Puppet MastersS


Handcuffs

ICC Chief Prosecutor launches probe into Israeli war crimes

Netanyahu  Aviv Kochavi
© AFPIsraeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R), accompanied by military chief of staff Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi (L), visits a military base near Petah Tikva on January 30 2019.
A recent decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to launch a full investigation into war crimes in Palestinian territories has raised alarm among current and former Israeli officials and military personnel, who may face global arrest warrants as a result of the probe.

Israel's Channel 12 TV reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with ministers of military affairs, army chiefs, low-ranking soldiers and the heads of the Shin Bet security service in the past five years could all be vulnerable to international prosecution.

Israel is not expected to cooperate with the ICC's pre-trial chamber in the coming 120 days.

"There will be no cooperation with the court... certainly not if it will eventually be decided to open an official probe," Channel 12 cited diplomatic sources as saying.

Snakes in Suits

'This IS the scandal': Dan Bongino explains how John Brennan's office became ground zero in the Russian collusion scandal

John Brennan
© Caricature by DonkeyHotey flic.kr/p/Ct4G4K https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
On Thursday night, just as Fox News was airing Martha MacCallum's interview with Attorney General William Barr, the New York Times reported that U.S. Attorney John Durham had requested former CIA Director John Brennan's communications records. This included all emails, texts and call logs from his time at the CIA. The Times' sources also told them that Durham's team was said to be "scrutininizing" Brennan's Congressional testimony. Many believe he's perjured himself. This is a major development and it hasn't received the attention it deserves.

Durham's probe, as we all know, shifted into a criminal investigation in October. In a special counsel or an independent counsel investigation, when the work is done, the team prepares a report of their findings. In a criminal investigation, when the team accumulates sufficient and convincing evidence of a crime, an indictment is made. Former assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew McCarthy told Fox on Friday that we should be waiting for indictments from the Durham team, rather than a report. He said that "in a criminal investigation, you don't get a report unless there are no indictments."

Washington attorney Sidney Powell, who is currently representing General Michael Flynn, said the same thing recently in an appearance on Lou Dobb's show.

Snakes in Suits

Macron visits French troops in Ivory Coast on visit to 'boost fight against Islamists'

Macron
© Luc Gnago, ReutersScreenshot: French President Emmanuel Macron and Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara pictured at the airport in Abidjan on December 20, 2019.
French President Emmanuel Macron is on a visit to Ivory Coast where he visited French troops and held talks with President Alassane Ouattara aimed at strengthening cooperation against Islamist militants in the region.

Macron arrived in Ivory Coast on Friday to celebrate an early Christmas with French troops, saying Paris would work to give "new force" to the regional fight against Islamist militants. Macron and his wife Brigitte were met at the airport by his Ivorian counterpart, Alassane Ouattara.

The jihadist insurgency in several poor Sahel nations is a top item on Macron's agenda in 48-hour stay in the region where attacks have spread since the Islamist militancy began seven years ago in Mali.

Comment: It's likely no coincidence that terrorism rears its ugly head where the Western powers (and their allies) are looking to do 'business':


Bizarro Earth

FISA court refuses review of FBI deception

Submitted by anonymous attorney and journalist Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog), emphasis ours
This week, Presiding Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) Judge Rosemary Collyer, released two stern Orders taking the FBI to task for its repeated failures, omissions, and misrepresentations in its application and subsequent renewals to surveil Carter Page.
FBI employee
And while one FBI employee has received a criminal referral for doctoring evidence in the scheme to defraud the court, key players with oversight responsibilities - under penalty of perjury - have been given a pass.

Judge Collyer's December 17, 2019 Order, written after the publication of Inspector General Michael Horowitz's long-awaited report on FISA abuse, emphasized the role the FBI plays when it makes its assessment on whether probable cause exists to a warrant. In particular, FISC requires the FBI agent swearing to the application fully and accurately provide "information in its possession that is material to whether probable cause exists."

Comment: See also: British spy Chris Steele to meet with US officials regarding dodgy dossier


Yoda

Muslim unrest in India: Modi defends his controversial citizenship changes

The National Register of Citizens (NRC) - meant to weed out illegal migrants from the country - was rolled out in Assam earlier this year
Narendra Modi
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act makes religion the test of citizenship in India for the first time
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today denied that there were any detention centres in India, and implied that the nationwide rollout of citizens' list -- a matter referred to repeatedly by his home minister Amit Shah -- may not be happening. The Congress and the "urban Naxals", he said, were spreading rumours and brainwashing anyone unclear about it.

"The Congress and its allies - some urban Naxals -- are spreading rumors that all Muslims will be sent to detention centers... Neither is anybody sending the country's Muslims to detention centres nor are there any detention centres in India... The Muslims of India don't need to worry at all. The CAB and the NRC will not apply to the Muslims of the country," PM Modi said at a mega rally at Ramlila Maidan, meant to launch the BJP's campaign for the assembly elections in Delhi.

"I want to tell the 130 crore citizens of India that since my government has come to power, since 2014, there has been no discussion on NRC anywhere. Only after the Supreme Court's order, this exercise was done for Assam," he said in his 97-minute speech, most of it devoted to the NRC and the new citizenship law, protests against which are being held across the country.

Comment: This is a crisis manufactured by opposition parties including Congress, who lost the May 2019 parliamentary elections.




Blackbox

Congress leaves impeachment up in the air until January

US Congress building
© Eric Thayer / Reuters
Lawyers for President Trump on Friday quietly scoped out the Senate, seeking possible locations for the trial that will weigh two articles impeaching the president for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

But the timing of the trial, or whether one will take place, has been left in limbo for the next several weeks because of partisan fighting over witnesses.

Republicans and Democrats aren't going to resolve immediately when, or if, the Senate will hold a trial to consider the articles, which leaves the president's fate dangling until at least early January.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Friday he doesn't have immediate plans to meet with his Democratic counterpart, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, to try to reach a compromise on major differences in how each party wants to set the terms governing a trial.

The Senate and House are not scheduled to return for votes until Jan. 6 and 7, respectively, so any resolution will likely have to wait until well after the holidays.

Comment: See also:


Snakes in Suits

US envoy to Germany claims Nord Stream 2 sanctions "extremely PRO-european" despite Berlin & EU criticism

Merkel  Grenell
© REUTERS/Axel SchmidtGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel receives the ambassador of U.S. to Germany, Richard Grenell, in Meseberg, Germany July 6, 2018.
US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell says the new sanctions aimed at derailing the construction of the German-Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline are beneficial to Europe, while chiding Berlin for not being "pro-Europe" enough.

Grenell, who has courted controversy in Germany with his frequent attempts to meddle in Berlin's sovereign matters, said in an interview with Bild and AP that he was swamped with messages of gratitude from European diplomats after US President Donald Trump signed a defense spending bill envisioning biting sanctions on the companies involved in the construction of the $11 billion pipeline.

"I've been hearing all day from European diplomats thanking me for taking this action," Grenell said, claiming that the decision was made at the behest of Washington's "European partners" who, he said, were begging for the US to "support them in their efforts."

Comment: RT reports further:
Nord Stream 2 will be completed regardless of threats from US, as Europeans 'feel humiliated' - FM Lavrov

The pipeline "will come true anyway, despite all these threats," as will the TurkStream - another project on the radar of US lawmakers - he added.

"First, I am confident that Europeans understand their commercial interest. Second, their interest in terms of ensuring long-term energy security. Third, of course, they have been humiliated."

"Our European partners still keep their self-esteem," Lavrov believes.

Germany, one of the main stakeholders in the project, has fiercely resisted US sanctions, referring to them as "interference in our domestic affairs," while the EU says that companies doing business legally shouldn't suffer any pressure.

Also this week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the 'Defending American Security from Kremlin Aggression Act', which targets Russian banks, the cyber sector, and the country's sovereign debt. It was called the "sanctions bill from hell" by its sponsor, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who explained that it is aimed at imposing broad penalties.

If the sanctions come into force, they won't be left unanswered, the Russian foreign minister promised.

"We will respond to sanctions, but in such a way that we do not harm ourselves. But we will respond for sure."


Still, it is difficult to understand what encourages lawmakers to back the avalanche of sanctions, Lavrov said.

"This is very difficult to understand, because I knew most of these congressmen, members of the House, senators, especially the Democratic Party, either through someone or in person. I never thought that these politicians could get to decisions that don't do credit to serious statesmen."
It's perhaps because they're not making the decisions.

See also:


X

Nordstream sanctions, the sad coda to US foreign policy

NS2 pipeline
© Centre for European ReformNord Stream 2 gas pipeline
The U.S. crossed the Rubicon this week. And I'm not talking about the ridiculous impeachment of President Trump for doing his job.

I'm talking about passing the NDAA with provisions to sanction 'from hell' anyone associated with completion of the Nordstream 2 pipeline. The U.S. is now openly dismissive as a matter of law any ally or partner who engages in economic activity it disapproves of.

We do this all the time with countries we consider rivals or who have committed 'human rights abuses' or contravened international laws or societal norms.

But this is about a simple commercial transaction. Yes, it has geopolitical implications, but those are secondary. No one will be harmed by Nordstream 2, The real harm is to the U.S.'s ability to bring political pressure on European countries to adopt its anti-Russian policies.

Comment: See also:


Bullseye

Bully at work: Firm laying Nord Stream 2 pipeline halts activity faced with 'crushing' US sanctions

Allseas
© Reuters/Stine JacobsenAllseas' deep sea pipe laying ship Solitaire lays pipes for Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the Baltic Sea September 13, 2019.
Allseas, a Swiss-Dutch company laying the Nord Stream 2 pipeline off the Danish coast, has announced it is suspending its work and will pull out of the project after being faced with an avalanche of sanctions by the US.

The company, which operates two vessels installing deep-sea pipes for Nord Stream 2 on the bottom of the Baltic Sea, released its statement just before US President Donald Trump signed the mammoth 2020 National Defense Authorization Act into law on Friday night. The bill targets companies involved in the construction of the pipeline, giving them 30 days to wind down all operations unless they want to bear the brunt of crippling US sanctions.

"In anticipation of the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Allseas has suspended its Nord Stream 2 pipelay activities," the company said, adding that it would phase out its operations "consistent with the legislation's wind down provision" and would heed all recommendations from US authorities.

The sanctions would see Washington revoke US visas and freeze American properties owned by anyone who violates the law and sticks to their contract to work on the pipeline.

Comment: RT,21/12/2019: 'Sanctions just a hiccup', US knows it but can't bear the thought
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is going to be completed despite the latest US sanctions, former US diplomat Jim Jatras told RT, adding that the last-ditch attempt to derail its launch is a gesture of despair by Washington.

"Nord Stream 2 will be completed. I think that this latest round of sanctions and this cessation of workers is a hiccup. It will be finished and will go into operation."

The diplomat argued that the last-ditch attempt by the US to put a spanner in the works means that the Washington establishment "cannot admit that their policy is failed. We have only one reality - that is Russia is bad, and this thing that connects Russia to Europe is bad too. We must do whatever we can to stop it, and if we cannot stop it then just make life difficult for everyone. Is this a voice of a friend who is saying we want partnership with Europe, we want to have best relationship we can with Europe? Or is this a voice of a master, who dictates to other countries as though they were vassal states or satellites?

Regarding the European business community: "I hope they're waking up, smelling the coffee and seeing where their interest lies."
RT, 21/12/2019: European Commission: EU companies legally doing business mustn't be targeted by sanctions
"At the moment, the [European] Commission is studying the potential impact of these measures on European companies." Brussels opposes sanctions that affect European firms doing business according to the law, the official stressed.

The EU had made sure that the pipeline project was functioning "in a transparent and non-discriminatory" way - and these directives have been acknowledged by the US itself. Russia and Germany, two major stakeholders of the Nord Stream 2, have previously denounced the sanctions as well.
RT,21/12/2019: Germany fumes 'Interference in domestic affairs'
Germany "has noticed with regret that the sanctions initiated by the US Congress against Nord Stream2 and Turkstream [pipelines] came into force after being signed by the US president," deputy government spokesperson Ulrike Demmer tweeted on Saturday. "The federal government rejects such extraterritorial sanctions. They affect German and European companies and represent interference in our domestic affairs."

Berlin has been consistently opposed to the sanctions, with some politicians even calling for an in-kind response and a ban on imports of American liquefied natural gas to Germany.
RT,21/12/2019: Moscow slams Nord Stream 2 sanctions, hinders economic growth
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova lashed out at the US' crippling sanctions regarding the pipeline this Friday.

"A state with a $22-trillion national debt prohibits creditworthy countries to develop the real sector of their economies!" she wrote in a Facebook post, adding that the "American ideology of living on loan has not withstood global competition. They will soon demand we stop breathing immediately. And many will obey, after all."

Russia "has implemented, and will continue to implement, its economic projects regardless of any sanctions," but the whole affair will show whether European countries are ready to sacrifice their own energy interests for those of the US, the Foreign Ministry added later in a statement.



Star of David

Netanyahu claims the ICC is a 'weapon in political war against Israel' for war crimes probe

PalestinianSlingshot
© Reuters/Ibraheem Abu MustafaThe deadly slingshot...
Fatou Bensouda, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, on Friday announced that she would start an investigation into Palestinian claims that Israel had committed war crimes in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has lambasted the decision by the world's highest criminal court to probe alleged war crimes in the Palestinian territories. Speaking to cabinet ministers on Sunday, Netanyahu, quoted by Ynet news, claimed the International Criminal Court (ICC):
"finally became a weapon in the political war against the State of Israel. Who are they accusing here? Iran? Turkey? Syria? No - Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East. This is terrible hypocrisy."
He argued that the decision by Fatou Bensouda to open an investigation "contradicts historical truth" and "opposes the right of the Jews to settle in the Jews' homeland." "To turn the fact that Jews are living in their land into a war crime is an absurdity of unimaginable proportions," Netanyahu noted.

Comment: We would expect 'no lesser' a statement of falsehoods decrying blame from Netanyahu, a master at conflating lies with history to absolve Israel of all despicable acts, especially those perpetrated upon the Palestinians.