2020-10-21: News Headlines

Medea Benjamin, Nicolas J. S. Davies (2020-10-21). How Biden Flubbed Town Hall Foreign Policy Question. counterpunch.org Toward the end of Joe Biden's October 15 town hall session, a Trump supporter asked Biden the only foreign policy question of the night. "So peace is breaking out all over the world," the questioner claimed. "Our troops are coming home. Serbia is talking to Kosovo. And the Arabs and Israelis are talking peace, which

Shatha Hammad (2020-10-21). 'Paradise lost': How Israel turned the West Bank into a sewage dump for its settlements. middleeasteye.net 'Paradise lost': How Israel turned the West Bank into a sewage dump for its settlements | Untreated wastewater has destroyed the soil of Palestinian villages, causing their often ancient oilve trees to die | Wed, 10/21/2020 – 09: 14 | Residents and farmers say increasing quantities of sewage are being pumped onto their lands from the illegal settlements (MEE/Supplied) | Abdullah Maarouf typically t…

Aaron Maté (2020-10-20). Chomsky: from nuclear weapons to Iran, Trump's worst threats are dangerously ignored. thegrayzone.com Noam Chomsky warns that the Trump administration poses a unique threat to humanity, and its most reckless policies are receiving far too little attention. Noam Chomsky discusses the White House's threats to the New START treaty, the last remaining accord limiting the US and Russia's nuclear weapons arsenals; its latest round of crippling sanctions and threats against Iran; the bipartisan US refusal to accept a Middle East Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, which would terminate Israel's nuclear weapons program; and the silencing of …

Staff (2020-10-20). Headlines for October 20, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Continues Attack on Fauci as U.S. Coronavirus Cases Surge and Death Toll Mounts, SCOTUS Deadlock Hands Victory to Voters in Pennsylvania as Floridians Break Early Voting Record, Debate Commission Announces Changes Ahead of Final Presidential Face-Off, Evo Morales Celebrates Victory of MAS Party, Says He Will Return to Bolivia, Trump Admin to Remove Sudan from U.S. List of Terrorist States, At Least 15 People Killed as Nigerian Protests Against Police Violence Continue, WSJ: U.S. Held Talks with Syrian Intelligence About Missing U.S. Citizens, Palestinian Prisoner in Critical Condition After Nearly 3 Months…

MEE staff (2020-10-20). Israeli firm signs deal to transport UAE oil to Europe. middleeasteye.net Israeli firm signs deal to transport UAE oil to Europe | The deal would create a cheaper, faster way to get oil from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean by bypassing Egypt's Suez Canal via a 'land bridge' | Tue, 10/20/2020 – 21: 37 | EAPC oil storage containers are seen on the shore of Israel's southern city of Ashkelon on 27 January, 2015 (Reuters/File photo) | An Israeli pipeline company has announced a prelimi…

Umar A Farooq (2020-10-20). Keith Ellison faces mounting criticism over attendance at Yitzhak Rabin memorial. middleeasteye.net Keith Ellison faces mounting criticism over attendance at Yitzhak Rabin memorial | Minnesota attorney general has been accused of 'ignoring Palestinian voices' by agreeing to attend event honouring the legacy of late Israeli prime minister | Tue, 10/20/2020 – 18: 26 | Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is slated to appear at a memorial service for former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (…

RT (2020-10-20). Televangelist Pat Robertson predicts Trump will win re-election and bring about THE END TIMES. rt.com Christian Broadcasting Network founder Pat Robertson has predicted that President Donald Trump will secure re-election, which he says will then lead to the end of the world. | "…The next thing is the election that's coming up in just a few weeks, at which time, according to what I believe the Lord told me, the president is going to be re-elected," Robertson prophesized during his show on Tuesday. The preacher then added that Trump's victory is "going to lead to civil unrest, and then a war against Israel and so forth…" | According to Robertson, the war's outcome has also already been pre-determined. "There…

RT (2020-10-20). France will dissolve pro-Hamas Muslim group, as Islamist crackdown continues — Macron. rt.com French President Emmanuel Macron has said that a Hamas-linked Muslim group connected with the beheading of a teacher in Paris will be disbanded. Macron also promised to take "concrete actions" against radical Islamist terrorism. | "We know what needs to be done," the president told reporters in Paris on Tuesday, announcing that a Muslim group connected to Palestinian Hamas militants would be broken up. The group is believed to be linked to the beheading of history teacher Samuel Paty by a teenage Chechen refugee last week. Prior to the killing, Paty had shown his class a caricature of the Prophet Mohammed. | A…

RT (2020-10-20). UAE wants to exchange embassies with Israel 'as soon as possible'. rt.com The United Arab Emirates wants its embassy in Tel Aviv to be opened "as soon as possible" and hopes Israel will reciprocate in Abu Dhabi, the Israeli Foreign Ministry has said, as rapprochement between the former foes continues. | The intention was announced in a letter from Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, delivered to his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi by a high-ranking UAE delegation which landed in Tel Aviv on Tuesday. | In the missive — which, according to Israeli media, was written in Hebrew — Zayed told the Israeli FM that the UAE had "full trust in your unequivocal s…

Nicolas J S Davies (2020-10-20). How Biden Flubbed the Town Hall Foreign Policy Question. progressive.org From praising Trump's deal with Israel to smearing China's president Xi Jinping, Biden's response wasn't just disappointing, it was incorrect.

sputniknews (2020-10-20). US Legislation Seeks Congressional Oversight Over F-35 Exports. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US Senators Bob Menendez and Dianne Feinstein said they introduced legislation to reassert congressional oversight over the exports of F-35 fighter jets and ensure that such deals do not undermine Israel's military superiority in the Middle East.

Tom Anderson (2020-10-20). NSPCC under fire for accepting donations from UK company implicated in the demolition of Palestinian homes. thecanary.co Campaigners are calling on the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) to stop accepting donations from UK company JCB. | JCB equipment used to demolish Palestinian homes: | Last week, The Canary

Mohammad Ayesh (2020-10-19). Arabic press review: Tunisia investigates MP's Facebook post on French teacher beheading. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: Tunisia investigates MP's Facebook post on French teacher beheading | Meanwhile, Arab financial support for the Palestinian government reportedly falls by 82 percent and Bahrainis protest against Israeli visit | Mon, 10/19/2020 – 14: 47 | A man holds a French flag as people gather in Paris on 18 October 2020, to remember teacher Samuel Paty, beheaded by an attacker (AFP) | <...

MEE and agencies (2020-10-19). UAE cabinet approves Israel normalisation deal. middleeasteye.net UAE cabinet approves Israel normalisation deal | First Emirati passenger flight lands at Tel Aviv as UAE government approves establishing relations | Mon, 10/19/2020 – 14: 45 | UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan (L) and his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi are pictured before their historic meeting in Berlin, 6 October (AFP) | The Emirati cabinet has approved an agr…

MEE staff (2020-10-19). Israel and UAE to discuss influx of Gulf tourists to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque. middleeasteye.net Israel and UAE to discuss influx of Gulf tourists to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque | A former Jordanian religious endowment minister tells MEE Amman is 'not interested nor aware nor part of these visits' coordination' | Mon, 10/19/2020 – 15: 43 | Flags of Israel and the United Arab Emirates (AFP) | An Israeli official said on Monday that Israel and the United Arab Emirates had set an agenda to discuss bringing th…

RT (2020-10-19). Be like Bayern: Frank Lampard says he wants his Chelsea side to EMULATE Bundesliga giants. rt.com Ahead of his team's UEFA Champions League opener against Sevilla, Chelsea manager Frank Lampard said he wants his side to hit the level of performance they experienced when they faced Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich last season. | Bayern hammered the London side 7-1 on aggregate last season to eliminate Lampard's youthful Chelsea side from the Champions League at the Round of 16 stage. | And the former Blues midfielder said that his players now know the level they need to play at in order to be successful at the very highest level, and laid down the challenge to them to do just that. | "It is a great platform…

Global Research News (2020-10-19). Selected Articles: Where Are the Borders of the State of Israel? globalresearch.ca By Let no one say — without a vigorous challenge — that the so-called 'new normal' …

yenisafak (2020-10-19). Palestine slams Al-Aqsa visits under Israeli protection. yenisafak.com Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh has criticized visits by Arab delegations to Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque under Israeli police protection."Al-Aqsa Mosque shall be entered through the gate of its owners, not through the gate of the Israeli occupation," Shtayyeh said during the weekly cabinet meeting on Monday."It is sad to see some Arab delegations entering the compound through the Israeli gate, while worshippers are denied access to it to perform their prayers," he said.On Sunday, a delegation from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) visited Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of Israeli forces.T…

Majdi Khaldi (2020-10-19). Where Are the Borders of the State of Israel? Why Do They Refuse to Demarcate Them? globalresearch.ca When you ask any Israeli government official or diplomat about the borders and map of the State of Israel, surely you will not get a clear answer. Successive Israeli governments, backed up by the Zionist movement worldwide, have ambitions to …

Raul Diego (2020-10-19). With an Eye on Nearby Iran, Israeli Weapons Fuel the Violence in Azerbaijan. mintpressnews.com Hoping to profit, protect an important source of oil, and to antagonize nearby Iran, Israel is selling drones and weapons to Azerbaijan, fueling the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Linda Pierce, Santa Cruz News Group (2020-10-19). Manu Koenig and Trail Now PAC Apologize for Anti-Semitic Cartoons Featuring John Leopold. indybay.org Manu Koenig, candidate for Santa Cruz County Supervisor in District 1, has apologized to the Jewish community following the public outcry over the publication of a series of cartoon caricatures considered to be anti-Semitic of his opponent incumbent Supervisor John Leopold, who is Jewish. In an email interview conducted on October 16, Manu Koenig stated: "I was so horrified to realize that the cartoon we had used in our campaign ad about the rail corridor could be considered anti-Semitic. That was not our intention but I now understand how it could be perceived that way given the catalogue of the artists' work. W…

_____ (2020-10-19). Two Deep Mysteries of the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. strategic-culture.org Eric S. MARGOLIS | Forty-seven years ago, Egypt and Syria launched a massive surprise attack on Israeli forces dug into fortifications along the Suez Canal and Golan Heights. The 'limited' Arab objective was to recapture both strategic areas that had been seized from the two Arab states in Israel's victorious 1967 War. | Re-armed with modern — but by no means top drawer — Soviet weapons, Egypt and Syria sought to drive the Israelis back, then wait for the great powers to impose a truce. It was a badly flawed strategy, which assured the heavily armed Israelis would control the military initiative with…

yenisafak (2020-10-19). Israel to face pressure from Democrats if Trump loses: advisor. yenisafak.com US President Donald Trump's loss in the upcoming presidential election would put pressure on Israel in the Middle East, one of his advisors said Monday.If Trump loses the election on Nov. 3 to his opponent Joe Biden, Israel will face pressure from the Democrats to make concessions in Judea and Samaria, Mike Evans, senior Evangelical Christian leader and advisor to Trump, told Israel National News in an interview."This is the most pro-Israel president in American history. But he's not doing so well in the polls," said Evans, who is also the founder of the Friends of Zion Heritage Center in Jerusalem.Evans said alt…

yenisafak (2020-10-19). Palestinian talks not condition for Arab ties: Israel. yenisafak.com A top Israeli intelligence official said on Monday that Israel's normalization with the Arab countries must not be conditioned with advancing negotiations with the Palestinians."The negotiations with the Palestinians must not be a condition or obstacle in front of continuing contacts for normalization with the region's states," Mossad chief Yossi Cohen told the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation.Israeli media reported earlier that Cohen was assigned with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to conduct secret contacts with heads of Arab states.Israel signed recently two normalization deals with the United Arab Emirates…

Staff (2020-10-19). Headlines for October 19, 2020. 18.224.45.15 U.S. COVID-19 Cases Surge as Trump Continues Unmasked Campaign Rallies, Cases Mounting Across Europe as New Restrictions Enacted, Top Palestinian Official Saeb Erekat in Critical Condition with COVID-19, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Accuses Trump of Inspiring, Incentivizing and Inciting Terrorism, White Supremacists Indicted for Arms Trafficking, Murder and Plotting to Bomb Synagogue, Death Toll in Nagorno-Karabakh Fighting Mounts as New Ceasefire Falls Apart, Kyrgyzstan Installs New President, Who Will Also Serve as Prime Minister, Alexei Navalny Calls on Trump to Denounce Use of Chemical Weapons, Car Bomb in…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-18). Bahraini opposition to normalisation with Israel continues to delay full peace deal. middleeasteye.net Bahraini opposition to normalisation with Israel continues to delay full peace deal | Israeli delegation in Manama accompanied by US officials only signed a declaration establishing diplomatic relations | Sun, 10/18/2020 – 10: 30 | Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank have condemned Bahrain's decision to normalise relations with Israel (Reuters) | Continued opposition in Bahrain to the n…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-18). Coronavirus: Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat on ventilator in critical condition. middleeasteye.net Coronavirus: Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat on ventilator in critical condition | Israeli hospital said Erekat's condition deteriorated overnight and that he was also being treated for a bacterial infection | Sun, 10/18/2020 – 13: 47 | Saeb Erekat's negotiating days date back to the earliest public negotiations with Israel in 1991 at the Madrid Conference (AFP) | Palestinian negotiator…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-18). US predicts further Israeli-Arab rapprochement even if Trump loses election. middleeasteye.net US predicts further Israeli-Arab rapprochement even if Trump loses election | Middle East envoy says normalisation deals have bipartisan support in Washington and are designed to bear long-term fruit | Sun, 10/18/2020 – 20: 19 | US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin at a press conference with Bahrain's Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani (R) and Israel's Meir Ben Shabbat, in Manama, Bahrain, 18…

RT (2020-10-18). Israel, Bahrain formalize diplomatic relations during joint US-Israeli visit to Gulf state. rt.com Bahrain has become the fourth Arab nation to formally establish diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv as officials from both states signed a joint communique on the issue during a visit by a high-level US-Israeli delegation to Manama. | The development comes after Bahrain and Israel struck a US-brokered deal on normalization of relations in Washington in mid-September. Now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's national security adviser, Meir Ben-Shabbat, and the US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin flew to the Bahraini capital at the helm of a high-level joint delegation to finalize the issue. | Also on rt.com

RT (2020-10-18). Top Palestinian official Saeb Erekat evacuated to Israel for urgent treatment over Covid-19 complications. rt.com Secretary General of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Saeb Erekat has been urgently transported to Israel due to breathing problems. He contracted Covid-19 two weeks ago. | Erekat, 65, was evacuated from his home in Jericho in the West Bank to the Hadassah Medical Center campus in West Jerusalem's Ein Kerem neighborhood after his condition worsened on Sunday, the PLO Negotiations Affairs Department

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-18). 16th Int'l Resistance FilmFest safeguards Resistance Movement. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 18 (MNA) — The countries of the region and the Islamic Ummah consider the issue of Palestine as their main priority and will fight for the liberation of the Holy Quds and occupied Palestinian territories.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-10-18). Israel's plans for thousands of new illegal settler homes condemned. peoplesdispatch.org Israel had earlier announced the construction of nearly 5,000 new illegal homes for settlers in the occupied West Bank. According to settlement watchdog Peace Now, this makes the total number of houses approved this year at over 12,000…

sputniknews (2020-10-18). Will Sudan Become the Fifth Arab League State to Normalise Ties With Israel? sputniknews.com The US is reportedly pushing Sudan to normalise ties with Israel: the chances the African country would become the next to conclude a peace pact with the Jewish state after the UAE and Bahrain are high, according to political researcher Mohammad Fawzi, who has weighed up the potential consequences of the move.

Gordon Duff (2020-10-17). Trump, Occultism and the Cabbalistic Roots of Evangelical Christianity. thealtworld.com Five hundred years ago, European Christians believed Talmudic Jews murdered Christian children to gather blood. This blood was used in making crackers (matzah). This is called "blood libel" and is a predominant belief among many Europeans, or was, and the basis of much of what is poorly named anti-Semitism. You see, very few European Jews are Semites, the most common race in the Middle East and much of North Africa. | To catch your attention early on, we include this comment from a review of a banned book on Amazon. The book is banned but the comment remains: | Nazism was a Sabbatean-Frankist Jewish creation, and…

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-17). VIDEO: Gaza fires rocket to Zionist town. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 17 (MNA) — The Palestinian Information Center (PIC), on Twitter, released footage illustrating the moment when a rocket was fired from Gaza to the adjacent Zionists town.