Russia’s FM Lavrov Slams US Double Standards over Israel, Ukraine War

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov slammed US double standards over Syria’s Golan Heights and the Donbass region in Ukraine.

Russia’s FM Lavrov Slams US Double Standards over Israel, Ukraine War

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Lavrov accuses U.S. of double standards over Golan Heights, Donbas

Secretary Antony J. Blinken with Wolf Blitzer of CNN’s The Situation Room

QUESTION: The Trump administration, as you know, also recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria back in 1967. Will your administration, the Biden administration, continue to see the Golan Heights as part of Israel?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Look, leaving aside the legalities of that question, as a practical matter, the Golan is very important to Israel’s security. As long as Assad is in power in Syria, as long as Iran is present in Syria, militia groups backed by Iran, the Assad regime itself – all of these pose a significant security threat to Israel, and as a practical matter, the control of the Golan in that situation I think remains of real importance to Israel’s security. Legal questions are something else. And over time, if the situation were to change in Syria, that’s something we’d look at. But we are nowhere near as that.

A ‘Terrorist Onslaught’? This Is Why Netanyahu, Gallant Blame Iran for West Bank Violence

Despite their complicated and often uneasy relationship, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant agree on one thing: Iran is behind Israel’s security problem.

A ‘Terrorist Onslaught’? This Is Why Netanyahu, Gallant Blame Iran for West Bank Violence

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Netanyahu Reverses Firing of Israeli Defense Minister

What Israel’s Controversial Judicial Overhaul Means for Palestinians

What Israel’s Controversial Judicial Overhaul Means for Palestinians (archived)

For Palestinians, many of whom will have watched yesterday’s events from the sidelines, the judicial overhaul only stands to accelerate what has already been a worsening situation. The last couple of years have seen a major uptick in violence in the occupied territories, marked by deadly military raids and settler rampages. 2022 was the deadliest year for Palestinians in nearly two decades, and this year appears on course to beat that record. “The trends that we’re seeing have become much worse,” says Zonszein. “The reality on the ground for Palestinians was bad before [the judicial overhaul], and it’s bad now.”