Uprooted Palestinian: SALAM ALQUDS ALAYKUM – سلام القدس عليكم

Sunday, 20 May 2018

Eight-month-old Laila is youngest Palestinian killed in Gaza on Monday, the deadliest day since 2014 war.

From left: Ahmed Alrantisi, Laila Anwar Al-Ghandoor, Ahmed Altetr, Alaa Alkhatib Ezz el-din Alsamaak, Motassem Abu Louley (screengrab)

Sixty-two people were either killed or died of wounds inflicted by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip on Monday and Tuesday as thousands of Palestinians demonstrated across the occupied territory to mark the 70th anniversary of the Nakba.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the Gaza Ministry of Health released the names of 59 Palestinians killed:

1. Laila Anwar Al-Ghandoor, 8 months old

2. Ezz el-din Musa Mohamed Alsamaak, 14 years old

3. Wisaal Fadl Ezzat Alsheikh Khalil, 15 years old

4. Ahmed Adel Musa Alshaer, 16 years old

5. Saeed Mohamed Abu Alkheir, 16 years old

6. Ibrahim Ahmed Alzarqa, 18 years old

7. Eman Ali Sadiq Alsheikh, 19 years old

8. Zayid Mohamed Hasan Omar, 19 years old

9. Motassem Fawzy Abu Louley, 20 years old

10. Anas Hamdan Salim Qadeeh, 21 years old

11. Mohamed Abd Alsalam Harz, 21 years old

From left: Fadi Abu Salah, Motaz Al-Nunu, Jihad Mohammed Othman Mousa, Mousa Jabr Abdulsalam Abu Hasnayn, Ezz Eldeen Nahid Aloyutey, Anas Hamdan Salim Qadeeh

12. Yehia Ismail Rajab Aldaqoor, 22 years old

13. Mustafa Mohamed Samir Mahmoud Almasry, 22 years old

14. Ezz Eldeen Nahid Aloyutey, 23 years old

15. Mahmoud Mustafa Ahmed Assaf, 23 years old

16. Ahmed Fayez Harb Shahadah, 23 years old

17. Ahmed Awad Allah, 24 years old

18. Khalil Ismail Khalil Mansor, 25 years old

19. Mohamed Ashraf Abu Sitta, 26 years old

20. Bilal Ahmed Abu Diqah, 26 years old

21. Ahmed Majed Qaasim Ata Allah, 27 years old

From left: Mahmoud Wael Mahmoud Jundeyah, Ibrahim Ahmed Alzarqa, Musab Yousef Abu Leilah, Jihad Mufid Al-Farra, Saeed Mohamed Abu Alkheir, Mohamed Hasan Mustafa Alabadilah (screengrab)

22. Mahmoud Rabah Abu Maamar, 28 years old

23.Musab Yousef Abu Leilah, 28 years old

24. Ahmed Fawzy Altetr, 28 years old

25. Mohamed Abdelrahman Meqdad, 28 years old

26. Obaidah Salim Farhan, 30 years old

27. Jihad Mufid Al-Farra, 30 years old

28. Fadi Hassan Abu Salah, 30 years old

29. Motaz Bassam Kamil Al-Nunu, 31 years old

30. Mohammed Riyad Abdulrahman Alamudi, 31 years old

31. Jihad Mohammed Othman Mousa, 31 years old

32. Shahir Mahmoud Mohammed Almadhoon, 32 years old

33. Mousa Jabr Abdulsalam Abu Hasnayn, 35 years old

From left: Shahir Mahmoud Mohammed Almadhoon, Khalil Ismail Khalil Mansor, Mahmoud Saber Hamad Abu Taeemah, Mohamed Ashraf Abu Sitta, Mustafa Mohamed Samir Mahmoud Almasry, Obaidah Salim Farhan (screengrab)

34. Mohammed Mahmoud Abdulmoti Abdal’al, 39 years old

35. Ahmed Mohammed Ibrahim Hamdan, 27 years old

36. Ismail Khalil Ramadhan Aldaahuk, 30 years old

37. Ahmed Mahmoud Mohammed Alrantisi, 27 years old

38. Alaa Alnoor Ahmed Alkhatib, 28 years old

39. Mahmoud Yahya Abdawahab Hussain, 24 years old

40. Ahmed Abdullah Aladini, 30 years old

41. Saadi Said Fahmi Abu Salah, 16 years old

42. Ahmed Zahir Hamid Alshawa, 24 years old

43. Mohammed Hani Hosni Alnajjar, 33 years old

44. Fadl Mohamed Ata Habshy, 34 years old

45. Mokhtar Kaamil Salim Abu Khamash, 23 years old

46. Mahmoud Wael Mahmoud Jundeyah, 21 years old

47. Abdulrahman Sami Abu Mattar, 18 years old

48. Ahmed Salim Alyaan Aljarf, 26 years old

From left: Mohammed Hani Hosni Alnajjar, Yehia Ismail Rajab Aldaqoor, Mohammed Riyad Abdulrahman Alamudi, Ahmed Adel Musa Alshaer, Fadl Mohamed Ata Habshy, Ismail Khalil Ramadhan Aldaahuk (screengrab)

49. Mahmoud Sulayman Ibrahim Aql, 32 years old

50. Mohamed Hasan Mustafa Alabadilah, 25 years old

51. Kamil Jihad Kamil Mihna, 19 years old

52. Mahmoud Saber Hamad Abu Taeemah, 23 years old

53. Ali Mohamed Ahmed Khafajah, 21 years old

54. Abdelsalam Yousef Abdelwahab, 39 years old

55. Mohamed Samir Duwedar, 27 years old

56. Talal Adel Ibrahim Mattar, 16 years old

57. Omar Jomaa Abu Ful, 30 years old

58. Nasser Ahmed Mahmoud Ghrab, 51 years old

59. Bilal Badeer Hussein Al-Ashram, 18 years old

60 – 62: Unidentified

Middle East Eye has live coverage of protests in Palestine and Israel here.

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Trump Warns Kim: Make A Deal or Suffer Same Fate as Gaddafi!

Local Editor

18-05-2018 | 08:29

US President Donald Trump threatened the North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un with the same fate as Libya’s former dictator Muammar Gaddafi if he “doesn’t make a deal” on his nuclear weapons program.

Trump issued the threat at the White House when he was asked about the recent suggestion by his national security adviser, John Bolton that the “Libyan model” be a template for dealing with North Korea at a summit between Trump and Kim planned for 12 June in Singapore.

The model Bolton was referring to was Gaddafi’s agreement in December 2003 to surrender his embryonic nuclear weapons program, which included allowing his uranium centrifuges to be shipped out to the US.

Trump, however, appeared to be unaware of that agreement, and interpreted the “Libyan model” to mean the 2011 NATO intervention in Libya in support of an insurrection, which ultimately led to Gaddafi’s murder at the hands of rebels in Tripoli.

“The model, if you look at that model with Gaddafi, that was a total decimation. We went in there to beat him. Now that model would take place if we don’t make a deal, most likely. But if we make a deal, I think Kim Jong-un is going to be very, very happy,” Trump said, suggesting that the regime’s survival could be assured if Kim agreed to disarm.

“This with Kim Jong-un would be something where he would be there. He would be running his country. His country would be very rich,” Trump said.

“We’re willing to do a lot, and he’s willing … to do a lot also, and I think we’ll actually have a good relationship, assuming we have the meeting and assuming something comes of it. And he’ll get protections that will be very strong.”

Asked whether his comments meant that he disagreed with his national security adviser, Trump said: “I think when John Bolton made that statement, he was talking about if we are going to be having a problem, because we cannot let that country have nukes. We just can’t do it.”

Pyongyang, for its part, complained about joint military exercises being conducted by US and South Korean forces. The regime’s mission to the United Nations issued a statement on Thursday saying that nuclear-capable B-52 bombers and F-22 fighter planes were taking part in the exercises. He described it as “an extremely provocative and ill-boding act”.

However, Trump said that despite Pyongyang’s threats to call off the summit, “they’ve been negotiating like nothing happened”.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

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White House Removes Jared Kushner's comments that Gaza protesters are 'part of the problem'

By Francesca Chambers and Afp

Jared Kushner hit out at the Palestinian protesters during the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem

Specifically touched on the protests occurring Monday, in which 52 were killed and 2,400 were injured
Kushner went on to say that ‘those provoking violence are part of the problem and not part of the solution’
But his remarks were omitted when the White House released a transcript of his speech on Monday afternoon
Israeli snipers have killed scores of protesters near the Gaza border with more than two thousand injured

US ‘blocks UN motion’ calling for investigation into Israeli killing of Gaza protesters:

As more than 50 Palestinian protesters were shot and killed by Israel security forces on Monday, Jared Kushner declared them ‘part of the problem’.

Kushner was speaking at the official opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem when he hit out at thousands of protesters, who were injured on what was the single deadliest day in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 2014.

‘As we have seen from the protests of the last month and even today, those provoking violence are part of the problem and not part of the solution,’ Donald Trump’s son-in-law told the crowd as his wife Ivanka looked on.

But Kushner’s remarks went briefly under the radar as the White House omitted the line from his remarks in the official transcript.

Kushner hit out at the Palestinians who were protesting the official opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem on Monday and called them ‘part of the problem’ – but his remarks were left off the official White House transcript

A side-by-side comparison of Kushner’s speech (left) and the White House transcript (right), first tweeted by Ayman Mohyeldin, shows that Kushner’s remarks about the protesters was omitted from the official transcript

A side-by-side comparison of Kushner’s speech and the White House transcript, first tweeted by Ayman Mohyeldin, shows that Kushner’s remarks about the protesters had completely disappeared.

The White House transcript included Kushner’s preceding comments, in which he said Monday’s ‘celebration’ of the embassy ‘do not reflect the departure from our strong commitment to a lasting peace’.

But the transcript completely scrapped Kushner’s comment about the protesters and instead jumped to his claim that the United States ‘is prepared to support a peace agreement in every way we can’.

‘We believe that it is possible for both sides to gain more than they give so that all people can live in peace, safe from danger, free from fear, and able to pursue their dreams,’ he added.

Israeli snipers have killed scores of Palestinians and wounded thousands more as 35,000 protesters rallied against the US Embassy opening overseen by Kushner and Ivanka on Monday.

A 14-year-old was among 52 shot dead along the Gaza border on what is already the deadliest single day in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since a 2014 war between the Jewish state and Gaza’s Islamist rulers Hamas.

At least 2,400 more have been injured with hundreds of them by live bullets, according to Gaza officials.

The Palestinian government has accused Israel of committing a ‘terrible massacre’ and Amnesty International called the bloodshed an ‘abhorrent violation’ of human rights.

But Kushner’s controversial remarks were in line with the White House, as Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah blamed Hamas for the violence in Israel on Monday.

Shah said he did not believe that the violence would undermine the United States’ positioning on a peace agreement and went so far as to call the deaths a ‘propaganda attempt’ by Hamas and Palestine.

‘The responsibility for these tragic deaths rests squarely with Hamas. Hamas is intentionally and cynically provoking this response,’ he asserted.

Shah also demanded that Hamas stop its ‘cynical exploitation of the situation’ that has led to the deaths.

The president’s spokesman said that embassy opening is ‘about following through on what the President promised and believes’.

‘I think we’ve. for decades you know, walked on eggshells, pretending that Jerusalem isn’t the capital of Israel when it obviously is. And this is just a recognition of reality,’ he said.

Shah added that the ‘peace plan will be brought forward at the appropriate time, and it can be evaluated on its merits.

‘We don’t think it will impact the peace plan,’ he said of the deaths in Gaza.

Trump tossed aside decades of precedent when he recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December – a decision that sparked global outcry, Palestinian anger, and exuberant praise from Israelis.

On Monday Russia said it feared that the embassy opening would increase tension in the Middle East, while Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan warned that the US had forfeited its role as a mediator in the region and was now ‘part of the problem rather than the solution’.

As deadly clashes continued, Trump said in a video address aired at the opening that the embassy has been a ‘long time coming’ and that the US had ‘failed to acknowledge the obvious’ for many years.

Trump also said his ‘greatest hope’ is for peace and that he ‘remains fully committed to facilitating a lasting peace agreement’.

he UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the international community must bring those responsible to justice.

‘Shocking killing of dozens, injury of hundreds by Israeli live fire in #Gaza must stop now,’ Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein wrote in a message carried on the UN Human Rights Twitter account.

‘The right to life must be respected. Those responsible for outrageous human rights violations must be held to account. The int’l community needs to ensure justice for victims.’

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump for making ‘history’ on Monday.

This article was originally published by “Daily Mail” –

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‘Burn them, shoot them, kill them’: israelis cheer in Jerusalem as Palestinians shot in Gaza

Source

While the US officially transferred its embassy to Jerusalem, Israeli forces killed scores of demonstrators in Gaza

Protester near the Gaza border on Monday (MEE/Mohammed al-Hajjar)

A Palestinian carries a protester injured by Israeli forces during a demonstration in Gaza on 14 May (AFP)

The contrast could not have been more jarring on Monday between Jerusalem and Gaza, even as a mere 75 kilometres separated the two.

As American and Israeli officials inaugurated the move of the US embassy to Jerusalem – an Israeli victory over the international community’s rejection of its claim to Jerusalem as its capital – Israeli forces gunned down Palestinian protesters in Gaza, the death toll rising inexorably throughout the day.

‘Friends, what a glorious day, remember this day. This is history. Mr Trump, by recognising history, you made history’

– Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu exuberantly hailed the embassy move as a “historic” moment.

“Friends, what a glorious day, remember this day,” the Israeli leader said in a triumphant address on Monday. “This is history. Mr Trump, by recognising history, you made history.

“All of us are deeply moved and grateful. The embassy of the most powerful nation on earth, the United States of America, opened here.”

Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner also gave a speech at the ceremony, during which he hailed US support for Israel, seemingly casting aside concerns about the Israeli army’s actions in Gaza occurring at the same time as his speech.

“We stand with Israel because we both believe in human rights, democracy worth defending, and believe that we know that it is the right thing to do,” Kushner said.

Meanwhile, just outside the new embassy, Palestinian demonstrators in Jerusalem were brutally repressed by Israeli forces.

MEE witnessed dozens of unarmed Palestinians beaten and arrested by Israeli security forces outside the embassy, eliciting cheers from Israeli demonstrators who came out to support the embassy’s opening.

“Burn them”, “shoot them”, “kill them”, the Israelis chanted.

Meanwhile, former Israeli army spokesman Peter Lerner complained on social media, implying Palestinian deaths in Gaza were an attempt to rain on Israel’s parade.

But in Gaza, Palestinians expressed their deep anger and disbelief at the celebration occuring in Jerusalem as hundreds were indiscriminately shot by Israeli forces.

According to Gaza’s health ministry, fifty-eight Palestinians had been killed and 2,410 had been wounded by Israeli forces in the bloody culmination of the six-week “Great March of Return” in Gaza which had already claimed 49 lives before Monday.

In total, 101 Palestinians have been killed during demonstrations in Gaza since 30 March.

The scenes in Gaza in the zone close to the fence separating the small Palestinian enclave from Israel were ones of chaos and blood since the morning, with numerous demonstrators shot in the head, neck or chest.

A number of bodies were trapped close to the fence, army fire too heavy for ambulances to reach them.

“A lot of Palestinians died today for the sake of Palestinians peacefully protesting, and we won’t give up on the blood they shed,” Wadee Masri, 52, told Middle East Eye. “I came here to participate in the march, to prove that I am a person that has a right to return to my land.

Protester near the Gaza border on Monday (MEE/Mohammed al-Hajjar)

“Celebrations today in Jerusalem make me feel sad for what the US did against Palestinians,” he added. “There is no peace without Jerusalem. We will live and die fighting for Jerusalem.”

International groups decried the situation in Gaza as a “bloodbath”.

“The policy of Israeli authorities to fire irrespective of whether there is an immediate threat to life on Palestinian demonstrators in Gaza, caged in for a decade and under occupation for half a century, has resulted in a bloodbath that anyone could have foreseen,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement.

Jamal Zahalka, a political leader for Palestinian citizens of Israel, told MEE that Israel and the US bore responsibility for the violence in Gaza.

‘Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine, and Trump and the USA cannot decide to give our land to Zionists’

– Samira Mohsen, 27, protester in Gaza City

“This is a violation of international law. Trump and the US are responsible for all the blood that has been shed since the US decision,” Zahalka said.

“Those who are celebrating today [the US embassy inaguration] have blood on their hands.”

But despite the trauma of the deadliest day in Gaza since the 2014 war, Samira Mohsen, a 27-year-old protester east of Gaza City, remained defiant despite the heavy toll of the day’s demonstrations.

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The United States Is a Country That Tortures People

Source

by Charles P. Pierce

The children of the Senate Intelligence Committee certainly were treated to some ripping yarns on Wednesday, when Gina Haspel came to tell them the scary bedtime stories that qualify her to run the CIA. We had shadow warriors, and far-flung outposts, brush passes, dead drops, and dusty alleys, and dark moonless nights. If the hearing had gone on 10 minutes longer, John le Carré’s attorneys might have dropped in with an intellectual property action. Then, of course, they all went into executive session, where they could all talk about the really cool, really super-secret spy stuff that the rest of us can’t know about, but are obligated to pay for. And, ultimately, there was one basic message to come out of this hearing to the world.

Getty Images

Haspel, it is said by the very serious people who think serious thoughts on television, did very well. She pledged that the CIA would never “go back” to torturing people again, a worthless promise under any president, but particularly under this one. Who is going to stop them next time? The same people who failed to stop them the last time? It is to laugh. The statement was also stunningly beside the point. The question was about torture that we’ve already inflicted, and that she was intimately involved in.

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Jews Baptize New American Embassy with Palestinian Blood, 58 Dead and 2,700+ Wounded

Source

THE UNZ REVIEW – What we saw today on the Gaza border was sick. Like the resurrection of the Bolsheviks and Bela Kun sick – the only reason the Jews weren’t impaling toddlers on table tops was because they’re cowardly filth that would never dare to get within grabbing range of any Palestinian fighter

I wanted to wait out the day before I put something concrete together, because for quite some time, I felt like anything could happen up to and including use of WMD’s in Gaza.

Because let’s be honest – what we saw today on the Gaza border was sick.

Like the resurrection of the Bolsheviks and Bela Kun sick – the only reason the Jews weren’t impaling toddlers on table tops was because they’re cowardly filth that would never dare to get within grabbing range of any Palestinian fighter.

Still, the effect of automatic rifle fire on packed-tight crowds is still something nightmares are made of…

RT:

Fifty-five Palestinian protesters, including six children under 18, have been killed by Israeli fire during demonstrations on the day of the US embassy’s inauguration in Jerusalem, the Palestinian health ministry said Monday.

More than 2,700 protesters have been injured in Gaza on what has been the most violent day of the six week long Great March of Return. Those wounded on Monday include 203 children and 78 women, according to the ministry.

The Palestinian government denounced Monday’s violence as a “terrible massacre” perpetrated “by the forces of the Israeli occupation”, and called for an immediate international intervention to prevent further deaths. A day of national mourning has been declared by the government in Ramallah, to be held Tuesday.

Around 35,000 protesters gathered at the border fence and thousands more within half a mile of the vicinity, according to Israeli Defence Forces.

Clashes have also reportedly broken out between protesters and the Israeli Defense Forces in Bethlehem.

The first of Monday’s deaths was 21-year-old Anas Hamdan Qudeih, killed east of Khan Yunis, a spokesperson for the ministry said. A 29-year-old man, Mosaab Yousef Ibrahim Abu Laila, was later killed east of Jabalya. Some of the dead have yet to be identified. Six children under the age of 18, including one girl, are among the fatalities.

Amnesty International has called the Israeli violence in Gaza “an abhorrent violation of international law & human rights.”

You know what Amnesty International failed to mention?

They forgot to bring up the fact that this slaughter (really just an industrial form of Bronze Age sacrifice) was powered with the prayers of American cucks subservient to those who killed their Savior.

That’s right, Pastor Jeffress, I’m addressing your little vole-looking mug and your Down Syndrome-level understanding of Scripture.

You’re obviously too blind to notice the rabbi next to you rolling his beady little eyes, but I just want you and your deluded followers to know that your prayers helped to facilitate the decapitation of dozens of children, and the crippling of men who will now no longer be able to support their families.

Now say a nice Hallelujah over the corpse of an eight-month old.

https://twitter.com/Partisangirl/status/996188073300967424/photo/1

#Israel just gassed this baby, her name was Layla, what happened to #ivanka’s tears over gassed beautiful babies that led to the bombing of #Syria?

Kushner also spoke, and made me think that this is how Damien from The Omen would look if he consumed soy during his formative years.

And, of course, we had Bibi himself – gloating mightily at the fact that his people are now one step closer to fulfilling the great prophecies in the Talmud

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian

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Hassan Nasrallah on Trump, Iran and Syrian Strikes in Occupied Golan

The Saker

1454 ViewsMay 19, 2018

Hassan Nasrallah: Trump only cares about US and Israeli interests

Hassan Nasrallah: Syrian strikes in Golan frightened Israel and broke its prestige

Hassan Nasrallah: Trump only cares about US and Israeli interests

Speech of Hezbollah Secretary General Sayed Hassan Nasrallah on May 14, 2018, commemorating the second anniversary of the death of Hezbollah Commander Sayed Moustafa Badreddine.

Translation : unz.com/sayedhasan

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6jqb7b

Translation:

[…] After this introduction devoted to our beloved commander [the martyr Sayed Moustafa Badreddine, killed in Syria on 05.13.2016], let us talk about the files which, incidentally, he was responsible of.

The first point — I’ll be as brief as possible [with the 3 points I want to address, namely the US withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal, the confrontation between Syria and Israel and the events in occupied Palestine].

The first point is what the US administration is currently doing in our region, the main topic being the announcement by Trump of the (US) withdrawal from the (Iran) nuclear deal. I begin with this point because all my comments will lead us to (the issue of) Palestine, which constitute the essential part of this second part of my speech.

I will not analyze or discuss the nuclear deal itself, its causes, the causes of Trump’s withdrawal or its implications and consequences. I’ll go directly to the teachings and lessons we must draw (from this decision), because that’s what we will benefit from, as Lebanese people, as Palestinian people in the first place, the peoples of the region, the governments of the region and also the whole world. We must learn to know, in our political line and in life in general, how the US administration, which sees itself as the leading world power, behaves, what it is (in reality). And in truth, it touches on their (general) political culture and political consciousness, more than it concerns this political development (in particular).

Well, today, the US administration again demonstrates, with the evidence that we will discuss, that it is a State, a government — because it is not merely a Trump decision, it’s not President Trump’s own decision only, it is a decision of the US government, the American ruling establishment.

Today, the United States once again demonstrate that the only thing they care about in the world are their interests first, and secondly the interests of Israel. Final point.

That is to say, for successive US governments, humanitarian considerations or moral values have no place. The humanitarian considerations or moral values never had any place.

Today, Palestinians demonstrate peacefully in Gaza and the West Bank. In Gaza, there are dozens of martyrs so far, and more than 1,000 injured so far. In recent weeks, there have been dozens of martyrs and thousands of wounded. And for the US administration, it does not change anything, it has no importance whatsoever and no influence on their actions. And if someone dares to call for a condemnation in the Security Council, the US veto is ready.

Any evocation of humanitarian considerations, moral values or human rights is empty talk, and has no place behind the scenes of American decision-making.

Second, international resolutions, international law, international organizations and the international community — in Lebanon, we are always asked to ‘respect international resolutions’, ‘implement international resolutions’ [pushing for the disarmament of Hezbollah]. Tomorrow you will see it again, just read the ministerial statement’s exhortations to ‘implement international resolutions’, ‘respect international resolutions’.

But as for the United States, the leading world power, they do not respect international resolutions, international law or international institutions, not even international resolutions in which they participated, those they have shaped and approved. When they no longer fit their interests, they abandon them and throw them off.

Third, all agreements, conventions and charters have no value, nor moral nor legal, for successive US governments. They make and cancel agreements at will. They (don’t respect) any agreement, any commitment, any charter. And I’m not even talking about climate agreements and trade agreements. I only talk about what just happened in our region. This means that no one in the world can have confidence in the commitments of the United States, in their agreements and promises.

Today, they are leading the President of North Korea up the garden path, telling him that if he destroys his nuclear weapons, they will allow American companies to come and invest in North Korea. If the North Koreans trust the US and destroy (their arsenal), as did Libya, for example, the United States will then say that for US companies to come, North Korea must organize such elections, meet such human rights criteria, etc., etc. And the blackmail process will continue (indefinitely).

O Lebanese, O Palestinians, O peoples of the region, we can not trust the United States… After all these experiences, it would be an act of stupidity (to trust them). A (prophetic) tradition says that the believer does not fall twice in the same trap. O my brother, this is not the second time but the hundredth and the thousandth time that these Americans stab the world in the back. This administration and these leaders can not be trusted at all in their agreements, commitments and promises. And this (new) experience before our eyes demonstrates it once more. I do not speak of (ancient) history, it takes place (live) before our eyes.

And likewise, experience shows that the US administration does not even respect its allies, not even their interests: they just don’t care about them. The economic, political and even security interests of Europeans were to maintain the nuclear deal with Iran. But the US has not even consulted them. Who are we talking about ? European allies, not their collaborators in the Third World. European allies, powerful States, which have veto power in the Security Council! But the United States didn’t consult any of them nor in substance, nor about their interests, nor in form.

Hence, how could they take into account the interests of those they see as mere instruments, subordinates, including States about which Trump said that without the American presence, they would not even survive seven days? The interests of the Arab and Gulf countries, and of some countries of the Muslim world, are they even present in the calculations, mind, head of the Americans when they make their decisions? They have no place whatsoever.

Such is the fundamental lesson we should learn today after the Trump’s withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal. I will not mention its impact, its consequences, its causes, what will happen next, it is not the topic of my speech today. But this aspect is in our opinion very important for anyone in our region and in the world, but especially for those in our region who link their destiny, plan their future, shape their region or take (strategic) decisions based on the United States and counting on them and on their promises and commitments, on any topic, major or minor.

And therefore, since today is the day of Palestine, let me also draw a conclusion on this point: when Trump announced his recognition of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as Israel’s capital, the [Palestinian] Authority, or rather the Palestinian side responsible for negotiations, not to say his name [Mahmoud Abbas], said they would not agree to further negotiations or settlement of the conflict in which the mediator is the United States because it is not a neutral intermediary. What do you want instead? He said ‘I want the P5 + 1 [5 members of the Security Council + Germany], just like the agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue. This is the process that will give me guarantees and enables me to succeed.’

We declare to him today, after the Trump withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal, which was concluded by the P5 + 1 and on which a unanimous decision was taken at the UN Security Council, that all this was erased. Even this path leads nowhere and does not guarantee anything. (Despite) P5 + 1, Trump did not consult Europe, nor Russia, nor China, nor the Security Council nor the international community, he got up and went out (of this agreement). If anyone in Palestine, whomever he might be, counts on a resolution involving the United States, either as a single intermediary, as an international intermediary or as part of a P5 + 1, he is deluded, he is disconnected from reality and relies on mirages that will lead to no result. This experiment proves you, O Palestinians, that it is not the way to go in any case. It leads nowhere. […]

Alternate video source: https://vimeo.com/270441141

__________________________________________

Hassan Nasrallah: Syrian strikes in Golan frightened Israel and broke its prestige

Speech of Hezbollah Secretary General Sayed Hassan Nasrallah on May 14, 2018, commemorating the second anniversary of the death of Hezbollah Commander Sayed Moustafa Badreddine.

Translation : unz.com/sayedhasan

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6juwaj

blob:https://www.dailymotion.com/496de888-eade-4781-b24d-8da3ea1dee3c

Transcript:

[…] The second point I want to mention, and which will also lead us to Palestine, is the recent confrontation in Syria which occurred a few days ago in the Golan Heights against the Israeli enemy. A few days earlier, there was a confrontation of the utmost importance in Syria. It is referred to (in the media) as ‘the night of the missiles’. Okay, so let us call it the night of the missiles.What happened that night and until dawn was of the utmost importance, and its implications in the Arab-Israeli struggle, the struggle against the enemy and developments in the region (are huge). The issue is quite important, and I want to talk about it a little, because what we have witnessed in recent days is an Israeli effort to distort the truth, and (prodigious) efforts in the Gulf media to present what happened as a great victory for Israel. With lies, some can turn defeat or failure into victory, through falsification, which has unfortunately become a specialty of some Arab media and especially of certain media in the Gulf. I give you a single example.The Israelis themselves have not mentioned such a figure, but the Gulf media rushed to say that in this confrontation, 23 people were martyred, Syrians and Iranians, half of them being Iranian. And that is completely wrong. These are gross lies. Even the Israelis did not say that. But Gulf satellite channels and newspapers picked up this (wrong) information for 3 or 4 days, as well as some Lebanese channels who mentioned these (alleged) 23 martyrs in their scrolling news bar, though it is completely false. The truth is that the result of the confrontation, thanks to the Syrian air defenses, is that there were 3 martyrs of the Syrian Arab Army, and it was officially announced in Syria.

Let us return to the heart of the subject and the event itself, in order to briefly describe and outline its implications. For if we add this event, this confrontation of the night of the missiles to the night when the (F-16) Israeli warplane was shot down a few months ago, we come to absolutely major developments.

That night, for the first time in history since the cease-fire in the Golan Heights, since the 1973 war, the positions of the Israeli occupation forces in the occupied Golan — we must keep this fact in mind: it is not (only) the Syrian Golan, but the occupied Syrian Golan, and Israelis have been striving day and night for years, because of the events in Syria, to obtain an international recognition and attribution of the Golan to the Israeli entity. For the first time in history, the positions of the army of occupation in the occupied Syrian Golan have suffered a missile strike of this magnitude, in quantity and quality.

What exactly happened ? I will be very specific. The Israelis speak of 20 missiles fired, saying they intercepted most of them. But the truth is that 55 missiles were fired, some of which were heavy. Some were heavy. These missiles have targeted a number of military positions, positions of the occupation army in the Golan, causing very strong explosions in the Golan region that lead and forced all of the settlers in the Golan (over 20 000) and in a portion of northern Palestine to rush to shelters. And this is the first time since 1973 that they get down to hide in shelters, frightened, scared and terrified.

The enemy has concealed his losses in case he would have suffered any. Anyway, that’s usual for him. He imposed silence on the targets of the missiles, where they fell, and he tried to diminish the importance of the event. When he spoke of 20 missiles, he did not give the real number. And his response to this missile attack was to hit a certain number of positions, most of which had been previously evacuated. The Syrian defense, anti-aircraft defense forces have faced (this aggression) with heroism and remarkable know-how, as was the case during the ‘night of Trump’, during the tripartite aggression against Syria, and a large number of Israeli air forces missiles have been intercepted. The missile air defenses reached Tiberias and Safad [Israeli cities north of Galilee], which forced Israel to use the Patriot batteries to intercept them. Some fell over Safed, Tiberias and Metula, as well as (South Lebanon town of) Habariyé, and there was a real confrontation.

And of course, even the targets hit by Israel in response to the Syrian missiles were carefully selected and limited, and they avoided civilian, government and political targets — I’ll explain why I specify that. They chose to strike targets knowing that they were empty. Because after making these strikes, they contacted the UNDOF (United Nations Disengagement Observer Force), the observation forces on the Golan and asked them to contact the Syrians to tell them that if their operation was over, they were also done. It reminded me — because we followed the images all night — what was going on with Israel before 2000 [Israel tried to contact Hezbollah to obtain a cease-fire].

Such is the event, those are the facts. Let us now say a few words about the implications because they are very important, extremely important.

First, this missile attack is one way — this is not the only one — to respond to the continuous Israeli aggression against Syria. This is one way to respond to the continuous Israeli aggression against Syria and against those in Syria (Hezbollah, Iran), against the Syrian army, the Iranian presence — whether it be advisers or military bases, as there is a debate about it — or any of the allies. This is a form of response among many. The message that this missile attack conveyed to the Israelis and the enemy government, and that was well received — because we follow (closely) the Israeli media, the statements of the ministers, deputies, of the Knesset, the media and even the street. And I think that now, the inhabitants of the Golan, that is to say the Golan settlers and settlements groups north of occupied Palestine, will also have a word with the Israeli government.

So what is the message? Here it is: ‘If you think (O Israel) that you can go on, come in Syria, bomb, kill, destroy, without facing the slightest reaction, and to threaten and intimidate with impunity and see everyone bow, you’re delusional.’ This is the message. And on the contrary, we will retaliate, as appropriate, at the appropriate time, in the appropriate place, in the proper manner — because it is one of the possible forms of retaliation, and it is not sure that the response always take that form. You cannot go on, you Israel, the enemy, acting as you please and constantly violating Syrian sovereignty and attacking it and those in Syria (its allies), and the Resistance Axis in Syria, without suffering retaliation and punishment. We arrived to a completely new stage, inaugurated by this strategic missile attack.

Therefore, even within the (Zionist) entity, they begin to protest: ‘Where do you lead us? We are not ready for war, and if you take action that will provoke a response, and then retaliate to the responses, etc., this can lead to war, and it is not our interest to wage a war. Calm down, calculate well, etc.’

We have arrived at a new stage. This is the major change that has occurred. We are at a new stage in which Israel must weigh with great care its actions in Syria. Maybe before, they did not do a lot of calculations. After the (Israeli fighter) aircraft was shot down, we who follow military affairs closely, we have clearly seen that the movements of the Israeli air force towards Syria have introduced new protocols and (precaution) measures, new calculations. After the missile attack, Israeli decision-making, this trigger-happy behaviour so to speak, it will disappear. I’m not saying that they will not do anything. But I say they will carefully calculate their movements. And I also say to you that this is the message of this strategic missile attack, which must be taken into account in these calculations.Second, this missile response occurred despite Israeli threats and intimidation. If you remember, during two or three weeks (before the attack), the Israelis said they expected a response, but that if it came up, they would destroy, bomb, kill, put everything upside down, etc. Well, the response took place, and they expected it, and they knew that the nature of (their opponents) would lead to a response of this magnitude, but they haven’t turned anything upside down, and they haven’t dared to touch some red lines in Syria. Because — and I am going to reveal a secret — the enemy government was warned by international intermediaries that if the Israeli response in Syria exceeded the red lines, the second bombing would target the heart of occupied Palestine (Tel Aviv), not the Golan. This is one reason why they panicked during that night, contacted UNDOF, and said that if Syria’s operation was over, they too (would stop there). Despite all the (Israeli) intimidation and threats, (Syria) has made this decision and launched this response. And that means that we’re done with threats, intimidation, terror, and so forth, it’s all over.Third, despite efforts in the collection of information and actions of the Israelis all the days that preceded the missile attack to prevent missiles being launched from Syria, the missiles were launched, and it is an Israeli military defeat and a victory for those who fired the missiles.

Fourth, despite the fact that they knew through their analysts and perhaps through their information, that the target was the Golan, that they have deployed the Iron Dome and all systems responsible for intercepting missiles, and that they considered all possibilities and were at a level of maximum alert, they have not managed to prevent most of the missiles from striking Israeli military positions in the Golan, and this is also a military failure for Israel.

Fifth — where are we, in the 4th or 5th point? Whatever. This experience demonstrated the lies of the Israeli leadership, and we Lebanese, Syrians, Palestinians and the whole region need to know to not be brainwashed by the Israelis as they will not stop threatening of war, saying their home front is ready for war. One of the most important implications of this event was to prove that the (Israeli) home front is not ready for war. Their population is not ready psychologically and morally, nor their shelters nor their home front. The scandal (of their unpreparedness) was exposed to the whole world with this event. And it is also one of the reasons for their precipitation to end the confrontation and prevent it from escalating.

One of the other implications that was rich in lessons is the need for Israel to conceal the magnitude of what happened by resorting to lies when they spoke of 20 missiles (instead of 55), when they claimed to have intercepted them (while most hit their target), when Liberman said that their response to the missile attack in the Golan destroyed all Iranian bases in Syria and finished them off. These are lies, absolute lies. They have no basis of truth.

And of course, the second day, Israeli officials have spoken to say that if anything happened, they would destroy the Iranian bases in Syria. But don’t you already claimed you destroyed them? This regardless of whether there are (really) Iranian bases in Syria, or if there are only places where Iranian advisers are, we’ll talk about it later. The exaggeration of what was achieved by Israelis and smothering of the implications of what they suffered are Israeli attempts to conceal and overcome this development.

The last point about the implications of this issue prior to dedicate ourselves to our last part, Palestine, is the humiliating and shameful position of some Gulf countries. For example, when the Foreign Minister of Bahrain declares that Israel has the right to defend itself, it is a development… How to say… There is no longer any shame, no honor, no values, no morals, no religion, I do not know what to say (to describe such an act). Impudence? I say myself that this is hideousness. There is nothing more hideous, worse, more awful (than that). Can you imagine that this is an Arab stance? That Israel has the right to retaliate against Syria, to bomb, destroy, kill in ‘self-defense’? So you also recognize the Golan as belonging to Israel? The operation took place in the (occupied) Golan Heights, you idiot, moron, pervert, traitor!

Nevertheless, the presence of this minister, of these rulers in Bahrain is one of the greatest oppression of history against the Bahraini people. And those who express the true position of Bahrain are the people of Bahrain, the people of Bahrain who went down (in the streets) and demonstrated to denounce the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain. This level of vice, imbecility, stupidity, submission, flattery towards the Americans and Israelis is truly staggering. In truth, we have experienced and we have seen (many things), and perhaps there were many people who were expecting that some Arabs would be traitors, without honor, vile and hideous, but (not) to the level that we see these days…

The most important in this event is the following message: we are at a new stage in Syria. Syria and the entire Resistance Axis alongside Syria reached a new stage.

The most important achievement that has occurred is to break Israel’s prestige, just like shooting down the Israeli aircraft broke the prestige of their air force. (Previously), Israel was puffed up with pride and haughtiness, let us say things as they are. If anyone dared to put his hand on the Golan, advancing only a finger towards the Golan, Israel was willing to cut off his head. But it’s over. It’s all over now.

Today, the message to Israel during the night of missiles is that neither Syria nor the leaders of Syria, nor its army, nor its people nor its allies will tolerate that Syria remains defenseless to all these Israeli violations and aggression. And they are willing to go as far as needed. What happened in Syria during the night of missiles is first and primarily an act of defense of Syria and its sovereignty, before being a revenge for such or such martyrs. And our collective responsibility is to establish firmly, to work to firmly establish this new equation in the struggle, because it is a very important equation that has an an impact on (our) protection. […]

Alternate video source: https://vimeo.com/270792656

Third part on Palestine will be translated soon.