Israel's Dream of Ruling the Region Is Over, Its Decline Has Begun | Mustafa Barghouti | UNAPOLOGETIC

Jun 27, 2026 | "Now Netanyahu has failed. Iran was not broken. Arab countries now realise that relying on Israel is a death sentence."

In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC, we sat down in studio with Mustafa Barghouti, Palestinian physician, leader of the Palestinian National Initiative and co-founder of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society. Barghouti argues that Israel's two strategic goals, imperial domination of the Middle East and normalisation with Arab states, have both collapsed, and that this marks the beginning of its decline.

Across the conversation he sets out the scale of the atrocity in Gaza, the slow strangulation of life in the West Bank, and the transformation of Israeli society towards what he describes as fascism. He explains why the regional war with Iran ended in strategic failure for Netanyahu, why Oslo and the 2005 Gaza disengagement were traps rather than concessions, and why he refuses to accept any framing that places oppressor and oppressed on equal footing.

Barghouti also turns to the question of survival and resistance, from the 90 midwives employed in the first weeks of the war to the clinics rebuilt multiple times under bombardment and makes the case that Palestine has become the global measure of commitment to justice. Despite everything, he ends on a note of defiance and hope.

UNAPOLOGETIC is hosted by Ashfaaq Carim.

Michael Lambert: Israel's Hangman Pin Badge | Why UK Politicians Say Nothing

June 26, 2026 | A UN report published this week has accused Israel of deliberately targeting and killing Palestinian children. A separate UN report in October 2025 went further — accusing Israel of genocide. And yet, politicians in the UK — many of them members of Labour Friends of Israel — say nothing.

Meanwhile, Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has celebrated with cakes the re-introduction of hanging for Palestinians. He and his colleagues now wear gold "hangman's noose" lapel pin badges.

Killing and maiming children can never be justified, The silence of UK politicians is deafening, and why the hangman's noose has become a symbol of something truly dark.


Thank you, Mr Lambert, for having the courage to speak out on these issues. I absolutely and totally agree with your analysis of the atrocities being carried out by Israelis against the poor Palestinians. What is being perpetrated is nothing less than a genocide. And we Westerners are supposed to remain silent!

Like many others, I have always been pro-Israel because of how Jews were made to suffer in Nazi Germany and, of course, because of the Holocaust. But because of that suffering, Jews really ought to be more compassionate, merciful, and understanding. That Jews in Israel are bereft of mercy is truly an enigma to me.

I concur with your analysis absolutely. Again, thank you for your courage. — © Mark Alexander

The Rise of Israeli Ultra-Nationalism and Kahaneism

June 23, 2026

Ana Kasparian Is Fired Up

She speaks of Israel’s treachery.
I have always been pro-Israel, especially because of how the Jews suffered in the Holocaust in Nazi Germany, and how they have been persecuted throughout the ages. However, I am absolutely shocked that a people with such awful experience of pain and hardship are seemingly incapable of mercy and compassion for the people they now themselves persecute. This is utterly incomprehensible to me. — © Mark Alexander

With No Medicine and No Escape, Gaza’s Cancer Patients Watch Their Tumours Grow

THE TELEGRAPH: Aid blockades and Israeli evacuation restrictions leave Gazans stranded with inadequate healthcare

Minutes after Najat al-Loh learnt that the 7cm lump in her right breast was cancer, her oldest son Atta died from wounds sustained in an Israeli bombardment.

“As I stood there talking to the doctor, I received the news,” she said. “I collapsed entirely, not just emotionally but physically. My daughter was screaming.”

Nine months on, the 48-year-old now has five more lumps across her chest and under her arms, some the size of tennis balls.

Her face is riven with exhaustion and despair as she hands over the chaotic bundle of medical papers to Khaleel, her 13-year-old son, to see whether he can make sense of them.

The war in Gaza ended just a few weeks after her diagnosis on Aug 17, thanks to Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan that promised to flood the benighted strip with food, medicine and life-saving equipment. Yet in that time, Ms Loh has had access to only the most rudimentary cancer care, allowing the disease to spread far beyond the point of a cure.

She is one of an estimated 13,000 cancer patients who are trapped in a territory with virtually no specialist services left and – save for a lucky few – unable to leave to get the treatment they need.

Both Israeli blockades, which started in the early 1990s but intensified after the war in Gaza started in 2023, and foot-dragging by other countries, including Britain, are responsible.

With Hamas refusing to hand over its weapons, Israel is reportedly contemplating tightening aid deliveries further and US attention diverted by Iran, the situation seems likely to worsen. » | Henry Bodkin Jerusalem Correspondent. Nedal Hamdouna in Gaza | Sunday, May 31, 2026

If this isn't CRUELTY, what is? And we ALL know WHO is RESPONSIBLE for it! — © Mark Alexander

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

Palestinians Demand Historical Reckoning ahead of Nakba Anniversary

May 10, 2026 | May 15 marks the anniversary of the Nakba or 'catastrophe', referring to the 1948 mass displacement of Palestinians during the creation of the state of Israel. For many Palestinians, a future of peace depends on Israel acknowledging this past. Mohammad Al-Kassim reports from Tel Aviv.

Israel's Death Penalty Is an 'Apartheid Law' Says Knesset Member Aida Touma-Suleiman

Apr 3, 2026 | In an interview with MEE’s Carolina Pedrazzi, member of the Israeli Knesset Aida Touma-Suleiman says the passing of Israel’s death penalty law for Palestinians was “a celebration of blood, a celebration of fascism and apartheid.”

“History has shown that the more oppression of occupation exists, the more resistance there is … We understand that the minute that international law vanishes, then it is a wild world and there is no other way to protect those who are violated in the world,” she added.

The new law passed by the Israeli parliament on Monday makes the death sentence the default punishment for Palestinians convicted of a deadly attack through military courts.

It has been widely condemned by rights groups for exclusively targeting Palestinians, enshrining separate legal rights based on national identity.

Israel Passes Law to Hang Palestinians Convicted of Deadly Attacks

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Experts say the law was written in such a way as to ensure that it was unlikely to ever apply to Jewish extremists who commit similar crimes.

Israel’s Parliament passed a law on Monday that would allow the hanging of Palestinians convicted of deadly militant attacks, but critics say it will almost certainly not be applied to Jewish extremists convicted of similar crimes.

The law is a victory for Israel’s far right and reflects the country’s shift to a harder line against Palestinians in the wake of the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the Gaza war that followed. The death penalty has long been legal in Israel, but only two people have been executed in the country’s 78-year history.

The Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, passed the law after hours of debate on Monday night over the objections of Israeli justice officials, liberal rights groups and major European allies like Britain and Germany.

It makes death by hanging the default sentence in Israeli military courts for Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks. Israeli citizens — both Jewish and Palestinian Arab — could also face the death penalty for killings intended to “negate the existence of the State of Israel.” Experts say, however, the chances it would be applied to Jewish Israelis for attacks against Palestinians are minimal. » | Aaron Boxerman and Johnatan Reiss | Monday, March 30, 2026

LIRE AUSSI :

Israël : le Parlement adopte une loi controversée instaurant la «peine de mort pour les terroristes» : Cette proposition de loi introduite par l’extrême droite a été adoptée en troisième lecture par 62 voix contre 48. »

"Israel’s Right to Exist? The Truth"

March 27, 2026

DOUBLE DOWN NEWS (DDN) can be supported here.

Palestinian Man Recounts Brutal Sexual Assault by Israeli Settlers

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The man said his attackers stripped him naked, beat him and zip-tied his genitalia, an account corroborated by family members and a rights activist who were also beaten.

Screenshot taken from this NYT article. | Suhaib Abualkebash, with a bruised eye, in Khirbet Humsa, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. He said he had been assaulted by Israeli settlers. | Credit...Afif Amireh for The New York Times
Israeli settlers beat a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank, stripped him naked, tied his arms and legs and then zip-tied his penis, he, his family members and another witness said on Wednesday.

“I thought I was going to die,” the man, Suhaib Abualkebash, a 29-year-old shepherd, told The New York Times. “I thought this was the end.”

Several family members and an American woman corroborated details of Mr. Abualkebash’s account, saying they witnessed the sexual assault on Friday by several men among a group of more than 20 settlers who marauded though a Bedouin encampment. The relatives and the American said they had been beaten, too, adding that the assailants had kicked and slapped children during the attack. Family members also shared copies of reports they had filed to the Israeli police.

Israeli settlers have been waging an escalating campaign of violence and land theft against Palestinians across much of the West Bank. It has intensified as Israeli attitudes toward Palestinians have hardened since the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the war that ensued. The attacks have increased while international attention has been focused on the U.S.-Israel war with Iran. Settlers have killed seven West Bank Palestinians so far this year, six of them since the war began on Feb. 28. » | David M. Halbfinger and Fatima AbdulKarim | Reporting from Khirbet Humsa in the West Bank | Wednesday, March 18, 2026

This is truly a heart-rending story. Is there no limit or end to the cruelty in this world? Are people now totally bereft of compassion and feeling for others?

Many years ago, when I worked in the Middle East, I had many Palestinian colleagues. I have very fond memories of them, too. In work, I spent a lot of time with them. They were gentle and kind colleagues, always willing to help when help was needed. Even on weekends if, for example, I needed help moving house. And they would never take money for the assistance they gave me; in fact, they couldn’t do enough for you. I shall never forget their kindness toward me. So, when I read of Palestinians suffering like this, it touches and moves me greatly. — © Mark Alexander

Palestinians: Do You Have Any LGBTQ Friends?

February 25, 2026

"Fire in Every Direction": Palestinian Author Tareq Baconi on Gaza, Zionism & Embracing Queerness

Nov 6, 2025 | Palestinian writer Tareq Baconi joins us to discuss his new memoir, Fire in Every Direction, a chronicle of his political and queer coming of age growing up between Amman and Beirut as the grandson of refugees from Jerusalem and Haifa. While "LGBTQ+ labels have also been used by the West as part of empire," with colonial projects seeking to portray Native populations as backward and in need of saving, "there's a beautiful effort and movement among queer communities in the region to reclaim that language," says Baconi. "I identify as a queer man today as part of a political project. It's not just a sexual identity. It expands beyond that and rejects Zionism and rejects authoritarianism, and that's part of my queerness."

Baconi also comments on the so-called ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the election of Zohran Mamdani in New York City. "Palestinians are the ones that have to govern Palestinian territory, not this international force that comes in that takes any kind of sovereignty or agency away from the Palestinians," he says.


Democracy Now! can be supported here.

What Israel Really Doesn’t Want You To Know - Holocaust Survivor Son Exposes All

October 14, 2025

Al-Nakba: The Palestinian Catastrophe - Episode 1 | Featured Documentary

May 8, 2013 | Al-Nakba: The Palestinian catastrophe "The Nakba did not begin in 1948. Its origins lie over two centuries ago…."

So begins this four-part series on the 'nakba', meaning the 'catastrophe', about the history of the Palestinian exodus that led to the first Arab-Israeli war in 1948, and the establishment of the state of Israel.

This sweeping history starts back in 1799 with Napoleon's attempted advance into Palestine to check British expansion and his appeal to the Jews of the world to reclaim their land in league with France.

The narrative moves through the 19th century and into the 20th century with the British Mandate in Palestine and comes right up to date in the 21st century and the ongoing 'nakba' on the ground.

Arab, Israeli and Western intellectuals, historians and eye-witnesses provide the central narrative which is accompanied by archive material and documents, many only recently released for the first time.

For Palestinians, 1948 marks the 'nakba' or the 'catastrophe', when hundreds of thousands were forced out of their homes.

But for Israelis, the same year marks the creation of their own state.

This series attempts to present an understanding of the events of the past that are still shaping the present.

This story starts in 1799, outside the walls of Acre in Ottoman-controlled Palestine, when an army under Napoleon Bonaparte besieged the city. It was all part of a campaign to defeat the Ottomans and establish a French presence in the region.

In search of allies, Napoleon issued a letter offering Palestine as a homeland to the Jews under French protection. He called on the Jews to ‘rise up’ against what he called their oppressors.

Napoleon’s appeal was widely publicised. But he was ultimately defeated. In Acre today, the only memory of him is a statue atop a hill overlooking the city.

Yet Napoleon's project for a Jewish homeland in the region under a colonial protectorate did not die, 40 years later, the plan was revived but by the British.


Episode 2 here.

Episode 3 here.

Episode 4 here.

What Fallout Does Jordan Face from Trump’s Gaza Plan? | The Take

Feb 12, 2025 | King Abdullah II of Jordan met United States President Donald Trump at a critical moment. With Jordan hosting more than two million Palestinian refugees, Trump’s plan to “own” Gaza and relocate its population puts the kingdom in a tough spot. Abdullah calls displacement a red line – but how much can he push back? In this episode:

• Nour Odeh, Senior Correspondent


WIKIPEDIA: Nakba »

"Trump Does Not See Palestinians as Human Beings": Plan for US to "Take Over" Gaza Faces Outcry

Feb 6, 2025 | World leaders are rebuking Donald Trump's proposal for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip, ethnically cleansing the region of Palestinians. "There's no question that even though the entire region would reject it … the fundamental reality is that we are heading to the complete destruction of Palestinian society in Gaza as a matter of status quo," says our guest Omar Baddar. Baddar, a Palestinian American political analyst and member of the National Policy Council of the Arab American Institute, also discusses Trump's recent statements signaling a potential breakdown of the official ceasefire in Gaza.

Democracy Now! can be supported here.

Gaza Update: How Do Gaza's Arab neighbors React to US President Trump's Proposals? | DW News

Feb 12, 2025 | Donald Trump has doubled down on his plans for the United States to 'take over' Gaza, after talks with Jordan's King Abdullah at the White House. Trump repeated his claims that the two million Palestinians living in Gaza would voluntarily leave for Jordan and Egypt. Jordan's King Abdullah skirted the issue when reporters asked about Trump's comments, saying it would be discussed with regional leaders. Egypt meanwhile has announced its own reconstruction plan. How seriously are people in the region taking Trump's proposal?

Trump is such a brazen character. – © Mark Alexander

Jordanian King Rebuffs Trump Proposal to Displace Palestinians in Gaza

THE NEW YORK TIMES: His pushback came after President Trump insisted Tuesday that the United States has the authority to “take” Gaza.

A screenshot taken from this article in today’s New York Times. | King Abdullah II of Jordan and President Trump meeting at the White House on Tuesday. | Eric Lee/The New York Times
King Abdullah II of Jordan on Tuesday rebuffed President Trump’s proposal for his country to absorb Palestinians living in Gaza, saying that he remained opposed to a plan Mr. Trump has laid out to clear the territory so the United States can seize control of it.

During a “constructive” meeting with the U.S. president at the White House, King Abdullah said, he “reiterated Jordan’s steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.”

“This is the unified Arab position,” he stated in a post on social media after the meeting. “Rebuilding Gaza without displacing the Palestinians and addressing the dire humanitarian situation should be the priority for all.”

His statement came hours after Mr. Trump insisted the United States had the authority to “take” Gaza, part of an effort to pressure the leader of Jordan and other Arab nations to embrace a forced removal, which has drawn widespread condemnation. » | Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Maggie Haberman | Reporting from Washington | Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Trump Hosts Jordan’s King as Palestinians Reject Forced Displacement

Feb 11, 2025 | President Trump meets Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House as he escalates pressure on the key US ally to take ethnically cleansed Palestinians from Gaza. Trump reiterated his plan to take over the strip.

King Abdullah said Arab nations will come to the US in response to Trump’s Gaza plan.