new authoritarianism

EU considers sanctions on Israeli ministers over Gaza aid flotilla treatment: Report

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Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was filmed mocking detained Gaza flotilla activists. [Screengrab/X@itamarbengvir]

The European Union is considering sanctions against Israeli ministers accused of inciting human rights violations following Israel’s attack on a Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla, according to a draft of conclusions for the June 18-19 EU summit seen ahead of negotiations among member states.

Point 22 of the Middle East section states that the European Council “condemns the ill-treatment inflicted on detainees following the interception of the Global Sumud flotilla in international waters,” Italian ANSA news agency reported Tuesday.

The draft also calls on the EU Council “to continue its work on restrictive measures against extremist ministers who incite and promote such human rights violations.”

The text remains under negotiation among the permanent representatives of the EU’s 27 member states and could be amended before the summit.

READ: Malaysia prepared to take Israel to ICJ over treatment of Gaza flotilla activists

The proposal follows Israel’s attack on the Gaza-bound Global Sumud humanitarian flotilla in international waters.

Video released by Israeli authorities and widely circulated online showed Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir walking among detained activists who were kneeling in tightly packed rows with their hands restrained by zip ties.

The footage prompted criticism from rights and several governments.

France and Italy have since called for a stronger response from the bloc, including the possibility of sanctions.

EU leaders are expected to discuss the issue at the upcoming summit as member states seek a common position on the latest developments in Gaza and the wider Middle East.

READ: UN special rapporteur says Israel tortures Palestinian detainees in its detention centers

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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ... unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone … unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.

Continue ReadingEU considers sanctions on Israeli ministers over Gaza aid flotilla treatment: Report

Iran says its armed forces ready ‘more than in the past’ if war renews with US

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Members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) participate in a military exercise aimed at “increasing combat capabilities” in Tehran province, Iran, on May 12, 2026. [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Anadolu Agency]

A spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Tuesday that the readiness of the country’s armed forces today “is more than in the past,” claiming Tehran will use “different” types of weapons in case of a renewed war with the US and Israel.

“The best reason for this issue is that despite the use of its vast capacity on land, sea and air, America could not remove the Strait of Hormuz from Iran’s control even for a few minutes,”

Sardar Mohebbi said in a statement carried by the semi-official news agency Tasnim.

Mohebbi said Tehran is ready for “all possible scenarios,” adding that Washington “failed to achieve its goals” in the Strait of Hormuz during the latest round of the conflict.

Tensions in the Middle East have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran in February. Tehran retaliated with attacks targeting Israel and US allies in the Gulf, alongside the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but subsequent talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. Efforts for a solution, however, have continued since.

READ: Iranian military headquarters warns of retaliation if Beirut’s southern suburbs are attacked

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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ... unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone … unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.

Continue ReadingIran says its armed forces ready ‘more than in the past’ if war renews with US

As Israel encroaches upon Gaza, the UN should be reckoning with its colonial complicity

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Palestinian worshippers gather to perform the Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) prayer near the ruins of the Yarmouk Mosque, which was destroyed in Israeli attacks, in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City, Palestine, on May 27, 2026. [Saeed M. M. T. Jaras – Anadolu Agency]

by Ramona Wadi  walzerscent

“A hundred percent of Gaza should be for the Palestinian people, right? That’s what we want to see. And we’ve been calling on Israel to pull back from its occupation from the so-called yellow line and that will continue to be our position,” UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric stated last week.

Dujarric’s comments were uttered after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated he ordered the Israeli military to encroach further on Gaza, to 70 percent of the territory. The Yellow Line, which Dujarric mentioned, is already an expired demarcation, while the Orange Line, recently briefly making news headlines, is the physically unmarked border that will determine Israel’s entire military occupation of Gaza. Further Israeli colonial expansion has the backing of the US Board of Peace, led by Nickolay Mladenov, who has already absolved Israel from not keeping to the ceasefire terms since Hamas refused to disarm.

Since Mladenov’s narrative remained unchallenged, Netanyahu does not even have to justify Israel’s military occupation of Gaza, which sets the scene for recolonising the area.

Mladenov already warned that Hamas would be blamed for any repercussions after refusing to disarm, bringing the narrative back to the start of the genocide. For the UN, the deception works well. It allows Israel’s ongoing security narrative unlimited and unwarranted justification. Hamas takes the blame for Israel’s military occupation, and the UN maintains relevance through its humanitarian paradigm for a while longer.

UN officials can embellish their rhetoric, but their credibility has long been pulverised. If one goes back to history, as should be done, ignoring Palestinian self-determination to vote for partition in 1947 represents the foundations of the lie upon which all UN rhetoric is based. Palestine has been repeatedly throttled by the UN to pave the way for Zionist colonial encroachment.

READ: The EU’s fragmented focus rewards colonial violence

The Yellow Line, which Dujarric referred to, was only the beginning of the visible manifestation of Israel’s territorial appropriation. Calling upon Israel to pull back from the Yellow Line when military occupation has already expanded ignores the fact that Israel had already moved past the demarcation which was linked to purportedly rebuilding Gaza.

The question, therefore, is not what the UN’s spoken position is, but what lies beneath its rhetoric, which can be linked to decades of the international community’s approval and endorsement of various forms of Israeli colonial violence.

The Yellow Line and the Orange Line are not just demarcations; they are proof of Israel’s ongoing forced transfer of the Palestinian people. Genocide was the first step; military occupation of utterly destroyed territory is the second. Instead of talking about the Yellow Line, for example, can UN spokespersons and officials recognise the political implications of the Palestinian people’s forced displacement from Gaza? Can UN officials speak of Palestinians outside of the humanitarian paradigm, or as appendages to what Israel is planning for Gaza? What the UN allegedly wants is not the main issue here, and neither should it be. Palestinians are being forced out of Gaza and restricted into a humanitarian paradigm that robbed them of rights alongside land. That is what Dujarric should have addressed – the forced absence of the Palestinian people’s political agency, which facilitates ongoing colonisation, as the UN envisaged since 1947.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ... unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone … unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.

Continue ReadingAs Israel encroaches upon Gaza, the UN should be reckoning with its colonial complicity

Palestine’s supreme judge: Israeli bill to restrict Muslim call to prayer an attack on freedom of worship

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Mahmoud Al-Habbash, advisor to the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, speaks during the 19th International Muslim Forum at the Moscow Central Mosque in Moscow, Russia on December 12, 2023. [Sefa Karacan/Anadolu via Getty Images]

The Supreme Judge of Palestine and Presidential Adviser for Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash said on Monday that an Israeli bill aimed at legalising restrictions on the Muslim call to prayer (adhan) amounts to a “declaration of religious war against Islamic holy sites and rituals” and a direct attack on freedom of worship.

His remarks came in a statement responding to the approval on Sunday of a draft bill by Israel’s Ministerial Committee for Legislation. The bill was submitted by the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Al-Habbash said Israeli attempts to restrict the call to prayer in Jerusalem and among Palestinian communities inside Israel were “a direct assault on Muslims, the Islamic faith and freedom of worship”, adding that they rise to the level of a declaration of religious war against Islamic holy sites and practices.

Under the proposed legislation, no sound system may be installed or operated in a mosque without a licence. Approval of a licence would be based on the level of “noise” and the mosque’s proximity to residential areas.

According to a statement issued by Otzma Yehudit on Sunday, Israeli police officers would be authorised to order the immediate suspension of the call to prayer if the rules are violated. Continued violations could result in the confiscation of loudspeakers and the imposition of financial penalties.

Al-Aqsa: The moment of peril is here. Will the Muslim world act?

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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ... unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone … unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.
Continue ReadingPalestine’s supreme judge: Israeli bill to restrict Muslim call to prayer an attack on freedom of worship

‘Absolutely Crazy’: Horror as Trump Moves to Dismantle Crucial Ocean Monitoring System

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Article by Julia Conley republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Researchers prepare to deploy a glider instrument into the ocean. (Photo by Rebecca Travis/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

“Blinding the public to climate change won’t make it go away. It will only accelerate its profound consequences.”

In what a number of scientists suggested was the Trump administration’s latest effort to stop tracking the changing climate in hopes of convincing the public that the climate emergency isn’t happening, the National Science Foundation announced Monday that it was dismantling a crucial deep-ocean monitoring system that for years has helped researchers understand the impacts of the crisis on the world’s oceans.

The NSF said it plans to send ships this month to remove more than 900 instruments, part of a project called the Ocean Observatories Initiative. The project collects data on temperatures, currents, and the ocean’s absorption of carbon dioxide off the coasts of Oregon, Alaska, Washington, and North Carolina, as well as in the Irminger Sea between Iceland and Greenland.

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A spokesperson for NSF told The New York Times that the dismantling of the initiative will help the NSF in “prioritizing support for evolving scientific priorities and emerging technologies as well as a deliberate approach to smart life cycle management within its portfolio of research infrastructure.”

The reasoning given for the shuttering of the project, said Tara Blume, a journalist at Oklahoma City NBC affiliate KFOR, was “a master class in obfuscation and doublespeak.”

Genevieve Guenther of the group End Climate Silence shared her own interpretation of why the $368 million ocean observation system is being discontinued, despite the fact that it had been set to collect data for 25 years.

“We need to track ocean currents to assess how close we are to climate tipping points that will essentially destroy the world as we know it,” said Guenther. “The GOP doesn’t want us to be able to do that. That’s why they’re dismantling ocean monitoring.”

Scientists have used data gathered by moorings, robotic vehicles, and other instruments that transmit the information to research laboratories, to study changes in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current (AMOC), a current system that moves warm water northward and cools the Arctic and Northern Atlantic regions while absorbing carbon dioxide deep into the ocean and keeping it out of the atmosphere.

Data gathered at the observation station in the Irminger Sea has been key to understanding AMOC, which scientists fear is gradually weakening due to planetary heating and could ultimately collapse, likely causing major global weather changes.

“This is absolutely crazy,” said David Doniger, a senior strategist and attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council’s climate and energy department. “Wouldn’t you want to know if the ocean currents are changing? Wouldn’t you want to know ocean temperatures? These things affect everything from fishing to hurricanes.”

Following the announcement that the stations will be dismantled in the coming weeks, said Blume, “science gasps for breath.”

President Donald Trump has attempted several times to shut down or drastically reduce the budget of the Ocean Observatories Initiative, which costs $48 million annually to run. Congress has restored the program’s funding.

The dismantling of the program comes months after the Environmental Protection Agency repealed the “endangerment finding,” which for years had underpinned the department’s environmental regulations; after the administration closed down the National Center for Atmospheric Research, which had gathered data on hurricanes and extreme weather to help improve forecasts; and after the National Aeronautics and Space Administration released a statement on record-breaking temperatures in 2024 and 2025—without any mention of the climate crisis or climate change.

“Blinding the public to climate change won’t make it go away. It will only accelerate its profound consequences,” said clinical researcher Iris Gorfinkel.

According to the Trump administration, said historian Nick Kapur, “apparently climate change doesn’t exist if you prevent scientists from measuring it.”

Article by Julia Conley republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes' concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country's economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
Continue Reading‘Absolutely Crazy’: Horror as Trump Moves to Dismantle Crucial Ocean Monitoring System