December 24, 2023
Rybar
The Israel Defense Forces continues its operation in the Gaza Strip . The main events unfolded in the north, where the advancing Israelis started fighting on the streets of Al-Auda and An-Nafa - almost in the center of Gaza .
In the north of Israel , near the border with Lebanon , the situation has not changed. The IDF and Hezbollah exchange blows, but no one takes more active action, and settlements on both sides of the border are gradually turning into ruins.
Detentions in the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank are also continuing as usual. Police raids again swept across all major cities, and clashes with firearms began in the Nur Shams camp near Tulkarm .
Progress of hostilities
North Gaza Strip
In the northern part of the bisected enclave, the IDF continues to advance from the coastline. There are battles on Al-Auda and An-Nafak streets . Palestinian factions also consistently report clashes and shelling in the areas of Az-Zeitoun , Jabaliya and Al-Judeidah ( Al-Shajaiya )
In addition, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Beit Hanoun is reported . Palestinian journalists entered the city and claim the almost complete destruction of the settlement.
South Gaza Strip
The Israeli air force and artillery strike various populated areas; in Khan Yunis , airstrikes killed 22 and injured hundreds of civilians. In addition, Kataib Iz-ad-Din Al-Qassam announced the shelling of a concentration of Israeli equipment and soldiers east of Rafah , but without specifics.
Border with Lebanon
Mutual exchanges of blows continue on the Israeli-Lebanese border. During the day, Hezbollah fighters fired at Israeli targets several times using rocket launchers and anti-tank systems in Dishon , Avivim , An-Nawakir , Ad-Dahir , Margaliot and the Khonin base : infrastructure was damaged and at least one Israeli was injured. It is unknown whether he was a military man or a civilian.
In turn, the Israel Defense Forces responded with drone and artillery strikes against border communities in southern Lebanon. Explosions occurred in Laboun , An-Naqur , Taybah , Rab Al-Talatin , Al-Adis , Tahir Harf, Yaroun and Maroun al-Ras : a number of residential buildings were reported to have caused material damage.
West Bank
The Israel Defense Forces' operations in the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank continue. At dawn, Israeli units carried out raids in Nablus , Hebron and Bethlehem : ten Palestinians were detained. Arab media reported the arrest of civilians.
Also, the target of one of the police operations was the Nur-Sham refugee camp and the adjacent houses in Tulkarm . Local residents burned tires and blocked roads in an attempt to stop the Israelis. The camp was besieged, its infrastructure partially destroyed by a bulldozer.
Clashes also broke out in the target area between IDF soldiers on one side and members of the Al-Quds Brigades and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades on the other. Firearms and IEDs were used and one Israeli soldier was slightly wounded.
Political-diplomatic background
About the new possibility of a truce
Egypt has prepared a new plan to end the fighting and exchange hostages. The document outlines three successive stages.
The first stage is a one-week or two-week truce in exchange for the release of 40 hostages, women and men over 60 years old. The second stage is the exchange of the bodies of the dead hostages for the bodies of Hamas members and the third stage is the exchange of all remaining hostages for 6,000 Palestinian prisoners.
However, we must understand that a cessation of hostilities is absolutely not beneficial for Israel. The authorities do not need a respite for society, during which questions about the quality of governance will begin, and the return of abducted people and their stories about “how they missed October 7” will only increase tension in society. Well, the ultra-nationalist government is also somehow not in a position to refuse to clear the Gaza Strip. Moreover, an extremely suitable occasion turned up .
Later, information appeared that Hamas rejected the proposal for a truce for one or two weeks, demanded a ceasefire from Israel and an exchange of prisoners on their own terms.
About new and old statements by Netanyahu.
Contrary to rumors of a truce, Israel is expanding its military operation in the Gaza Strip and will continue the war until Hamas is defeated. This was once again stated by the Prime Minister of the Jewish State, Benjamin Netanyahu. And therefore, attacks on the Gaza Strip and the offensive will continue.
https://rybar.ru/chto-proishodit-v-pale ... -dekabrya/
Google Translator
******
HONEY TRAP FOR ISRAELIS AND AMERICANS IN THE RED SEA
by John Helmer, Moscow @bears_with
The Iranian intelligence vessel, MV Behshad, at anchor in the Red Sea, is a honey trap intended to lure both the Israelis and US Navy into an attack, according to Russian and other sources.
The French and Spanish navies appear to anticipate or to know: they have announced they will not operate their warships in the area under US command. Instead, the French have said they will restrict their operations to guarding their own French-flagged vessels and cargoes. The French Navy also appears to have agreed to clear the backlog of Maersk container vessels trapped and no longer under way in the Red Sea and in the Gulf of Aden.
The French and similar disclaimers from Spain and Italy follow maritime media reports of acrimonious disputes between the Europeans and the US over the US priority to attack the Houthis and save Israel.
The Europeans, including the Italian and Greek navies, which have also announced they are sending warships, are following the Russian lead in secretly working out an accommodation with Iran and the Ansar Allah (Houthi) leadership for safe passage through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in exchange for agreement to boycott Israel. In defence of their economies and shipping, support from the European allies is dwindling for Israel’s war against the Palestinians; there is no support for Israeli and American threats to expand the war against Iran and the Houthis.
The Pentagon and White House-led plan to save the Israeli port of Eilat and the Israeli economy from the long-war attrition strategy of the Arabs is collapsing. US maritime sources report “the precarious situation of US-flagged ships stranded with military cargo near the Red Sea is at the center of this coalition angst. The French want to prioritize their ships while US-flagged ships – which the US Navy is obligated to defend – are inexplicably a lower priority for the US. This urgent matter, highlighted by the recent rocket attack on a US-flagged tanker in Israel, starkly exposes the vulnerability of these vessels due to the alarming absence of adequate military protection. This critical situation not only threatens the safety of these ships but also raises profound questions about the United States’ resolve to safeguard its maritime assets, a commitment that seems to be wavering dangerously.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said the decision to attack vessels in the Red Sea region is “a completely Yemeni decision in support and defence of Gaza.” He added there is no need for the US coalition operation. If “they stop supporting the murderous Israeli regime and they will see a safer region and a better situation even for the transfer of energy.”
Since the start of the Gaza war, and the engagement of Houthi forces in support of the Palestinians, the identification of the Motor Vessel Behshad was first made in the open press last Thursday. A Russian map showing the Behshad and the positions of all other state naval vessels in the area was published by Militarist, a Moscow military blogger on Thursday morning, Moscow time. It was then republished by Boris Rozhin’s Colonel Cassad. They provided no comment at the time, or since.
Follow the story here.
https://johnhelmer.net/
A day earlier in Moscow, the business newspaper Kommersant reported that Russian oil shipments were continuing to move unhindered and undeterred through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait enroute to India and China. The newspaper failed to report that this required secret Russian negotiations and maritime intelligence-sharing with the Iranians and the Houthis. Read the analysis here.
This was the first overt sign that the distinction President Vladimir Putin has been making between Hamas “terrorism” and the Palestinian war for national liberation has collapsed. Publication of the Red Sea naval deployment map was the second sign. The Israeli and American threat to strike the Iranian intelligence vessel Behshad as part of their war against Houthi “terrorism” is leading to a third Russian sign. It has yet to materialize.
Russian and western military sources recall the Behshad’s predecessor, the MV Saviz, also at anchor in the Red Sea, was hit by an Israeli commando raid which detonated limpet mines to sink the vessel. That was on April 6, 2021, and was reported by Iranian, Arab, British and US media at the time. The attack fell short; the Saviz did not sink, and was towed back to Iran. It was then replaced in the Red Sea by the Behshad. The Saviz has been repaired and refitted and redeployed in the eastern sector of the Indian Ocean, off India.
The Israelis, assisted by the US, have been waging a frequent sabotage war against Iranian Navy vessels, and the Iranians are well aware of it.
What signals intelligence, satellite and other information Russia is providing Iran, to be shared with the Houthis, is unknown. Unprecedented, however, is the intervention with President Putin by Igor Sechin — head of the Rosneft group, Russia’s largest oil producer and the closest of Putin’s policy advisors in the past — to place the security of Russia’s oil interests in collaboration with Iran and the Houthis above Putin’s concern for Israel. In Putin’s office, Sechin was once Turkey’s advocate for similar reasons.
How is Russia responding to the Israeli-American threat against the Behshad?
MV Saviz -- https://www.marinetraffic.com/
MV Behshad – https://www.marinetraffic.com/
Intelligence-sharing with Iran is a Defense Ministry and General Staff responsibility, sharpened by deep-seated hostility towards the Israelis for their attacks in Syria against Iranian and also Russian targets, including the shoot-down of the Russian Il-20 signals intelligence aircraft in November 2018. At the time, Putin defended Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the public objections of the Defense Ministry and General Staff; read that story here.
Iran is also playing a significant role in support of Russia’s war against NATO in the Ukraine, while Israel has backed the Zelensky regime. Putin has again insisted on soft-pedaling towards Netanyahu and was cool towards Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi when they met earlier this month.
Source: https://johnhelmer.net/
Western and Russian sources think the positioning of the Behshad in the present situation is more likely to be a lure for foolhardy Israeli or US operations than it is a vulnerability on the part of the Iranian military. The record suggested by these sources is that after the Saviz incident two years ago, vessel detection and tracking in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden have been securely transferred to hidden locations onshore in Yemen. “I suspect,” one source said, “the Behshad is a honey trap, but I’ve no idea what response the Iranians, Russians and Chinese have formulated if there is an attack on the Behshad.”
The Spanish and Italians have intimated in their announcements they want no part of such an Israeli-American operation against an Iranian target.
According to US maritime sources reporting to the US publication gCaptain, “the French Navy has shifted their focus away from US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian after a representative allegedly stormed out of the operation’s first meeting with US officials. The French have begun escorting their own cargo ships, including the containerships CMA CGM Pegasus, CMA CGM George Washington and APL Salalah, through the Red Sea. At the heart of this unfolding drama is a critical question: which ships deserve protection? While the French have shown a clear intent to prioritize their own shipping interests, the US approach has left its own American-flagged ships stranded in the region, that have been – some for a full week – waiting for escort…This development marks a significant shift in the geopolitical dynamics of maritime security in one of the world’s most vital shipping lanes. The French decision underscores a growing crisis in shipping that puts national and regional priority ahead of global needs, while the US focuses on protecting all shipping – including ships owned by rivals like China – at the expense of the dwindling fleet of US-flagged merchant ships.”
gCaptain is one of the leading website and twitter publishing platforms in the US for the maritime industry; it is based in California and run by John Konrad, a professional merchant mariner and ship’s captain. He is hostile to Russia, and since the start of the Special Military Operation he has refused to report on Russian shipping or the new book, Sovcomplot.
Top: John Konrad of gCaptain; Sovcomplot, the first book on the Russian shipping industry since 1991 in English
Bottom: Ship charter rates have begun to jump since the start of the Gaza war, together with insurance premiums and logistics costs, as the Houthi campaign has driven global shipping away from Israel. Read more: https://gcaptain.com/
Konrad is also reporting that “sources have revealed a pervasive sense of confusion, affecting not only European shipping executives but also US shipowners who have access to classified Pentagon briefings. In interviews conducted by gCaptain, sources within the US military highlighted a disjointed response to the crisis. While certain military elements, such as the US Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) and the Navy’s Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping (NCAGS), have been actively engaging with ship owners, other segments of the military appear uncertain about the command structure of the operation. This lack of clarity over leadership roles is contributing to the overall confusion surrounding the initiative…sources have revealed a pervasive sense of confusion, affecting not only European shipping executives but also US shipowners who have access to classified Pentagon briefings. In interviews conducted by gCaptain, sources within the US military highlighted a disjointed response to the crisis. While certain military elements, such as the US Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) and the Navy’s Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping (NCAGS), have been actively engaging with ship owners, other segments of the military appear uncertain about the command structure of the operation. This lack of clarity over leadership roles is contributing to the overall confusion surrounding the initiative.”
Vessel location map as of December 22. As of Friday, the French Navy appears to be escorting the US-flagged Maersk Seletar and Green Bay.
Editorially, the US maritime media are trying to save themselves, and have no regard for Israel.
“The leadership vacuum needs to be filled across the pond [Atlantic] as well,” claims gCaptain. “If the operation continues under American leadership, it’s crucial for top executives of major shipping companies, such as Vincent Clerc of Maersk, to engage directly with key U.S. officials. Meetings in Washington D.C. with the Navy and Transportation Secretaries would be a pivotal move. Such collaboration would send a resounding message to mariners navigating the precarious waters under threat from Houthi drones. It would demonstrate a united front where the shipping industry, government authorities, and naval leadership are synchronizing their efforts to ensure safer seas. This is more than a strategic decision; it’s a necessary step to bolster confidence and security in these high-risk areas.”
Late on December 23, the US Central Command issued a report claiming it had responded to at least two Houthi drone attacks on oil tankers in the southern sector of the Red Sea. One of the targets was the Norwegian-flagged MV Blaamanen; it was missed narrowly. The second target was the Indian-flagged MV Saibaba, which was hit but reported no injuries. Before these strikes, the USS Laboon was targeted by at least four drones, and claims to have shot them down. It then moved to assist the tankers targeted. Two anti-ballistic missiles were also reported to have been fired in the area during the day without hitting their targets and without being intercepted.
Source: https://twitter.com/
The British maritime warning agency, UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), has issued a tweet indicating that late on Saturday afternoon of December 23, local time, a ship had been attacked in the Indian Ocean, southwest of India, by a drone. This caused an explosion and fire on the ship but no casualties.
Later reports indicate that the vessel was the Liberian flagged, Indian crewed, and “Israel affiliated” MV Chem Pluto which was carrying a cargo of crude oil from Saudi Arabia to Mangalore. The 1,600-kilometre distance from Yemen to the site attack is greater than the known ranges of Houthi drones. The Pentagon is claiming the attack “was launched directly from Iran by the Iranian Armed Forces.” An Indian media report claims the drone may have been launched by the Saviz, now reportedly located in the Indian Ocean just 87 kilometres away from the Chem Pluto.
Source: United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO)
There were four UKMTO warning notices for the Indian Ocean area on December 23; altogether for the month of December so far, there have been 20 incident reports, a record for the year. For maps and incident summaries for use by mariners, ship charterers, and logistics planners, click on this UKMTO security chart.
https://johnhelmer.net/honey-trap-for-i ... more-89104
******
Brutal Occupation Underpins Class Inequality for Israelis and Palestinians
Posted on December 24, 2023 by Conor Gallagher
Israeli Member of Knesset Dr. Ofer Cassif is a member of the Hadash Party, which supports Jewish-Arab cooperation and workers’ rights. MK Cassif highlights how the occupation generates class inequalities and a regime of elite oppressors vs. the oppressed, which is not exclusively based along ethnic or religious lines. He outlines Prime Minister Netanyahu’s disregard for the well-being of both Israelis and Palestinians, as well as a history of propping up Hamas. Originally published at theAnalysis.news.
Talia Baroncelli
Hi, you’re watching theAnalysis.news, and I’m your host, Talia Baroncelli. In a bit, we’ll be joined by a member of the Israeli Knesset, Dr. Ofer Cassif, to speak about Israel’s ongoing occupation of the Palestinian territories and its illegal and discriminatory bombardment of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
We’re nearing the end of the year, so if you’d like to support us, you can do so by going to our website, theAnalysis.news, and hitting the donate button at the top right corner of the screen. We can’t make this show without you, so we rely on your support and are thankful for all your contributions. If you’re in the U.S., your contribution will be tax deductible as we are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the United States. See you in a bit with Dr. Ofer Cassif.
Joining me now is Dr. Ofer Cassif. He is a member of the Israeli Knesset representing the Hadash party, which is also known as the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality. The Hadash party was formed in 1977 and continues to stand for Jewish-Arab cooperation. Dr. Cassif, it’s great to have you here tonight.
Dr. Ofer Cassif
Thank you very much. Nice to be here. I am very grateful that you’re having me.
Talia Baroncelli
We’ve seen the situation in Gaza progressively deteriorate. The UN has said that over 90% of the population has been forcibly displaced. Human Rights Watch said that Israel is now using starvation as a tool of war, and the death toll has reached almost 20,000 Palestinians, of whom 9,000 are children. In your view, what would you say needs to be done to end this cycle of violence?
Dr. Ofer Cassif
First of all, we have to get rid of the seeds of this massacre. This is a peaceful solution to the situation. We’ve been saying for ages, since 1967 and more so as the years went by, that the only solution is a political one, not a military one. That means ending the occupation and the siege. The only way that the two peoples of the land, the Israelis and the Palestinians, Arabs, Jews, and others, can live together and live in peace, security, and prosperity is, first and foremost, to end the occupation.
The Palestinians, as a people, are entitled to have their own independent state. The compromise, the historical compromise, is by dividing the land alongside the state of Israel, an independent, sovereign, Palestinian state, which would exist in the old territories that Israel occupied in June ’67. That means the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank. There is no other way. In the long run, I wish it was in the short run, but that’s the solution that we must reach for. There is no other solution. The two sides must understand that we are going to be here forever, both peoples. The only way to live together is not by killing each other but by living side by side, together as good neighbors, in good relations.
In the short run, of course, what should be done is to stop the war. As you said before, the war incorporates, unfortunately, war crimes. What Hamas did on October 7 is a war crime and a crime against humanity. This barbaric massacre against innocent civilians, children, women, the elderly, and others that Hamas did on October 7 is something that no one can justify, whatever the situation was before. Even the crimes of the occupation and siege cannot justify such a carnage. At the same time, the carnage that Hamas committed cannot justify the massacre that Israel has been carrying out against the Palestinians in Gaza.
As you said before, the death toll is incredible. I’m afraid that it’s not 20 or almost 20 because there are so many missing, and unfortunately, the assault still goes on. I am afraid, of course, I don’t know the numbers, but I’m afraid that the death toll is already much closer to 25,000-30,000. As you said before, and it was published as well, at least 70% of those who were killed were innocent civilians, especially children and women. This is something that is intolerable. Unfortunately, the international community doesn’t do anything to stop that. That should be done immediately.
First, because, as I said before, it involves war crimes, this is a massacre that should be stopped. First and foremost, of course, for the well-being and benefit of the Palestinians, but this is also of Israeli interest as far as I’m concerned. The government of Israel is anti-Israeli. I put it that way because the government of Israel, the only thing that the government of Israel, first and foremost, the Prime Minister, is interested in, is their own survival. Nothing else. They don’t care about the lives of Palestinians for sure, but they don’t care either for the lives of Israelis, those who are killed, or the hostages. The hostages are still there suffering. I’m afraid that many of them have already died. I’m afraid that some of them are going to die in the future because they live under terrible conditions. Israel, unfortunately, the government of Israel, is much more interested in revenge against Gaza rather than releasing the hostages and bringing them home safely.
A ceasefire, ending the war, releasing hostages, exchanging prisoners, and beginning a real and rapid political process toward ending the occupation and reaching a just peace between both parties is a must.
Talia Baroncelli
Well, I do want to speak about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to prop up Hamas. Before we speak about that, there’s one thing that I’ve noticed as an outsider, as someone who’s not Israeli, and that’s the normalization of this dehumanizing rhetoric on the part of many Israeli officials. We just heard one member of a local council in an Israeli town close to Lebanon saying that Gaza needs to be flattened like Auschwitz. We heard the Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, saying that Palestinians are human animals. Of course, the Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has even said that Palestinians are not people. Would you say that this is more of a right-wing phenomenon, or is this a general normalization of this dehumanizing rhetoric that’s taking place within Israeli society?
Dr. Ofer Cassif
Look, I’ll be very frank and blunt with you. The government of Israel is a fascist government, and there are components that are even worse. There is a part of the coalition where most of its members profoundly believe in racial and Jewish supremacy. This is something which is unacceptable. Now, I’m saying that because it’s relevant.
Not too many years ago, less than two years ago, those parties, especially the [Itamar] Ben-Gvir’s gang, who is now the Minister for so-called National Security, although the only thing that he has achieved is bringing insecurity, he’s a supporter of a mass murderer. He had a picture in his living room of Baruch Goldstein, who killed 29 Palestinian Muslims during their prayer in Hebron about 30 years ago. That’s the Minister of National Security at the moment, and he’s not alone there. There’s a bunch of thugs like him, racists, who don’t care about the lives of Palestinians for sure and the lives of others because they are Messianic.
They believe in a Messianic project. One of them even said before the massacre that the land of Israel should be acquired by suffering. Perhaps they think that the killing of 1,200 Israelis is part of the suffering. They were against any deal for releasing the hostages. They don’t care for their lives. They are dreaming and saying that Israel should occupy the Gaza Strip and reestablish the settlements there. They have this crazy Messianic, deadly dream, which is, in fact, a nightmare for all of us, the Palestinians and Israelis alike.
Anyway, unfortunately, those thugs, those racists who were, until two years ago, more or less quite marginal, now dominate the government. They dominate the government because Netanyahu doesn’t care about anything but his own political survival. Not only political, his civic survival out of prison.
As you probably know, there are three serious charges against Netanyahu. He’s accused in three different cases of corruption, bribery, etc. The only thing that drives him is staying out of prison. That’s the only thing he cares about. Because of that, he legitimized and normalized those racist thugs that I mentioned before because he is dependent upon them. He doesn’t care that they aren’t in the interest of the state of Israel and the Israelis, let alone the Palestinians. He doesn’t care. Because of that, they actually dominate the government.
It is true that they are not the majority among the ministers, but they dominate the government because they hold Netanyahu as their own hostage. They can achieve almost everything for Netanyahu. He allows them to, by legalization and different things, make different crazy decisions that are accepted in the government and the cabinet, crazy things. He allows them to do so, and he aligns the ad-joined forces with them for his own sake at the expense of everybody here, Israelis and Palestinians alike.
Now, because of that, until two years ago, even less than that, they were regarded by the vast majority of Israelis as crazy. Now, they have become mainstream because of Netanyahu and his dependency on those racist thugs. Now we can hear such slogans, criminal slogans that call to, for instance, a minister, one of those among those thugs from this racist gang, who is a minister and not only a bigot but also not very clever, to say the least. He actually said not too long ago that one option is to bomb the Gaza Strip with an atomic bomb. The vice chairperson of the Knesset, from the Likud party, from the party of Netanyahu, said that Gaza should be burnt down. You can hear it. People use the term elimination, including members of the Knesset and their companions in the parties in the settlements. The language of elimination, the language of eliminating a people, which involves necessarily the dehumanization and demonization of the Palestinians, became, unfortunately, the norm. Of course, not all Israelis think like that, and I guess that not even the majority, but they dominate the public discourse, including the media. You can hear such terms in the media.
It reminds me of a philosopher, a French philosopher, Albert Memmi, who died two years ago. In one of his famous books, he said, in other words, that the occupier doesn’t like to see a monster when he looks in the mirror. In order to justify the crimes that an occupier does, occupiers always, eventually, deteriorate into crimes because, eventually, occupation leads to resistance. In order to refrain from seeing yourself or recognizing yourself as a monster, you have to justify the crimes that you do. You do that by demonizing the occupied. It’s the same everywhere. It’s not something that was born under the Israeli occupation. The slave orders in the United States of America did so. The Germans did so, too, with the Jews. The Apartheid regime in South Africa did that with the non-whites, especially with the blacks; of course, there was a hierarchy of different so-called races. It is the same here, a language of occupation. This is the language of occupation. In that sense, I repeat what I said before: ending the occupation is also in the interest of Israel because Israel has been turning into a monstrous regime because of the occupation. The Palestinians should be liberated from the occupation, but we, the Israelis, should be liberated from the occupation as well. The demonization is indeed the other side of the coin of the occupation and the brutality of the occupation.
Talia Baroncelli
Similar to the philosopher Memmi, Frantz Fanon, another post-colonial writer, also said that the violence unleashed by the colonizers on the colonized also affects the colonizers themselves. It has an effect on them, too, and everyone.
Dr. Ofer Cassif
Absolutely. They are not the only ones. I want to be very clear: we in Hadash, and myself, of course, as part of Hadash, support a non-violent resistance to the occupation. Of course, we oppose and condemn the massacre carried out by Hamas. That should be emphasized. But unfortunately, the writing was on the wall. I’m not talking about the massacre as it was, but it was very clear that one or another thing would have happened, and it was going to happen.
The occupation began in the last few years, especially in the last year, or even more so, the occupation became more violent and more brutal, and programs by settlers against Palestinians, innocent civilians, shepherds, farmers, etc, in the West Bank became a daily issue. It was very clear that something was going to explode. Unfortunately, it did. As I said, it is in the interest of both peoples to end the occupation and reach a just peace.
Talia Baroncelli
Yeah, and while this war has been continuing in Gaza, there’s also been a war by the settlers on the West Bank and on the Palestinians in the West Bank as well. I think there was a shipment of 27,000 guns, which was prevented by the U.S. because there were fears that it would go into the hands of violent settlers. I was wondering if you could comment on this regime of administrative detention because so many Palestinians are unlawfully arrested and then placed in detention without trial; why do you think this issue has only been recently spoken about?
Dr. Ofer Cassif
Unfortunately, I think it’s not spoken about even now, not enough. Definitely not in Israel. Look, Israel was established in 1948. Since the very first second that Israel was established as a state, there were two systems of emergency rules that still operate. People should absorb what I just said. Israel has been under, formally speaking, Israel has been under a state of emergency for 75 successive years. There was not even one second since Israel was established as a state that there was not a state of emergency.
Given the state of emergency, there are also emergency rules. One of them is so-called, it’s a sugarcoated term to call it administrative detention. In fact, it is kidnapping people and putting them behind bars. That’s the real way to describe it. Even before evaluating this, before saying if it’s good or bad, this is real. If someone comes to your house or your field when you’re working on it or to your office and without charges takes you away and puts you behind bars for one month or six months or even years. Sometimes, it can be years without charges, without seeing a lawyer, without being brought in front of a judge. This is because part of the occupation, the military occupation, is that the Palestinians, this is part of the Apartheid system as well, the Palestinians, that are in the occupied territories, are under military rule. That means that they are also under a military set of laws. The settlers who live in the same place, of course, the settlements are altogether illegal according to international law. I’ll put it aside for a second. But if you are, for instance, a Palestinian and I’m your neighbor, it’s not exactly a good neighbor, but anyway, I leave two matters from you as a Jewish settler. I am subordinated to Israeli civic law. You are subordinated to the military law. Part of the military law means that it’s much easier for the state to put you under the so-called sugarcoated term of administrative detention. Thousands and thousands of Palestinians, since the occupation in ’67 began, have been put under this administrative detention, which I prefer to call “legal hostages,” quote-unquote, of course.
This is part of the demonization and, of course, of the oppression of the Palestinians. It’s very, very common in colonialist regimes. Everybody knows about it. In colonialist regimes, the occupier, the colonizer that wants to oppress any resistance of the occupied, uses different instruments. One of them is the so-called administrative detention.
I guess you know Carl Schmitt. I think Carl Schmitt is very useful in understanding that, in using two terms, he actually used combined. One is saying that, who is the sovereign? The sovereign, according to Carl Schmitt, is not the people, even in his so-called democracy, but it is the one who dictates the exception. This is a very clear example because those Palestinians were put under the so-called, again, administrative detention; this is, as it were, an exception that the state apparatus dictates, but unfortunately, given the occupation, the exception became the rule.
Another way around. This is one thing. Another thing that Carl Schmitt used to describe politics in general is that, like in esthetics, the distinction is between the beautiful and the ugly. Of course, I have to refer to it quite superficially, given our platform, but perhaps one day you can invite me to give some lectures in Germany. I would love that. Anyway, he actually said, like in esthetics there’s a distinction between the beautiful and the ugly, and like in ethics, the good and the bad in politics is a friend and foe. The foe is used sometimes to unite the so-called nation.
This is another part of the occupation, the ongoing system in Israel, which we struggle against. Again, I want to emphasize it. I know that I repeat myself, but it’s very important for me because I’m afraid that many people around the world do not understand that the struggle, as far as we are concerned, as we see it, is not between Israelis and Palestinians. Here, it is a class issue. It is between the oppressed and the oppressor, between the exploiter and the exploited. This distinction is much more important. We in Hadash, for instance, Palestinians and Jews together and some others, we see ourselves as part of those who oppose the oppression. It doesn’t matter to us if we are Jews or Palestinians or Argentinean Christians, just hypothetically. For us, it’s important to refer to the situation as one that distinguishes not between the peoples, but between the exploited and the exploited, the oppressor and the oppressed. To take the right side, of course, given a struggle that we agree with, which is not violent, and we continue. It’s tough, but we never give up.
Talia Baroncelli
I think it’s really important that you brought up the class element because, arguably, there’s a class divide within the Palestinian territories as well. Perhaps there are some Palestinian elite who are somehow benefiting from the occupation. But most importantly, the network of Israeli elite who are propped up and supported by the U.S. and different military and industrial defense tech companies are able to perpetuate the occupation. How do you see this convergence of elite interests propelling the conflict further?
Dr. Ofer Cassif
Look, Lenin, of course, wrote a lot about national conflicts and occupation, and especially, of course, the era of imperialism, analyzing the First World War, given imperialism, as they say, and then capitalism. Imperialism as a stage of capitalism. I would like to use, if I may, one thing that I think is very, very important that Lenin referred to in length in more than one essay. I think it’s very crucial to understand this situation, which I don’t want to call a conflict, because conflict assumes a symmetry or a balance that does not exist. What Lenin said is that a situation of occupation and war assists the bourgeoisie on both sides. The bourgeois or bourgeoisie. How do I say it as a noun? Is it the bourgeoisie?
Talia Baroncelli
The bourgeoisie.
Dr. Ofer Cassif
I’m always confused about that.
He said that the bourgeoisie of the occupying nation and the occupied nation use the situation to mobilize their own parliamentarian to their own side. Why? Once there is a sense of conflict, once there is a war or an armed struggle between occupied and occupier, I do not refer to the situation in the Middle East, between Israel and Palestinians, but in general; instead of struggling against your exploiter, which is the bourgeoisie, you join forces with your bourgeoisie against the other people. Whether as an occupier that oppresses the resistance, or you have an occupied that carry on with the resistance to the occupier. Lenin himself used the term hostility. National hostility serves the economic and political interests of the ruling classes because that way they can divert the rage, the frustration, the alienation from a class-based one to a national-based one. This is exactly what I think we should pay attention to. Those who actually benefit from the ongoing occupation on top of using cheap labor, Palestinian cheap labor, or in the north of Qatar, for instance, there are apparently some resources like gas, etc., beyond that, the hostility serves them because as long as the occupation goes on, the Palestinian proletarian, and even peasants will see the Israelis, generally speaking, of course, I have to simplify the picture; obviously it’s much more complicated. For our conversation, for analytical purposes, if I may say so, the ruled classes, Palestinian-ruled classes, are going to see not their own Palestinian exploiters as the so-called rival or enemy but the Israelis and vice versa. They are exploited within Israel. The exploited Israelis, especially the proletarians, will not see their own employers as their exploiters and class enemies but as the Palestinians. Who benefits from that? Who’s going to benefit from that? The exploiters. So, ending the occupation, besides being an end in itself because it involves direct oppression and exploitation, will also reduce, using the language of Lenin, the hostility between the peoples. In that sense, it will not only give us a better future to live as good neighbors but will also allow us to make it easier for us to divert our rage against our so-called domestic exploiters. There is a huge class issue.
Talia Baroncelli
Of course, we can’t forget the role that the United States plays in delivering weapons and delivering unconditional aid to Israel. I did want to pivot to something historical that took place in the ’90s to the Oslo Accords. Oftentimes, people say that it was Yasser Arafat who just walked away, and the conversations or the negotiations fell apart because of him. What was it that was being offered at the time? What was the Palestinian state being offered? It doesn’t seem like it was really much.
Dr. Ofer Cassif
Look, that’s a question that I find very difficult to answer, not even to you, but to myself. First of all, there are so many details, facts, and data that are questionable. I do believe that Arafat and the PLO believed that the Oslo Accords would eventually lead to a Palestinian liberation and independent state alongside Israel. I cannot tell you that for sure. I wasn’t there. From what I know, I tend to believe that they thought, and perhaps they were quite optimistic. I’m saying that because I heard an interview with Hanan Ashrawi, who you may know. I think it was on the anniversary of the Oslo Accords, the 30th anniversary, in September. She said not these exact words, but she said that she warned Arafat that Israel was not working towards the solution he believed they were going to. She warned Arafat and probably others, we say, closed ones politically, that if they believed that the Israelis were going with them side by side towards ending the occupation was a false belief.
I take from that Arafat and others, again, I unfortunately have never met him, so I never asked him and never talked to him, so everything I say is speculation. I tend to believe what I’ve read and heard that there was a belief, an optimistic belief, I don’t want to say a naive belief, that at the end of the day, a Palestinian independent state is waiting.
Now, as far as the Israeli Party is concerned, I don’t know if [Yitzhak] Rabin and others worked together. I know for sure that those in the government, [inaudible 00:32:36], for instance, they did support a Palestinian state alongside Israel. So whether they planned to get there or not, in what way, what process, I’m not sure. The only thing I’m sure about is that the assassination of Rabin is the beginning of the decline. That’s for sure. No one can say what would have happened had Rabin stayed alive. Of course, this is a stupid speculation that historians, for instance, always hate to be asked. I don’t know. But for sure, the assassination of Rabin brought Netanyahu in ’95 to power. Although Netanyahu continued one way or another with all the problems and the reservations, it didn’t totally abolish the Oslo Accords. We know that he followed the agreement, etc.
By the way, Rabin made a lot of mistakes. For instance, I think that probably the main mistake or even sin that Rabin made was that after the assassination of those 29 Palestinians in Hebron by a settler, there was a chance, and many advised Rabin to use this terrible incident, this carnage to take out this cancer from the center of Hebron. That means the settlers. Rabin didn’t. He refused to do so for one reason or another. It cost the lives of more Palestinians afterward, but it also made this a cancerous settlement in the midst of a Palestinian city even more deadly, more violent, and more dangerous.
As I began to say before, the assassination of Rabin created a decline, a continuous decline, which we can see now the consequences. Israel, unfortunately, has turned into a more brutal occupier controlled by the most fanatic, Messianic, and deadly settler. It’s much more dangerous to the region as a whole, not only to Palestinians and Israelis. I lament that the world doesn’t want to be aware of that and doesn’t want to do anything about that.
Talia Baroncelli
Well, on your point about Rabin, Mark Regev, who’s the spokesperson for the Netanyahu administration, was also saying, I don’t know if this is accurate or apocryphal, but he was saying that Rabin didn’t really believe in a true Palestinian state, a fully-fledged state. I don’t know if he’s [inaudible 00:35:42].
Dr. Ofer Cassif
Look, I know those interpretations. It’s very, very easy to speak in the name of the dead. I don’t want to do that. By the way, more often than not, as history shows, you know how a specific process begins; you never know how it ends. The goal was not to be interested in the freedom of [Inaudible], and we know how it ended. This is only one example. There are many other examples. I cannot say what Rabin actually wanted.
I know that for sure, for instance, it’s very funny or ironic, if you like, [inaudible 00:36:23] at the end of ’87, I was the first soldier who was imprisoned for refusing to serve in the Palestinian-occupied territories. The last time I was in prison for the very same thing, altogether, it was four times I was in a military prison for refusing. The fourth and last time that I was in prison for that was September ’93. I remember that we were taken out of our cells to watch [Yasser] Arafat and Rabin shaking hands at the White House.
Now, I remember that because a friend of mine, a very acclaimed journalist, wrote a piece after the Oslo Accords when I was in prison. I remember that he wrote about me. I was skeptical about the Oslo Accords. It was true. I can never tell what would have happened if Rabin was alive. Perhaps you are right, and nothing would have happened. Who knows?
Talia Baroncelli
Well, if you have time, I would like to ask you quickly about Bibi Netanyahu because he recently said that he doesn’t believe in a Palestinian state. The day after, he is the one to ensure that a two-state solution won’t come about and that his legacy has been to prevent the creation of a two-state solution. How would you say or how would you assess his legacy? Is it true, according to former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, that he was involved in propping up Hamas to ensure that the Palestinian Authority wouldn’t be a legitimate partner with which Israel could negotiate with and that, instead, they would want Hamas to be there to ensure that there’d be no [crosstalk 00:38:23].
Dr. Ofer Cassif
Absolutely. Look, as I said before, Netanyahu’s only interest is Netanyahu. He cares only about himself. Even in the late ’80s, when he ousted [Yitzhak] Shamir from the Likud Party, who was even more to the right than Netanyahu, he warned the Likud about Netanyahu. Before Netanyahu was in Israeli politics, he was the Ambassador to the UN, if I remember correctly. Already then, Shamir warned about him, and he said that Netanyahu is dangerous.
Netanyahu, in my view, is a psychopath. I’m not a psychologist, I’m not a psychiatrist, so I’m not using this term in the accurate, clinical, pathological sense, but he acts as if he were a psychopath. By the way, an Israeli psychiatrist, two months ago or something like that, before the massacre, I think, but I’m not sure, wrote a piece in the Haaretz newspaper in which he said that Netanyahu was a psychopath, as a psychiatrist. When I’m saying that Netanyahu is a psychopath, it is not something totally out of the blue.
By the way, this psychiatrist who wrote it because he wrote it against Netanyahu was interrogated by the police. But that’s another issue that’s part of what’s going on within Israel now, which Israel is in the process of fascisation and toward dictatorship. Basic civil rights are under attack. People like myself and others are persecuted. Students have been suspended from universities because of posts and tweets. People were fired from their jobs, especially Palestinian citizens and others. There’s a total prohibition on demonstrations in Palestinian cities within Israel. It’s just the tip of the iceberg. There is a move towards a full-fledged fascist dictatorship on top of the ethnic cleansing in the West Bank and the criminal assault on Gaza.
What I began to say about Netanyahu is that he cares only about himself. Because of that, he may change his attitude, endeavors, and deeds according to what he thinks may serve him better. Now, it is true. Everybody knows about it. That’s a matter of fact. It’s not an interpretation. It’s not an assumption. It is true. Netanyahu said with his own voice and was quoted in 2019 in the convention of the Likud party that one that doesn’t want to see a Palestinian state must weaken the Palestinian Authority and strengthen Hamas.
Smotrich, probably the most fanatic and extremist in this government, said in 2015, and I quote, “The Palestinian Authority is a burden. Hamas is an asset.” It’s not only words. Under the rule of Netanyahu, Qatar transferred more than a billion dollars to Hamas via Israel, thanks to Netanyahu. Netanyahu supported that. He was in charge of those suitcases full of dollars that went to Hamas, not to the people of Gaza. Hamas is a brutal dictatorship. Hamas doesn’t do anything in favor of the people of Gaza. It does everything in favor of itself. What do you think they use the money for? For those tunnels that are now bombarded? For weapons? That was not only under the rule of Netanyahu; it was given the consent of Netanyahu and the active cooperation of Netanyahu. He wanted a strong Hamas and a weak Palestinian Authority because that way he could create a division among the Palestinians, a classic divide and rule, a classic colonialist attitude, and use the rule of Hamas in the Gaza Strip to say that there’s no one to talk to because they are extremists. That’s part of the legacy of Netanyahu, if you like. He will be remembered not only as the worst Prime Minister in the history of Israel but also as the deadliest one. Not only for assaulting and killing thousands and thousands of Palestinians but also because of his responsibility for the carnage that Hamas did in the south of Israel, and also because he doesn’t care and doesn’t do anything to save the poor hostages that Hamas holds. He will be remembered for that.
Talia Baroncelli
Well, Dr. Cassif, it was great speaking to you, and I hope that we’ll be able to have you on again soon for you to share insights, as there are so many other facets of what’s going on that we can speak about. It was really great to get your insights on this.
Dr. Ofer Cassif
Thank you very much. It was a pleasure.
Talia Baroncelli
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2023/12 ... nians.html
Got trouble giving credence to this Israeli politicianconcerning Hamas. While no doubt benefiting from some 'seed money' from Bibbi It is hard to believe that what erupted on Oct 7 was in he Zionist playbook.
*******
Iraqi Resistance Drone Strikes ‘Israeli’ Port of Eilat
DECEMBER 23, 2023
Eilat port, occupied Palestine. Photo: Al Jazeera.
The Islamic Resistance of Iraq announced that it had attacked the port city of Eilat in southern “Israel,” and that the attack was in response to the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people carried out by the Israeli regime.
On Friday, December 22, the Iraqi Resistance announced through a statement, “In line with our approach to resisting the occupation, in support of our people in Gaza, and in response to the massacres committed by the usurping entity against Palestinian civilians, including children, women and the elderly, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has hit a target in Umm al-Rashrash, in occupied Eilat, with appropriate weapons.”
The statement did not provide further details about the attack.
However, “Israeli” media reported that the Islamic Resistance of Iraq had launched a drone attack on Eilat but that it had been intercepted by Jordan within Jordanian airspace.
Lebanese outlet Al-Manar also reported that Jordan protected “Israel” by intercepting an incoming drone strike from Iraq.
The Jordanian army is yet to publish a statement to confirm or deny reports of its actions against Iraqi resistance operations.
Haniyeh Says Resistance Stands ‘Strong, Resolute’ as Israel Says Ready for Ceasefire
The Iraqi Resistance has repeatedly announced that it is committed to continue attacking targets and headquarters of the Zionist enemy until the cessation of the aggression against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The Iraqi resistance is also engaged in confronting US forces in Iraq and parts of Syria as an act of solidarity with Palestine in a multi-fronted war against “Israel” and the US occupation.
In a statement released on December 9, Abu Ali al-Askari, a senior official of the Kataib Hezbollah faction of the Iraqi Resistance, stated that the Resistance will continue to combat US forces in Iraq until no US personnel remain within the country’s borders.
Resistance forces from Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq have taken up arms against “Israel” in solidarity with Palestine.
https://orinocotribune.com/iraqi-resist ... -of-eilat/
*******
https://www.moonofalabama.org/17i/christmasgaza.jpg
MUST WATCH: Hamas just published a video showing the targeting of an IOF infantry force consisting of 5 soldiers with explosives, followed by clashing with them, northwest of Beit Lahia. pic.twitter.com/hasSmai1LU
(@AryJeay) December 22, 2023
Staff Sgt. David Bogdanovskyi, 19, of the Combat Engineering Corps’s 603rd Battalion.
(@alishoeib1970) December 27, 2023
Members of Gaza’s civil defense teams put out a fire in the immediate aftermath of an Israeli bombing in the Sheikh Radwan area, north of Gaza city, October 23, 2023. (Mohammed Zaanoun/Activestills)
