Author: Hilaal Akram

Unmasking the US/Israel rhetoric of war, human rights, and geopolitical strategy in Palestine. Watching the United States deploy two aircraft carriers and a major naval strike force to the Middle East to threaten nemeses and help Israel sow death and destruction in Palestine, I am reminded of a story told by St Augustine about a pirate captured by Alexander the Great, who asked him how he dared to molest the sea. “How dare you molest the whole world,” the pirate replied. “Because I do it with a little ship only, I am called a thief. You, doing it with a great navy, are…

Tension on the Israeli-Lebanese border escalated on Friday, as the Israeli army and Hezbollah exchanged fire amid the ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip, Anadolu Agency reports. Hezbollah, in a statement, said it attacked a group of Israeli soldiers in the Hunin barracks near the border, causing casualties. The Lebanese group said it struck the Al-Asi area, in addition to Shebaa Farms and Kfar Shuba Hills with guided missiles. Meanwhile, the Israeli army said it was “monitoring the firing of about 20 missiles from Lebanon towards Israel.” Fresh Israeli shelling targeting the town of Al-Bustan in southern Lebanon followed a Hezbollah attack…

Israel has slammed Colombia and Chile over recalling their ambassadors in protest against Israel’s violations of humanitarian law in the Gaza Strip, and demanded them to condemn the Hamas movement, Anadolu Agency reported. This came in a statement by Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat, published on Wednesday evening, on X platform (formerly Twitter). Haiat claimed that “citizens of Colombia, Chile and other Latin American countries” were also among the victims of the Hamas attack on 7 October, adding that “Israel calls on Colombia and Chile to explicitly condemn the Hamas organisation”. Earlier on Wednesday, Colombian President, Gustavo Petro, announced that his country’s Ambassador to Tel…

A mother and daughter have been released and handed to the Red Cross before being transported to Israel after being held for two weeks in Gaza. The Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades said they had been released “for humanitarian reasons” in response to Qatari mediation efforts. Spokesperson Abu Obaida said they released the citizens “for humanitarian reasons, and to prove to the American people and the world that the claims made by [President Joe] Biden and his fascist administration are false and baseless.” Palestinian media has named the women as Judith Raanan and her daughter Naatalie. The pair had been taken…

Egypt is planning to host an international conference on Saturday to discuss the escalating war between Israel and the Palestinian group, Hamas, in Gaza. The list of attendees expected, so far, at the Cairo Peace Summit includes: Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas Jordanian King Abdullah Bahraini King, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Kuwaiti Crown Prince, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad al-Sabah Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis Cypriot President, Nikos Christodoulides South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock French Foreign Minister, Catherine Colonna Japanese Foreign Minister…

The head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, said on Wednesday that the ongoing war waged by Israel against the Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip is a “fateful battle” between two axes; the people who love freedom and justice, and those who love racism and fascism. “It is a fateful battle between those who believe in tolerance, peace and cultural coexistence and the neo-Nazis supported by colonial forces that trample all values for their own interests,” said the former prime minister. “On the 26th day of this heroic struggle, as our people stand firm in the face of…

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told reporters on Monday that Moscow is in touch with Turkiye through diplomatic channels to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Russian news agency Tass has reported. Commenting on the contacts with Turkiye regarding its initiative to establish a system of guarantor states for a Palestinian-Israeli agreement, Grushko said, “Diplomatic channels are being used and we are in contact with all of our partners and all players.” He added that the position of the Russian Federation is clear and has been stated by the president and the ministry of foreign affairs. “We believe that it is impossible to…

The Kremlin, on Tuesday, brushed off suggestions that Israel was disappointed with Russia’s response to its war with Hamas and reiterated its call for both sides to agree to a ceasefire at the earliest opportunity and to work for a peace settlement, Reuters reports. Since the latest crisis erupted, Moscow has emphasised its relationships with both Israel and the Palestinians, including the Hamas group that controls Gaza, while seeking to portray the conflict as a failure of US diplomacy. Asked about reports of Israeli disappointment with Moscow’s stance, Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov said: “We have a regular and intensive dialogue with the…

The Republic of Zimbabwe has condemned the “aggressive war” launched by Israel on the Gaza Strip and demanded its immediate cessation. Minister of Veterans, a member of the political bureau of the ZANU-PF ruling party and its official spokesman, Christopher Mutsvangwa, said at a press conference in the capital, Harare, that the situation in the Middle East is very dangerous, where two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are constantly being attacked and brutally bombed by Israel, which uses aircraft carriers supplied by the major powers. He stressed that depriving the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip of basic needs,…

Fifty Arab and foreign media institutions, associations and trade unions have demanded the UN Secretary-General and the President of the International Federation of Journalists to take a quick and strong stance to protect journalists in Palestine, condemn the killing of media professionals as well as harassing them by Israel, and to implement the provisions of the Geneva Conventions related to the protection of journalists in times of war. This came in a joint letter, which the signatories said has been issued “based on the public’s right to the media … and the right of media professionals to practise their work…