mintpressnews--2020-09-10--Israel and the UAE Hope to Turn Yemen’s Remote Islands into an Intel Gathering Hub

SOCOTRA , YEMEN — In the wake of the recent normalization of ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates in August , it is becoming increasingly clear that Tel Aviv is set to take on an increasingly active role in the war on Yemen , a war that the UAE – together with Saudi Arabia – launched over six years ago .
Yemen ’ s strategic islands , particularly the sparsely populated archipelago containing Socotra located at the mouth of Gulf Aden in one of the world ’ s busiest shipping lanes , is of particular importance .
Often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United States , Yemen and the Saudi Coalition , and a major chokepoint for much of the world ’ s maritime transit , the waters surrounding Yemen , particularly the island of Socotra , have become a much-vaunted prize for regional intelligence and security apparatus .
Now , both the UAE and Israel are working to establish military and intelligence centers on Socotra , which lays some 240 kilometers east of the coast of Somalia and 380 kilometers south of the Arabian Peninsula .
According to one Yemeni source , the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ logistical operations to establish intelligence-gathering bases and new military facilities on the island .
A presence on Socotra will not only allow the new alliance to establish a foothold against Yemen ’ s Houthi-led opposition , but will allow it to conduct surveillance on Oman , Iran , Pakistan , and China , who , in recent years , has established a presence on the nearby horn of Africa .
Last week , an Emirati ship arrived on Socotra laden with personnel from the UAE and Israel and transporting weapons and communication equipment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ island .
Even before the UAE-Israel normalization deal was announced , the two countries were sending delegations to Perim Island , known as Mayyun in Arabic , a volcanic island in the Strait of Mandeb at the south entrance to the Red Sea .
In Socotra , locals report that the same Emirati-Israeli team arrived on an Emirati aircraft various times throughout the year to examine locations in the Momi district on the east of the island and the Qatnan locality on its western coast .
Issa Salem Bin Yaqoot al-Soctari , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said in a statement recently that the UAE has brought Israel to Socotra and that both sides have already started building new bases there .
With much consternation , al-Soctari complained of the UAE ’ s “ policy of repression , starvation , and intimidation ” against the island ’ s residents .
Mirroring Israel ’ s policy in Palestine , al-Soctrai also accused Emirati forces of intentionally changing the Island ’ s demographics by housing foreigners on the island en masse .
Israel has few friends in Yemen Israel is far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local support for the Palestinian cause is nearly universal .
Large demonstrations have already taken place in Abyan , Taiz , and Shabwah against the normalization of ties with Israel and against any Israeli presence in Yemen .
In early September , a meeting of high-ranking officials was held , headed by the prime minister of the National Salvation Government in Houthi-controlled Sana ’ a , Dr. Abdulaziz bin Habtoor , in which a council affirmed support for the “ preparation of lawsuits ” to be filed with international courts against the presence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yemen ’ s political parties , including local tribes allied with the Saudi-led Coalition , staunchly reject the presence of Israel in Socotra .
or any place in Yemen for that matter , yet of all Yemen ’ s myriad political forces , the Houthis are likely the most willing to take preemptive action against Israeli ambitions in the country .
Sources in Ansar Allah , the political wing of the Houthis , reported that plans are already being made to use ballistic missiles and drones to destroy any intelligence-gathering and military facilities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Officials in Yemen ’ s easternmost province of al-Mahrah told MintPress that the security cooperation between UAE and Israel is being actively supported by Saudi Arabia and aims to help the Saudi-led coalition carry out its long-held goal of tightening control over the province by gathering intelligence on the ground .
Intelligence gathering operations on Socotra would also cast neighboring Oman under UAE and Israeli radars .
Oman enjoys long borders and solid relations with Yemen , and much to the dismay of Saudi Arabia and the UAE , it also enjoys cordial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iran , a relationship that the Coalition is eager to undermine .
Socotra has been a prize for the UAE , and indeed for Israel , for years .
The Emirati-backed separatist militant group , the Southern Transitional Council ( STC ) , has already effectively captured Socotra and established a secret relationship with Israel following talks with officials in Tel Aviv sponsored by the UAE .
In fact , the UAE has had its grip on the island archipelago since 2018 and has already built military bases , installed communications networks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ purchase thousands of hectares of private land from locals .
The establishment of a strong central intelligence-gathering facility on the Yemeni islands not only has local and regional implications but , supported by the United States , represents a bold bid for Israel ’ s geopolitical and strategic dominance in the region and could pay off for the U.S.-Israeli axis along with its newly minted Gulf Arab allies .
Israeli and UAE radars on Socotra , located at the mouth of one of the world ’ s busiest shipping lanes , could not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the region but also could help Israel , a strong ally to India , monitor Pakistan , a country which Israel views with animus and one that is strongly opposed to normalization .
Both the UAE and Israel – and more importantly the United States – could also keep a close eye on the Gwadar Port of Pakistan .
The Gwadar Port is still under development .
A jewel in China ’ s Belt and Road Initiative ( BRI ) crown , once complete , the port is slated to compete directly with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goods should the United States decide to block China from access to the straits of Malacca .
Yemenis are concerned that the presence of Israel on Socotra not only could pose a security risk but could also undermine China ’ s efforts to develop Yemen ’ s economy under the Belt and Road Initiative .
Both Yemen and China support the inclusion of Yemen into the BRI .
Chinese officials have stated that they stand ready to participate in the economic reconstruction of Yemen and officials in Sana ` a are working hard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it will present an opportunity to reconstruct the infrastructure that has been destroyed by six years of Saudi-Colation bombing .
Feature photo | Hadibu city on the capital island of Socotra .
Mohamed al-Sayaghi | Reuters Ahmed AbdulKareem is a Yemeni journalist .
He covers the war in Yemen for MintPress News as well as local Yemeni media .

SOCOTRA, YEMEN — In the wake of the recent normalization of ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates in August, it is becoming increasingly clear that Tel Aviv is set to take on an increasingly active role in the war on Yemen, a war that the UAE – together with Saudi Arabia – launched over six years ago.
Yemen’s strategic islands, particularly the sparsely populated archipelago containing Socotra located at the mouth of Gulf Aden in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, is of particular importance. Often a flashpoint for tensions between Iran and the United States, Yemen and the Saudi Coalition, and a major chokepoint for much of the world’s maritime transit, the waters surrounding Yemen, particularly the island of Socotra, have become a much-vaunted prize for regional intelligence and security apparatus. Now, both the UAE and Israel are working to establish military and intelligence centers on Socotra, which lays some 240 kilometers east of the coast of Somalia and 380 kilometers south of the Arabian Peninsula.
According to one Yemeni source, the United Arab Emirates and Israel have already completed logistical operations to establish intelligence-gathering bases and new military facilities on the island. A presence on Socotra will not only allow the new alliance to establish a foothold against Yemen’s Houthi-led opposition, but will allow it to conduct surveillance on Oman, Iran, Pakistan, and China, who, in recent years, has established a presence on the nearby horn of Africa.
Last week, an Emirati ship arrived on Socotra laden with personnel from the UAE and Israel and transporting weapons and communication equipment according to a local source on the island. Even before the UAE-Israel normalization deal was announced, the two countries were sending delegations to Perim Island, known as Mayyun in Arabic, a volcanic island in the Strait of Mandeb at the south entrance to the Red Sea.
In Socotra, locals report that the same Emirati-Israeli team arrived on an Emirati aircraft various times throughout the year to examine locations in the Momi district on the east of the island and the Qatnan locality on its western coast.
Issa Salem Bin Yaqoot al-Soctari, the head of indigenous tribes on the island, said in a statement recently that the UAE has brought Israel to Socotra and that both sides have already started building new bases there. With much consternation, al-Soctari complained of the UAE’s “policy of repression, starvation, and intimidation” against the island’s residents. Mirroring Israel’s policy in Palestine, al-Soctrai also accused Emirati forces of intentionally changing the Island’s demographics by housing foreigners on the island en masse.
Israel has few friends in Yemen
Israel is far from a welcome presence in Yemen and local support for the Palestinian cause is nearly universal. Large demonstrations have already taken place in Abyan, Taiz, and Shabwah against the normalization of ties with Israel and against any Israeli presence in Yemen.
In early September, a meeting of high-ranking officials was held, headed by the prime minister of the National Salvation Government in Houthi-controlled Sana’a, Dr. Abdulaziz bin Habtoor, in which a council affirmed support for the “preparation of lawsuits” to be filed with international courts against the presence of foreign “occupiers.”
All of Yemen’s political parties, including local tribes allied with the Saudi-led Coalition, staunchly reject the presence of Israel in Socotra. or any place in Yemen for that matter, yet of all Yemen’s myriad political forces, the Houthis are likely the most willing to take preemptive action against Israeli ambitions in the country. Sources in Ansar Allah, the political wing of the Houthis, reported that plans are already being made to use ballistic missiles and drones to destroy any intelligence-gathering and military facilities belonging to both Israel and UAE.
Officials in Yemen’s easternmost province of al-Mahrah told MintPress that the security cooperation between UAE and Israel is being actively supported by Saudi Arabia and aims to help the Saudi-led coalition carry out its long-held goal of tightening control over the province by gathering intelligence on the ground. Intelligence gathering operations on Socotra would also cast neighboring Oman under UAE and Israeli radars. Oman enjoys long borders and solid relations with Yemen, and much to the dismay of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, it also enjoys cordial relations with Saudi Arabia’s arch-rival Iran, a relationship that the Coalition is eager to undermine.
Socotra has been a prize for the UAE, and indeed for Israel, for years. The Emirati-backed separatist militant group, the Southern Transitional Council (STC), has already effectively captured Socotra and established a secret relationship with Israel following talks with officials in Tel Aviv sponsored by the UAE. In fact, the UAE has had its grip on the island archipelago since 2018 and has already built military bases, installed communications networks, and used its considerable oil wealth to purchase thousands of hectares of private land from locals.
The Chinese connection
The establishment of a strong central intelligence-gathering facility on the Yemeni islands not only has local and regional implications but, supported by the United States, represents a bold bid for Israel’s geopolitical and strategic dominance in the region and could pay off for the U.S.-Israeli axis along with its newly minted Gulf Arab allies.
Israeli and UAE radars on Socotra, located at the mouth of one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, could not only examine sea and air traffic in the region but also could help Israel, a strong ally to India, monitor Pakistan, a country which Israel views with animus and one that is strongly opposed to normalization. Both the UAE and Israel – and more importantly the United States – could also keep a close eye on the Gwadar Port of Pakistan. The Gwadar Port is still under development. A jewel in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) crown, once complete, the port is slated to compete directly with Dubai and would allow China to export goods should the United States decide to block China from access to the straits of Malacca.
Yemenis are concerned that the presence of Israel on Socotra not only could pose a security risk but could also undermine China’s efforts to develop Yemen’s economy under the Belt and Road Initiative. Both Yemen and China support the inclusion of Yemen into the BRI. Chinese officials have stated that they stand ready to participate in the economic reconstruction of Yemen and officials in Sana`a are working hard to join the BRI as they hope it will present an opportunity to reconstruct the infrastructure that has been destroyed by six years of Saudi-Colation bombing.
Feature photo | Hadibu city on the capital island of Socotra. Mohamed al-Sayaghi | Reuters
Ahmed AbdulKareem is a Yemeni journalist. He covers the war in Yemen for MintPress News as well as local Yemeni media.


mintpressnews--2020-09-11--Patriot Act Coauthor Michael Chertoff Touts More Election Security as Federal ID System Looms

Keeping in line with the trend of governance consolidation taking place among current and former members of the American political establishment , such as the recent lovefest between ex-president George W. Bush and liberal elites , Michael Chertoff , once Bush ’ s DHS Secretary and coauthor of the Patriot Act along with two of his DHS peers sat down at an event hosted by the Atlantic Council on Wednesday to call for a “ stepped-up response to election threats.
” Janet Napolitano and Jeh Johnson , both former DHS secretaries under Obama , joined Chertoff in endorsing the findings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the host ’ s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security , titled “ Future DHS Project.
” The study was sponsored by the Science Applications International Corporation ( SAIC ) , a military intelligence contractor with close ties to Michael Chertoff ’ s D.C.-based security advisory firm , the Chertoff Group , and Century Link ; a defense telecommunications contractor , which was just awarded a disputed $ 1.6 Billion contract to manage core network and access services for the DoD .
The trio of former DHS heads warned that “ Russia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 2020 U.S. elections , ” as outlined in an assessment issued by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence ( ODNI ) in August , which reportedly contains “ detailed evidence ” of the alleged interference .
Janet Napolitano , who last June stepped down as President of the University of California where she was directly implicated in the creation of a $ 175 million secret slush fund , said that the intelligence on Russian interference was “ quite clear ” and urged Trump to ramp up international sanctions and “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , dismissed the president ’ s ability to do anything about the purported Russian interference because of “ credibility issues ” and instead called for state and municipal authorities across the country to implement voting security measures themselves , such as new “ options for voters to cast ballots.
” A Federal ID to save us all At a Virtual Collaboration Event that was taking place simultaneously and organized by the FedID , “ the U.S. Government ’ s annual identity conference since 1995 , ” Gay Gilbert of the Department of Labor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ OUI ) delivered her remarks about the “ perfect storm ” for a federal ID system .
Gilbert , a 10-year veteran of the OUI , is in charge of processing unemployment insurance claims , which skyrocketed as a result of the Coronavirus Aid , Relief , and Economic Security ( CARES ) Act from an average 200,000 claims per week to over six million a week , referred to the bill as an “ amazing magnet for fraudsters.
” According to Gilbert , “ billions of dollars [ are ] walking out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identity theft , ” adding that other agencies are going through the same thing .
The severe strain imposed by pandemic-response legislation and a stalled economy on U.S. bureaucratic institutions is opening the door for private sector companies like SAIC and Century Link , to undertake the massive overhaul of its ‘ legacy ’ systems to integrate emerging cloud-based , AI-powered governance and security structures .
Michael Mosier , deputy director and digital innovation officer at the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network ( FCEN ) of the U.S. Treasury Department , stated that due @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” swimming through cyberspace , there is “ a very high likelihood that a lot of users in the U.S. financial system have had some sort of information about themselves compromised at some point.
” The solution to these problems , they assert , is a new federal identity management system underpinned by a federal digital ID , which Benji Hutchinson , vice president of NEC Corp. , believes is a trend that began in the aftermath of 9-11 , that is now reaching critical velocity as a result of “ pandemic things.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in hand with a federal police force , which is now in the offing as calls to “ defund the police ” are dovetailing perfectly with efforts to implement an AI-driven mass surveillance apparatus by people like former Google and Alphabet CEO Eric Schmidt , who heads the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence NSCIA and who also , along with other Silicon Valley billionaires , funds organizations like the “ bipartisan ” New America , which looks to confront “ the challenges caused by rapid technological and social change and seizing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opportunities , apparently , is the 2020 U.S. presidential election , which another “ bipartisan ” organization , “ convened ” by New America senior fellow Rosa Brooks , called the Transition Integrity Project ( TIP ) , has been “ war-gaming ” the election since its inception .
As Whitney Webb reports , TIP produced several “ scenarios ” in their table-top exercises about what would take place should there be a contested election or a Trump victory .
In all outcomes , chaos ensues and a number of unconstitutional measures are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ networks in both parties to guarantee a Biden presidency .
The “ perfect storm ” Gilbert talked about could very well spill over into the streets of America as election-day nears and the pandemic-induced coma , that afflicts the American economy will , no doubt , leave the most vulnerable among us in a precarious situation with only the power to accept what is offered by the ever-encroaching tentacles of the burgeoning technocratic state composed of members of the ‘ uniparty ’ .
Pandemic things also figured in Chad Wolff ’ s “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DHS headquarters on this same , eventful day .
The acting head of DHS praised Donald Trump ’ s “ decisive and rapid action ” over the nation ’ s COVID-19 response , which “ led to our federal government to pursue a whole-of-America response.
” Political rhetoric aside , Wolf echoed the same “ concerns ” presented by his predecessors at the Atlantic Council ’ s event in regards to the challenges presented by “ new aggressive tactics ” targeting the United States “ through cyber and economic means.
” Wolff bolstered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Security Agency ( CISA ) in “ guarding against nation-state actors ’ cyber-enabled espionage and malicious influence activity aimed at all levels of government and industry ” and its funding of the Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center ( EI-ISAC ) ; a cyber threat monitoring initiative operated by the Center for Internet Security , which “ deploys and monitors intrusion detection systems on election infrastructure across all 50 states , ” according to Wolff .
Among other resources , EI-ISAC offers Google and Alphabet ’ s “ suite of free tools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidates , campaigns , publishers , journalists , NGOs , and election monitoring sites to help protect against digital attacks and provide reliable election information.
” Former Google and Alphabet CEO , Eric Schmidt now chairs the U.S. Department of Defense ’ s Defense Innovation Advisory Board , in addition to his chairmanship of the NSCAI , is leading the charge to implement an AI-driven mass surveillance system , motivated by a desire to maintain U.S. technological hegemony in the 21st century .
Like Gilbert and NEC ’ s Hutchinson , Schmidt has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many of the “ obstacles ” preventing its implementation .
Indeed , Schmidt is well-positioned to take advantage .
The Trump administration has suffered from a “ failure of direction , a failure of leadership at pretty much every level of our government , ” Schmidt declared last week on a podcast .
A data analytics company he backed and where he is also a board member , was hired by the Biden campaign back in April 2019 .
Civis Analytics is comprised of a “ group of engineers and statisticians , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ analytics chief , Dan Wagner , who were “ credited with producing Obama ’ s surprising 5 million-vote margin of victory , ” according to Bloomberg .
Feature photo | Michael Chertoff , former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security , is recognized during a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Department of Homeland Security ’ s St. Elizabeths Campus Center Building in Washington , June 21 , 2019 .
Susan Walsh | AP

Keeping in line with the trend of governance consolidation taking place among current and former members of the American political establishment, such as the recent lovefest between ex-president George W. Bush and liberal elites, Michael Chertoff, once Bush’s DHS Secretary and coauthor of the Patriot Act along with two of his DHS peers sat down at an event hosted by the Atlantic Council on Wednesday to call for a “stepped-up response to election threats.”
Janet Napolitano and Jeh Johnson, both former DHS secretaries under Obama, joined Chertoff in endorsing the findings and recommendations of a report published by the host’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, titled “Future DHS Project.” The study was sponsored by the Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), a military intelligence contractor with close ties to Michael Chertoff’s D.C.-based security advisory firm, the Chertoff Group, and Century Link; a defense telecommunications contractor, which was just awarded a disputed $1.6 Billion contract to manage core network and access services for the DoD.
The trio of former DHS heads warned that “Russia, China and Iran are actively interfering in the 2020 U.S. elections,” as outlined in an assessment issued by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) in August, which reportedly contains “detailed evidence” of the alleged interference. Janet Napolitano, who last June stepped down as President of the University of California where she was directly implicated in the creation of a $175 million secret slush fund, said that the intelligence on Russian interference was “quite clear” and urged Trump to ramp up international sanctions and “deterrence.”
Chertoff, for his part, dismissed the president’s ability to do anything about the purported Russian interference because of “credibility issues” and instead called for state and municipal authorities across the country to implement voting security measures themselves, such as new “options for voters to cast ballots.”
A Federal ID to save us all
At a Virtual Collaboration Event that was taking place simultaneously and organized by the FedID, “the U.S. Government’s annual identity conference since 1995,” Gay Gilbert of the Department of Labor’s Office of Unemployment Insurance (OUI) delivered her remarks about the “perfect storm” for a federal ID system.
Gilbert, a 10-year veteran of the OUI, is in charge of processing unemployment insurance claims, which skyrocketed as a result of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act from an average 200,000 claims per week to over six million a week, referred to the bill as an “amazing magnet for fraudsters.” According to Gilbert, “billions of dollars [are] walking out the door under these programs due to identity theft,” adding that other agencies are going through the same thing.
The severe strain imposed by pandemic-response legislation and a stalled economy on U.S. bureaucratic institutions is opening the door for private sector companies like SAIC and Century Link, to undertake the massive overhaul of its ‘legacy’ systems to integrate emerging cloud-based, AI-powered governance and security structures.
Michael Mosier, deputy director and digital innovation officer at the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FCEN) of the U.S. Treasury Department, stated that due to the “billions of compromised credentials” swimming through cyberspace, there is “a very high likelihood that a lot of users in the U.S. financial system have had some sort of information about themselves compromised at some point.”
The solution to these problems, they assert, is a new federal identity management system underpinned by a federal digital ID, which Benji Hutchinson, vice president of NEC Corp., believes is a trend that began in the aftermath of 9-11, that is now reaching critical velocity as a result of “pandemic things.”
The cost of chaos
A federal ID system comes hand in hand with a federal police force, which is now in the offing as calls to “defund the police” are dovetailing perfectly with efforts to implement an AI-driven mass surveillance apparatus by people like former Google and Alphabet CEO Eric Schmidt, who heads the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence NSCIA and who also, along with other Silicon Valley billionaires, funds organizations like the “bipartisan” New America, which looks to confront “the challenges caused by rapid technological and social change and seizing the opportunities those changes create.”
Among those opportunities, apparently, is the 2020 U.S. presidential election, which another “bipartisan” organization, “convened” by New America senior fellow Rosa Brooks, called the Transition Integrity Project (TIP), has been “war-gaming” the election since its inception. As Whitney Webb reports, TIP produced several “scenarios” in their table-top exercises about what would take place should there be a contested election or a Trump victory. In all outcomes, chaos ensues and a number of unconstitutional measures are taken by the “Never Trumper” networks in both parties to guarantee a Biden presidency.
The “perfect storm” Gilbert talked about could very well spill over into the streets of America as election-day nears and the pandemic-induced coma, that afflicts the American economy will, no doubt, leave the most vulnerable among us in a precarious situation with only the power to accept what is offered by the ever-encroaching tentacles of the burgeoning technocratic state composed of members of the ‘uniparty’.
Betting on all horses
Pandemic things also figured in Chad Wolff’s “State of the Homeland” address at DHS headquarters on this same, eventful day. The acting head of DHS praised Donald Trump’s “decisive and rapid action” over the nation’s COVID-19 response, which “led to our federal government to pursue a whole-of-America response.”
Political rhetoric aside, Wolf echoed the same “concerns” presented by his predecessors at the Atlantic Council’s event in regards to the challenges presented by “new aggressive tactics” targeting the United States “through cyber and economic means.” Wolff bolstered the role of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in “guarding against nation-state actors’ cyber-enabled espionage and malicious influence activity aimed at all levels of government and industry” and its funding of the Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC); a cyber threat monitoring initiative operated by the Center for Internet Security, which “deploys and monitors intrusion detection systems on election infrastructure across all 50 states,” according to Wolff.
Among other resources, EI-ISAC offers Google and Alphabet’s “suite of free tools” called Protect Your Election for “candidates, campaigns, publishers, journalists, NGOs, and election monitoring sites to help protect against digital attacks and provide reliable election information.”
Former Google and Alphabet CEO, Eric Schmidt now chairs the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Advisory Board, in addition to his chairmanship of the NSCAI, is leading the charge to implement an AI-driven mass surveillance system, motivated by a desire to maintain U.S. technological hegemony in the 21st century. Like Gilbert and NEC’s Hutchinson, Schmidt has found that the coronavirus crisis has removed many of the “obstacles” preventing its implementation.
Indeed, Schmidt is well-positioned to take advantage. The Trump administration has suffered from a “failure of direction, a failure of leadership at pretty much every level of our government,” Schmidt declared last week on a podcast. A data analytics company he backed and where he is also a board member, was hired by the Biden campaign back in April 2019. Civis Analytics is comprised of a “group of engineers and statisticians,” led by Obama’s 2012 campaign analytics chief, Dan Wagner, who were “credited with producing Obama’s surprising 5 million-vote margin of victory,” according to Bloomberg.
Feature photo | Michael Chertoff, former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, is recognized during a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Department of Homeland Security’s St. Elizabeths Campus Center Building in Washington, June 21, 2019. Susan Walsh | AP
Raul Diego is a MintPress News Staff Writer, independent photojournalist, researcher, writer and documentary filmmaker.


mintpressnews--2020-09-11--How a Senate Inquiry Revealed the Israeli Surveillance Industry’s Role in Orchestrating Russiagate

Alleged Russian interference in the 2020 presidential election is headline news , once again , as a Ukrainian lawmaker is charged by the Trump administration “ in a sweeping plot to sow distrust in the American political process , ” reports the Associated Press .
Microsoft also made claims that it detected “ hacking attempts targeting U.S. political campaigns , parties and consultants ” by agents from Russia , China , and Iran .
In a September 10 blog post , Microsoft ’ s Tom Burt , Corporate Vice President of Customer Security & Trust , listed three groups from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carrying out their cyber operations .
Rarely in the news , however , is the role played by Israeli cybersecurity startups in the creation of the Russiagate narrative itself .
Incubated within the Israeli military apparatus and benefiting from an uninterrupted stream of billions in U.S. taxpayer dollars , these “ private Mossads ” have been present behind the scenes throughout the numerous Russia-related scandals fomented by the mainstream press to sow partisan discord among the American electorate and line the pockets of network executives .
Evidence of their activities has been exposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ latest volume of a U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee investigation on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election , which shows how then-candidate Donald Trump personally embarked on a parallel campaign on behalf of Israel to block a UN resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem .
Originally submitted by Egypt , UNSCR 2334 strips Israeli settlements beyond the 1967 borders of any “ legal validity ” in the eyes of the international community and brands them a “ flagrant violation under international law.
” Russia , a permanent member @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refused all of the advances made by Trump ’ s operatives to use its veto power against the measure , and Trump himself would prevail upon Egyptian President al-Sisi – whom Trump calls his “ favorite dictator ” – to withdraw the declaration .
Together with Israeli pressure , UNSCR 2334 seemed destined to languish in obscurity as Egypt acquiesced and delayed the vote to “ permit them to conduct an additional meeting of the Arab League ’ s foreign ministers to work on the resolution ’ s wording.
” The Senate ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ IDF-linked cybersecurity firms and intelligence assets coordinating and facilitating meetings between the coterie of Russian characters that make up the Russiagate universe and the Trump campaign , including protagonists like Guccifer 2.0 , the hacker who released Hilary Clinton ’ s infamous emails to Wikileaks via a cell phone registered in Israel .
George Birnbaum , a former chief of staff to Benjamin Netanyahu and GOP operative , told the committee how Trump aide Rick Gates had inquired about using “ Israeli technology ” to collect dirt on opponent Hillary Clinton at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ senators what would be so attractive about Israeli companies , specifically : “ These guys came out of the military intelligence army unit , and it ’ s like coming out with a triple Ph.D. from MIT .
The amount of knowledge these guys have in terms of cybersecurity , cyber-intelligence… [ is ] just so beyond what you could get [ with ] a normal education that it ’ s just unique … there are hundreds and hundreds of Israeli start-up companies that the founders are guys who came out of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to is the IDF ’ s Unit 8200 , where these “ hundreds and hundreds ” of tech startups are born right in the bowels of the Israeli national security state and propagate throughout the world and the United States , in particular .
Described as “ private Mossads ” for hire , many of the Israeli hacking and surveillance firms that moved behind the scenes , brokering meetings between Trump ’ s people and Russian oligarchs like Oleg Deripaska during the height of the so-called Russian “ collusion , ” were working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with close ties to then-Trump National Security Adviser , Michael Flynn , who was himself also working in an advisory capacity with the “ consortium of cyber-spy companies run by former Israeli intelligence officers ” known as the NSO Group , that is comprised of several of the Israeli startups summoned before the committee for voluntary , closed-door testimony .
While the American public was fed one Russophobic scandal after another , and Robert Mueller held court in the press for two years straight , no one – especially Mueller – was paying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surveillance companies who operated the virtual scaffold upon which the Russiagate narrative was being constructed and whose fellow Unit 8200 graduates in other subsectors of the cybersecurity industry are deeply ensconced in highly questionable activities surrounding the coming 2020 election .
The NSO Group gained notoriety when it was identified as the developer of Pegasus , the iPhone spyware that was found installed on slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi ’ s phone in the days leading up to his gruesome death .
NSO ’ s cell phone tracking technology has been associated with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scandal involving Pegasus in Mexico , where a team of international investigators looking into the disappearance of 43 students in Ayotzinapa was targeted by the spyware , as well as Mexican journalists and their families .
One of the NSO companies questioned by the Senate committee in relation to Russian interference , Psy-Group , is currently under investigation in California , where it was caught red-handed actually trying to rig a local election for a paying customer .
Another , Circles , was founded by a former Israeli intelligence officer and is “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ text messages , and tracking locations of unaware citizens , ” according to a report by Forensic News .
In 2018 , Haaretz published an expose on the company disclosing the extent to which Circles and the Israeli espionage industry is helping “ world dictators hunt dissidents and gays , ” among other nefarious opportunities available in the “ global commerce ” of surveillance technologies .
The middle man the Senate investigation identified is Walter Soriano ; singled out for his association with several Russian oligarchs like Oleg Deripaska and Dmitry Rybolovlev , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Beach mansion in 2008 .
The Senate report accuses Soriano and Israeli cybersecurity companies of coordinating “ between the Trump Campaign and Russia , ” but fails to pursue the matter beyond that .
The UN resolution denouncing Israeli settlements would pass on December 23 , 2016 , after four temporary Security Council members , Malaysia , New Zealand , Senegal , and Venezuela reportedly took matters into their own hands and moved the vote forward .
UNSCR 2334 became official as a result of a historic breach of established pro-Israel policy by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vote .
Widely reported as Obama ’ s “ parting shot ” to Netanyahu and the incoming administration , the passing of the resolution went against Obama ’ s own record of using U.S. ’ veto power to banish similar proposals .
President-elect Donald Trump would take office in a matter of weeks and the Mueller investigation kicked off the barrage of Russophobic content peddled over the digital airwaves night after night .
Stories like Maria Butina ’ s were plastered all over the media to buttress the Russiagate narrative .
Butina @ @ @ @ @ @ @ joked about being a CIA asset and had built a phony reputation as a man of staunch moral Christian values .
Erickson worked for several Republican campaigns dating back to the late ‘ 80s , including a stint as national policy director for Pat Buchanan ’ s ’ 92 White House run .
He first achieved international notoriety as Mobutu Sese Seko ’ s lawyer , reportedly accepting a $ 30,000 lobbying contract to obtain a U.S. visa for the African despot , which was ultimately denied .
It was Erickson ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organization ’ s former president David Keene , which set the stage for the Maria Butina story as a Russian infiltrator looking for “ access to U.S. political organizations.
” Erickson had worked with Keene as a registered foreign agent since the 1990s and formed part of the NRA ’ s efforts to forge closer ties to Israel since at least 2011 .
Prosecutors would paint Butina as a seductress , ensnaring Erickson in a “ duplicitous relationship , ” but it was the cunning GOP operative who first spotted Butina during a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Butina and Erickson would meet again in Israel one year later where they would begin their ‘ love affair ’ during which he would become “ integral to Butina ’ s activities , ” assisting the Russian gun enthusiast “ in developing relationships with individuals and organizations involved in U.S. politics , ” according to the Senate Intelligence Committee .
A con-artist by most accounts , Erickson is described by a Republican legislator as “ the single biggest phony I ’ ve ever met in South Dakota politics.
” South Dakota was where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arena and where he ’ s left a long trail of burned business associates and friends .
In 2019 , Erickson pled guilty to wire fraud and money laundering , admitting he had bilked 78 people of $ 2.3 Million over 22 years and was sentenced this past July to seven years in federal prison .
The NRA has been forging ties to the Israeli security state for years now .
In 2013 , Trump ’ s former National Security Adviser , John Bolton , joined a delegation of 30 in Jerusalem for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police institutions .
The honorary NRA member stated on that occasion , that Israel could “ serve as a model for American security.
” The legend of Maria Butina , itself , was seeded in Israel that same year when an “ obscure ” Israeli gun-rights group posted on Facebook that she had announced to have signed a cooperation agreement with the NRA and “ neighboring countries ” to promote gun rights at a meeting with its members .
Butina would meet with Erickson and Keene two weeks later in Moscow , along @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Russia ’ s central bank and lifetime NRA member .
Torshin , who has been targeted by U.S. sanctions , traveled with Butina to the United States to “ discuss U.S.-Russian economic relations ” in April 2015 .
The pair met with several senior American officials , like Federal Reserve vice chairman and former Israel central bank chief , Stanley Fischer ; the Treasury undersecretary for international affairs , Nathan Sheets and others in a meeting “ moderated ” by AIG CEO Maurice “ Hank ” Greenberg .
The details of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump made his announcement to run for president , have never been made public .
Feature photo | Chairman Lindsey Graham , R-S.C. , speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee business meeting to consider authorization for subpoenas relating to the Crossfire Hurricane investigation , the code name for the counterintelligence investigation undertaken by the FBI in 2016 and 2017 into links between Trump and Russian officials , June 11 , 2020 .
Carolyn Kaster | AP

Alleged Russian interference in the 2020 presidential election is headline news, once again, as a Ukrainian lawmaker is charged by the Trump administration “in a sweeping plot to sow distrust in the American political process,” reports the Associated Press. Microsoft also made claims that it detected “hacking attempts targeting U.S. political campaigns, parties and consultants” by agents from Russia, China, and Iran. In a September 10 blog post, Microsoft’s Tom Burt, Corporate Vice President of Customer Security & Trust, listed three groups from each region that Microsoft “observed” carrying out their cyber operations.
Rarely in the news, however, is the role played by Israeli cybersecurity startups in the creation of the Russiagate narrative itself. Incubated within the Israeli military apparatus and benefiting from an uninterrupted stream of billions in U.S. taxpayer dollars, these “private Mossads” have been present behind the scenes throughout the numerous Russia-related scandals fomented by the mainstream press to sow partisan discord among the American electorate and line the pockets of network executives.
Evidence of their activities has been exposed – though not pursued – in the latest volume of a U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee investigation on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, which shows how then-candidate Donald Trump personally embarked on a parallel campaign on behalf of Israel to block a UN resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Originally submitted by Egypt, UNSCR 2334 strips Israeli settlements beyond the 1967 borders of any “legal validity” in the eyes of the international community and brands them a “flagrant violation under international law.” Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, had refused all of the advances made by Trump’s operatives to use its veto power against the measure, and Trump himself would prevail upon Egyptian President al-Sisi – whom Trump calls his “favorite dictator” – to withdraw the declaration. Together with Israeli pressure, UNSCR 2334 seemed destined to languish in obscurity as Egypt acquiesced and delayed the vote to “permit them to conduct an additional meeting of the Arab League’s foreign ministers to work on the resolution’s wording.”
The Senate’s inquiries uncovered a consistent thread of IDF-linked cybersecurity firms and intelligence assets coordinating and facilitating meetings between the coterie of Russian characters that make up the Russiagate universe and the Trump campaign, including protagonists like Guccifer 2.0, the hacker who released Hilary Clinton’s infamous emails to Wikileaks via a cell phone registered in Israel.
George Birnbaum, a former chief of staff to Benjamin Netanyahu and GOP operative, told the committee how Trump aide Rick Gates had inquired about using “Israeli technology” to collect dirt on opponent Hillary Clinton at a March 2016 meeting, explaining to the senators what would be so attractive about Israeli companies, specifically:
“These guys came out of the military intelligence army unit, and it’s like coming out with a triple Ph.D. from MIT. The amount of knowledge these guys have in terms of cybersecurity, cyber-intelligence… [is] just so beyond what you could get [with] a normal education that it’s just unique … there are hundreds and hundreds of Israeli start-up companies that the founders are guys who came out of this unit.”
The unit Birnbaum is referring to is the IDF’s Unit 8200, where these “hundreds and hundreds” of tech startups are born right in the bowels of the Israeli national security state and propagate throughout the world and the United States, in particular.
Described as “private Mossads” for hire, many of the Israeli hacking and surveillance firms that moved behind the scenes, brokering meetings between Trump’s people and Russian oligarchs like Oleg Deripaska during the height of the so-called Russian “collusion,” were working through a “key middle man” with close ties to then-Trump National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn, who was himself also working in an advisory capacity with the “consortium of cyber-spy companies run by former Israeli intelligence officers” known as the NSO Group, that is comprised of several of the Israeli startups summoned before the committee for voluntary, closed-door testimony.
While the American public was fed one Russophobic scandal after another, and Robert Mueller held court in the press for two years straight, no one – especially Mueller – was paying attention to this perverse network of Israeli surveillance companies who operated the virtual scaffold upon which the Russiagate narrative was being constructed and whose fellow Unit 8200 graduates in other subsectors of the cybersecurity industry are deeply ensconced in highly questionable activities surrounding the coming 2020 election.
The NSO Group
The NSO Group gained notoriety when it was identified as the developer of Pegasus, the iPhone spyware that was found installed on slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s phone in the days leading up to his gruesome death. NSO’s cell phone tracking technology has been associated with other ghastly events, such as the scandal involving Pegasus in Mexico, where a team of international investigators looking into the disappearance of 43 students in Ayotzinapa was targeted by the spyware, as well as Mexican journalists and their families.
One of the NSO companies questioned by the Senate committee in relation to Russian interference, Psy-Group, is currently under investigation in California, where it was caught red-handed actually trying to rig a local election for a paying customer. Another, Circles, was founded by a former Israeli intelligence officer and is “known for covertly intercepting phone calls, text messages, and tracking locations of unaware citizens,” according to a report by Forensic News. In 2018, Haaretz published an expose on the company disclosing the extent to which Circles and the Israeli espionage industry is helping “world dictators hunt dissidents and gays,” among other nefarious opportunities available in the “global commerce” of surveillance technologies.
The middle man the Senate investigation identified is Walter Soriano; singled out for his association with several Russian oligarchs like Oleg Deripaska and Dmitry Rybolovlev, who bought Trump’s West Palm Beach mansion in 2008. The Senate report accuses Soriano and Israeli cybersecurity companies of coordinating “between the Trump Campaign and Russia,” but fails to pursue the matter beyond that.
The UN resolution denouncing Israeli settlements would pass on December 23, 2016, after four temporary Security Council members, Malaysia, New Zealand, Senegal, and Venezuela reportedly took matters into their own hands and moved the vote forward. UNSCR 2334 became official as a result of a historic breach of established pro-Israel policy by the United States, which abstained from the vote. Widely reported as Obama’s “parting shot” to Netanyahu and the incoming administration, the passing of the resolution went against Obama’s own record of using U.S.’ veto power to banish similar proposals.
President-elect Donald Trump would take office in a matter of weeks and the Mueller investigation kicked off the barrage of Russophobic content peddled over the digital airwaves night after night. Stories like Maria Butina’s were plastered all over the media to buttress the Russiagate narrative.
The legend of Maria Butina
Butina’s former lover, Paul Erickson joked about being a CIA asset and had built a phony reputation as a man of staunch moral Christian values. Erickson worked for several Republican campaigns dating back to the late ‘80s, including a stint as national policy director for Pat Buchanan’s ’92 White House run. He first achieved international notoriety as Mobutu Sese Seko’s lawyer, reportedly accepting a $30,000 lobbying contract to obtain a U.S. visa for the African despot, which was ultimately denied.
It was Erickson’s long-standing ties to the NRA and the organization’s former president David Keene, which set the stage for the Maria Butina story as a Russian infiltrator looking for “access to U.S. political organizations.” Erickson had worked with Keene as a registered foreign agent since the 1990s and formed part of the NRA’s efforts to forge closer ties to Israel since at least 2011.
Prosecutors would paint Butina as a seductress, ensnaring Erickson in a “duplicitous relationship,” but it was the cunning GOP operative who first spotted Butina during a 2013 trip to Moscow with Keene. Butina and Erickson would meet again in Israel one year later where they would begin their ‘love affair’ during which he would become “integral to Butina’s activities,” assisting the Russian gun enthusiast “in developing relationships with individuals and organizations involved in U.S. politics,” according to the Senate Intelligence Committee.
A con-artist by most accounts, Erickson is described by a Republican legislator as “the single biggest phony I’ve ever met in South Dakota politics.” South Dakota was where Yale-educated Erickson came up in the political arena and where he’s left a long trail of burned business associates and friends. In 2019, Erickson pled guilty to wire fraud and money laundering, admitting he had bilked 78 people of $2.3 Million over 22 years and was sentenced this past July to seven years in federal prison.
The NRA has been forging ties to the Israeli security state for years now. In 2013, Trump’s former National Security Adviser, John Bolton, joined a delegation of 30 in Jerusalem for a 10-day tour of Israel’s police institutions. The honorary NRA member stated on that occasion, that Israel could “serve as a model for American security.” The legend of Maria Butina, itself, was seeded in Israel that same year when an “obscure” Israeli gun-rights group posted on Facebook that she had announced to have signed a cooperation agreement with the NRA and “neighboring countries” to promote gun rights at a meeting with its members.
Butina would meet with Erickson and Keene two weeks later in Moscow, along with Alexander Torshin, former deputy governor of Russia’s central bank and lifetime NRA member. Torshin, who has been targeted by U.S. sanctions, traveled with Butina to the United States to “discuss U.S.-Russian economic relations” in April 2015. The pair met with several senior American officials, like Federal Reserve vice chairman and former Israel central bank chief, Stanley Fischer; the Treasury undersecretary for international affairs, Nathan Sheets and others in a meeting “moderated” by AIG CEO Maurice “Hank” Greenberg. The details of the high-level meeting, two months before Donald Trump made his announcement to run for president, have never been made public.
Feature photo | Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee business meeting to consider authorization for subpoenas relating to the Crossfire Hurricane investigation, the code name for the counterintelligence investigation undertaken by the FBI in 2016 and 2017 into links between Trump and Russian officials, June 11, 2020. Carolyn Kaster | AP
Raul Diego is a MintPress News Staff Writer, independent photojournalist, researcher, writer and documentary filmmaker.


mintpressnews--2020-09-11--Why is the US Government Using Stolen Cash To Pay Doctors in Venezuela?

Venezuelan doctors currently fighting COVID-19 are receiving funding from an unlikely source : U.S. backed coup leader Juan Guaidó .
Health workers , who sometimes earn less than $ 20 per month , are receiving $ 100 dollars monthly from the self-declared president of Venezuela .
Where is Guaidó getting all this money from ?
The U.S. government , who , in turn , is using the billions of dollars it has confiscated from Venezuela to fund his latest political stunt .
The right-wing opposition inside Venezuela announced it was planning on distributing more than $ 18 million to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the next three months ; around $ 300 per person .
The money for the campaign comes from Venezuelan government assets and accounts in the United States , which the Trump administration has frozen as part of its ongoing war against the government of Nicolas Maduro , although it has not been disclosed exactly where from , only that it has come from Venezuelan “ sovereign funds.
” Part of that war has meant recognizing Guaidó — a previously virtually unknown politician — as the legitimate president of Venezuela .
Economic warfare against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama , who declared and redeclared a formal state of emergency across the United States due to the “ unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security ” Venezuela supposedly posed .
However , the sanctions regime was drastically ramped up by President Trump , who has time and again declared his intention to overthrow Maduro .
Sanctions have led to a near total worldwide blockade of Venezuela , with any company or nation trading with it cut off from the lucrative U.S. market .
Trump has blocked the importation of lifesaving cancer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical instruments , leading to an estimated 100,000 deaths according to former UN Special Rapporteur Alfred de Zayas .
Declared illegal by the United Nations , the sanctions have also stopped Venezuela exporting its primary product : oil .
Due to the threat of U.S. sanctions , insurance companies have refused to work with Venezuelan oil companies , and without insurance , oil tankers can not enter foreign ports .
The result of the sanctions has been economic devastation for the country .
Since January 2019 , Guaidó has attempted five separate , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with vocal U.S. backing .
Though he is presented in Western media as a progressive social-democrat , or even a socialist , his party ’ s platform of mass privatization would be more reasonably compared to that of General Pinochet ’ s Chile .
A leaked contract between Guaidó and U.S. mercenary Jordan Goudreau that stipulated that the ex-Green Beret would oversee the creation of a private death squad , ruthlessly putting down any dissent to his rule in the event of a successful coup , also suggests a more than passing resemblance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more organizers of the botched May coup were arrested in Colombia last week .
While Guaidó enjoys overwhelming support from both Democrats and Republicans ( despite Trump labeling him “ the Beto O ’ Rourke of Venezuela ” for his vapidity ) , he is not a popular figure inside his own country , unable to go anywhere without crowds of enraged people forming .
Despite receiving a standing ovation from both parties at Trump ’ s State of the Union address in February , when he flew back to Caracas after a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accosted by airline staff , pelted with trash from onlookers , covered in beer and other , less pleasant liquids and chased into his car to shouts of “ traitor , ” “ murderer ” and “ fascist ” from travelers .
This incident was unironically described in the Western press as being “ greeted by a throng of cheering supporters.
” Recent polls from opposition-sympathetic pollsters show he has the backing of between three to four percent of Venezuelans , depending on the wording of the question .
Groomed from a young @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first came to public attention as a leader in the U.S.-backed student protests of 2007 .
Since then he has continually flown back and forth between Caracas and Washington for meetings , training , and negotiations .
With a flailing economy and a weak currency , a $ 10 monthly stipend for health workers currently battling the COVID-19 outbreak will certainly be a huge benefit to them .
While the country ’ s initial coronavirus response successfully kept out a pandemic , returning immigrants helped spread the disease to the point where the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases , with 460 total deaths nationwide .
While the crisis has worsened , it is orders of magnitude better than neighboring countries such as Ecuador and Bolivia , where the country ’ s neoliberal rulers have let the pandemic rage almost unabated .
Meanwhile , U.S. favorite Brazil has the second highest number of deaths of any country , at nearly 130,000 , its president Jair Bolsonaro continually downplaying and denying the virus ’ lethality , despite contracting it himself .
We are “ at the mercy of a deranged lunatic .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ independent outlet Brasil Wire , despairing at his actions .
With a hotly-contested election coming up in November , many commentators on both right and left are warning of foreign interference .
Venezuela , too , has its own elections this winter , Maduro inviting international observers from the U.N. and E.U .
to oversee the vote , and pardoning over 100 opposition figures involved in political violence and coups .
Still , those who are so outraged at the prospect of potential foreign meddling in domestic affairs appear unconcerned with the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ population into supporting regime change with its own government ’ s ( stolen ) money .
Feature photo | Opposition figure Juan Guaido , center , joins health workers at an event in Caracas , Venezuela , Sept. 10 , 2020 .
Ariana Cubillos | 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , The Guardian , Salon , The Grayzone , Jacobin Magazine , Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

Venezuelan doctors currently fighting COVID-19 are receiving funding from an unlikely source: U.S. backed coup leader Juan Guaidó. Health workers, who sometimes earn less than $20 per month, are receiving $100 dollars monthly from the self-declared president of Venezuela. Where is Guaidó getting all this money from? The U.S. government, who, in turn, is using the billions of dollars it has confiscated from Venezuela to fund his latest political stunt.
The right-wing opposition inside Venezuela announced it was planning on distributing more than $18 million to the country’s 62,000 health professionals over the next three months; around $300 per person.
The money for the campaign comes from Venezuelan government assets and accounts in the United States, which the Trump administration has frozen as part of its ongoing war against the government of Nicolas Maduro, although it has not been disclosed exactly where from, only that it has come from Venezuelan “sovereign funds.” Part of that war has meant recognizing Guaidó — a previously virtually unknown politician — as the legitimate president of Venezuela. Economic warfare against the country began in earnest under President Obama, who declared and redeclared a formal state of emergency across the United States due to the “unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security” Venezuela supposedly posed.
However, the sanctions regime was drastically ramped up by President Trump, who has time and again declared his intention to overthrow Maduro. Sanctions have led to a near total worldwide blockade of Venezuela, with any company or nation trading with it cut off from the lucrative U.S. market. Trump has blocked the importation of lifesaving cancer and diabetes medicines, as well as medical instruments, leading to an estimated 100,000 deaths according to former UN Special Rapporteur Alfred de Zayas. Declared illegal by the United Nations, the sanctions have also stopped Venezuela exporting its primary product: oil. Due to the threat of U.S. sanctions, insurance companies have refused to work with Venezuelan oil companies, and without insurance, oil tankers cannot enter foreign ports. The result of the sanctions has been economic devastation for the country.
Since January 2019, Guaidó has attempted five separate, unsuccessful coups against the government, all with vocal U.S. backing. Though he is presented in Western media as a progressive social-democrat, or even a socialist, his party’s platform of mass privatization would be more reasonably compared to that of General Pinochet’s Chile. A leaked contract between Guaidó and U.S. mercenary Jordan Goudreau that stipulated that the ex-Green Beret would oversee the creation of a private death squad, ruthlessly putting down any dissent to his rule in the event of a successful coup, also suggests a more than passing resemblance to Latin American style fascism. Four more organizers of the botched May coup were arrested in Colombia last week.
While Guaidó enjoys overwhelming support from both Democrats and Republicans (despite Trump labeling him “the Beto O’Rourke of Venezuela” for his vapidity), he is not a popular figure inside his own country, unable to go anywhere without crowds of enraged people forming. Despite receiving a standing ovation from both parties at Trump’s State of the Union address in February, when he flew back to Caracas after a tour of the West, he was accosted by airline staff, pelted with trash from onlookers, covered in beer and other, less pleasant liquids and chased into his car to shouts of “traitor,” “murderer” and “fascist” from travelers. This incident was unironically described in the Western press as being “greeted by a throng of cheering supporters.” Recent polls from opposition-sympathetic pollsters show he has the backing of between three to four percent of Venezuelans, depending on the wording of the question.
Groomed from a young age by the U.S. government, Guaidó first came to public attention as a leader in the U.S.-backed student protests of 2007. Since then he has continually flown back and forth between Caracas and Washington for meetings, training, and negotiations.
With a flailing economy and a weak currency, a $10 monthly stipend for health workers currently battling the COVID-19 outbreak will certainly be a huge benefit to them. While the country’s initial coronavirus response successfully kept out a pandemic, returning immigrants helped spread the disease to the point where the country is experiencing around 1,000 new daily cases, with 460 total deaths nationwide. While the crisis has worsened, it is orders of magnitude better than neighboring countries such as Ecuador and Bolivia, where the country’s neoliberal rulers have let the pandemic rage almost unabated. Meanwhile, U.S. favorite Brazil has the second highest number of deaths of any country, at nearly 130,000, its president Jair Bolsonaro continually downplaying and denying the virus’ lethality, despite contracting it himself. We are “at the mercy of a deranged lunatic. This is no exaggeration,” wrote independent outlet Brasil Wire, despairing at his actions.
With a hotly-contested election coming up in November, many commentators on both right and left are warning of foreign interference. Venezuela, too, has its own elections this winter, Maduro inviting international observers from the U.N. and E.U. to oversee the vote, and pardoning over 100 opposition figures involved in political violence and coups. Still, those who are so outraged at the prospect of potential foreign meddling in domestic affairs appear unconcerned with the U.S.’ latest attempt to bribe the Venezuelan population into supporting regime change with its own government’s (stolen) money.
Feature photo | Opposition figure Juan Guaido, center, joins health workers at an event in Caracas, Venezuela, Sept. 10, 2020. Ariana Cubillos | 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--2020-09-11--Oregon Can’t Fight Wildfires Because Its Helicopters Were Sent To Afghanistan

More than half a million Oregonians have been forced to flee their homes , as wildfires continue to ravage the West Coast of the United States .
Amid record-breaking temperatures , the wildfires , which have charred one million acres of land , have caused the sky to turn a terrifying shade of red , with many comparing it to Mars , hell , or the apocalypse .
Air quality in Portland , the state ’ s largest city , is currently the lowest in the world , below even that of infamously polluted cities like Delhi and Beijing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brown did not mince words when advising what to do .
“ Get the hell out , ” she told her fellow Oregonians .
While Brown described the fires as “ unprecedented , ” she also warned that they “ will not be a one time event.
” “ Unfortunately , it is a bellwether of the future , ” she said .
“ We are seeing the devastating effects of climate change in Oregon , on the entire West Coast , and throughout the world.
” Firefighters are having a great deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ size and ferocity , despite receiving support from the rest of the country .
A group of Mexican firefighters also arrived in the state yesterday , keen to help their American compatriots .
One major reason they are having such difficulties combatting the blazes , the Portland Tribune noted deep in one article , is that many of the state ’ s largest firefighting aircraft are not available because the Department of Defense has sent them to Afghanistan to fight in a 20-year-old war .
Six Chinook helicopters , for example , have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ critically undermining both rescue and firefighting missions at home .
The Defense Department ’ s decision is the latest example of the skewed priorities of the U.S. government when it comes to protecting its citizens .
More than twice as many people have already died in California alone from the summer ’ s wildfires than Americans in Afghanistan all year .
The occupation of Afghanistan will turn 20 years old next month , and , with troops removals being blocked , shows no sign of coming to an end soon .
Even before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ military budget already rivaled that of the rest of the world combined .
In July , both Congress and Senate rejected a bill calling for a modest reduction in defense spending , overwhelmingly voting against it .
What the government could have done to improve the country with the savings is considerable .
The National Priorities Project calculated that a ten percent cut in military spending would be enough to end homelessness in America , fund free college for two million students , convert the U.S. to renewable energy , hire 900,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 1,200 checks to every American .
While Oregon is among the hardest hit , states across the western United States are feeling the impact of colossal wildfires .
In Washington state , more acres were burned on Monday alone than in 12 of the past 18 years of forest fires , according to Governor Jay Inslee , with the large majority of the state under a red flag fire warning .
Meanwhile , the fire season has been particularly harsh in California , with six of the state ’ s twenty largest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Authorities have been critically short on firefighters as the prisoners it normally uses to tackle the blazes have been locked down because of a COVID-19 epidemic raging through the state ’ s prisons .
Inmates are paid between $ 2.90 and $ 5.12 per day , plus $ 1 per hour to risk their lives , and are barred from applying for jobs in the fire department once they are released .
Oregon has fared relatively well at limiting the spread of the coronavirus , with fewer than 500 deaths statewide .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ fleeing their homes , it is feared that the communal indoor spaces they are being relocated to will become hotbeds of transmission .
Governors like Brown and Inslee , as well as scientists , have explicitly framed the fires within the context of man-made climate change .
“ [ The ] West is on fire .
Air can ’ t be breathed .
Sky is pink .
A half million [ are ] fleeing Oregon .
An environmental reckoning has come .
Whatever we call it — Green New Deal , Climate Revolution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must radically alter the way we live , or our lands will be uninhabitable , ” wrote former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich .
Yet corporate media have been far less willing to discuss global warming .
In a 1,700 word article entitled , “ Extreme Heat Turns State Into a Furnace , ” for instance , the New York Times failed to mention climate change even once .
Perhaps more alarming was the choice of outlets across the spectrum to illustrate the historic and deadly September heatwave with happy pictures of Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ missing the severity of the climate crisis .
The diversion of crucial firefighting resources away from high risk areas of the United States so they can be turned into weapons for a 20-year-long war on the other side of the world is an axiomatic example of the priorities of the United States government .
While the rhetoric of war planners is all about keeping Americans safe , the huge concentration of resources devoted to conflicts in the Middle East , it could be argued , is actually undermining Americans ’ safety at home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right , from Mexico , is consoled by her neighbor Hector Rocha after seeing their destroyed mobile homes at the Talent Mobile Estates , Sept. 10 , 2020 , in Talent , Ore. , after as wildfires devastate the region .
Paula Bronstein | 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Guardian , Salon , The Grayzone , Jacobin Magazine , Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

More than half a million Oregonians have been forced to flee their homes, as wildfires continue to ravage the West Coast of the United States. Amid record-breaking temperatures, the wildfires, which have charred one million acres of land, have caused the sky to turn a terrifying shade of red, with many comparing it to Mars, hell, or the apocalypse. Air quality in Portland, the state’s largest city, is currently the lowest in the world, below even that of infamously polluted cities like Delhi and Beijing.
Oregon looks like Mars right now pic.twitter.com/MiFXT1VR62 — Secular Talk (@KyleKulinski) September 9, 2020
This was yesterday afternoon in Salem. pic.twitter.com/ZlXC8JXfwi — Joyce Allan (@joyceallan65) September 9, 2020
The state’s Democratic governor Kate Brown did not mince words when advising what to do. “Get the hell out,” she told her fellow Oregonians. While Brown described the fires as “unprecedented,” she also warned that they “will not be a one time event.” “Unfortunately, it is a bellwether of the future,” she said. “We are seeing the devastating effects of climate change in Oregon, on the entire West Coast, and throughout the world.”
Firefighters are having a great deal of trouble dealing with blazes of this size and ferocity, despite receiving support from the rest of the country. A group of Mexican firefighters also arrived in the state yesterday, keen to help their American compatriots. One major reason they are having such difficulties combatting the blazes, the Portland Tribune noted deep in one article, is that many of the state’s largest firefighting aircraft are not available because the Department of Defense has sent them to Afghanistan to fight in a 20-year-old war. Six Chinook helicopters, for example, have been redeployed to the Asian nation, critically undermining both rescue and firefighting missions at home.
The Defense Department’s decision is the latest example of the skewed priorities of the U.S. government when it comes to protecting its citizens. More than twice as many people have already died in California alone from the summer’s wildfires than Americans in Afghanistan all year. The occupation of Afghanistan will turn 20 years old next month, and, with troops removals being blocked, shows no sign of coming to an end soon. Even before the latest increase, the United States’ military budget already rivaled that of the rest of the world combined. In July, both Congress and Senate rejected a bill calling for a modest reduction in defense spending, overwhelmingly voting against it.
What the government could have done to improve the country with the savings is considerable. The National Priorities Project calculated that a ten percent cut in military spending would be enough to end homelessness in America, fund free college for two million students, convert the U.S. to renewable energy, hire 900,000 new teachers, or send two more $1,200 checks to every American.
While Oregon is among the hardest hit, states across the western United States are feeling the impact of colossal wildfires. In Washington state, more acres were burned on Monday alone than in 12 of the past 18 years of forest fires, according to Governor Jay Inslee, with the large majority of the state under a red flag fire warning.
Meanwhile, the fire season has been particularly harsh in California, with six of the state’s twenty largest fires in recorded history occurring this summer. Authorities have been critically short on firefighters as the prisoners it normally uses to tackle the blazes have been locked down because of a COVID-19 epidemic raging through the state’s prisons. Inmates are paid between $2.90 and $5.12 per day, plus $1 per hour to risk their lives, and are barred from applying for jobs in the fire department once they are released.
Oregon has fared relatively well at limiting the spread of the coronavirus, with fewer than 500 deaths statewide. However, with half a million people fleeing their homes, it is feared that the communal indoor spaces they are being relocated to will become hotbeds of transmission.
Governors like Brown and Inslee, as well as scientists, have explicitly framed the fires within the context of man-made climate change. “[The] West is on fire. Air can’t be breathed. Sky is pink. A half million [are] fleeing Oregon. An environmental reckoning has come. Whatever we call it — Green New Deal, Climate Revolution, End of Fossil Fuels — we must radically alter the way we live, or our lands will be uninhabitable,” wrote former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich.
Yet corporate media have been far less willing to discuss global warming. In a 1,700 word article entitled, “Extreme Heat Turns State Into a Furnace,” for instance, the New York Times failed to mention climate change even once. Perhaps more alarming was the choice of outlets across the spectrum to illustrate the historic and deadly September heatwave with happy pictures of Americans enjoying themselves at the beach, completely missing the severity of the climate crisis.
I see we’ve reached the west coast turning blood red each summer stage of climate change — Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) September 9, 2020
The diversion of crucial firefighting resources away from high risk areas of the United States so they can be turned into weapons for a 20-year-long war on the other side of the world is an axiomatic example of the priorities of the United States government. While the rhetoric of war planners is all about keeping Americans safe, the huge concentration of resources devoted to conflicts in the Middle East, it could be argued, is actually undermining Americans’ safety at home.
Feature photo | Maria Centeno, right, from Mexico, is consoled by her neighbor Hector Rocha after seeing their destroyed mobile homes at the Talent Mobile Estates, Sept. 10, 2020, in Talent, Ore., after as wildfires devastate the region. Paula Bronstein | 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--2020-09-14--Israeli Human Rights Group Highlights How Israel Makes Fishing in Gaza Deadly

The Gaza Strip , just six miles wide , boasts a twenty-five-mile coastline on the Mediterranean Sea .
Fishing is a natural industry in such a location and as recently as 2000 , was a lucrative business for ten thousand Gazans .
Today , only about 3,700 remain in the fishing trade – and about ninety-five percent of these live below the poverty line , with little hope of improvement .
On September 9 , Israeli human rights watchdog B ’ Tselem released a report on the fishing industry in Gaza .
It describes the plight-within-a-plight of Palestinians trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and under a hostile Israeli blockade .
The report includes testimony given to B ’ Tselem field researcher Olfat al-Kurd by the wives and mothers of Gazan fishermen , including the story of Ahmad , whose twelve-hour workdays bring in under $ 150 a month .
As is the reality with most elements of Palestinian life under Israeli occupation , the greatest challenge in Gaza ’ s fishing industry is not the whether , or fluctuations in the market – it ’ s simply living to fish another day .
How far is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gazan fishermen are permitted by Israel to venture fifteen nautical miles off of Gaza ’ s coast to ply their trade .
But the situation is “ fluid , ” and can change without warning – as it did on August 12 when Israeli military officials issued a directive that “ immediately ” reduced the fishing zone from fifteen miles to eight , the official reason given were the so-called incendiary balloons launched from Gaza into Israel .
Four days later , the sea was completely off-limits to Gazans and remained that way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cataloged twenty changes in the fishing boundaries in 2019 alone – four of those were complete closures .
At times , fishermen don ’ t know where the boundaries are until Israeli soldiers start shooting at them .
The Oslo Accords , an agreement signed by both Israel and the Palestinian leadership in 1993 , places Gaza ’ s fishing perimeter at twenty miles offshore , only 10 percent of what some experts believe Palestine could claim as its Exclusive Economic Zone .
In the twenty-seven years since Oslo was signed , Israel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ miles .
As the Israeli Navy patrols the sea surrounding Gaza , it is in daily breach of multiple international laws .
B ’ Tselem recounts an interview with Nura , whose family has had three fishing boats confiscated ; ‘ Ula ’ s family has lost two boats and four motors .
The women disclosed that Israel frequently holds the boats for years ; motors are often never seen again – a practice that violates international law .
Over the years , hundreds of boats have been impounded .
The Israeli military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sailing outside of the boundaries they impose , as was the case in 2017 with Intesar ’ s son , Khader disappeared after embarking on a fishing trip .
Ten days later , his family discovered that he ’ d been arrested and sentenced to sixteen months in an Israeli prison for fishing outside of the acceptable range “ several times.
” Last year , Khader would disappear again – this time he ’ d been shot in the head , and was located in an Israeli hospital .
Live fire in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life is standard operating procedure for the Israeli military and is a breach of international law .
Israeli human rights organization Gisha reported nearly one thousand such live-fire incidents at sea between 2010 and 2017 , resulting in five deaths .
Zakaria Bakr , head of the Fishermen ’ s Union in Gaza , explains another Israeli policy that adds insult to injury : Israel ’ s blockade , now in its thirteenth year , “ bans almost everything we need to maintain our boats , ” including engines , spare parts , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that escape confiscation and gunfire are still vulnerable , and half of Gaza ’ s registered fishermen are unable to go out because their boats are in disrepair .
The very presence of the Israeli military , controlling Palestinians , amounts to de facto occupation .
While the Israeli government insists that it “ disengaged ” when Israel left Gaza , in reality , it is fully “ engaged ” – only now from outside the borders .
Israel controls Gaza ’ s land boundaries and all exits , its airspace , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and exporting of goods .
Perhaps the most flagrant offense of all lies in Israel ’ s motive for harassing and disrupting fishermen .
As Israeli leaders have made clear time and time again , the expanding and contracting fishing boundaries are an attempt to punish all of Gaza for the “ transgression ” of the few who dare to stand in defiance of Israeli oppression .
In reality , international law recognizes the right of an occupied population to resist its occupier , including via armed resistance .
When , for example @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or when Palestinians in the West Bank “ act out , ” fishermen in Gaza ( and their families and clients ) pay for it .
This is a form of collective punishment , a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention .
The life of a fishing family , like most lives in Gaza , if often fixated on making ends meet .
Nura Nu ’ man , a mother of two from a-Shati ’ Refugee Camp whose husband Muamen is a fisherman , lamented to B ’ Tselem , “ My @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The vast majority of fishermen live on less than $ 4.60 a day , forcing them to make tough choices , like whether to risk going out to sea during a sea closure or asking their children to drop out of school .
Even when there is a good catch , Gazans can ’ t afford to buy fish like they used to – especially during the coronavirus .
If fish are left at the end of the day , constant power outages due to Israel ’ s blockade on the fuel needed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep them refrigerated for sale the next morning .
Then there is the emotional toll .
Intesar , a mother of six from a-Shati ’ Refugee Camp , described her young grandchildren ’ s make-believe fishing trip in which they warned each other to “ watch out for gunfire ” ; ‘ Ula ’ s children suffer from anxiety .
No one wants the next generation to take up their fathers ’ trade , but options are limited in the closed economy .
Israel has been censured by countless human rights groups and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human rights abuses of Palestinians in Gaza .
One troubling UN report warned that unless Israel changes its policies , Gaza would become “ unlivable ” by 2020 .
B ’ Tselem pointed out that “ rather than change its policies…Israel has made them stricter and the situation has deteriorated , ” adding that “ Israel could change this stifling reality right now .
Instead , it chooses to force Gaza residents to live in a state of poverty , stagnation , and hopelessness.
” The United States for its part continues to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of $ 10 million a day in military aid and both houses of Congress remain obsessed with supporting and bankrolling Israel at every opportunity – although Americans as a whole are strongly in favor of conditioning such aid .
The House has even managed to ignore a bill to protect Palestinian children from being tortured on the dime of American taxpayers .
There is , however , evidence of a changing tide in support for Israel , especially among Democrats .
But Israel-firsters are pushing back hard and until the voices for justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Israel , the United States will be complicit in the slow death of Palestinians .
When Gaza ’ s allies cry , “ They have no fish , ” Americans are responding , “ let them eat cake.
” Feature photo | A Palestinian fisherman fixes a fishing net after a night fishing trip , in the Gaza Seaport , Sept. 3 , 2020 .
Khalil Hamra | AP Kathryn Shihadah writes for MintPress News and If Americans Knew .
She speaks regularly about the injustice and demonization Palestinians face at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States , especially to Christian audiences .
Kathryn has lived in the Middle East for ten years and has traveled extensively .
She blogs at PalestineHome.org .

The Gaza Strip, just six miles wide, boasts a twenty-five-mile coastline on the Mediterranean Sea. Fishing is a natural industry in such a location and as recently as 2000, was a lucrative business for ten thousand Gazans. Today, only about 3,700 remain in the fishing trade – and about ninety-five percent of these live below the poverty line, with little hope of improvement.
On September 9, Israeli human rights watchdog B’Tselem released a report on the fishing industry in Gaza. It describes the plight-within-a-plight of Palestinians trying to eke out a living during a pandemic and under a hostile Israeli blockade. The report includes testimony given to B’Tselem field researcher Olfat al-Kurd by the wives and mothers of Gazan fishermen, including the story of Ahmad, whose twelve-hour workdays bring in under $150 a month.
As is the reality with most elements of Palestinian life under Israeli occupation, the greatest challenge in Gaza’s fishing industry is not the weather, or fluctuations in the market – it’s simply living to fish another day.
How far is too far?
At this moment, Gazan fishermen are permitted by Israel to venture fifteen nautical miles off of Gaza’s coast to ply their trade. But the situation is “fluid,” and can change without warning – as it did on August 12 when Israeli military officials issued a directive that “immediately” reduced the fishing zone from fifteen miles to eight, the official reason given were the so-called incendiary balloons launched from Gaza into Israel. Four days later, the sea was completely off-limits to Gazans and remained that way for over two weeks.
One organization cataloged twenty changes in the fishing boundaries in 2019 alone – four of those were complete closures. At times, fishermen don’t know where the boundaries are until Israeli soldiers start shooting at them.
The Oslo Accords, an agreement signed by both Israel and the Palestinian leadership in 1993, places Gaza’s fishing perimeter at twenty miles offshore, only 10 percent of what some experts believe Palestine could claim as its Exclusive Economic Zone.
In the twenty-seven years since Oslo was signed, Israel has rarely allowed fishing beyond twelve nautical miles.
Tyranny at sea
As the Israeli Navy patrols the sea surrounding Gaza, it is in daily breach of multiple international laws.
B’Tselem recounts an interview with Nura, whose family has had three fishing boats confiscated; ‘Ula’s family has lost two boats and four motors. The women disclosed that Israel frequently holds the boats for years; motors are often never seen again – a practice that violates international law. Over the years, hundreds of boats have been impounded.
The Israeli military also detains and imprisons fishermen for allegedly sailing outside of the boundaries they impose, as was the case in 2017 with Intesar’s son, Khader disappeared after embarking on a fishing trip. Ten days later, his family discovered that he’d been arrested and sentenced to sixteen months in an Israeli prison for fishing outside of the acceptable range “several times.” Last year, Khader would disappear again – this time he’d been shot in the head, and was located in an Israeli hospital.
Live fire in the absence of an immediate threat to human life is standard operating procedure for the Israeli military and is a breach of international law. Israeli human rights organization Gisha reported nearly one thousand such live-fire incidents at sea between 2010 and 2017, resulting in five deaths.
Zakaria Bakr, head of the Fishermen’s Union in Gaza, explains another Israeli policy that adds insult to injury: Israel’s blockade, now in its thirteenth year, “bans almost everything we need to maintain our boats,” including engines, spare parts, fiberglass, and rope. Fishing boats that escape confiscation and gunfire are still vulnerable, and half of Gaza’s registered fishermen are unable to go out because their boats are in disrepair.
The very presence of the Israeli military, controlling Palestinians, amounts to de facto occupation. While the Israeli government insists that it “disengaged” when Israel left Gaza, in reality, it is fully “engaged” – only now from outside the borders. Israel controls Gaza’s land boundaries and all exits, its airspace, and the sea, and administers all importing and exporting of goods.
Perhaps the most flagrant offense of all lies in Israel’s motive for harassing and disrupting fishermen. As Israeli leaders have made clear time and time again, the expanding and contracting fishing boundaries are an attempt to punish all of Gaza for the “transgression” of the few who dare to stand in defiance of Israeli oppression. In reality, international law recognizes the right of an occupied population to resist its occupier, including via armed resistance.
When, for example, militants release incendiary balloons or rockets, or when Palestinians in the West Bank “act out,” fishermen in Gaza (and their families and clients) pay for it. This is a form of collective punishment, a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Compounding hardships
The life of a fishing family, like most lives in Gaza, if often fixated on making ends meet. Nura Nu’man, a mother of two from a-Shati’ Refugee Camp whose husband Muamen is a fisherman, lamented to B’Tselem, “My life revolves around loans and debts.” The vast majority of fishermen live on less than $4.60 a day, forcing them to make tough choices, like whether to risk going out to sea during a sea closure or asking their children to drop out of school.
Even when there is a good catch, Gazans can’t afford to buy fish like they used to – especially during the coronavirus. If fish are left at the end of the day, constant power outages due to Israel’s blockade on the fuel needed to power generators make it impossible to keep them refrigerated for sale the next morning.
Then there is the emotional toll. Intesar, a mother of six from a-Shati’ Refugee Camp, described her young grandchildren’s make-believe fishing trip in which they warned each other to “watch out for gunfire”; ‘Ula’s children suffer from anxiety. No one wants the next generation to take up their fathers’ trade, but options are limited in the closed economy.
Collusion
Israel has been censured by countless human rights groups and hundreds of United Nations reprimands over its human rights abuses of Palestinians in Gaza. One troubling UN report warned that unless Israel changes its policies, Gaza would become “unlivable” by 2020. B’Tselem pointed out that “rather than change its policies…Israel has made them stricter and the situation has deteriorated,” adding that “Israel could change this stifling reality right now. Instead, it chooses to force Gaza residents to live in a state of poverty, stagnation, and hopelessness.”
The United States for its part continues to fund the Israeli government to the tune of $10 million a day in military aid and both houses of Congress remain obsessed with supporting and bankrolling Israel at every opportunity – although Americans as a whole are strongly in favor of conditioning such aid. The House has even managed to ignore a bill to protect Palestinian children from being tortured on the dime of American taxpayers.
There is, however, evidence of a changing tide in support for Israel, especially among Democrats. But Israel-firsters are pushing back hard and until the voices for justice are louder than voices for unconditional support for Israel, the United States will be complicit in the slow death of Palestinians.
When Gaza’s allies cry, “They have no fish,” Americans are responding, “let them eat cake.”
Feature photo | A Palestinian fisherman fixes a fishing net after a night fishing trip, in the Gaza Seaport, Sept. 3, 2020. Khalil Hamra | AP
Kathryn Shihadah writes for MintPress News and If Americans Knew. She speaks regularly about the injustice and demonization Palestinians face at the hands of Israel with complicity from the United States, especially to Christian audiences. Kathryn has lived in the Middle East for ten years and has traveled extensively. She blogs at PalestineHome.org.