Queen Rania: There's a 'Glaring Double Standard' in How World Treats Palestinians

Oct 24, 2023 | Queen Rania of Jordan talks to Christiane Amanpour about the world's reaction to the Israel and Hamas war.

Iran Warns Israel to Stop War in Gaza: FM Says Situation Like ‘Powder Keg’

Oct 23, 2023 | Iran's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, has warned Israel that the region could spiral out of control if it does not stop bombarding Gaza. He said that the results could be "severe, bitter" and "have far-reaching repercussions", both regionally and for those advocating for war. He also said the US was also "to blame" for providing military support to Israel. Al Jazeera’s Dorsa Jabbari reports from Tehran.

Related here.

'In Memoriam': In Memory of the Victims of October 7, 2023

Oct 10, 2023 | Alma Deutscher: “I composed this movement from my piano concerto in memory of my grandmother in Israel. I’m posting it here [on YouTube] in memory of the children, the women and the men, young and elderly, who were murdered in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

Alma Deutscher: piano concerto in E-flat major. ii: Adagio (in memoriam)
Dame Jane Glover, conductor
Orchestra of St. Luke's
Alma Deutscher, piano

Son of Hamas Leader Spies for Israel: The Green Prince [HD] | Saturday Extra, ABC RN

Nov 19, 2014 | Israel’s surveillance relies almost entirely on human intelligence, primarily Palestinians living in the occupied territories, that are recruited by Israel’s secret security service Shin Bet.

One of the most notorious cases involves the son of a Hamas’ founder, 17 year old Mosab Hassan Yousef, who was recruited in the late 1990s to spy on his own people for over a decade.

He was given the code name ‘The Green Prince’. And his relationship with his Israeli handler Gonen Itzhak was unconventional to say the least. The Green Prince is also the title of a documentary which brings Mosab Yousef’s story to the screen for the first time. It was released nationally in Australia on December 4, 2014.


WIKIPEDIA : The Green Prince (film) »

Israel's Top Trauma Surgeon Shares Powerful Message | 7 News Australia

Oct 16, 2023 | Days ago, Hamas launched its attack on its neighbours. They unleashed fury on an unsuspecting Israel. The element of surprise is largely over now, and Israel is prepared. As the war rages on above ground, below ground is where those most affected will fight for their lives. This is Tel Aviv’s Sourasky Medical Centre - the biggest hospital in Israel. Dr Eyal Hashavia is the Vice Chief of Trauma Surgey for the hospital, and took 7NEWS Europe Correspondent Ashlee Mullany behind the scenes of the incredible facilities. It’s a state-of-the-art operation, both above AND below ground. Dr Hashavia has not stopped since Hamas invaded on Saturday, and he has no plans to. Like many Israelis, says he will not rest while his country is under attack.

Israels Luftwaffe greift Moschee im Westjordanland an

KRIEG IN NAHOST
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Die israelische Luftwaffe greift eine Moschee im Westjordanland an, dort soll sich ein unterirdischer „Terrorkomplex“ befunden haben. Auch an der Grenze zu Libanon gibt es wieder Zwischenfälle. Der Überblick

Israel will das militärische Vorgehen gegen die islamistische Hamas im Gazastreifen nach zweiwöchigem Bombardement nun ausweiten. „Wir erhöhen die Angriffe und minimieren die Gefahr“, zitierten israelische Medien Armeesprecher Daniel Hagari am Samstag. „Wir müssen unter den besten Bedingungen in die nächste Phase des Krieges eintreten.“ Unklar ist, ob damit die erwartete Bodenoffensive gemeint ist. Auch im besetzten Westjordanland geht Israel verstärkt gegen militante Palästinenser vor. In der Nacht zum Sonntag griff die Armee nach eigenen Angaben kurz vor einem geplanten Anschlag eine „Terrorzelle“ in einer Moschee im Flüchtlingslager Dschenin an. » | Quelle: dpa | Sonntag, 22. Oktober 2023

Netanyahu Told to ‘Quit Now’ as Ex-leaders Pin Blame on Dysfunctional Government

THE OBSERVER: Former military officers and politicians say prime minister bears responsibility for the failures that led to the Hamas incursion

Former Israeli military, political and intelligence officials have expressed doubts over the leadership of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as debate rages inside the country about the response to the Hamas attacks on 7 October that killed 1,400 Israelis.

Former prime minister Ehud Barak described the terrorist attack as “the most severe blow Israel has suffered since its establishment to date”. “I don’t believe that the people trust Netanyahu to lead when he is under the burden of such a devastating event that just happened under his term,” he told the Observer.

A former chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces said that Netanyahu should “resign now”, while a former intelligence official described the government as “dysfunctional”. » | Ruth Michaelson in Jerusalem | Sunday, October 22, 2023

The Son of Hamas | Full Version

Jun 12, 2018 | ¨Rejecting what i am in this book was a lot more dangerous and challenging than hanging out in a room full of explosives and suicide bombers.¨

Related video about Mosab Hassan Yousef here.

Powerful Saudi Prince Breaks Ranks to Condemn Hamas

THE TELEGRAPH: Prince Turki al-Faisal, a key power broker in the Middle East, hits out against the murderous tactics adopted by the terror group

Prince Turki al-Faisal: ‘I categorically condemn Hamas’s targeting of civilian targets of any age or gender as it is accused of’ | Leigh Vogel/Getty
An influential Saudi prince has issued a strong condemnation of Hamas in a rare rebuke from one of the Middle East’s main power brokers.

Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former Saudi ambassador to the UK and US, said he preferred “civil insurrection and disobedience” to the murderous tactics adopted by the Palestinian terror group.

“I categorically condemn Hamas’s targeting of civilian targets of any age or gender as it is accused of,” Prince al-Faisal said in a speech at the Baker Institute for Public Policy, a US think tank housed at Rice University in Texas.

“But equally, I condemn Israel’s indiscriminate bombing of Palestinian innocent civilians in Gaza and the attempt to forcibly drive them into Sinai,” he added, citing Israel’s recent bombardment of the enclave and order for its residents to flee south towards Egypt ahead of an expected ground offensive.

Prince al-Faisal’s remarks underline recent comments from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and indicate Riyadh may still be amenable to a historic normalisation deal with Israel, despite having put on hold talks amid the current war. » | Sophia Yan | Friday, October 20, 2023

Saudi, Israeli officials spar at regional conference: Prince Turki al-Faisal called Israel a 'Western colonising power' »

Why the West can no longer ignore Mohammed bin Salman’s Saudi Arabia: The calculated moves that have returned the pariah prince to the centre of diplomacy »

I concur with Prince Turki al-Faisal’s wise words. His forthrightness is both refreshing and courageous.

Hamas’s crimes were vile and depraved, but peace will never be achieved unless the root causes of the enmities and hatred between the Palestinians and the Israelis are addressed and corrected.

Whilst it is undeniable that Israel has a right to respond to the atrocities committed by Hamas, it is in the Israelis’ own interests to ensure that their responses are measured, appropriate and proportionate. Civilised behaviour demands that the punishment should always befit the crime. If Israel’s reaction turns out not to fit the crimes committed by Hamas, their disproportionate punishments will engender even more anti-Semitism throughout the world – a cancerous phenomenon which in many countries is already at fever pitch.

Decent people naturally want the best for Israel and the Israelis. Please don’t let them down, Mr Netanyahu. The world is watching. – © Mark Alexander

The Gaza Diplomacy of Biden, Sunak and Co Seems to Be Heading for Failure

Analysis
GUARDIAN EUROPE: The US president was empathetic, sharp and subtle, but there are signs that his closest Arab allies are losing patience

Two weeks of non-stop western shuttle diplomacy appear to have reached the brink of failure since, as it stands, the west can only point to 20 aid trucks crossing into Gaza as the visible fruit of its labour. At the same time, Israel’s neighbours are taking to the streets and acts of terrorism are returning to the capitals of Europe.

With more than 4,000 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis already dead, the only certainty is that Gaza’s depleted healthcare system will collapse if Israel launches a lengthy land invasion to wipe out Hamas.

The round of western diplomatic visits to Jerusalem had a dual purpose. They were public acts of solidarity in which the visit was the message, but there was also private questioning of the Israeli war cabinet, and what comes after an invasion.

…

Prince Turki al-Faisal the former Saudi ambassador to the US, speaking in Washington, said: “I’ve been hearing a repeated phrase in American media: unprovoked attack. What more provocation is required to make it provoked than what Israel has done to the Palestinian people for three-quarters of a century?” » | Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor | Friday, October 20, 2023

Israel-Hamas War: Piers Morgan vs Bassem Youssef on Palestine's Treatment | The Full Interview

WARNING: This video contains strong language

Piers Morgan Uncensored is joined by Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef and later on by co-founder of the Daily Wire, Jeremy Boreing, for a heated and emotive debate on the historical treatment of Palestine during their conflict with Israel and whether Israel's decision to bomb Gaza in an attempt to get rid of Hamas is justified and proportionate after the attacks on October 7th.

Bassem condemns the terrorist organisation Hamas and tries to explain that people have been desensitised to accept that civilians dying is an inevitability of war.

Piers then suggests he doesn't know what the "proportionate response" to a terrorist attack of Hamas's scale would be. Bassem responds by referencing a graph that shows the total amount of deaths in the conflict prior to the attacks and questions the Palestinian killings in the West Bank, which has never been occupied by Hamas fighters.

Bassem then mocks Ben Shapiro for his public stance on Israel defending themselves, questioning how an occupier can be defending themselves. Shapiro's friend and colleague Jeremy is then invited by Piers to debate Bassem's criticisms.

Tanks Line Up at Gaza Border as Ground Invasion Appears Imminent

NEW YORK POST: Israel appeared to be readying its expected ground invasion of the Gaza Strip early Friday, with a large border town evacuated and fleets of tanks lining up on the border where hundreds of thousands of soldiers are already camped out.

Israeli officials have been warning for days that it will soon launch its ground invasion, as they amassed at least 300,000 troops along the border in response to Hamas’ surprise attack on Oct. 7, when the terrorist organization killed at least 1,400 people — mostly civilians — and took more than 200 others hostage, the Voice of America reports.

Speaking to those troops on Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said they would soon see Gaza “from the inside.

“Whoever sees Gaza from afar will soon see it from the inside,” he said. “The order will come.” » | Melissa Koenig | Friday, October 20, 2023

Israel - Story of a Contested Country | DW Documentary

May 13, 2023 | Edit 10.10.23: The attack on Israel by the militant Islamist group Hamas that started on 7 October 2023 adds a new dimension to the Middle East conflict: From the Gaza strip, fighters of the Palestinian terrorist organisation were able to cross into Israeli territory, take Israeli hostages, and kill hundreds of soldiers and civilians. Israel responded by declaring a state of war and retaliating with full force. In the Gaza strip, hundreds of Palestinian Hamas fighters and civilians were killed. The documentary tells the complex story of how the state of Israel was founded – a story that lies at the heart of the violence and conflict in the region to this day.]

On May 14, 1948, the State of Israel announced its independence. For many, this was a long-time dream come true: "Eretz Israel" - a home for all Jewish people and for survivors of the Holocaust. Palestinians call this period the "catastrophe.”

The State of Israel was founded 75 years ago. The effects can still be felt today in the ongoing Middle East conflict. What are the historical roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? This documentary sheds light on the decisive years from 1897 to 1948. Israeli and Palestinian historians and experts share their reflections and contextualize the global political events of those years.

The pivotal turning point came in November 1947 with the United Nations plan to partition British Mandatory Palestine. For some, it was a dream turned reality - an independent state offering Jews protection, refuge, and a homeland. For others, it marked the beginning of a "catastrophe,” what Palestinians call the "Nakba,” defined by the loss of homeland, displacement, and uncertainty. More than 75 years after the historic UN vote, the conflict between Israel and the now occupied Palestinian territories continues. It is a source of unresolved tension in the region with reverberations in and beyond the Middle East.

UK PM Rishi Sunak Tells Israel 'We Want You to Win' - BBC News

Oct 19, 2023 | UK PM Rishi Sunak has met Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv. The leaders met for talks on Thursday during Mr Sunak's two-day visit to Israel. The most serious escalation in the conflict in decades erupted on 7 October, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing more than 1,400 people. Israel is continuing to heavily bomb Gaza, and the health ministry in Gaza has said more than 3,700 people have been killed in Israeli strikes.

Israeli Soldier's Explosive Tell-All: "Palestinians Are Right to Resist"

March 20, 2017 | In a rare, candid conversation, Abby Martin interviews a former Israeli Army combat soldier who served as an occupier in Palestine’s Hebron City. Eran Efrati spent years as a sergeant and combat soldier in the Israeli military, but has since become an outspoken critic of the occupation of Palestine and Israeli apartheid.

Efrati gives explosive testimony on the reality of his service and explains how war crimes are institutionalized, as well as how systematic the oppression against Palestinians really is in a war of conquest…


I should like you all to know that I strive for balance and fairness on this blog. I try very hard not to take sides. I therefore generally post videos and articles which reflect viewpoints from BOTH sides. This particular video, which pre-dates the recent atrocities committed by Hamas by approximately six years, is particularly enlightening, because it gives us a peek into the everyday life of Palestinians, how they suffer, and how they are treated.

My posting of this video should in no way be construed as an endorsement of its content. Like you, I do not have first-hand knowledge of life in Israel. I can only listen, watch and learn.

However, as human beings, none of us is beyond reproach – we all err in one way or another; so, it is valid to question the behaviour not only of Palestinians, but also of Israelis.

I will end here by using a German proverb which I learnt many years ago. It goes like this: Selbsterkenntnis ist der beste Weg zur Besserung. This can be translated into English in this way: Self-knowledge is the best way to improve oneself. In other words, we cannot correct our faults until we know what they are! – © Mark Alexander

We Must Not Deepen the Humanitarian Catastrophe in Gaza and Dramatically Undermine Israel’s Security

Oct 19, 2023

'Down with Israel': Protests Erupt across the Middle East after Gaza Hospital Strike

Oct 18, 2023 | Violent protests have erupted across the Arab world amid a wave of anger after an air strike on a Gaza hospital killed at least 200 Palestinians on Tuesday evening. Demonstrators have stormed the Israeli consulate in Jordan while Western embassies have been targeted in Turkey, Tunisia and Lebanon, with rioting also breaking out in the West Bank.

‘Death to England and France’, protesters shout as Western embassies targeted: US consulate in Lebanon is targeted with fire attack as angry demonstrations spread to Turkey, the West Bank and Tunisia Violent protests have erupted across the Arab world amid a wave of anger after a bombing on a Gaza hospital killed at least 200 Palestinians on Tuesday evening. »

Full: Biden Makes Remarks in Historic Wartime Visit to Israel

Oct 18, 2023 | President Joe Biden reaffirmed his support for Israel during his visit to the country, making him the first U.S. president to do so in a time of conflict. Biden also announced that the U.S. will fund humanitarian aid in Gaza and the West Bank.

Rashid Khalidi on Biden's "Israel-First Approach" & Growing Outrage over Gaza across the Middle East

Oct 18, 2023 | President Biden is in Israel to show more support for its relentless assault on the Gaza Strip, which has reduced much of the territory to rubble, killed at least 3,300 Palestinians and displaced more than a million people. Israel also continues to maintain a complete siege, refusing to let in food, water, fuel, medicines and other necessities. Meanwhile, international outrage is growing over a massive explosion at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital that killed hundreds of people on Tuesday. Palestinian authorities say it was an Israeli airstrike, while Israel has claimed a failed rocket launch by Gaza militants caused the blast. "Whoever was responsible, the result will be enormous, enormous anger at the United States for its support of Israel, as well as a further increase in this enormous death toll inside Gaza," says Palestinian American historian Rashid Khalidi, the Edward Said professor of modern Arab studies at Columbia University.

The View from Gaza | Palestinian Ambassador to the UK - Husam Zomlot

Oct 18, 2023 | What's it like to live in Gaza? What are the key differences between the PLO, the PA, Fatah and Hamas? How far away are we from the diplomatic high point of the Oslo Accords? On today's episode of The Rest Is Politics, Rory and Alastair are joined by Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian Ambassador to the UK.

WIKIPEDIA: Husam Zomlot »

Related documentary: Balfour: Seeds of Discord.