The main reason that
#Israel
does not have a constitution is b/c it wld have meant including an equality clause.
Such a clause would have made it hard to discriminate against non-Jewish Israelis -
#Palestinians
.
With no constitution to protect the independence of the courts,…
Large lithium field discovery in Iran to change balance of power
10% of the world's
#lithium
reserves, currently estimated at around 89 million tons, now believed to be in
#Iran
"It has the potential to buff the Iranian economy and seemingly nullify the effectiveness of the…
Translation:
"A complete lie.
I fought with them; the instructions were - shoot at anyone remaining in the area where we were fighting. They were legitimate targets, there is no doubt - no doubt.
You can say it's necessary (it's not), you can say that's how wars are won (I…
שקר מוחלט, אני לחמתי בצוק איתן, ההוראות היו - ירי על מנת, כל מי שנשאר באזור שבו אנחנו נלחמים הוא מטרה לגיטימית, יש ספק-אין ספק.
אפשר להגיד שזה הכרחי (זה לא), אפשר להגיד שככה מנצחים מלחמות (אני בספק), אבל לא צריך לשקר. אלה ההוראות פתיחה באש בעזה. כל מי שנמצא באזור הלחימה- מחבל.
Iraqi Prime Minister AbdulMahdi accuses Trump of deceiving him in order to assassinate Suleimani. Trump, according to P.M. lied about wanting a diplomatic solution in order to get Suleimani on a plane to Baghdad in the open, where he was summarily executed.
Report of what Iraqi PM said to Parliament.
Not only did
#Iraq
vote to kick us out, PM said
#Suleimani
was carrying a diplomatic response after PM had been lyingly asked by
#Trump
to mediate a toning down between
#iran
and
#SaudiArabia
. So our leaders lied to us too. Again.
Odd how polite Western Presidents are to Saudi Arabia, despite KSA's having kidnapped Lebanon's Prime Minister. Some even blame the arrest of Hariri on Iran. Had any other country done such a thing, there would be outrage.
Egypt is building a wall. News agencies ask why it isn't welcoming Gazans
No one asks why Israel hasn't allowed or built a tent city for Gazan civilians to find safety in the Negev.
It would have saved 100,000 casualties.
Why aren't journalists asking? Aren't Israelis…
Biden's California fundraiser proves his pro-Israel stand is paying off.
Haim Saban, an Israeli-American, who said "I'm a one-issue guy, and my issue is Israel", threw the party that cost up to $250,000 a seat
It was co-hosted with Casey Wasserman and Leslie Gilbert-Lurie, who…
Israeli drones suspected of attacking Iranian Oil Tanker off Syria coast, killing 3. It was bringing much needed fuel to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Syria. Over 12 tankers have been sabotaged in effort to deepen the economic hardship of Syrians
The U.S. is now the ally of Bashar al-Assad against the Turks & FSA.
Couldn't the US have saved itself & Syria 8 years of fighting & simply sided w Assad to begin with? Wouldn't U.S. have ended up in the same place strategically?
100,000s of deaths for what? A miscalculation?
Suleimani attack makes no sense for US foreign policy
1. It does not deterrent to Iran, but provokes it
2. It pushes Iraq into Iran's arms
3. Invites expulsion of U.S. forces from Iraq
4. Americans in Iraq & Lebanon now targets
5. Shows world U.S. policy not constrained by law
Dept of Homeland Sec issued order to CBP to “report” & detain anyone w Iranian heritage entering US who is deemed potentially suspicious or “adversarial,” regardless of citizenship. CBP at the Peace Arch Border Crossing has detained 60 Americans returning from concert in Canada
Why would
@CAIRNational
support sanctioning 17 million more Muslims?
The US
#Sanctions
are designed to keep
#Syria
in ruins and to stop reconstruction of the country, and stop foreign investment.
There is no U.S. plan to get rid of Assad or his security state.
This bill…
Especially after the Afghanistan debacle, Washington should not abandon the Kurds of
#Syria
Writes Henry Barkey
The U.S. is sending a bad message to allies and foes in the region. The U.S. shld not have to cower in front of Turkey
Turkish occupation of Afrin four years on
Ethnic cleansing
310,000 civilians, 56% of the canton’s indigenous population, fled their land and homes.
Their properties have been taken over by FSA factions.
Lavrov accuses U.S. of double standards over Golan Heights and the Donbas region of
#Ukraine
He quoted U.S. Sec. of State Blinken, who said that Israel's occupation of the Golan Heights is appropriate & that international law is not.
#Syria
via…
UK gov contractor called InCoStrat boasted of building a massive “network of over 1600 journalists and key influencers with an interest in
#Syria
.”
It claimed responsibility for creating the Syria narrative: "ISIS & Assad - two sides of the same coin"
The Gaza war is stirring up every radical movement across the Middle East.
Its recruitment potential against the US and Israel is enormous & will have repercussions for decades.
Bin Laden insisted that his notion to destroy the World Trade Center in 2001 first came to him as…
Following Abu Ali al-Askari post on Telegram saying Iraqis prepared to arm "the Islamic Resistance in Jordan" against Israel, "Iraqi resistance sources" tell
@AlakhbarNews
'
@fakar_fathel
that Iraqi factions have already connected with Jordanian resistance:
US should have left Syria & Iraq long ago
Washington's effort to keep its forces safe in vulnerable desert bases for a mission that has long since passed its expiration date is an invitation for disaster.
By
@joshua_landis
Turkey attacks tourist area near Dohuk, Iraq killing 8.
3 women and a baby among dead. More than 20 people wounded.
Turkey launched 1,200 airstrikes on northern Iraq in 2021 alone.
Turkey says it wants to invade Syria to kill YPG affiliated Kurds
Thanks for bringing Democracy to Syria - or for that matter Iraq and Libya. The interventions you championed & continue to champion made the human rights situation worse. American involvement in Syria exacerbated and prolonged human suffering.
If this program was meant to convince the world to care about the Syrian people’s struggle for dignity and Assad’s mass atrocities, it appears to have failed. Your side, Assad’s side, prevailed anyway.
Turkey kills 15 Kurds in Northeast Syria in continuing drone strikes.
The U.S., which has some 2000 personnel to protect the region and support local forces doesn't seem to complain.
The Israelis are Overdoing It - and expansionist
Charles de Gaulle on the 1967 War -
in Julian Jackson's biography: De Gaulle
"While trying to hold the ring between Israel and her Arab neighbours, [de Gualle] became genuinely concerned that Israel harboured ambitions to expand…
When Shulamit Aloni pushed for a constitution in the 1970 & 1980ss to win equal rights for women in
#Israel
, P.M. Begin explained to her that Israel could not have an equality clause due to the need to keep a two-tiered legal system & Israel a Jewish state rather than one simply…
US policy toward the Kurds of Syria has created the worst of all worlds. The return of Syrian sovereignty over N.E. Syria offers the only longterm protector for Kurds.
By preventing a deal b/n Kurds & Syrian Gov, the US may allow Turkish ethnic cleansing.
-150,000 Yemenis have starved to death.
-Nearly half of all Yemeni children suffer stunted growth because of malnutrition
-100,000 have been killed by weapons
-80% of Yemenis, over 26 million, are in need of humanitarian assistance
-Famine is weapon of war
By Catherine Shakdam
Sanctions are stupid US policy.
Those who argue that sanctions are better than war are disingenuous.
Sanctions are simply another form of war - one guaranteed to hurt the poorest & most vulnerable - children - rather than combatants or the ruling elite.
It’s naive to think the
#CaesarAct
will pressure Assad into making concessions and turn
#Syria
into a US-friendly country. It’s far more likely to transform Syria into a Levantine version of North Korea that’s under even more Iranian influence. How does this advance US interests?
The US government continues to supply terrorists in
#Syria
with weapons from my country
#Bulgaria
and from
#Serbia
. The new arms supplies are to be diverted to the Middle East via
#Croatia
by a special USSOCOM unit Task Force Smoking Gun
New whistleblower slams OPCW's "abhorrent mistreatment" of Douma investigators, who concluded that the gas cylinders were likely “manually placed” rather than being dropped by air – a finding that suggests the attack was staged on the ground by militants.
Bombing Outside Afghan Shia Girls School Kills at Least 30
Boy holds a backpack he said belonged to his sister. It was found amid the debris at the blast.
Tony Blinken "Biden's closest Foreign Policy advisor"
- Iraq War was good idea that was badly executed
- Syria War failed b/c US didn't do enough
- NATO expansion around Russia was a good idea
Grading the Blob: At
@NonzeroNews
we’re handing out report cards to prospective members of Biden’s foreign policy team. We begin with Tony Blinken, probably Biden’s closest FP adviser.
The US will surely view the killing of Sulaymani as justice well served. But it should be remembered that many Iraqis view Sulaymani as a hero. He helped defend them and organize their forces against ISIS in a time of confusion and weakness.
The news out of Iraq is a measure of justice done but with unknowable consequences. We need to protect our people throughout the Middle East and presume a war posture. We must also reinforce our position in Iraq and maintain our coalition presence. Mitigate boomerang risks.
With each passing day, the contrast between the reaction to the Khashoggi disappearance and the 3+ years of hellish bombing & starving of Yemenis feels more & more dystopic to me
I'm not exactly shocked, just surprised the media & officials can carry on with it like it's normal
No one is asking the US to "normalize" relations with Syria or open its Emb
They are asking the US to stop imposing sanctions on other countries that trade with Syria.
By prohibiting others from doing business in Syria, the US is keeping all Syrians poor & from advancing.
Is the
@WashInstitute
proud of starving Syrians?
“U.S. sanctions have dramatically increased economic pressure on Assad and have helped lead to a roughly 250% decrease in the exchange rate that has exacerbated fuel & food shortages for everyday Syrians.”
Top Biden advisor says Democrats will continue Trump's policy in Syria.
Tony Blinken says Biden would:
- Keep US troops in Syria
- Deny Assad oil
- Keep Idlib for rebels
- Refuse to negotiate w Damascus until US "effectuates more positive outcome"
Syrians may finally get some needed relief from frequent Israeli bombing raids that have killed scores of Syrians.
China will provide
#Syria
w advanced communications equipment. Russia will provide S300 anti-aircraft missiles.
Russia establishes armored escorts for ships bringing vital humanitarian supplies of wheat & oil to Syria.
They prevent the US & Israeli from impounding or sabotaging supplies so important to the survival of the Syrian people
@TheArabSource
A group of Christian churches in the Middle East called for an end to international sanctions against Syria to allow aid to seamlessly enter the country.
"We urge the immediate lifting of sanctions so they may not turn into a crime against humanity.”
The Dutch House of Representatives decided to form an independent commission to investigate possible war crimes of Syrian rebel groups that had been supported by their government and Turkey, but Turkey is blocking the investigation.
Syrian Doctor Smuggles Lifesaving Equipment into his country
Why?
US sanctions made it impossible to keep only CT Scanner working in city of 100,000
Heart-breaking story by
@blaise_malleyab
a . .
about deadly effects of ill-conceived US policy.
The Saudi led Coalition has killed "at least 91,600 Yemenis, excluding those killed by starvation and cholera" in Yemen.
According to Armed Conflict Location Event Data Project (ACLED) - by
@behmash
@AJENews
Former Iraqi PM Al-Maliki: We Would Have Sent The Iraqi Army To Fight In Syria If It Were Needed To Prevent The Fall Of The Al-Assad Regime
If Assad were to fall, an invasion by Al-Nusra, Al-Qaeda & others into Iraq, Lebanon, & Jordan would have ensued
The only intellectual laziness is yours. To think that when people protest their government, the US should send weapons, fire up the propaganda machines, & overturn governments. This policy did not bring good gov & justice. I can see making the mistake once, but three times?
@joshua_landis
It’s so intellectually lazy to group Syria Iraq & Libya together as US interventions. Or maybe it’s a deliberate way to ignore that the Syrian people ON THEIR OWN protested for basic rights and were attacked by Assad in the streets. And why do you ignore Assad’s mass atrocities?
Amazing.
Indiana University Cancels art exhibit for Palestinian Painter Samia Halaby because she wished Palestinians to be free.
She is a Yale professor of art.
–
In 2012, Erdogan asked al Assad to put Muslim Brothers into his Cabinet. When al Assad refused, the former minister said, Erdogan made clear that he would back all efforts to remove the president and replace him with Islamists.
By
@CharlesMGlass
7 Yemenis sue US defense officials and companies for responsibility in murdering civilians in
#Yemen
by selling their weapons to
#Saudiarabia
If car manufacturer can be sued for killing people, why can't Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and General Dynamics?
Your defense is to accuse me of supporting Assad, which is false. It would be like me asserting that you support al-Qaida & ISIS to rule Syria. I am sure you don't, but that wld have been the outcome of your policy. It is incumbent on us, as Americans, to stop this failed policy
If this program was meant to convince the world to care about the Syrian people’s struggle for dignity and Assad’s mass atrocities, it appears to have failed. Your side, Assad’s side, prevailed anyway.
1/9 The only element missing in
@aaronjmate
's excellent article on how the US partnered with al-Qaida in Syria is the CIA's strategy
Two interviews explain CIA strategy. It was to force Assad's exit without destroying the Syrian military.
ISIS Caliph Killed by US in Syria
Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi blew himself up as American troops approached, killing his family including 6 children & 4 women.
He was in Atmeh, Idlib, and area controlled by Turkey & HTS.
via
@WSJ
The real importance of France & Germany going to Turkey to meet Putin & Erdogan is that they are effectively hiving off from the US by joining the Astana process. They are breaking boycott of
#Syria
, while preserving the "need for elections" talking point. (see thread)
Good for Tulsi Gabbard to introduce legislation pointing out that it is illigal for the US to take Syria’s oil. Amazing no Democrat’s will Co-sponsor via
@AlMonitor
Shia are infidels - according to Senior Ulema Council of Saudi Arabia
Fatwa issued by Saleh al-Luhaidan, a “dominant” member of the Senior Ulema Council in KSA. He and Saleh al-Fawzan announced that any who doubt Shia are infidels are themselves infidels.
U.S. sanctions target efforts to rebuild Syria's electric grid.
This has cascading harm on civilian life - usually hurting the most vulnerable, women & children, the most
The UN has just put the gory details into a report for those who remain convinced sanctions will do good.
Informative paper by
@UNDPsyria
on how Syria’s electricity shortages have cascading harmful effects on civilian life by undermining food production, water and sanitation, the health sector, aid operations, etc.
The top 0.1% of taxpayers—about 170,000 families in the US,, 330 million people—control 20% of American wealth, the highest share since 1929. The top 1% control 39% of U.S. wealth, and the bottom 90% have only 26%. The bottom half of Americans combined have a negative net worth.
The Iranian Scientists that Israel has killed.
Five Iranian nuclear scientists and wounded another.
Israeli agents have also killed the Iranian general in charge of missile development and 16 members of his team.
22 in all
Blinken's statement cannot conceal the meanness of US policy.
The US prolonged the civil war at a level determined to keep the opposition alive but unsuccessful. It is now sanctioning Syrian children and denying them oil and wheat from their own land.
When I think of the suffering of the Syrian people, including Syrian children, I think of my own two children. How could we not take action to help them? Our common humanity demands it. Shame on us if we don't.
Erdogan goes on attack in Syria since winning elections
52 Kurds killed or wounded in 15 attacks by Turkish drones in north and east Syria in only 12 days. Unprecedented
.
Ironically, the offloading of Iran's oil in Texas begins on the 70th anniv. of the US overthrow of Iran's democratically elected government led by M. Mosaddegh
US companies were given 40% of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company for help
1951 sanctions earned a bigger bonanza for US
US helped arrange a secret deal in Raqqa that let over 4,000 ISIS people, including foreign militants, escape. BBC uncovers the details and speaks to the drivers who thought only a few hundred would be involved. Many have been smuggled into turkey & beyond
You are being Intentionally perverse
@Charles_Lister
This is about the US pursuing a destructive policy toward Syrians. When Damascus moved to take the oil fields from ISIS in 2017, the US stopped it. Why? To gain leverage & deny Syria the ability to reconstruct. To what end?
Just in case the tweets are deleted, here they are...
More broadly,
#Assad
's regime lost control of almost all its oil in 2014 -- 3yrs before this 'game-changing' moment cited from 2017.
In truth,
@joshua_landis
& George Saghir are making a political, not analytical statement.
Israel, in an effort to ignite war between Palestinian & Christian Lebanese in the fall of 1981, set off car bombs in Beirut killing over 300 civilians.
Preparation for Israel’s invasion of Lebanon during the summer of 1982.
Oct 2, 1981: NYT Front Page: "Bomb at PLO Office Kills 50"
Car bomb in crowded Beirut street. Mysterious terrorist group, the FLLF, claims responsibility. Over 2 weeks FLLF bombs killed 100s of civilians in one of deadliest False Flag
#terrorist
campaigns ever 1/
THREAD
US Passes Bill to extend Sanctions on Syria until 2032
“Congress is sending a message that it remains committed to justice for the Syrian people."
Chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee Mike McCaul said.
Mr Ghanem adds “If Caesar is allowed to expire, then it will…
It’s time to withdraw from Afghanistan
The US-backed government now controls only 33% of Afghanistan’s 407 districts. The rest are up for grabs (46%) or under Taliban rule (19%).
Situation today is worse than at any time since US occupied Afghanistan
How the CIA planned to arm the Syrian opposition militias enough to force out Assad, but not enough to destroy the Syrian Arab Army.
The CIA believed the SAA had to remain strong enough to kill jihadists and eventually destroy the Syrian opposition after Assad's departure.
1/9 The only element missing in
@aaronjmate
's excellent article on how the US partnered with al-Qaida in Syria is the CIA's strategy
Two interviews explain CIA strategy. It was to force Assad's exit without destroying the Syrian military.
US begins offloading Iran oil worth $56 million at Texas port after seizing
#Iran
’s tanker.
U.S. senators said the money could go toward the U.S. Victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Qatar 'funneled millions to al-Qaeda-linked terrorists in Syria'
According to court papers, the Qatari state - acting in
league w Muslim Brothers - conspired to 'actively support and facilitate' Nusra Front terrorists as they fought in Syria
Top Israeli official Ron Dermer yelled at Bliken and Sullivan over Rafah invasion in effort to intimidate them, knowing that they cannot show light between US & Israel.
via
@nbcnews
@2emmapeel
You are right that some countries, such as Great Britain, do not have constitutions, but you are wrong that this means that Ben Gurion and others did not work against the ideal of a constitution because they believed it might jeopardize turning
#Isreal
into a Jewish state.
Ukraine’s foreign legion volunteers sign indefinite contracts fo $250 a month.
Co-ordinators explained that volunteers would fight on the frontline after 3 to 5 days’ training.
UN expert: crippling US sanctions on Syria are illegal and hurting civilians
Compelling testimony on the harm Syria Sanctions are doing to ordinary Syrians in this hard hitting
@aaronjmate
interview with UN official Alena Douhan
via
@TheGrayzoneNews
Wrong. U.S. sanctions are not targeted to hurt Assad. They are targeted to hurt ordinary Syrians & ruin the economy.
As Joel Rayburn, explained, US sanctions immiserate average Syrians because the Caesar Act "lowered the bar" for imposing them.
"With sanctions, oftentimes there…
@joshua_landis
@Harbpeace
Sanctions is on individuals like Assad and the other war criminals not on Syria. Shame to mislead the readers by generalising the the case. The sanctions does not stop importing food or any necessities for the Syrian people.
Washington has lifted sanctions on
#Syria
for 6 months, which is appreciated.
People need to be able to send money to loved ones.
Now
#OFAC
should list banks that will transfer money to
#Syria
People want to help. Help us help loved ones.
Hospital director says any person moving within hospital compound is being attacked by Israeli snipers: “One member of medical crew who tried to reach the incubator to lend a helping hand to the babies born inside was shot and killed. We lost a baby in the incubator, we also lost…
Fine thread by
@aaronjmate
who takes on
@joshrogin
on Syria
Reviews the damage done by US. It was bad enough that Syrian demands for reform turned into a brutal civil war. But by pumping in arms, money & training, western & regional gov's multiplied the devastation & suffering
@joshrogin
@joshua_landis
Josh, it's incredible that you to try to lecture about Syria when you are an open supporter of the proxy war that caused the atrocities. Luckily there are other Americans more aware of the facts, or more willing to acknowledge them. Listen to Joe Biden:
Kashoggi = "Khashoq" (خاشق) in Ottoman means spoon. The "gi" means the person who spoons up the food. The "spooner" in Ottoman times was an important figure at the court. In Syria, "Khashoq" still means spoon. See the خاشقجي leading the caldrons to feed Janissaries.
President Lincoln killed 700,000 of his own citizens in order to prevent partition of USA. 55,000 US prisoners died in captivity during civil war. It was as brutal as Syria's. Fortunately, neither side had an air force. But same effort to starve enemy into surrender was made
@joshua_landis
The important focus is Syria. A partition will only result in permanent war and defeat for all sides. Imagine if the USA was partitioned as a result of our Civil War. Kurd
US sanctions target the rebuilding of Syria's electricity grid & power plants.
Any foreign company that supplies parts or expertise to restore Syria's electricity is also targeted.
Add to this, the US retention of most of Syria's oil & gas wells. All contributing factors.
WHO Sends Supplies to Syria to Deal with Cholera Outbreak
30% of hospitals sometimes do not function because of a “lack of electricity, which pushes them to use generators, which is not sustainable.
Erdoğan to Greece:
"We have only one sentence for Greece: Don't forget Izmir!
Occupying the islands doesn't bind us, we will do what is necessary when the time comes. As we say, we can come suddenly one night.”
Burning of Smyrna (Izmir) in 1922
U.S. to spend ½ bil dollars per year to discredit China’s Belt & Road Initiative in developing world.
Biden to prevent U.N. recognition of the BRI as a "global good," rather will paint it as a “malign influence” & “predatory econ practice”
Sad day 4 US
Europeans embrace Trump's bellicosity on Iran.
They agree to impose sanctions on the imperiled Persians to avoid US imposition of 25% automobile tariffs. All pretense of European independence or principled stand for diplomacy jettisoned for dollars.
My take on
#Syria
normalization
“An elephant like America can ruin a country like Iraq, leave Libya in chaos, or pulverize Afghanistan. It can promise democracy & to improve human rights, while doing the opposite
Eventually, people get tired of failure & try something different