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

Israel-Hamas War: Sky Speaks to Veteran Palestinian Politician Hanan Ashrawi

Oct 17, 2023 | Sky's Mark Austin discusses the current crisis between Israel and Hamas with the Palestinian politician and activist Hanan Ashrawi. She told him it would be impossible to wipe out Hamas in Gaza as the group was not solely a military organisation. She was speaking from the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the West Bank.

Israel Troops Taking Positions Near Gaza Border - BBC News

Oct 15, 2023 | Israel has warned 1.1m Palestinians living in north Gaza to evacuate south, as it prepares to attack "by land air and sea".

The UN's aid agency told the BBC that Gaza is "being pushed into an abyss".

The US has sent a second aircraft carrier to the region to "deter hostile actions against Israel". Meanwhile, Iran has warned of "far-reaching consequences" if Israel continues attacking. And tension is rising on Israel's northern border with Lebanon, too. An Israeli civilian has been killed near there by a missile fired from Lebanon.

‘Hundreds of Thousands’ of Gazans Displaced Over 12 Hours, U.N. Says

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The Israeli military said it would allow Palestinians to move south on two of Gaza’s main roads between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. “without any harm.” Displaced Palestinians struggled to find food or places to shelter as the U.N. warned that clean water in Gaza was running out.

Hundreds of thousands of panicked Gazans fleeing south in response to Israeli warnings struggled to find food and shelter on Saturday in an intensifying humanitarian crisis, with the United Nations saying that nearly half the population had been displaced and water supplies were dwindling.

On Saturday, the Israeli military made an announcement that was its clearest indication yet that they are preparing to launch what they called “a significant ground operation,” as part of “an integrated and coordinated attack from the air, sea and land.”

The Israeli military also said on Saturday it would allow Palestinians to move south on two of the Gaza Strip’s main roads between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. “without any harm,” an announcement that some Palestinians took as a deadline.

The highways heading south were packed with vehicles piled high with blankets and mattresses. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced in just the last 12 hours, the U.N. agency that aids Palestinians said on Saturday afternoon, as it warned that access to water supplies in Gaza was now “a matter of life and death.” » | Raja Abdulrahim, Aaron Boxerman and Victoria Kim | Saturday, October 14, 2023

British-Palestinian Surgeon on Treating the Wounded in Gaza | Amanpour & Company

Oct 12, 2023 | Israel’s siege is blocking food, water and medicines from reaching Gaza, and the U.N. warns the population is being placed at imminent risk. British-Palestinian surgeon Ghassan Abu Sittah, who left London for Gaza on Sunday, joins the show. Originally aired on October 12, 2023

Palestinian Activist: The 'Root Cause' Is Israeli Occupation

Oct 10, 2023 | ABC News’ Linsey Davis spoke with Dr. Mustafa Barghouti about whether the Hamas attack has undermined the Palestinian cause.

Across the Mideast, a Surge of Support for Palestinians as War Erupts in Gaza

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The escalation laid bare the limitations of diplomatic deals between Israel and Arab governments as long as the underlying conflict continues. “We told you so,” a Saudi scholar said.

When the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco announced that they were establishing relations with Israel in 2020, Emirati officials said the deals were symbols of peace and tolerance, while then President Donald J. Trump declared “the dawn of a new Middle East.”

Those words rang hollow to many in the region, though. Even in the countries that signed the deals, branded the Abraham Accords, support for the Palestinians — and enmity toward Israel over its decades-long occupation of their land — remained strong, particularly as Israel’s government expanded settlements in the Palestinian West Bank after the agreements.

On Saturday, when Palestinian gunmen from the blockaded territory of Gaza surged into Israel, carrying out the boldest attack in the country in decades, it set off an outpouring of support for the Palestinians across the region. In some quarters, there were celebrations — even as hundreds of Israelis and Palestinians were killed and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel threatened a “long and difficult war” ahead.

“This is the first time that we rejoice in this way for our Palestinian brothers,” said Abdul Majeed Abdullah Hassan, 70, who joined a rally with hundreds of people in the island kingdom of Bahrain. In the context of the Israeli occupation and blockade, the Hamas operation “warmed our hearts,” he said, calling his government’s deal to recognize Israel “shameful.” » | Vivian Nereim, Reporting from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Monday, October 9, 2023

Israel Retaliatory Air Strike Kills At Least 198 Palestinians - BBC News

Oct 7, 2023 | At least 198 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory air strikes in the Gaza Strip, health officials have said. Palestinian officials launched a surprise rocket attack on Israel in the early hours of Saturday, while dozens of gunmen from the militant group Hamas infiltrated the country. At least 40 people in Israel were killed, with hundreds more being treated in hospitals, according to emergency services.

Dr. Hanan Ashrawi: ‘Two State Solution Is Dead, Israel Destroyed It... Palestine Will Not Surrender!’

We speak to Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, former member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation. She discusses why the two-state solution is dead, Israel’s responsibility for destroying it the international community’s inaction over Israel’s illegal occupations, annexations and airstrikes, the 11 days of aerial bombardment of Gaza which killed 248 including 66 children and Israel’s justifications that its strikes targeted Hamas, the severe economic and human damage in Gaza following the bombardment, US-UK-EU arms sales to Israel and replenishment of arms after the 11 days of Israeli bombardment, Joe Biden’s US blocking action at the UN to pressure Israel and much more!

Violence Escalates Between Israelis and Palestinians

More Than 30 Dead in Gaza and Israel as Fighting Quickly Escalates »

Jerusalem Seethes as the Rockets Begin on Day of Rising Tension

THE GUARDIAN: A series of events come together to inflame an already volatile situation in the holy city

It was strikingly clear that the most dangerous moment in Jerusalem’s worst unrest for years would arrive on Monday. After weeks of mounting anger, a series of provocative events were all set to spiral together at once, creating a tinderbox situation that world powers warned needed delicate handling.

The European Union had called on authorities to “act urgently to de-escalate the current tensions in Jerusalem” while the US said the Israeli government should “pursue appropriate measures to ensure calm”.

But even before dawn broke, tensions had been raised another notch. And by the end of the day, rocket sirens were blaring in Jerusalem.

Fierce confrontations erupted overnight as Palestinians threw rocks and launched fireworks at police, who returned fire into the packed crowds with round after round of rubber bullets and stun grenades. » | Oliver Holmes and Sufian Taha in Jerusalem | Monday, May 10, 2021

Analysis: Trump's Middle East Plan: The Farce, the Fraud and the Fury

The Trump administration has finally lifted the curtains on the final act of its Middle East diplomacy by revealing the long-awaited, ahem, "peace plan" in a surrealistic White House celebration. I will admit from the outset that I cannot write about it with a straight face, considering the absurdity of the last three years of Trump policies towards Israel and Palestine. To call it a "peace plan" is to do injustice to the infamous "peace process" and its many failed "peace plans". It is so much worse, that a better term for it would be an "assault on peace". Everything about the plan is farcical. Al Jazeera's senior political analyst Marwan Bishara discusses the outcome of the deal.

Opinion: Exclusive Interview: Honest Israeli Jew Tells the Real Truth about Israel (2014)

Miko Peled was born in Jersusalem into a famous and influential Israeli Zionist family. His father was a famous General in the Israeli Army, of which Miko also served his time. When Miko's niece was killed by Palestinian suicide bombers, you may have expected the family to put Palestinians at fault, but surprisingly they blamed the state of Israel, and their violent torturing and persecution for driving people to such sadness that they would take their own lives.

Through his father's deep knowledge of the Israeli war of terror, together with his own research, Miko Peled ruins the myths surrounding the Israel and Palestine situation, and delivers a truth so damning that many Jews and Israel supporters will not be able to bear it. He reveals facts such as the original expelled Jews are not the ones returning, and they are not their descendants either, covers the double standards regarding the right of return, which doesn't apply to Palestinians, and dispels the myth that there has been a conflict for ages by producing proof that it was peaceful up until 1947 when Israel launched their illegal attacks.

It is a true eye-opener for anyone who has for too long been blinded by the fake misinformation given by the mainstream media, and the truths come straight from the heartland where he has spent many years documenting the real story.

Palestinian Homes: Israeli High Court Rules In Favour of Demolitions | Al Jazeera English

Israel is expected to demolish more Palestinian homes. The high court has ruled 60 houses in occupied East Jerusalem should be knocked down.

Palestinians say Israel is trying to settle as many Jews as possible on the edge of Jerusalem’s old city and rename an area the Palestinians consider their capital the City of David.

Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid reports from occupied East Jerusalem.

Trump's "Deal of the Century" Just Means More Israeli Occupation of Palestinian Land

Ali Abunimah discusses Jared Kushner's presentation of his peace plan's economic portion in Bahrain this week. He dangled fifty billion dollars for the Palestinian economy, but no freedom, political rightsm, nor an end of the Israeli occupation.

Is the US an Honest Broker between the Israelis-Palestinians?

Trump's Attacks on Palestinians Are "Evil and Unacceptable," Says Human Rights Lawyer

"What [Trump] is doing against Palestinian people, against international and humanitarian law, is evil and unacceptable by all standards," says leading human rights attorney Raji Sourani, speaking from Gaza. The Trump administration makes Israel and its leaders feel "fully immune" to international law, he adds.

Trump Abandons All Pretense of Being a 'Fair Broker' in the Israel-Palestinian Conflict

Gideon Levy explains that the US is doing everything to disempower, humiliate and weaken Palestinian representation. Contrary to common belief, the US is not doing the State of Israel any favors

Donald Trump Sparks Protests across the Middle East

Jerusalem is a hotspot of conflict and controversy. It doesn't take much inflame tensions in such a disputed city, and that's exactly what happened when President Donald Trump officially recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital city. The move sparked waves of protest throughout the Middle East, but none was as violent as at the epicentre.

Trump Pursues Israel ‘Peace Plan’ to Break off Gaza, Without Input from Palestinians

While US President Trump reportedly hopes to use Gulf funding to pressure Egypt to take over Gaza, splitting it from the West Bank, expert Phyllis Bennis warns no Israel peace deal is possible when "there is no Palestinian voice" involved.