Belgium, The Netherlands, Türkiye, Russia and China.

In the coming year, the Palestine solidarity movement must find and expand the cracks in the pro-Israel war machine. It must strengthen the spine of Democrats who live in fear of AIPAC and reach out to Republicans who oppose funding foreign conflicts. The same arguments many Republicans make about defunding Ukraine must be applied to Israel. Activists must expand campaigns against companies supporting Israel's genocide, as well as efforts at the state, city, labor, university, faith-based and sectoral levels to condemn Israel's actions and promote divestment. The recent resolution by the American Historical Association condemning "scholasticide" is a good example.

While activists are bracing for a torrent of Trump policies that will create even more global and domestic chaos, including increased attacks on pro-Palestine organizations and individuals, the U.S. movement must be as resolute as the Palestinians themselves, who have demonstrated that, no matter what Israel does to destroy them, they remain determined to resist. The year 2025, with Donald Trump in the White House, will not be a time for despair or retreating in fear but a time for action.

Feature photo | A counter-protester shows his yarmulke and Trump hat during a pro-Palestine protest of the administration of the City University of New York's (CUNY) stance on Israel's unrelenting bombing of civilians in Gaza at the CUNY Chancellors Office on December 5, 2023 in New York City. Michael Nigro | AP

Medea Benjamin is the co-founder of CODEPINK and author of Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the US-Saudi Connection. Her new book is Inside Iran: The Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic.

The post From Genocide Joe to Trump's Israel First: What's Next for Palestine?" appeared first on MintPress News.