Middle East GDT IV

[PredsFan77]

EL O EL














President Trump’s personal attorney Michael D. Cohen sometimes taped conversations with associates, according to three people familiar with his practice, and allies of the president are worried that the recordings were seized by federal investigators in a raid of Cohen’s office and residences this week.

Cohen, who served for a decade as a lawyer at the Trump Organization and is a close confidant of Trump, was known to store the conversations using digital files and then replay them for colleagues, according to people who have interacted with him.

“We heard he had some proclivity to make tapes,” said one Trump adviser, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation. “Now we are wondering, who did he tape? Did he store those someplace where they were actually seized? . . . Did they find his recordings?”

[flâ·neur]

Take it for what you will but I spoke to a few sources over JSOC. Trump and Macron are looking at obliterating Assad's air force and suspected CW sites. My guess is that Russia stands down.

[PredsFan77]

jews bombed syria

[flâ·neur]

All Zionist Entity missiles were intercepted - Bashar

[flâ·neur]

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps is believed to be planning an attack in retaliation for alleged Israeli strike on T4 airbase in Syria last week.
http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Confl ... ria-550073

[PredsFan77]

thats exciting

[flâ·neur]

Translation:

The Iranians will have a nuclear bomb in one year.

[PredsFan77]

in other news:

[flâ·neur]

caps, unverified. seems reliable.

[flâ·neur]

#CONFIRMED: SAUDIA ARABIO OVERTHROWN BY MULLAH HOMER

[flâ·neur]

in other news:

toy drones https://www.yahoo.com/news/saudi-forces ... 54640.html

[PredsFan77]

Syria/Iran just launched rockets into Israel...here we go!

[Dog]

Oh, you weren’t kidding.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/ ... SApp_Other

Looks like a fuck you for trump pulling out.

[Dog]

Israel strikes Iranian targets in Syria in response to rocket fire http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-44063022

[Dog]

It’s a fight the Persians can’t win and so don’t think they’ll pursue it more than symbolically. The real effect of the pull out is probably a hardening of Iran and possible knock on effects down the road. C’est la vie.

[flâ·neur]

They either pull back and use the "lets focus on the economy" schtick or Soleimani commands a few hundred thousand Shiites against Israel and possibly by extension US and KSA. The Mullahs might want some type of conflict to justify their presence in Syria as they spend away while doing nothing for the Iranian people. The forecast doesn't look good. Hopefully it is just contained to Syria but the powder keg is there for all out regional war. Its really in no ones interest for Iran and Israel to duke it out in Syria. Putin doesn't want to be embarrassed and Assad wants to focus domestically with a few spats in the Golan to maintain credibility at home. Now that we're back to putting pressure on Iran, they might react with a proxy attack or two but even with as zealous as they are about Israel, I don't think they want a major conflict either. Nor does many Israeli's but Bibi sees his chance here so we'll see.

[flâ·neur]

Btw, I don't buy that it was Iran who fired those GRADS/Fajr missiles. It was the Syrian army firing them into Golan due to internal pressure to respond to Israeli aggression. Many of the anti aircraft manners were Syrian that died in the response. I would think if Iran was going to launch something, it would be bigger then a pin prick 20 rocket strike. Israel's response was devastating to the Iranians. 20 rockets into the Golan Heights was not worth the price. Bibi will blame anything that comes from Syria on Iran these days so I don't think it even matters who the actual culprit was. Syrian state took credit for the attack which is beyond stupid if they weren't actually behind it. Israel could put the Assad regime out of business in a day. Plus it looks better for the media if its Israel vs Iran rather then Syria.

[chicpea]

Moqtada al-Sadr is a name I haven’t heard in a while.

[flâ·neur]

He's actually been a voice of "reason" within the Militia scene. Said once ISIS is done he'll disarm Mahdi Army and intergrate 25k men into Iraqi Army. He's on that technocratic nationalist jive.

[PredsFan77]

Can't believe how the Jews keep getting away with just killing palestines at will. Ridiculous.

[flâ·neur]

They need to chill with the victim mentality all the time. Its complete indoctrination. I mean cmon, Bibi is saying Iran wants to kill six million Jews. The guy wants war so bad and it looks like Trump and Pence are glad to join in. Snipers are shooting people in the face for chucking a rock or flying a kite that is on fire. Thats sick.

I think Iran even with inferior equipment could still fuck up Saudi Arabia if we stayed out of it.

[PredsFan77]

for sure, sauds would have to hire mercenaries to bail their fat fuck rich asses out

[flâ·neur]

They couldn't even break the siege of Mecca. Pakistani's and French Foreign Legion had to come in which means I am sure there were Mericans on the ground too.

Israel has 200+ nukes pointed at Iran. I'm sorry, I don't see the urgency to start a war because Iran is enriching uranium. We've been "one year away" for 30 years now.


Maybe the Saudi's will hire Stone Cold and The Rock to fight IRGC now that their tight with Vince.

[Craig]

Meh. Sauds have the better air force and would own the skies. I don't think either side could overcome the disadvantage of being the invader with ground forces. So that war is probably just both sides bombing the shit out I each other, with Iran mostly just lobbing missiles.

[flâ·neur]

Saudi's definitely would own the air but it would become harder if the war broke out from Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Saudi all at once. Irans navy could overwhelm the Saudis with their swarm tactics, shut the Strait of Hormuz and then thats when we jump in and destroy whats left of Irans F-14s and Phantoms. It would be all American jets in battle unless Russia got involved. The issue would be if Iran gained any momentum on the ground they would be hard to slow without constant air strikes. I think the Yemen war is the Saudis getting some experience in for the main event. They have a model where we give them intel and they do the sorties. My point was that Iran has more heart. Saudis on the other hand like to drop their brand new M4s and split.

If Iran could deploy a bunch of S-300's, S-400's and constantly lob rockets they would do a lot of damage to KSA and vice versa. Iran attacking Mecca and Medina could really hurt the Saudi's psyche too. Especially if the Shia in the east sided with Iran. Thats where all the oil is too.

[flâ·neur]

If the UAE and Qatar crossed Saudi Arabia, Iran would be victorious. We don't call the UAE "Little Sparta" for nothing.

[flâ·neur]

[Dr_Chimera]

[flâ·neur]

Evidence seems to be mounting that Russian air and missile defenses aren’t effective - https://sofrep.com/103326/evidence-seem ... effective/

Fuck you Erdogan.

[flâ·neur]

Moqtada al-Sadr is a name I haven’t heard in a while.

Opinion:

The Way Forward in Iraq
By Mina Al-Oraibi

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Moktada al-Sadr, the maverick Shiite cleric, who contested the Iraqi elections on an inclusive, nonsectarian list with Communists, independents and liberal civil society groups, has emerged as the winner.

Mr. Sadr’s electoral list, “Sairoon” in Arabic, or “On The Move,” garnered the largest number of votes, although 56 percent of Iraq’s voters stayed away from the polling booths. During the campaign, Mr. Sadr promised to fight corruption, work across sectarian lines and bring in technocrats to run the government.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s list didn’t secure the top place in the elections. Baghdad did not vote for Mr. Abadi, but his electoral list gained support in Mosul, the city most devastated by the Islamic State and liberated under his leadership. Despite the loss of votes, Mr. Abadi bolstered his reputation, as the election was fair and nobody accused him of fraud, intimidation or abuse of power.

But a majority of the voters staying away from polling booths is a clear rejection of the system that has failed to deliver peace and security, let alone prosperity. Elections in Iraq are often followed by messy and long negotiations between coalition partners.

Mr. Sadr, who doesn’t have enough numbers to form the government alone, is likely to choose Mr. Abadi as his coalition partner for a new government. Mr. Abadi, whose list is among the top five winners in the elections, gracefully accepted the results — a rare gesture — and promptly congratulated Mr. Sadr on his success.

An alliance between Mr. Sadr and Mr. Abadi would move Iraq toward a more stable, inclusive and less corrupt state of affairs. It would reduce Iran’s grip on the country and create a more balanced set of relations with its neighbors.

Hadi al-Ameri is Iran’s preferred candidate to lead a new Iraqi government. Mr. Ameri heads the Badr Organization and is one of the leaders of the Popular Mobilization Forces, dominated by Tehran-backed militia groups, who fought the Islamic State along with the Iraqi military. He transformed the battlefield gains into the second-largest number of votes for his electoral list.

Mr. Sadr has publicly spoken about the need to disarm the P.M.F., called for integrating its elements into Iraqi official forces, and repeatedly rejected the notion of Iraq having “two armies.” A nationalist who has been a vocal critic of Iran’s role in Iraq, Mr. Sadr has stated in a number of interviews with Iraqi local media that Iraq “must remain free of our neighbor’s ambitions.”

While Mr. Sadr has a checkered past, including violence by his Mahdi Army, his new alliance and political positions seem to be the best option for Iraq. An alliance between Mr. Sadr and Mr. Abadi could move Iraq toward a more stable, inclusive and less corrupt state of affairs. Both have steered clear of the corruption that plagues many of those in power in Iraq. Mr. Abadi has experience in government, is known globally and has proven to be a capable politician. Mr. Sadr has wide popular appeal and can provide legitimacy to efforts against corruption.

Both have support from a Shiite Islamist base. Both have pledged to have technocrats in ministerial posts, a necessary move to get Iraq’s ministries to function and deliver services and not serve as mere sources of patronage for various political parties. They would also need to ensure that their alliance is inclusive, both in terms of gender and ethnicity, to expand their appeal.

Mr. Sadr and Mr. Abadi are Iraqi Islamist leaders who are vehemently Iraqi first. They are not focused on their Shiite identities and have remained largely free of Tehran’s control. The United States and the Arab states should seize the opportunity and support them. Mr. Abadi could help build a new relationship between Washington and Mr. Sadr, who fought American forces after the invasion and had an arrest warrant against him in 2003.

Saudi Arabia’s minister of state for Gulf affairs, Thamer al-Sabhan, was quick to welcome Mr. Sadr’s ascendance. Last year, Mr. Sadr visited both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and met with the Saudi crown prince, Mohammad bin Salman, and the Abu Dhabi crown prince, Mohammed bin Zayed. Mr. Abadi made a point of reaching out to Arab states during his tenure. A government led by Mr. Sadr and Mr. Abadi can build on the initial engagement with Arab states.

Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. have committed billions in reconstruction aid to Iraq. A new government in Iraq can work toward attracting investments from Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. to boost private sector growth, which is crucial to economic diversification in Iraq.

Mr. Abadi could potentially help maintain a delicate balance between the regional rivals, as he has supported building ties with Arab countries while maintaining relations with Tehran.

Iran immediately sent Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, to Baghdad after the results, to ensure that its influence does not ebb with the formation of the next government. Mr. Ameri is maneuvering with his colleagues and allies such as former Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki to form a government of Shiite Islamist parties, a move that would push Iraq back into the sectarian rut.

Mr. Sadr’s strong performance ensures that Tehran cannot have a new Iraqi government entirely beholden to it. Iran-backed P.M.F. and their allies will seek to carve out a position of power, emulating Lebanon’s Hezbollah. The P.M.F. has rejected efforts to be integrated into Iraqi forces. They want to remain a separate institution, keeping their arms while wielding political power as a bloc in Parliament, where they can use “veto power” to stall, block, and thwart legislation to cripple the government — another lesson learned from Hezbollah.

The supporters of Mr. Maliki and the P.M.F. could also demonstrate their opposition to a Sadr-Abadi coalition government on the streets, which carries the inherent danger of a new wave of violence.

There are further security challenges a new Iraqi government would face. Iraq’s Kurdish Autonomous Region is still reeling from the fallout of the ill-advised independence referendum. There have been accusations of fraud and voter intimidation and there are increasing fears of unemployed young men in the region turning violent. Any new government in Baghdad must address the problems of unpaid salaries in the Kurdistan region and to win over the trust of pesh merga fighters.

Although the Iraqi government officially declared victory in its war on the Islamic State last July, peace has not yet been won. Political failures including corruption across government sectors and sectarian divisions, which allowed for the rise of the Islamic State, are yet to be remedied.

Political parties must agree on a framework for governance, especially when it comes to fighting corruption. They must ensure that local security isn’t left to militias and avoid the creation of a vacuum, which will certainly be filled by extremists. Mr. Sadr can meet those challenges with the right allies inside Iraq and abroad.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/17/opin ... abadi.html

[flâ·neur]

I would not be surprised if we saw a Shia-Shia civil conflict between Sadr and Abadi and Ameri, Mohandes backed by IRGC. Its interesting that many of the hardline Shia militias beholden to Iran are actually calling for some American troops to stay in Iraq. A move I suspect to make them look more moderate. There is no way around Iraq needing US's help. If a big enough wedge is driven between them and the PMU lose power, it could get ugly down the road. Iran would be stupid to start another conflict on their border.

[Dr_Chimera]

Seventy years ago, Palestinians suffered the Nakba, or catastrophe, when most fled or were forced by Zionist militias to flee Palestine to make room for the creation of the state of Israel and ensure a Jewish majority. Some 750,000 ended up as refugees registered with the United Nations. Many others fended for themselves. They were never allowed to return to their lands or homes which were confiscated by the nascent state, and many of their villages were subsequently destroyed. Here – and here, from inside Palestine – survivors tell their stories.

[flâ·neur]

It's been pretty easy to see since 15-16-17 that the group is going to go underground to live another day. al Qaeda in Iraq was down to maybe 20 or so men in tents between Syrian desert and Anbar. The same is metastasizing now except they have a hefty following in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Indonesia, etc. Many of their mid tier men are in hiding in Turkey. I'd say they are in a better position then in 2006 forward to come back as ISIS 2.0.

His self-declared caliphate was in ruins when Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi summoned some of his top aides to a meeting in eastern Syria last year. The Islamic State's capital in Iraq had already fallen, and its Syrian headquarters was under siege.

Yet the terrorist leader had something else on his mind: schoolchildren.

The gathering near the city of Deir al-Zour was called by Baghdadi personally to discuss rewriting the terrorist group's educational curriculum, according to an Islamic State official who was arrested in a joint operation by Turkish and Iraqi officials earlier this year. Despite the group's dire circumstances, Baghdadi wanted to examine a subject that had less to do with immediate survival than with preserving the organization's ideological core.

"Several top leaders were present, as well as the curricula committee, which I headed," the captured officer, known as Abu Zaid al-Iraqi, said in a videotaped statement aired on Iraqi television.

The meeting, said to have occurred in mid-2017, was the third convening of a committee that had been a pet project of the man at the top, having been "established by caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi," the officer said.

The incident provides a rare glimpse into the secluded life of the Islamic State's leader, a man who has allowed himself to be photographed only once, in July 2014, and has spoken publicly only a handful of times since then. His prolonged absences have given wings to countless false reports portraying Baghdadi as either dead, or gravely wounded and incapacitated.

Despite such rumors, U.S. counterterrorism officials are convinced that Baghdadi is alive and is helping direct long-term strategy for the dwindling numbers of Islamic State fighters defending the group's remaining strongholds in eastern Syria. The U.S. view is supported by intelligence intercepts and detainee interrogations, as well as writings and statements by operatives within the terrorist group's network.

The evidence, while spotty and difficult to confirm, depicts a leader who has opted to make himself invisible, even within his organization – a decision that has drawn complaints from followers and arguably undercuts his ability to rally his beleaguered forces, terrorism experts say.

But the intercepts and reports also suggest that Baghdadi has shifted his attention in recent months to crafting an ideological framework that will survive the physical destruction of the caliphate in Iraq and Syria. In addition to his effort to revamp the group's school curriculum, Baghdadi appears to have been behind a series of missives in recent months that sought to settle ideological disputes between factions of Islamic State fighters.

Viewed together, such actions convey the impression of a disciplined retreat, with Baghdadi helping manage preparations for a shift from caliphate to underground insurgency and international terrorist movement, current and former U.S. officials said.

"Even as they were losing Mosul and Raqqa, we were seeing indications that they were planning to operate anew, as a clandestine organization," said Nicholas Rasmussen, who served as director of the National Counterterrorism Center before stepping down in December. "As they were being driven out of these places, they were leaving behind a kind of cell structure."

The essential strategy also was confirmed by a self-proclaimed Islamic State operative contacted by The Washington Post through an encrypted messaging service. The operative said Baghdadi – a university professor before becoming a terrorist – and other top leaders decided early on to prioritize the indoctrination of children and recruits, both inside Iraq and Syria and also abroad, through the Internet. The effort gained additional urgency as it became clear that the group's Islamist enclave would not survive, he said.

"The leadership is convinced that, even if the State has disappeared, as long as they can influence the next generation through education, the idea of the caliphate will endure," said the operative, who agreed to an interview on the condition that his name not be revealed.

Under Baghdadi's direction, "the values of the caliphate would be seeded in the Umma [Islamic community], and not disappear," the operative said, "even if the caliphate would."

– – -

The meeting last year in Deir al-Zour was one of a handful of reported appearances by a terrorist leader who has been remarkably successful in staying out of sight. Since July 4, 2014, when Baghdadi entered a Mosul mosque to declare the establishment of the Islamic State, there have been more false reports about his death than confirmed sightings or public pronouncements.

In media accounts, Baghdadi has been killed or gravely injured at least a half-dozen times since 2014. He was said to have died in three different aerial bombings, carried out by Russian or U.S. warplanes. Other reports claimed variously that he had been arrested by Syrian troops, mortally wounded in an artillery strike, and poisoned by assassins.

Last June, after a Russian official claimed that Moscow was nearly "100 percent certain" of Baghdadi's death, the Pentagon demurred, citing a lack of confirming evidence. More recently, U.S. officials have expressed confidence that Baghdadi survived his group's defeat in Mosul and Raqqa and remains active, though his exact whereabouts are uncertain.

"By all indications, he's alive," said a U.S. counterterrorism official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence assessments. "We think he's still coordinating, still helping to run the organization."

In late 2016, the raising of the bounty for Baghdadi's capture – from $10 million to $25 million – triggered a flurry of reported sightings, none of which panned out. Since then, there have been few credible reports about his specific movements and activities, the official acknowledged. "Our best guess is that he is still in Syria, in one of the remaining parts of the country still controlled by ISIS," the official said. ISIS is a common acronym for the Islamic State.

In recent weeks, Baghdadi's presumed final sanctuary has looked slightly less precarious. A Kurdish-led offensive to liberate terrorist-held villages in eastern Syria ground to a halt earlier this spring after the Kurds were forced to defend themselves against Turkish attacks elsewhere in the country. The resulting lull allowed Baghdadi's men to refortify their positions and bring in supplies and reinforcements, U.S. and Middle Eastern intelligence officials said. With fewer U.S. warplanes in the skies to pick them off, small convoys of fighters departed the Damascus suburbs for Islamic State bastions in southern and eastern Syria, safely crossing large expanses of desert under deals struck with the Syrian government, the official said. Intensive airstrikes have since resumed.

"They [Islamic State forces] have definitely regrouped," the U.S. counterterrorism official said. "The pause gave them an opportunity to do that."

Still, the lull has only delayed what by all indications is an inevitable defeat. The Islamic State has suffered a nearly unbroken string of military defeats since late 2015. Yet, throughout this time, its leader has been remarkably silent, never appearing in public to rally his forces and only occasionally releasing an audiotaped message encouraging his troops to fight on. The last of these surfaced on Sept. 28, 2017, about two weeks before the fall of Raqqa.

– – -

Some observers see Baghdadi's absence as part of a deliberate strategy within an organization that in recent years has chosen to de-emphasize the importance of individual leaders in advancing the group's ideals.

"A lot of ISIS supporters say that Baghdadi doesn't want to make ISIS all about him," said Cole Bunzel, a Middle East scholar at Princeton University and editor of Jihadica, a scholarly blog about the global jihadist movement. "There has been an effort, in fact, not to elevate any one personality above the organization."

Yet Baghdadi's virtual invisibility during a crucial struggle for the group's survival has stirred controversy within the Islamic State itself. In recent weeks, members of an Islamic State offshoot in Deir al-Zour have posted messages on social media complaining that Baghdadi has removed himself from the field of battle.

"This clearly affects the morale of ISIS and its supporters," said Steven Stalinsky, executive director of the Middle East Media Research Institute, a Washington nonprofit that monitors jihadists' websites. Other supporters have responded to the criticism by renewing their oaths of allegiance to Baghdadi, in what Stalinsky described as a possible "indication that he is, or was, facing challenges to his authority from within."

Baghdadi, who is about 46 and a native of the Iraqi city of Samarra, appears to be willing and able to communicate when he needs to, at least to his scattered lieutenants and senior aides. The captured Islamic State official who led Baghdadi's curriculum committee described being repeatedly summoned by the caliphate leader for group discussions about education, propaganda and other matters. The captured officer is one of five senior aides arrested since February in operations conducted by Iraqis with U.S. and Turkish assistance.

Rasmussen, the former National Counterterrorism Center director, said the slow-but-steady military campaign against the Islamic State has given Baghdadi ample opportunities to develop secure lines of communication and to prepare for the future. Those preparations probably include plotting future terrorist operations and honing a system for persevering and disseminating the group's core ideas after the Islamic State ceases to exist as a caliphate.

"They knew this was happening – it wasn't as though they had a theory of victory where they were going to hold Mosul and Raqqa forever," Rasmussen said. "But the narrative that has underpinned the Sunni extremist project – whether it's al-Qaida or ISIS – is that the mantle is going to be picked up and advanced by some other set of actors. The project may not be tied to the Syria conflict, but it's not going to go away just because ISIS is defeated on the battlefield."

https://www.stripes.com/news/middle-eas ... n-1.528113

[flâ·neur]

My friend Kyle with an interesting piece.

The Scandinavian Fascists Fighting for the Syrian Regime
https://kyleorton1991.wordpress.com/201 ... ad-russia/

[flâ·neur]

Iran, you better stop that regional malfeasance in...Iran.

Pompeo’s list of demands on Iran was long. If it wanted diplomatic and commercial relationships with the U.S., he said, it would have to end its ballistic-missile program as well as its support for terrorist groups like Hezbollah and its regional malfeasance in places like Iran and Syria.

https://www.theatlantic.com/internation ... an/560795/

Iraq*

[flâ·neur]

IVE GOT THE BOTTLED WATER READY PREDSFAN. SEE U GUYS AFTER ARMAGEDDON.

[PredsFan77]

Rip shredder

[flâ·neur]

[flâ·neur]

Einstein and the ghost of Herut 70 years on

Albert Einstein, along with other Jewish luminaries, including Hannah Arendt, had a letter published in The New York Times on December 4, 1948. That was only a few months after Israel had declared its independence and as hundreds of Palestinian villages were being demolished after their inhabitants were expelled. The letter denounced Israel’s newly founded Herut party and its young leader, Menachem Begin.

Herut was carved out of the Irgun terrorist gang, famous for its many massacres against Palestinian Arab communities leading up to the Nakba, the catastrophic ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people from their historic homeland in 1947-48.

In the letter, Einstein and his co-signatories described Herut (“Freedom”) as a “political party closely akin in its organization, methods, political philosophy and social appeal to Nazi and fascist parties.”

For a letter of this nature to appear a mere three years after the end of the Second World War and the devastation of the Holocaust is a profound indication of the clear chasm that existed among Jewish intellectuals at the time: The Zionists who supported Israel and its violent birth, and those who took the moral high ground and objected to it. Sadly, the latter group — although still in existence — had lost the battle.

Herut later merged with other groups to form the Likud party. Begin received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and Likud is now the leading party in Israel’s most right-wing government coalition. The philosophy warned of in the letter has prevailed, and it now engulfs and defines mainstream society in Israel.

This right-wing tendency is even more pronounced among young Israelis than previous generations.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the leader of Begin’s party, the Likud. His current coalition includes Russian-born Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, founder of ultra-nationalist party Yisrael Beiteinu. In response to ongoing popular protests by besieged Palestinians in Gaza, and in justification of the high number of deaths and injuries inflicted on the unarmed protesters by the Israeli army, Lieberman argued that “there are no innocent people in Gaza.” When the defense minister of a country espouses this kind of belief, one can hardly be shocked that Israeli snipers are shooting Palestinian youngsters while cheering on camera as they hit their target.

This kind of discourse — fascist par excellence — is by no means a fringe narrative within Israeli society. Netanyahu’s coalition is rife with such morally objectionable characters.

Israeli politician Ayelet Shaked has often called for the genocide of Palestinians. They “are all enemy combatants, and their blood shall be on all their heads,” she wrote in a Facebook post in 2015. “Now this also includes the mothers of the martyrs... They should go, as should the physical homes in which they raised the snakes. Otherwise, more little snakes will be raised there.” A few months after the posting of that statement, Netanyahu appointed her as the country’s justice minister.

Shaked belongs to The Jewish Home party, headed by Naftali Bennett. The latter is Israel’s Minister of Education and is known for similarly violent statements. He was one of the first politicians who came out in defense of Israeli soldiers accused of violating human rights at the Gaza border. Other top Israeli politicians followed suit.

On April 19, Israel celebrated its independence day. The “Nazi and fascist” mentality that defined Herut in 1948 now defines the most powerful ruling class in Israel. Israel’s leaders speak openly of genocide and murder, yet they celebrate and promote Israel as if it was an icon of civilization, democracy and human rights. Even cultural Zionists of old would have been horrified at the creature that their beloved Israeli has become, seven decades after its birth.

Certainly, the Palestinian people are still fighting for their land, identity, dignity and freedom. But the truth is that Israel’s biggest enemy is Israel itself. The country has failed to part with its violent politics and ideology of yesteryear. On the contrary, Israel’s ideological debate has been settled in favor of perpetual violence, racism and apartheid.

In the supposed “only democracy in the Middle East,” the margin of critique has grown very limited.

In 1938, Einstein had contended with the very idea behind the creation of Israel. It runs counter to “the essential nature of Judaism,” he said. A few years later, in 1946, he argued before the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry on the Palestinian issue: “I cannot understand why it (Israel) is needed... I believe it is bad.” - Ramzy Baroud





It is the likes of Netanyahu, Lieberman, Bennett and Shaked who now represent modern Israel and, behind them, a massive constituency of right-wing religious ultra-nationalists, who have little regard for Palestinians, for human rights, international law and such seemingly frivolous values as peace and justice.

In 1938, Einstein had contended with the very idea behind the creation of Israel. It runs counter to “the essential nature of Judaism,” he said. A few years later, in 1946, he argued before the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry on the Palestinian issue: “I cannot understand why it (Israel) is needed... I believe it is bad.”

Needless to say, if Einstein was alive today, he would have joined the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement, which aims at holding Israel accountable for its violent and illegal practices against Palestinians. Equally true, he would have been branded anti-Semitic or a “self-hating Jew” by Israeli leaders and their supporters. Today’s Zionists are, indeed, unfazed.

But this painful paradigm must be overturned. Palestinian children are not terrorists and cannot be treated as such. They are not “little snakes,” either. Palestinian mothers should not be killed. The Palestinian people are not “enemy combatants” to be eradicated. Genocide must not be normalized.

Seventy years after Israel’s independence and Einstein’s letter, the country’s legacy is still marred with blood and violence. Despite the ongoing party in Tel Aviv, there is no reason to celebrate and every reason to mourn.

Yet, hope is kept alive because the Palestinian people are still resisting; and they need the world to stand in solidarity with them. It is the only way for the ghost of Herut to stop haunting the Palestinians, and for the “Nazi and fascist” philosophies to be forever defeated.

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1289796

[flâ·neur]

I've been looking at a few maps and most of these insurgency type attacks are fairly close to Iran's border. Iraqi's claimed Diyala was cleansed of ISIS.

Here comes the Trump is funding ISIS to invade Iran talk. It would actually be in both Iran's and US interest if ISIS did re-emerge in Iraq on a smaller scale in pockets. Iran can send its troops back in and we'd get more leverage over the new government that would need our military support.

[flâ·neur]

Evidence seems to be mounting that Russian air and missile defenses aren’t effective - https://sofrep.com/103326/evidence-seem ... effective/

Fuck you Erdogan.

Russia holds longest ever surface-to-air missile launch

Moscow reportedly covertly launches successful test with missile from new S-500 aerial defense system intercepting target 480 kilometers away—improving on previous record by 80 kilometers; system will be capable of intercepting missiles, drones and even stealth fighters such as the F-35, confirmed to have been used by Israel in one of its strikes.

https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,734 ... 407,00.htm

[PredsFan77]

[flâ·neur]

buncha pussies https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conf ... ing-558519

[flâ·neur]

Check out the Taliban’s new punk rock uniforms



https://www.militarytimes.com/off-duty/ ... -uniforms/

[flâ·neur]

Here comes the new and improved MEK.

[flâ·neur]

"These measures taken by the Austrian prime minister are, I fear, leading the world towards a war between the cross and the crescent," Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul.

http://www.france24.com/en/20180610-erd ... se-mosques

Feel free to kill each other off. Fascists vs Islamofascists.

[flâ·neur]

He literally sounds like a tame al-Adnani. Jeez.

[Dog]

It does look like we’re heading towards a US-Saudi-Israli alliance to kick Iran’s butt. Not sure what shape that will take, but it’s not looking pretty.

[flâ·neur]

Does Russia look the other way? It's going to get real ugly. Iran would be hurt badly from the air but if they give the full greenlight to Hezbollah, Israel could be asking for big trouble as well. Do we want to get dragged into a vortex of sectarian, tribal warfare? Lebanon would collapse. So many terrible possibilities. The migrant flood to Europe would be off the charts.

[flâ·neur]

Iran warns North Korea https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nort ... SKBN1J813Y