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By Andre Damon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday that Israel’s cabinet had adopted a plan to permanently occupy the Gaza Strip, internally displace its population into concentration camps and enforce a military monopoly on the distribution of food.

Echoing the “final solution,” the Nazi term for the genocide of Europe’s Jews, Netanyahu declared, “It’s time to launch the concluding moves.”

Netanyahu said that the Palestinian population “will be moved,” and that Israeli forces will not withdraw from territories they occupy. Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin said the plan would involve “moving most of Gaza’s population” to “clean” areas.

It involves the suspension of international humanitarian operations in Gaza, to be replaced by  “hubs” controlled by Israel and manned by private US military contractors. US President Donald Trump, in genocidal double-speak worthy of his idol Adolf Hitler, said Monday, “People are starving, and we’re going to help them get some food.”

The full military occupation of Gaza is the prerequisite for the plan announced in February by President Donald Trump, and publicly embraced by Netanyahu, to expel the Palestinian people, plow over the existing buildings and annex the territory.

Confirming this fact, a “senior security official” told the Guardian that the “transfer program for Gaza residents … will be part of the operation’s goals.”

Once the population of Gaza is herded into concentration camps under armed guard by Israeli soldiers and US “contractors,” the next step will be to begin loading them onto ships for transportation abroad, or on death marches through the desert.

On March 23, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced the creation of a bureau of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) dedicated to the relocation of the Palestinians from Gaza, which would oversee their “departure to third countries, including securing their movement, establishing movement routes, checking pedestrians at designated crossings in the Gaza Strip, as well as coordinating the provision of infrastructure that will enable passage by land, sea and air to the destination countries.”

US media coverage of this ethnic cleansing program has consisted of US-Israeli disinformation, claiming that the operation is targeting “Hamas” or aimed at securing the release of the remaining Israeli hostages. There is a deliberate effort to hide the fact that the military occupation of Gaza marks the actualization of Trump’s genocidal plan, and that it will be a death sentence for the hostages who remain in Gaza, who will simply be starved to death if they are not killed by Israeli bombs.

Within the Israeli government, however, there is no effort to obscure the aims of the military occupation plan.

“We are finally going to occupy the Gaza Strip. We will stop being afraid of the word ‘occupation,’” Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told Israel’s Channel 12.

He added that there will be “No retreat from the territories we have conquered, not even in exchange for hostages,” effectively precluding any arrangement that would ensure the survival of the remaining hostages.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for the total blocking of all food aid into Gaza. He added, “No electricity, and no other aid should be allowed—neither by the [Israeli military] nor by civil society.”

It has been over 60 days since Israel, in breach of an earlier ceasefire agreement, suspended the entry of all food, water, electricity and medical supplies into Gaza.

Next week, Trump is due to visit the Middle East to personally oversee the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the US-Israeli plan to create a “new Middle East” under direct imperialist domination.

A statement by humanitarian aid groups operating in Gaza, including the United Nations, said the plan “appears designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic—as part of a military strategy.”

Bushra Khalidi, West Bank policy lead for the Oxfam charity, said:

Moving aid into fenced, supervised spaces under military or private contractor control recalls some of the darkest chapters of human failure. … That’s not protection, that’s coercion. We would never support any model that would be treating civilians basically as prisoners.

In a statement, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) condemned the plan to occupy Gaza and take over the distribution of food, declaring:

The level of need among civilians in Gaza right now is overwhelming and aid needs to be let in immediately. … Under international humanitarian law, Israel has an obligation to use all means available to ensure that the basic needs of the civilian population under its control are met.

Amjad Shawa, the Gaza-based director of the Palestinian NGOs Network, told Al Jazeera that most people in Gaza “are starving,” with food prices soaring to unattainable levels. “A bag of flour, 25 kilos [55lb], it’s $350 in the black market now.” A bag of flour this size would have cost $5 before the start of the genocide.

Tom Fletcher, lead United Nations humanitarian officer, said:

To the Israeli authorities, and those who can still reason with them, we say again: Lift this brutal blockade. … To the civilians left unprotected, no apology can suffice. But I am truly sorry that we are unable to move the international community to prevent this injustice.

According to the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, 91 percent of the population of Gaza is food insecure, with most of the population facing “emergency” or “catastrophic” levels of hunger.

Since Israel’s new bombardment after the cease-fire collapsed, it has declared more and more evacuation and no-go zones, forcing some 420,000 Gazans to flee yet again and blocking access to around 70 percent of the enclave, according to UN estimates.

To date, over 52,000 Palestinians have been directly killed in the US-Israeli genocide, the vast majority of whom are women, children and elderly people.

6 May 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

Join the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in urging your U.S. Representative to VOTE NO tomorrow on the so-called “International Governmental Organizations Anti-Boycott Act” (H.R. 867) over the threat it poses to First Amendment free speech rights.

This dangerous bill threatens the rights of Americans to participate in internationally-led boycotts of Israel’s ongoing occupation, apartheid, and genocide of the Palestinian people.

H.R. 867 would expand the Anti-Boycott Act of 2018 by criminalizing compliance with or support for boycotts called for by international governmental organizations (IGOs) such as the United Nations. Under this law, American individuals, businesses, or advocacy organizations could face civil penalties, criminal fines of up to $1 million, and even imprisonment of up to 20 years for aligning with internationally-backed calls to boycott Israel or companies complicit in its human rights abuses.

The right to boycott is an intrinsic part of the First Amendment and a cornerstone of American democracy – from resisting British colonial rule to supporting civil rights and opposing apartheid in South Africa. That right must not be infringed.

This bill would criminalize U.S. individuals and businesses who support peaceful, internationally-recognized calls for human rights accountability. It would chill constitutionally protected political speech and advocacy, particularly efforts to end U.S. complicity in Israel’s crimes against Palestinians. And it would set a dangerous precedent by empowering the federal government to punish Americans for exercising moral, ethical, and political convictions.

It is part of a broader, escalating effort to silence dissent, from the illegal detention and attempted expulsion of student protesters, to the denial of visas, and the targeting of nonprofit organizations and community leaders. The federal government is increasingly using its power to criminalize advocacy and suppress voices of conscience.

Congress must hear from you now. Supporting this bill is not only a violation of constitutional freedoms, but it also betrays the founding principles of this nation, which itself was born out of a boycott.

CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

Do you like reading CAIR press releases and taking part in our action alerts? You can help contribute to CAIR’s work of defending civil rights and empowering American Muslims across the country by making a one-time contribution or becoming a monthly donor. Supporters like you make CAIR’s advocacy work possible and defeating Islamophobia an achievable goal. Click here to donate to CAIR.

You are receiving this email due to your interest selection from commercial media databases. If you would like to join CAIR’s media list, please sign up here: https://action.cair.com/a/newsletters — For more information, email: info@cair.com, CC ihooper@cair.com

END

CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-999-8292, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com

4 May 2025

Source: cair.com

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today said “international law no longer exists” after another Palestinian child reportedly died of Israeli-imposed – and U.S.-supported – forced starvation in Gaza.

A baby girl, Janan Saleh al-Sakafi, reportedly died of malnutrition and dehydration in the Rantisi Hospital more than two months after the start of Israel’s blockade of Gaza.

Israel is intentionally using the forced starvation of the entire population of Gaza as a weapon of war, which is clearly prohibited by international law. The Trump administration is supporting Israel’s illegal blockade on food and all humanitarian supplies from entering Gaza.

In a statement, CAIR said:

“If Israel’s genocidal campaign of forced starvation can be carried out with impunity and with our own government’s support, international law no longer exists. Israel can seemingly violate all international laws and norms with an impunity that does not apply to any other nation on the planet. If international law is to have any meaning, the Trump administration and the world community must act immediately to stop Israel’s forced starvation, state terrorism, slaughter, mass destruction, and ethnic cleansing.”

Last week, CAIR welcomed the start of hearing before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) about Israel’s genocidal campaign of forced starvation in Gaza and the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination. CAIR recently called on the world community to break Israel’s “medieval siege” on Gaza that is resulting in the starvation deaths of Palestinian children.

Yesterday, CAIR marked World Press Freedom Day (May 3) by calling on American journalists and media outlets to support and speak out for their colleagues in Gaza targeted for assassination by the Israeli government.

Also yesterday, CAIR called on the Trump administration to “rein in the Israeli government’s state terrorism” after Israel bombed an area next to the presidential palace in Damascus and allegedly launched a drone attack on a ship carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza in in international waters off Malta.

CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

Do you like reading CAIR press releases and taking part in our action alerts? You can help contribute to CAIR’s work of defending civil rights and empowering American Muslims across the country by making a one-time contribution or becoming a monthly donor. Supporters like you make CAIR’s advocacy work possible and defeating Islamophobia an achievable goal. Click here to donate to CAIR.

You are receiving this email due to your interest selection from commercial media databases. If you would like to join CAIR’s media list, please sign up here: https://action.cair.com/a/newsletters — For more information, email: info@cair.com, CC ihooper@cair.com

END

CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com

3 May 2025

Source: cair.com

By Akbar E Torbat

In May 2024, indirect talks between Iran and the US had been secretly begun in Muscat, Oman, under the Biden Administration. The issues discussed were Iran’s nuclear program and the Houthi attacks on US ships. However, the negotiations stalled after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi and his Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in the helicopter crash on May 19, 2024. The two countries now have new administrations. In early March 2025, US President Donald Trump sent a threatening letter via UAE to Iran’s Leader, Ali Khamenei, giving him a two-month ultimatum to either negotiate or he would order a military attack on Iran. The exact content of the letter has not been made public. Based on what has been leaked to the media,^[i] Trump proposed to negotiate a new nuclear deal but warned that if Iran rejected the offer and continued to push forward with its nuclear program, it would face military action.

Tehran’s Response to Trump’s Ultimatum

Iran responded to the US President’s letter on March 27, 2025, through the previous diplomatic channel Oman, instead of the UAE. Tehran responded to the letter in detail, which covered four points: Iran’s ballistic missiles, its defense capability, the nuclear issue, and the regional resistance forces. Iran emphasized that it intended to talk only about its nuclear issue. Tehran rejected any discussion about its defense capabilities and missile programs and said the resistance forces had nothing to do with Iran, the regional allies are independent countries and not subordinate to Iran’s order or policies. Regarding Trump’s threats, Iran responded it would vigorously defend its national interests and react to any possible military attacks without any limitations.

The Trump administration is now contemplating engaging with the mullahs to expand the US hegemony in the region. Taking advantage of Iran’s current weakness, Trump intends to secretly negotiate with the regime in exchange for supporting mullahs to remain in power. The same imperialist strategy of making a secret deal with leaders and getting concessions at the people’s expense.

The leaders of the Islamic Republic have concluded that in order to prevent the collapse of their theocratic regime and to confront popular uprisings, they should compromise with the “Great Satan”.

In April, the two countries agreed to begin a new round of negotiations. The Iranian and American negotiating teams were led by Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, and the US Special Representative for West Asia, Steve Witkoff. The first meeting was held on April 12, 2025, in Muscat with the mediation of the Sultanate of Oman, followed by the second meeting of “indirect talks” in Rome on April 19, and a technical meeting at the expert level on April 23. The third meeting was held on April 26 in Muscat. According to Araghchi, the negotiations were indirect in the form of written messages exchanged between the two teams. The Iranian negotiators included a few collaborators from the same team that signed the defunct JCPOA, which resulted in the partial destruction of Iran’s nuclear program and had no benefits for the people of Iran.

Concurrent Deadly Explosions

Concurrent with the third meeting on April 26, 2025, a major explosion occurred in Bandar Abbas, in Rajaee pier of the port, Iran’s biggest container hub, which shocked the nation. This explosion killed at least 70 people and injured more than 1000. The explosions occurred at several containers simultaneously, so it could not have been due to the presence of incendiary materials or chemicals for the IRGC’s missile manufacturing at three different locations. On April 28, 2025, the Interior Ministry said, “Determining the definitive cause of this incident requires a complete and comprehensive investigation of various aspects, which requires technical and laboratory processes.” According to ISNA, the imported cargo that exploded and caught fire at the port was not declared to Iran’s customs and was not under the custody of the customs. Mohammad Sarraj, a member of Iran’s parliament, said “The explosion was not accidental in any way, and there are clear signs of Israeli involvement. When explosions occur in four different locations, this indicates that explosives were already planted in the containers.” Moreover, on April 29, another explosion happened in a warehouse of a company called “Ava Nar Parsian” in Meimeh, near Esfahan, which resulted in the deaths of two people and the burn injuries to several others.

Israel wishes to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities to prevent the country from enriching uranium for making nuclear bombs. Israel now wants to force the US to support its attack on Iran because Israel by itself is unable to make such an attack except in engaging in terrorist actions. In the past, Israel has used its fifth column to conduct many terrorist actions inside Iran. Examples are the terror of Iran’s nuclear scientists, planting a bomb at the Natanz nuclear facility, the assassination of Ismael Haniyeh in Tehran, and several other terrorist actions.

The regime in Tehran has not been transparent in informing the people about these incidents, including the crash of Raisi’s helicopter. That has led to outside sources and foreign media reporting on these incidents.

Iran is currently in a weak position since its allies in Lebanon and Syria have been smashed by Israel, its economy is dwindling as its national currency is collapsing, and inflation is soaring at a high rate. Mullahs are under pressure internally by the reformists and compradors to compromise with the US, which effectively means surrendering to the imperialist demands to give up on Iran’s nuclear program. At present, the compradors are spreading propaganda through social media that compromise with the US will result in improvements in Iranians’ livelihood. They say the price of the dollar will decline, imported goods will be cheaper, and foreign investment will bring jobs if a new nuclear deal is signed.  However, these are nonsense propaganda; the problems of Iran’s economy are internal, and the economy could get worse as imported goods would bankrupt the domestic industries. The current multiple exchange rates are a source of income for the regime collaborators and their cronies, who receive lower-rate dollars and sell them for profit in the free market.

The US government, fully aware that the Islamic regime is in its worst possible situation, is pursuing a strategy to strengthen its hegemony in the region and wants to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons in the future. The current tactic of the Trump administration is to negotiate at a time when the Islamic regime is in its weakest position. However, Trump’s threat is hollow; Iran has a strong military equipped with modern weapons, which makes it very costly for the US to attack the country. The US has already faced a severe national debt and trade deficit crisis, which makes it almost impossible to go to a major war with Iran.  On April 24, 2024, the Daily Kayhan wrote that “since Trump took office, his prime characteristic is his addiction to exaggerated bragging and that he resembles a sheep wearing a wolf mask! If America had the slightest chance of success in its excessive bragging about a military attack on Iran, it would not hesitate for a moment and has repeatedly shown that it does not adhere to any legal standards, legal and humanitarian considerations, etc.”

Nonetheless, the top mullahs are now preparing their supporters to accept the concessions they are making. They have pressured the domestic media not to write anything against the negotiations. To deceive their fundamentalist followers, Ahmad Khatami, a senior cleric who previously did not have an optimistic view of negotiations with the United States, announced in his Friday prayer speech on April 18, “Accepting indirect negotiations is an act of following the advice of the Quran.” Also, on April 25, Leader Khamenei said, “Sometimes, leaders of a society make strategic decisions with foresight that appear to be against the wishes of their followers. For example, Imam Hassan, the second Shi’a Imam … was a symbol of opposition to the tyranny, hypocrisy, and discord that prevailed in the Islamic world at that time. However, the circumstances of that historical period required him to make a peace treaty with Muawiyah to preserve Islam.”

The regime’s leaders are trying to prevent the collapse of their antiquated theocratic regime. To suppress the progressive secular groups, they have expanded the regime’s constituencies by including parts of the internal opposition within the system and opening space for reformists and moderate fundamentalists to prevent the collapse of the antiquated regime.

Taking advantage of Iran’s weak clerical leadership and a naïve president, the US wishes to impose another disastrous nuclear agreement on Iran. If such an agreement is reached it will be very damaging for Iran. why should Iran accept 3.67% uranium enrichment level? Do the mullahs want to gain the support of the imperialists to stay in power? They have no right to surrender Iran’s nuclear deterrence again. Nonetheless, Iran’s preferred option is to preserve its nuclear deterrence and in case of military action against it, to exit the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

Akbar E Torbat is the author of “Politics of Oil and Nuclear Technology in Iran,” Palgrave Macmillan (2020). Farsi translation of the book is available here.

2 May 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Shaimaa Eid

Sheikh Radwan market, west of Gaza City, looks like a ghost town.

Broken stalls, shuttered shops, and sunken, hungry eyes dominate a place that was once teeming with life.

Israel’s latest ban on allowing food, water, fuel, electricity and medicine into two million people in the Gaza Strip is nearly at its two-month mark.

And as famine rears its head again in Gaza, desperation is setting in.

Markets are empty of food, medicines are scarce and prices are rising.

In a pharmacy near the market, Ihab Ghanem, 32, was asking for a package of formula milk for his youngest child.

“I went to three pharmacies this morning and couldn’t find any type of infant formula,” Ihab told The Electronic Intifada.

His search at Sheikh Radwan market proved equally fruitless and even if it hadn’t, he said, “prices have become exorbitant.”

He was left despairing about the impact on his children’s health.

“I try to feed them simple alternative foods, but it’s not enough, and their digestive systems can’t tolerate it.”

Food as luxury

Elsewhere in the market, Ramez al-Amsi had similarly been trying to find food for his children. Accompanied by his son, Yazan, 3, father and son had been asking about prices.

But the answer was always the same: Supplies are nearly depleted, and prices for what is left are prohibitive.

On the other side of the market, Majdi Shbeir, 26, stood in front of his empty stall. His shop – in the same market – had been destroyed in December 2023, and he had been selling what food supplies he could source in this little improvised stall since.

Now, he has nothing left.

“Customers come and leave because we simply don’t have what they need,” he told The Electronic Intifada.

The famine gripping Gaza also stripped the last holiday season of its joy. Severe food shortages and skyrocketing prices made even the simplest eid traditions such as offering hospitality and sharing sweets impossible for many.

Samar Shaheen, a mother of three, is feeling the scarcity in a way only a parent could.

“Even basic food has become a luxury. This Eid, my children did not ask me for sweets or new clothes,” Samar said. “They only asked if there would be enough food for tomorrow.”

They still do.

Samar, whose home in Beit Lahia was destroyed in September 2024, said she and her children are sheltering in a school given over to displaced families west of Gaza City.

Genocidal grandstanding

On 27 April the UN’s World Food Program announced that it had run out of food in Gaza, 54 days after Israel imposed the total blockade.

That blockade is now being challenged by the UN at the International Court of Justice in the Hague.

Israel remains unrepentant. Responding to the ICJ hearing, Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, described the UN’s protest against its blockade as part of a “systematic persecution.”

“The UN has become a rotten, anti-Israel, and antisemitic body,” Saar declared on 28 April.

In Gaza, there is little time for such genocidal grandstanding.

Samar al-Tawil, a mother of four, stood in front of an empty stall trying to secure rice at less than exorbitant prices.

“I can no longer tell my children that what they want is unavailable. They keep crying, and their father and I are powerless to find a solution,” she said.

And fresh water is at a premium. With no electricity, the desalination plant in Deir al-Balah has stopped functioning, greatly reducing the availability of fresh water in the north.

In the Al-Saftawi neighborhood in northwest Gaza, Fadwa Hamad, 60, said residents were desperate for water.

“We stand in long lines,” she said, describing how people can wait hours for rare water deliveries. But mindful of Israel’s closure, she said most were in survival mode.

“We just try to ration as much as possible.”

Shaimaa Eid is a journalist based in Gaza.

1 May 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Quds News Network

Gaza (Quds News Network)- With Israel’s blockade on food, medicine and other supplies now in its 60th day, people in Gaza are struggling to survive and are adopting coping strategies now stretched to the limit.

Since the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal ended on March 1, Israel has blocked all humanitarian aid from entering the Palestinian territory, in violation of the agreement’s terms.

Human rights organizations and several countries have condemned the move, accusing Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war.

On March 18, Israel resumed its assault on Gaza, killing over 2,200 civilians so far—most of them women and children.

According to a report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), widespread displacement has forced many people to abandon food supplies and emergency stocks secured during the ceasefire signed in January.

Bread from UN-supported bakeries is no longer available, and most people cannot bake for themselves due to acute shortages of cooking fuel and the soaring cost of wheat flour, the report said.

Families are mixing crushed pasta with flour to make bread, which means smaller and less frequent meals. They are also giving bread to children or allocating just one piece per family member per day, it said.

People must rely on aid supplies as farmers and breeders can’t access their land, as 70 percent of the enclave has been designated as a “no-go” area or is under displacement orders by the Israeli military, the report added.

Jonathan Whittall, head of OCHA in Gaza, warned on Saturday that Gaza is on the verge of “full-scale famine conditions.”

“The coming days in Gaza are going to be critical. Today, people are not surviving in Gaza. Those that aren’t being killed with bombs and bullets are slowly dying,” Whittall told journalists at a news conference in Gaza City.

“As humanitarians, we can see that aid is being weaponized through its denial,” he said. “There’s no justification for the denial of humanitarian assistance.”

The World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday all of its bakeries have shut down and all of its stocks inside Gaza have now been fully depleted.

The remaining charity kitchens in Gaza have said they may have to shut down within days unless aid is allowed in.

The Gaza Government Media Office said on Friday that famine is no longer a looming threat and is becoming a reality. It said 52 people have died due to hunger and malnutrition, including 50 children. It also said more than 65,000 children have sought treatment for severe malnutrition.

1 May 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Dr Marwan Asmar

Fires are raging in Israel. Flames have started in the West Jerusalem hills and are feared to be creeping into northern Israel with around 119 fire crews, 10 firefighting planes, and a helicopter deployed to extinguish the blaze, according to The Jerusalem Post.

Israel has asked for international help especially from countries like Italy, Greece, Croatia, Cyprus and Bulgaria to attempt to put down the raging fires that are spreading because of high winds. Later reports, and with the inability to contain the fires, Israel called for more help from England, France, Czech Republic, Sweden, Argentina, Spain, North Macedonia, and Azerbaijan.

[https://twitter.com/ME_Observer_/status/1917633910957301921]

The wild fires that started, Wednesday, are trending on the social media with images and videos of what are seen as apocalyptic scenes never seen before in Israel. The blazes, starting from the hills of western Jerusalem have spread to the areas of Tel Aviv in the north with up to eight Israeli municipalities affected with one blogger simply saying “Israel is burning.”

[https://twitter.com/stairwayto3dom/status/1917544463460688078]

Reports show that people on the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Highway abandoning their cars and running across the wilderness, anywhere, away from the raging fires consuming forests and natural habitats. Reports also suggest that 10,000 Israeli have been evacuated by over-worked Israeli firefighters who fear the battle will be long.

The highway as well as trains between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv have since been closed because of the consuming danger.

As soon as they started, Israeli government officials quickly declared a national state of emergency as raging fires spread to settlements and military bases near Jerusalem with soldiers caught in the blazes with reports that blazes raged in 29 locations such as Nataf, Eshtaol, Ramat Raziel, Giv’at Ye’arim, and Kisalon.

[https://twitter.com/MenchOsint/status/1917602568622203391]

The fires from Jerusalem have also moved south and west due to the raging winds and weather conditions with the Israeli army being deployed to assist firefighting teams as the fires latched on to cars and other vehicles. New blazes have been reported to as far away as in Ashkelon, Ashdod and its port bordering to the so-called Gaza envelope, the territory that houses Jewish settlements and military basis.

The speed winds in Israel are expected to increase dramatically in the coming hours and days with Israeli hospitals recording 12 injuries so far due to smoke inhalation and burns. For the first time in 77 years, Israeli local councils have canceled so-called Independence Day celebrations, that is, when Israel was created in 1948 on Palestinians lands.

Nobody really knows how the fires have started while Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir rushed to accuse local Palestinians of arson but this is hearsay.

Dr Marwan Asmar is a journalist from Jordan

1 May 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Prof. Junaid S. Ahmad

It was an old script, dusted off and recycled with all the subtlety of a Bollywood B-movie plot: an attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Kashmir—tragic, condemnable, and as predictable as New Delhi’s response. Within hours, India’s government, with its reflexes honed more for propaganda than forensics, pointed a convenient finger at Pakistan. No evidence necessary. No investigation needed. Pakistan, they declared, was the mastermind behind the attack—once again cast as the perennial villain in the feverish imagination of the Indian state.

But let us pause the theater of the absurd and ask: is this really about tourists? Or is it yet another episode in a decades-long tragicomedy, where Kashmiris are the unacknowledged protagonists, and the world looks away as the two nuclear-armed neighbors play out their rivalry on the bones of a betrayed land?

India’s narrative is as old as it is tired. According to Delhi, no Kashmiri could possibly resist Indian occupation unless manipulated by Islamabad. Every protest, every stone thrown, every cry for justice is attributed not to lived experience but to cross-border mischief. In this vision, Kashmiri agency vanishes into the misty mountains—replaced by Pakistani puppetry. It’s a lazy narrative, and like all lazy narratives, it serves power beautifully.

Of course, New Delhi has long insisted that Pakistan breeds and exports jihadists like a cottage industry with government subsidies. Militants, they say, are packaged, blessed, and dispatched to attack Hindus and Indian forces alike in the valley. But this myopic fixation on Pakistani interference erases a fundamental truth: the resistance in Kashmir is indigenous, born of humiliation, violence, and the unfulfilled promise of self-determination.

The defining moment came in 1989, when Kashmiris, weary of India’s iron grip, erupted in a mass uprising. It wasn’t Pakistan that lit that fire. It was Indian repression, systemic disenfranchisement, and the daily violence that punctuated Kashmiri life. India responded not with dialogue, but with military escalation. The world looked away as thousands were killed, raped, tortured—many simply “disappeared” into the black hole of occupation. The valley became a graveyard not just of lives, but of international law, human rights, and broken UN promises.

And speaking of broken promises, let us not forget Article 370—the so-called special autonomous status of Kashmir. Once a fig leaf for democratic pretense, it was unceremoniously scrapped by the Modi regime in 2019, effectively annulling even the illusion of Kashmiri autonomy. With one stroke of bureaucratic penmanship, New Delhi declared that Kashmiris no longer had any say in their political destiny. The plebiscite once promised by the United Nations? It now resides in the dustbin of diplomatic memory, alongside such quaint notions as “international consensus” and “moral responsibility.”

In light of all this, the timing of the recent Pahalgam attack has prompted many a raised eyebrow among serious analysts. It’s almost too convenient, the way this tragedy aligns with broader geopolitical currents. One might even suspect that someone, somewhere, wanted a dramatic pretext. After all, nothing galvanizes hyper-nationalism like a well-timed tragedy. And in the age of algorithmic outrage and 24-hour media hysteria, a few bodies are often enough to rewrite the headlines and reshape public opinion.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the border, the Pakistani military leadership has its own set of embarrassments. The once-hailed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), touted as the gateway to prosperity, has devolved into a geopolitical headache. With Chinese workers targeted by attacks, and Beijing reportedly growing weary of Islamabad’s inability to secure its investments, the generals are now reduced to polite begging. “Please continue the investments,” they say to their Chinese patrons, even as the country sinks into political and economic chaos.

It doesn’t help that Pakistan’s ruling junta—because let’s call it what it is—has entirely lost credibility. It governs through fear, fraud, and force, repressing the most popular political movement in the country, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by the charismatic, imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Once seen as a political phoenix, Khan now rots in a dungeon alongside thousands of political prisoners—guilty, apparently, of the grave crime of not toeing the military’s preferred line.

Yet, amid this domestic fiasco, the generals find time to serve Washington’s strategic whims. In the grand ‘New Cold War’ chessboard being set up against China, Pakistan has become the pawn that doesn’t even pretend to be a rook. It dutifully obeys the dictates of its Western overlords but is rebuked for not obeying them hard enough. Gwadar port, a critical node in China’s Belt and Road vision, is reportedly too ambitious for America’s taste. And so, the sabotage begins—cloaked in whispers, intelligence operations, and the ever-helpful triple alliance of Mossad, CIA, and RAW.

Yes, Kashmiri activists have long alleged that this trinity operates openly in their homeland—not even bothering with subtlety anymore. Their presence is felt in surveillance, subversion, and in the inexplicable string of events that always seem to benefit global hegemonic interests. That such allegations are dismissed by the mainstream media as conspiracy theories says more about the media than it does about their veracity.

Then comes the cherry on this blood-soaked cake: the visit of U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance to India—right as tensions peaked. One can only marvel at the timing. It’s as if the empire likes to be present when the kindling is lit, just to make sure the fire starts properly.

And what about the Indian state’s own behavior in Kashmir? Far from acting as a democratic steward, it has gone full totalitarian. Tens of thousands have been arrested. Homes demolished. Dissent criminalized. Surveillance intensified. The Valley has become an Orwellian nightmare, where silence is survival, and speech is sedition.

In the midst of this, parallels between Zionist ideology and Hindutva fascism become too glaring to ignore. Both are supremacist ideologies fueled by historical grievance and modern state violence. Both use collective punishment as a political tool. Both present themselves as eternal victims even while acting as ruthless aggressors. And both enjoy the unwavering support of the American empire.

Which brings us full circle. The spectacle of Kashmir is not just a regional conflict. It is a nexus of military adventurism, geopolitical ambition, and nationalist delusion. It is where the dreams of empire intersect with the nightmares of the oppressed.

And so the farce drags on—predictable as a soap opera and just as manipulative. Another tragedy cues another round of sanctimonious speeches, staged condemnations, and strategic handshakes with foreign dignitaries whose only allegiance is to the choreography of empire. Meanwhile, the Kashmiri cry for justice ricochets through the mountains, reduced to background noise in the geopolitical theatre of the absurd.

But make no mistake: this isn’t a conflict—it’s a spectacle. One where Delhi dons the costume of civilization while bulldozing homes, and Islamabad polishes its victimhood medals while muzzling dissent and kneeling before foreign masters. Kashmir, in this grotesque pageant, is not a land of people—it is a chessboard, a bargaining chip, a pretext.

The tragedy is not just the violence—it’s the insult to intelligence. That we are meant to forget history, overlook occupation, and believe in the bedtime stories spun by two deeply compromised states. That we are supposed to cheer for one side while both trample the truth.

But fairy tales don’t last forever. The day will come—perhaps not soon, but inevitably—when the survivors will seize the pen from the pretenders and write history not in the language of power, but in the vocabulary of resistance. And on that day, neither Delhi’s jackboots nor Islamabad’s begging bowls will be spared scrutiny. Until then, let the record show: the world watched, and the world lied.

Prof. Junaid S. Ahmad teaches Law, Religion, and Global Politics and is the Director of the Center for the Study of Islam and Decolonization (CSID), Islamabad, Pakistan.

30 April 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Nayeema Ahmad Mahjoor

‘Despite the challenges, we participated in the elections with unwavering determination. We unequivocally condemned the Pahalgam attack, and our selfless actions saved tourists at the cost of our own safety. Yet, our efforts were met with hate, jingoism, humiliation, and unjust searches and arrests. Is this how people should be treated?’ Aarif (name changed due to security concerns), a pony rider, expressed his frustration when I inquired about the situation in his hometown near Pahalgam.

The terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, has left twenty-five tourists and one local dead, with many more injured. Following the attack, India blamed Pakistan and pledged to respond with an iron fist. Pakistan has denied involvement and demanded an international probe to identify the perpetrators. The world is holding its breath as both countries enter a war mode, with ammunition and deployment in full swing.

The moist eyes, shrunken face, and wrinkled expressions of Aarif told the story of every soul in Kashmir who, while not only deprived of their livelihood by this terror incident, has been scarred and made insecure by the horrible experience of questioning and quizzing by security forces.

‘I am a target for both: them and these (referring to Pakistan and Indian security forces). They both want me dead. Look at my fate. The tourists were taken to safe places or asked to leave Kashmir. Where will I go? Is there any place safe for me? How many times do I have to prove my loyalty? Or is this how it is?’ His voice broke as he wiped his tears.

I found myself at a loss for words to comfort him, unable to muster the courage I had shown earlier when he was dejected and wanted to pretend to be a gunman, seeking a chance to end his life. That day, convincing him to earn a living, care for his family, and live a normal life was easy. Now, it felt impossible, as he had lost hope for the future despite facing many life odds.

‘When every Kashmiri was labelled a terrorist, we were beaten and kicked out, not even given a place to rent in many states. Why? Either believe in us or leave us to our fate.’ He didn’t look at me.

It took time to process his pain, but the rage in his eyes was unsettling, and I, too, felt apprehensive about the future of my youth, born under the shadow of a gun.

After nearly six years, I reached out to him once more. He required guidance during that period, and now, he feels adrift and disheartened.

The untimely passing of his father abruptly shattered his aspiration to earn a degree. With three sisters and an ailing mother to support, he was compelled to seek employment within the district, constrained by the heavy presence of security forces and rigid patriarchal norms. The summer income from tourism and yatra, coupled with his earnings from menial labour, became the lifeline for his family. ‘My fate has been unjust. I am forced to learn to limp, not walk.’ He would sigh each time he reflected on his dream of obtaining a degree.

Aarif embodies the grief and frustration of sixty per cent of youth who find themselves at a crossroads, as their education, degrees, and livelihoods are adversely affected following the Pahalgam attack.

Kashmir has been the site of numerous attacks, yet the media’s portrayal has endangered every Kashmiri. The relentless animosity directed at Kashmir has resulted in assaults on students in educational institutions, their forced exodus from the state, and the closure of many businesses.

How ironic it is to hear the world discussing Kashmir while only Kashmiris are silenced.

This situation has persisted for ages, but since 2019, not a single voice from Kashmir has been permitted to share their story. A singular narrative has dominated, conveying to the world that the situation in Kashmir has changed, that the people have changed, and that daily life continues as it does in other states of India. Interest in visiting the picturesque region of Kashmir has surged.

Instead of addressing the fundamental issues faced by over one crore people, mainstream media has showcased videos of tourists revelling in the beauty of the region, leading the world to believe that conditions in Kashmir have improved mistakenly.

Undoubtedly, for several years, while 1.5 to 2 million Hindus have come annually for the Amarnath Yatra, 3 million tourists have visited for sightseeing, with every effort made to ensure a conducive environment. However, particular areas of Jammu have witnessed a rise in violent attacks. The local population has been navigating these challenges while quietly earning their livelihoods. Yet, watching the media has become a source of anguish since the abrogation of Article 370, which was perceived as both a triumph and a defeat for the local populace.

Only two narratives have captured the attention of mainstream media: the influx of tourists into Kashmir and various terrorist incidents. How does a population of 12 million feel politically, economically, or socially powerless after the withdrawal of the region’s internal autonomy? This issue has been settled and forgotten. Why are hundreds of prisoners incarcerated without charges? How are individuals being dismissed from their jobs for trivial social media posts, and what challenges do they face daily? Mainstream media remains indifferent to these Concerns, which persist as local media faces silencing and suppression.

Kashmiris attempting to share their stories of helplessness through social media have encountered harassment on many occasions. It seems that the voices of ordinary people are neither to be heard nor allowed to speak, although only two countries in the world impose such strict bans on social media: North Korea and Burma, both of which do not claim to be democracies.

Historically, pro-freedom Kashmiris have boycotted assembly or parliamentary elections on numerous occasions. However, this time, social media has played a pivotal role in encouraging public participation in voting, even among those who had never voted before and were sceptical of Indian democracy.

The tumultuous last thirty-five years have fostered divisions and distances among various communities. Reconciliation seemed impossible. Families in Kashmir found themselves split between Pakistan and India, often not having met for decades. Social media has provided a corridor for these families, allowing them to reconnect by sharing stories of past sorrows. Many superstitions have been dispelled, differences have been discussed, and the wall of hatred has, to some extent, been dismantled.

In response to attacks on tourists in Pahalgam, a unified voice emerged through social media. Kashmiris from diverse backgrounds came together for the first time, sending a powerful message of unity against terror. Despite numerous restrictions, they lack the strength to endure the bloodshed that has impacted nearly every household.

Yet, is the use of social media acceptable only as long as it avoids addressing the issues faced by the Kashmiri people, refraining from demanding their political rights or a life free from harassment? These are the questions that people often whisper to one another.

If mainstream media has already stifled the voices of Kashmiris, should social media discussions be encouraged or suppressed to prevent an eruption of dissent?

Those who advocate for democracy must recognise that, under its guise, they may inadvertently support the authoritarian regime in Kashmir. Here, the space for locals has diminished, job opportunities have dwindled, and homes are being demolished as a form of collective punishment.

Aarif is not alone in his agitation and anger regarding the response of the majority population in India following the attack; instead, the entire community feels disheartened by the constant demand to prove their loyalty.

Nayeema Ahmad Mahjoor is a journalist

30 April 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Kumar Sanjay Singh

Post-Pahalgam attack on 22 April 2025, BJP led NDA government has racheted up a war hysteria. A majority of the Parliamentary opposition has aquised by offering unconditional support to any steps that the government initiates to take to task the culprits and their ‘patrons’. Thereby, the BJP led NDA l8has been has been given a carte blanche, at least in the domain of foreign policy viz., the liberty to decide upon the contuors of Indo-Pak relationship that could forefront a military option over diplomacy.

That the largest opposition party, the INC believes that foreign policy is the decisive arena to address the challenges posed by the killing of tourists at the hands of seven armed militants of The Resistance Front, some of whom were speaking in Pashto, appears to be a strategic choice. Indeed, the leadership of the INC seems to be vigilant in ensuring that any statement issued by party leaders, that are raising policy and administrative failures of the central government, need to be refrained with as they distract from the party line of extending unconditional support to the government to tackle the issue of militancy in  Kashmir.

The letter to all PCC chiefs, CLP leaders, party general secretaries and in-charges, MPs, MLAs/MLCs and heads of various departments and frontal organisations, by AICC General Secretary Mr. K C Venugopal is instructive. “At this critical juncture, when our collective resolve is being tested, the Indian National Congress must exemplify unity, maturity, and responsibility- virtues that have defined our conduct through decades of national service, in government and in opposition alike…It is, therefore, hereby directed that all comments, statements, and representations- whether by party leaders, spokespersons, media panellists, or official handles of the Congress Social Media Department- must strictly adhere to the CWC resolution…Any deviation, misrepresentation, or off-the-cuff remark that diverges from the official line shall be deemed a serious breach of party discipline.” It may be pertinent to point out here that a member of the highest echelon of the Congress party tagged Mr. Venugopal’s post on the X handle.

Yet, it will be sobering to remember that BJP’s response to the Pahalgam killings is not limited to the domain of foreign policy alone. Indeed, it is tagged with the agenda of communal polarization. On the foreign policy front BJP has been racheting up a muscular military approach towards Pakistan. In a political meeting in Bihar, PM Modi said India will pursue terrorists to the ends of the earth and give them “a punishment bigger than they can imagine.” A raft of diplomatic measures were unveiled: suspending the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, downgrading bilateral ties, and shutting down the Attari checkpost. Finally, the decisive step, underscoring the preference of military over diplomacy, was taken when, on 29 April 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi empowered the armed forces to decide on their targets and timing of response in India’s counter attack against terrorists over the Pahalgam terror attack.

Even as the war drums are getting louder with every passing day the right-wing groups are leveraging the Pahalgam attack to deepen a campaign of oppression against the country’s largest minority group. The intensity of such campaigns are strongest in BJP ruled states. Rallies with lit candles and tiki torches have been organized that equate nationalism with political Hinduism (Hindutva) and anti-nationalism with Muslims. Official machinery has been used to harass Muslim migrants from other parts of the country in the name of a drive against  “illegal Bangladeshis” and Rohingya. Gujarat tops the list with arrest of 6,500 suspected Bangladeshis. Kashmiris in other states have reported harassment and violence. Killings of Muslims were reported in two states, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.

There have been widespread demolition of properties of Muslims. In Kashmir, houses of alleged active militants were turned into rubble through controlled blasts, while several residences of alleged militant supporters were searched, and hundreds of local people were detained. Facing an outcry from regional parties, including the ruling National Conference (NC), security forces’ operation to demolish houses of suspected terrorists was apparently stopped. However, the major crackdown on supporters of terror outfits has intensified.

The government in Gujarat also announced a demolition drive at a Muslim slum, the state’s home minister, Harsh Sanghavi, said that about 2,000 huts had been razed in a drive against “illegal Bangladeshis.”

In this backdrop, while INCs decision to present a national united front in face of a low intensity cross border warfare may be strategically correct but inadequate. If the opposition doesn’t highlight and resist the attempt by the BJP to leverage war hysteria against Pakistan to indulge in communal polarization of our society, it will fail in the task of securing secularism in India.

Kumar Sanjay Singh, Associate Professor, Department of History, Swami Shraddhanand College, Delhi University

2 May 2025

Source: countercurrents.org