Daily Archives: December 25, 2020

2020-12-25: News Headlines

MEE staff (2020-12-25). Netanyahu invites Morocco's King Mohammed VI to visit Israel. middleeasteye.net Netanyahu invites Morocco's King Mohammed VI to visit Israel | Morocco is the fourth Arab nation to normalise ties with Israel in exchange for various incentives | Fri, 12/25/2020 – 22: 45 | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and Morocco's King Mohammed VI congratulated each other over the renewal of ties between the countries (AFP) | Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Morocco's King Mohammed…

Staff (2020-12-25). "The United States of America Has Gone Mad": John le Carré on Iraq War, Israel & U.S. Militarism. democracynow.org The legendary British author John le Carré has died at the age of 89. In the lead-up to the Iraq invasion, John le Carré was a fierce critic of President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. In January 2003, he published a widely read essay called "The United States of America Has Gone Mad." John le Carré read the essay during an appearance on Democracy Now! in 2010.

MEE and agencies (2020-12-25). Turkey's Erdogan indicates better ties with Israel possible. middleeasteye.net Turkey's Erdogan indicates better ties with Israel possible | President says talks at intelligence level continue between the two sides but Israel's policies on Palestine 'unacceptable' | Fri, 12/25/2020 – 11: 19 | The two countries have had several fallings out in recent years, despite strong commercial ties, expelling ambassadors in 2018 (AFP) | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ind…

Mustafa Abu Sneineh (2020-12-25). Al-Akhbar under cyberattack for reporting Saudi and Emirati bankrolling Israel deals. middleeasteye.net Al-Akhbar under cyberattack for reporting Saudi and Emirati bankrolling Israel deals | The Lebanese newspaper published a report on Riyadh and Abu Dhabi's plans to finance the new Arab normalisation agreements with Israel
| Fri, 12/25/2020 – 11: 56 | The reception space of the Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper office in Beirut (Screengrab\Haitham al-Mousawi) | The website of the Le…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-12-24). A Country in Turmoil: Why Netanyahu is a Symptom, Not Cause of Israel's Political Crisis. dissidentvoice.org It is convenient to surmise that Israel's current political crisis is consistent with the country's unfailing trajectory of short-lived governments and fractious ruling coalitions. While this view is somewhat defensible, it is also hasty. Israel is currently at the cusp of a fourth general election in less than two years. Even by Israel's political standards, …

RT (2020-12-24). Syrian air defenses respond to 'Israeli aggression,' explosions heard over Hama countryside — state media. rt.com Syria's air defenses have been activated to repel a suspected 'Israeli attack' in Hama Governorate, as the country's state media report blasts in the skies over Masyaf. | The alleged strikes came on Friday morning, in the early hours of Christmas Day, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency. The attack reportedly targeted military sites near the city of Masyaf, located some 23 miles (37km) west of Hama. | Preliminary information confirms t…

Mohammad Ayesh (2020-12-24). Arabic press review: UAE sends expired Covid-19 kits to Gaza. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: UAE sends expired Covid-19 kits to Gaza | Meanwhile, Kuwait detains six children recruited by Islamic State group via video games; new trial faces Algerian journalist released after serving term for threatening national unity | Thu, 12/24/2020 – 12: 37 | A Palestinian medical worker performs a Covid-19 test on a woman at a mosque in Gaza City on 20 September 2020 | UAE s…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-24). Morocco and the Grand Bargain with US and Israel. peoplesdispatch.org A deal to normalize diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel was signed at the Rabat's Royal Palace, on December 22 in Morocco. The deal has been criticized by prominent Palestinian organizations, as well as by Iran and Hezbollah.

sputniknews (2020-12-24). Explosions Heard in Central Syria, State Media Reports. sputniknews.com The report comes just weeks after the Israeli military admitted it has been conducting operations in Syrian territory this year, but claimed it was aimed at slowing Iran's alleged "entrenchment" in the Arab Republic.

Gershon Baskin (2020-12-24). What will Israel's next government look like? It depends on us. zcomm.org I want my political party to stand for social equality with sufficient safety nets to provide for the weakened sectors of the society…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-12-24). Digital Watchdog Says Facebook Behind 'Intentional Decrease' in Traffic to Pro-Palestinian Pages. commondreams.org Sada Social Center says visits to some pages have plummeted by as much as 80%. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/pal.jpg

Global Research News (2020-12-23). Selected Articles: Staff at Hospitals in DC, Texas Turn Down COVID-19 Vaccine. globalresearch.ca By A long and cruel siege, constant Israeli attacks resulting in the killing of countless civilians, destruction …

Meron Rapoport (2020-12-23). Gideon Saar: The right-winger who could unseat Netanyahu and remake Israel. middleeasteye.net Gideon Saar: The right-winger who could unseat Netanyahu and remake Israel | He's pro-settler, against a Palestinian state and targets asylum seekers. But centrists and left-wingers are flocking to the man likely to become Israel's next prime minister | Wed, 12/23/2020 – 13: 58 | Gideon Saar, Israeli Member of Knesset for Likud, speaks during a rally as he launches his campaign for Likud party l…

Ronnie Kasrils (2020-12-23). Against the witch-hunt. mronline.org Veteran of the fight against Apartheid RONNIE KASRILS warns that the IHRA is being used to suppress left-wing supporters of Palestine, just as anti-communist hysteria was used against the national-liberation movement in South Africa…

Miko Peled (2020-12-23). The Gaza Strip is "Uninhabitable": Israel's Genocide in Gaza Goes Uninterrupted, but Is Europe Finally Taking Notice? globalresearch.ca A long and cruel siege, constant Israeli attacks resulting in the killing of countless civilians, destruction of homes and infrastructure, extreme poverty, and trauma remain the daily bread of Palestinians in Gaza. | *** | A

_____ (2020-12-23). Israel's Genocide In Gaza Goes Uninterrupted. popularresistance.org A report published by the United Nations in 2018 stated that by the year 2020 the Gaza Strip would be uninhabitable. It said specifically that, "the United Nations has stated that Gaza may well be unlivable by 2020." The report emphasized also that "Michael Lynk, Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories Occupied Since 1967, drew attention to Israel's persistent non-cooperation with the Special Rapporteur's mandate. As with his two predecessors, Israel has not granted him entry to visit the country, nor the Occupied Palestinian territory." Anyone who thinks that the Gaza S…

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-23). 'Tie normalization with Tel Aviv a stab in back of Palestine'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 24 (MNA) — Head of political Bureau of Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) said that tie normalization with the Zionist regime is a stab in the back of Palestine and Islamic Ummah.

teleSUR (2020-12-23). Israel Heads to New Elections as Government Collapses. telesurenglish.net Israel will hold its fourth national election in two years amid a political collapse prompted by the dissolution of the Parliament on early Wednesday. | RELATED: | The Knesset (Israeli Parliament) failed to pass a budget law by the midnight Tuesday deadline. That caused the legislative power to dissolve. On Wednesday, the Parliament President Yariv Levin set new elections for late March. | The call for the new…

Ali Harb (2020-12-22). US spending bill: Five gifts to Israel. middleeasteye.net US spending bill: Five gifts to Israel | An enormous US spending bill that accompanied the Covid-19 relief package contains many financial and political perks for Israeli government | Tue, 12/22/2020 – 22: 27 | Israel did not receive coronavirus relief funds, but the aid to its military at a time when Americans are struggling drew criticism (AFP/File photo) | The US Congress has passed an enormous $2.3 trillion s…

WSWS (2020-12-22). Right-wing extremist sentenced to life imprisonment for attack on synagogue in Halle, Germany. wsws.org Stephan Balliet attempted on October 9, 2019, the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, to kill more than 50 people in the synagogue in Halle.

Alison Weir (2020-12-22). U.S.-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act: US Congress Votes $4 Billion to Israel for 2021. globalresearch.ca Congress just voted billions of dollars of U.S. tax money to Israel, No mainstream US media appear to have told Americans that both houses of Congress just voted massive aid to Israel, a tiny country with a long record …