There has never been a US presidential visit to the Middle East like this one.
This week, success will be measured not in conventional diplomacy, peace deals, or arms sales, although Donald Trump did make some news by lifting sanctions on the Syrian leadership, urging Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to join the Abraham Accords by normalizing relations with Israel, and agreeing to a $142 billion weapons package for Riyadh.
Trump’s remarkable Middle East tour is all about striking megadeals and outfoxing China
Tag: rapprochement
Ukraine: Dysfunctional Politics
“Dysfunction Sidelines Ukraine’s Parliament as Governing Force,” is the title of an article published this week by The New York Times in one of the few political critiques that has appeared in the Western press recently. It took two years after the Russian invasion for the grace period of absence of political comments on the Ukrainian authorities to be broken, although always partially and only temporarily. It was the news that included Vitali Klitschko’s words against what he perceived as authoritarian drift that opened the door. Like the current information, that news also lacked the contextualization that politics requires, and it was left unmentioned that the criticism of the mayor of Kiev and the measures by which the protesters were part of a confrontation that went back almost to the beginnings of the presidency of Zelensky. The origin of the rivalry lies in the struggle for power and control of the resources of the State between the two protagonists. What is more, the attempt to Zelensky snatch administratively, the mayor of Kiev Klitschko, a man with powerful connections and political contacts, especially in Germany, is one of the examples that show that the authoritarian drift of Volodymyr Zelensky is not justified in the wartime situation today, but that precedes it in several years to the military intervention of Russia.
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With Al-Qassam and Al-Quds Brigades, four other armed Palestinian factions are fighting Israel in Gaza
To support Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and despite any ideological or political differences, thousands of fighters from four other Palestinian factions have been fighting against the Israeli occupation forces in Gaza since last October.
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“Currently, we are all facing the same catastrophe(…) The Israeli enemy does not differentiate between a Palestinian who follows Fatah and another who belongs to Hamas. For him, everyone is a target. The Israelis want to eradicate the Palestinian people, without exception,” the officials said.
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“Although the Al-Qassam Brigades and the Al-Quds Brigades are the strongest on the ground, fighters from other factions joining the fight has created a balance not only on the field but also politically, especially since Israel has always bragged since the beginning of its war that it is only fighting Hamas, which it described as similar to ISIS, to justify its crimes against all the Palestinian people,” Wasef Erekat, a Ramallah-based Palestinian military expert, told TNA.
“The presence of diversity in the fighters’ ideological and political backgrounds and tactics in confronting the Israeli occupation prevents Israel from being able to commit even more crimes against the Palestinians and debunks their claim that they are only fighting ‘extremists’ and Hamas,” Erekat said.
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“Israel and the United States have long tried to stamp out Palestinian armed resistance and hold Hamas fully responsible for the 7 October attack. They ignored the violations against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza for decades and considered the 7 October attack a ‘crime against humanity’ and mobilised international and, unfortunately, some of the Arab opinion against Hamas,” remarked Iyad al-Qarra, a Gaza-based Palestinian analyst.
Related:
Not Only Hamas: Eight Factions at War With Israel in Gaza
Regarding the ‘Belligerents’ in the Israel–Hamas war and Hamas in Syria
The Palestinians’ inalienable right to resist
Why doesn’t Amnesty recognize Palestinians’ right to resist?
China tells ICJ: Palestinians have the right to use ‘armed force’ against Israel
Biden Offers to Turn U.S. Military Personnel Into Saudi Royal Bodyguards
President Joe Biden has made a habit of putting the interest of foreign governments before that of the American people. Like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Biden Offers to Turn U.S. Military Personnel Into Saudi Royal Bodyguards by Doug Bandow
Flashback (has he forgotten?):
[2019] American Soldiers Are Not Bodyguards for Saudi Royals by Doug Bandow
President Donald Trump believes in America First except when it comes to the Saudi royal family. Then it is Saudi Arabia first.
Xi’s whirlwind European tour, playing mediator to mixed reviews
The question is, will the US see this as a benefit or continue to play critic?
Xi’s whirlwind European tour, playing mediator to mixed reviews
Related:
Regarding the ‘Belligerents’ in the Israel–Hamas war and Hamas in Syria
In this video clip, Vanessa talks about the different Palestinian resistance factions that are fighting alongside Hamas:
Even CIA/Mossad-edited Wikipedia lists that it’s more than just Hamas fighting against the IOF:
In this clip, Vanessa talks about Hamas having been in Syria, fighting alongside Al-Qaeda, and how they’ve changed in the last five years:
The full video can be found, here, on Vanessa Beeley’s YouTube channel.
Supporting Sources:
Hamas and Fatah in unity talks, says Khaled Meshaal
In relation to Syria – a long-time ally of Hamas – Mr Meshaal said the party had been forced out of Damascus because it disagreed with how President Bashar al-Assad was dealing with the conflict.
Khaled Mash’al stepped down as leader of Hamas, in 2017.
Hanoi’s ‘Bamboo Diplomacy’ Preserves Vietnamese Independence, Says Foreign Minister
Vietnam’s “bamboo diplomacy” has allowed Hanoi to carefully enter strategic partnerships with the U.S. and China while maintaining its own independence and security, its foreign minister said Tuesday at a Brookings Institution event.
Hanoi’s ‘Bamboo Diplomacy’ Preserves Vietnamese Independence, Says Foreign Minister
Russian newspaper: India wants to cut off Arab oil from China, but can it?
The Indian Navy intends to build a second base in the Lakshodeep archipelago, located on the tanker route from the Gulf of Aden and the Strait of Hormuz to the Strait of Malacca.
Russian newspaper: India wants to cut off Arab oil from China, but can it?
H/T: Geopolitical Trends, w/Dr. David Oualaalou
Related:
India may cut off Arab oil supplies to China
Read More »US-British Strikes on Yemen Seek to Provoke Wider War with Iran
US-British Attacks on Yemen a Portent for Wider War
In the opening weeks of 2024, the US and British unilaterally launched several large-scale missile and air strikes on targets in territory held by Ansar Allah (referred to as the “Houthis” across the Western media) in Yemen.
US-British Attacks on Yemen a Portent for Wider War
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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