Tariq Ali is a writer & editor
@NewLeftReview
. He has written 25 books on history & politics, 7 novels. Winston Churchill: His Times, His Crimes is his latest.
Edward Said (suffering from a fatal cancer) throwing a stone in a symbolic gesture at the Lebanese-Israeli border in July 2000. We spoke a week later after the brouhaha that follow: 'The liberal Zionists are slandering me.' My response: 'Fuck them. Don't be put on the defensive.'
For years the IDF has attacked and killed Palestinians at leisure, their supporters chanting: 'Death to the Arabs.'
Do the oppressed Palestinians have a right to resist the non-stop aggression to which they are subjected? Only one answer: Yes!
Very sad that John Pilger has passed away.He was one of the best investigative journalists ever. I did a two-part interview with him on 'The World Today' on Telesur. Both segments are on YouTube:
Noam Chomsky once told me that the two most intelligent political leaders he had ever met were Hugo Chavez and Sayyed Nasrallah but couldn't say so in public. Given the genocide in Gaza I'm outing him! I'm sure he won't mind. Read the speech below.
NEW:
⚡ 🇱🇧The leader of Hezbollah, Sayyed Nasrallah in a speech today:
Today, in the sixth month, Netanyahu stands up to say that if we do not go to Rafah, we will lose the war.
We say to Netanyahu that even if you go to Rafah, you have lost the war and you cannot eliminate
Solidarity with the two army horses who bolted from the military barracks in London and galloped down the streets.. Unlike those who ride them and blindly obey orders, these magnificent creatures made a bid for freedom.
The joy of Brown University students in America after the university agreed to their terms, including voting to cancel the Israeli's financial investment in their university.
Very sad news. Tom Nairn, one of the UK's most gifted leftwing thinkers died yesterday, aged 90. Most of his books were published by Verso and his most coruscating essays by New Left Review. More on him will be be written by others including myself. In the meantime, read him.
Asked what I thought of the Shadow Home Secretary, David Lammy I replied: 'A sad, snivelling opportunist with the added complication that he's not the sharpest tool in a shed already filled with blunt instruments.'
We must try and get as many people as possible on tomorrow's march in London from Speakers Corner to the Israeli Embassy. 12noon at Speakers Corner or reach the Embassy by 1.30 pm. I'll be there with many others.
Zizek says "They are no less than Arabs, they are fanatical religious fundamentalists" in an attempt to describe Russian mentality on the Ukraine war. He's the softest "remove Netanyahu" liberal on the genocide in Gaza too.
I'm done with this old guy trying to cling to relevancy
Here’s an example of how it could be ended. In 1957 Israel occupied Gaza. The US president, General Eisenhower, ordered: “I want you out of Gaza.” and then said, “if you don’t get out of Gaza, we will impose sanctions against Israel”. The Israelis left.
them."
This is quite something: Richard Dawkins, undoubtedly the world's leading atheist, the author of The God Delusion, comes out as "cultural Christian" and calls for the UK to promote Christianity as opposed to Islam, which he calls "not a decent religion".
THE MAN IN THE 1968 PIC IS NOT STEPHEN HAWKING
Sad that Stephen Hawking has left us...he opposed the Vietnam war and Iraq. BUT he is not in the 1968 demo pic. Repeat NOT. An illiterate caption by the National Portrait Gallery has created this myth. Wish it was him but it isn't
@ManPalestine
Tremendous LP meeting. All MPs who were against a Ceasefire Now deserve this. Every single one of them. Don't vote for any of them. It's not just Starmer and Lammy who need a double whammy.
“Those who liked Steve McQueen's 'Small Axe' that recreates the Mangrove Trial and exposes the racism of the Notting Hill cops, biased judge, etc should think of the Assange trial. The judge is appalling;its a political show trial. Julian needs our support NOW.
They've done it before. In 1969, Ernest Mandel, popular on the German Left as Europe's leading Marxist economist was banned by Interior Minister Genscher. There were protests and ultimately the ban was lifted. This case is tied to one issue: German support for Gaza genocide.
By verbal instructions of German police
@yanisvaroufakis
was issued with a general ban on all activities „Betätigungsverbot“ apparently on orders of Interior Ministry without naming legal basis. This cannot stand!
When I wrote 'The Extreme Centre' years ago pointing out the political logic odf t capital and empire, I was criticised for using the word 'extreme' to characterise centre parties. I wish I had been wrong. Can anything be more extreme than genocide.
Harvard University professor Caroline Elkins, a leading scholar of British colonialism, details the brutal violence exacted on Kenyans who dared to resist British rule during the early reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
a Zionist asks Chomsky what he thinks about the statement that Israel should not exist, and whether he is horrified by it and thinks it's anti-Semitic and genocidal.
He responds: "Actually, I agree with that." And adds that Zionists are the actual genocidal ones.
Assange ruling not a surprise. The 'miscarriages' of justice in Britain have a long pedigree and a huge majority of senior judges (as the Irish and Muslims will tell you) are genetically bent in the political meaning of the word.
The front cover of the latest issue of the London Review of Books is strong. I can't download it, but it should be circulated. Yet again the New York Review of Books has fallen way behind, no equivalent of Shatz or Mishra. With NYT floundering its a pity the NYRB is so cautious
Am getting fed-up reading posts that Biden is appointing or thinking of appointing rogues [warmongers, corporate backers] to his administration. Everybody knew he would be the same as Clinton or Obama. So please don't feel betrayed. All that's been betrayed is your illusions.
Turkish police forces stormed the gathering of supporters of the people of Gaza, who demanded the termination of business relations between Ankara and the Israel, and arrested dozens of people.
First they came for the Corbynistas, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Corbynista.
Then they came for the STW MPs, and I did not speak out—because I was not a STW supporter.
Then they came for the ' Bad'Jews, and I did not speak out—because I wasn't a 'bad' Jew...
For the first time in over 20 years Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set for a landslide defeat in local elections…
Ekrem Imamoglu is pro-Palestinian candidate and said Turkey should show the same conviction as South Africa..
Ekrem Imamoglu said Turkey should end trade
News, unconfirmed as yet, coming through from Brazil that Bolsonaro has been removed by a military coup. It would be a supreme irony if this was the case. Bolsonaro is deranged and a liability, but the Army
Dockers in Livorno and Naples are refusing to load ships carrying weapons to Israel. Bolivian delegate at UNSC is reading out the names of the Palestinian dead.
More news from Brazil. Bolsonaro is refusing to resign but has been deprived of any real power by the military. Designated officers are ringing other South American government to alert them to this and to ignore Bolsonaro if he rings.
Interviewed on The Times radio I pointed out that that however appalling Navalny's death in an arctic prison, the case of Julian Assange was the Western equivalent, only in Julian's case it was a slow death decreed by bent English judges.
'The Debate' last night illustrates how the capitalist cancer has affected an already defective democracy. I know its 'lesser evil' time again but its very difficult to support Biden
Just as politics cannot be separated from life, life cannot be separated from politics. People who consider themselves to be non-political are no different; they've already been assimilated by the dominant political culture - they just don't feel it any more.
2/2: I hope that this consultation will be completed by early May. If the local community wants me to stand, I will do so as an independent candidate and not as a representative of any political party or any one organisation.
Am told that more than a few younger Foreign Office civil servants are resigning in disgust with the Tory/Labour consensus on Palestine. Very positive. Its a huge stress watching daily genocide, leave alone defending it.
UPDATE: German police are using extreme violence to evict the pro-Palestine camp outside the German parliament. The brutal eviction of the non-violent activists comes as police have banned the two-week-long camp with no legal basis. The activists are calling on Berliners to leave
BREAKING: YEMENI HOUTHI OFFICIAL STATEMENT
“In support of the oppressed Palestinian people and as part of the response to the American-British aggression against our country:
The Naval Forces in the Yemeni Armed Forces, with the help of Allah Almighty, launched several
Zionist barbarism. First they shoot her dead, then they attack her funeral cortege and remove Palestinian flags from the hearse. No peace for the dead in Israel.
Israeli forces storm Jerusalem hospital as coffin of slain journalist emerges
List of campus occupations has risen to 75.The latest list has 75. Unlike Occupy and BLM this marks a generational break with the crimes of Zionism and its backers in the US (its testicle states: UK and Australia) and the EU.
German police violently attacked and arrested pro-Palestinian activists in Berlin at the protest camp near the German parliament.
Police punched people in the face, strangled them, and used pepper spray. One of their victims was an anti-Zionist Jew who wanted to stop the police
They're after Haaretz now! So that a 70 percent ignorant population reaches 100 percent. I can't believe this will succeed. Haaretz can go online to shift to Yemen.
Israeli Communications Minister launches action against
@haaretzcom
for telling the information about what's happening in Gaza that the Government doesn't want its citizens to know
#OnlyDemocracy
Tories always been ruthless in dumping Prime Ministers who might lose them the next election: Thatcher, May, Johnson. Labour only ruthless in removing a Leader who poses a threat to the extreme centre: critical of NATO/ capitalism/freedom for Assange/support for trades unions...
My five-year old grandson just asked me very seriously: 'Tariq, were you alive in Victorian times?' I said, 'No, but some of my friends were.' He gave me a withering look. I was thinking of Marx, Engels and the exiles from the Paris Commune.
I would have expected slightly better from Zadie Smith. On the other hand she's been going downhill for a a few decades now and on every level. The lure of celebritydom can wipe out one's conscience or what's left of it.
Wow, Zadie Smith’s piece is embarrassingly bad. So badly written apart from anything else. What a disappointment from a novelist whose early books I liked.
Ernest who was arrested last night has been released now thanks to a short, sharp campaign waged by La fabrique and Verso and taken up by coverage in the BBC and The Guardain.The anti-terror cops were trying it on and failed. Welcome to London, Ernest.
The German state banning meetings, preventing dissent and determining which Jews are kosher and which are not. Anti-Zionist Jews Not Wanted. They can't even see the irony....there will be a reckoning one day.
🇹🇷🇮🇱 Turkey sells weapons to Israel in large quantities
According to Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), Turkey exported the following items to Israel in January 2024:
- Gunpowder
- Explosive substances
- Flammable substances
- Ammunition
- Weapons and Parts
Turkish
Why is Facebook not allowing New Left Review to boost my article on the War in Yemen? This is straightforward censorship. There have been many complaint by others as well. Is a serious alternative to Facebook possible?
The war in Ukraine is a disaster. First for all the people of that country including members of parties banned by Zelensky and for Putin whose reckless adventurism led to this chaos. NATO escalation will make matters worse. One Solution: Negotiation. Join StW march on 25 Feb.
Sanctions should be imposed on the United States by the rest of the world for continuous repression of black people by state agencies of one sort or another.
In 1981 on the eve of Mitterrand's victory in France, the French Right that if he won there would be Soviet tanks on the Concord. Today Macron's cronies are suggesting that Melenchon is Chavez. They're scared. A good sign. We're waiting. A NUPES victory would be tremendous.
The Pope has denounced NATO for provoking Ukraine war, holding it equally responsible. Should the Vatican be sanctioned? Should all Roman Catholics be boycotted? Should the liturgy be burnt or should this Pope simply be dissolved and a new one elected?
Let’s play charades- what is this protestor on the right outside my mother’s house miming after threatening to enter my bedroom? Keeping it classy, as always, PML-N…
Some Judeo-Supremacist Israelis go insane when told that Palestine children are no different from Jewish children. Their rhetoric and body language become fascist.
Not a single British MP from any party has said this...The Jordanian Queen has more understanding because she lives there. The call for an immediate ceasefire is step forward but the context must never be forgotten.
Tariq Ali: In the face of Israel's latest onslaught against Hamas in Gaza, the only option for Palestinian nationalism is to embrace a one-state solution
"People I've spoken to, a number of them long time Labour Party supporters, have actually said that they're exhausted and embarressed by the official stance that the party has taken"
People marching in Keir Starmers constituency in North London today
Michael Heseltine, my first employer after I left university (he hired me as a theatre critic for TOWN magazine) with an amazing Lenin sculpture in his back garden. Am pleased not all our chats were in vain.
The pollution levels have plummeted in all the big cities. Sky and stars visible at night. But the levels of banality have sky-rocketed. We're drowning in it.
Jordan has been a US/Israeli protectorate for many decades . Never confuse the bulk of the population with the Hashemites and other collaborators.There will be a reckoning sooner or later.
If anything this shows the seriousness of the Iranian attack because, given how embarrassing this is for Jordan's king vis à vis his own population, I'm ready to bet that only in desperate situations would he reveal he is an integral part of Israel's defense.
British psycho-torture better than its US equivalent says Judge Baraister as she refuses bail to Julian Assange. Cops harass indy journalists outside court. A sordid affair.
After waging an effective campaign targeting Starmer and gang for their craven support for Israel, Owen Jones has now resigned from the Labour Party. Tremendous news. I'm delighted. The bilious attacks by some because of previous disagreements is ridiculous and small-minded.