Category Archives: Middle Eastern Politics

Expanding War in Middle-East with Increasing Brinkmanship & Bluff

SEE Alistair Crooke’s Assessment at almayadeen with this title Bluffs and Counter Bluffs as the War Widens” …. with highlighting imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi

The Washington Post reported on 7 January 2024 that Biden has tasked his staff with preventing widening regional war. The piece was purposefully leaked (as even the Washington Post admit) — and is a bluff.

When Defence Secretary Austin last visited “Israel”, he clearly ‘green-lighted’ Israeli military action to push Hizbullah away from south Lebanon, to the north of the Litani River — about 29 kms north of the Blue Line southern boundary.

 

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Devious Propaganda Guided by Geopolitical Positioning

An Honest Broker **Devious 

With regard to the Maldives piece, this article is propaganda: …………………..  https://thegeopolitics.com/navigating-the-geopolitical-waters-india-maldives-relations-in-a-shifting-global-landscape/  You cannot expect it to remain unchallenged.

The article doesn’t contain a single piece of information that hasn’t been slanted in India’s favour, at the expense of China. The arguments presented here are “meritless, counter-productive and not based on facts”, as John Kirby would say. The intention is once again, as India always does, to smear China’s relations with countries in the South Asian region and reassert Indian hegemonic dominance. That’s why you can’t post a link without it being challenged.

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Palestine & Yemen …. The Alignment of States Today

An Informed Internationalist

International positions on Israeli Genocide Allegations:  ……… ……………….. https://time.com/6553912/israel-south-africa-icj-genocide/ ….. & …………………………….. https://theintercept.com/2024/01/11/south-africa-israel-genocide-charges/

Countries Denying  Genocide Allegations:   ……………. United States of America   … plus …. United Kingdom

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The Renewal of Fighting over Palestine on 7th October: How Come?

Camel Rider, responding to a general inquiry raised by Thuppahi in his Email Circuit

With regard to the mystery of why Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, I think the reason goes like this. The issue of a Palestinian state has been fading for many years due US foreign policy and the Abraham Accords sought to normalize relations between Israel and Arab states. If left unchecked, that process would have seen the death of Palestine, even among Arab states. Hamas gained an extraordinary strategic victory on October 7th in the sense that the issue of a Palestinian state is back on the table, the Abraham Accords are in tatters, and the majority of the world is demanding a solution.

Journalists take cover behind cars as Israeli soldiers take position during clashes with Palestinian fighters near the Gevim Kibbutz, close to the border with Gaza.

 

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Facing Hermon: Palestinian History 1918-to-Today’s Holocaust

Blackjack Bibi ….  see TPS Note at the end

I won’t comment on the Chris Hedges video. I was more interested in Dickie Hermon’s comment (see https://thuppahis.com/2023/12/19/chris-hedges-mea-culpa-on-palestine-for-the-westernworld/ ).

The first thing to be said is that it is unfair and unreasonable to insinuate that Hedges is a holocaust denier. It is wrong to suggest with a guess that he might be, and it is clear Dickie has no evidence to support that claim. He is on weak ground here.

Richard Hermon in https://thuppahis.com/2023/12/19/chris-hedges-mea-culpa-on-palestine-for-the-westernworld/

Michael, Please see my previous comments! on this subject .My position is clear These guys are “SPIN DOCTORS” putting their own spin on what they want to put across .in 1948 when Israel declared itself a state after the UN had given its approval and History states that the Arab nations all declared war on Israel and attacked it ,this Person states that the Zionists attacked the Palestinians ,at that point his veracity went out the window .I guess that he would also say that the Holocaust was Israeli propaganda.
with my warmest regards
Dickie HERMON

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Chris Hedges MEA CULPA on Palestine for the Western World

 

Chris Hedges Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, best-selling author & activist……. “When those who are occupied refuse to submit, when they continue to resist we drop all our pretence of our civilising mission and unleash as in Gaza”.

 

****  ****

 

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Gaza War …. Widening Warfront with More Participants?

Fair Dinkum sends Thuppahi some ‘NOTES’ that suggest such a course 

* Take note of  a few recent developments in  News items (below) that suggest that  Israel’s plan for Gaza isn’t going as well as they say.
The Axis of Resistance is preparing for war with Israel.
* The  former head of Mossad has condemned Netanyahu over Israel’s utter destruction of Gaza and the lives and livelihoods of Palestinians.

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Operation Eagle Claw: USA Special Forces’ Failure in Iran in 1980

Gp Capt Kumar Kirinde, [SLAF retd] as compiler presenting US special forces operation for the rescue of hostages at the US Embassy in Iran in 1980 that ended in a failure  …. Sources: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Eagle_Claw and Google Images 

Introduction:  Operation Eagle Claw was a failed operation (carried on 24 April 1980) by the United States Armed Forces ordered by U.S. President Jimmy Carter to attempt the rescue of 52 embassy staff held captive at the Embassy of the United States, Tehran.

 

The operation, one of Delta Force’s* first, encountered many obstacles and failures and was subsequently aborted. Eight helicopters were sent to the first staging area called Desert One, but only five arrived in operational condition. One had encountered hydraulic problems, another was caught in a sand storm, and the third showed signs of a cracked rotor blade. During the operational planning, it was decided that the mission would be aborted if fewer than six helicopters remained operational upon arrival at the Desert One site, despite only four being absolutely necessary. In a move that is still discussed in military circles, the field commanders advised President Carter to abort the mission, which he did.

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The Palestine-Israel Conflict: Its Political and Legal Underpinnings

Rohini Hensman:  “The Political and Legal Underpinnings of the Palestine-Israel Conflict,” in New Politics, 2023 …. ……………………… https://www.academia.edu/110094670/The_Political_and_Legal_Underpinnings_of_the_Palestine_Israel_Conflict?email_work_card=view-paper

On 7 October 2023, Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a massive attack on Israeli territory, killing 1405 people including over 300 soldiers according to the Israeli state, although a month later the death toll miraculously came down to 1200. The Israeli state has responded by bombing the Gaza Strip, in which Hamas has its headquarters and over 2.3 million civilians have their homes, starving inhabitants of food, water, medicines and fuel. But why did this happen? And what can be done about it? On these questions, there is no agreement whatsoever.

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King Abdullah Speaks Out: A “Two-State Solution” for Palestine Arena

Item in Washington Post, 14 November 2023

King Abdullah of Jordan penned an op ed for the Washington Post yesterday. It can be found at, …. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/11/14/king-abdullah-jordan-two-state-solution/
 
 Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein is king of Jordan. 

For more than a month now, the war in Gaza has been dividing the world, with the deepening split aggravated by intense emotions. Two narratives, Palestinian and Israeli, have pitted demonstrators, media outlets, religions, peoples and regions against each other. In the process, the moral clarity that we should and must share about basic human values has turned into moral confusion.

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