US newspaper "The New York Times" revealed, on Wednesday, that President Joe Biden decided to use his executive powers to protect thousands of Palestinians in America from deportation during the next 18 months.
The newspaper said that about 6,000 Palestinians are eligible for a postponement under the immigration program called “Deferred Forced Departure”.
The paper added that Biden based this step on the danger to which civilians are exposed in Gaza.
Ambassador Nazih Al-Najari, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Moscow, met with Ambassador Mikhail Bogdanov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, and President Putin's envoy to the Middle East and Africa, according to a statement issued by the Egyptian Embassy in Moscow.
...............
Ambassador Nazih Al-Najari also confirmed to the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Egypt’s rejection of any operation targeting the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip because it confirms efforts to liquidate the Palestinian issue and leads to a further threat to the stability of the region. In addition, it reflects intentions to displace the Palestinians from their lands on which international law guarantees the establishment of their independent state.
The Egyptian Ambassador and Ambassador Bogdanov agreed on the necessity of making all efforts to prevent further aggravation of the situation, and to contribute to the preparation of an atmosphere for the resumption of the peace process that should lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967, in accordance with decisions of international legitimacy, as it is the only way to guarantee long-term stability and coexistence in the region.
[Al-Balad, Egypt, on Feb. 16]
قطر والأردن تبحثان تطورات غزة
استقبلَ جلالةُ الملك عبدالله الثاني ابن الحسين ملك المملكة الأردنيَّة الهاشميّة الشّقيقة، أمسِ، معالي الشّيخ محمَّد بن عبدالرحمن بن جاسم آل ثاني رئيس مجلس الوزراء وزير الخارجيَّة، وذلك على هامش مُؤتمر ميونخ للأمن.
جرى خلال المقابلة، استعراضُ عَلاقات التعاون بين البلدَين الشقيقَين، وآخر المستجدات في قطاع غزة والأراضي الفلسطينية المحتلة، ومناقشة سبل تعزيز الجهود الإقليمية والدولية للوقف الفوري لإطلاق النار، وتسريع دخول المساعدات الإنسانية إلى مناطق القطاع كافةً دون عوائق، بالإضافة إلى عددٍ من الموضوعات ذات الاهتمام المُشترك
Qatar, Jordan discussing Gaza developments
His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan yesterday received [Qatari] Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
During the meeting, they reviewed the cooperation relations between the two brotherly countries, the latest developments in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories, and discussed ways to enhance regional and international efforts for an immediate ceasefire, and accelerate the unhindered entry of humanitarian aid to all areas of the Gaza Strip, in addition to a number of issues of common interest.
[Al-Raya, semi-official source from Qatar on Feb. 17]
Ukraine confirmed that Russia is using the US satellite system Starlink in its war on Ukraine. [Ukrainian News on Feb. 11, 2024]
What is Starlink?
Starlink is a constellation of satellites made by SpaceX, owned by American billionaire Elon Musk, which provides a lunar Internet connection.
SpaceX began launching Starlink satellites in 2018 and in August 2023 Starlink now has more than 5,000 small satellites produced on low Earth orbit and communicating with specific ground transceivers.
Starlink provides high-speed internet anywhere on earth, and SpaceX has explained that it has been able to deliver satellite internet service to seven continents of the world, including Antarctica.
This service is based on providing Internet services in remote places where there is no infrastructure that allows residents to access underground cable-based terrestrial Internet, or places where there is no good coverage of mobile wireless networks.
The Starlink service is also used to connect to the Internet during times of crisis or natural disasters, which happened in Ukraine after the start of Russian military operations on it, which negatively affected communications, which made this service the only source of Internet inside Ukraine.
[Al-Qiyady on Feb. 13, 2024]
The Russian Direct Investment Fund said that it will sign ten investment agreements worth more than $1.3 billion with partners from the Emirates, including Mubadala Investment Company, on Tuesday .
The Russian sovereign wealth fund said in a statement that the agreements that will be signed during the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin will include advanced technology, health care, extraction of mineral resources, logistical activities, and industrial production
[Youm7 / Reuters on Oct. 15, 2019]
In a new step towards space, the UAE launched the Falcon 9 rocket carrying the explorer Rashid on board, on the first Emirati mission to the surface of the moon, in the presence of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, and his Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan. Bin Mohammed bin Rashid, according to what was published by the “Emirates Al-Youm” newspaper.
[Youm7 Dec. 11, 2022]
Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center
..................................
First visitors on February 14, 2024,
after completion of the above article.
Breaking News Update added below on February 10 / 11
تحذيرات دولية من كارثة
قالت ناديا هاردمان، الباحثة في قسم حقوق اللاجئين والمهاجرين في "هيومن رايتس ووتش"، إنّ "إجبار أكثر من مليون فلسطيني نازح في رفح على الإخلاء مرّةً أخرى، من دون العثور على مكان آمن يذهبون إليه، سيكون غير قانونيّ، وقد تنتج عنه عواقب كارثيّة
وحذّرت وزارة الخارجيّة الأميركيّة هذا الأسبوع من أنّ "تنفيذ عمليّة مماثلة الآن في رفح، بلا تخطيط وبقليل من التفكير، في منطقة يسكنها مليون شخص، سيكون كارثة
وفي انتقاد ضمنيّ نادر لإسرائيل منذ بدء الحرب بينها وبين حماس قبل أربعة أشهر، قال الرئيس الأميركي جو بايدن إنّ "الردّ في غزّة مُفرط"، مؤكّدا أنّه بذل جهودًا منذ بدء الحرب لتخفيف وطأتها على المدنيّين
International warnings of disaster
“Forcing more than a million displaced Palestinians in Rafah to evacuate again, without finding a safe place to go, would be illegal and could have catastrophic consequences,” said Nadia Hardman, a researcher in the refugee and migrant rights division at "Human Rights Watch".
The US State Department warned this week that “carrying out a similar operation now in Rafah, without planning and with little thought, in an area inhabited by a million people, would be a disaster”.
In a rare implicit criticism of Israel since the start of the war between it and Hamas four months ago, US President Joe Biden said that “the response in Gaza is excessive,” stressing that he had made efforts since the beginning of the war to reduce its impact on civilians.
[Erem News, Abu Dhabi, on Feb. 10]
In a breaking news story, a Cairo News Channel reported about the European Union saying that decisions regarding a [decisive] attack on Rafah, southern Gaza, by Israel's military are alarming.
وتواصل قوات الاحتلال شن مئات الغارات والقصف المدفعي وتنفيذ جرائم في مختلف أرجاء قطاع غزة، وارتكاب مجازر دامية ضد المدنيين، وتنفيذ جرائم مروعة في مناطق التوغل، وسط وضع إنساني كارثي نتيجة الحصار ونزوح أكثر من 90 % من السكان
ودمَّرت طائرات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي مربعات سكنية كاملة فى قطاع غزة، ضمن سياسة التدمير الشاملة التي ينتهجها الاحتلال في عدوانه المستمر على قطاع غزة
ولا يزال آلاف الشهداء والجرحى لم يتم انتشالهم من تحت الأنقاض؛ بسبب تواصل القصف وخطورة الأوضاع الميدانية، في ظل حصار خانق للقطاع وقيود مُشددة على دخول الوقود والمساعدات الحيوية العاجلة للتخفيف من الأوضاع الإنسانية الكارثية
The Israeli occupation forces continue to launch hundreds of raids, artillery shelling and crimes throughout the Gaza Strip, committing bloody massacres against civilians, and carrying out horrific crimes in the areas of incursion, amid a catastrophic humanitarian situation as a result of the siege and the displacement of more than 90% of the population.
The Israeli occupation warplanes destroyed entire residential blocks in the Gaza Strip, as part of the comprehensive destruction policy pursued by the occupation in its ongoing aggression on the Gaza Strip.
Thousands of martyrs and wounded have still not been recovered from the rubble due to the continued shelling and the seriousness of the situation on the ground, in light of a suffocating siege of the Gaza Strip and severe restrictions on the entry of fuel and urgent vital aid to alleviate the catastrophic humanitarian situation.
[AL-Youm - The 7th Day, Egypt, on Feb. 9]
Moody's downgrades Israel's rating - World Business Watch
BREAKING: In its announcement on Friday, US rating agency Moody’s cited the impact of Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza, changing Israel's credit rating from A1 to A2, with a negative credit outlook, meaning further downgrades are possible, due to “the risk of an escalation” with Lebanese terror group Hezbollah along Israel’s northern border.
On Saturday, Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich brushed off Moody’s downgrade of Israel’s credit rating, saying the decision linked to the Gaza war was not based on sound economic reasoning and was a pessimistic “manifesto.”
[The Times of Israel on Feb. 10]
Under the Cover of War - Israel Plans to Build New Neighborhood for Jews in East Jerusalem
Nofei Rachel is one of four neighborhoods set to add 3,000 new residential units for Jews to East Jerusalem. In recent years, the Justice Ministry has become a key player in advancing plans to construct these Jewish neighborhoods.
Israel is moving forward with plans for a new Jewish neighborhood in East Jerusalem, located on the doorstep of a Palestinian neighborhood. Right-wing activists are participating in the planning of the new Nofei Rachel neighborhood, which will be established just meters from Palestinian homes in Umm Tuba.
..........
Nofei Rachel is the fourth new neighborhood for Jews in East Jerusalem moved along by the Administrator General [of the Justice Ministry] in recent years. It follows one planned inside the Palestinian village of Umm Lisan; [another one in] Givat Hashaked, adjacent to the Palestinian town of Beit Safafa; and Kidmat Zion, between the Ras al-Amud neighborhood and the separation fence.
..........
According to organizations that monitor construction in the West Bank's settlements, all of these neighborhoods – planned to have a combined 3,000 residential units – are being swiftly advanced. Since the war in the Gaza Strip began on October 7, these neighborhoods have particularly benefitted from exceptionally rapid approvals by zoning authorities.
A shortcut of the Hamas propoal has been quoted in the Chinese language article above. The three-steps poposal seems to include a comprehensive list of claims difficult to be met by Israel. From there it might still be a long way to a permanent ceasefire. At least, it is a beginning .....
Specifically, within 45 days of the first phase, all women, boys under 19 years old, the elderly, and sick people detained in Israel will be released in exchange for 1,500 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons, that is, All women, children, the elderly, the weak, the sick, and the 500 people named by Hamas, including Palestinians sentenced to life imprisonment and guilty of serious crimes.
At the same time, Israel will withdraw its troops from residential areas. Reuters quoted the document as saying that the second phase of the plan will not begin until the two sides complete "indirect talks on the conditions required to end mutual military operations and restore complete calm."
All remaining male hostages will be released in the second phase "in exchange for a certain number of Palestinian prisoners" and a full Israeli military withdrawal from all of Gaza. In the third phase, the two sides will exchange the bodies and remains of the deceased and provide for the opening of all crossing points in the Gaza Strip to resume trade and enable barrier-free movement. Israel will commit to providing Gaza with the electricity and water it needs.
Hamas also wants to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza civilians during the truce. For example, the proposal requires that at least 60,000 temporary homes and 200,000 tents be allowed into the strip in the first phase, and that at least 500 trucks of aid and fuel will be transported to all areas of the Gaza Strip every day.
In addition, Hamas also demands the development of a plan to rebuild homes, economic institutions and public facilities in the Gaza Strip within three years, no more than three years; demands that settlers stop attacking the Al-Aqsa Mosque and restore the situation at Islam's third holiest site to the status before 2002; to resume humanitarian services provided by international organizations including the United Nations, especially the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Hamas politburo member Ezzat El-Reshiq confirmed that the proposal had been conveyed to Israel and the United States via Egypt and Qatar. "We very much hope that this matter will be dealt with in a positive spirit to stop the aggression against the Palestinian people, to ensure a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire, and to provide relief, assistance, shelter and reconstruction," he told Reuters.
[SINA 新闻中心 on February 7, 2024]
Hamdan confirms that a Hamas delegation will travel to Cairo to discuss a possible agreement on Gaza
Osama Hamdan, a member of Hamas' political bureau, confirmed on Wednesday that a Hamas delegation headed by Khalil al-Haya will travel to Cairo to discuss proposals for a ceasefire agreement with Israel.
Hamdan said during a press conference: "In the framework of following up on the ideas we presented and within the framework of our keenness to achieve the best results in a way that serves the interests of our people, stops their suffering and alleviates their pain, by stopping the aggression against our people and by achieving full relief, lifting the siege and launching reconstruction, we confirm that a delegation from the movement's leadership, headed by Dr. Khalil Al-Hayya, will head to Cairo to follow up on this matter."
On Tuesday, Hamas submitted its response to the framework agreement in Paris to Qatar and Egypt, after the completion of the movement's leadership consultation and with the resistance factions.
Update added on February 3:
Brandnew French language video on Israel bombing Rafah in southern Gaza tonight,
leaving 100 civilians dead in a region densely packed with Palestinian refugees.
=> 'Le point après les frappes israéliennes sur Rafah' • FRANCE 24 <=
[Lebanon Files on Feb. 2]
Belgian Foreign Minister Hajjah Lahbib announced on Thursday night that she had summoned Israel's ambassador [woman] to Belgium after raids that “destroyed” the offices of the Belgian Development Agency ENABEL in the Gaza Strip.
ENABEL director Jan van Wetter wrote on Twitter/X:
“All of us at ENABEL are shocked. As a government agency working for the public good within the framework of international humanitarian law, we cannot accept this”. He posted two photos, one of the building where the agency’s offices were located before the alleged bombing, and the other of a pile of rubble.
Destruction of ENABEL locations in Gaza:
Belgium summons the Israeli ambassador.
The two photos provided by ENABEL director Jan van Wetter, today shown
on the website of Belgian Radio Television for the French community RTBF.
Belgian Foreign Minister Hajjah Lahbib
wrote on her Twitter/X account tonight:
" The offices of Enabel, the Belgian development agency in Gaza, were bombed and destroyed.
Targeting civilian buildings is unacceptable.
With @carogennez, we are summoning the ambassador of Israel to clarify the matter. "
@carogennez is another minister of the Belgium government involved in the subject:
......................
Israeli bombing of Rafah left 100 civilians dead
La ville de Rafah, où se sont réfugiés plus d'un million de Palestiniens menacés par la guerre à Gaza, est le théâtre d'intenses frappes israéliennes. Le ministère de la Santé du Hamas a annoncé le décès d'au moins 100 civils dans la soirée et la nuit, dont 14 tôt samedi dans des frappes sur deux résidences de Rafah.
The city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians threatened by the war in Gaza have taken refuge, has been the scene of intense Israeli strikes. Hamas' health ministry announced the deaths of at least 100 civilians in the evening and night, including 14 early Saturday in strikes on two Rafah residences.
[French language video provided by France 24 on Saturday Feb. 3]
Identified regions of visitor origin and / or
regional internet nodes for January 2024
followed by a choice of 2 recent visitors
who are interested in Israeli proceedings
and the latest count of page views related
to visitors from Israel on February 7, 2024.
Update added on February 2
Belgian Foreign Minister Hajjah Lahbib announced on Thursday night that she had summoned the Israeli ambassador to Belgium after raids that “destroyed” the offices of the Belgian Development Agency ENABEL in the Gaza Strip.
[Lebanon Files on Feb. 2]
War on Gaza:
Ex-UNRWA chief [Matthias] Schmale: Cooperation with Hamas is inevitable. The former [German] head of the UN refugee agency in the Gaza Strip, Schmale, has defended UNRWA's ties to the militant Islamist Hamas. He told Deutschlandfunk that without pragmatic cooperation with Hamas, humanitarian aid could not be provided in the Gaza Strip. However, this does not mean agreeing with or supporting their objectives.
[Deutschlandfunk, German National Radio, Jan. 30]
The former German UNRWA coordinator, responsible for the supply of human aid to the Gaza Strip, alleged that the current debate about cancelling all UNRWA aid to the Palestinian people might be "politically motivated". During his time of four years in office, all employees of UNWRA were under strict observation to avoid any illegal activities. Yet, only 8 employees among 13.000 had to be fired because of misusing their positions for "betraying the goals of UNRWA" which makes up for 0,06 % of intolerable personnel. The reported rate of an alleged 10 % of UNRWA employees supporting Hamas seems therefore much exaggerated.
Matthias Schmale agreed to take over another task in East Africa during a time of increasing pressure from the Hamas taking him for a "pro-Israel guy". Nevertheless, he mentions that responsibility for the entrance of human aid into the Gaza Strip is not totally in the hands of Hamas. Israeli forces are responsible as well and which has led to the current situation .....
Yesterday, January 29, Wall Street Journal WSJ came with allegations of 12 UNRWA employees being involved in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. They mention that UNRWA sources have been quoted by South Africa in their charge against Israel before the International Court of Justice.
....................................
International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Janary 27
Before the foundation of UNO and its organizations after World War II.
Update added on Jan. 27, anniversary of the
Liberation of Auschwitz Concentration Camp
& International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks
after ICJ orders Israel to prevent acts of genocide.
[Broadcast begins 01:50 minutes after video start]
محكمة العدل الدولية تطلب من إسرائيل منع ارتكاب "إبادة" في غزة
وكانت جنوب إفريقيا طلبت قرارا بإجراءات عاجلة تتضمن وقفا للعمليات العسكرية في قطاع غزة، إلا أن القرار لم يلحظ ذلك
...............
وتابعت أن على إسرائيل "اتّخاذ جميع الإجراءات الممكنة لمنع التحريض المباشر والعلني على ارتكاب إبادة والمعاقبة عليه"، و"عليها أن تمنع كل أعمال الإبادة المحتملة في قطاع غزة
"
و
رفعت بريتوريا الدعوى متهمة إسرائيل
بانتهاك اتفاقية الأمم المتحدة لمنع جريمة الإبادة الجماعية والمعاقبة
عليها المبرمة في العام 1948
كرد عالمي على محرقة اليهود إبان الحرب العالمية الثانية
...............
International Court of Justice asks Israel to prevent 'genocide' in Gaza
South Africa had requested a resolution for urgent measures, including a cessation of military operations in the Gaza Strip, but the resolution did not take this into account.
...............
Israel must "take all feasible measures to prevent and punish direct and public incitement to commit genocide," and "it must prevent all possible acts of genocide in the Gaza Strip."
Pretoria filed the lawsuit accusing Israel of violating the 1948 U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide as a global response to the Holocaust during World War Two.
...............
"عالم رأسا على عقب"
وكانت المحامية عادلة هاشم من
وفد جنوب إفريقيا إلى المحكمة
قالت خلال جلسات سابقة هذا الشهر
أمام هذه المحكمة أدلة تم جمعها خلال الأسابيع الـ13 الماضية تُظهر بصورة لا تقبل الشك نمطًا من السلوك والنوايا يبرّر الادعاء المعقول بارتكاب أعمال إبادة
وقبل انعقاد الجلسة الجمعة، أعربت
وزيرة خارجية جنوب إفريقيا ناليدي باندور
عن
"أمل"
بلادها، مؤكدة على أهمية تسليط الضوء على
مصير الأبرياء في فلسطين
ووصفت
وزارة الخارجية في جنوب إفريقيا
القرار بعد صدوره
بـالانتصار الحاسم
للقانون الدولي و
خطوة على طريق الألف ميل في البحث عن العدالة للفلسطينيين
"Upside Down World"
Lawyer Adela Hashim of the South African delegation to the court said during earlier hearings this month: "Before this court is evidence gathered over the past 13 weeks that unequivocally shows a pattern of conduct and intent that justifies a reasonable allegation of genocide."
Ahead of Friday's session, South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor expressed her country's "hope", stressing the importance of highlighting "the fate of innocent people in Palestine."
South Africa's foreign ministry called the resolution a "decisive victory" of international law and "a step on the road to a thousand miles in the search for justice for the Palestinians."
[Lebanon Files ليبانون فايلز on Jan. 26]
...............
Timeline - The Warsaw Ghetto
International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27
The Warsaw ghetto uprising was an act of resistance by the Jewish population in Nazi-occupied Poland during World War II in an effort to stop transportation of their people to the extermination camps in Majdanek and Treblinka.
For 10 years now, an empty streetcar has rolled silently through the streets of Warsaw on January 27. Instead of a route number, it has a large Star of David on the roof. Its route takes it through the part of the city that Poland's Nazi occupiers turned into Europe's largest Jewish ghetto in 1940.
و"كالات" : في وقت يسعى الاتحاد الأوروبي خلال مباحثاته لإنشاء دولة فلسطينية على أساس أنها السبيل الوحيد الموثوق لتحقيق السلام في الشرق الأوسط، فوجئ المشاركون باقتراح اسرائيل بناء
جزيرة للفلسطينيين في عرض البحر الأبيض
وكان الاتحاد الأوروبي أعرب فعلا عن قلقه إزاء الرفض الواضح لرئيس الوزراء الإسرائيلي بنيامين نتنياهو لفكرة إنشاء الدولة الفلسطينية سابقا
وبحسب مصادر، فإن وزير الخارجية الاسرائيلي تجاهل المقاربة الأوروبية التي شرحها عدد من الوزراء في جلسة تحولت الى مشهد سريالي
ولم تتردد اسرائيل بعرض
مقترحها بناء جزيرة في عرض البحر الأبيض
حيث ينقل اليها سكان قطاع غزة، في موقف أثار استغرابا واسعا في القاعة وانتقادات من دول عدة منها بلجيكا والبرتغال
وقال دبلوماسي أوروبي
إن النقاشات مع الجانب الاسرائيلي كانت بمثابة
حوار الطرشان
من جهة أخرى فند رئيس الوزراء الإسرائيلي بنيامين نتنياهو أمس الاثنين فيما يبدو تكهنات إعلامية ذكرت أن جهودا تجري لإبرام اتفاق هدنة جديد في غزة
Netanyahu: Hamas has not made any serious proposal
[According to News] "Agencies": At a time when the European Union seeks during its talks to establish a Palestinian state on the basis that it is the only reliable way to achieve peace in the Middle East, participants were surprised by Israel's proposal to build an island for Palestinians in the Mediterranean.
The European Union has already expressed concern over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's apparent rejection of the idea of founding a Palestinian state.
According to sources, the Israeli foreign minister ignored the European approach explained by a number of ministers in a session that turned into a surreal scene.
Israel did not hesitate to present its proposal to build an island in the Mediterranean, where residents of the Gaza Strip would be transferred, a position that raised wide eyebrows in the hall and criticism from several countries, including Belgium and Portugal.
A European diplomat said the discussions with the Israeli side were tantamount to a dialogue between two deaf.
Separately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday appeared to have refuted media speculation that efforts were underway to conclude a new truce agreement in Gaza.
[The Morning السباح, Kuwait, early morning edition on January 23 (local date)]
Israel-E.U. Meeting on Gaza’s Future
Yields Division and Confusion
Europeans, insisting on Palestinian statehood, are frustrated by Israel’s opposition and lack of a postwar plan for the devastated Gaza Strip. [New York Times on late Jan. 22 (local time)]
Violent explosions after a drone attack rocked positions inside the province of Erbil – the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan – as Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for the attack. In the details, Al-Arabiya / Al-Hadath reported on Monday [Jan. 15] that 6 explosions occurred in different areas in Erbil, northern Iraq. They also said that Iraq's Erbil airport halted air traffic after explosions rang out in the city. A security source told Al-Arabiya/Al-Hadath that the attack was carried out with long-range missiles and drones.
New U.S. Consulate Headquarters
Kurdish sources said a six-rocket attack took place at the new US consulate (under construction) in the northern suburbs of Erbil. The sources also said the rocket attack was carried out from Iran's Kermanshah province, which borders the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
Revolutionary Guards Adopt [Responsibility]
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for the attack and said it had attacked "spy centers and gatherings of anti-Iran terrorist groups" in Erbil, Iraq, Iranian media reported.
This development comes a few days after the Counter-Terrorism Service in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq announced the downing of a booby-trapped drone targeting international coalition forces that are stationed near Erbil airport last Thursday evening, making up for the second attack in 24 hours. On Wednesday evening, the region's counter-terrorism service [had already] reported a similar attack, for which [pro-Iranian] armed factions in Iraq claimed responsibility.
Since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, US military has already been subjected to about 130 attacks in Iraq and Syria through a combination of rockets and mined drones. Pentagon spokesperson Patrick Ryder previously announced that US facilities had been hit by 127 attacks since the escalation began in the region, 52 in Iraq and 75 in Syria. This prompted America to respond by striking some of the pro-Iranian armed factions in the two countries, the most important of which was the strike that targeted the headquarters of Harakat al-Nujaba east of Baghdad in early January 2024.
It is noteworthy that the United States are deploying 900 troops in Syria, and 2,500 soldiers on Iraqi soil as part of the coalition forces that provide advice and assistance to local forces in order to prevent the return of DAESH [Islamic State], which in 2014 controlled large areas of territory in both countries before its defeat.
[Lebanese Forces Official Website on Jan. 15]
.......................
Militant anti-Iranian organization in Pakistan under attack by Iranian missiles
Meeting between Indian and Iranian Foreign Ministers during Davos Forum
According to sources such as the Global Network, Pakistan distributed a message in the early morning of the 17th, accusing Iran of launching an attack on its airspace, which caused serious consequences such as the killing of two children and the injury of three girls. The Pakistani statement warned Tehran that this could trigger "serious consequences".
Blueprint Editor's Note:
Pakistan's warning is only related to the killing of civilists by an unprecise Iranian missile attack.
In fact Iran and Pakistan are allies in their fight against "Baloch terrorists" as their common enemy.
Only two days later, another Chinese article praised the joint operation of both countries' air forces
targeting the same group in Iran on Jan. 18. The article underlines the efficiency of Iran's air force
in contrast to the faulty Iranian missile attack on terrorist strongholds in Pakistan on Jan. 17. The
whole story seems to have something of a planned deception in it .....
Iranian media mentioned that Iran used missiles and drones to strike the strongholds of the "Justice Army", and two strongholds in Balochistan province in Pakistan were destroyed. Groups claim that Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps fired a large number of rockets, as well as six attack drones.
Earlier, Iran had just launched missiles against targets in Syria and Iraq, triggering a "strong warning" from the United States because the strike site was even close to the U.S. consulate facility and reportedly destroyed Israel's Mossad establishment. However, Iran behaved very tough this time, and did not forget to notify the UN Security Council after the fight, emphasizing Tehran's right to "fight terrorism" and "self-defense".
Russian media reports also show that on the 16th, Iranian Foreign Minister Abdollahian met with Pakistani caretaker Prime Minister Kakar during the Davos forum, and it is not clear whether there was any mention of the strike incident that day. However, there is a detail that Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar also recently arrived in Tehran and met with Abdollahian, and it is said that he also agreed on projects such as long-term cooperation at the Chabahar port. Jaishankar's two-day trip means that Jaishankar may still be in Iran when Iran strikes Pakistani targets.
Iran and India met and Pakistan was hit by heavy air strikes, which happened by a bit of a coincidence. In fact, after Iran's air strikes in Syria and Iraq, China has already made its position clear. The [Chinese] Ministry of Foreign Affairs appealed to all parties to exercise restraint and not allow the situation to continue to escalate.
[腾讯网, China Mainland, on Jan. 17]
....................
Evaluation: The Military Situation of Hamas related Qassam Brigades in Gaza
Impact assessment of the 100-day conflict between Palestine and Israel:
Gaza’s farmland damaged and Israel’s technology industry severely hit.
The Qassam Brigades, an armed faction affiliated with Hamas, has not disclosed its organizational structure and specific number of personnel, but some analysts estimate that the number of Qassam Brigades is roughly 30,000 to 45,000. A research report released by the American think tank "Institute of War Studies" shows that the Qassam Brigade had at least 26 to 30 combat battalions in the early stages of the war, with each battalion having 400 to 1,000 soldiers. After more than three months of fighting, only three battalions were completely wiped out. Among the remaining military forces, about 4 to 5 battalions have been weakened but can still fight alone or in conjunction with other units.
Al Jazeera analyzed that although Israel relied on its excellent intelligence capabilities to kill at least five Hamas commanders from five battalions in targeted air strikes, almost all of the "decapitated" troops continued under the command of deputy commanders. The battle fully proves that Hamas still has sufficient reserves of troops in the rear.
...............
Robert Looney, a professor at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, also held a similar view in an article on the "World Politis Review" website, that is, Israel's agriculture, high-tech industries, tourism and construction industries have been severely affected by the war. Since the outbreak of the conflict, Israel has mobilized a total of 360,000 reservists, accounting for approximately 10% to 15% of the country's working population. As a large number of young and middle-aged workers were recruited into the army, many high-tech talents chose to immigrate due to the war. The war dealt a heavy blow to high-tech industries that help boost the economy and attract foreign investment. Robert warned that Israel should reach a peace agreement as soon as possible, citing brain drain, relocation of high-tech industries and serious labor shortages in sectors such as construction and agriculture, which may further worsen Israel's economic situation.
...............
It is not difficult to see that with the turmoil on the Lebanese-Israeli border and the spread of the Red Sea crisis, the risk of spillover from the Gaza war is also increasing. Shu Meng believes that as a continuation of its retaliatory activities against Hamas, the frequency of Israel's targeted strikes against senior Hamas leaders in Lebanon will definitely increase. In addition, the Houthis have taken various actions under the slogan of supporting Palestine to enhance their legitimacy and influence at home and abroad. The Red Sea security issue has become an important platform for the Houthis to use their small skills to make a big difference. “If the Palestine-Israel issue does not receive international attention and political resolution in the future, it will continue to be entangled with other regional issues, and more conflict parties will use the Palestine-Israel conflict as an excuse to enhance their influence, actions and legality." Shu Meng analyzed.
[Shu Meng is an assistant researcher at the Institute of Middle East Studies at Shanghai International Studies University.]
[澎湃新闻, Chinese state-owned digital newspaper, on Jan. 16]
Gadi Eisenkot, member of Israel's war cabinet and former chief of staff for
Israeli Defense Force (IDF), is favouring a cease-fire as the only means to
free Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Interview with Israel's Channel 12 TV.
Eisenkot added that those claiming hostages can be freed through military
pressure were spreading illusions. [Times of Israel / AP on Jan. 19, 2024]
South Africa that lived through the experience of an Apartheid regime for decades
is now going to try Israel for the actual genocide of the Palestinian people as the
ultima ratio of an Apartheid regime that has lasted longer than since Oct. 7, 2023,
the day of an unexpected Hamas attack. South Africa is therefore expected to go
back in time to the very foundation of the State of Israel and which would bring up
a case of suppression of a people that had been expelled from its homeland long
before violence escalated to the actual level. [Videos: Al-Jazeera/BBC on Jan. 11]
أعلنت وزارة الصحة في قطاع غزة في بيان اليوم الجمعة إن 23708 فلسطينيين على الأقل لقوا حتفهم
وأصيب 60005 آخرين في الغارات الإسرائيلية على قطاع غزة منذ السابع من أكتوبر
وقالت الوزارة إن نحو 151 فلسطينيا قتلوا وأصيب 248 خلال الساعات الأربع والعشرين الماضية
The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced in a statement on Friday
that at least 23,708 Palestinians have been killed and 60,005 injured in Israeli
raids on the Gaza Strip since October 7. Some 151 Palestinians were killed
and 248 wounded in the past 24 hours, the ministry said.
[MENAFN, Middle East and North Africa Financial Network, publisher: Al-Bawaba, on Jan. 12]
Editor of Israel's Newspaper Haaretz Condemns Netanyahu's Government
Gideon Levy in an interview with DemocracyNow.org two months ago.
The member of Haaretz editorial board has also accused Israel's army
of indiscriminate killing in Gaza, live on Israeli TV only three days ago.
Ofer Cassif, far-left member of Israel's parliament Knesseth declared his support
of South Africa accusing Israel for genocide at the International Court of Justice.
Malaysia, Turkey and Bolivia recently joined South Africa in its appeal to the ICJ.
[Hindustan Times on Jan. 8, 2024]
Major Mossad Activities - Successful or Foiled -
Turkish police detained 33 people suspected of spying for Israel's Mossad intelligence service and of targeting foreigners living in Turkey, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Tuesday (January 2).
Police raided 57 locations in eight provinces as part of an investigation - dubbed "Operation Mole" - launched by the Istanbul prosecutor's counter-terrorism bureau and the MIT intelligence agency, Yerlikaya said.
He said on social media platform X that the suspects were believed to be aiming to identify, monitor, assault and kidnap foreign nationals living in Turkey. The state-run Anadolu news agency said authorities were seeking 13 others.
Last month, Turkish officials warned Israel of "serious consequences" if it tried to hunt down members of the militant group Hamas living outside Palestinian territories, including in Turkey. President Tayyip Erdogan warned that would be a mistake.
[Times & Sunday Times on Jan. 2, 2024]
Hamas says its deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri has been killed in
an explosion in the Lebanese capital Beirut which is infuriating
Lebanon's government. - News Report and Political Analysis.
[Channel 4, British TV station, on Jan. 2, 2024]
ماذا تعرف عن الشهيد الأقرع الذي اغتيل رفقة العاروري؟
كان وقع خبر استشهاد القيادي البارز في كتائب القسام، عزام الأقرع صادما على عائلته ورفاقه، وهو الذي نجح على مدار 35 عاما من الإفلات، رغم المطاردة المستمرة من قبل قوات الاحتلال وأجهزته الاستخبارية.يعد الأقرع الذي يبلغ 54 عاما من العمر أحد أبرز قيادات كتائب القسام في الساحات الخارجية، لا سيما لبنان التي عاش أكثر من نصف حياته فيها، بعد أن نفاه الاحتلال خارج بلدته الأصلية قبلان عام 1992، إبان حملة الملاحقة التي تعرضت لها قيادة حركة حماس آنذلك، وجرى إبعاد المئات إلى منطقة مرج الزهور جنوب لبنان.
What do you know about the martyr Al-Aqra' who was assassinated together with Al-Arouri?
The news of the martyrdom of the prominent leader of the Qassam Brigades, Azzam Al-Aqra, was shocking to his family and comrades, who succeeded over 35 years of escape, despite the continuous pursuit by the occupation forces and his intelligence services.Al-Aqra, 54 years old, is one of the most prominent leaders of the Qassam Brigades in the external arenas, especially Lebanon, where he lived more than half of his life, after the occupation exiled him outside his native town of Qabalan in 1992, during the campaign of persecution against the leadership of Hamas was then deported to the Marj al-Zuhur area in southern Lebanon.
[Beirut Time on Jan. 6, 2024]
The assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in a hotel room in Dubai
on 19 January 2010. => The Complete Timeline of a Murder <= in a
31 minutes sequence of videos registered by surveillance cameras.
The Mossad team could be identified and arrested at Dubai airport.
Please note: One member of the killing team is still wearing a single
protection glove while hurriedly leaving Al-Bustan hotel. [The Guardian]
On 25 September, 1997, Israel's spy agency attempted to assassinate
Palestinian political leader Khaled Meshaal in Amman, the capital of Jordan.
The brazen attempt on the life of the then 41-year-old head of the Hamas
Political Bureau sparked a diplomatic row which threatened to wreck the
newly-signed peace deal between Jordan and Israel. The crisis ended with
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu making a number of humiliating
concessions. [Middle East Monitor 2020]
Independently from the above listed assaults on prominent members of Hamas, Iran's nuclear program was subsequently targeted by Mossad. While Israel's own nuclear arsenal remains an unspoken reality and was never openly contested, Iranian efforts are thoroughly scrutinized by many Western nations. And there have been press reports about Mossad operations that were intended to prevent Iran from reaching their goal: Four assassinations of nuclear scientists in Iran, accomplished since 2010, and several sophisticated activities to destroy Iran's ability to produce weapons-grade Uranium.
The last killing of an Iranian scientist is dating back to November 2020 when top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was assassinated in a sophisticated hit led by a Mossad team. The team reportedly deployed a computerized machine gun using artificial intelligence, required no on-site operatives, took less than a minute, and did not injure anyone else, including the scientist’s wife who was with him at the time. [Times of Israel in September 2021]
Germany's Rigid Policy
Organized by the United Palestinian National Committee, nearly 1,200 protesters held a solidarity demonstration at Adenauerplatz [Adenauer Square in Berlin]. They decried Germany's stance on Israel, with crowd chanting slogans such as "Shame on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz" and "Shame on (Foreign Minister) Annalena Baerbock".
The participants later held a march on Kurfurstendamm, one of Berlin's most famous avenues, while shouting pro-Palestinian slogans. Along with a large Palestinian flag, the protesters also carried signs, some of which read: "Cease-fire now" and "stop the genocide".
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has repeatedly said that Israel's security is non-negotiable, and in the current conflict with Hamas, Germany “has only one place,” and that is “firmly at the side of Israel."
.................
A recent poll revealed that the German government's pro-Israel stance on the Gaza conflict is seemingly not supported by the public. Some 43% of those surveyed said that Germany should stay out of the conflict, and only 34% said they agree with the view that Germany bears special responsibility for Israel due to its Nazi past.
[Yeni Safak, Turkey, on Dec. 31]
Palestine - An Alarming Development
An opinion poll proves increasing support for Hamas organization
in the occupied Westbank where Hamas used to be in opposition
to the Palestinian administration of Mahmud Abbas in Ramallah.
[Deutsche Welle, German National Radio, on Dec. 31]
Far-right Israeli minister calls for resettlement of Gaza after the war
saying this is a beautiful land to be rebuilt by and for Israeli settlers
after Palestinian emigration. [Al-Jazeera on Dec. 31]
Israel - Judicial Chaos and Accusation of Genocide
Israel's High Court strikes down Netanyahu's judicial reform law
[TRT World, Turkey, on Jan. 2, 2024]
The Palestinian Gaza Strip health department said on December 31 that Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours resulted in a total of 150 deaths. Since the outbreak of a new round of conflict between Palestine and Israel on October 7, Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip have resulted in approximately 21,000 deaths and more than 56,000 injuries.
[Youth Net 青年网 on Dec. 31]
Sultan Barakat, a professor of public policy at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, says that the genocide case filed by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice [ICJ] will be “the most important instrument of international pressure against Israel”.
“The way that South Africa has addressed this issue is that they are purely focused on the fact that Israel, by December 29 when the case was filed, has murdered more than 20,000 civilians without achieving any clear goal, in that they seem to be pursuing a genocide against the Palestinian people and specifically within Gaza,” Barakat said.
The ICJ works slightly differently from the International Criminal Court [ICC] in that its mandate covers all the state members of the United Nations, Barakat explained.
“And Israel for them it’s very important to be recognised as a state. This is the only country in the world that talks about the right to exist, [whereas] every other state is comfortable within their own foundation.”
[Al-Jazeera,Qatar, on Jan. 2, 2024]
