veteranstoday--2020-02-21--Bernie Sanders; the Jew Who is Uniting America.

From his first run against the warmongering neoliberal Hilary Clinton , I became convinced , someone like Bernie Sanders , a Jew , will bring back a runaway government back to the people .
Some accuse him of being “ socialists ” even “ progressive ” ( nothing wrong ) with that , he will bring our runaway government back the people , cheated out of the nomination by Obama and his gangs in the DNC .
Throughout his political career , Bernie Sanders been consistent with his political , social , economic ideologies and his commitment to social and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans who have been disfranchised from politically , economically if not legally by the political establishment in Washington .
Yes , some people , due to lack of knowledge or understanding , accuse Bernie Sanders of “ Socialism ” as if “ Socialism ” is a poison , the plague because they think that the government will take away from them not to give them back what is theirs in the first place .
It is your money and you are entitled to it .
There are no give away , no charity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Democratic Socialism ” is not Communism ; it is not “ Communist Socialism ; it is when the government and its citizens are on the same wavelength .
Making sure every citizen and every household have the minimum to have an honorable dignified life , with no one , even those poor Whites who voted for Trump can have a decent lifestyle without the need for food stamps or food bank .
In Sweden , where the idea originated after the Great Famine , which ravaged Sweden in the 30th , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that NO Swede will be left behind .
No Swede will be lacking the basic needs of an honorable life , a decent house , “ just enough to live on.
” Anyone who wants more of anything must pay for it .
That is why you will find all Swedes ’ have decent housing , transportation in a country with many millionaires and billionaires .
No one will take away your money or wealth .
For sure , you will not be poorer under “ Democratic Socialism.
” Your tax dollars used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they deserve from affordable housing to free schools to affordable universal medical coverage , not to provide corporate welfare .
It is unconscionable the cumulative salaries and benefits of health care industry executives exceed $ 2 Billion a year .
With average wages of these executives between $ 28-17 million a year when the average household income is around $ 57,000 , which means these executives in one day earn what a family earns working hard the whole year .
With trillions wasted on stupid endless wars , our leadership says we could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or affordable education or decent , affordable housing .
Yet , we can afford to spend trillions on wars on Iraq and Afghanistan and on a Pentagon that did not win a war since WWII .
Not sure when President Trump or any of the Democratic candidates visited rural America or small-town America and saw depilated housing , poor neighborhoods infested with drugs and alcohol and unemployment , not only the Black neighborhood but White as well .
There are no reasons whatsoever to deny tens of millions of school children affordable breakfast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and major corporations tax-free rides .
How can a hardworking family shuffling several jobs accept to pay taxes when Billionaires and other significant corporations pay ZERO fees on billions of incomes ?
Yes , Uncle , brother “ Bernie the Jew ” who thinks out of the box wants to change all that .
During his last and this campaign , unlike the other candidates who hold a closed meeting with millionaires , Bernie made sure his campaign funded by private citizens $ 25 even $ 40 per donations .
In contrast with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Adelson , the billionaire casino magnate , and an Israeli loyalist .
Why are Americans afraid of transforming the American political and economic system to a system that serves the people , all the people on equal footing ?
Not two tiers system one for the poor and one for the rich .
Why do we trust the “ Wolves of Wall Street , ” their greedy , reckless criminal neglect cheated and fleeced tens of millions of hardworking Americans out of their life time saving and retirement fund .
Worst they got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Republicans is beholding to Wall Street and AIPAC to the tune of $ 70 Billion to Israel .
How can anyone explain the presence of over 50 million living below poverty lines or have to work two jobs to survive ?
How can anyone tell young college graduates who burdened with student loans ( private companies owned by Wall Street ) who will never be able to save a down payment on a home even if they worked for 20 years ?
That is why this Veterans , this Muslim , this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jew .
Give Bernie the chance to change America to be the country of all of its people .
No wonder Wall Street , DNC , Main Stream Media , and AIPAC are out to deny him the nomination .
Ps .
Bernie Sanders ’ s presidency may be the best way to defeat Anti-Semitism in America .

From his first run against the warmongering neoliberal Hilary Clinton, I became convinced, someone like Bernie Sanders, a Jew, will bring back a runaway government back to the people. Some accuse him of being “socialists” even “progressive” (nothing wrong) with that, he will bring our runaway government back the people, cheated out of the nomination by Obama and his gangs in the DNC.
Throughout his political career, Bernie Sanders been consistent with his political, social, economic ideologies and his commitment to social and equitable justice for Middle Class and poor Americans who have been disfranchised from politically, economically if not legally by the political establishment in Washington.
Yes, some people, due to lack of knowledge or understanding, accuse Bernie Sanders of “Socialism” as if “Socialism” is a poison, the plague because they think that the government will take away from them not to give them back what is theirs in the first place. It is your money and you are entitled to it. There are no give away, no charity, but fair use of tax dollars.
“Democratic Socialism” is not Communism; it is not “Communist Socialism; it is when the government and its citizens are on the same wavelength.
Making sure every citizen and every household have the minimum to have an honorable dignified life, with no one, even those poor Whites who voted for Trump can have a decent lifestyle without the need for food stamps or food bank.
In Sweden, where the idea originated after the Great Famine, which ravaged Sweden in the 30th, the government and people came into agreement that NO Swede will be left behind. No Swede will be lacking the basic needs of an honorable life, a decent house, “just enough to live on.” Anyone who wants more of anything must pay for it. That is why you will find all Swedes’ have decent housing, transportation in a country with many millionaires and billionaires. No one will take away your money or wealth. For sure, you will not be poorer under “Democratic Socialism.”
Your tax dollars used wisely to allow citizens the decent living they deserve from affordable housing to free schools to affordable universal medical coverage, not to provide corporate welfare.
It is unconscionable the cumulative salaries and benefits of health care industry executives exceed $2 Billion a year. With average wages of these executives between $28-17 million a year when the average household income is around $57,000, which means these executives in one day earn what a family earns working hard the whole year.
With trillions wasted on stupid endless wars, our leadership says we could not afford universal health coverage or free or affordable education or decent, affordable housing. Yet, we can afford to spend trillions on wars on Iraq and Afghanistan and on a Pentagon that did not win a war since WWII.
Not sure when President Trump or any of the Democratic candidates visited rural America or small-town America and saw depilated housing, poor neighborhoods infested with drugs and alcohol and unemployment, not only the Black neighborhood but White as well.
There are no reasons whatsoever to deny tens of millions of school children affordable breakfast or lunch while we are giving Billionaires and major corporations tax-free rides.
How can a hardworking family shuffling several jobs accept to pay taxes when Billionaires and other significant corporations pay ZERO fees on billions of incomes?
Yes, Uncle, brother “Bernie the Jew” who thinks out of the box wants to change all that. During his last and this campaign, unlike the other candidates who hold a closed meeting with millionaires, Bernie made sure his campaign funded by private citizens $25 even $40 per donations. In contrast with President Trump getting $100 million for Adelson, the billionaire casino magnate, and an Israeli loyalist.
Why are Americans afraid of transforming the American political and economic system to a system that serves the people, all the people on equal footing? Not two tiers system one for the poor and one for the rich. Why do we trust the “Wolves of Wall Street,” their greedy, reckless criminal neglect cheated and fleeced tens of millions of hardworking Americans out of their life time saving and retirement fund. Worst they got away with it because Obama no different from Republicans is beholding to Wall Street and AIPAC to the tune of $70 Billion to Israel.
How can anyone explain the presence of over 50 million living below poverty lines or have to work two jobs to survive? How can anyone tell young college graduates who burdened with student loans (private companies owned by Wall Street) who will never be able to save a down payment on a home even if they worked for 20 years?
Time for Main Street America to wake up and understand that “Democratic Socialism “is not Communism, that no one is taking their money away to give to the poor, i.e., Blacks. Time for Americans to understand that Neoliberalism is as dangerous to our existence and freedoms as Communism.
That is why this Veterans, this Muslim, this Palestinians is voting for Uncle Bernie the Jew. Give Bernie the chance to change America to be the country of all of its people. No wonder Wall Street, DNC, Main Stream Media, and AIPAC are out to deny him the nomination.
Ps. Bernie Sanders’s presidency may be the best way to defeat Anti-Semitism in America.


veteranstoday--2020-02-21--Breaking NEO: Turkey, So Much We Aren’t Being Told

By Gordon Duff and New Eastern Outlook , Moscow ( Established in 1816 ) Despite every effort to mediate over the increase in violence in Idlib , it has become clear that Turkey ’ s root intentions are to retain , or attempt to retain , Syrian territory it has long coveted .
To do this , Turkey , as the other Sochi Agreement partners , Iran and Russia , see it , has failed to keep its word .
Turkey has clearly failed to separate terrorists recognized as such , though supported openly by the West , from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saying ?
“ Sochi ” never stood on strong ground as long as it humored Erdogan by allowing him to continue war on Syria .
Sochi was intended to be a process , one that has now clearly failed , unless , of course , an unexpected de-escalation can be brought about .
But Turkey has a side as well and is now choosing to blame Iran for the deterioration in events , events that of mid-February 2020 shows that despite Turkey ’ s military intervention , the Syrian Arab Army , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Aerospace capability , is soundly defeating all terrorist groups .
From Anadolou Agency , an Istanbul based news agency that can be said to represent Turkish interests : “ Following the Arab spring , the historical competition between Iran and Turkey has gained momentum .
While Turkey is supporting grassroots movements in the region within the framework of stable peace and democratization vision , Iran is making use of the lack of authority by reorganizing proxy powers like Hezbollah , utilizing differences between sects , thus creating its own faithful Shiite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the two countries have different visions for the Middle East and created more tension in relations .
Turkey ’ s vision of regional development and integration is pitched against Iran ’ s regional strategy prioritizing geopolitical wins .
The most important ground for this conflict has become Syria .
In terms of the Syrian civil war , Iran has stood against Turkey from the very beginning and placed more than 80 Shiite militias in Syria .
Not once reacting to Israel ’ s hundreds of air attacks in the south of the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Army on the northern front .
Ignoring Ankara ’ s concerns in the fight against terrorism during Operation Peace Spring , Tehran is now setting its Shiite militias in the field in motion against Turkey , who is actively endeavoring to prevent a humanitarian crisis .
Following Russia ’ s support for Turkey after the July 15 coup attempt , Ankara and Moscow have been in a process of convergence policy .
The two countries have embraced the “ win-win ” approach rather than zero-sum competition in Syria .
Instead of conflict @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Not having played a role in Ankara-Moscow convergence policies specifically about the issue of Syria , Tehran had to include itself in this process later .
However , despite all of these efforts for collaboration , Russia ’ s and especially Iran ’ s aims in Syria have started to conflict with Turkey ’ s national interests .
Upon attacks in Idlib , this conflict is now for the plain eye to see .
While at this point Russia shows from time to time that it is open for negotiations if necessary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equates Assad ’ s survival to its own now.
” What we can see here , clearly , is that Turkey is prepared to come to terms , at some point with Russia .
What is also clear is that continual statements from Russia making clear their intent to back Syria until 100 % of territory is retaken from terrorist control , are not being listened to .
Were one to look at the situation , on the ground in Syria , at the time of writing , Iran is moving significant forces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iran is deeply resentful of the US and the assassination of Soleimani , particularly since the New York Times article that has made the actions on the part of the US so much more serious than simply the murder of a high-ranking perceived enemy .
From the New York Times , February 14 , 2020 : “ Washington ordered the assassination of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani to sabotage de-escalation talks between Iran , Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates following a report by Israel ’ s Mossad spy agency , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paper reported on Thursday that General Soleimani had been arranging talks in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates in order to de-escalate tensions with Tehran .
The Times wrote that the talks happened after Saudi Arabia and the UAE , which are central to the Trump administration ’ s so-called regional alliance seeking to pressure Iran , began to question the efficiency of Washington ’ s anti-Iran campaign .
According to the report , one such meeting took place last September in Abu Dhabi , the capital of the United Arab Emirates where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” landed for talks .
News of the meeting , which reached Washington only after it was notified by reports from American spy agencies , “ set off alarms inside the White House ” , according to the report .
The report added that a similar mediation attempt , also arranged by Gen. Soleimani , was underway between Tehran and Riyadh using Iraqi and Pakistani intermediaries .
The report wrote that the developments had greatly concerned Israel , which had been trying to push the Trump administration to exert more pressure on Tehran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Mossad chief Yossi Cohen on October during a trip to Israel where he was briefed on Iran ’ s attempted de-escalation talks with Saudi Arabia and the UAE .
Cohen warned Pompeo that Tehran was effectively on the verge of achieving its “ primary goal ” of breaking up the so-called “ anti-Iran ” alliance .
A few months later in early January , General Soleimani was assassinated by Washington ’ s order while on a formal visit to Baghdad.
” A February 16 , 2020 article @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Israeli statesman and figure among those opposed to Netanyahu ’ s policies , was telling .
Kadmi is clear on one thing , though Israel is staying out of the conflict in Idlib , Israel sees it as a red line having a Turkish backed regime in Damascus .
Kedmi , who has a long history in clandestine operations , has perhaps the clearest argument thus far , most likely due to his position , “ well back from the table.
” “ Now in Idlib is the largest group of terrorists , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support of Erdogan , they would have long been destroyed .
Turkey has always had claims to the northern territories of Syria .
Turkey now has impudent rhetoric .
Turks deliver weapons to terrorists in Idlib , they protect their remains , not only that , they also sent Turkish troops there .
Why is the Idlib region so important , because it is from there that the constant terrorist attacks on the Syrian troops are carried out and there can be no peace in Syria without the liquidation of this group .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ constantly subjected to attacks by the Isis , moreover , attacks from terrorists launching drones at the Khmeimim base come from there , and this is a threat to the Russian military group .
Russia is tired of all this ; the Turks are not doing anything to curb terrorists .
On the other hand , Idlib is Syrian territory and why Russia should restrain Syrian forces ?
Turkey is preventing today from establishing stability and order in Syria .
In this situation , Russia has only one way out to pacify this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of force , other options simply do not exist .
Aside , Russia can no longer sit .
Things can go so far that Russia can deliver an ultimatum to Turkey , if Turkey uses artillery when the Syrian forces attack terrorists , it will be suppressed by the airborne forces , and if Turkey takes off planes they will be shot down .
For Russia , peace in Syria is important , since in the future there will be two Russian bases in this country , without which Russia will no longer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black Sea .
So , Russia will support the Syrian troops in Idlib so that the Turks do not speak and threaten there , Russia has no other choice.
” There is yet a more sinister view of events that ties Erdogan ’ s actions to broader issues both internally for Turkey and failing relations and broken promise involving Europe .
The material below is from an intelligence briefing held in Damascus , no public nor press allowed , translated from Russian by VT ’ s Damascus bureau , the only media invited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previously proclaimed principles – “ zero problems with neighbors ” is suffering a terrible collapse .
Turkey ’ s problems are growing from all sides , both from Iran and from Syria , but most importantly , the position of the United States and its “ NATO allies ” in the form of France is completely incomprehensible .
France is the “ Rothschild Sword ” .
And the Rothschilds are not happy with Erdogan .
They need control over the Israel-Egypt-Greece-EU gas pipeline , and the rest of Libya ’ s hydrocarbon wealth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ controllers of Macron , for whom he worked at “ the bank.
” Add to this that , despite all the bravura statements about the “ victories ” of the rebels , their losses are growing , and panic is emerging in the ranks .
Moreover , in the speeches of Erdogan , the word “ hopeless ” is always there to be heard , perhaps through the silence and deception .
The situation itself can not be regulated by force of arms .
Obviously , the Turkish Mujahideen will not be able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even if Turkey will stand at their side .
Neither the US nor the EU or NATO will support the Turks and never allow the Mujahideen Erdogan to power in Damascus .
Israel will never allow the Turkish army to go to its borders .
This is a dead end.
” What is clear here is that the Idlib conflict is being played out on a broader field than amateur analysts have perceived .
Thus , what we see is that Turkey is chasing oil and gas , predictably , onshore in Idlib @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which , quite probably led to the fake “ Arab Spring ” moves against Damascus , but also offshore in Cyprus and in Turkish ambitions in Libya .
It is these interests and Turkish military involvement in Libya that has raised the bar as far as potential Turkish conflict with key EU members .
More from the same source : “ In Libya , the situation is even worse , Erdogan does not seem to understand with whom he contracted , Sarraj and his PNS , these are just puppets who do not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There is an inter-tribal war in the country , and the main violin is played by Misurata fighters , which are essentially crypto-Jewish tribes , at one time formally converted to Islam .
In fact , they pursue only their own goals and those of Israel , through its puppet Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Egypt who supports Haftar.
” ( text redacted ) This adds to the mix Israel ’ s interest in becoming a major player in oil and gas , not just in Mediterranean offshore deposits but in controlling pipelines and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hydrocarbon proxy wars .
More : “ It is completely unclear how Erdogan , who knocks on the door of the EU and wants to become a member of the EU , wants to combine the challenge of all the “ great powers ” with the desire to join the EU ?
In Europe , France and Greece , as well as reflecting ( as yet ) Italy , have put together an anti-Turkish coalition .
But what if Russia joins this coalition ?
Of course , Russia absolutely does not need an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its own interests in Libya and Syria .
Moreover , no one in Europe as a whole is ready to see the new Ottoman Empire at their borders.
” With Britain leaving the EU and a new NATO bolstered by a cartoonish American regime , the reality of a new Ottoman Empire takes on a life of its own , an increasingly important life as Erdogan ’ s political position domestically becomes increasingly tenuous as the Lira dissolves into worthlessness .
The Ottoman enclaves in the Balkans and the Gates of Vienna bring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that has already engulfed Macedonia and one that sees new opportunities for expansion across the Bosporus .
More : “ Erdogan is and always has been Muslim Brotherhood , and that will never be allowed in Europe .
( Foreign Minister ) Chavushoglu , the other day with irritation , spoke about not understanding why Turkey can not join the EU .
He said that Turkey ’ s patience is running out .
And then what ?
Military operation against the EU ?
But this is for the sake of “ joke – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic growth and generally prosperity under the Ottoman flag , but he did not begin to link the actual military confrontation with Greece , Cyprus and now France with the entry into the European Union .
The EU is already experiencing hard times , and the appearance of neo – Ottomans in its ranks will mean that the two Vienna battles were in vain .
Turkey will begin to crush the Bulgarians and Macedonians and Bosnians , and even the Greeks themselves , moreover , by purely economic methods and economic expansion .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ observe neo-Ottoman revenge in the Middle East .
But he has no choice .
Either successes in foreign policy , supported by pro-Islamic slogans , or defeat in the elections.
” Turkey ’ s military , though competent and robust , is incapable of extended military operations within the Middle East .
The “ neighborhood ” is far too dangerous , particularly if Turkey is forced to operate armor without air cover , something denied them in Syria .
A policy of “ dancing with terrorists ” in Syria or turning to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 2016 coup attempt against him , or , worse still , verbal threats , has left Erdogan in an unenviable position .
What is before him is “ door number one , ” where Erdogan can choose to work with Russia to build a regional trade and economic sphere where military conflict will no longer be an issue .
Gordon Duff is a Marine combat veteran of the Vietnam War that has worked on veterans and POW issues for decades and consulted with governments challenged by security issues .
He ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ board of Veterans Today , especially for the online magazine “ New Eastern Outlook .
”

By Gordon Duff and New Eastern Outlook, Moscow (Established in 1816)
Despite every effort to mediate over the increase in violence in Idlib, it has become clear that Turkey’s root intentions are to retain or attempt to retain, Syrian territory it has long coveted.
To do this, Turkey, as the other Sochi Agreement partners, Iran and Russia, see it, has failed to keep its word. Turkey has clearly failed to separate terrorists recognized as such, though supported openly by the West, from the terrorists it supports. What are we saying?
“Sochi” never stood on strong ground as long as it humored Erdogan by allowing him to continue the war on Syria. Sochi was intended to be a process, one that has now clearly failed, unless, of course, an unexpected de-escalation can be brought about.
But Turkey has aside as well and is now choosing to blame Iran for the deterioration in events, events that of mid-February 2020 shows that despite Turkey’s military intervention, the Syrian Arab Army, with aid by Iranian ground forces and Russia’s Aerospace capability, is soundly defeating all terrorist groups.
From Anadolou Agency, an Istanbul based news agency that can be said to represent Turkish interests:
“Following the Arab spring, the historical competition between Iran and Turkey has gained momentum.
While Turkey is supporting grassroots movements in the region within the framework of stable peace and democratization vision, Iran is making use of the lack of authority by reorganizing proxy powers like Hezbollah, utilizing differences between sects, thus creating its own faithful Shiite militia forces.
In this process, the two countries have different visions for the Middle East and created more tension in relations.
Turkey’s vision of regional development and integration is pitched against Iran’s regional strategy prioritizing geopolitical wins. The most important ground for this conflict has become Syria.
In terms of the Syrian civil war, Iran has stood against Turkey from the very beginning and placed more than 80 Shiite militias in Syria. Not once reacting to Israel’s hundreds of air attacks in the south of the country, Tehran was aggressively against Turkey-backed Syrian National Army on the northern front.
Ignoring Ankara’s concerns in the fight against terrorism during Operation Peace Spring, Tehran is now setting its Shiite militias in the field in motion against Turkey, who is actively endeavoring to prevent a humanitarian crisis.
Following Russia’s support for Turkey after the July 15 coup attempt, Ankara and Moscow have been in a process of convergence policy.
The two countries have embraced the “win-win” approach rather than zero-sum competition in Syria. Instead of conflict, they have now decided to cooperate.
Not having played a role in Ankara-Moscow convergence policies specifically about the issue of Syria, Tehran had to include itself in this process later. However, despite all of these efforts for collaboration, Russia’s and especially Iran’s aims in Syria have started to conflict with Turkey’s national interests.
Upon attacks in Idlib, this conflict is now for the plain eye to see. While at this point Russia shows from time to time that it is open for negotiations if necessary and Assad is not irreplaceable, Iran equates Assad’s survival to its own now.”
What we can see here, clearly, is that Turkey is prepared to come to terms, at some point with Russia. What is also clear is that continual statements from Russia making clear their intent to back Syria until 100% of the territory is retaken from terrorist control, are not being listened to.
Were one to look at the situation, on the ground in Syria, at the time of writing, Iran is moving significant forces into the region including IRGC units.
Iran is deeply resentful of the US and the assassination of Soleimani, particularly since the New York Times article that has made the actions on the part of the US so much more serious than simply the murder of a high-ranking perceived enemy. From the New York Times, February 14, 2020:
“Washington ordered the assassination of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani to sabotage de-escalation talks between Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates following a report by Israel’s Mossad spy agency, according to the New York Times.
The paper reported on Thursday that General Soleimani had been arranging talks in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in order to de-escalate tensions with Tehran.
The Times wrote that the talks that happened after Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which are central to the Trump administration’s so-called regional alliance seeking to pressure Iran, began to question the efficiency of Washington’s anti-Iran campaign.
According to the report, one such meeting took place last September in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates where a plane carrying “senior Iranian officials” landed for talks.
News of the meeting, which reached Washington only after it was notified by reports from American spy agencies, “set off alarms inside the White House”, according to the report. The report added that a similar mediation attempt, also arranged by Gen. Soleimani, was underway between Tehran and Riyadh using Iraqi and Pakistani intermediaries.
The report wrote that the developments had greatly concerned Israel, which had been trying to push the Trump administration to exert more pressure on Tehran.
According to the Times, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Mossad chief Yossi Cohen in October during a trip to Israel where he was briefed on Iran’s attempted de-escalation talks with Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Cohen warned Pompeo that Tehran was effectively on the verge of achieving its “primary goal” of breaking up the so-called “anti-Iran” alliance. A few months later in early January, General Soleimani was assassinated by Washington’s order while on a formal visit to Baghdad.”
A February 16, 2020 article by Jakov Kadmi, a Soviet-born Israeli statesman and figure among those opposed to Netanyahu’s policies, was telling. Kadmi is clear on one thing, though Israel is staying out of the conflict in Idlib, Israel sees it as a red line having a Turkish backed regime in Damascus.
Kedmi, who has a long history in clandestine operations, has perhaps the clearest argument thus far, most likely due to his position, “well back from the table.”
“Now in Idlib is the largest group of terrorists, and Turkey supports them. Without the support of Erdogan, they would have long been destroyed. Turkey has always had claims to the northern territories of Syria.
Turkey now has impudent rhetoric. Turks deliver weapons to terrorists in Idlib, they protect their remains, not only that, but they also sent Turkish troops there.
Why is the Idlib region so important, because it is from there that the constant terrorist attacks on the Syrian troops are carried out and there can be no peace in Syria without the liquidation of this group.
Since Aleppo is nearby, it is constantly subjected to attacks by the Isis, moreover, attacks from terrorists launching drones at the Khmeimim base come from there, and this is a threat to the Russian military group.
Russia is tired of all this; the Turks are not doing anything to curb terrorists. On the other hand, Idlib is Syrian territory and why Russia should restrain Syrian forces? Turkey is preventing today from establishing stability and order in Syria.
In this situation, Russia has only one way out to pacify this Turkish Sultan – this is the use of force, other options simply do not exist. Aside, Russia can no longer sit.
Things can go so far that Russia can deliver an ultimatum to Turkey, if Turkey uses artillery when the Syrian forces attack terrorists, it will be suppressed by the airborne forces, and if Turkey takes off planes they will be shot down.
For Russia, peace in Syria is important, since in the future there will be two Russian bases in this country, without which Russia will no longer be able to ensure security in the Black Sea.
So, Russia will support the Syrian troops in Idlib so that the Turks do not speak and threaten there, Russia has no other choice.”
There is yet a more sinister view of events that ties Erdogan’s actions to broader issues both internally for Turkey and failing relations and broken promises involving Europe.
The material below is from an intelligence briefing held in Damascus, no public nor press allowed, translated from Russian by VT’s Damascus bureau, the only media invited:
“One of Erdogan’s previously proclaimed principles – “zero problems with neighbors” is suffering a terrible collapse. Turkey’s problems are growing from all sides, both from Iran and from Syria, but most importantly, the position of the United States and its “NATO allies” in the form of France is completely incomprehensible.
France is the “Rothschild Sword”. And the Rothschilds are not happy with Erdogan.
They need control over the Israel-Egypt-Greece-EU gas pipeline, and the rest of Libya’s hydrocarbon wealth, which is very necessary for the controllers of Macron, for whom he worked at “the bank.”
Add to this that, despite all the bravura statements about the “victories” of the rebels, their losses are growing, and panic is emerging in the ranks. Moreover, in the speeches of Erdogan, the word “hopeless” is always there to be heard, perhaps through the silence and deception.
In Syria, Erdogan faces a political impasse.
The situation itself cannot be regulated by the force of arms. Obviously, the Turkish Mujahideen will not be able to win a decisive military victory, even if Turkey will stand at their side. Neither the US nor the EU or NATO will support the Turks and never allow the Mujahideen Erdogan to power in Damascus.
Israel will never allow the Turkish army to go to its borders. This is a dead end.”
What is clear here is that the Idlib conflict is being played out on a broader field than amateur analysts have perceived. Thus, what we see is that Turkey is chasing oil and gas, predictably, onshore in Idlib, the deposits recognized in 2012 and which, quite probably led to the fake “Arab Spring” moves against Damascus, but also offshore in Cyprus and in Turkish ambitions in Libya. It is these interests and Turkish military involvement in Libya that has raised the bar as far as potential Turkish conflict with key EU members.
More from the same source:
“In Libya, the situation is even worse, Erdogan does not seem to understand with whom he contracted, Sarraj and his PNS, these are just puppets who do not control the situation in the country.
There is an inter-tribal war in the country, and the main violin is played by Misurata fighters, which are essentially crypto-Jewish tribes, at one time formally converted to Islam. In fact, they pursue only their own goals and those of Israel, through its puppet Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Egypt who supports Haftar.” (text redacted)
This adds to the mix of Israel’s interest in becoming a major player in oil and gas, not just in Mediterranean offshore deposits but in controlling pipelines and in following America’s lead in hydrocarbon proxy wars. More:
“It is completely unclear how Erdogan, who knocks on the door of the EU and wants to become a member of the EU, wants to combine the challenge of all the “great powers” with the desire to join the EU?
In Europe, France and Greece, as well as reflecting (as yet) Italy, have put together an anti-Turkish coalition. But what if Russia joins this coalition? Of course, Russia absolutely does not need an alliance against Turkey, but it has its own interests in Libya and Syria. Moreover, no one in Europe as a whole is ready to see the new Ottoman Empire at their borders.”
With Britain leaving the EU and a new NATO bolstered by a cartoonish American regime, the reality of a new Ottoman Empire takes on a life of its own, an increasingly important life as Erdogan’s political position domestically becomes increasingly tenuous as the Lira dissolves into worthlessness.
The Ottoman enclaves in the Balkans and the Gates of Vienna bring reality to a Turkish sphere of influence that has already engulfed Macedonia and one that sees new opportunities for expansion across the Bosporus. More:
“Erdogan is and always has been the Muslim Brotherhood, and that will never be allowed in Europe. (Foreign Minister) Chavushoglu, the other day with irritation, spoke about not understanding why Turkey cannot join the EU. He said that Turkey’s patience is running out. And then what? A military operation against the EU?
But this is for the sake of “joke – humor.” Chavushoglu promised the Europeans rapid economic growth and general prosperity under the Ottoman flag, but he did not begin to link the actual military confrontation with Greece, Cyprus and now France with the entry into the European Union.
The EU is already experiencing hard times, and the appearance of neo – Ottomans in its ranks will mean that the two Vienna battles were in vain. Turkey will begin to crush the Bulgarians and Macedonians and Bosnians, and even the Greeks themselves, moreover, by purely economic methods and economic expansion.
Erdogan mistakenly believes that Europe will calmly observe neo-Ottoman revenge in the Middle East. But he has no choice. Either success in foreign policy, supported by pro-Islamic slogans, or defeat in the elections.”
Conclusion
Turkey’s military, though competent and robust, is incapable of extended military operations within the Middle East. The “neighborhood” is far too dangerous, particularly if Turkey is forced to operate armor without air cover, something denied them in Syria.
A policy of “dancing with terrorists” in Syria or turning to the US, the same people who orchestrated the 2016 coup attempt against him, or, worse still, verbal threats, has left Erdogan in an unenviable position.
What is before he is “door number one,” where Erdogan can choose to work with Russia to build a regional trade and economic sphere where the military conflict will no longer be an issue.


veteranstoday--2020-02-21--Unconfirmed: Ankara to close Bosphorus for the “Syrian Express” of the Russian Navy

Aviation of the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation can no longer fly over Turkish territory Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan refused to support Russian plans to resolve the situation in Idlib .
At the same time , according to the information and analytical portal free-news.su , Turkey has closed its airspace for Russia .
So far , this concerns military aircraft that previously flew through this country to the base of the Russian Aerospace Forces ( VKS ) Khmeimim in Syria .
The portal reports that in recent days , Ankara has banned the passage of the military transport @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and two Su-24M bombers over its territory .
Also , Rosguard aircraft are not allowed to enter the airspace .
In this regard , the aircraft had to change the route , flying over the Caspian Sea and the territories of Iran and Iraq .
Ankara imposed a ban on the flight of Russian military aircraft over its territories after unsuccessful negotiations in Moscow to resolve the situation in Idlib .
However , as stated by the head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry , Mevlut Cavusoglu , negotiations at the level of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continued in early March .
According to him , “ now the Russian and Turkish sides are discussing the possibility of joint patrolling in Idlib.
” They are apparently discussing under the unspoken pressure of Ankara related to the ban on the passage of Russian military aircraft through the territory of Turkey to Syria .
A military expert , captain of the 1st rank , Sergei Ishchenko , a week ago predicted Ankara ’ s decision to influence “ the functioning of Russian military bases in Khmeimim and Tartus.
” Then he suggested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian military aircraft through its territory .
Moreover , the expert did not rule out a transport blockade : “ If only the Turks at least temporarily block the Black Sea strait zone for our ships and vessels , the uninterrupted operation of the famous Syrian Express ( regular transitions of amphibious assault ships and transport ships to deliver military goods to Syria will be disrupted at once ) .
“ NG ” ) .
” “ According to the Montreux Convention , Turks have no right to block the straits , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Institute for Political and Military Analysis .
– This is only possible if a war has begun between Russia and Turkey .
Such a war – in theory – is not excluded , but then the situation with the straits will be discussed last ” .
That is , the blockade of the Bosphorus and Dardanelles by Turkey is far away .
But Ankara can always find an excuse to slow down the Syrian Express .
Consonant to the Montreux Convention , it is granted the right to allow or prohibit passage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if Ankara considers itself to be directly threatened by war .
In addition , one can always explain the refusal of permission to pass ships by the complex navigational situation ( in the narrowest place the width of the Bosphorus is not more than 700 m ) , etc .
So problems for the passage of ships and vessels that supply the Russian group in Syria can not be ruled out .
The vast majority of cargoes ( over 90 % – ammunition , military equipment , food , fuel and lubricants , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia to Syria by this route , by sea , by dry cargo ships , transport vessels and large landing ships .
This is supplied not only to the Russian military group , but also to the Syrian government forces , against which Erdogan is going to fight in Idlib .
Last Wednesday , Erdogan demanded that Damascus immediately stop the military operation in the north-west of the country .
Ankara also rejects Moscow ’ s plan to limit the Turkish military presence ( observation posts ) in the territory occupied by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and is ready to occupy them again .
According to Turkish media , in the Idlib de-escalation zone ( ZD ) concentrated “ over 12 thousand Turkish military personnel and several hundred units of armored vehicles , multiple launch rocket systems and self-propelled artillery installations.
” With aviation in mind , these are significant forces that , together with numerous oppositional pro-Turkish militant groups , will be able to confront the Syrian army , and therefore Russian troops , who are helping Assad in Idlib .
“ An attempt to break down the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Syria suggests that Ankara no longer considers Moscow as its partner in the Astana process , ” said military expert Lieutenant General Yuri Netkachev to NG .
In his opinion , “ the prohibition of the passage of military aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces over the territory of Turkey makes their route to Syria almost two times longer .
This will require additional costs for fuels and lubricants ( fuels and lubricants ) , and will also increase the cost of operating aviation equipment .
” Given the shortage of military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ process of updating them , the deficit of the military budget and limited planning for fuel and lubricants for 2020 , this is a specific problem for the Russian army and for solving its tasks in Syria , the expert said .

Aviation of the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation can no longer fly over Turkish territory
by Vladimir Mukhin
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan refused to support Russian plans to resolve the situation in Idlib. At the same time, according to the information and analytical portal free-news.su, Turkey has closed its airspace for Russia. So far, this concerns military aircraft that previously flew through this country to the base of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) Khmeimim in Syria.
The portal reports that in recent days, Ankara has banned the passage of the military transport aircraft Tu-154 of the Russian Air Force and two Su-24M bombers over its territory. Also, Rosguard aircraft are not allowed to enter the airspace. In this regard, the aircraft had to change the route, flying over the Caspian Sea and the territories of Iran and Iraq. Ankara imposed a ban on the flight of Russian military aircraft over its territories after unsuccessful negotiations in Moscow to resolve the situation in Idlib.
However, as stated by the head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Mevlut Cavusoglu, negotiations at the level of the heads of the two countries can be continued in early March. According to him, “now the Russian and Turkish sides are discussing the possibility of joint patrolling in Idlib.” They are apparently discussing under the unspoken pressure of Ankara related to the ban on the passage of Russian military aircraft through the territory of Turkey to Syria.
A military expert, captain of the 1st rank, Sergei Ishchenko, a week ago predicted Ankara’s decision to influence “the functioning of Russian military bases in Khmeimim and Tartus.” Then he suggested that Turkey could ban the passage of Russian military aircraft through its territory. Moreover, the expert did not rule out a transport blockade: “If only the Turks at least temporarily block the Black Sea strait zone for our ships and vessels, the uninterrupted operation of the famous Syrian Express (regular transitions of amphibious assault ships and transport ships to deliver military goods to Syria will be disrupted at once). “NG”). ” “According to the Montreux Convention, Turks have no right to block the straits,” said Alexander Khramchikhin, deputy director of the Institute for Political and Military Analysis. – This is only possible if a war has begun between Russia and Turkey. Such a war – in theory – is not excluded, but then the situation with the straits will be discussed last ”. That is, the blockade of the Bosphorus and Dardanelles by Turkey is far away. But Ankara can always find an excuse to slow down the Syrian Express. Consonant to the Montreux Convention, it is granted the right to allow or prohibit the passage of any military vessels through the straits if Ankara considers itself to be directly threatened by war. In addition, one can always explain the refusal of permission to pass ships by the complex navigational situation (in the narrowest place the width of the Bosphorus is not more than 700 m), etc. So problems for the passage of ships and vessels that supply the Russian group in Syria cannot be ruled out. The vast majority of cargoes (over 90% – ammunition, military equipment, food, fuel, and lubricants, etc.) are now delivered from Russia to Syria by this route, by sea, by dry cargo ships, transport vessels, and large landing ships. This is supplied not only to the Russian military group but also to the Syrian government forces, against which Erdogan is going to fight in Idlib. Last Wednesday, Erdogan demanded that Damascus immediately stop the military operation in the north-west of the country. Ankara also rejects Moscow’s plan to limit the Turkish military presence (observation posts) in the territory occupied by the troops of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and is ready to occupy them again. According to Turkish media, in the Idlib de-escalation zone (ZD) concentrated “over 12 thousand Turkish military personnel and several hundred units of armored vehicles, multiple launch rocket systems, and self-propelled artillery installations.” With aviation in mind, these are significant forces that, together with numerous oppositional pro-Turkish militant groups, will be able to confront the Syrian army, and therefore Russian troops, who are helping Assad in Idlib. “An attempt to break down the air supply of the Russian military group in Syria suggests that Ankara no longer considers Moscow as its partner in the Astana process,” said military expert Lieutenant-General Yuri Netkachev to NG. In his opinion, “the prohibition of the passage of military aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces over the territory of Turkey makes their route to Syria almost two times longer. This will require additional costs for fuels and lubricants (fuels and lubricants), and will also increase the cost of operating aviation equipment. ” Given the shortage of military transport aircraft and the slowdown in the process of updating them, the deficit of the military budget and limited planning for fuel and lubricants for 2020, this is a specific problem for the Russian army and for solving its tasks in Syria, the expert said.


veteranstoday--2020-02-21--Franco-German split scuttles EU budget summit

[ Editor ’ s Note : An EU budget expert I am not .
I only just learned they voted on a seven year budget .
Can anyone in the US wondering what a cat fight they would be here ?
To me , a trillion Euros for seven years , I wonder how they can run their show on that .
But it looks like the various nations carry most of the load anyway so the EU budget is for running their cooperative project .
Both theirs and ours are an evolving , or dissolving endeavors as growing numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ despite the allegedly good economy that has been fueled with huge amounts of debt .
One of the quickest things I learned is that Britain ’ s $ 50 billion , divided by seven , is not such a big deal for the EU to lose , but a big deal for Britain to gain .
Now we will want to see what the Johnson posse does with it .
The EU had a flat 2 % growth rate last year , and it isn ’ t in a war with anybody or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a zero growth rate for 2019 , which is expected to be 1 % in 2020 and 21 , with the Trump regime scraping the bottom of the barrel sanctioning Iran ’ s election officials .
How pitiful is that for interfering in someone ’ s election ?
… Jim W. Dean ] Jim 's Editor ’ s Notes are solely crowdfunded via PayPal Jim 's work includes research , field trips , Heritage TV Legacy archiving & more .
Thanks for helping .
Click to donate > > Facing a 75 billion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remaining EU members have been unable to agree on a 2021-2027 budget , with differences between two rival blocs coalescing around France and Germany too big to overcome .
France ’ s desire to preserve the Common Agricultural Policy ( CAP ) matched the demands for continued development aid by the EU ’ s less wealthy members , but ran into determined opposition by Germany and the “ frugal quartet ” of Denmark , Austria , Sweden and the Netherlands .
“ Unfortunately , today… it was not possible to reach an agreement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the European Council .
“ We need more time.
” Unable to reach a deal , the summit in Brussels fell apart on Friday evening , with no one knowing if and when the next one might take place .
The “ frugals ” insisted that the new budget can not exceed 1 percent of the EU ’ s gross national income ( GNI ) , while ambitious members , like Hungary , were shooting for 1.3 percent .
A compromise proposal involving approximately 1.074 percent of the GNI ( or 1.094 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end .
“ The differences were simply too big ” for a deal , German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters .
“ Even rough data of the new proposal was enough to show that this would not be enough to bridge the differences.
” French President Emmanuel Macron said he “ deeply regrets ” that a deal was not reached , adding that the failure of the summit shows “ we don ’ t need Britain to show disunity.
” The UK officially left the EU on January 31 , along with what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in contributions over the next seven years .
Belgian politician Guy Verhofstadt argued that the failure of the budget talks was yet another reason to centralize the EU and turn it into a proper “ empire ” with taxation powers of its own .
Germany and the “ frugal ” club demanded that any increases in spending go to new priorities such as climate change and managing migrant flows , but the proposal to dip into carbon emissions tax fund was roundly rejected .
Merkel forced the EU ’ s hand on immigration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s borders to migrants from the Middle East .
Demands for other members to help absorb the migrants have been rejected by Hungary and Poland , among others .
The current EU budget , adopted in 2014 , expires in December .

‘We don’t need Britain to show disunity’
…from Russia Today, Moscow
[ Editor’s Note: An EU budget expert I am not. I only just learned they voted on a seven year budget. Can anyone in the US wondering what a cat fight they would be here?
To me, a trillion Euros for seven years, I wonder how they can run their show on that. But it looks like the various nations carry most of the load anyway so the EU budget is for running their cooperative project.
Both theirs and ours are an evolving, or dissolving endeavors as growing numbers of Americans feel we are going backwards despite the allegedly good economy that has been fueled with huge amounts of debt.
One of the quickest things I learned is that Britain’s $50 billion, divided by seven, is not such a big deal for the EU to lose, but a big deal for Britain to gain. Now we will want to see what the Johnson posse does with it.
The EU had a flat 2% growth rate last year, and it isn’t in a war with anybody or under sanctions like Iran. It had a zero growth rate for 2019, which is expected to be 1% in 2020 and 21, with the Trump regime scraping the bottom of the barrel sanctioning Iran’s election officials. How pitiful is that for interfering in someone’s election? … Jim W. Dean ]
Jim's Editor’s Notes are solely crowdfunded via PayPal
Jim's work includes research, field trips, Heritage TV Legacy archiving & more. Thanks for helping. Click to donate >>
– First published … February 21, 2020 –
Facing a 75 billion euro shortfall due to Brexit, the remaining EU members have been unable to agree on a 2021-2027 budget, with differences between two rival blocs coalescing around France and Germany too big to overcome.


veteranstoday--2020-02-21--Yemen: 19 Children Massacred by Saudi Airstrike on Retaliation for Downed Tornado

« UNICEF is sad to confirm that the recent attack in Al-Jawf , north of Yemen , on 15 February , took the lives of 19 children ( eight boys and 11 girls ) and injured another 18 ( nine boys and another nine girls ) » .
This is the dramatic news that comes from one of the most devastated and forgotten warzones around the world .
The UN agency therefore confirmed in a statement that are just children most of casualties in the massacre carried out by the airstrikes of the coalition led by the Kingdom of Saudi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Syrian girl displaced from Idlib , who alleged died for bitter cold , all Western media have written rivers of words although the news was devoid of any official feedback and seemed a not-too-well-made Turkish fake-news for blaming Russian and Syrian armies , about the massacre in Yemen they wrote in very few despite the Unicef press release .
The retaliation , which is very reminiscent of those of the Nazis when they killed 10 civilians for each of their victims in the war of occupation in Italy , took place where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the militants of the Houti separatists of the Sanaa region in Yemen , with the support of the movement popular Ansarollah , shot down a Saudi army Tornado fighter-bomber .
People , including children out of spontaneous childhood curiosity , had taken the spot to see the remains of the plane and at that moment was hit by a bombing , probably launched with the bombs of the German company Rheinmetall , built in Italy ( Sardinia ) and exported in violation of the UN embargo in the theater of war , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pass to the United Arab Emirates where they are assembled .
Total victims of the attack would be 31 , including 19 children reported by Unicef , but the toll is still provisional , the serious injuries would be numerous .
It isn ’ t the first time that the Saudi-led coalition deliberately strikes civilians , thanks to the superiority of its air force which can also count on the support of the military base of the US Air Force at Camp Lemmonier in Djibouti .
From there many drones started for attacks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Islamic Shiite confession , therefore hated by the Wahabite Sunnis of Saudi Arabia , but also by the White House due to they are historical allies of Iran and supported by Tehran also with the help from the Quds Forces , the special unit of the Iranian Pasdaran .
read more US DOSSIER ON DRONE ATTACKS VICTIMS STOPPED BY TRUMP Just to hide the collateral damage caused by missiles of unmanned UAV vehicles to the population , American President Donald Trump last year in March blocked the investigation launched by Washington , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , on the civilian victims of the attacks .
And just in March a Saudi bombing caused a massacre of children in a hospital , reported only by Gospa News and by very few other western media as in this last case .
The situation is so dramatic and ignored by reporters that the exact number of deaths and injuries estimated at 140,000 by default is unknown.. « 1700 days of the Saudi aggression on Yemen killed 3672 Yemeni children and injured around 4000 of others , according to a study made by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Al Manar , among the few to follow the conflict , being Shiite oriented .
« The study added that the aggression physically paralyzed around 800 Yemeni children , pointing that more than 400,000 of others suffer from malnutrition » .
It caused a sensation in November 2018 before the death of Amal Hussain , who died after months of agony and became the symbol of this gigantic famine caused by the war , and in the following weeks also the story of Fatima Qoba , entrusted by the large family to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ despite being 12 years old , and other small nameless ones that have impressed the whole world for their childish faces disfigured and spooky for hunger .
read more CHILD GIRL SPOOKY FOR FAMINE : 10 KG AT 12YO Yemen has been since March 2015 under brutal aggression by Saudi-led Coalition , in a bid to restore control to fugitive president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi who is Riyadh ’ s ally In this military mission , the most important kingdom of the Arabian Peninsula did not hesitate to use Al Qaeda terrorists as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ documents published by Gospa News .
The coalition , which includes in addition to Saudi Arabia and UAE : Bahrain , Egypt , Morocco , Jordan , Sudan and Kuwait , has been also imposing a harsh blockade against Yemenis which caused the very serious famine .
« We were hopeful that peace would be on the horizon in Yemen , but the worrying escalation of violence over the past few weeks is a harsh reminder that children in Yemen continue to carry the heaviest burden of the conflict » Unicef wrote in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the UN agency for childhood reiterates its plea to « all parties to the conflict to protect the lives of children by first and foremost putting an end to this brutal war .
A sustained commitment to peace in Yemen is the only way that the global community can fully deliver on our commitment to protect the rights of every child in this country » .

by Fabio Giuseppe Carlo Carisio for VT Italy
UNICEF is sad to confirm that the recent attack in Al-Jawf, north of Yemen, on 15 February, took the lives of 19 children (eight boys and 11 girls) and injured another 18 (nine boys and another nine girls).
This is the dramatic news that comes from one of the most devastated and forgotten warzones around the world. The UN agency, therefore, confirmed in a statement that is just children most of the casualties in the massacre carried out by the airstrikes of the coalition led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
While in the case of the Syrian girl displaced from Idlib, who alleged died for bitter cold, all Western media have written rivers of words although the news was devoid of any official feedback and seemed a not-too-well-made Turkish fake-news for blaming Russian and Syrian armies, about the massacre in Yemen they wrote in very few despite the Unicef press release.
The retaliation, which is very reminiscent of those of the Nazis when they killed 10 civilians for each of their victims in the war of occupation in Italy, took place where a few days ago the air defense of the militants of the Houthi separatists of the Sanaa region in Yemen, with the support of the movement popular Ansarollah, shot down a Saudi army Tornado fighter-bomber.
People, including children out of spontaneous childhood curiosity, had taken the spot to see the remains of the plane and at that moment was hit by a bombing, probably launched with the bombs of the German company Rheinmetall, built in Italy (Sardinia) and exported in violation of the UN embargo in the theater of war, with the trick of making them first pass to the United Arab Emirates where they are assembled.
Total victims of the attack would be 31, including 19 children reported by Unicef, but the toll is still provisional, the serious injuries would be numerous.
It isn’t the first time that the Saudi-led coalition deliberately strikes civilians, thanks to the superiority of its air force which can also count on the support of the military base of the US Air Force at Camp Lemmonier in Djibouti.
From there many drones started for attacks on military positions of the Houthi, of Islamic Shiite confession, therefore hated by the Wahabite Sunnis of Saudi Arabia, but also by the White House due to they are historical allies of Iran and supported by Tehran also with the help from the Quds Forces, the special unit of the Iranian Pasdaran.
Just to hide the collateral damage caused by missiles of unmanned UAV vehicles to the population, American President Donald Trump last year in March blocked the investigation launched by Washington, at the will of President Barack Obama, on the civilian victims of the attacks.
And just in March, a Saudi bombing caused a massacre of children in a hospital, reported only by Gospa News and by very few other western media as in this last case. The situation is so dramatic and ignored by reporters that the exact number of deaths and injuries estimated at 140,000 by default is unknown.
1700 days of the Saudi aggression on Yemen killed 3672 Yemeni children and injured around 4000 of others, according to a study made by a local organization» reported Lebanese media Al Manar, among the few to follow the conflict, being Shiite oriented.
The study added that the aggression physically paralyzed around 800 Yemeni children, pointing that more than 400,000 of others suffer from malnutrition.
It caused a sensation in November 2018 before the death of Amal Hussain, who died after months of agony and became the symbol of this gigantic famine caused by the war, and in the following weeks also the story of Fatima Qoba, entrusted by the large family to a hospital because it weighed only 10 kilos despite being 12 years old, and other small nameless ones that have impressed the whole world for their childish faces disfigured and spooky for hunger.
Yemen has been since March 2015 under brutal aggression by Saudi-led Coalition, in a bid to restore control to fugitive president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi who is Riyadh’s ally
In this military mission, the most important kingdom of the Arabian Peninsula did not hesitate to use Al Qaeda terrorists as allies, as shown by top secret documents published by Gospa News.
The coalition, which includes in addition to Saudi Arabia and UAE: Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Sudan, and Kuwait, has been also imposing a harsh blockade against Yemenis which caused a very serious famine.
We were hopeful that peace would be on the horizon in Yemen, but the worrying escalation of violence over the past few weeks is a harsh reminder that children in Yemen continue to carry the heaviest burden of the conflict Unicef wrote in its statement after the last massacre.
Then the UN agency for childhood reiterates its plea to «all parties to the conflict to protect the lives of children by first and foremost put an end to this brutal war. A sustained commitment to peace in Yemen is the only way that the global community can fully deliver on our commitment to protect the rights of every child in this country.
Amal Hussain, undernourished and die of starvation, the image of hunger in Yemen devastated by bombs and embargo
© 2020 – Fabio Giuseppe Carlo Carisio – ORIGINAL ITALIAN VERSION
FONTI


veteranstoday--2020-02-21--Former Hardcore Israeli Zionist Speaks Out For Palestinian Rights and Against Trump’s Fake Peace Pla

Former Hardcore Israeli Zionist Speaks Out For Palestinian Rights and Against Trump’s Fake Peace Plan

Miko Peled ( born 1961 ) is an Israeli-American activist , author , and karate instructor .
He is author of the books The General ’ s Son : The Journey of an Israeli in Palestine and Injustice and Injustice : The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five .
He is also an international speaker .
Born in Jerusalem in 1961 , Peled grew up in Motza Illit to a prominent Zionist family ; his grandfather , Avraham Katsnelson , signed Israel ’ s Declaration of Independence .
His father , Mattityahu Peled , fought in 1947–1949 Palestine war @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Six-Day War of 1967 ; later , after the Israeli cabinet ignored his investigation of a 1967 alleged Israeli war crime , he became an advocate for an Israeli dialogue with the Palestine Liberation Organization ( PLO ) .
He condemned the Israeli military for seizing the West Bank , Gaza , Sinai and the Golan Heights , calling the war a “ cynical campaign of territorial expansion ” .
Palestinian activist Susan Abulhawa has described Peled ’ s father , who died in 1995 , as “ a man that many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether to love or hate ” and whom “ many notable Palestinians ” nicknamed “ Abu Salam ” ( Father of Peace ) .
His brother is the political scientist Yoav Peled .
Miko Peled followed his father ’ s footsteps at first , joining Israel ’ s Special Forces after high school and earning the red beret , but he soon grew to regret his decision .
He surrendered his status as soon as he earned it , becoming a medic , and finally , disgusted by the 1982 Lebanon invasion , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dirt .
One evening in 1983 , however , he skipped a Peace Now demonstration in Jerusalem to attend karate class , and on that evening a grenade attack by a right-wing extremist killed one of the demonstrators .
“ Peled took this as a sign , ” according to one interview , and consequently “ followed the path of karate – a practice of non-violence…that teaches one to ‘ overcome insurmountable obstacles . '
” This path “ that took him to Japan and eventually to San Diego , where he settled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He then distanced himself from activism until 1997 , becoming a sixth-degree black belt in karate and moving first to Japan , then to San Diego , California , United States .
In 1997 , Peled ’ s 13-year-old niece Smadar , daughter of his sister Nurit Peled-Elhanan , was killed in a suicide attack in Jerusalem .
At her funeral , according to an article summarizing Peled ’ s book , Ehud Barak , who had just been elected to lead the opposition , explained that “ in order to win votes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a ‘ peacemaker.
” In reply , Peled said , “ Why not tell the truth … That this and similar tragedies are taking place because we are occupying another nation and that in order to save lives the right thing to do is to end the occupation and negotiate a just peace with our Palestinian partners ?
” The murder of Smadar , and his sister Nurit ’ s insistence that it was caused by the occupation , “ jolted him back into Middle Eastern reality , ” an interviewer has written @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that I ’ d been suppressing , ” Peled has said , “ suddenly burst out .
It became stronger than anything.
” He joined a Palestinian/Jewish-American dialogue group in San Diego , where he “ found that the Jewish Americans he met – with their ‘ New York humor and deli food ’ – were more foreign than the hummus , tabouleh and warm hospitality offered by his new Palestinian friends .
He was shocked by random anti-Arab venom spewed casually by Jewish Americans he met who assumed he shared their views @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” He also befriended Nader Elbanna , “ a Palestinian from Nazareth who accompanied him on a dual lecture series at rotary clubs.
” Thus began a process whereby , in the words of Abulhawa , Peled “ dismantled a lifetime of racist assumptions and replaced them with something more human and tender.
” Returning to activism , Peled decided that the two-state solution his father had promoted would no longer suffice , and began to support for the creation of a single democratic state with equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ state that must go and that a single-state solution is closer than many people think because of the changing mindsets of many Israelis , American Jews , and Holocaust survivors .
The Israeli government , he has written , is “ a radical Zionist regime , ” and Israel is a country where “ half of the population lives in what it thinks is a Western democracy while keeping the other half imprisoned by a ruthless defense apparatus that is becoming more violent by the day.
” He told that “ The State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ See A Free Democratic Palestine from the River to the Sea Sooner than Most People Think ” .
Peled has traveled in Palestine , teaching karate to children in refugee camps and engaging in nonviolent activism .
In his blog , MikoPeled.com , he calls for the removal of Israel ’ s separation wall , and the institution of equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians .
“ As an Israeli , that was raised on the Zionist ideal of a Jewish state ” , he writes in the blog , “ I know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Palestinians to let go of the dream of having a state that is exclusive ‘ our own.
’ The articles , the stories and the pictures in this blog are meant to make a single point : For the good of both nations , the Separation Wall must come down , the Israeli control over the lives of Palestinians must be defied so that a secular democracy where all Israelis and Palestinian live as equals be established in our shared homeland ” .
Peled is a regular contributor to online publications like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Peled spoke at a fringe gathering at the British Labour Party conference in Brighton in September 2017 .
At the event , Peled is reported to have said : “ This is about free speech , the freedom to criticize and to discuss every issue , whether it ’ s the Holocaust : yes or no , Palestine , the liberation , the whole spectrum .
There should be no limits on the discussion ” .
He further went on to compare Zionists to Nazis and “ apartheid South Africa racists ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the conference organizing committee would investigate how Peled was given a platform at the event .
At a meeting at University College London the following November , Peled complained about the “ witch-hunt against antisemites and Holocaust deniers ” over the past two years and complimented the “ clear leadership ” of Labour ’ s Jeremy Corbyn commenting that Corbyn had “ put away this nonsense about Holocaust denial and this nonsense about antisemitism .
You focus on what ’ s important ” .
“ Israel has been on a mission to destroy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Peled has said .
“ Why would anyone not give solidarity to the Palestinian people ?
” He believes that Israel ’ s actions in the Six-Day War of 1967 were not a response to a real threat but acts of bald aggression .
And he has said that “ every single Israeli city is a settlement ” and that “ expressing solidarity with Palestinians is the most important thing people can do.
” On his Twitter feed , Peled has written that “ IDF lusts for blood , ” has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of apartheid & colonization , ” and has accused Israeli officials of “ ethnic cleansing.
” In his blog posts , he repeatedly refers to the IDF as an “ Israeli terrorist organization ” that is part of a “ well-oiled ethnic cleansing machine.
” He has also written that Israel ’ s educational system is designed to turn Israeli children into racists who view Palestinians “ as culturally inferior , violent and bent on the annihilation of the Jews , and…void of a true national identity , ” and “ as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a threat that must be eliminated.
” He has decried “ absurd comparisons like that of Yasser Arafat to Hitler , the Palestinians to Nazis , and the Palestinian resistance to Al Qaeda.
” Peled supports the movement for boycotts , divestment , and sanctions ( BDS ) against Israel .
Giving a talk in Queensland , Australia , he supported a BDS campaign against the Israeli-owned Max Brenner chain of chocolate shops , part of the Strauss group of companies , which , he said , “ supports a terrorist organization , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ argued , was a “ totally legitimate ” means of “ trying to stop this Israeli armed juggernaut.
” Peled wrote in a June 2012 op-ed for the Los Angeles Times that , “ Israel is faced with two options : Continue to exist as a Jewish state while controlling the Palestinians through military force and racist laws , or undertake a deep transformation into a real democracy where Israelis and Palestinians live as equals in a shared state , their shared homeland .
For Israelis and Palestinians alike , the latter path @ @ @ @ @ @ @ described his book , The General ’ s Son : Journey of an Israeli in Palestine ( 2012 ) , as an account of how he , “ the son of an Israeli General and a staunch Zionist , came to realize that “ the story upon which I was raised … was a lie.
” The book , he has said , is based largely on long conversations with his mother , on a thorough reading of “ everything my dad had ever written , ” and on material about his father @ @ @ @ @ @ @ archives .
The book , which has been characterized as “ part confessional , part cinematic epic and part emotional appeal for ‘ different answers ’ to the Israeli-Palestinian conundrum , ” [ 7 ] contains a foreword by Alice Walker , author of The Color Purple .
In Peled ’ s book , Injustice : The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five ( 2018 ) , the catalogs the trial of the criminalization and dismantling of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development , leading to the arrest and jailing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chairman Ghassan Elashi , Mohammad el-Mezain , Mufid Abdulqader , and Abdulrahman Odeh .
Peled is , with Nader Elbanna , co-founder of the Elbanna-Peled Foundation .
Established in 2010 and based in Coronado , California , it describes itself as being “ committed to peace , justice and equality by operating exclusively for charitable and educational purposes , including , but not limited to the following : Humanitarian aid to civilians who were injured as a result of the Israeli Palestinian conflict .
Support existing educational efforts that promote Israeli Palestinian reconciliation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ together ( Israelis and Palestinians ) toward a non-violent resolution of the conflict.
” The foundation describes itself as working closely with Rotary International .
According to its website , “ Peled and Elbanna sent 1000 wheelchairs for Palestinians and Israeli children , and have been part of numerous projects to help the people of their shared homeland.
” The foundation , however , was established under the National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities ( NTEE ) categories “ Foreign Affairs ” and “ National Security.
” Its exempt status , moreover , was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ failed to file a Form 990 ( “ Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax ” ) for three consecutive years .
Since 28 May 1989 , Peled , a sixth-degree black belt , owned , operated , and taught at Martial Arts America , a school in Coronado , California , which “ is dedicated to teaching leadership skills and non-violent conflict resolution through martial arts.
” In October 2012 , he sold the business to his top student of over twenty years , David Michael Adams , in order to focus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Son .

Miko Peled (born 1961) is an Israeli-American activist, author, and karate instructor. He is author of the books The General’s Son: The Journey of an Israeli in Palestine and Injustice and Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five. He is also an international speaker.
Born in Jerusalem in 1961, Peled grew up in Motza Illit to a prominent Zionist family; his grandfather, Avraham Katsnelson, signed Israel’s Declaration of Independence.
His father, Mattityahu Peled, fought in 1947–1949 Palestine war, and served as a general in the Six-Day War of 1967; later, after the Israeli cabinet ignored his investigation of a 1967 alleged Israeli war crime, he became an advocate for an Israeli dialogue with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
He condemned the Israeli military for seizing the West Bank, Gaza, Sinai and the Golan Heights, calling the war a “cynical campaign of territorial expansion”.
Palestinian activist Susan Abulhawa has described Peled’s father, who died in 1995, as “a man that many of us Palestinians could not figure out whether to love or hate” and whom “many notable Palestinians” nicknamed “Abu Salam” (Father of Peace). His brother is the political scientist Yoav Peled.
Miko Peled followed his father’s footsteps at first, joining Israel’s Special Forces after high school and earning the red beret, but he soon grew to regret his decision. He surrendered his status as soon as he earned it, becoming a medic, and finally, disgusted by the 1982 Lebanon invasion, he buried his service pin in the dirt.
One evening in 1983, however, he skipped a Peace Now demonstration in Jerusalem to attend karate class, and on that evening a grenade attack by a right-wing extremist killed one of the demonstrators. “Peled took this as a sign,” according to one interview, and consequently “followed the path of karate – a practice of non-violence…that teaches one to ‘overcome insurmountable obstacles.'” This path “that took him to Japan and eventually to San Diego, where he settled with his wife and family”.
He then distanced himself from activism until 1997, becoming a sixth-degree black belt in karate and moving first to Japan, then to San Diego, California, United States.
Activism
In 1997, Peled’s 13-year-old niece Smadar, daughter of his sister Nurit Peled-Elhanan, was killed in a suicide attack in Jerusalem. At her funeral, according to an article summarizing Peled’s book, Ehud Barak, who had just been elected to lead the opposition, explained that “in order to win votes he must disguise his real intentions as a ‘peacemaker.” In reply, Peled said, “Why not tell the truth …
That this and similar tragedies are taking place because we are occupying another nation and that in order to save lives the right thing to do is to end the occupation and negotiate a just peace with our Palestinian partners?”
The murder of Smadar, and his sister Nurit’s insistence that it was caused by the occupation, “jolted him back into Middle Eastern reality,” an interviewer has written. “The activist side of me that I’d been suppressing,” Peled has said, “suddenly burst out. It became stronger than anything.”
He joined a Palestinian/Jewish-American dialogue group in San Diego, where he “found that the Jewish Americans he met – with their ‘New York humor and deli food’ – were more foreign than the hummus, tabouleh and warm hospitality offered by his new Palestinian friends. He was shocked by random anti-Arab venom spewed casually by Jewish Americans he met who assumed he shared their views, in an atmosphere of growing Islamophobia.” He also befriended Nader Elbanna, “a Palestinian from Nazareth who accompanied him on a dual lecture series at rotary clubs.”
Thus began a process whereby, in the words of Abulhawa, Peled “dismantled a lifetime of racist assumptions and replaced them with something more human and tender.”
Returning to activism, Peled decided that the two-state solution his father had promoted would no longer suffice, and began to support for the creation of a single democratic state with equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians.
He claims that Israel is an apartheid state that must go and that a single-state solution is closer than many people think because of the changing mindsets of many Israelis, American Jews, and Holocaust survivors.
The Israeli government, he has written, is “a radical Zionist regime,” and Israel is a country where “half of the population lives in what it thinks is a Western democracy while keeping the other half imprisoned by a ruthless defense apparatus that is becoming more violent by the day.”
He told that “The State of Israel Will Crumble and We Will See A Free Democratic Palestine from the River to the Sea Sooner than Most People Think”.
Peled has traveled in Palestine, teaching karate to children in refugee camps and engaging in nonviolent activism.
In his blog, MikoPeled.com, he calls for the removal of Israel’s separation wall, and the institution of equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians.
“As an Israeli, that was raised on the Zionist ideal of a Jewish state”, he writes in the blog, “I know how hard it is for many Jews and Palestinians to let go of the dream of having a state that is exclusive ‘our own.’
The articles, the stories and the pictures in this blog are meant to make a single point: For the good of both nations, the Separation Wall must come down, the Israeli control over the lives of Palestinians must be defied so that a secular democracy where all Israelis and Palestinian live as equals be established in our shared homeland”.
Peled is a regular contributor to online publications like the Electronic Intifada and the Palestine Chronicle.
Peled spoke at a fringe gathering at the British Labour Party conference in Brighton in September 2017.
At the event, Peled is reported to have said: “This is about free speech, the freedom to criticize and to discuss every issue, whether it’s the Holocaust: yes or no, Palestine, the liberation, the whole spectrum. There should be no limits on the discussion”. He further went on to compare Zionists to Nazis and “apartheid South Africa racists”.
Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson said the conference organizing committee would investigate how Peled was given a platform at the event.
At a meeting at University College London the following November, Peled complained about the “witch-hunt against antisemites and Holocaust deniers” over the past two years and complimented the “clear leadership” of Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn commenting that Corbyn had “put away this nonsense about Holocaust denial and this nonsense about antisemitism. You focus on what’s important”.
Views
“Israel has been on a mission to destroy the Palestinian people for over six decades,” Peled has said. “Why would anyone not give solidarity to the Palestinian people?” He believes that Israel’s actions in the Six-Day War of 1967 were not a response to a real threat but acts of bald aggression.
And he has said that “every single Israeli city is a settlement” and that “expressing solidarity with Palestinians is the most important thing people can do.”
On his Twitter feed, Peled has written that “IDF lusts for blood,” has called the peace process “a process of apartheid & colonization,” and has accused Israeli officials of “ethnic cleansing.”
In his blog posts, he repeatedly refers to the IDF as an “Israeli terrorist organization” that is part of a “well-oiled ethnic cleansing machine.” He has also written that Israel’s educational system is designed to turn Israeli children into racists who view Palestinians “as culturally inferior, violent and bent on the annihilation of the Jews, and…void of a true national identity,” and “as a problem that must be solved and as a threat that must be eliminated.” He has decried “absurd comparisons like that of Yasser Arafat to Hitler, the Palestinians to Nazis, and the Palestinian resistance to Al Qaeda.”
Peled supports the movement for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) against Israel. Giving a talk in Queensland, Australia, he supported a BDS campaign against the Israeli-owned Max Brenner chain of chocolate shops, part of the Strauss group of companies, which, he said, “supports a terrorist organization, the Golani Brigade.” BDS, he argued, was a “totally legitimate” means of “trying to stop this Israeli armed juggernaut.”
Peled wrote in a June 2012 op-ed for the Los Angeles Times that,
“Israel is faced with two options: Continue to exist as a Jewish state while controlling the Palestinians through military force and racist laws, or undertake a deep transformation into a real democracy where Israelis and Palestinians live as equals in a shared state, their shared homeland. For Israelis and Palestinians alike, the latter path promises a bright future.
Books
Peled has described his book, The General’s Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine (2012), as an account of how he, “the son of an Israeli General and a staunch Zionist, came to realize that “the story upon which I was raised … was a lie.”
The book, he has said, is based largely on long conversations with his mother, on a thorough reading of “everything my dad had ever written,” and on material about his father’s career in the Israeli army archives.
The book, which has been characterized as “part confessional, part cinematic epic and part emotional appeal for ‘different answers’ to the Israeli-Palestinian conundrum,”[7] contains a foreword by Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple.
In Peled’s book, Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five(2018), the catalogs the trial of the criminalization and dismantling of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, leading to the arrest and jailing of Foundation President Shukri Abu Baker, Chairman Ghassan Elashi, Mohammad el-Mezain, Mufid Abdulqader, and Abdulrahman Odeh.
Elbanna-Peled Foundation
Peled is, with Nader Elbanna, co-founder of the Elbanna-Peled Foundation. Established in 2010 and based in Coronado, California, it describes itself as being “committed to peace, justice and equality by operating exclusively for charitable and educational purposes, including, but not limited to the following:
Humanitarian aid to civilians who were injured as a result of the Israeli Palestinian conflict.
Support existing educational efforts that promote Israeli Palestinian reconciliation.
Support local grassroots organizations that work together (Israelis and Palestinians) toward a non-violent resolution of the conflict.”
The foundation describes itself as working closely with Rotary International. According to its website, “Peled and Elbanna sent 1000 wheelchairs for Palestinians and Israeli children, and have been part of numerous projects to help the people of their shared homeland.”
The foundation, however, was established under the National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities (NTEE) categories “Foreign Affairs” and “National Security.”Its exempt status, moreover, was automatically revoked by the IRS because it failed to file a Form 990 (“Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax”) for three consecutive years.
Martial Arts America
Since 28 May 1989, Peled, a sixth-degree black belt, owned, operated, and taught at Martial Arts America, a school in Coronado, California, which “is dedicated to teaching leadership skills and non-violent conflict resolution through martial arts.” In October 2012, he sold the business to his top student of over twenty years, David Michael Adams, in order to focus on promoting his book The General’s Son.


veteranstoday--2020-02-21--Angkor Wat: Water is Power

Angkor Wat: Water is Power

Angkor Wat May Owe Its Existence to an Engineering Catastrophe The empire controlled much of mainland Southeast Asia by the beginning of the 10th century A.D. , but unclear rules of succession combined with a complicated web of royal family intermarriages led to a crisis .
Jayavarman IV , a grandson of a previous king , contested the rule of the leaders in Angkor , the traditional seat of power .
In the 920s , he set up a new capital at Koh Ker , about 75 miles to the northeast .
Koh Ker flourished until 944 when Jayavarman IV @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the next Khmer king moved the capital back to Angkor .
“ It ’ s a very interesting period in Angkorian history where it looks like you ’ ve got serious competition for rulership , ” says Miriam Stark , director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Hawai ’ i at Mānoa .
Without this turmoil at the new capital and a move back to Angkor , the grand treasures of Southeast Asia—such as the astounding Angkor Wat and jungle-eaten Ta Prohm—may never have been built @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new study published recently in the journal Geoarchaeology shows that there was more than political intrigue at play .
A water reservoir critical for large-scale agriculture in the Koh Ker …..read more :

by Joshua Rapp Learn/Smithsonianmag.com
The empire controlled much of mainland Southeast Asia by the beginning of the 10th century A.D., but unclear rules of succession combined with a complicated web of royal family intermarriages led to a crisis. Jayavarman IV, a grandson of a previous king, contested the rule of the leaders in Angkor, the traditional seat of power.
In the 920s, he set up a new capital at Koh Ker, about 75 miles to the northeast. Koh Ker flourished until 944 when Jayavarman IV’s son and successor was killed, and the next Khmer king moved the capital back to Angkor.
“It’s a very interesting period in Angkorian history where it looks like you’ve got serious competition for rulership,” says Miriam Stark, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.
Without this turmoil at the new capital and a move back to Angkor, the grand treasures of Southeast Asia—such as the astounding Angkor Wat and jungle-eaten Ta Prohm—may never have been built in subsequent centuries.
Now, a new study published recently in the journal Geoarchaeology shows that there was more than political intrigue at play. A water reservoir critical for large-scale agriculture in the Koh Ker …