Haftbefehl gegen Israels Finanzminister Smotrich

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Den Haftbefehl machte Smotrich am Dienstag selbst öffentlich. Er sprach von einer „Kriegserklärung“ der palästinensischen Autonomiebehörde.

Der Internationale Strafgerichtshof (IStGH) in Den Haag hat nach Angaben des israelischen Finanzministers Bezalel Smotrich einen geheimen Haftbefehl gegen ⁠ihn beantragt. Der rechtsextreme Politiker sagte am Dienstag auf einer Pressekonferenz, er sei am Montagabend darüber informiert worden. Wer ihm dies mitgeteilt habe und welche Gründe das Gericht anführe, ließ er offen. Der IStGH und die zuständige Anklagebehörde äußerten sich zunächst nicht dazu. » | Quelle: Reuters | Dienstag, 19. Mai 2026

Palestinians Forced to Demolish Own Homes to Make Way for Israeli Theme Park

Screenshot taken from this Guardian article. | More than 57 homes in al-Bustan have been demolished in the past two years with at least eight designated for demolition in the next few weeks. Photograph: Quique Kierszenbaum/The Guardian
THE GUARDIAN: Residents of al-Bustan district told to make way for Kings Garden, with knocking down own houses cheaper option

At the bottom of a steep and densely populated valley just below Jerusalem’s old city walls, the earth has been shaken in recent weeks by jackhammers and bulldozers.

These have been the sounds of Jerusalem for decades as the Israeli state has relentlessly sought to stamp a uniformly Jewish identity on to the occupied east of the city, while erasing its Palestinian character.

Typically it is workers for the state and municipality at the wheel of the bulldozers, but in the al-Bustan neighbourhood, in the shadow of the 11th-century al-Aqsa mosque, the clamour is from a more recent development.

It is the sound of Palestinians demolishing their own family homes.

“This is something really hard. This is something bitter,” Jalal al-Tawil said as he watched a tractor he had hired, with a front loader at the front and jackhammer at the back, rip apart the last remnants of the house his father had built, which in turn had been on the site of his grandparents’ home. » | Julian Borger, Quique Kierszenbaum and Sufian Taha in Jerusalem | Saturday, May 16, 2026

One can but weep! How much more, and how much longer, must these poor, downtrodden people suffer?

Ironically, it was watching black and white documentaries on the Holocaust on BBC TV as a little boy in the 1950s that awakened my interest in, and later, love for, the German language! I wanted to understand how a people could commit such atrocities and such heinous crimes against their fellow man, against innocent, helpless and unsuspecting people?

Naturally, and unsurprisingly, my sympathies from that time forward were always with the downtrodden Jews. It goes without saying that I have loathed anti-Semitism ever since.

It took years for me to master German. It’s a very beautiful language, but with very complicated grammar, especially until the rules of the language all fall into place. But when I did master it, I found a people just like my own, the British. They had all the strong points and weaknesses that every other people have. I found a people capable of loving and hating, no different from my own compatriots. A people with all the same needs and aspirations as my own people.

I grew to love the German language, and by extension, the German people. In fact, I love all things German. The bottom line is this: Germans in the Third Reich were programmed to commit evil acts, led by a man who was without normal human feelings, without morals, and with an evil and wicked nature. This could happen to a people from any culture.

I never thought that all these years later, I would again have to watch documentaries and news footage about suffering of yet another people—this time the Palestinians—this time in colour, but this time committed by the very people I had watched on television being persecuted by the Nazis! One would have thought that having suffered persecution they would have known better.

There are common threads, though. Germany was led in the 1930s and 1940s by a megalomaniacal madman, who understood no limits and who understood no barriers to the fulfilment of his warped and twisted dreams. Now, Israel is led by such a ruthless person. The average Jew will surely be horrified by what is going on in Netanyahu’s Israel. Netanyahu has turned the dream of a homeland for the once suffering Jews into a nightmare for the longsuffering Palestinians. Surely, in the name of compassion and civility and decency, this persecution must STOP.

It defies comprehension that a once persecuted people could themselves persecute another people in this manner, bereft as it is of all mercy and compassion. One would have imagined that if any people would have mercy and compassion for the downtrodden, Jewry would.

It is high time that the civilized world put a STOP to the suffering of Palestinians, the majority of whom are fine people just wanting to live a normal, peaceful existence. Just like you and me. — © Mark Alexander

Tucker Turns the Tables on New York Times Reporter

May 6, 2026

A Watershed Moment? | John Mearsheimer and Sir Max Hastings

Apr 24 2026 | Historians reserve the term “watershed” for those rare moments when events do not merely shock the established order but upend it. Think of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, which hastened the end of the Cold War and ushered in an era of American unipolarity. Or the September 11, 2001, attacks in the US, which ignited the global war on terror and culminated in the long, costly entanglements of the so-called forever wars.

In each case, those living through the moment could sense they were witnessing events whose consequences would extend far beyond the immediate crisis. The question now is whether the Iran war belongs in that category. On the world stage, many allies and partners increasingly worry that the United States as a friend is shrinking with extraordinary rapidity. If this is true, what does this mean for international affairs after the Iran war?

Guests are Sir Max Hastings, the British military historian, columnist and former newspaper editor, and John Mearsheimer, professor of political science from the University of Chicago.


To put it succinctly, Trump is a chump who is also off his chump! — © Mark Alexander

Jeffrey Sachs: Iran Exposed the Limits of American Power

Apr 23, 2026 | World-renowned economics professor Jeffrey Sachs discusses the global fallout from the US and Israeli war on Iran, as the conflict approaches the two-month mark.

Inside Israel’s ‘Security Zone’ in Southern Lebanon

Apr 22, 2026 | In southern Lebanon, an Israeli airstrike is reported to have killed two people in a vehicle and injured two journalists.

Iran's ally Hezbollah also said it attacked Israeli forces with a drone - all of this straining the 10-day ceasefire. Israel has established a 'security zone' which, at its deepest point, extends some seven miles into southern Lebanon.

It's marked out by what Israel is calling a Forward Defence, or Yellow Line, similar to that in Gaza. Israeli troops are still deployed there, demolishing buildings in villages near the line, like Mansouri and Majdal Zoun.

Israeli Soldier Destroys Jesus Statue in Lebanon | BBC News

Apr 20, 2026 | There has been widespread condemnation after an image of an Israeli soldier apparently hitting a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer in southern Lebanon went viral.

Israel's prime minister said he was "stunned and saddened”. Its foreign minister said: "We apologise for this incident and to every Christian whose feelings were hurt."

Locals say the statue was on a crucifix outside a family home on the edge of Debel, one of the few villages where residents have remained during Israel's war with Hezbollah.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it viewed the incident "with great severity and emphasises that the soldier's conduct is wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops".

The War Just Took a Dark Turn — Hormuz Is Not Stable | Prof Jeffrey Sachs

April 18, 2026

Sanders Shocks Senate: “Stop Funding Netanyahu!” Fiery Speech Goes Viral | Times Now World

April 16, 2026

Bernie Sanders - Senate Showdown: Should the US Keep Funding Israel’s War?

Apr 17, 2026 | Bernie Sanders address two Senate votes that could determine whether the United States continues funding Israel’s military campaign under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. After the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, which killed over 1,200 Israelis and took hostages, Israel had the right to respond. But that response, critics argue, has violated international law. In Gaza, more than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed and much of the territory destroyed, including homes, schools, hospitals, and infrastructure. Severe blockades have caused widespread hunger. Violence has also escalated in the West Bank, where over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed since then.

ANTHONY DAVIS can be supported on Patreon here.

Lebanon Ceasefire: Peace Breakthrough or Just a Temporary Trump Pause in the War?

Apr 17, 2026 | A 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon brings both relief and skepticism after weeks of escalating violence. Announced by Donald Trump following talks with Benjamin Netanyahu and Joseph Aoun, the pause is meant to halt fighting and create space for diplomacy. While it appears focused on Israel and Hezbollah, the conflict is deeply tied to a wider U.S.-Iran standoff. Hezbollah’s attacks in support of Iran triggered a devastating Israeli response, leaving southern Lebanon heavily damaged and thousands of civilians affected. The ceasefire offers a needed break, but its short duration and complex regional stakes make its long-term impact uncertain and fragile.

ANTHONY DAVIS can be supported on Patreon here.

Bernie Sanders: No More Arms Sales to Israel

Apr 15, 2026 | No more taxpayer dollars to support Netanyahu and his extremist Israeli government.

Why Spain Is Opposing Israel and the US over Gaza and Iran | Explained

Apr 15, 2026 | Spain has recognised Palestine, restricted ties with Israel and blocked US flights linked to Iran, setting it apart from its Western allies. Why is Spain taking this position?

The answer lies in its history: from the Spanish Civil War and Franco’s dictatorship to the 2004 Madrid train bombings that reshaped its foreign policy and public opinion on war.

Trump 'Shocked' by Italian PM as She Defends Pope Leo and Denounces Iran War | ABC NEWS

Apr 15, 2026 | Donald Trump has lashed out at Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after she expressed solidarity with Pope Leo. Meloni was considered a close ally of Trump. She attended his inauguration and visited Mar-a-Lago. The US President gave several critical remarks to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera in which he criticised the right-wing prime minister for not supporting the US-Israel war in Iran.

Polish MP Shows Israeli Flag with a Swastika in the Middle

Click here to watch and listen.

Spain's Pedro Sánchez Attacks Israel: "Suspend the Agreement with the EU."

Apr 11, 2026 | In his speech at the European Pulse Forum 2026 in Barcelona, Pedro Sánchez takes a clear stance on the Middle East crisis, calling on the European Union to suspend the Association Agreement with Israel for violations of international law.

Michael Lambert: Trump's Puppet Master Exposed: The Netanyahu Iran War Plan

April 11, 2026

Netanyahu's wet dream: the destruction of Iran! — © Mark Alexander

Iran Will Not Back Down on Maximum Control over Strait of Hormuz Demands

Apr 10, 2026 | “They will be trying to secure confirmation of Iran’s ability, or right, to do whatever it wants in the Strait of Hormuz.”

Iran is “an extremely tough negotiator” and will likely try to secure “maximum advantage” over the Strait of Hormuz, including imposing tolls, says former British Ambassador to Israel Matthew Gould.

Ceasefire at the 11th Hour: US-Iran's Last-minute Deal

April 8, 2026

Israel Strikes Lebanon Despite Ceasefire Deal

THE TELEGRAPH: Israel will continue strikes and ground operations in Lebanon, insisting the ceasefire agreed last night only applies to the war with Iran.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said the agreement between the US and Iran did not cover the fight against Hezbollah and that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) would continue their operations.

This morning, the IDF issued another evacuation order covering the southern suburbs of Beirut and fired a wave of missiles. » | Robert White. Harriet Barber. Emily Blumenthal. Abbir Dib | Wednesday, April 8, 2026