The Art of the Mis-Deal

So what about Trump's so-called deal with Iran?

 First of all, it's not a deal.  It's an MOU/framework that will guide negotiations over the next 60 days.  What does the MOU call for?

1. A 60-day ceasefire (we already had peace before Trump started the war).

2. The re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz (we already had that)

3. The end of the naval blockade (we already had that)

4. Iran agrees that it will neither produce nor acquire nuclear weapons (something they already agreed to under the previous deal)

5.  The U.S. agrees not to impose any new sanctions on Iran until a final deal is reached

6. The U.S. will waive oil sanctions ​on Iran for a specified period, allowing Tehran to sell oil and receive revenue

7. The U.S. ⁠agrees to release $25 billion of Iran’s frozen assets

8. The U.S. will prepare a reconstruction and development plan for Iran

9. Iran will have access to a $300 billion reconstruction fund (as confirmed by JD Vance)  

10. Iran would be allowed to charge maritime service fees on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz (instead of tolls). 

11. Iran can dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium on Iranian soil (instead of being seized by the U.S.)

12. Iran’s ​nuclear program, uranium enrichment activities and mechanisms  ​for handling its stockpile of highly enriched uranium will be negotiated within 60 days ​and addressed in a final agreement (so, kicking the can down the road on that one). 

So basically-- 1, 2, 3 & 4 we already had (no new gain for either side);  5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11 are a net plus for Iran;  and 12 is TBD (no progress yet).  Sounds like a resounding win for Iran-- way to go, Orange man!

 

Desperate Times for Trump and His Iran War

This week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that “Operation Epic Fury is concluded,” claiming that the U.S. “achieved the objective of that operation”—even though Iran was still blockading the Strait of Hormuz and firing missiles at ships that tried to traverse it.

 The next day (as gas prices soared to fresh highs thanks to oil shortages caused by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz) the Trump administration somehow got Axios to uncritically report that the U.S. and Iran were close to a “one-page” peace deal to end the conflict.  It was a clear effort to try to lower oil prices to give Trump breathing room to figure out how to get out of the mess he created-- the higher gas prices climb, the more backlash he and the GOP get.  “The U.S. expects Iranian responses on several key points in the next 48 hours. Nothing has been agreed yet, but the sources said this was the closest the parties had been to an agreement since the war began,” Axios’ Barak Ravid (foolishly) reported.

Gullible commodities traders once again fell for the news, with oil prices dropping considerably after the Axios report came out.   Not surprisingly, the Axios reporting fell apart within minutes, after Iran said that the “agreement” Ravid reported was “more a list of American wishes than a reality,” with oil prices rising when investors realized they had again been had.

It’s the same cycle that’s played out multiple times over the last 10 weeks, with Ravid reporting that the war is either over or close to an end, only for that to proven to be false minutes later.  “Axios is a tool for White House market manipulation. The Islamic Republic is fully prepared for a potential major attack before Trump’s trip to China,” Seyed Mohammad Marandi, a professor with ties to the Iranian regime, wrote Wednesday in a post on X.

At the end of the day, Trump still has no idea how to end the war.  Iran clearly has an upper hand in negotiations with its ability to close the Strait of Hormuz. In fact, any “peace deal” could leave Iran better off than it was before Trump launched this stupid and costly war, as they could have a new revenue stream by charging tolls for boats to traverse the strait.

That outcome would be a political disaster, as Trump would not only have strengthened Iran, but would have permanently increased gas prices as a toll on oil would cause prices to be higher than they were when Hormuz passage was free.  “It will take a long time for ship owners and insurance companies to become comfortable with this unusual model, and freight rates and insurance premiums will remain elevated,” Artem Abramov, the head of oil and gas at Rystad Energy, told CBS News. “They’re adding to the cost of oil, and all these costs are being transferred to consumers.” 

 

Iran Now Charging Tolls on the Strait of Hormuz-- Trump Trying to Save Face

In yet another sign that Iran got the upper hand on Trump, there are now reports that Iran is charging some ships millions of dollars to pass through the Strait of Hormuz (according to NBC News).

Shipping traffic through the strait has plummeted since the U.S. and Israel first attacked Iran in February. But some ships have been getting through.  

Ships carrying Iranian oil or goods have been allowed to pass freely, according to The Wall Street Journal. Ships from friendly nations have been paying a toll of $1 million or more, while ships from unfriendly countries have been blocked.  The situation has been dubbed “the Tehran toll booth” by shipping industry experts, according to NBC.

“The Strait of Hormuz is no longer a chokepoint,” Athens-based Xclusiv Shipbrokers said in a recent report, according to the Journal. ”It’s being reshaped into a controlled corridor where access is conditional, selective, and increasingly political.”

Although some ships have been forced to pay, it does not appear Iran has a consistent policy, according to NBC. State media reported the Iranian parliament was preparing legislation to formalize the tolls.

Ceasefire mediators say the current status quo (Tehran's tolls) in the strait is unlikely to change, especially in light of the confusion over the terms of the so-called ceasefire.  Iran and Pakistani mediators say that the ceasefire included Lebanon-- but with Israel continuing to bomb its northern neighbor Iran says that the terms of the ceasefire have been violated.

Trump claimed in an interview with ABC News that he’s considering a “joint venture” with Iran to manage tolls in the Strait of Hormuz.  But it's obvious to everyone that Trump is only trying to salvage his reputation as a dealmaker-- as Iran will almost certainly refuse to share tolls with the U.S. and Trump will not want to be seen as the one who called off the ceasefire.  What a mess!

 

Trump Threatens to Commit War Crimes, Then Backs Off After Accepting Iran's 10-point Ceasefire Plan

Yesterday, convicted felon Donald Trump threatened the death of Iran’s civilization, an escalation of his ongoing threats to commit international war crimes against that nation. Trump’s incendiary rhetoric validated long-running warnings from the Democratic Party about Trump issuing illegal orders to the U.S. military.

In a post to Truth Social Trump wrote, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.” He added, “47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!”

Trump’s threats come just a few days after he said the U.S. would be targeting Iran’s civilian infrastructure, hitting facilities like energy plants, water treatment centers, and key roads and bridges. Targeting such structures is a war crime.

Of course, Taco Don backed off from his threats late last night, when he announced that a ceasefire was in effect.   Trump tried to portray the ceasefire agreement as a "total victory," but this was quickly refuted by public statements issued by the Iran government.  Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi released a statement saying that Iran's military will coordinate safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz during the ceasefire, and that Washington had accepted “the general framework” of Iran’s 10-point proposal “as a basis for negotiations.” Iran's Supreme National Security Council (the country’s top security body) released a statement that confirmed the ceasefire but also portrayed the agreement as an Iranian victory.  

Iran said that talks with the U.S. would take place in Islamabad and laid out key parts of Tehran’s 10-point plan. It included regulating passage through the Strait of Hormuz; terminating attacks on Iran and its regional proxy forces, the withdrawal of US forces from the region, compensation to Iran, the lifting of international sanctions and unfreezing of assets as well as and a binding UN resolution to secure any ultimate peace deal.  

A senior White House official told CNN that Israel is part of the ceasefire and had agreed to also suspend its bombing campaign while negotiations continue.  But this was also quickly revealed to be a lie, as an Israeli military spokesperson confirmed that Israel was still carrying out strikes in Iran, despite reports of a "ceasefire." 

 

UAE Cracks Down on Social Media in an Effort to Maintain Its Phony Image

Dubai has been struggling to maintain its image as a safe and picturesque locale since the region has been under attack during the Trump-Iran war.  But early on, as Iranian missiles began to fall on Dubai (the largest and most ostentatiously luxe city in the United Arab Emirates) the facade began to crack.   The city once touted as one of the safest places in the world is now no longer a peaceful haven. And the UAE government has rushed to try and control the narrative, prompting a huge crackdown on anyone sharing photos of missile attacks and their aftermath. Instead, content creators have been posting weirdly similar photos and videos full of praise, parroting buzzwords about the city’s strong, stable leaders.

Satellite images of Dubai show smoke from areas damaged by air strikes

How can influencers continue to portray the “Dubai dream” online, when the whole world knows that the city has been mired in conflict? And what about the ordinary people who are being detained for sharing photos and videos that go against the official line?

Sign of Doom Appears Over Tel Aviv

The skies over Tel Aviv were flooded with a sea of crows on Tuesday, in what many people are saying is a 'harbinger of doom' warning.  Thousands of crows were filmed circling high-rise buildings, including the iconic Azrieli Towers, in dramatic footage that quickly went viral online. 

 Many viewers linked the eerie scene to Israel's ongoing conflict with Iran, claiming the spectacle signaled a looming disaster.  'This is considered by many to be a 'harbinger of doom' as it is often followed by total catastrophe,' one user shared on social media, while others linked it to a biblical prophecy.  They cited the Book of Revelation 19:17, which describes an angel standing in the sun, shouting to birds flying in midair to gather for 'the great supper of God.'

The swirling flock created dark, shifting clouds over the skyline, leaving residents and viewers stunned by the sheer scale of the migration.  While scientists said the dramatic sighting was a routine migration event, many social media users insisted there was something more sinister behind the massive flock. 'This is the worst possible omen at a civilizational level,' one user shared.  'It's still taken seriously back home in England, and the Romans would stop entire wars over this sign.'

In ancient Rome, priests known as augurs closely watched the skies, interpreting the flight patterns and calls of birds as messages from the gods that could influence decisions about war, leadership and major public events.  Large or unusual gatherings of birds were often viewed as ominous warnings of trouble ahead.

More than 2,000 people have been killed across the Middle East as the war enters its fourth week.  Israeli and U.S. strikes inside Iran have left more than 1,200 people dead, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society.  At least 1,000 deaths have been reported in Lebanon, while 17 people have been killed in Israel.  The conflict has also claimed the lives of 13 US service members, with two additional troops dying from noncombat causes. 

 

 

Draft-Dodging Son of Netanyahu Safe in the U.S.

Photo: Yair Netanyahu's Instagram

Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu's son is avoiding military service in sunny Miami while his war-criminal father wreaks havoc in the Middle east.  The 34-year-old is reportedly engaged in "non-profit charity work" in Florida, while approximately 360,000 reserve soldiers have been mobilized to join the Israeli army against the war in Iran, temporarily abandoning their other responsibilities.

Questions are emerging about why he hasn't joined his fellow countrymen.  The situation has also sparked fury among Israeli soldiers who feel Yair should be contributing to the war effort.  One soldier stationed on Israel's northern front told The Times in London: "Yair is enjoying his life at Miami Beach whilst I'm on the front lines. 

"It's us who are leaving our work, our families, our kids, to protect our families back home and the country, not the people who are responsible for this situation.

"Our brothers, our fathers, sons, are all going to the front line, but Yair is still not here. It does not help build trust in the leadership of the country."

If at First You Don't Succeed . . .

Convicted felon Donal Trump is trying yet again.  In the midst of diplomatic talks ( ), the Trump administration (in cahoots with Israel) launched an attack on cities across Iran.  The major assault threatened a broader regional conflict, with President Trump vowing to devastate the country’s military, eliminate its nuclear program and bring about a change in its government. Iran and the United States had been engaged a series of indirect talks over Tehran’s nuclear program in recent weeks but failed to reach a compromise that could have staved off American strikes. The most recent talks were held on Thursday when senior U.S. and Iranian officials gathered for a seemingly decisive round of negotiations in Switzerland.  Regarding those talks, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi said that the most recent round of negotiations ended with an agreement on a “set of guiding principles.” 

Waves of large explosions shook the Iranian capital, Tehran, starting around 9 a.m. local time (1 a.m. EST) and witnesses described chaos in the streets as people rushed to seek shelter, find loved ones or flee the city. Israel admitted that it had, in part, targeted a gathering of senior Iranian officials in the opening strikes. 

As they made their public case for another American military campaign against Iran, President Trump and his aides asserted that Iran had restarted its nuclear program, had enough available nuclear material to build a bomb within days and was developing long-range missiles that will soon be capable of hitting the United States.

All three of these claims are either false or unproven.  American and European government officials, international weapons monitoring groups and reports from American intelligence agencies give a far different picture of the urgency of the Iran threat. Iran has taken steps to dig out the nuclear facilities hit during strikes last June, and it has resumed work at some sites long known to American spy agencies. But the officials said that there isn’t evidence that Iran has made active efforts to resume enriching uranium or trying to build a mechanism to detonate a bomb.  The stockpiles of uranium that Iran has already enriched remain buried after last year’s strikes, making it nearly impossible for Iran to build a bomb “within days.”  Even though Iran has a large arsenal of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles capable of hitting Israel and American military bases in the Middle East, American intelligence agencies believe Iran is probably years away from having missiles that can hit the United States.   

The U.S. Agency for Global Media said it had “significantly expanded” Voice of America’s Persian-language service in recent months and was broadcasting Trump’s speech announcing today’s attack “to the brave people of Iran across every available platform, including satellite.”  The U.S. government’s overall messaging to the Iranian people was muddled. There was no additional information on how Iranian soldiers and police officers were supposed to carry out Trump’s demand that they surrender. And it was unclear how deeply Voice of America and other U.S.-funded media would be able to cover the war in the wake of last year’s extensive cuts. 

Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, said there were currently no back-channel negotiations taking place in an effort to end the war with the United States and Israel. “If the Americans want to talk to us, they know how they can contact me,” Araghchi said in an interview on NBC News.  Araghchi added that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, and Masoud Pezeshkian, the president, were still alive “as far as I know.” When asked about President Trump’s call for Iranians to overthrow the government, Araghchi dismissively labeled it: “Mission Impossible.” 

Analysts warned that the fighting could easily devolve into a protracted war with no clear exit. Many world leaders urged restraint, although Canada and Australia backed the American campaign against Iran.  The Pumpkin Putin suggested that the conflict might end with Iranians rising up against their own authoritarian government after the American assault. “It will be yours to take,” Trump said, speaking to the Iranian public. “This will be probably your only chance for generations.”

 

So Much for Trump's Historical "Peace" Deal

Republican elected officials, right-wing pundits, and gullible reporters all heaped mountains of praise onto President Donald Trump after Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire on Oct. 9, which secured the release of hostages Hamas had taken in exchange for Israel to stop its military strikes in Gaza.

On its cover, Time magazine ran a photo of Trump alongside the words "HIS TRIUMPH." GOP lawmakers demanded the president be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for “brokering historic deals to end wars that have lasted for decades.” And The Washington Post’s editorial board said Trump had achieved a “generational accomplishment.” Others criticized Democrats for not giving Trump credit for the Middle East peace he supposedly brokered.

But those toadies now have egg on their face. The ceasefire between Hamas and Israel appears to be collapsing not even three weeks after the ceasefire deal was announced.  Israel unilaterally carried out military strikes in Gaza, and then claimed the ceasefire was now back on after it completed the attacks.

What kind of ceasefire is it if every so often either side is launching strikes or violating the terms of a peace deal that is supposedly in place?  It's almost as if a lot of people preemptively celebrated the end to a decades-old crisis that no politician has ever been able to solve.

“How long is the U.S. media going to pretend that there is really a ceasefire in place?” Tommy Vietor, who was a spokesman for former President Barack Obama’s National Security Council, wrote in a post on X. “Clearly [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's plan is to bomb Gaza whenever he wants in perpetuity. Hamas has not been disarmed. Trump took a huge victory lap but none of the big problems are solved.”

 

Other Notes on the Egyptian Peace Conference

As he sat alongside the Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah el-Sisi yesterday, Trump returned to one of his favorite topics to discuss: crime.  During an impromptu bilateral meeting, Trump called el-Sisi “very powerful” and noted that there is “no crime” in Egypt.

“They have very little crime, you know. Because they don’t play games,” Trump said, adding: “Because they don’t play games like we do in the United States, with governors that have no idea what they’re doing.”   Later, Trump again remarked on the crime levels in Egypt and said el-Sissi “puts it out very quickly.”  “Some people think that’s not nice, but I think it’s great because people don’t want to be mugged and smashed, and they don’t want to be stupid people,” Trump said.

Egypt, home to over 115 million people, does in fact face crime, particularly the harassment of women. However, its police use heavy-handed tactics, including torture.

Actually, Egypt is ranked 92nd out of 193 countries based on its criminality score from the Global Initiative.  Egypt is is ranked 29th out of 54 countries in Africa, and ranked 2nd out of 6 countries in Northern Africa.  

There were also reports that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched a diplomatic initiative to prevent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from attending the summit in Egypt.  An official, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said Netanyahu ultimately decided not to participate after Turkey’s effort gained support from several other nations.  There were also other reports that Erdogan’s plane circled above the Red Sea as the president threatened to boycott the meeting, and that it only landed once it was clear Netanyahu would not be present.   Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, also threatened to withdraw from the summit if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participated. 

 

Old Man With Dementia Announces Peace Deal Between Israel and Hamas

At a press briefing in Egypt today, convicted felon Donald Trump called on other world leaders to “put the old feuds and bitter hatreds” aside-- just as he (a minute later) called the Biden administration the "worst administration ever."  Trump also repeated his (false) claim that he ended the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan.  In reality, the agreement brokered by Trump has not been ratified by either country-- and several issues remain to be resolved. Most notably, Azerbaijan is demanding that Armenia changes its constitution – a move that would likely be rejected by Armenian voters in a referendum.  

Trump also added fuel to the debate over his dementia, saying that there were four months to go in the year (there are 2 1/2) and claiming that if you said a woman was "beautiful" in the U.S., it would be the end of your career (utterly ridiculous, of course).  Nevertheless, here are the 20 points in the plan negotiated by Trump between Israel and Hamas: 

1.  Gaza will be a deradicalized terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors.

2.  Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough.

3.  If both sides agree to this proposal, the war will immediately end. Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed upon line to prepare for a hostage release. During this time, all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment, will be suspended, and battle lines will remain frozen until conditions are met for the complete staged withdrawal.

4.  Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting this agreement, all hostages, alive and deceased, will be returned.

5.  Once all hostages are released, Israel will release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1700 Gazans who were detained after October 7, 2023, including all women and children detained in that context. For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans.

6.  Once all hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty. Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries.

7.  Upon acceptance of this agreement, full aid will be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip. At a minimum, aid quantities will be consistent with what was included in the January 19, 2025, agreement regarding humanitarian aid, including rehabilitation of infrastructure (water, electricity, sewage), rehabilitation of hospitals and bakeries, and entry of necessary equipment to remove rubble and open roads.

8.  Entry of distribution and aid in the Gaza Strip will proceed without interference from the two parties through the United Nations and its agencies, and the Red Crescent, in addition to other international institutions not associated in any manner with either party. Opening the Rafah crossing in both directions will be subject to the same mechanism implemented under the January 19, 2025, agreement.

9.  Gaza will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza. This committee will be made up of qualified Palestinians and international experts, with oversight and supervision by a new international transitional body, the "Board of Peace", which will be headed and chaired by President Donald J. Trump, with other members and heads of State to be announced, including former prime minister Tony Blair. This body will set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until such time as the Palestinian Authority has completed its reform program, as outlined in various proposals, including President Trump's peace plan in 2020 and the Saudi-French proposal, and can securely and effectively take back control of Gaza. This body will call on best international standards to create modern and efficient governance that serves the people of Gaza and is conducive to attracting investment.

10.  A Trump economic development plan to rebuild and energize Gaza will be created by convening a panel of experts who have helped birth some of the thriving modern miracle cities in the Middle East. Many thoughtful investment proposals and exciting development ideas have been crafted by well-meaning international groups, and will be considered to synthesize the security and governance frameworks to attract and facilitate these investments that will create jobs, opportunity, and hope for future Gaza.

11.  A special economic zone will be established with preferred tariff and access rates to be negotiated with participating countries.

12.  No one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return. We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza.

13.  Hamas and other factions agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form. All military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production facilities, will be destroyed and not rebuilt. There will be a process of demilitarization of Gaza under the supervision of independent monitors, which will include placing weapons permanently beyond use through an agreed process of decommissioning, and supported by an internationally funded buy back and reintegration program all verified by the independent monitors. New Gaza will be fully committed to building a prosperous economy and to peaceful coexistence with their neighbors.

Iran Strikes Appear to Be Less Damaging Than Promised

An initial classified U.S. intelligence report suggested the American strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities set back the program by only several months, not completely destroying it as Trump claimed. The assessment indicated much of the enriched uranium was moved before the attacks and that underground facilities were not collapsed. The CIA also stated the program was "severely damaged"

The assessment, which has not been previously reported, was produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon’s intelligence arm. It is based on a battle damage assessment conducted by US Central Command in the aftermath of the US strikes, one of the sources said.

The analysis of the damage to the sites and the impact of the strikes on Iran’s nuclear ambitions is ongoing, and could change as more intelligence becomes available. But the early findings are at odds with President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that the strikes “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities.

In addition, a 400kg stockpile of uranium (enough to make up to 10 nuclear weapons) is unaccounted for after Washington dropped six 'bunker busters' on three Iranian nuclear facilities. The missing uranium is enriched to 60 per cent. It needs to be enriched to about 90 per cent to be used as a nuclear weapon.  There are reports Iran may have moved the stockpile, as well as some equipment, days before the attack to a secret location, a claim repeated by Israeli officials to The New York Times.  Satellite images from before the US' strike showed a line of 16 trucks outside the Fordow nuclear plant, which is built inside a mountain and is considered impervious to most missile attacks.

To put icing on Trump's rapidly-deflating cake, a top commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stunned observers by appearing publicly in Tehran, quashing media reports that he had been killed by Israel in the days leading up to the Trump attack.  Videos rapidly circulated on social media showing General Esmail Qaani celebrating with jubilant crowds at a rally in Tehran to celebrate what Iranian authorities are calling a victory.

Another Iranian official previously reported dead has reemerged. Ali Shamkhani, a senior advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and a key nuclear negotiator, was initially reported by outlets  to have been killed in an Israeli strike on his Tehran residence. However, Iranian state media later confirmed that he is "alive and ready to sacrifice." 

With Qaani visibly back in the public eye, Iranian officials are likely to continue leveraging his survival as proof of resilience following the unprecedented Israeli strikes and recent U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear sites that have proved to be less than what was touted by Trump. 

 

Inside Saudi Arabia's Secret Prisons for Disobedient Women

Women are being banged up, starved and flogged in "hellish" Saudi prisons for being "disobedient" to their husbands.  Several female inmates have said they were sent to the grim punishment facilities for objecting to sexual abuse at home. Women are reportedly locked away in isolation cells until they "reconcile" with their cruel abusers.

A campaigner fighting to abolish the brutal facilities, Sarah Al-Yahia, told the Guardian that her dad threatened to send her to one as a child "if I didn't obey his sexual abuse."  She bravely explained: "If you are sexually abused or get pregnant by your brother or father you are the one sent to Dar al-Re'aya to protect the family's reputation." She added that often women are given the impossible choice of enduring horrific abuse at home or being locked up. 

Documented cases show evidence of abuse and neglect at the notorious Dar al-Re'aya jails, according to rights group ALQST.  Prisoners are left malnourished and banged up in solitary confinement, the organization claims.  Several cases of suicide attempts in recent years have also been reported. The name of the jails, Dar al-Re'aya, literally translates to "care homes."

Israel's Cruelty to Palestinians Continues

Israel has now cut off the electricity supply to Gaza, negatively affecting a desalination plant producing drinking water for part of the arid territory. Hamas called it part of Israel’s “starvation policy.” This latest development comes after Israel last week suspended supplies of goods to the territory of more than 2 million Palestinians, an echo of the siege it imposed in the earliest days of the war.

Israel is attempting to force Hamas to deviate from a previously-agreed-upon ceasefire plan.  The first phase ended last week, and negotiations for the second phase were to proceed next. Hamas wants to start negotiations on the second phase, which would see the release of remaining hostages from Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and a lasting peace. Hamas is believed to have 24 living hostages and the bodies of 35 others.

The Gaza territory and its infrastructure have been largely devastated, and most facilities, including hospitals, now use generators. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassam said that Israel has ”practically” cut off electricity since the war began and called the latest decision part of Israel’s “starvation policy, in clear disregard for all international laws and norms.”

The desalination plant was providing 18,000 cubic meters of water per day for central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah area, according to Gisha, an Israeli organization dedicated to protecting Palestinians’ right to freedom of movement. Executive director Tania Hary said that it’s expected to run on generators and produce around 2,500 cubic meters per day, about the amount in an Olympic swimming pool. Israel’s restrictions on fuel entering Gaza have a larger impact, Hary said, and water shortages are a looming issue, because fuel is needed for distribution trucks.

Israel has faced sharp criticism over suspending supplies. “Any denial of the entry of the necessities of life for civilians may amount to collective punishment,” the U.N. human rights office said. The International Criminal Court said there was reason to believe Israel had used “starvation as a method of warfare” when it issued an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year. The allegation is central to South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide.

Questions on the Hezbollah Device Explosions

After thousands of pagers and radio devices exploded in two separate incidents in Lebanon - injuring thousands of people and killing at least 37.  Finally, details are coming in on how such an operation was carried out.

1. How were the pagers compromised?

Experts quickly dismissed the theory that the pagers targeted by a complex hack that caused them to explode.  To cause damage on the scale that they did, they had to be rigged with explosives before they entered Hezbollah’s possession. Images of the broken remains of the pagers show the logo of a small Taiwanese electronics manufacturer: Gold Apollo. The company's founder, Hsu Ching-Kuang, has denied the business had anything to do with the operation.  The pictures of the destroyed devices do not show markings that they were actually made in Taiwan.  But three years ago, Gold Apollo licensed their trademark to a Hungarian company called BAC Consulting, who put the Gold Apollo name on their Hungarian-made pagers. It has been revealed that Gold Apollo had trouble processing the money transfers paying for that license fee, and that the transfer originated from the Middle East.

2. What did a Hungarian company have to do with it?

The registered office of BAC Consulting, is in a residential area of the Hungarian capital, Budapest.  BAC's address is also shared by 12 other companies. Hungarian officials say the firm, which was first incorporated in 2022, was merely a “trading intermediary with no manufacturing or operational site” in the country.  BAC's website listed one person as its chief executive and founder - Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono.  Bársony-Arcidiacono spoke to NBC News, saying: "I don’t make the pagers. I am just the intermediate.” So who is really behind BAC Consulting?  You guessed it-- the New York Times has reported that the company was in fact a front for Israeli intelligence.  Bulgarian broadcaster bTV has also reported that $1.8M  connected to the device attacks in Lebanon passed through Bulgaria and was later sent to Hungary.

 

3. How were the devices detonated?

Videos show victims reaching into their pockets in the seconds before the pageers detonated, causing chaos in streets, shops and homes across the country.  Lebanese authorities have concluded that the devices were detonated by "electronic messages" sent to them, according to a letter by the Lebanese mission to the UN, seen by Reuters news agency.  Citing U.S . officials, the New York Times said that the pagers received messages that appeared to be coming from Hezbollah's leadership before detonating. The messages instead appeared to trigger the devices, the outlet reported.  It is not yet known what kind of messages were sent to the radio devices.

4. So how exactly were the radio devices compromised?

The origins of the radio devices, which exploded in the second wave of attacks, are less clear. Some of those that exploded were the IC-V82 model produced by the Japanese company, Icom.  Those devices were purchased by Hezbollah five months ago. A sales executive at the U.S. subsidiary of Icom told the Associated Press that the exploded radio devices in Lebanon appeared to be knockoff products that were not made by the company – adding that it was easy to find counterfeit versions online (a claim that was quickly confirmed by numerous news agencies).  Icom said it had stopped manufacturing and selling the model almost a decade ago, and that it also discontinued production of the batteries needed to operate it. The company said it does not outsource manufacturing overseas - and all its radios are produced at a factory in Western Japan.  According to Kyodo news agency, Icom director Yoshiki Enomoyo suggested that photos of the damage around the battery compartment of the exploded walkie-talkies look like they have been retrofitted with explosives.

5. Have other devices been sabotaged?

This is the question many in Lebanon are now asking - paranoid that other devices, cameras, phones or laptops could have also been rigged with explosives.   The Lebanese Army has been on the streets of Beirut using a remote-controlled bomb disposal robot to carry out controlled explosions. Journalists and news crews in Lebanon have been stopped and told not to use their phones or cameras.  "Everyone is just panicking… We don’t know if we can stay next to our laptops, our phones. Everything seems like a danger at this point, and no-one knows what to do,” one woman, Ghida, told a BBC correspondent.

6. Why did the attack happen now?

There is growing suspicion that Israel did not intend to put its plan in motion at this moment, but was forced to after fearing the plot was about to be exposed.  According to Axios, the original plan was for the pager attack to be the opening salvo of an all-out war as a way to try to cripple Hezbollah’s fighters. But, it says, after Israel learned that Hezbollah had become suspicious, it chose to carry out the attack early.

 

Illegal Israeli Settlers Turn to Murder

Last month, Israeli teenager Benjamin Achimeir was murdered while taking sheep out to pasture.  His body was found a day later, after a massive search involving the Israeli police, military, air force, intelligence services and thousands of volunteers from the settler community. But for some illegal settlers, it was not enough.  

Elisha Yered, a former spokesman for MP Limor Son Har-Melech and extremist settler suspected in the murder of a Palestinian man last August, posted in a WhatsApp group for settlers. "Shabbat Shalom, it's been nearly 24 hours of heavy suspicion that Benjamin was kidnapped from the pasture and still the obvious measures have not been taken," Yered wrote.

The same message was repeated in various settler WhatsApp groups later that morning. It called on the settlers to take matters into their own hands - "crowning" of nearby Palestinian villages (a term for blocking residents from leaving or entering), "home to home searches", and "collective punishment against the murderous Arab population".

The message also contained a list of meeting points. Hours later, a similar message would circulate in the settler groups but with fire emojis attached to each location, as well as calls from individual settlers to "eliminate the enemy", "exterminate the beasts", and - referring to a nearby Palestinian village - "let all of Duma burn".

Netanyahu Continues his Campaign of Violence Against Palestinians

An Israeli airstrike triggered a massive blaze killing 45 people in a tent camp in the Gaza city of Rafah.  In grimly familiar scenes, Palestinian families rushed to hospitals to prepare their dead for burial after the strike late on Sunday night set tents and rickety metal shelters ablaze.

Survivors said families were preparing to sleep when the strike hit.  "We were praying...and we were getting our children's beds ready to sleep. There was nothing unusual, then we heard a very loud noise, and fire erupted around us," said Umm Mohamed Al-Attar, a Palestinian mother in a red headscarf.  "All the children started screaming... The sound was terrifying; we felt like the metal was about to collapse on us, and shrapnel fell into the rooms."

The attack took place in the Tel Al-Sultan neighborhood, where thousands were sheltering after Israeli forces began a ground offensive in the east of Rafah over two weeks ago.  Video footage obtained by Reuters showed a fire raging in the darkness and people screaming in panic. A group of young men tried to haul away sheets of corrugated iron and a hose from a single fire truck began to douse the flames.  More than half of the dead were women, children, and elderly people, health officials in Hamas-run Gaza said, adding that the death toll was likely to rise from people with severe burns.

Israel has kept up attacks despite a ruling by the top U.N. court on Friday ordering it to stop. French President Emmanuel Macron said he was "outraged" over Israel's latest attacks. "These operations must stop. There are no safe areas in Rafah for Palestinian civilians." 

By daylight, the camp was a smoking wreckage of tents, twisted metal and charred belongings.  Women wept and men held prayers beside bodies in shrouds.  Sitting beside bodies of his relatives, Abed Mohammed Al-Attar said Israel lied when it told residents they would be safe in Rafah's western areas. His brother, sister-in-law and several other relatives were killed in the blaze.  "The army is a liar. There is no security in Gaza. There is no security, not for a child, an elderly man, or a woman. Here he (my brother) is with his wife, they were martyred," he said.

"What have they done to deserve this? Their children have been orphaned."

 

Netanyahu Takes Al-Jazeera Off the Air, Saying it's a "Security Threat"

Israel's government has shut down the operations of the Al Jazeera television network in the country, branding it a mouthpiece for Hamas.  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the cabinet agreed to the closure while the war in Gaza is ongoing.

Police raided the Qatari broadcaster's office at the Ambassador hotel in Jerusalem on Sunday. Al Jazeera called claims it was a threat to Israeli security a "dangerous and ridiculous lie".   The channel said it reserved the right to "pursue every legal step".

Israel's Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said equipment had been taken in the raid.  A video posted by the minister on X shows police officers and inspectors from the ministry entering a hotel room.  According to Reuters news agency, the Israeli satellite service Yes displayed a message that read: "In accordance with the government decision, the Al Jazeera station's broadcasts have been stopped in Israel." The channel is still accessible through Facebook in Israel.

The shut down of Al Jazeera in Israel has been criticized by a number of human rights and press groups.  The group said that claims that the broadcaster was a propaganda tool for Hamas were "unfounded", and that Sunday's ban was less about security concerns and more to "serve a more politically motivated agenda, aimed at silencing critical voices and targeting Arab media".

The Foreign Press Association (FPA) urged the Israeli government to reconsider its decision, saying the shut down of Al Jazeera in the country should be "a cause for concern for all supporters of a free press".  The FPA said in a statement that Israel now joins "a dubious club of authoritarian governments to ban the station", and warned that Mr Netanyahu has the authority to target other foreign outlets that he considers to be "acting against the state".

The Committee to Protect Journalists' (CPJ) Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna echoed the same concerns, saying: "The Israeli cabinet must allow Al Jazeera and all international media outlets to operate freely in Israel, especially during wartime."

The UN's Human Rights office also called the Israeli government to reverse the ban, saying, "A free & independent media is essential to ensuring transparency & accountability. Now, even more so given tight restrictions on reporting from Gaza."

For years, Israeli officials have accused the network of anti-Israeli bias.  Al Jazeera has also accused Israel of deliberately targeting its staff. Journalists including Hamza al-Dahdouh, the son of Al Jazeera Gaza bureau chief Wael al-Dahdouh, have been killed by Israeli strikes. Israel denies targeting journalists.

"Israel's suppression of free press to cover up its crimes by killing and arresting journalists has not deterred us from performing our duty," the network said in its response to Sunday's ban.

 

Iranian Security Forces Molested and Killed Teen Protester

An Iranian teenager was sexually assaulted and killed by three men working for Iran's security forces, according to a leaked document from Iran.  The document shows what happened to 16-year-old Nika Shakarami who vanished from an anti-regime protest in 2022.  Her body was found nine days later. The government claimed she killed herself.

Marked "Highly Confidential", the report summarizes a hearing on Nika's case held by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) - the security force that defends the country's Islamic establishment. It includes what it says are the names of her killers and the senior commanders who tried to hide the truth.

It contains disturbing details of events in the back of an undercover van in which security forces were restraining Nika.  One of the men molested her while he was sitting on her.  Despite being handcuffed and restrained, Nika fought back, kicking and swearing.  Nika's fighting back provoked the men to beat her with batons.

Nika Shakarami's disappearance and death were widely reported, and her picture has become synonymous with the fight by women in Iran for greater freedoms. As street protests spread across Iran in the autumn of 2022, her name was shouted by crowds furious at the country's strict rules on the compulsory veil [hijab].

Just before she vanished, Nika was filmed on the evening of 20 September near Laleh Park in central Tehran, standing on a dumpster setting fire to hijabs. Others around her chanted "death to the dictator" - referring to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. What she could not have known at the time is that she was being watched, as the classified report makes clear.

Bodies of Hospital Patients Found in Mass Graves in Gaza

A growing number of international bodies are demanding an independent probe into mass graves recently discovered at multiple Gaza hospitals that were raided by Israeli troops ― revealing hundreds more Palestinian deaths as Israel’s military offensive in the besieged enclave surpasses 200 days.

Gaza health officials said that Palestinian medics have uncovered more than 300 bodies at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, which Israeli troops occupied until their April 7 withdrawal. The U.N. Human Rights Council said Tuesday that medics found even more bodies in several mass graves on the grounds of Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital, which was once the territory’s largest medical complex. Israeli forces conducted a two-week siege on the al-Shifa before withdrawing on April 1.

“The harrowing discovery of these mass graves underscores the urgency of ensuring immediate access for human rights investigators, including forensic experts, to the occupied Gaza Strip to ensure that evidence is preserved and to carry out independent and transparent investigations with the aim of guaranteeing accountability for any violations of international law,” senior Amnesty International official Erika Guevara Rosas said in a statement last week .

The Israeli military has claimed that those whom they arrested and killed were militant fighters. But journalists, doctors and other witnesses say most of the victims were civilians or health care workers.  Journalists on the ground in Gaza like Al Jazeera correspondent Hani Mahmoud said that the bodies being found in the mass graves include women, children, patients and medical staff. Some of the corpses found at Nasser were found naked with their hands bound, according to Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the U.N. human rights office.

According to Gaza journalist Bisan Owda, some of the bodies found in the mass graves at Nasser did not have organs, skin or heads. Footage from Owda shows a massive number of body bags surrounded by piles of dirt ― presumably from medics continuing to dig out corpses from the graves ― while family members try to identify their loved ones. She shows one of the corpses in a body bag who had a cast on their leg, signaling they were likely a patient at the hospital when they were killed.