My CNN interview on Lebanese President Aoun's visit to Washington and his meeting with President Trump this week. www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNW1...

Useful read on Eisenkot: “I have never in all my 66 years said the words ‘Palestinian state’,” ... Yet he argues for “separation”: “A reality in which we annex 2.8mn Palestinians [in the West Bank] to Israel will be a severe threat to the Zionist project”. www.ft.com/content/1966...

found this panel insightful on the rubble doctrine & the role of these semi-ceasefires in sustaining a maximalist policy: they ease pressure on Israel and provide a diplomatic smokescreen while the IDF empties entire populations from these regions.

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FT calculates territory under control in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria is about 5% of Israel’s 1949 borders www.ft.com/content/1c15...

“We know that El Niños in general amplify temperatures, so if the impending one is as severe as feared, then we’re in for one hell of a ride,” www.ft.com/content/e15f...

Very thoughtful Treasury secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that his department would issue a new 30-day licence “to provide the most vulnerable nations with the ability to temporarily access Russian oil currently stranded at sea”. www.ft.com/content/df5f...

The important thing is that he called for a ceasefire at a moment when the PM was fully behind the military campaign. Supporting the existence of a Jewish state within internationally recognized borders is not the issue. Maximalist and ideological positions hurt Palestinians more than anyone else

The New Arab@thenewarab.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is preparing for a return to parliament. Although Burnham was one of the few to call for a ceasefire “by all sides" after October 2023, and has made pro-Palestinian comments, he has been accused of “being a Zionist" based on a couple of incidents.

From the FT today on the SAF's Islamist militia: “There is no national army. It is still a political army,” the former officer said, explaining how he and other recruits were originally drafted thanks to their allegiance to the Brotherhood. Most of that officer class remained, he said

The scapegoating of Somali immigrants & trans in this far-right campaign is troubling "At a boxing club he helped set up, Hutch said illegal immigrants should be “interned” in camps. He said he welcomed “genuine” immigrants, added: “Somalians & them kind of ppl — no way.”

“When you participate in democracy, sometimes it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to,” he said. “But you don’t pout. You don’t whine. You don’t claim that the election was stolen.”

"The number of births fell first & fastest in the areas that received high-speed mobile connectivity earliest... smartphones have transformed how young people spend time with one another, sharply reducing inperson socialising & leading to the coll. in their fertility".

The 'Rubble Doctrine' is being framed as a post-October 7 invention. It isn't. It is the culmination of decades of collective punishment, family home demolitions of militants, neighbourhood evacuations, West Bank pogroms. October 7 was the trigger, not the origin www.jpost.com/israel-news/...

The Rubble Doctrine: Inside Israel's new security policy in southern Lebanon | The Jerusalem Post

NATIONAL AFFAIRS: The destruction of El-Khiam reflects a profound shift in Israeli military thinking after October 7: deny the enemy not only the desire, but the capability, to strike.

jpost.com

The Israeli aggression on South Lebanon is threatening the rock hyrax, locally known as Tabsoun, as widespread explosions are destroying the rocky habitats it depends on, particularly in Bayyadah and along the Naqoura coast, both of which have recently seen heavy detonations. 🧵

Since the end of last year, so at the rate of 8 thousand every month: UN says Israel displaced nearly 40,000 Palestinians in West Bank | Middle East Eye

UN says Israel displaced nearly 40,000 Palestinians in West Bank

Israel has driven nearly 40,000 Palestinians from their homes across the occupied West Bank since the start of last year, according to the United Nations.

middleeasteye.net

The numbers show a major jump in recent years, with the Moroccan community in Israel reaching 190,607 people, up from 158,396 in the previous 2024 report. That rise … pushed Moroccans ahead of Ukrainians & Russians in Israel, 151,855, & 126,688, respectively en.hespress.com/137476-moroc...

That's the face of an Israeli Arab lawyer after a police raid. The reason is in the fourth paragraph: "The raid was launched following a noise complaint filed by one of the officers involved, who lives nearby." www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

Leaked video of Arab lawyer's violent arrest contradicts Israel Police account

Three Police Officers, One of Whom Lives Nearby in the Southern Israeli City of Be'er Sheva, Entered the Apartment Without a Warrant. The Lawyer Was Hospitalized and Underwent Surgery for Fractures an...

haaretz.com

Excellent piece to understand the dilemmas Lebanese people are facing while the gouvernment is overstretched under contradictory pressures from the Israeli agression and it's supposed allies, the USA and Saudi Arabia

Mohanad Hage Ali@mohanad.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Lebanon's crackdown on border smuggling in Akkar may be necessary, but it risks pulling the economic rug from under communities that the state has neglected for decades. My latest on Summaqiyyeh and the fragile peace on Lebanon's northern border carnegieendowment.org/middle-east/...

China has likely almost tripled its stockpile of nuclear warheads since 2019. It’s not slowing down. And the U.S. is taking notice. Are the two countries on a road to nuclear disaster? @tongzhao.bsky.social unpacks, for @foreignaffairs.com: www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

China and America Are Courting Nuclear Catastrophe

The consequences of Beijing’s weapons buildup.

foreignaffairs.com

Lebanon's crackdown on border smuggling in Akkar may be necessary, but it risks pulling the economic rug from under communities that the state has neglected for decades. My latest on Summaqiyyeh and the fragile peace on Lebanon's northern border carnegieendowment.org/middle-east/...

Smuggling and Civil Peace on Lebanon’s Border: The Case of Summaqiyyeh

The Lebanese authorities’ clampdown on illicit cross-border activity threatens to leave inhabitants of the historically neglected village, and the wider Akkar region, in an economically precarious…

carnegieendowment.org

Love this

Rima I Anabtawi@rimaanabtawi.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Long before the Israeli police detained me last week, my special skullcap had received strong reactions from Palestinians and struck up meaningful conversations with right wingers. It's got to be doing something right By Alex Sinclair www.haaretz.com/opinion/2026...

Steve, yes you’re totally right about so much and it’s amazing to hear you speak so directly, we just need to talk about the Abraham Accords. Call me, k?

Brian Rosenworcel@brianrosenworcel.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Steve Kerr spot on as usual

Well said. Israel today is a collection of ethnic cleansing operations, in Gaza, the West Bank and South Lebanon. This wide scale violence will continue to shape Israeli society

Rima I Anabtawi@rimaanabtawi.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Racist violence will not confine itself to “the other”, inevitably it infects all. Jewish Israeli teenagers beat an Ethiopian Israeli to death on Independence Day because he asked them not to spray confetti in the pizza place he worked in. www.timesofisrael.com/six-teens-ar...

@alihashem reports from Tehran: Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has partially recovered from his injuries and is walking again for the first time since the strike that killed his father. He reportedly survived 2 assassination attempts during the war. Worth a read. aljadah.media/archives/85726

خيوط العمامة ما زالت متشابكة: إيران ليست بلا رأس | الجادّة

من يحكم إيران؟ يستمر الرئيس الأميركي دونالد في طرح السؤال بين تصريحٍ وآخر، كأنّه يؤكد فعلًا أن طهران اليوم تسير من دون حاكم حقيقي، ومن دون قائد جديد. لعلّها رغبته في إثبات صحة ادّعائه الدائم بأنّه…

aljadah.media

Lebanon should lower public expectations on negotiations, not to concede, but to deny Hezbollah the narrative win every time talks hit a wall. Set the right framework, use technical diplomats, and don’t hand Israel free concessions.

Lebanon Needs a New Negotiating Strategy with Israel

Unless Beirut lowers expectations, any setbacks will end up bolstering Hezbollah’s narrative.

carnegieendowment.org

My latest on the conflict and what Lebanon’s negotiation strategy should look like carnegieendowment.org/middle-east/...

Lebanon Needs a New Negotiating Strategy with Israel

Unless Beirut lowers expectations, any setbacks will end up bolstering Hezbollah’s narrative.

carnegieendowment.org

Italian UNIFIL soldiers rebuilt the statue of Jesus Christ that was smashed by Israeli soldiers in the town of Debel, in southern Lebanon. Yesterday, the Israeli army sent a statue to the village to replace the one that was smashed, but it was rejected by the residents.

Israel’s footprint in South Lebanon and Southern Syria is starting to look a lot like Gaza and the West Bank

New Lines Magazine@newlinesmag.bsky.social · 4mo ago

NEW: In Syria's Quneitra, Israeli soldiers raid homes, set up checkpoints and shoot cattle. Residents describe a fragile accommodation and a government in Damascus that lacks the means to push back, reports Anagha Nair for @newlinesmag.bsky.social . newlinesmag.com/spotlight/li...

IDF commanders told Haaretz that southern Lebanon is being demolished “like Gaza.” The declared goal is to prevent civilians from being able to return. Both are war crimes punishable under international law. www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

'Like Gaza': IDF razes south Lebanon villages during cease-fire, sources say

Sources Describe a Policy Modeled on Gaza Operations, With Contractors and Heavy Machinery Demolishing Civilian Infrastructure South of the Litani; Officials Say It Aims to Prevent Residents' Return a...

haaretz.com

A ceasefire is meaningless while Israel pursues 2 parallel operations: expanding its territorial hold through bombardment, & systematically demolishing border villages. A deal that doesn't address both tracks is a partial pause, not a foundation for anything, certainly not worth free concessions

وقف النار لا يعني شيئاً إذا كان الاحتلال مستمراً في عملية تدمير قرى الحدود. العمليات الاسرائيلية حالياً شقان، الأول على ارتباط بتوسيع رقعة الاحتلال والقصف ضد أهداف عسكرية ومدنية، والثانية تدمير قرى سيطر عليها. أي وقف للنار لا يأخذ طبيعة هذه العمليات في الاعتبار، هو وقف جزئي لا يستحق تنازلات مجانية