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20 years of ALBA-TCP

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Original article by Pablo Meriguet republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

Heads of State Summit of ALBA-TCP in Caracas, Venezuela. Photo: ALBA-TCP

ALBA-TCP was founded in 2004 in an attempt to counter the US proposal of creating a “free trade zone of the Americas

December 14 marked the 20th anniversary of the creation of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-People’s-Trade Agreement (ALBA-TCP). ALBA-TCP was created in 2004 as a geopolitical alternative to the devastating advance of neoliberalism in the region.

The project was founded on December 14, 2004, in Havana by Cuban President Fidel Castro and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. Currently, the organization has 10 member countries and four countries considered “special guests.” In 2006, Bolivia signed its membership; in 2007, Nicaragua; in 2008, Dominica; in 2009, Antigua and Barbuda and St. Vincent and the Grenadines; in 2014, St. Kitts and Nevis and Grenada; and in 2021, St. Lucia. The special invited countries are Syria, Haiti, Suriname, and now Palestine.

To commemorate the 20 years, social movements, political parties, and heads of state gathered in Caracas, Venezuela for the 24th Heads of State Summit as well as parallel meetings. The event was attended by the host, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro; Bolivian President Luis Arce; Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel; Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega; Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves; Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit; and the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne.

Independence and solidarity among countries

In their addresses during the Summit on December 14, the heads of state and invited countries stressed the importance of solidarity among countries seeking alternative ways of development and the need for unrestricted solidarity among people struggling against imperialist attacks. They also demonstrated their support for Nicolás Maduro and his victory in the last presidential elections.

Miguel Díaz-Canel said “We reiterate the strongest support for the Bolivarian revolution, led by President Nicolás Maduro…We also call for the elimination of the blockade against Cuba …We cry out for a free Puerto Rico and declare our solidarity with Haiti, our Cuban doctors are there…We reiterate our demand for a ceasefire in Gaza and condemn the attacks perpetrated by Israel against Lebanon, Syria, and Iran.”

The Bolivian President, Luis Arce, highlighted the historical importance of ALBA in its fight against economic projects promoted by the United States such as the FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas): “The embrace of Hugo Chávez and Fidel Castro not only marked history but also manifested the defeat of the hegemonic project of the FTAA. ALBA was born, ALBA placed the human being at the center, promoting that a better world is possible. Bolivia reaffirms, once again, its commitment to ALBA-TCP, because it is a resistance that raises its voice against the unjust and criminal blockade against Cuba…ALBA is also a firm voice against the arbitrary and unilateral measures imposed against Venezuela and Nicaragua, which affect the welfare of our peoples.”

Nicolás Maduro said, “We must win the battle of life and truth in the streets, networks, media, and walls, as well as in the conscience and spirituality of the people.” He also added the importance of the struggle of the people to be masters of their destiny without imperial impositions or impositions of any kind. In the same line of discourse, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said “From Nicaragua we reaffirm our commitment to ALBA. We will continue to fight the battle.”

The Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit stated “We congratulate the electoral triumph of President Nicolas Maduro on July 28. We wish him all the best…We also want to reaffirm our solidarity with the people of Cuba, a brave people for whom we have our greatest respect and love; we will never cease to lend our voice against the United States to eliminate the blockade against Cuba.”

Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, harshly criticized US interference in the development of the past Venezuelan elections “Perhaps [the US government] thinks it is superior,” he said in this regard. He also stressed that the creation of ALBA-TCP was a fundamental invention for the emancipation of the American people, “ALBA is the product of the geniuses of our peoples.”

Inclusion of Palestine to ALBA-TCP

At the current summit, it was announced that Palestine had been included as a “brotherly country” and was included as a “permanent guest”. According to the resolution of the Heads of State, ALBA-TCP condemns the attacks against the Palestinian population and the “illegally occupied territories” and rejects “the merciless and inhuman genocide committed by the State of Israel, the occupying power, as well as its plan of spoliation, invasion, and domination.” Likewise, they denounced the support of several governments currently collaborating with the actions of the Israeli army and called for an “immediate ceasefire…From the heart of the peoples and governments of this alliance, we declare Palestine a brother country of the ALBA-TCP, and reaffirm our commitment to the defense of the Palestinian cause, which is the defense of humanity,” reads the resolution.

Riyad al-Malki addressing ALBA-TCP Summit. Photo: ALBA-TCP

In this regard, Riyad al-Malki, advisor to the President of State for International Affairs of Palestine said “History will remember those who stood on the side of justice, ALBA’s lasting solidarity with Palestine is a testimony of freedom and collective resistance.” Furthermore, Malki added “This Alliance is a living testimony of collective integration to challenge imperialism and ensure a just world. These values resonate with the Palestinian struggle, an end to the illegal occupation.”

A call for counter-hegemonic struggle

The joint document signed by all the countries highlights the historical importance of ALBA-TCP in the struggle for a more equitable world: “Twenty years after this giant step, we pay homage to the founding leaders, Hugo Chávez Frías and Fidel Castro Ruz, who adopted that December 14, 2004, in Havana, Cuba, the vision of the future embodied in the founding documents of ALBA, which have allowed us to walk united until the present, animated by the ancestral force that led our peoples to be free and that encourages us to continue integrated in this Alliance for Life.”

Similarly, it was stressed that the existence of this multilateral organization operates as a possibility to create a region that resists the impositions of the most developed countries: “Today, we want to ratify before our peoples, the counter-hegemonic, democratic, anti-imperialist and anti-fascist nature of our Alliance and renew our commitment to help and protect each other, to continue building together a future of shared goals under the founding principles of complementarity, cooperation, social justice, defense of our sovereignty and solidarity.”

In this sense, Luis Arce stressed that “In the face of the challenges of a world threatened by fascism and neo-fascism, ALBA is not an option, ALBA is a necessity that must continue with firm steps, reaffirming the founding principles of solidarity, justice, and cooperation…ALBA is not only an alliance, it is a promise for the future, a living resistance, an instrument for the most dispossessed, and a reminder that together, as peoples, we are invincible.”

Objectives and principles of ALBA-TCP

According to ALBA’s official website, the fundamental objective of the project is “to achieve integral development, ensure social equality and contribute to guaranteeing the quality of life, good living, independence, self-determination and identity of the peoples.” For this very reason, the principles of ALBA-TCP propose that political decisions be made horizontally and take into account the economic differences of its members without meaning that the importance of each of the members is underestimated.

The principles shared by the countries are “trade and investment should not be ends in themselves, but instruments to achieve sustainable development; special and differentiated treatment, according to the level of development of the various countries; economic complementarity and cooperation; cooperation and solidarity; the creation of the Social Emergency Fund; the integrative development of communications and transportation; the sustainability of development; energy integration; the promotion of investments of Latin American capital in the region; the defense of Latin American and Caribbean identity and culture; respect for intellectual property; and the agreement of multilateral positions and in negotiations with countries and blocs in other regions.”

Original article by Pablo Meriguet republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

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Netanyahu Moves to Expand Illegal Israeli Settlements in Syrian Golan Heights

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Original article by Jake Johnson republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Israeli troops and military vehicles cross in and out of Syria through a gate in the boundary fence near the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on December 15, 2024. (Photo: Mati Milstein/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Turkey’s foreign ministry condemned the plan as “a new stage in Israel’s goal of expanding its borders through occupation.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel would move to expand settlements in the occupied and illegally annexed Golan Heights, exploiting the collapse of the Assad government to further entrench its control of Syrian land.

Netanyahu said in a statement Sunday that “strengthening” the Golan Heights is synonymous with “strengthening the state of Israel” and declared that “we will continue to hold onto it, make it flourish, and settle in it.”

According to Netanyahu’s office, the Israeli government “unanimously approved” the prime minister’s push to double the settler population in the Golan Heights.

There are currently dozens of Israeli settlements housing roughly 20,000 people in the territory, the bulk of which Israel unlawfully annexed in 1981 after occupying it during the 1967 war.

Israel’s settlement expansion plan sparked outrage from countries in the region, with Turkey’s foreign ministry condemning the decision Sunday as “a new stage in Israel’s goal of expanding its borders through occupation.”

The foreign ministry of Saudi Arabia accused Israel of “sabotaging” Syria’s “prospects for restoring its security and stability.”

“The kingdom reaffirms that the occupied Golan is Syrian, Arab land,” the ministry added.

Israel’s military has wasted no time advancing on Syrian territory in the wake of Assad’s fall. As Drop Site noted over the weekend, “Israeli tanks have advanced into villages and towns in Syria’s Quneitra governorate, across from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, damaging streets, cutting down trees, and destroying electricity poles.”

“Israel ordered residents to evacuate their homes. When many refused, Israeli forces destroyed water supply networks and power lines in an attempt to force them out,” the outlet added.

On Saturday, as The Guardian reported, “Israel struck dozens of sites in Syria overnight with airstrikes” after the Israeli defense minister announced the country’s forces “would remain for the winter on Mount Hermon—known to Syrians as Jabel Sheikh—in positions they occupied last week.”

Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the leader of the rebel group that helped drive Assad from power, denounced Israel’s “uncalculated military adventures” but said that “the priority at this stage is reconstruction and stability, not being drawn into disputes that could lead to further destruction.”

“Syria’s war-weary condition, after years of conflict and war, does not allow for new confrontations,” he said.

Israel’s push for settlement expansion in the Golan Heights comes amid the country’s large-scale, catastrophic assault on the Gaza Strip, which Israeli forces are preparing to occupy indefinitely.

President-elect Donald Trump’s return to power in the United States is expected to embolden the far-right forces in Netanyahu’s government that are seeking to return settlements to Gaza and annex the West Bank.

Netanyahu said in a video statement that he had “a very friendly, warm, and important discussion” with Trump late Saturday about the future of the Middle East.

“I said we would change the Middle East and we are doing so,” the prime minister said. “I discussed with President-elect Trump the need to complete the victory.”

Original article by Jake Johnson republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Continue ReadingNetanyahu Moves to Expand Illegal Israeli Settlements in Syrian Golan Heights

New Syrian authorities stage celebratory rallies in Damascus as US and Turkey plan country’s future

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/thousands-celebrate-fall-assad-damascus-us-and-turkey-plan-countrys-future

Syrians wave the country’s new flag as they gather for Friday prayers at the Umayyad mosque in Damascus, Syria, December 13, 2024

THOUSANDS of Syrians gathered in the capital Damascus today in rallies called by its new rulers to celebrate the fall of Bashar al-Assad, as the United States and Turkey “broadly agreed” on their plans for the country.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met allies in Jordan, Turkey and Iraq to shape the transition of Syria’s leadership, calling for an “inclusive and non-sectarian” interim government.

After talks with Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Mr Blinken said there was “broad agreement” between Turkey and the US on what they would like to see in Syria.

Mr Fidan said the priority was “establishing stability in Syria as soon as possible, preventing terrorism from gaining ground, and ensuring that Islamic State and the Kurdistan Workers Party aren’t dominant.”

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has ruled Idlib since 2017 under Turkish protection and swept to power last weekend, claims it has broken ties with its extremist past linked to al-Qaida and its leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa (also known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani), invited the public to “show their happiness” at Damascus’s squares.

Huge crowds, including some insurgent fighters, packed the capital’s historic Umayyad Mosque in the old city for Friday prayers.

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Continues at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/thousands-celebrate-fall-assad-damascus-us-and-turkey-plan-countrys-future

Continue ReadingNew Syrian authorities stage celebratory rallies in Damascus as US and Turkey plan country’s future

Amnesty Urges War Crimes Probe of ‘Indiscriminate’ Israeli Attacks on Lebanon

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Original article by Brett Wilkins republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

A wounded man points to photos of civilians killed during an October 16, 2024 Israeli airstrike on the village of Aitou, Lebanon. (Photo: Fathi al-Masri/AFP via Getty Images)

“The latest evidence of unlawful airstrikes during Israel’s most recent offensive in Lebanon underscores the urgent need for all states, especially the United States, to suspend arms transfers,” said one campaigner.

Amnesty International on Thursday called for a war crimes investigation into recent Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon that killed dozens of civilians, as well as a suspension of arms transfers to Israel as it attacks Gaza, the West Bank, and Syria.

In a briefing paper titled The Sky Rained Missiles, Amnesty “documented four illustrative cases in which unlawful Israeli strikes killed at least 49 civilians” in Lebanon in September and October amid an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) campaign of invasion and bombardment that Lebanese officials say has killed or wounded more than 20,000 people.

“Amnesty International found that Israeli forces unlawfully struck residential buildings in the village of al-Ain in northern Bekaa on September 29, the village of Aitou in northern Lebanon on October 14, and in Baalbeck city on October 21,” the rights group said. “Israeli forces also unlawfully attacked the municipal headquarters in Nabatieh in southern Lebanon on October 16.”

Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty’s senior director for research, advocacy, policy, and campaigns, said in a statement that “these four attacks are emblematic of Israel’s shocking disregard for civilian lives in Lebanon and their willingness to flout international law.”

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The September 29 attack “destroyed the house of the Syrian al-Shaar family, killing all nine members of the family who were sleeping inside,” the report states.

“This is a civilian house, there is no military target in it whatsoever,” village mukhtar, or leader, Youssef Jaafar told Amnesty. “It is full of kids. This family is well-known in town.”

On October 16, Israel bombed the Nabatieh municipal complex, killing Mayor Ahmad Khalil and 10 other people.

“The airstrike took place without warning, just as the municipality’s crisis unit was meeting to coordinate deliveries of aid, including food, water, and medicine, to residents and internally displaced people who had fled bombardment in other parts of southern Lebanon,” Amnesty said, adding that there was no apparent military target in the immediate area.

In the deadliest single strike detailed in the Amnesty report, IDF bombardment believed to be targeting a suspected Hezbollah member killed 23 civilians forcibly displaced from southern Lebanon in Aitou on October 14.

“The youngest casualty was Aline, a 5-month-old baby who was flung from the house into a pickup truck nearby and was found by rescue workers the day after the strike,” Amnesty said.

Survivor Jinane Hijazi told Amnesty: “I’ve lost everything; my entire family, my parents, my siblings, my daughter. I wish I had died that day too.”

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As the report notes:

A fragment of the munition found at the site of the attack was analyzed by an Amnesty International weapons expert and based upon its size, shape, and the scalloped edges of the heavy metal casing, identified as most likely a MK-80 series aerial bomb, which would mean it was at least a 500-pound bomb. The United States is the primary supplier of these types of munitions to Israel.

“The means and method of this attack on a house full of civilians likely would make this an indiscriminate attack and it also may have been disproportionate given the presence of a large number of civilians at the time of the strike,” Amnesty stressed. “It should be investigated as a war crime.”

The October 21 strike destroyed a building housing 13 members of the Othman family, killing two women and four children and wounding seven others.

“My son woke me up; he was thirsty and wanted to drink. I gave him water and he went back to sleep, hugging his brother,” survivor Fatima Drai—who lost her two sons Hassan, 5, and Hussein, 3, in the attack—told Amnesty.

“When he hugged his brother, I smiled and thought, I’ll tell his father how our son is when he comes back,” she added. “I went to pray, and then everything around me exploded. A gas canister exploded, burning my feet, and within seconds, it consumed my kids’ room.”

Guevara Rosas said: “These attacks must be investigated as war crimes. The Lebanese government must urgently call for a special session at the U.N. Human Rights Council to establish an independent investigative mechanism into the alleged violations and crimes committed by all parties in this conflict. It must also grant the International Criminal Court jurisdiction over Rome Statute crimes committed on Lebanese territory.”

“Israel has an appalling track record of carrying out unlawful airstrikes in Gaza and past wars in Lebanon taking a devastating toll on civilians.”

Last month, the court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with Israel’s 433-day Gaza onslaught, which has left more than 162,000 Palestinians dead, maimed, or missing in the embattled enclave.

The tribunal also issued a warrant for the arrest of Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri for alleged crimes committed during and after the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, in which more than 1,100 people were killed and over 240 others were kidnapped.

Meanwhile, the International Court of Justice is weighing a genocide case brought by South Africa against Israel. Last week, Amnesty published a report accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.

The United States—which provides Israel with tens of billions of dollars in military aid and diplomatic cover—has also been accused of complicity in Israeli war crimes in Palestine and Lebanon.

“Israel has an appalling track record of carrying out unlawful airstrikes in Gaza and past wars in Lebanon taking a devastating toll on civilians,” Guevara Rosas said. “The latest evidence of unlawful air strikes during Israel’s most recent offensive in Lebanon underscores the urgent need for all states, especially the United States, to suspend arms transfers to Israel due to the risk they will be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law.”

Original article by Brett Wilkins republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Continue ReadingAmnesty Urges War Crimes Probe of ‘Indiscriminate’ Israeli Attacks on Lebanon

Israel expands military operations in Syria under pretext of creating ‘sterile zone’

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https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241211-israel-expands-military-operations-in-syria-under-pretext-of-creating-sterile-zone

The Israeli army reinforces its air and ground forces in the Golan Heights in response to ongoing situation in Syria on December 06, 2024, in Israel [Israel Defense Forces (IDF) – Anadolu Agency]

Israel has launched an extensive military campaign in Syria, conducting over 350 air strikes and seizing territory beyond the illegally occupied Golan Heights, in what Defence Minister Israel Katz describes as an effort to create a “sterile defensive area” along the border.

The occupation forces reported that their fighter jets have carried out hundreds of strikes across Syria over the past 48 hours, targeting what they claim are strategic weapons stockpiles in major cities including Damascus, Homs, Tartus, Latakia and Palmyra. The offensive has included attacks on Syria’s naval bases, with Katz boasting about destroying Syria’s modest navy “with great success”.

The Israeli army told journalists yesterday that it had completed the main part of its aggressive military campaign against Syria since the fall of the Bashar Al-Assad regime, targeting the military capabilities of the Syrian state. The occupation regime claimed that it had destroyed between 70 and 80 per cent of these capabilities.

The military escalation marks Israel’s most significant incursion into Syrian territory since the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. According to diplomatic sources, Israeli forces have moved “men and material” into the demilitarised buffer zone since 7 December, positioning troops and armoured vehicles near seven abandoned Syrian military posts.

The expansion has drawn sharp international criticism. Turkey’s foreign ministry condemned the attacks, stating that, “Israel is again displaying its occupier mentality.” The UN, through its spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, expressed firm opposition to any violation of Syria’s territorial integrity, emphasising that, “This is a turning point for Syria. It should not be used by its neighbours to encroach on the territory of Syria.”

UN Syria envoy Geir Pedersen warned that Israel’s actions could undermine prospects for peaceful transition in the already fragile state. “We need to see a stop to the Israeli attacks,” insisted Pedersen. “It’s extremely important that we don’t see any action from any international actor that destroys the possibility for this transformation in Syria to take place.”

Critics have pointed out the apparent contradiction in Israel’s strategy of protecting a buffer zone by creating another buffer zone, particularly given that Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights since 1967 remains unrecognised by the international community. Despite this, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that, “The Golan Heights will be an inseparable part of the state of Israel forever.”

The US stressed its support for Israeli military operations despite growing opposition. There has been a significant shift in American public opinion, with an increasing number of voters expressing concern about US power being employed primarily to serve Israeli interests rather than America’s. This “America First” sentiment has gained particular traction with those who question why US diplomatic, military and financial resources are being committed extensively to support Israel’s regional ambitions.

This debate has intensified following former General Wesley Clark’s 2001 revelation that the US had planned to topple seven regimes in the region to secure Israeli hegemony, including Syria. The admission has fuelled criticism that US foreign policy in the Middle East has prioritised Israel’s strategic objectives over America’s national interests, leading to calls for a fundamental reassessment of the US-Israel relationship.

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

Israel advances in Syria with blessing of US

Continue ReadingIsrael expands military operations in Syria under pretext of creating ‘sterile zone’