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Fri, 05 Nov 2021
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Eye 1

How the U.S. and Israel act in tandem to extend and deepen occupation and genocide in Palestine

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Israel defending itself.
The fact that the Israel-Palestine conflict grinds on without resolution might appear to be rather strange. For many of the world's conflicts, it is difficult even to conjure up a feasible settlement. In this case, it is not only possible, but there is near universal agreement on its basic contours: a two-state settlement along the internationally recognized (pre-June 1967) borders -- with "minor and mutual modifications," to adopt official U.S. terminology before Washington departed from the international community in the mid-1970s.

The basic principles have been accepted by virtually the entire world, including the Arab states (who go on to call for full normalization of relations), the Organization of Islamic States (including Iran), and relevant non-state actors (including Hamas). A settlement along these lines was first proposed at the U.N. Security Council in January 1976 by the major Arab states. Israel refused to attend the session. The U.S. vetoed the resolution, and did so again in 1980. The record at the General Assembly since is similar.

There was one important and revealing break in U.S.-Israeli rejectionism. After the failed Camp David agreements in 2000, President Clinton recognized that the terms he and Israel had proposed were unacceptable to any Palestinians. That December, he proposed his "parameters": imprecise, but more forthcoming. He then stated that both sides had accepted the parameters, while expressing reservations.

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators met in Taba, Egypt, in January 2001 to resolve the differences and were making considerable progress. In their final press conference, they reported that, with a little more time, they could probably have reached full agreement. Israel called off the negotiations prematurely, however, and official progress then terminated, though informal discussions at a high level continued leading to the Geneva Accord, rejected by Israel and ignored by the U.S.

Comment: For the past 40 plus years, the U.S. has rejected every UN resolution that would allow Palestine to be recognized as a State. The U.S. continues to provide (illegally) money and weapons to Israel in support of occupation and genocide in Palestine. The U.S. media NEVER reports an accurate picture of what is going on in Palestine. Israel is forever the victim. If the American population were exposed to the atrocities they were funding in Palestine (via the media), they would discover that Israel is the aggressor, not the victim, and public support would disappear.


USA

US Navy joined the strikes against Houthi positions

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USS Donald Cook launches cruise missiles.
US warships joined the strikes against the Houthi rebels' positions in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa on Monday, a military source told Sputnik.

"American ships participated in yesterday's airstrikes on Sanaa, specifically, they launched a cruise missile on a strengthened missile brigade," the source said Tuesday.

According to him, the US airstrikes began after a Saudi Arabia-led coalition did not manage to hit the Houthis' weapons depots.

Comment: If this story is true, the US is providing more than just "logistical support".


Chess

CrossTalk on RT: The Yemen "template of success"

Amazingly the Obama administration still calls Yemen a "template" of success when it comes to its counterterrorism efforts. Closer to the truth is probably still another poorly thought out foreign policy adventure. And double standards abound - what is deemed legitimate for Yemen is denied in the case of Ukraine.


Comment: Some interesting contrasts drawn between the response of the US to the toppling of the legitimately elected leader of the Yemen vs the response to the toppling of the legitimately elected leader of the Ukraine. Bottom line, there is no pretense of consistency. Whatever course appears to preserve US hegemony is the one they will follow. Without this lens, the actions of the US appear incomprehensible to normal people.


Pirates

While millions of Syrians starve, Islamic State destroys shipment of US-made halal chicken

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© Reuters/Stringer
The so-called Islamic State intercepted and destroyed hundreds of boxes of US-produced chicken, which had been part of a humanitarian aid convoy bound for people starving in war-torn Syria.

On Wednesday, the group posted pictures of men and children setting fire to the boxes in the town of Akhtarin in northern Syria, according to the SITE jihadist monitoring service. The militants claimed the chicken had been "slaughtered unlawfully." According to the boxes' labels, however, the chicken was halal, meaning slaughtered in accordance with Islamic law. The boxes are emblazoned with the Illinois-based Koch Foods logo.

Comment: Islamic State winning hearts and minds.


Light Sabers

What transatlantic renaissance? US-EU relations falling apart at the seams

Obama sad
While the US President urges his Western allies to rally support for Washington's stance on the most burning international issues, he should not be surprised that consensus is hard to come by, notes David J. Karl, pointing to the fact Barack Obama has repeatedly snubbed the continent's leaders.

The "continuing ructions" in the US relations with its Western allies caused by Obama's failure to develop strong ties with European leaders have ultimately overshadowed Washington's plan of a "transatlantic renaissance," David J. Karl, president of the Asia Strategy Initiative, an analysis and advisory firm, pointed out.

"[In 2008] speaking before a massive crowd assembled in Berlin's "Tiergarten", [President Obama] grandly vowed to "remake the world once again," this time in a way that allies would "listen to each other, learn from each other and, most of all, trust each other." That pledge is now so yesterday that Mrs. Merkel is reportedly longing for the days of George W. Bush," the expert emphasized.

Barack Obama has repeatedly snubbed the European leaders, Mr. Karl pointed out.

Instead of taking a chance to demonstrate to the world US-NATO solidarity, Barack Obama "in fact deliberately" missed an opportunity to meet with the new NATO Chief, Jens Stoltenberg, in Washington last week.

Comment: With friends like the United States, eh? No, the US does not do consultation. There is no partnership and that should at least be apparent in the disdainful attitude the Obama administration demonstrates towards Europe. How long will Europe accept their chains while on board the USS sinking ship?


Dollars

Serbia's path to EU acquiescence dependent on toeing the line on Russia

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Mogherini wants Serbia to align with policy led by her.
Serbia has applied for EU membership but has not followed the EU in instituting sanctions against Russia.

This article originally appeared at Lenta.ru. Translated for RI by Aleksei Shestyan.

Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has stated that the priority of the European Union is to "open the first chapter" in negotiations on Serbia's entrance into the trading bloc, according to Reuters. The politician discussed this topic at a press conference in Belgrade.

"At this stage, I cannot say with certainty when, and what chapters we will open," stated Mogherini. According to Mogherini, Brussels and Belgrade want this to happen before the end of the 2015 and she emphasized that on this occasion, it will require a joint effort from all of the European Union states.

Comment: But what do the Serbian people want? Will they be suckered into the EU propaganda of making their lives 'better' under the EU jackboot?


Bulb

Indiana legislators announces changes to controversial religious freedom bill that allows discrimination of LGBT people

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© WRTV
Indiana state legislators and business leaders announce proposed changes to a "religious freedom" law after it was criticized for possibly enabling discrimination
The Republican leaders of the Indiana Legislature on Thursday unveiled a change to the state's controversial religious freedom law spelling out that it does not allow businesses to refuse service to gays or other minority groups.

Brian Bosma, speaker of the state House, said that the language would make clear that "we value you — gay, straight, black, white, religious, nonreligious. We value each and every Hoosier."

The language says that businesses may not use the law to refuse service to anyone on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or a range of other classifications, including race and religion.

Bosma and his counterpart in the state Senate said that they had secured the votes to pass the change later in the day.

Gov. Mike Pence, a Republican, and state leaders faced intense criticism after enacting the law last week. Supporters said that it was meant to protect religious liberty, but opponents said that businesses could use it to deny service to gay customers.

Attention

Venezuela plans to buy more Russian and Chinese weapons

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© Sputnik/ Mihail Mokrushin
Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro plans to buy more weapons produced in Russia and China, saying the nation should step up its defense against foreign threats.

"We are a people of peace; we want neither violence nor war," Maduro said, adding that the army, police and the people of Venezuela have to stay alert.

Venezuela is the largest weapons importer in Latin America, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Since 2011, the country spent some $2.6 billion on weapons, buying the majority of them in Russia.

Comment: It's a shame in order to have 'peace' they must spend massively on defense. That is also a lot of money the US defense contractors are losing because they don't like Maduro.


Megaphone

Putin's press secretary slams newspaper's 'hysteria and demonization of Russia' over perceived nuclear threat

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© RIA Novosti/Konstantin Chalabov
Russia never threatened to use nuclear weapons over Crimea and the Baltic States, according to Vladimir Putin's press secretary. The Kremlin official added the claims were simply 'hysteria' and a 'classic example' of the West's demonization of Russia.

"This is a classic example of the continuing hysteria and the demonization of our country. They themselves are fanning the flames concerning this. However, it is not guided by any particular facts and they themselves are afraid of what they wrote," Peskov told reporters.

The Times newspaper said that President Putin was using the threat of a "nuclear showdown" over the Baltic States, to force NATO to back away from Russia's border. They made the claims after obtaining notes of high-level security talks between former Russian and American security chiefs.
Guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham to enter Black Sea,promoting stability in the region http://t.co/bDAdYRqj3M pic.twitter.com/x1getcmDkb

— US Mission to NATO (@USNATO) April 2, 2015
US officials stated that President Putin was ready to respond forcibly to any further NATO build-up of troops in the Baltic States and they would deliver "a spectrum of responses from nuclear to non-military," the Times added.

Eye 1

Merkel's 'anti-Russian front' falling apart

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© AP Photo/ Markus Schreiber
More and more European countries oppose an extension of anti-Russian sanctions and disagree with the German policy towards Russia.

Attempts to save "European unity" are doomed, the German online newspaper Die Freie Welt reported.

During her recent visit to Helsinki, German Chancellor Angela Merkel tried to convince Finns to further follow the anti-Russian course and stressed the importance of pursuing a common EU policy towards Russia. However, this policy is in fact far from being united, the German online edition wrote.

Comment: Of course the EU has nothing to gain and much to lose from these anti-Russian sanctions foolishness. Looks like if the US wanted the EU to split up, they found a wonderful way to do it.