mintpressnews--2020-01-03--A Dubious Official Story Masks the True Motives Behind the Soleimani Assassination

BAGHDAD — The recent assassination of Iran ’ s most popular and well-known general , Qassem Soleimani , has stoked fears that a new war pitting the U.S. and its allies against Iran could soon become a devastating and deadly reality .
The airstrike that killed Soleimani , conducted by the U.S. in Baghdad , was conducted without the authorization or even prior notification of the U.S. Congress and without the approval of Iraq ’ s government or military , making the attack flagrantly illegal on multiple levels .
The attack also killed Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The assassination of an Iraqi military commander who holds an official position is considered aggression on Iraq … and the liquidation of leading Iraqi figures or those from a brotherly country on Iraqi soil is a massive breach of sovereignty , ” Iraq ’ s Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said of the attack , adding that the assassination was “ a dangerous escalation that will light the fuse of a destructive war in Iraq , the region , and the world.
” Notably , the assassination of Soleimani comes just a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to kill the Iranian general failed and amid a well-documented and decades-long push by U.S. neoconservatives and Israeli officials for a U.S.-led war with Iran .
While the illegality of the assassination has been noted by many since news of the attack first spread , less attention has been given to the oddities of the Trump administration ’ s official reasoning and justification for the attack that has brought with it renewed tension to the Middle East .
Per administration officials , the attack was aimed at “ deterring future Iranian attack plans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a rocket attack at the K1 military base near Kirkuk , Iraq on December 27 .
That attack killed one U.S. military contractor and lightly wounded several U.S. soldiers and Iraqi military personnel .
Yet , the details of that attack — even per mainstream U.S. sources that often support U.S. militarism — are incredibly murky , and the name of the American killed and the identity of the company he or she was working for have not been released .
Some media reports have referred to the contractor as a “ Pentagon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ term “ civilian contractor , ” leading some to speculate that the contractor might have been a private mercenary in the employ of the Pentagon .
In addition , no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack and media reports have noted that the attack could just as easily have been conducted by remnants of the Islamic State as by the Iraqi Shia militia ( Kataib Hezbollah ) that was officially blamed by U.S. officials .
An official investigation into the incident , being conducted by the Iraqi military , has yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. previously claimed it had compelling evidence to blame Iran for attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman last June , only to have staunch U.S. allies in the region claim that alleged U.S. evidence of Iranian involvement was insufficient .
Furthermore , the U.S. had already responded to the death of the contractor , launching five different attacks in Iraq and Syria in late December , killing an estimated 25 and motivating Iraqi protesters to storm the U.S. embassy in Baghdad as many of those killed by those airstrikes were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Soleimani seems like overkill for the official justification of avenging the death of one American .
Given the above , the question then becomes — is the Trump administration basing its assassination of a top Iranian general in Iraqi sovereign territory in clear violation of international law on the death of a single individual that the government will not even name ?
Even when five strikes were already launched to allegedly avenge that same individual ?
Risking a regional war to allegedly avenge the death of an individual who was already avenged raises @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for re-election .
The United States claims that the assassination was also intended to act as a “ deterrent ” against potential , future Iranian attacks , yet it is hard to justify the murder of a top general of a foreign power on foreign soil as a preemptive and preventative measure as opposed to one that would invite escalation .
This is particularly true given that those that have most often sought an escalation in tensions between Iran and the U.S. and its Middle Eastern allies do not live in Tehran and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Tel Aviv .
Much has been written by MintPress and other outlets about the long-standing efforts by prominent neoconservatives in the U.S. as well as the Israel lobby and Israeli government to prod the U.S. into a major war with Iran .
Neoconservative efforts at regime change in Iran have been decades in the making and the current presidential administration has several notable Iran hawks in prominent positions .
Furthermore , both President Trump and his foremost ally in the Middle East , Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , are facing domestic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and are facing fresh elections , giving both leaders incentive to ratchet up tensions abroad to distract from their own domestic conflicts .
Yet , the current pressure facing both Trump and Netanyahu in their respective policies is only the latest factor that has pushed both administrations into a renewed and increasingly desperate push to satisfy the decades-old effort of Iran hawks in both countries to stoke war and “ reshape ” the Middle East in favor of the U.S.-Israel axis .
Given the recent assassination of Soleimani , however , it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ airstrike targeting the Quds Force leader came just a few months after Israel tried but failed to assassinate the general .
Indeed , the most recent of these failed attempts was slated to occur early last October and , per The Times of Israel , Israel ’ s government did not comment on the alleged plot , though it is notable that the plan to dig below a Muslim holy site and plant a bomb has been attempted by Israeli extremist groups in the past , groups which have a major foothold in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alleged attempt by Israel to kill Soleimani came after claims that , in 2018 , the Trump administration had given Israel a “ green light ” to assassinate the general .
The report claimed that “ there is an American-Israeli agreement ” that Soleimani is a “ threat to the two countries ’ interests in the region ” and was published by the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida , which is widely considered to be “ an Israeli platform for conveying messages to other countries in the Middle East , ” according to Israeli media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the general as a means of provoking war with Iran , which Netanyahu was actively promoting last February .
At the time , Newsweek reported that “ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed his desire to go to war with Iran , and said he was meeting with dozens of foreign envoys , including those from the Arab world , in order to push the initiative forward.
” Yet , with Israel ’ s closest ally having done the deed , Israel has kept relatively quiet about the incident , though Iranian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Soleimani was jointly conducted by the U.S. and Israel .
Though the official yet dubious justifications for the strike have been given , the most likely result of the death of Soleimani is that it will “ light the fuse of war , ” as recently stated by Iraq ’ s Prime Minister .
Whether Soleimani ’ s death alone will be enough to push the U.S. , Iran and their respective allies to war remains to be seen , but what is certain is that the Trump administration seems content to continue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both long-standing ambitions of career war hawks as well as a release for quickly building domestic pressure ahead of the 2020 election .
Feature photo | A photo shows the alleged site of a US airstrike that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq , January 03 , 2020 .
Photo | Iraqi Security Forces handout Whitney Webb is a MintPress News journalist based in Chile .
She has contributed to several independent media outlets including Global Research , EcoWatch , the Ron Paul Institute and 21st Century Wire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several radio and television appearances and is the 2019 winner of the Serena Shim Award for Uncompromised Integrity in Journalism .

BAGHDAD — The recent assassination of Iran’s most popular and well-known general, Qassem Soleimani, has stoked fears that a new war pitting the U.S. and its allies against Iran could soon become a devastating and deadly reality. The airstrike that killed Soleimani, conducted by the U.S. in Baghdad, was conducted without the authorization or even prior notification of the U.S. Congress and without the approval of Iraq’s government or military, making the attack flagrantly illegal on multiple levels. The attack also killed Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was an advisor to Soleimani.
“The assassination of an Iraqi military commander who holds an official position is considered aggression on Iraq … and the liquidation of leading Iraqi figures or those from a brotherly country on Iraqi soil is a massive breach of sovereignty,” Iraq’s Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said of the attack, adding that the assassination was “a dangerous escalation that will light the fuse of a destructive war in Iraq, the region, and the world.”
Notably, the assassination of Soleimani comes just a few months after an alleged Israeli attempt to kill the Iranian general failed and amid a well-documented and decades-long push by U.S. neoconservatives and Israeli officials for a U.S.-led war with Iran.
While the illegality of the assassination has been noted by many since news of the attack first spread, less attention has been given to the oddities of the Trump administration’s official reasoning and justification for the attack that has brought with it renewed tension to the Middle East. Per administration officials, the attack was aimed at “deterring future Iranian attack plans” as well as a response to a rocket attack at the K1 military base near Kirkuk, Iraq on December 27. That attack killed one U.S. military contractor and lightly wounded several U.S. soldiers and Iraqi military personnel.
Yet, the details of that attack — even per mainstream U.S. sources that often support U.S. militarism — are incredibly murky, and the name of the American killed and the identity of the company he or she was working for have not been released. Some media reports have referred to the contractor as a “Pentagon contractor” while others have used the term “civilian contractor,” leading some to speculate that the contractor might have been a private mercenary in the employ of the Pentagon.
In addition, no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack and media reports have noted that the attack could just as easily have been conducted by remnants of the Islamic State as by the Iraqi Shia militia (Kataib Hezbollah) that was officially blamed by U.S. officials. An official investigation into the incident, being conducted by the Iraqi military, has yet to be concluded. Notably, the U.S. previously claimed it had compelling evidence to blame Iran for attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman last June, only to have staunch U.S. allies in the region claim that alleged U.S. evidence of Iranian involvement was insufficient.
"There are about 5,000 American troops in Iraq. The number of civilian contractors is far more difficult to track." That's journalistic malpractice. Trump is going to war to avenge a contractor's death. We have a right to know who he or she is. https://t.co/x60ngAwtBe — Tim Shorrock (@TimothyS) January 3, 2020
Furthermore, the U.S. had already responded to the death of the contractor, launching five different attacks in Iraq and Syria in late December, killing an estimated 25 and motivating Iraqi protesters to storm the U.S. embassy in Baghdad as many of those killed by those airstrikes were Iraqis. The subsequent airstrike that killed Soleimani seems like overkill for the official justification of avenging the death of one American.
Given the above, the question then becomes — is the Trump administration basing its assassination of a top Iranian general in Iraqi sovereign territory in clear violation of international law on the death of a single individual that the government will not even name? Even when five strikes were already launched to allegedly avenge that same individual?
Risking a regional war to allegedly avenge the death of an individual who was already avenged raises questions, especially for a President standing for re-election. The United States claims that the assassination was also intended to act as a “deterrent” against potential, future Iranian attacks, yet it is hard to justify the murder of a top general of a foreign power on foreign soil as a preemptive and preventative measure as opposed to one that would invite escalation. This is particularly true given that those that have most often sought an escalation in tensions between Iran and the U.S. and its Middle Eastern allies do not live in Tehran and Baghdad, but instead in Washington D.C. and Tel Aviv.
Failed assassination plots and domestic woes
Much has been written by MintPress and other outlets about the long-standing efforts by prominent neoconservatives in the U.S. as well as the Israel lobby and Israeli government to prod the U.S. into a major war with Iran. Neoconservative efforts at regime change in Iran have been decades in the making and the current presidential administration has several notable Iran hawks in prominent positions. Furthermore, both President Trump and his foremost ally in the Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are facing domestic efforts aimed at removing them from office and are facing fresh elections, giving both leaders incentive to ratchet up tensions abroad to distract from their own domestic conflicts.
Yet, the current pressure facing both Trump and Netanyahu in their respective policies is only the latest factor that has pushed both administrations into a renewed and increasingly desperate push to satisfy the decades-old effort of Iran hawks in both countries to stoke war and “reshape” the Middle East in favor of the U.S.-Israel axis.
Given the recent assassination of Soleimani, however, it is essential to point out that the U.S. airstrike targeting the Quds Force leader came just a few months after Israel tried but failed to assassinate the general. Indeed, the most recent of these failed attempts was slated to occur early last October and, per The Times of Israel,
The assassins planned to dig under a religious site associated with Soleimani’s father and set off an explosion under the building when he was inside, and then try to deflect blame so that it ignited an interfaction[al] religious war. The assassins prepared some 500 kilograms to use for the bomb.”
Israel’s government did not comment on the alleged plot, though it is notable that the plan to dig below a Muslim holy site and plant a bomb has been attempted by Israeli extremist groups in the past, groups which have a major foothold in Israel’s current government.
This alleged attempt by Israel to kill Soleimani came after claims that, in 2018, the Trump administration had given Israel a “green light” to assassinate the general. The report claimed that “there is an American-Israeli agreement” that Soleimani is a “threat to the two countries’ interests in the region” and was published by the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida, which is widely considered to be “an Israeli platform for conveying messages to other countries in the Middle East,” according to Israeli media.
Israel may have planned to assassinate the general as a means of provoking war with Iran, which Netanyahu was actively promoting last February. At the time, Newsweek reported that “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed his desire to go to war with Iran, and said he was meeting with dozens of foreign envoys, including those from the Arab world, in order to push the initiative forward.” Yet, with Israel’s closest ally having done the deed, Israel has kept relatively quiet about the incident, though Iranian officials have claimed that the assassination of Soleimani was jointly conducted by the U.S. and Israel.
Though the official yet dubious justifications for the strike have been given, the most likely result of the death of Soleimani is that it will “light the fuse of war,” as recently stated by Iraq’s Prime Minister. Whether Soleimani’s death alone will be enough to push the U.S., Iran and their respective allies to war remains to be seen, but what is certain is that the Trump administration seems content to continue to escalate the situation in pursuit of both long-standing ambitions of career war hawks as well as a release for quickly building domestic pressure ahead of the 2020 election.
Feature photo | A photo shows the alleged site of a US airstrike that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq, January 03, 2020. Photo | Iraqi Security Forces handout
Whitney Webb is a MintPress News journalist based in Chile. She has contributed to several independent media outlets including Global Research, EcoWatch, the Ron Paul Institute and 21st Century Wire, among others. She has made several radio and television appearances and is the 2019 winner of the Serena Shim Award for Uncompromised Integrity in Journalism.


mintpressnews--2020-01-03--Why Saudi Arabia’s Bloody US-Backed War in Yemen Will Likely Escalate in 2020

HODEIDA , YEMEN — For many around the world , there are reasons to be optimistic heading into 2020 , but the reality on the ground is dashing Yemeni hopes that the new year will bring about an end to Saudi Arabia ’ s nearly five-year-long war on their country as Western support for oil-rich kingdom continues , particularly from the United States .
“ No one is coming , ” said 55 year-old Yasser , standing at the water ’ s edge on Hodeida ’ s port on the first morning of 2020 , scanning the horizon for long-awaited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the port when he was young , “ No one cares about us , nothing gives us a reason to be optimistic heading into 2020.
” Yasser , a father of eight , is one of nearly 3,400 workers in the port of Hodeida who have lost their livelihoods due to a Saudi-imposed blockade on the port that began in August 2015 , when Saudi-coalition airstrikes destroyed the port ’ s cranes and warehouses , causing a humanitarian crisis for thousands of families in the province who head into 2020 with frustration and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and undignified circumstances .
We don ’ t have a home or a source of income .
Conditions are unsettling and unbearable , ” a fisherman who has been prevented from fishing by the presence of Saudi naval forces stationed in Yemen said .
Conditions in Yemen are indeed becoming worse by the day , eroding whatever resilience people in major cities still have .
Electricity and fuel shortages , food insecurity , skyrocketing unemployment rates and extreme water pollution have taken their toll .
This is Hodeida in 2020 .
Water , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all suffered substantially in the city from damage to infrastructure from thousands of airstrikes and from the ongoing blockade .
As a result , epidemics including cholera still plague the city in what is the worst outbreak of the disease in recorded history .
The coastal city is the subject of a UN-brokered international agreement signed in December of 2018 that was supposed to begin a process of bringing peace to Hodeida , but the agreement has been largely ignored by the Saudi-led coalition , which has pushed ahead with a brutal military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Hodeida , in many ways , is a bellwether for how the rest of Yemen ’ s will fare during the coming year .
Over a year after the UN-sponsored agreement was signed , Hodeida still remains the country ’ s most dangerous area .
Three weeks ago , violence struck a new district in southern Hodeida where the city of Heys was subjected to airstrikes , mortar fire and shelling by the Saud funded Giants Brigade militia , killing and injuring dozens of civilians and creating a new wave of internally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ongoing war against the city would plunge Yemen into a deeper humanitarian crisis , as around 70-80 percent of Yemen ’ s goods arrive through Hodeida ’ s port , the Saudi-led coalition boosted their military presence in southern Hodeida in early December , according to Houthi military officials .
The fresh deployment likely indicates that fighting in the province will continue well into 2020 .
Hodeida is already on the brink of a major health catastrophe amid the seizure of vessels carrying diesel fuel and petroleum by the Saudi-led alliance ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possessing the required paperwork , are left unable to reach Hodeida port to offload their consignments , leaving countless Yemenis without much-need fuel to power the generators that run hospitals and water treatment facilities .
The Saudi blockade on what was already one of the poorest countries on earth has entailed tight control over all aspects of life in Yemen since 2015 , severely restricting the movement of aid , as well as people .
This lack of freedom of movement impacts Yemen ’ s right to enjoy the basic standards of human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical treatment abroad .
Moreover , epidemics such as diphtheria , cholera , dengue fever and malaria , have swept Yemen in an unprecedented manner , making it difficult to confront them all at once .
It is unlikely that Yemeni authorities will be able to handle the outbreaks in 2020 , as years past have seen international organizations unable to provide the necessary medicine and medical supplies to combat them .
“ As it [ the war ] enters its fifth year , Yemen now has the fastest growing outbreak of cholera @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , diphtheria , and measles have also emerged in the country .
Meanwhile , hundreds of Yemenis have died from the latest outbreak of the H1N1 flu and 1,600 others are suspected to have contracted the disease.
” Mansour , a doctor working at City Hospital in Hodeida explained to MintPress .
To make matters worse , Yemen is in the midst of the world ’ s worst famine .
The UN has said that a record 22.2 million Yemenis are in dire need of food , including 8.4 million that are threatened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world body , Yemen is suffering from the most severe famine in over 100 years .
This is Yemen in 2020 .
A dirty war and a brutal siege on a forgotten people subsisting in unlivable conditions .
There is no life in this country , if one is able to dodge death by war or disease , they will die from the desperation borne of the misery of their life .
The United States , for its part , continues to neglect Yemen ’ s suffering , despite the United Nations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ humanitarian crisis .
This ignorance will likely only increase in 2020 .
According to many Yemeni civilians who spoke to MintPress , 2020 will not bring an end to their suffering as long as the United States continues supporting the Saudi-led coalition .
Such continued support will make peace in Yemen impossible , they say , as Americans turn a blind eye to the Trump administration ’ s policies in the Middle East .
In 2019 , the U.S. Congress approved a bill to suspend American backing for the Saudi-led coalition that would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s war .
Not long after , President Donald Trump vetoed the bill , despite efforts to make adjustments .
Alas , if the 2020 Pentagon budget is any indication , the United States will not end its involvement in the war in Yemen as some Yemenis had hoped .
Impunity from the United States , which enables the Saudi-led war with its vast military support , will almost certainly continue into the coming year .
Efforts to end the five-year-long war in Yemen seemed to have been gaining momentum last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the war-torn country .
However , several small steps were taken in 2019 to address the impasse between Yemen ’ s Houthi resistance and coalition countries led by Saudi Arabia .
Those steps , which included the withdrawal of forces by the United Arab Emirates and a small number of prisoner releases , in reality , only addressed the tensions that arose immediately following the Houthi detention of three Saudi-coalition brigades in Najran in August and their attacks on Saudi oil facilities in September .
Fadhel Abbas Jahaf , a Yemen analyst based @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last few years many have tried to portray peace efforts as positive .
Yet this departs from the realities on the ground and reflects a lack of comprehension about the Saudi-led coalition ’ s strategic ambitions in the country.
” Jahaf ’ s comments reflect the frustration of many Yemenis , whose hopes have been repeatedly dashed by one failed peace process after another .
The Saudi-coalition ’ s political will for a peaceful resolution , most Yemenis feel , simply does not exist .
Though there are indirect talks between the Houthis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out hope that they can bring an end to the bitter Yemeni war in 2020 .
Indeed , Riyadh seems to be pursuing a policy of shielding itself from the blowback of the war instead of seeking an end to the war itself , according to a high-ranking Houthi official .
Negotiations between the two sides , even on minor issues , often reach a dead end .
Numerous negotiations between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia have failed , including UN-brokered peace talks in Switzerland last year .
Previous talks also broke down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ negotiations in Kuwait failed to yield a deal .
Separate talks that same year in Dhahran between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia also failed .
Saudi Arabia is bogged down in Yemen as it has failed to achieve any of its objectives in the devastating war it launched against its southern neighbor in 2015 .
Saudi leaders promised a decisive victory in a matter of weeks , one to two months at most .
However , five years on , Saudi Arabia is drowning in Yemen .
In recent months , mutual threats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yemeni army have returned in the wake of Saudi attacks on a bustling market in Sadda in December that killed and injured at least 80 migrants and local residents .
The attacks , according to Houthi officials , show that Saudi Arabia is not genuinely seeking peace .
For its part , the Houthi-allied Yemeni army resumed ballistic missiles attacks against Saudi Arabia , launching a ballistic missile at the leadership camp of Saudi Arabia ’ s Brigade 19 border guards in the southern Saudi city of Najran .
That attack came in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ al-Raqou market in the Munabbih district in Yemen ’ s mountainous northwestern province of Sadaa .
That attack killed 17 civilians , including 12 Ethiopian migrants in what was the third deadly assault on the same location in just over a month , according to the UN .
Moreover , the Houthis announced that they are fully prepared to strike nine strategic targets deep inside the territory of coalition countries , six of which are located in Saudi Arabia and the rest in the United Arab Emirates .
“ We believe that attacks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make 2020 different , stop the war and lift the blockade on our country , ” Jahaf told MintPress .
Brigadier General Yahya Saree , the spokesman for Yemen ’ s Houthi-allied armed forces , announced that 2020 year would be the year of air defenses ; and that Yemeni forces would work to develop their military industries and enhance their inventory of various types of deterrence capabilities .
In the wake of Saree ’ s statement , Yemeni air defenses shot down four Saudi-led coalition military drones , including a Chinese-made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a reconnaissance mission in al-Tina area of the Hayran district .
The development came only hours after a Turkish-built Vestel Karayel drone was shot down with a precision missile .
On Monday , a Saudi-led spy drone was shot down as it was flying over the Razih district of the country ’ s northwestern province of Saada .
A drone was shot down in Hodeida western Yemen on the same day .
Even amid such obvious signs of escalation , the UN emergency relief chief claimed in December that Yemen ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down in 2020 .
The UN has so far disregarded the deep-rooted motives and structural issues driving the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen .
Even if new initiatives do occur in the coming year , they will not achieve much unless Yemenis are finally allowed to decide their own fate .
Short of that , the war in Yemen will likely continue to escalate in 2020 .
More civilians will lose their lives , more people will become internally displaced , the spread of epidemics will continue unabated , more cities , hospitals , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ millions of helpless families will be left with no means of sustenance .
Feature photo | Bodies covered in plastic lie on the ground amid the rubble of a building destroyed by Saudi-led airstrikes , that killed at least 60 people and wounding several dozen more , Sept. 1 , 2019 .
Hani Mohammed | AP Ahmed AbdulKareem is a Yemeni journalist .
He covers the war in Yemen for MintPress News as well as local Yemeni media .

HODEIDA, YEMEN — For many around the world, there are reasons to be optimistic heading into 2020, but the reality on the ground is dashing Yemeni hopes that the new year will bring about an end to Saudi Arabia’s nearly five-year-long war on their country as Western support for oil-rich kingdom continues, particularly from the United States.
“No one is coming,” said 55 year-old Yasser, standing at the water’s edge on Hodeida’s port on the first morning of 2020, scanning the horizon for long-awaited ships. Yasser used to work at the port when he was young, “No one cares about us, nothing gives us a reason to be optimistic heading into 2020.”
Yasser, a father of eight, is one of nearly 3,400 workers in the port of Hodeida who have lost their livelihoods due to a Saudi-imposed blockade on the port that began in August 2015, when Saudi-coalition airstrikes destroyed the port’s cranes and warehouses, causing a humanitarian crisis for thousands of families in the province who head into 2020 with frustration and misery.
“We live under trying and undignified circumstances. We don’t have a home or a source of income. Conditions are unsettling and unbearable,” a fisherman who has been prevented from fishing by the presence of Saudi naval forces stationed in Yemen said. Conditions in Yemen are indeed becoming worse by the day, eroding whatever resilience people in major cities still have. Electricity and fuel shortages, food insecurity, skyrocketing unemployment rates and extreme water pollution have taken their toll.
This is Hodeida in 2020. Water, sanitation, and the health sector have all suffered substantially in the city from damage to infrastructure from thousands of airstrikes and from the ongoing blockade. As a result, epidemics including cholera still plague the city in what is the worst outbreak of the disease in recorded history.
The coastal city is the subject of a UN-brokered international agreement signed in December of 2018 that was supposed to begin a process of bringing peace to Hodeida, but the agreement has been largely ignored by the Saudi-led coalition, which has pushed ahead with a brutal military campaign against the city’s residents. Hodeida, in many ways, is a bellwether for how the rest of Yemen’s will fare during the coming year.
Over a year after the UN-sponsored agreement was signed, Hodeida still remains the country’s most dangerous area. Three weeks ago, violence struck a new district in southern Hodeida where the city of Heys was subjected to airstrikes, mortar fire and shelling by the Saud funded Giants Brigade militia, killing and injuring dozens of civilians and creating a new wave of internally displaced people.
Despite warnings that the ongoing war against the city would plunge Yemen into a deeper humanitarian crisis, as around 70-80 percent of Yemen’s goods arrive through Hodeida’s port, the Saudi-led coalition boosted their military presence in southern Hodeida in early December, according to Houthi military officials. The fresh deployment likely indicates that fighting in the province will continue well into 2020.
Hodeida is already on the brink of a major health catastrophe amid the seizure of vessels carrying diesel fuel and petroleum by the Saudi-led alliance’s naval forces. Those vessels, despite possessing the required paperwork, are left unable to reach Hodeida port to offload their consignments, leaving countless Yemenis without much-need fuel to power the generators that run hospitals and water treatment facilities.
The Saudi blockade on what was already one of the poorest countries on earth has entailed tight control over all aspects of life in Yemen since 2015, severely restricting the movement of aid, as well as people. This lack of freedom of movement impacts Yemen’s right to enjoy the basic standards of human rights, including the right to seek medical treatment abroad.
Moreover, epidemics such as diphtheria, cholera, dengue fever and malaria, have swept Yemen in an unprecedented manner, making it difficult to confront them all at once. It is unlikely that Yemeni authorities will be able to handle the outbreaks in 2020, as years past have seen international organizations unable to provide the necessary medicine and medical supplies to combat them.
“As it [the war] enters its fifth year, Yemen now has the fastest growing outbreak of cholera ever recorded. Swine flu, rabies, diphtheria, and measles have also emerged in the country. Meanwhile, hundreds of Yemenis have died from the latest outbreak of the H1N1 flu and 1,600 others are suspected to have contracted the disease.” Mansour, a doctor working at City Hospital in Hodeida explained to MintPress.
To make matters worse, Yemen is in the midst of the world’s worst famine. The UN has said that a record 22.2 million Yemenis are in dire need of food, including 8.4 million that are threatened immediately by severe hunger. According to the world body, Yemen is suffering from the most severe famine in over 100 years.
This is Yemen in 2020. A dirty war and a brutal siege on a forgotten people subsisting in unlivable conditions. There is no life in this country, if one is able to dodge death by war or disease, they will die from the desperation borne of the misery of their life.
The United States, for its part, continues to neglect Yemen’s suffering, despite the United Nations calling it the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. This ignorance will likely only increase in 2020. According to many Yemeni civilians who spoke to MintPress, 2020 will not bring an end to their suffering as long as the United States continues supporting the Saudi-led coalition. Such continued support will make peace in Yemen impossible, they say, as Americans turn a blind eye to the Trump administration’s policies in the Middle East.
In 2019, the U.S. Congress approved a bill to suspend American backing for the Saudi-led coalition that would have halted U.S. support for the coalition’s war. Not long after, President Donald Trump vetoed the bill, despite efforts to make adjustments. Alas, if the 2020 Pentagon budget is any indication, the United States will not end its involvement in the war in Yemen as some Yemenis had hoped. Impunity from the United States, which enables the Saudi-led war with its vast military support, will almost certainly continue into the coming year.
Grim prospects for peace
Efforts to end the five-year-long war in Yemen seemed to have been gaining momentum last year but ultimately failed to bring peace to the war-torn country. However, several small steps were taken in 2019 to address the impasse between Yemen’s Houthi resistance and coalition countries led by Saudi Arabia. Those steps, which included the withdrawal of forces by the United Arab Emirates and a small number of prisoner releases, in reality, only addressed the tensions that arose immediately following the Houthi detention of three Saudi-coalition brigades in Najran in August and their attacks on Saudi oil facilities in September.
Fadhel Abbas Jahaf, a Yemen analyst based in Sanaa said, “During the last few years many have tried to portray peace efforts as positive. Yet this departs from the realities on the ground and reflects a lack of comprehension about the Saudi-led coalition’s strategic ambitions in the country.” Jahaf’s comments reflect the frustration of many Yemenis, whose hopes have been repeatedly dashed by one failed peace process after another. The Saudi-coalition’s political will for a peaceful resolution, most Yemenis feel, simply does not exist.
Though there are indirect talks between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, few are holding out hope that they can bring an end to the bitter Yemeni war in 2020. Indeed, Riyadh seems to be pursuing a policy of shielding itself from the blowback of the war instead of seeking an end to the war itself, according to a high-ranking Houthi official.
Negotiations between the two sides, even on minor issues, often reach a dead end. Numerous negotiations between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia have failed, including UN-brokered peace talks in Switzerland last year. Previous talks also broke down in 2016, when 108 days of negotiations in Kuwait failed to yield a deal. Separate talks that same year in Dhahran between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia also failed.
Saudi Arabia is bogged down in Yemen as it has failed to achieve any of its objectives in the devastating war it launched against its southern neighbor in 2015. Saudi leaders promised a decisive victory in a matter of weeks, one to two months at most. However, five years on, Saudi Arabia is drowning in Yemen.
A new year brings new tension
In recent months, mutual threats have between the coalition and the Houthi-allied Yemeni army have returned in the wake of Saudi attacks on a bustling market in Sadda in December that killed and injured at least 80 migrants and local residents. The attacks, according to Houthi officials, show that Saudi Arabia is not genuinely seeking peace.
For its part, the Houthi-allied Yemeni army resumed ballistic missiles attacks against Saudi Arabia, launching a ballistic missile at the leadership camp of Saudi Arabia’s Brigade 19 border guards in the southern Saudi city of Najran. That attack came in retaliation for a Saudi airstrike on the al-Raqou market in the Munabbih district in Yemen’s mountainous northwestern province of Sadaa. That attack killed 17 civilians, including 12 Ethiopian migrants in what was the third deadly assault on the same location in just over a month, according to the UN.
Moreover, the Houthis announced that they are fully prepared to strike nine strategic targets deep inside the territory of coalition countries, six of which are located in Saudi Arabia and the rest in the United Arab Emirates. “We believe that attacks on Saudi Arabia are the only hope to make 2020 different, stop the war and lift the blockade on our country,” Jahaf told MintPress.
Brigadier General Yahya Saree, the spokesman for Yemen’s Houthi-allied armed forces, announced that 2020 year would be the year of air defenses; and that Yemeni forces would work to develop their military industries and enhance their inventory of various types of deterrence capabilities.
In the wake of Saree’s statement, Yemeni air defenses shot down four Saudi-led coalition military drones, including a Chinese-made Phantom Drone that was shot down while on a reconnaissance mission in al-Tina area of the Hayran district. The development came only hours after a Turkish-built Vestel Karayel drone was shot down with a precision missile. On Monday, a Saudi-led spy drone was shot down as it was flying over the Razih district of the country’s northwestern province of Saada. A drone was shot down in Hodeida western Yemen on the same day.
Even amid such obvious signs of escalation, the UN emergency relief chief claimed in December that Yemen’s war is showing promising signs of winding down in 2020. The UN has so far disregarded the deep-rooted motives and structural issues driving the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. Even if new initiatives do occur in the coming year, they will not achieve much unless Yemenis are finally allowed to decide their own fate. Short of that, the war in Yemen will likely continue to escalate in 2020. More civilians will lose their lives, more people will become internally displaced, the spread of epidemics will continue unabated, more cities, hospitals, and schools will be destroyed, and millions of helpless families will be left with no means of sustenance.
Feature photo | Bodies covered in plastic lie on the ground amid the rubble of a building destroyed by Saudi-led airstrikes, that killed at least 60 people and wounding several dozen more, Sept. 1, 2019. Hani Mohammed | AP
Ahmed AbdulKareem is a Yemeni journalist. He covers the war in Yemen for MintPress News as well as local Yemeni media.


mintpressnews--2020-01-02--After 18 Years of US Occupation, Poll Finds Zero Percent of Afghans Thriving, 85 Percent “Suffering”

American polling firm Gallup has found that Afghans are the saddest people on earth , finding that nearly nine in ten respondents are “ suffering , ” in their own words , with zero percent claiming that they are currently “ thriving.
” When asked to rate their life out of a score of ten , Afghans gave an average answer of 2.7 , a record low for any country studied .
Worse still , when asked to predict the quality of their life in five years , the average answer was even lower : 2.3 .
As the study @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Afghans ’ near-universal lack of optimism.
” In more than a decade of data collection around the world on the topic , this is the first time that any population predicted that their future lives would be worse than their current ones .
This , to Gallup , was “ all the more notable ” due to Afghanistan ’ s very young population ; two-thirds of those interviewed were aged 35 or under .
Less than half of the country said they experienced enjoyment or were treated with respect in the previous day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for much of the day , up 10 percentage points from 2016 .
Remarkably , the study does not mention the 18-year U.S.-led invasion and occupation of the country as a potential explanatory factor for their suffering .
In fact , it explicitly warns against an American withdrawal , arguing that it would “ strengthen the Taliban ’ s grip ” over the country , thus , tacitly endorsing the U.S. government and presenting the military as a force for good in the region .
The United States attacked Afghanistan in October 2001 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 11 attacks on New York City and Washington D.C .
It justified the decision on the inaccurate claim that the Taliban were not willing to negotiate handing over top suspect Osama Bin Laden .
Since 2001 , the occupation and fighting have not stopped , destroying the country in the process and leading to the U.S. spending an estimated $ 2 trillion on the war .
The U.S. military and its allies are the number one killers in the country .
Despite this , the Taliban is now in a stronger position than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decades , controlling more territory than it did in 2001 .
The human cost of the conflict is clear but quantifiable statistics are sparse .
The World Bank estimates that the number of Afghans living in poverty rose from 9.1 million in 2007 to 19.3 million in 2016 .
The average income is less than 2,000 U.S .
Dollars per year , one of the lowest of any country in the world .
This is not the first time that Gallup has downplayed its explosive findings that imply a strongly anti-imperialist message .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ opinion on which country they believed was the greatest threat to world peace .
The overwhelming number one choice was the United States , with a quarter of those polled selecting the U.S. out of nearly 200 countries .
Even in closely allied states like Germany , fear of America was highest .
Pakistan was a distant second , buoyed by a large Indian vote in the survey .
Gallup decided not to ask the question again .
A December poll from the Pew Research Center also showed a majority of Mexicans consider @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country .
In December , the Afghanistan Papers were leaked to the Washington Post .
In what political commentator Kyle Kulinski described as the worst media failure of 2019 , the documents revealed that high-level military officers believed that the war was unwinnable , but that knowledge was kept from the public by the government who deliberately misled the public since the invasion .
Kulinski decried the near “ total lack of coverage ” of the news .
“ We were lied to all throughout the war , every step of the way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ ve been at war…no good has come from it.
” On the Afghanistan Papers , MintPress News contributor Medea Benjamin said : She argued that there is a single premise that Washington “ refuses to learn ” : that the underlying fault is not in how the U.S. tries to change societies through regime change , but in the “ fundamental illegitimacy of regime change itself.
” While the Trump administration has made a few noises about a withdrawal from Afghanistan , successive regimes before it have made similar proclamations .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ extra troops to Iraq , it doesn ’ t appear that the Middle East will have anything to smile about any time soon .
Feature photo | A man repairs the roof of a house on the hills surrounding Kabul , Afghanistan , Nov. 25 , 2019 .
Altaf Qadri | AP Alan MacLeod is a MintPress Staff Writer as well as an academic and writer for Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting .
His book , Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting was published in April .

American polling firm Gallup has found that Afghans are the saddest people on earth, finding that nearly nine in ten respondents are “suffering,” in their own words, with zero percent claiming that they are currently “thriving.” When asked to rate their life out of a score of ten, Afghans gave an average answer of 2.7, a record low for any country studied. Worse still, when asked to predict the quality of their life in five years, the average answer was even lower: 2.3.
As the study mentioned, “the unprecedented finding highlights Afghans’ near-universal lack of optimism.” In more than a decade of data collection around the world on the topic, this is the first time that any population predicted that their future lives would be worse than their current ones. This, to Gallup, was “all the more notable” due to Afghanistan’s very young population; two-thirds of those interviewed were aged 35 or under. Less than half of the country said they experienced enjoyment or were treated with respect in the previous day, while 52 percent admitted to worrying for much of the day, up 10 percentage points from 2016.
Remarkably, the study does not mention the 18-year U.S.-led invasion and occupation of the country as a potential explanatory factor for their suffering. In fact, it explicitly warns against an American withdrawal, arguing that it would “strengthen the Taliban’s grip” over the country, thus, tacitly endorsing the U.S. government and presenting the military as a force for good in the region.
The United States attacked Afghanistan in October 2001, invading just weeks after the September 11 attacks on New York City and Washington D.C. It justified the decision on the inaccurate claim that the Taliban were not willing to negotiate handing over top suspect Osama Bin Laden. Since 2001, the occupation and fighting have not stopped, destroying the country in the process and leading to the U.S. spending an estimated $2 trillion on the war. The U.S. military and its allies are the number one killers in the country. Despite this, the Taliban is now in a stronger position than at any time in the last two decades, controlling more territory than it did in 2001.
The human cost of the conflict is clear but quantifiable statistics are sparse. The World Bank estimates that the number of Afghans living in poverty rose from 9.1 million in 2007 to 19.3 million in 2016. The average income is less than 2,000 U.S. Dollars per year, one of the lowest of any country in the world.
This is not the first time that Gallup has downplayed its explosive findings that imply a strongly anti-imperialist message. In 2014, it surveyed world public opinion on which country they believed was the greatest threat to world peace. The overwhelming number one choice was the United States, with a quarter of those polled selecting the U.S. out of nearly 200 countries. Even in closely allied states like Germany, fear of America was highest. Pakistan was a distant second, buoyed by a large Indian vote in the survey. Gallup decided not to ask the question again. A December poll from the Pew Research Center also showed a majority of Mexicans consider the U.S. the greatest threat to their country.
In December, the Afghanistan Papers were leaked to the Washington Post. In what political commentator Kyle Kulinski described as the worst media failure of 2019, the documents revealed that high-level military officers believed that the war was unwinnable, but that knowledge was kept from the public by the government who deliberately misled the public since the invasion. Kulinski decried the near “total lack of coverage” of the news. “We were lied to all throughout the war, every step of the way” he said; “18 years we’ve been at war…no good has come from it.”
On the Afghanistan Papers, MintPress News contributor Medea Benjamin said:
The debacle in Afghanistan is only one case in a fundamentally flawed U.S. policy with worldwide consequences. New quasi-governments installed by U.S. “regime change” in country after country have proven more corrupt, less legitimate and less able to control their nation’s territory than the ones the U.S. has destroyed.
She argued that there is a single premise that Washington “refuses to learn”: that the underlying fault is not in how the U.S. tries to change societies through regime change, but in the “fundamental illegitimacy of regime change itself.” While the Trump administration has made a few noises about a withdrawal from Afghanistan, successive regimes before it have made similar proclamations. And with the recent deployment of 4,000 extra troops to Iraq, it doesn’t appear that the Middle East will have anything to smile about any time soon.
Feature photo | A man repairs the roof of a house on the hills surrounding Kabul, Afghanistan, Nov. 25, 2019. Altaf Qadri | AP
Alan MacLeod is a MintPress Staff Writer as well as an academic and writer for Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. His book, Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting was published in April.


mintpressnews--2020-01-08--In What May be the Largest Strike in World History, Millions in India Protest PM Modi’s Policies

An estimated quarter billion Indians – roughly three percent of the world ’ s entire population – went on strike today across the subcontinent , protesting the government of Narendra Modi ’ s racist and “ anti-people , ” “ anti-worker ” policies .
The protests were called by the Center of Indian Trade Unions ( CITU ) and are thought to be perhaps the largest in world history .
The CITU has a 12-point charter of demands they have put to the government .
The demands include : • None Urgent measures to contain price rises through a universalized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trading on the commodities market .
• None A minimum wage of at least 15,000 Rupees ( ≈ $ 210 ) per month .
• None The end to foreign direct investment in key industries like rail , defense and finance .
Many on the streets are also continuing the protest against Modi ’ s privatization schemes and racist CAA and NRC acts .
The CAA explicitly prevents Muslims ( India ’ s largest religious minority numbering around 140 million people ) from neighboring countries to acquire citizenship .
The NRC ( National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laws , requiring all Indians to provide extensive documentation to prove their citizenship– something hundreds of millions will surely be unable to do .
It , therefore , gives Modi and his ruling far-right Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) the ability to remove citizenship– and therefore virtually all human rights– from any Indian it wishes .
The government has already removed nearly two million people ’ s citizenship in the northeastern state of Assam– around half of them Muslims .
It is also currently building a network of “ detention centers ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. to house the newly criminalized population of “ illegal immigrants.
” In many cases , it is employing those same people to build their own prisons .
The strike is supported by most major unions except for those affiliated with the ruling BJP .
It also has the support of the Indian National Congress Party , which ruled the country for decades after its independence from the U.K. Rahul Gandhi , leader of the party until August last year , also estimated that 250 million would be on the streets , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hit particularly hard by the strike today is banking .
Nearly a quarter of a trillion Rupees ( ≈ $ 3.1 billion ) in bank transactions are set to be hit throughout the day , as ten unions from the finance and insurance sectors , representing around half a million workers , join the strike .
A common tactic of the strikers across the country is to occupy railway lines , shutting down India ’ s most important and iconic transport network , effectively paralyzing the country .
Representatives of India ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members would join the strike , despite an order from the management of Coal India Ltd. not to do so .
Many of the country ’ s enormous population of agricultural workers are expected to down their tools as well .
News of what is billed by supporters as the world ’ s largest strike has been hard to come by in Western sources .
In fact , there has been an almost complete media blackout of the subject .
A search for “ India strike ” into Google ’ s news search @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( in other words after an entire day of unrest ) produces just one result from a Western news organization ; a short article from Reuters claiming that only “ tens of thousands ” are on strike .
While numbers for simultaneous demonstrations happening across a subcontinent can never be gauged completely accurately , what is striking is the complete disinterest in such a large revolt from international media organizations .
Modi sees himself as part of the global wave of far-right leaders ( such as Bolsonaro in Brazil and Orban in Hungary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the wake of the global economic downturn of 2008 .
In December , Indian intellectual Vijay Prashad described Modi ’ s ideology as a perfect blend of Indian fascism and hard neoliberal economics , combining Hindu nationalism with a package of privatization of state resources .
In September , the prime minister came to the United States to attend a “ Howdy Modi ” summit in Houston , TX , where he embraced Donald Trump as a kindred spirit .
And in April , he used the opportunity of International Peace Day to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Despite the fact that today ’ s actions show that there is stiff and nationwide opposition to his Hindu chauvinism , he continues to retain high approval rates , while his ruling BJP party celebrated a resounding victory in the elections of April/May , winning 303 of the 545 seats in India ’ s lower house , a margin of victory rarely seen in a multi-party system .
Modi ’ s government warned that “ any employee going on strike in any form would face the consequences , ” while the Supreme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ grave misconduct , ” suggesting that the government sees the nationwide strike as a threat to its legitimacy .
Strikers claim that it is just this authoritarian sentiment they are opposing .
Feature photo | Members of various trade unions shout slogans during a general strike called by various trade unions in Ahmadabad , India , Jan. 8 , 2020 .
Ajit Solanki | AP Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News .
After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books : Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Propaganda in the Information Age : Still Manufacturing Consent .
He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , The Guardian , Salon , The Grayzone , Jacobin Magazine , Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

An estimated quarter billion Indians – roughly three percent of the world’s entire population – went on strike today across the subcontinent, protesting the government of Narendra Modi’s racist and “anti-people,” “anti-worker” policies. The protests were called by the Center of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and are thought to be perhaps the largest in world history.
General strike in India begins. 250 million to be out today. World’s largest strike.@cituhq pic.twitter.com/Wyob6JVPjk — Vijay Prashad (@vijayprashad) January 8, 2020
The CITU has a 12-point charter of demands they have put to the government. The demands include:
Urgent measures to contain price rises through a universalized public distribution system and banning of speculative trading on the commodities market.
A job generation scheme to combat India’s unemployment problem.
Stricter enforcement of all basic labor laws.
Universal social security.
A minimum wage of at least 15,000 Rupees (≈ $210) per month.
A guaranteed pension for the entire working age population.
Equal pay for equal work.
The stoppage of pro-employer, anti-labor laws.
The end to foreign direct investment in key industries like rail, defense and finance.
Delhi university strongly rejects violence on campus and the communal divide of India. #BharatBandh #NRC_CAA_Protests pic.twitter.com/VHB4IYX0g2 — We The People of India (@ThePeopleOfIN) January 8, 2020
Many on the streets are also continuing the protest against Modi’s privatization schemes and racist CAA and NRC acts. The CAA explicitly prevents Muslims (India’s largest religious minority numbering around 140 million people) from neighboring countries to acquire citizenship. The NRC (National Registration Council) overturns all previous citizenship laws, requiring all Indians to provide extensive documentation to prove their citizenship– something hundreds of millions will surely be unable to do. It, therefore, gives Modi and his ruling far-right Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) the ability to remove citizenship– and therefore virtually all human rights– from any Indian it wishes. The government has already removed nearly two million people’s citizenship in the northeastern state of Assam– around half of them Muslims. It is also currently building a network of “detention centers” similar to those used by ICE in the U.S. to house the newly criminalized population of “illegal immigrants.” In many cases, it is employing those same people to build their own prisons.
The strike is supported by most major unions except for those affiliated with the ruling BJP. It also has the support of the Indian National Congress Party, which ruled the country for decades after its independence from the U.K. Rahul Gandhi, leader of the party until August last year, also estimated that 250 million would be on the streets, tweeting:
https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/1214756142494048261
One industry expected to be hit particularly hard by the strike today is banking. Nearly a quarter of a trillion Rupees (≈ $3.1 billion) in bank transactions are set to be hit throughout the day, as ten unions from the finance and insurance sectors, representing around half a million workers, join the strike.
A common tactic of the strikers across the country is to occupy railway lines, shutting down India’s most important and iconic transport network, effectively paralyzing the country. Representatives of India’s coal unions also announced that its 600,000 members would join the strike, despite an order from the management of Coal India Ltd. not to do so. Many of the country’s enormous population of agricultural workers are expected to down their tools as well.
The people with the railwaymen in Howrah railway station…#AllIndiaWorkersStrike pic.twitter.com/XxzJmK3VpM — Surjya Kanta Mishra (@mishra_surjya) January 8, 2020
News of what is billed by supporters as the world’s largest strike has been hard to come by in Western sources. In fact, there has been an almost complete media blackout of the subject. A search for “India strike” into Google’s news search engine as of 23:00 India standard time (in other words after an entire day of unrest) produces just one result from a Western news organization; a short article from Reuters claiming that only “tens of thousands” are on strike. While numbers for simultaneous demonstrations happening across a subcontinent can never be gauged completely accurately, what is striking is the complete disinterest in such a large revolt from international media organizations.
I have more than 300 photos ( mainly from Bengal ) in my mobile related to protest against #JNUViolence and in support of tomorrow's #BharatBandh Some of them#AllIndiaWorkersStrike #Kolkata #StayStrongJNU #ISupportDeepika pic.twitter.com/3rjwnczhrx — Amartya Das (@Amartya_13) January 7, 2020
Modi sees himself as part of the global wave of far-right leaders (such as Bolsonaro in Brazil and Orban in Hungary) who have come to power in the wake of the global economic downturn of 2008. In December, Indian intellectual Vijay Prashad described Modi’s ideology as a perfect blend of Indian fascism and hard neoliberal economics, combining Hindu nationalism with a package of privatization of state resources. In September, the prime minister came to the United States to attend a “Howdy Modi” summit in Houston, TX, where he embraced Donald Trump as a kindred spirit. And in April, he used the opportunity of International Peace Day to threaten to drop nuclear bombs on Pakistan.
Despite the fact that today’s actions show that there is stiff and nationwide opposition to his Hindu chauvinism, he continues to retain high approval rates, while his ruling BJP party celebrated a resounding victory in the elections of April/May, winning 303 of the 545 seats in India’s lower house, a margin of victory rarely seen in a multi-party system.
Modi’s government warned that “any employee going on strike in any form would face the consequences,” while the Supreme Court claimed that protesting today amounts to “grave misconduct,” suggesting that the government sees the nationwide strike as a threat to its legitimacy. Strikers claim that it is just this authoritarian sentiment they are opposing.
Feature photo | Members of various trade unions shout slogans during a general strike called by various trade unions in Ahmadabad, India, Jan. 8, 2020. Ajit Solanki | AP
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.


mintpressnews--2020-01-08--Trump Backs Away from Threats to Retaliate for Iranian Missile Strikes, Promises New Sanctions

WASHINGTON DC — In a statement delivered late Wednesday morning , President Donald Trump made it clear that the U.S. would not militarily respond to the missile strikes launched by Iran on U.S. military installations in Iraq on Tuesday , strikes that were themselves retaliation for the Trump administration ’ s killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and the leader of Iraq ’ s Popular Mobilization Front , Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis .
Despite the ultimate de-escalation following several hours of tension after Iranian missiles struck the Ain al-Assad base in western Iraq , Trump struck a tough tone towards Iran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pursued in his short speech .
Among the policies outlined in Trump ’ s speech was the imminent imposition of “ new punishing sanctions ” against Iran , which is already heavily sanctioned by the U.S. , and calls to increase NATO ’ s involvement in the Middle East , reflecting the president ’ s unwillingness to pursue a direct military approach to Iran without at least some international backing .
This despite the fact that several NATO allies have already begun to withdraw their troops from the Middle East amid fears of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iran .
Trump also called for a diplomatic solution with Iran , deriding the JCPOA , the binding deal signed during the Obama administration between Iran , China France , Germany , Russia , United Kingdom , and the United States .
Trump ’ s offer is likely to be ill-received as the deal ’ s European signatories , China , Russia and the Iranian government have all sought to salvage the deal from which Trump unilaterally withdrew nearly two years ago .
Trump ’ s statement ultimately ended with an unexpected call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his earlier threats to strike 52 Iranian targets , including cultural sites , should Iran retaliate militarily for the assassination of General Soleimani .
“ To the people and leaders of Iran , we want you to have a future and a great future , one that you deserve .
One of prosperity at home and harmony with the nations of the world .
The United States is ready to embrace peace with all who seek it , ” the president said .
Perhaps more telling than what President Trump did say is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He did not comment on the several disputed reports of U.S. troops withdrawing from bases in Iraq , Kuwait or Syria prior to and after the Iranian strike .
If these claims are substantiated , they would explain Iran ’ s limited reprisal as Iranian officials have stated multiple times since the assassination of General Soleimani that their new policy , and ultimately their revenge , would be to force the U.S. to remove its military assets from the Middle East entirely .
Trump also failed to address now confirmed reports that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , received advanced warnings of the Iranian strike before it took place , which signaled that Iran had little desire to spill the blood of the American and Iraqi soldiers present at the bases targeted during the strikes .
A recent vote by Iraq ’ s Parliament to expel U.S. troops and claims made by Iraq ’ s Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi that Trump threatened his life and the life of Iraq ’ s Defense Minister if they pursued reports of a “ third side ” attacking both Iraqi protesters and Iraqi security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lead-up to the U.S. ’ killing of Soleimani and al-Muhandis were also left unaddressed .
Adil Abdul-Mahdi has asserted that the motives behind these threats were the U.S. administration ’ s desire to see Iraq ’ s government rescind an “ oil for reconstruction ” deal with China .
Following Iran ’ s military response to the deaths of Soleimani and his Iraqi ally , Trump ’ s tone — at least publicly — was dramatically less bellicose than some of the president ’ s recent tweets promising to strike Iranian territory should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ While the promised strikes on those sites did not materialize , they did signal a new era for the U.S. military in the Middle East and potentially the world , one in which U.S. ’ hegemony is more dubious than ever .
Indeed , the United States military has not been directly targeted by another government in recent memory , especially without being followed by an overwhelming U.S. military response .
Feature photo| President Donald Trump walks off after addressing the nation from the White House on the missile strike that Iran launched @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Jan. 8 , 2020 , in Washington .
Evan Vucci | AP Whitney Webb is a MintPress News journalist based in Chile .
She has contributed to several independent media outlets including Global Research , EcoWatch , the Ron Paul Institute and 21st Century Wire , among others .
She has made several radio and television appearances and is the 2019 winner of the Serena Shim Award for Uncompromised Integrity in Journalism .

WASHINGTON DC — In a statement delivered late Wednesday morning, President Donald Trump made it clear that the U.S. would not militarily respond to the missile strikes launched by Iran on U.S. military installations in Iraq on Tuesday, strikes that were themselves retaliation for the Trump administration’s killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and the leader of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Front, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
Despite the ultimate de-escalation following several hours of tension after Iranian missiles struck the Ain al-Assad base in western Iraq, Trump struck a tough tone towards Iran and outlined few new policies to be pursued in his short speech. Among the policies outlined in Trump’s speech was the imminent imposition of “new punishing sanctions” against Iran, which is already heavily sanctioned by the U.S., and calls to increase NATO’s involvement in the Middle East, reflecting the president’s unwillingness to pursue a direct military approach to Iran without at least some international backing. This despite the fact that several NATO allies have already begun to withdraw their troops from the Middle East amid fears of a direct war between the U.S. and Iran.
Trump also called for a diplomatic solution with Iran, deriding the JCPOA, the binding deal signed during the Obama administration between Iran, China France, Germany, Russia, United Kingdom, and the United States. Trump’s offer is likely to be ill-received as the deal’s European signatories, China, Russia and the Iranian government have all sought to salvage the deal from which Trump unilaterally withdrew nearly two years ago.
Trump’s statement ultimately ended with an unexpected call for peace, a stark departure from his earlier threats to strike 52 Iranian targets, including cultural sites, should Iran retaliate militarily for the assassination of General Soleimani. “To the people and leaders of Iran, we want you to have a future and a great future, one that you deserve. One of prosperity at home and harmony with the nations of the world. The United States is ready to embrace peace with all who seek it,” the president said.

Perhaps more telling than what President Trump did say is what he left out of his speech. He did not comment on the several disputed reports of U.S. troops withdrawing from bases in Iraq, Kuwait or Syria prior to and after the Iranian strike. If these claims are substantiated, they would explain Iran’s limited reprisal as Iranian officials have stated multiple times since the assassination of General Soleimani that their new policy, and ultimately their revenge, would be to force the U.S. to remove its military assets from the Middle East entirely. Trump also failed to address now confirmed reports that the U.S., as well as Iraq, received advanced warnings of the Iranian strike before it took place, which signaled that Iran had little desire to spill the blood of the American and Iraqi soldiers present at the bases targeted during the strikes.
A recent vote by Iraq’s Parliament to expel U.S. troops and claims made by Iraq’s Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi that Trump threatened his life and the life of Iraq’s Defense Minister if they pursued reports of a “third side” attacking both Iraqi protesters and Iraqi security forces near the U.S. embassy in the lead-up to the U.S.’ killing of Soleimani and al-Muhandis were also left unaddressed. Adil Abdul-Mahdi has asserted that the motives behind these threats were the U.S. administration’s desire to see Iraq’s government rescind an “oil for reconstruction” deal with China.
Following Iran’s military response to the deaths of Soleimani and his Iraqi ally, Trump’s tone — at least publicly — was dramatically less bellicose than some of the president’s recent tweets promising to strike Iranian territory should Tehran retaliate against the United States. While the promised strikes on those sites did not materialize, they did signal a new era for the U.S. military in the Middle East and potentially the world, one in which U.S.’ hegemony is more dubious than ever. Indeed, the United States military has not been directly targeted by another government in recent memory, especially without being followed by an overwhelming U.S. military response.
Feature photo| President Donald Trump walks off after addressing the nation from the White House on the missile strike that Iran launched against Iraqi air bases housing U.S. troops, Jan. 8, 2020, in Washington. Evan Vucci | AP
Whitney Webb is a MintPress News journalist based in Chile. She has contributed to several independent media outlets including Global Research, EcoWatch, the Ron Paul Institute and 21st Century Wire, among others. She has made several radio and television appearances and is the 2019 winner of the Serena Shim Award for Uncompromised Integrity in Journalism.


mintpressnews--2020-01-08--Questions Surround Mysterious Plane Crash in Iran That Left 176 Dead

A Kiev-bound Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran , Iran , early Wednesday morning , killing all 176 passengers and nine crew members on board .
The head of the Red Crescent told Iranian news agency ISNA that it was “ obviously impossible ” that any passengers on flight PS-752 survived .
A witness to the incident claimed that the pilot of the doomed vehicle courageously steered it out of the way of a residential area and towards a soccer field , crashing onto it and subsequently into a canal .
Ukraine International Airlines said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a few minutes after takeoff .
The winter ’ s light brought with it sobering images of the wreckage .
The crash comes at a point barely short of war between the United States and Iran , and brings back memories of the downing of Iran Air Flight 655 by an American Cruiser , the USS Vincennes , in July 1988 .
All 290 people aboard ( including 66 children ) were killed as a result , as it flew through a well-established air corridor between Tehran and Dubai .
Although the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for an enemy Tomcat fighter , two of the Vincennes officers received Legion of Merit medals for “ meritorious service ” upon arriving back in America .
The ship had , at the time of the attack , illegally entered Iranian waters to perform what Ronald Reagan described as “ a proper defensive action.
” George H.W .
Bush , Vice-President at the time , went further : “ I will never apologize for the United States – I don ’ t care what the facts are… I ’ m not an apologise-for-America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stated on the incident .
The head of Iran ’ s Civil Aviation Organization , Ali Abedzadeh , said , “ We will not give the black boxes to the manufacturer ( Boeing ) and the Americans .
It ’ s not yet clear which country the black box will go to for the investigation.
” While the Ukrainian embassy in Tehran had earlier “ ruled out ” the incident being an act of terror , it later retracted the statement , fueling fears that the event represented an escalation of hostilities between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3 , the Trump administration carried out a successful drone assassination attempt of Lt. General Qassem Soleimani .
Soleimani was a charismatic and influential leader and statesman of the Islamic Republic , commonly considered one of the most powerful people after Ayatollah Khamenei .
A 2018 poll conducted by the University of Maryland found two-thirds of Iranians rated Soleimani “ very favorably.
” While the New York Times speculated that it was likely he “ had come to Iraq in part to plot the next move against United States military personnel or civilians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been invited to attend regional peace talks with Saudi Arabia by the Iraqi Prime Minister , who personally asked Trump for his blessing .
Trump agreed , then used the opportunity to drone strike Soleimani on Iraqi soil .
Four hours before the airliner crashed , Iran fired 22 ballistic missiles at U.S.-occupied military bases in Iraq .
A statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ( IRGC ) made it clear that this was in response to Soleimani ’ s assassination .
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko announced that 82 Iranians , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Swedes , four Afghanis , as well as three Germans and Britons were on board .
The model of aircraft is a member of the same family as the currently downed 737 Max 8 model , which has recently seen two high-profile deadly incidents .
In October 2018 , Lion Air Flight 610 crashed in Indonesia , killing 189 people .
Just months later Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed , killing 157 .
Like today ’ s Iran catastrophe , both the other Boeings crashed just minutes after takeoff , leading to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s .
After investigation , it transpired that both 737 Max 8 ’ s lacked optional “ extra ” safety features that likely would have saved them from their fate .
The reason ?
Because Boeing charges airlines extra for them .
The Financial Times argued that Boeing was right to mark up and charge extra for safety features it itself conceded are “ critical ” , claiming that wanting these extras is a “ naïve and foolhardy ” wish , despite the fact that all safety features combined increase the price @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 0.1 percent of the $ 121 million a new 737 Max 8 costs .
In a less well-known March 2019 incident , a 737 Max 8 traveling in March from Florida to California was forced to make an emergency landing .
The plane was being ferried to a storage facility in Victorville , CA after the model was officially grounded .
The aircraft that crashed in Iran today was a three-year-old 737-800 .
Already under the microscope for its terrible safety record , Boeing will now face intense scrutiny after this latest tragedy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ giant sent its “ heartfelt thoughts ” to the victims ’ families and said it was “ ready to assist in any way needed.
” Seeing as it is a major military contractor and given Trump ’ s aggressive moves towards Iran , it may be helping shoot down many more planes over Iran very soon .
MintPress News is covering the Iran situation closely .
For more content , click here .
Feature photo | Rescue workers search the scene where a Ukrainian plane crashed in Shahedshahr , southwest of the capital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 .
Ebrahim Noroozi | AP Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News .
After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books : Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age : Still Manufacturing Consent .
He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , The Guardian , Salon , The Grayzone , Jacobin Magazine , Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

A Kiev-bound Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran, Iran, early Wednesday morning, killing all 176 passengers and nine crew members on board. The head of the Red Crescent told Iranian news agency ISNA that it was “obviously impossible” that any passengers on flight PS-752 survived. A witness to the incident claimed that the pilot of the doomed vehicle courageously steered it out of the way of a residential area and towards a soccer field, crashing onto it and subsequently into a canal. Ukraine International Airlines said that the aircraft disappeared from radar screens a few minutes after takeoff. The winter’s light brought with it sobering images of the wreckage.
Images purportedly show crash site of #Ukraine International Airline flight number #PS752 that went down in #Iran shortly after take off from Tehran. Iranian state TV reports a technical error cause the plane to crash. pic.twitter.com/vgGTS7QbCR — emma (@bymyelf) January 8, 2020
The crash comes at a point barely short of war between the United States and Iran, and brings back memories of the downing of Iran Air Flight 655 by an American Cruiser, the USS Vincennes, in July 1988. All 290 people aboard (including 66 children) were killed as a result, as it flew through a well-established air corridor between Tehran and Dubai. Although the U.S. Navy officially claims it mistook the jet for an enemy Tomcat fighter, two of the Vincennes officers received Legion of Merit medals for “meritorious service” upon arriving back in America. The ship had, at the time of the attack, illegally entered Iranian waters to perform what Ronald Reagan described as “a proper defensive action.” George H.W. Bush, Vice-President at the time, went further: “I will never apologize for the United States – I don’t care what the facts are… I’m not an apologise-for-America kind of guy,” he bluntly stated on the incident.
The head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization, Ali Abedzadeh, said, “We will not give the black boxes to the manufacturer (Boeing) and the Americans. It’s not yet clear which country the black box will go to for the investigation.”
https://twitter.com/Chewy9991/status/1214757331143155713
While the Ukrainian embassy in Tehran had earlier “ruled out” the incident being an act of terror, it later retracted the statement, fueling fears that the event represented an escalation of hostilities between the U.S. and Iran.
On January 3, the Trump administration carried out a successful drone assassination attempt of Lt. General Qassem Soleimani. Soleimani was a charismatic and influential leader and statesman of the Islamic Republic, commonly considered one of the most powerful people after Ayatollah Khamenei.
A 2018 poll conducted by the University of Maryland found two-thirds of Iranians rated Soleimani “very favorably.” While the New York Times speculated that it was likely he “had come to Iraq in part to plot the next move against United States military personnel or civilians,” in reality, he had been invited to attend regional peace talks with Saudi Arabia by the Iraqi Prime Minister, who personally asked Trump for his blessing. Trump agreed, then used the opportunity to drone strike Soleimani on Iraqi soil.
Four hours before the airliner crashed, Iran fired 22 ballistic missiles at U.S.-occupied military bases in Iraq. A statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) made it clear that this was in response to Soleimani’s assassination.
BREAKING: STATEMENT FROM IRGC:
"The brave soldiers of IRGC's aerospace unit have launched a successful attack with tens of ballistic missiles on Al Assad military base in the name of martyr Gen.Qasem Soleimani."#Iraq #Iran #AlAssadBase — Farnaz Fassihi (@farnazfassihi) January 7, 2020
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko announced that 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghanis, as well as three Germans and Britons were on board. The model of aircraft is a member of the same family as the currently downed 737 Max 8 model, which has recently seen two high-profile deadly incidents.
In October 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 crashed in Indonesia, killing 189 people. Just months later Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed, killing 157. Like today’s Iran catastrophe, both the other Boeings crashed just minutes after takeoff, leading to the Seattle-based company grounding all 737 Max 8’s. After investigation, it transpired that both 737 Max 8’s lacked optional “extra” safety features that likely would have saved them from their fate. The reason? Because Boeing charges airlines extra for them.
The Financial Times argued that Boeing was right to mark up and charge extra for safety features it itself conceded are “critical”, claiming that wanting these extras is a “naïve and foolhardy” wish, despite the fact that all safety features combined increase the price of a new plane by less than 0.1 percent of the $121 million a new 737 Max 8 costs. In a less well-known March 2019 incident, a 737 Max 8 traveling in March from Florida to California was forced to make an emergency landing. The plane was being ferried to a storage facility in Victorville, CA after the model was officially grounded.
The aircraft that crashed in Iran today was a three-year-old 737-800. Already under the microscope for its terrible safety record, Boeing will now face intense scrutiny after this latest tragedy. In a statement, the aviation giant sent its “heartfelt thoughts” to the victims’ families and said it was “ready to assist in any way needed.” Seeing as it is a major military contractor and given Trump’s aggressive moves towards Iran, it may be helping shoot down many more planes over Iran very soon.
MintPress News is covering the Iran situation closely. For more content, click here.
Feature photo | Rescue workers search the scene where a Ukrainian plane crashed in Shahedshahr, southwest of the capital Tehran, Iran, Jan. 8, 2020. Ebrahim Noroozi | AP
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.


mintpressnews--2020-01-08--Justice at Last? Panic in Israel as the ICC Takes Momentous Step in the Right Direction

At long last , Fatou Bensouda , the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court ( ICC ) has uttered the long-anticipated conclusion that “ all the statutory criteria under the Rome statute for the opening of an investigation ( into alleged war crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories ) have been met ” .
Bensouda ’ s verdict has been in the making for a long time and should , frankly , have arrived much earlier .
The ICC preliminary investigations into Israeli war crimes began back in 2015 .
Since then , many more such war crimes have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ persisted in its moral inertia .
The ICC statement , issued on December 20 , asserted that the court saw “ no substantial reasons to believe that an investigation would not serve the interests of justice ” .
But can the “ interest of justice ” be served while the United States government continues to wield a massive stick , using its diplomatic , political and financial clout to ensure Israel emerges unscathed from its latest legal scuffle ?
There is little doubt that Michael Lynk , the United Nations Special Rapporteur for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Palestinian territory , is absolutely right : A formal ICC criminal investigation into war crimes in Palestine is a “ momentous step forward in the quest for accountability ” .
He is also correct in his assessment , published in the United Nations Human Rights Officer of the High Commissioner website , that “ accountability has , until now , been largely missing in action throughout the 52-year-old occupation.
” I would go even further and expand the timeline of the missing accountability to include the two decades prior to the Israeli occupation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the Gaza Strip .
Otherwise , how is one to account for the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1947-48 , the numerous massacres and other wanton killings that accompanied and followed those defining years , or the fact that Israel was never held accountable for its violations of international and humanitarian laws between 1948 and 1967 ?
That issue notwithstanding , the Palestinian Authority and all political parties in Palestine should exploit this unprecedented opportunity of holding Israel accountable .
As soon as the ICC issued its statement , news reports surfaced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Israel .
The Times of Israel reported that an Israeli government meeting to discuss the ICC decision was held shortly after , with the aim of considering a proper response , including the possibility of preventing ICC investigators from reaching Israel .
This is eerily familiar .
Israel has denied entry to – or refused to cooperate with – international investigators and observers on many occasions in the past .
Following a UN planned investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes in the Palestinian refugee camp of Jenin in 2002 , the Israeli @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , succeeded in blocking the investigation altogether .
It has done so time and again , often demonizing the very individuals entrusted with the mission of examining the illegality of Israel ’ s behavior in the context of international law .
Well-respected judges and international law experts , such as Richard Goldstone , Richard Falk , and John Dugard , were vehemently attacked by Israeli officials and media and , by extension , by the US government and media as well .
Israel has managed to survive dozens of United Nations Resolutions and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UN and all UN-affiliated organizations , largely because of blind and unequivocal American support , which has shielded Israeli war criminals from ever answering to their horrific actions in Palestine .
“ Remember , it was ( then-Secretary of State ) Hillary Clinton who took pride in the fact that she personally killed the Goldstone Report , ” said US author , Norman Finkelstein , in a recent interview with the news website ‘ Mondoweiss ’ .
The Goldstone report was issued in the wake of the Israeli war on Gaza in 2009 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The campaign of intimidation and pressure on Goldstone , personally , forced the once-respected judge to retract his accusations of Israeli war crimes and the deliberate targeting of civilians .
While Clinton did her part in torpedoing the Goldstone Report , former US President , Barack Obama , according to Finkelstein , went to great lengths to “ neutralize international law against settlements and other Israeli crimes in the occupied territories ” .
Worse still , on September 14 , 2016 , Obama handed Israeli Prime Minister , Benjamin Netanyahu , himself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against Palestinians , the largest US aid package to a foreign country in modern history , a whopping $ 38 billion over the course of ten years .
This is not a new phenomenon , where the US enables Israeli crimes and simultaneously shields Tel Aviv from any accountability for these crimes before the international community .
All US administrations , whether Republican or Democrat , have honored the same sinister maxim , thus ensuring Israel , literally , gets away with murder .
A particular case in point was in 2001 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre attempted to try , in a Belgian court , late Israeli leader and accused war criminal , Ariel Sharon .
Intense American pressures and a brazen intimidation campaign , targeting the Belgian government and the judicial system , resulted in the dismissal of the case in 2003 .
To deny Israel ’ s victims the opportunity to seek justice everywhere in the country , Belgium revised its very law , to the satisfaction of Israel and the United States .
The high level of the ICC investigations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a whole new level .
This is uncharted territory for Israel , the United States , Palestine , the ICC and the international community as a whole .
There is little doubt that some joint Israeli-American effort is already underway to develop strategies aimed at countering , if not altogether dismissing , the ICC investigation .
It is clear that justice for Palestinians in the face of Israeli aggression , itself fueled by unconditional American support , is not at all possible if it is not accompanied by regional and international unity , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all parties concerned that Israel , once and for all , must pay for its military occupation , racist apartheid laws , protracted siege on Gaza , and the many massacres in between .
Without this kind of international will , the ICC investigation could become another sad case of justice denied , a non-acceptable option for any justice-seeking individual , organization , and government anywhere in the world .
Feature photo | Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda in the courtroom of the International Criminal Court ( ICC ) during a trial in The Hague @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Bas Czerwinski | Pool via AP Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle .
He is the author of five books .
His latest is “ These Chains Will Be Broken : Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons ” ( Clarity Press , Atlanta ) .
Dr. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs ( CIGA ) , Istanbul Zaim University ( IZU ) .
His website is www.ramzybaroud.net

At long last, Fatou Bensouda, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has uttered the long-anticipated conclusion that “all the statutory criteria under the Rome statute for the opening of an investigation (into alleged war crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories) have been met”.
Bensouda’s verdict has been in the making for a long time and should, frankly, have arrived much earlier. The ICC preliminary investigations into Israeli war crimes began back in 2015. Since then, many more such war crimes have been committed, while the international community persisted in its moral inertia.
The ICC statement, issued on December 20, asserted that the court saw “no substantial reasons to believe that an investigation would not serve the interests of justice”.
But can the “interest of justice” be served while the United States government continues to wield a massive stick, using its diplomatic, political and financial clout to ensure Israel emerges unscathed from its latest legal scuffle?
There is little doubt that Michael Lynk, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory, is absolutely right: A formal ICC criminal investigation into war crimes in Palestine is a “momentous step forward in the quest for accountability”.
He is also correct in his assessment, published in the United Nations Human Rights Officer of the High Commissioner website, that “accountability has, until now, been largely missing in action throughout the 52-year-old occupation.”
I would go even further and expand the timeline of the missing accountability to include the two decades prior to the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Otherwise, how is one to account for the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1947-48, the numerous massacres and other wanton killings that accompanied and followed those defining years, or the fact that Israel was never held accountable for its violations of international and humanitarian laws between 1948 and 1967?
That issue notwithstanding, the Palestinian Authority and all political parties in Palestine should exploit this unprecedented opportunity of holding Israel accountable.
As soon as the ICC issued its statement, news reports surfaced conveying a sense of “panic” in Israel. The Times of Israel reported that an Israeli government meeting to discuss the ICC decision was held shortly after, with the aim of considering a proper response, including the possibility of preventing ICC investigators from reaching Israel.
This is eerily familiar. Israel has denied entry to – or refused to cooperate with – international investigators and observers on many occasions in the past.
Following a UN planned investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes in the Palestinian refugee camp of Jenin in 2002, the Israeli government quickly moved, and, sadly, succeeded in blocking the investigation altogether.
It has done so time and again, often demonizing the very individuals entrusted with the mission of examining the illegality of Israel’s behavior in the context of international law. Well-respected judges and international law experts, such as Richard Goldstone, Richard Falk, and John Dugard, were vehemently attacked by Israeli officials and media and, by extension, by the US government and media as well.
Israel has managed to survive dozens of United Nations Resolutions and countless legal reports and indictments by the UN and all UN-affiliated organizations, largely because of blind and unequivocal American support, which has shielded Israeli war criminals from ever answering to their horrific actions in Palestine.
“Remember, it was (then-Secretary of State) Hillary Clinton who took pride in the fact that she personally killed the Goldstone Report,” said US author, Norman Finkelstein, in a recent interview with the news website ‘Mondoweiss’.
The Goldstone report was issued in the wake of the Israeli war on Gaza in 2009, dubbed ‘Operation Cast Lead’. The campaign of intimidation and pressure on Goldstone, personally, forced the once-respected judge to retract his accusations of Israeli war crimes and the deliberate targeting of civilians.
While Clinton did her part in torpedoing the Goldstone Report, former US President, Barack Obama, according to Finkelstein, went to great lengths to “neutralize international law against settlements and other Israeli crimes in the occupied territories”.
Worse still, on September 14, 2016, Obama handed Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, himself accused of carrying out numerous war crimes against Palestinians, the largest US aid package to a foreign country in modern history, a whopping $38 billion over the course of ten years.
This is not a new phenomenon, where the US enables Israeli crimes and simultaneously shields Tel Aviv from any accountability for these crimes before the international community. All US administrations, whether Republican or Democrat, have honored the same sinister maxim, thus ensuring Israel, literally, gets away with murder.
A particular case in point was in 2001, when 28 Palestinian and Lebanese survivors of the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre attempted to try, in a Belgian court, late Israeli leader and accused war criminal, Ariel Sharon. Intense American pressures and a brazen intimidation campaign, targeting the Belgian government and the judicial system, resulted in the dismissal of the case in 2003. To deny Israel’s victims the opportunity to seek justice everywhere in the country, Belgium revised its very law, to the satisfaction of Israel and the United States.
The high level of the ICC investigations places the legal push against Israel at a whole new level. This is uncharted territory for Israel, the United States, Palestine, the ICC and the international community as a whole. There is little doubt that some joint Israeli-American effort is already underway to develop strategies aimed at countering, if not altogether dismissing, the ICC investigation.
It is clear that justice for Palestinians in the face of Israeli aggression, itself fueled by unconditional American support, is not at all possible if it is not accompanied by regional and international unity, and a clear and decisive decision by all parties concerned that Israel, once and for all, must pay for its military occupation, racist apartheid laws, protracted siege on Gaza, and the many massacres in between.
Without this kind of international will, the ICC investigation could become another sad case of justice denied, a non-acceptable option for any justice-seeking individual, organization, and government anywhere in the world.
Feature photo | Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda in the courtroom of the International Criminal Court (ICC) during a trial in The Hague, Netherlands, August 28, 2018. Bas Czerwinski | Pool via AP
Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of five books. His latest is “These Chains Will Be Broken: Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons” (Clarity Press, Atlanta). Dr. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA), Istanbul Zaim University (IZU). His website is www.ramzybaroud.net