Comment: The war on terror has also paved the way for a domestic police state where agencies of all stripes have effectively made the US citizenry the enemy - and have been preparing to treat them as such. A study on this development would be useful as well, and round out the picture.

See also:

• Tyranny at the hands of a psychopathic government
• Who Inflicts The Most Gun Violence in America? The U.S. Government And Its Police Forces
• Jackboots in the morning: No one will be spared from the American police state nightmare

Comment: As for The Guardian, recent exposés detail who's running the show there:

• The Guardian's collusion with Britain's Secret Service
• How the UK Security Services neutralised the country's leading liberal newspaper

And the Independent: Editorial freedom? UK's 'Independent' partners with Saudi Arabia to expand international media influence

Comment: See also:

• It's Not All About The Bidens: Why Trump Has Ukraine on The Brain
• Joe Biden and Ukraine: A Quick Reminder
• The purpose of Zelensky's performance in Donbass
• Marie Yovanovitch: An Obama holdover accused of telling Ukraine to 'ignore Trump because he'll be impeached' and meddling in Ukraine's election

Comment: The US decision to recognize Israeli settlements has, predictably, emboldened the Israeli settlers to repeat their call for an all-out annexation of West Bank:

The effective endorsement of Jewish settlements in the West Bank by the United States on Monday became the latest in a string of explicitly pro-Israel moves by the Trump administration.

Mike Pompeo's bombshell announcement on Jewish settlements has invigorated settler leaders in Israel, who are now calling on their government to annex Palestinian territory.

Oded Revivi, a lawyer in charge of the settlement of Efrat and spokesman for the Yesha umbrella group, has urged Tel Aviv to extend its sovereignty onto the lands.

"Settlement is not a crime and it is not an obstacle to peace," he said, as quoted by The Times of Israel, adding that US envoy to Israel David Friedman had lobbied for the move.

Yisrael Gantz, chair of the Binyamin Regional Council, which governs 46 Israeli settlements in the West Bank, described the announcement as a "major step toward [Israeli] sovereignty [in the West Bank]."

He similarly called on the government to annex "Judea and Samaria", as the West Bank is officially designated in Israel.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a dramatic statement on Monday that the United States would no longer abide by a 1978 State Department legal opinion that Jewish settlements in the West Bank violate international law.

The United Nations, in a number of resolutions, has called those settlements illegal, pointing out that they were set up within territories which were occupied during a war. As much as 138 of the 193 UN member states have recognised Palestinian statehood, including the overwhelming majority of nations in Asia, Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe. Palestinians, meanwhile, want the West Bank to comprise their future state, and argue that the sprawling Jewish settlements would effectively kill off this plan.

Despite objections from the UN, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long pushed for the establishment of more settlements in those territories, citing historic ties with the West Bank and security reasons, and campaigned on a pledge to annex parts of the West Bank. He said on Monday that the US move "rights a historical wrong" but didn't reaffirm his annexation promise.

The Trump administration has openly cast doubt on the viability of the two-state solution, which had been the core of American policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for the past several decades, and has made a number of pro-Israel police decisions during the past two years. In a show of support for the Netanyahu government, Trump moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, thus recognising it as the capital of Israel, and declared the disputed Golan Heights as part of the Jewish State.

The new American policy has raised more questions about the success of Trump's plan for peace between Israel and Palestinians, which includes a series of economic and political measures, but excludes a two-state solution.

Comment: The extradition is not yet assured. Though late in the race, a group of Australian politicians have announced that they will advocate for Assange's return to Australia. How this will play out in the attempted extradition is yet to be seen. Assange is amassing support from around the world with many organizing events and rallies to raise awareness of his cause and support for his release sending a loud and clear message that the public will not tolerate Julian Assange and Wikileaks being silenced.

• Well known whistleblowers and journalists defend Julian Assange in online vigil.

The Australian Senate for Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee claimed in October, 2019, that Assange has refused Australian Consular services and has withdrawn consent for information to be shared with the Australian High Commissioner in the UK despite repeatedly being offered assistance. If true, this may indicate that Assange is wary of Australian assistance given that they are US allies and that they may support a charge of Espionage or at least not attempt to interfere with the extradition or the judicial process.

• Australian government officials spotted in mysterious Assange visit.

The above prediction of Paul Rosenzweig, former Homeland Security official that "Some of Assange's supporting hacktivists are identified, arrested, extradited, tried and ultimately convicted: 70-80 percent" it seems almost certain that Julian Assange is courageously holding out to protect others. This will only increase the respect of his supporters and those that do not agree with any form of suppression of journalistic reporting.

Comment: See also:

• The BBC: Protecting Pedophiles and War Criminals Since 2004
• Colluding in war crimes: Britain's unreported military alliance with Israel
• The Guardian's collusion with Britain's Secret Service

And check out SOTT radio's: Behind the Headlines: Perfidious Albion: If Russia is a Rogue State, What is the UK?

Comment: Update: RT, 18/11/2019: Outrage erupts over 'legalization' of still-illegal Israeli settlements in West Bank

Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders slammed Trump for "isolating the United States and undermining diplomacy by pandering to his extremist base" in a tweet.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini renewed calls for Israel to "end all settlement activity, in line with its obligations as an occupying power," following the announcement. An EU court ruled last week that all goods originating in Israeli settlements must be labeled as such.

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi warned the move would have "dangerous consequences" on the possibility of peace in the Middle East.

Others pointed out that aiding and abetting a breach of international law made the US complicit in Israel's crimes.

"Trump can't wipe away with this announcement decades of established international law that Israeli settlements are a war crime," Human Rights Watch's Kenneth Roth tweeted, adding "Trump doesn't read, but we do," and pointing to Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Some commenters wondered at who the move was supposed to appeal to, since "US Jews massively reject Trump." A few mused whether this might be the straw that breaks the camel's back regarding a backlash against Israel.

Others merely snarked at the mushy headlines US media used to cover the announcement.

Of course, not everybody was upset - Israeli settler leaders stepped up calls for annexing the West Bank.