Middle East Press On: US, Israel, China, Gaza, Ceasefire, Palestinian, Brazil: New Age Islam's Selection, 11 March 2025
By New Age Islam Edit Desk
11 March 2025
World Should Be On The Side Of Gaza’s Children
Israel Can't Investigate Itself On Oct. 7 Attacks, Independent Investigation Is Essential
With Strong US-Israel Alliance, Criticism Of Each Other Should Be Expressed In Private
Lies About China Can In No Way Masquerade As Truth In Its Relations With Israel
Israel's New Status Will Be Defending Non-Islamist Minorities In The Middle East
What Is Driving The Bloodshed In Syria?
US Brokering Israel’s Breach Of The Gaza Ceasefire
The Palestinian Flag At Brazil’s Carnival: Where Samba Meets Solidarity
A Just Syria Is Best For All Its Segments
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World Should Be On The Side Of Gaza’s Children
Chris Doyle
March 10, 2025
A powerful and compelling child’s-eye view of life in Gaza over a period of nine months was broadcast in a documentary last month. It received rave reviews, even from Britain’s right-wing media. This was before a major outcry and anti-Palestinian pile-on forced the BBC to remove it from its streaming service.
“Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone” was jointly fronted by a 13-year-old Palestinian boy, Abdallah Alyazouri. It turned out that he also happened to be the son of the deputy agriculture minister in the Hamas administration governing Gaza — a technocrat. The ensuing hullabaloo brought unwelcome interventions from the British prime minister and the culture secretary, as well as Israeli officials, including the extreme right-wing ambassador to the UK, who opposes a Palestinian state.
Few critics bothered to watch the documentary. One commentator vented his fury and proclaimed that not only had he not watched it, but he also was not going to. If he had bothered, he would have heard plenty to counter the vicious anti-Palestinian myth that this was Hamas propaganda. Many Palestinians made explicitly anti-Hamas statements. A Palestinian woman told the late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar: “God damn you, Sinwar.” Zakara, 11, one of the child narrators, also castigated Hamas: “They caused all this misery.”
The underlying reason for the anti-Palestinian backlash was that the documentary dared to do something that so many in the political and media classes refuse to do — humanize Palestinians, particularly children. For those who support their ethnic cleansing or genocide in Gaza, this was a disaster.
For them, Palestinians in Gaza should be mere numbers, compared to vermin, not real humans with hopes, fears and dreams. The story of the young Palestinian girl who became a TikTok celebrity thanks to her cooking show is precisely the sort of thing that Israeli leaders do not want to reach the outside world. It is one reason Israel continues to prevent international journalists from entering Gaza, even during a “ceasefire.”
This BBC documentary saga highlighted a painful reality — that most of the world’s ruling classes do not care about the lives of Palestinian children in Gaza.
One question I asked the day the documentary was pulled was: What was the BBC doing to safeguard the three Palestinian children it had filmed in the documentary? The BBC has a major duty of care toward these children. Abdallah claimed in an interview that the BBC had not been in contact. Imagine this 13-year-old thinking he was going to be telling his story to the world, only for the documentary not only to be pulled, but for him then to be subjected to such hostile aggression.
All Palestinian children in Gaza are traumatized. Abdallah and all those his age have already experienced four major Israeli wars on the Strip.
Yet, over the last 16 months, Palestinian children, as well as adults, have endured pain and horror the likes of which nobody should have to experience. Israel has killed about 18,000 children. Many of the 110,000 Palestinians injured are children, given that nearly half the Strip’s population is under 18. According to the UN, “Gaza is home to the largest cohort of child amputees in modern history.” Some have suffered brain injuries from explosions. Many have lost key members of their families, in some cases all of them. In medical circles, many refer to a sadly all-too-frequent scenario, “WCNSF” (wounded child, no surviving family).
On top of this, Palestinian children in Gaza have the highest levels of child malnutrition in the world, which will inevitably lead to stunting in younger children. All of this is a direct result of the policies of the Israeli government.
But what prospects do Palestinian children in Gaza have? Education for 660,000 of them has come to a grinding halt since Oct. 7, 2023. Many had already lost two years of their schooling due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the UN, 90 percent of schools have been damaged or destroyed. Israel has bombed all Gaza’s universities. The territory is closed off from the world, as it has been pretty consistently since 2007.
And these children do hear the news. They know Israel reimposed a full blockade on Gaza just as Ramadan was starting. They know the US president is encouraging the clearing out of Gaza’s Palestinian population. They know that Israel is intending to resume full military operations, with references to unleashing hell, as if Gaza was not already a place fit for Hades.
The world should be on the side of Palestinian children, willing to hear their stories and to help in any way possible, given the genocide and the conditions Israel has imposed on Gaza. The BBC should have stood up to these powerful anti-Palestinian forces. It should have determined that telling the children’s stories was more important than who the father of one of the children was. This situation is part of the wider malaise of dehumanization and anti-Arab racism that needs to be tackled if there is to be any hope of a real and lasting peace.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2593114
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Israel Can't Investigate Itself On Oct. 7 Attacks, Independent Investigation Is Essential
By Micah Halpern
March 11, 2025
In the Oval Office, during a Q and A session, Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy asked US President Donald Trump about the status of the investigation into the assassination attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.
Trump responded by further expanding the question. The president said, what about the other guy with all the cellphones at the golf course on September 15, 2024?
In his inimitable way, Trump went on to explain that this is not on Biden. This, he said, is on me.
Obviously, Trump is correct. Until January 20, Joe Biden was president of the United States, and the information, or lack of information, on the attempts on Trump’s life was Biden’s responsibility. And yet, even under his own presidency, getting answers to these vexing questions about the two assassination attempts on his life still are unanswered. Even Trump – the target and now president – has not found out the answers he is seeking. President Trump, the person ultimately in charge of all the investigations, the boss of all people investigating these assassination attempts, does not have answers.
Investigation commissions and committees are notoriously poor at discovering real answers and real reasons. They are notorious for dragging their feet, especially when the people conducting the investigations are not interested in finding the answers, and even more so when those same people have a vested interest in ambiguous findings.
The President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy – or as it is more commonly known, the Warren Commission, is a perfect example.
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. The Warren Commission was created one week later, on November 29. From the very outset, members were divided on whether to have a committee investigation and make the report public. The argument was that releasing their findings to the public would create more controversy than consensus.
According to the 888-page report issued on September 24, 1964, 10 months later, to then-president Lyndon B. Johnson, Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald, and Oswald acted alone. Two days later Jack Ruby assassinated Oswald, and it was determined that he, too, acted alone.
Since then, there have been countless theories and more emerging evidence both supporting and contradicting the commission’s findings. One thing is for certain: the answers are few and the questions are many. And that’s because the investigators were not invested in finding and publicizing answers. Actually, quite the opposite!
These many years and many presidents later, Donald Trump has now promised to make public the files from the JFK assassination and the investigation. He wants to get to the truth – or at least get closer to the truth.
This is not an easy task – but it does explain, in large part, what is happening, right now, in Israel.
Independent investigation also a moral imperative
AN INDEPENDENT investigation into the reasons for the failures that led to the darkest day in modern Jewish history, October 7, 2023, is essential. It is not only a moral imperative, it is also strategically essential from the point of view of security. Another October 7 must never, ever, be allowed to happen again.
The IDF’s investigation of itself was, to put it bluntly, a joke. The statements by now former IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi ring hollow, that “the responsibility is mine. I was the commander of the army on October 7, and I have my responsibilities. I see every soldier who made a mistake as also part of my responsibility.... Since October 7 – Simchat Torah – I make it a point, several times a day, to confront failure directly. We have soldiers who fought heroically, we heard the voices on the radio during the inquiries. We have female soldiers who continuously reported with professionalism and calm until the last moment. This is the IDF.”
He spoke eloquently, he spoke the truth, but he was hardly assuming responsibility. They were simply empty words, as evidenced by the staggering numbers included in the IDF report: 5,500 terrorists crossed the border and broke into Israel from Gaza; terrorists broke through 114 gaps; they used 57 drones; they used seven boats; they used six paragliders; they shot 3,889 rockets and mortars. That is what Hamas did – but the question of how it was allowed to happen remains open and gaping.
Israel needs an independent investigation with full cooperation from military and intelligence leadership. The investigation needs full access to all data. Israelis deserve no less.
No one, no entity, can investigate themselves and be considered credible. State Comptroller and Ombudsman Matanyahu Englman’s office would be the ideal body to independently investigate the many lapses that led to the horrors perpetrated on October 7.
Englman has said that the IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) have obstructed a full investigation into October 7. Englman has said that without full cooperation from both security bodies, a comprehensive investigation cannot be conducted. Englman has urged Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara to force the IDF and security leadership to cooperate.
Englman is correct.
The critical point to remember here is that responsibility and complete unfettered investigations are essential not in order to prosecute criminal actions or inactions; they are necessary because they are the only way to instill public confidence in the IDF and the security services and the findings of the investigation.
Leaders who made mistakes need to be held accountable. Citizens, families, the country, and lovers of Israel need to know that the lives of Israeli citizens have value.
That lesson can only be taught after an honest investigation.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-845511
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With Strong Us-Israel Alliance, Criticism Of Each Other Should Be Expressed In Private
By Jpost Editorial
March 11, 2025
Israel and the United States are great allies. But they are different countries, and their interests – while generally aligned – do not always overlap.
This was as true when Joe Biden was president as it is now that Donald Trump is in the White House. The secret to maintaining good and strong relations is knowing how to deal with disagreements when the interests diverge.
The current controversy over US Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler’s direct talks with Hamas is a case in point.
Boehler, in a CNN interview on Sunday, made the argument that it was in America’s interest to speak to Hamas. “We are the United States,” he said. “We are not an agent of Israel. We have specific interests at play.”
Whatever those interests may be – and Boehler did not spell them out – they clash with Israel’s overriding priority: keeping Hamas, a murderous, brutal terrorist organization dedicated to killing Jews – including American Jews like Boehler and his family – beyond the pale.
Negotiating face-to-face with Hamas, indirectly describing them – as Boehler did – as people “without horns growing out of their head, actually guys like us, pretty nice guys” – gives these modern Nazis a veneer of legitimacy.
Israel believes, justifiably, that meeting with Hamas is a mistake. It believes, rightfully, that Boehler’s rather sanguine reading of the situation is woefully unrealistic. “I think you could see something like a long-term truce where we forgive prisoners, where Hamas lays down their arms, where they agree that they are not part of the political party going forward – I think that is a reality that is real close,” he said Sunday.
What should be Israel's response to Boehler's statements?
Now, the question is, how should Israel communicate those misgivings? Should it do so privately, as Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer did in a conversation that leaked and was described as tense? Or should it be done in public, as two senior ministers did in radio interviews on Monday?
“This is a move that, while it is possible the intentions are very good, the execution is very bad,” Agriculture and Raw Food Security Minister Avi Dichter said in a KAN Reshet Bet interview, adding that the envoy has little or no understanding of Gaza, Hamas, or the difference between what Hamas says in English and what it says in Arabic.
Dichter’s colleague in the security cabinet, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, was as blunt in a separate interview an hour later: “In my mind, this was a bad mistake, even a little naive from someone starting out who does not understand who we are dealing with.”
Even if both of those comments are true, need they be said publicly and voiced by senior cabinet ministers? What’s the point? What is the gain?
Express those concerns, let the administration and Boehler hear the criticism – but in private, not in public.
How would Jerusalem react if senior members of the Trump administration publicly said that Dermer, for instance, essentially does not know what he is doing? True, Smotrich and Dichter were asked point-blank about Boehler, but they should have had the presence of mind to sidestep the question and respond more diplomatically.
The need to keep criticism private when dealing with the US is a good rule of thumb at all times. Why give Israel’s enemies an opportunity to exploit daylight between the countries to their advantage? But this is even more critical when dealing with the current administration.
Everyone saw the way Trump and Vice President JD Vance responded in the Oval Office when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky contradicted – in front of the cameras – the American policy on Ukraine and negotiations with Russia. Vance explicitly told the Ukrainian president he should not litigate these matters in front of the media. In other words, if you want to disagree, fine, but do it respectfully and in private.
Israel needs to internalize this message, even when it comes to such a sensitive issue as direct talks with Hamas.
Disagreements with the administration will arise; when they do, they should be aired through the many available private channels. In public, however, refrain from calling down Trump administration officials. It’s just not smart; nothing good will come of it.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-845523
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Lies About China Can In No Way Masquerade As Truth In Its Relations With Israel
By Zhang Guoping
March 11, 2025
Recently, an article published in The Jerusalem Post smeared China’s Middle East policy and hyped up false narratives on Taiwan and Xinjiang-related issues, attempting to mislead the Israeli public’s perception of China and undermine the friendly relations between our two countries. Such intentions are utterly egregious. I would like to take this opportunity to present the facts to our Israeli friends for a better understanding of China and China-Israel relations.
Over the past 30-plus years since establishing diplomatic ties, China-Israel relations have maintained healthy and stable development, yielding fruitful outcomes across various fields. Facts demonstrate that our cooperation features complementary advantages and strong endogenous momentum, delivering mutual benefits to both nations and peoples.
China has always been committed to advancing exchanges and cooperation in various fields. Amid conflicts, nearly 20,000 Chinese workers have stayed in their posts in Israel.
Hainan Airlines of China has kept direct flights operational and is going to resume the Beijing-Tel Aviv route on April 10. The new port of Haifa, operated by Chinese enterprises, functions efficiently. The Red Line of the Tel Aviv Light Rail has operated safely for over 500 days, and the Green Line project progresses steadily. Transportation Minister Miri Regev highly commended Chinese companies for overcoming challenges to deliver high-quality results.
During the meeting on February 15 between the Chinese and Israeli foreign ministers, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar thanked the Chinese people for sheltering Jewish refugees during World War II and Chinese workers for contributing to Israel’s development despite wartime difficulties. He reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to the one-China policy and willingness to maintain dialogue and cooperation across fields.
China also stands ready to work with Israel to advance our comprehensive innovative partnership and promote regional peace, stability, and prosperity.
While having different perspectives on Palestine-Israel issues, China always respects Israel’s right to existence and development. Guided by the vision of building a global community of shared future and shared human values, we sincerely hope for peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians.
China has consistently opposed violence against civilians and violations of international humanitarian law, calling for the immediate release of all detained civilians and hostages.
No manipulation or political games
On the Middle East issue, China never engages in political manipulation or geopolitical games. We maintain friendly cooperation with all countries and never “bolster one and bash the other.” We have always been making judgments based on the merits of each issue and will continue to play a constructive role in regional peace and stability.
The mentioned article propagated a blatant lie that “President Isaac Herzog visited Taiwan,” while the truth is that the Israeli government has long adhered to the one-China policy, recognizing that the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China.
The article hyped up false narratives on Xinjiang-related issues, while the truth is that the Uyghur population in Xinjiang has grown from 3.6 million to 11.61 million since the 1950s, with regional GDP expanding from 800 million RMB to 2 trillion RMB.
In 2024, over 500 delegations totaling tens of thousands of visitors have visited Xinjiang, including foreign dignitaries, diplomatic envoys in China, representatives from international organizations, entrepreneurs, religious figures, experts and scholars, and media journalists. They unanimously stated that their observations and experiences in Xinjiang were entirely different from the reports disseminated by Western media.
For some time, certain international anti-China forces have persistently spread lies to sabotage China’s relations with other countries. We hope all friends in Israel can gain a deeper understanding of China and China-Israel relations through my elaboration, so as to avoid being misled by people with ulterior motives.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-845509
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Israel's New Status Will Be Defending Non-Islamist Minorities In The Middle East
By Yisrael Medad
March 11, 2025
Old concepts and ideas can undergo a rejuvenation.
A new book, The Hebrew Falcon by Roman Vater, has as its subject Adya Horon, born Adolphe Gourevitch, who became an early admirer of Ze’ev Jabotinsky. It was his seminal thinking which, together with others, gave birth to the Canaanite idea. Horon sought to create a Hebrew nation in the 1940s and 1950s, and later, Uri Avnery and Natan Yellin-Mor sought to create a Semitic expanse to replace an Arab Middle East.
While his idea of a throwback political construct that would replace Zionism ultimately failed, its ramifications on language, literature, culture, and art in Israel were significant.
Canaanism, as Vater presents it, is an anti-Zionist ideology that promoted a national movement of a presumed existence of an indigenous Hebrew non-Jewish nation in the territory of the pre-state Palestine mandate and then the post-state Israel. Zionism was Jewish, and their Canaanism was pre-Judaic Hebrew. As such, Horon’s geopolitical borders extended far beyond “Greater Israel.”
Horon’s homeland was an imagined “Land of Kedem.” This expansive territory led him down a path of interesting and important possibilities of political influence for the entire Middle East region that, only now, are becoming perhaps part of the new Netanyahu vision.
Horon was antagonistically anti-Pan-Arab. His focus was the Sea People, the Phoenicians, and, as such, he identified Lebanese nationalism as a pre-Arab concept. They were seafarers, and so were the ancient Hebrews. His Land of Kedem was the Semitic Levant. This overintellectualization does point to a simple fact: the Arabs are actually a minority in the Middle East and, moreover, they are the actual occupiers and colonialists in the region.
They came out of southern Arabia in the seventh century CE, conquered lands not theirs and replaced local religions and cultures with their own language and faith. They treated Jews, Christians, Copts, Assyrians, and other minorities, and continue to do so, with cruelty and intolerance. Islamic Arabism was imperialistic. It was an instrument of subjugation.
Learning what happened in Syria
ON MARCH 1, learning of the events at the Druze village Jaramana, outside of Damascus, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, together with Defense Minister Israel Katz, declared, “We will not allow the extremist Islamist regime in Syria to harm the Druze. If the regime harms them, it will face consequences from us.”
Whether or not all the Druze welcome that implicit intention of an Israeli intervention, the subtext is that Israel is reinterpreting the thinking of Horon. The underlying message being transmitted, in the face of the current Middle East reality in Syria as well as Lebanon, echoes the thinking of Horon. In witnessing the persecution and suffering of the Middle East’s Christian communities and maybe even the genocide Arabs are practicing against non-Muslim Sudanese, Israel is willing to posture itself as a defender of minorities suffering from extreme Islamism.
I searched for a list of non-Arab minority socioethnic groups in the Middle East and stopped counting after 25. They include Turks, Persians, Kurds, and Azerbaijanis, as well as Assyrians, Arameans, Circassians, Druze, Mandaeans, Maronites, Samaritans, and Yazidis.
Who can forget the events of 2014 and the siege of Mount Sinjar waged by ISIS forces? The Yazidis suffered massacres and enslavement. The community was perceived by ISIS as heretics, and the ISIS extremist ideology insisted on annihilation of those who did not interpret Islam just as it did.
Over 5,000 Yazidis were killed, 7,000 women and children were kidnapped, and many were sold into slavery and suffered abuses. Some 400,000 Yazidis fled to Iraq’s Kurdistan Region. Parallel stories exist with many of the other minorities.
Since 1995, the International Christian Concern group has been campaigning against “fundamentalist Islam,” which they see as intolerant toward other faiths. Christians suffer greatly in Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Iraq. Moreover, there has been a “historic exodus of Christians” from these countries.
The last time Israel sought to exert its diplomatic, economic, and military influence to alter the balance of power between authoritarian Islam was that of Menachem Begin. Begin was motivated, in a fashion, by the example of Ze’ev Jabotinsky’s diplomacy maneuverings in the mid-to-late 1930s.
The Zionist movement, of course, had no real sovereign power or any genuine military ability prior to 1948. Facing the growing European antisemitism on the one hand and, on the other, the surrendering of British support for the Mandate to the demands of the Mufti’s terrorist campaign, Jabotinsky devised his “policy of alliances.” He sought support for Jewish immigration outside the Mandate limitations and, as well, clandestine military training and arms for the Jewish youth in the Betar movement and the nascent Irgun. He reached out mainly to countries that were less than friendly to Jews, such as Poland, and managed to meet with Romania’s King Carol II.
A new contemporary policy of alliances could be constructed on a position of Israel’s relative strength as well as its warm diplomatic relations with America. It could be a further development of the Abraham Accords that, in part, would realign Sunni Muslim states against the Iranian Shi’ite regime’s “axis of evil.” The policy could be built from the ground up, reaching out to those who seek equity and freedom in the Middle East, a Middle East liberated from Arab domination.
Israel’s new strategic vision should take the initiative to establish regional Middle East stability while creating a human resources base resting on its non-Islamist minorities. An agenda would encompass economic, health, and security issues, along with democracy. This would also garner support from Christian friends of Israel in Central and Eastern Europe as well as Africa and South America.
It would be an alliance for civilization. An alliance of moral values and freedom. An alliance to assure peace, security, and prosperity, and to defend those principles. Israel, the Jewish state, could lead in the spirit of Isaiah 60:3 – “And by your light, nations shall walk, and kings by the brightness of your rising.”
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-845504
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What Is Driving The Bloodshed In Syria?
March 10, 2025
Syria has suffered its worst bloodshed since Bashar Al-Assad was ousted in December, with more than 1,000 people reported killed in violence that has swept the coastal region of the country since Thursday. The violence has pitted the Islamist-led government’s security forces against fighters from Assad’s Alawite minority.
The dead include hundreds of Alawite civilians, whom the a British-based organisation that reports on the conflict, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, reported were killed in reprisals after attacks on security forces.
The violence began to spiral on Thursday, when the authorities said that their forces in the coastal region came under attack from fighters aligned with the ousted Assad regime. The interim government poured reinforcements into the area, which is heavily populated by Alawites, to crush what it described as a deadly, well-planned and premeditated assault by remnants of the previous regime.
As government reinforcements deployed, mosques in regions loyal to the new administration began calling on people to wage jihad, or holy struggle, in support of security forces.
By Friday afternoon, reports began emerging of scores of civilians being killed in sectarian reprisals in Alawite towns and villages. As of Sunday evening, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 973 civilians were killed in reprisal attacks carried out by government forces or fighters aligned with them. More than 250 Alawite fighters were killed and more than 230 members of government security forces were also killed, it added. Reuters has not been able to independently verify the tolls.
The Alawites are the second-largest religious group in Syria after Sunni Muslims. Their faith is an offshoot of Shia Islam. The Assad regime recruited heavily from the Alawite community for its army and security apparatus, which was notorious for its brutality during more than five decades of the family’s rule.
This put many Alawites on the front lines of the civil war that erupted out of protests against Assad’s rule in 2011. The conflict took on a sectarian dimension as Sunni Muslim rebel groups sought to topple the Assad government which was backed by Shia Iran, Lebanon’s Shia Hezbollah movement and others.
Al-Sharaa led the most powerful Sunni group fighting Assad. Known as the Nusra Front, the group was part of Al-Qaeda until he severed ties with the jihadist network in 2016 and renamed his organisation. In a 2015 interview with Al Jazeera, Al-Sharaa described the Alawites as part of a sect that “moved outside the religion of God and of Islam” and urged them to renounce Assad and change their beliefs to remain safe.
Since Assad was ousted, the interim president has pledged to run Syria in an inclusive way. But while he has publicly engaged Kurds, Christians and Druze, there have been no declared meetings between him and senior Alawite figures. Many Alawites say that they suffered like other Syrians under the rule of Assad and his father, both of whom came from the sect.
Prior to Thursday’s escalation, Alawite activists had reported violence and attacks on their community following Assad’s ouster, particularly in rural Homs and Latakia.
In a speech on Sunday, Al-Sharaa said that remnants of the Assad government, supported by external parties, were seeking to create strife and drag Syria back into civil war with the aim of dividing it. He promised to form a fact-finding committee and said its findings would be made public, vowing to bring to account anyone involved “in the bloodshed of civilians” or mistreating them.
He has also announced the formation of a committee aimed at preserving civil peace, which would be tasked with communicating with the people on the coast and providing them with the support they needed to guarantee their protection.
The United States, which imposes sanctions on Damascus, urged the Syrian authorities to hold accountable the “radical Islamist terrorists” [sic] that had killed people in Syria and said it stood with Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on social media that atrocities committed against the Alawites showed that Al-Sharaa had revealed his “true face” as a jihadist.
However, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, allies of Damascus, both signalled their backing for the interim administration as violence was escalating last week. Riyadh condemned “crimes being undertaken by outlaw groups” in Syria and their targeting of security forces.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, whose country has forces on the ground in north-west Syria, has urged calm and said unnamed foreign elements were partly to blame.
Iran, which backed Assad through the war, has warned that the violence in Syria could cause regional instability.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250310-what-is-driving-the-bloodshed-in-syria/
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US Brokering Israel’s Breach Of The Gaza Ceasefire
By Motasem A Dalloul
March 10, 2025
By the end of stage one of the three phase ceasefire deal, which halted the unprecedented livestreamed Israeli genocide in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his reduced cabinet and decided not to move from stage one to stage two.
The Israeli occupation authorities decided not to release over 600 Palestinian prisoners scheduled to be freed as stipulated by the deal. The occupation government claimed that they delayed the release of the Palestinian prisoners in protest against the alleged disrespect of the bodies of the Israeli prisoners handed over by the Palestinian resistance to the Red Cross teams in Gaza.
However, the issue, according to the families of Israeli prisoners in Gaza, analysts and opposition leaders, is that Netanyahu does not want to move to the next stage in which Tel Aviv “must” agree on ending the genocide in Gaza and completely withdrawing its forces from all the area of the besieged enclave.
“Israel breached the deal with Hamas as it does not want to move to stage two,” Viki Cohen, mother of an Israeli captive being held in Gaza, said. Israeli daily Haaretz wrote: “Netanyahu stalls stage two of the Gaza ceasefire and once again weaponises Israel’s grief.”
The mediators carried out shuttle talks, trying to remove any alleged obstacles that might explode the deal. They received a pledge from Hamas to release bodies of four more Israeli captives before moving to stage two, handing them to Egypt without handover ceremonies.
In return, the Israeli occupation pledged to allow the entry of heavy equipment, mobile homes, tents, humanitarian aid and goods. Hamas fulfilled its pledge but Israel retreated. It even stopped the limited flow of aid and closed all the crossings, stopping all aid entry, cut electricity to the sole desalination plant and threatened to destroy aid warehouses across Gaza.
Israel’s acts are clearly aggressive and violate the ceasefire deal, they also show complete disregard for international law, but this is where the US steps in and plays its dirty role. Its Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff announced the breach of the ceasefire deal, demanding an extension to phase one and the release of more Israeli captives.
This proposal does not consider the suffering of the Palestinian residents of Gaza who have been waiting for the completion of the three phase deal in order to see the crossings reopened, the siege ended, hospitals and schools renovated and their homes rebuilt.
Of course, Hamas rejected Witkoff’s proposal, which was based on the Israeli request to extend the first phase. Hamas stressed its pledge to respect the ceasefire deal and that it would only release more Israeli captives under the terms of the three phase deal previously agreed.
Israel and the US then accused Hamas of rejecting moving forward with the ceasefire and began threatening its leadership and Gaza’s residents “THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!” should the Israeli captives not be released. No mention was made of the thousands of Palestinian captives enduring unprecedented harsh treatment and torture in Israel’s jails, where more than 60 have died since 7 October 2023.
Taking to his social media platform Truth Social, US President Donald Trump wrote: “I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job […] This is your last warning!” The Israeli occupation army then announced that it had called up 400,000 reservists and declared that it is ready to resume “fighting” in Gaza. Western and Israeli media also started portraying Hamas as rejectionists and parroting US and Israeli claims, describing the movement as the side which has not respected the deal.
In order to help end the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, Hamas showed flexibility and agreed that its negotiation team would sit down with the Americans directly. The Time of Israel has since reported that Israel is trying to sabotage the talks between Hamas and the Americans.
In a report about the issue AP said Israel had “introduced what it said was a new US ceasefire plan — different from the one it agreed to in January — and is trying to force Hamas to accept it by imposing a siege on the Gaza Strip.”
Meanwhile, Witkoff, who is scheduled to travel to the Middle East this week, warned that the US would back Israel on any action it decides to take in Gaza if talks on the truce with Hamas fail. Witkoff stressed that his country wishes to “resolve matters with Hamas through dialogue,” but vowed “an alternative option that will not be good” if negotiations fail.
Different sources including some from Hamas have revealed that there are several plans on the table now. They include an American call for the release of ten captives who are dual American-Israeli citizens for a 60-day extension of the ceasefire, but Hamas insisted that it would not accept anything other than moving to phase two of the agreed deal.
I do not think that the US wishes to breach the deal or ignore any of its terms, but it is ready to back the Israeli occupation in its violations of the deal and crimes against Palestinians even if it is infuriating the American people.
The United States has bigger imperial projects in the region than those of Israel. It is not prepared to sacrifice those projects for the Zionist one. However, it is not ready to allow it to make the wrong decision.
American leaders, who have already started a fierce war against Americans and local and international students at US universities who have stood up against Israel’s genocide and war crimes, are prepared to pay any prices – no matter how high – to appease the Zionist lobbies because they paid for their positions through election campaigns and are able to mobilise against them to the degree that they might be ousted if they anger them.
This means that even if the US is unwilling to breach the ceasefire deal, it is ready to broker Israel’s breach and ready to pay towards it and send the necessary weapons to enable Tel Aviv to continue its genocide.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250310-us-brokering-israels-breach-of-the-gaza-ceasefire/
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The Palestinian Flag At Brazil’s Carnival: Where Samba Meets Solidarity
By Eman Abusidu
March 10, 2025
Brazil’s Carnival is a global phenomenon, renowned for its exuberant parades, vibrant samba rhythms and dazzling costumes. For millions of revellers, it’s a time to celebrate Brazilian culture and the country’s rich history. But beyond the samba beats, there lies a deeper story of political expression and solidarity. In recent years, the Palestinian flag has become an unexpected yet powerful symbol raised in the heart of Brazil’s most iconic festival. This gesture connects global struggles for justice with the joy and freedom of one of the world’s largest cultural celebrations.
In a historic moment at the 2025 Carnival finals, the Workers’ Cause Party (Partido da Causa Operária, PCO) made an unforgettable statement of solidarity by raising a massive Palestinian flag at the event. The spectacle unfolded just as the winning samba schools were being announced, drawing attention not only to the colourful and grand celebrations typical of the Carnival, but also for its message of solidarity.
The PCO is a left-wing political party known for its firm stance on global justice issues and has long championed the Palestinian cause. The dramatic display at the Carnival finals was the party’s way of amplifying this message to a global audience. By raising the flag at such a moment, the party highlighted the ongoing struggles of the Palestinian people for freedom, self-determination and justice, right in the middle of a celebration that attracts an audience of millions. Although the Carnival has always primarily been about revelry, the inclusion of the Palestinian flag represents something more profound: the merging of cultural celebration with political activism.
The flag was more than just a political gesture, though; it was a statement about the potential of cultural platforms to raise awareness about global issues. The Carnival, as a space of joy, freedom and open expression, is well suited for conveying messages of solidarity. The contrast between the festive atmosphere and the serious nature of the flag’s symbolism created a powerful moment where people could engage with the realities of global injustice while being immersed in the cultural pride of Brazil.
Political engagement doesn’t need to be confined to the streets of protests or the halls of governments. It can be woven into the fabric of everyday life and celebrations, a reminder that the fight for justice is ongoing and ever-present, even in the most joyful moments.
This wasn’t the first time that the Palestinian flag has been raised at the Carnival in Rio. It was also raised a week ago by the Agytoê comparsa, a prominent Afro-Brazilian carnival group., As one of the most recognised samba groups in the city, Agytoê has long used its platform to speak out against injustice and inequality. By raising the Palestinian flag, it highlighted the group’s ongoing commitment to fighting for the rights of marginalised communities.
Months before the 2025 Carnival, activists and cultural groups were seen raising the Palestinian flag at several high-profile events across Brazil. In Rio de Janeiro, protesters gathered on Copacabana Beach and at the Arcos da Lapa, a landmark area known for its nightlife and celebrations. They sent a direct message to the world that, while the streets of Brazil may be filled with samba and joy, there’s also room for solidarity with those suffering abroad.
Rio de Janeiro, a city teeming with tourists year-round, has not hesitated to stand in solidarity with Palestine and Gaza since the outbreak of the Israeli genocide in 2023. Popular demonstrations and activism have continued unabated since the beginning of Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza. The city’s communities have united to denounce the actions of the Israeli occupation regime.
Brazil’s relationship with Palestine isn’t just symbolic. The country has one of the largest Arab communities in the world, with many members of Palestinian descent, whose activism ensures that the struggles in their homeland are never forgotten. Over the years, Brazil has shown a strong commitment to the Palestinian cause, calling for an end to occupation and supporting the right of Palestinians to self-determination. This historical context creates a unique backdrop for the Palestinian flag being raised during the Carnival in Rio.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250310-the-palestinian-flag-at-brazils-carnival-where-samba-meets-solidarity/
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A Just Syria Is Best For All Its Segments
Ghassan Charbel
March 10, 2025
Anyone in Beirut observing the developments unfolding in Syria will be gripped by fear. It is very dangerous to try to turn back the hands of time. The collapse of Bashar Assad's regime was a major shock that surprised his allies and opponents alike. Inside Syria, some refuse to believe that the time of the regime is over. Outside Syria, some refuse to recognize that Syria has chosen its fate and are instead insisting on pursuing a path that will lead it back to bloodshed.
Syria’s fate does not concern it alone. This is a lesson that was learned in the second decade of the 21st century. When instability erupts in Syria, it is difficult to keep it confined to the country’s borders. Infighting between Syrians fuels tensions in neighboring countries and creates waves of displaced people.
If an anxious Syria is a problem, then a fearsome Syria is a tragedy for its people and surroundings. Blowing up the situation in Syria is no less dangerous than the ouster of Saddam Hussein. The region may not be able to contain the fallout from such a development.
The most dangerous thing that can happen to a country is for those in power to exploit the fears of its various segments the way the Assad regime did. Under the regime, might held sway over justice and equality. The constitution was manipulated to suit anyone in the ruling regime. Parliament convened only to applaud the ruler. People were left to suffer in regime prisons and at the hands of cruel, mafia-like practices.
My profession has taught me to be fearful of major developments from which there can be no turning back. I grow concerned when the man who previously held all the threads, fates and destinies is no longer in power. I grow concerned when an army that had long held the ground and turned the country into a prison is no more. I grow concerned when the leaders of security agencies leave behind them piles of corpses and a series of mass graves.
I grow fearful of the ire of the people when they react to barbaric acts that can be traced to simmering hatred. I grow fearful when people fall victim to parties that have sold them delusions and who eventually refuse to acknowledge defeat, so they embark on adventures that threaten their safety and perhaps their own existence.
I am afraid of foreign players who have been awaiting these opportunities to pounce on the new Syrian Arab Republic. Israel is acting as though Syria is an open arena, not an independent nation. It speaks about the security of the Druze and has hinted about the Kurds. These statements may be concealing an Israeli desire to blow up and divide Syria, or at least push it to live on the edge of wars between its various segments.
Others are dreaming of reclaiming whatever influence they lost in Syria through any means necessary. Interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa’s decision to form an independent investigation committee to look into the developments along the coast helps thwart the goals of the parties that were seeking to exploit the situation to make it seem that this was a war between different segments.
Concerned questions have been posed by the Druze, Kurds and Alawites in recent weeks. The truth is that the only answer to these questions is that there can be no other solution in Syria besides the establishment of a Syrian state that accepts everyone. Blowing up the situation in Syria will be a tragedy for itself and its neighbors. Drowning Syria in a war of segments will alarm Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Turkiye and other regional countries.
Key to Syria’s stability is the establishment of a state that fits all its segments and that is built on justice and equality under the rule of law. Any return to the past must be limited to learning from it and guaranteeing that the same mistakes will not be made again.
In the wake of Assad’s ouster, the new Syria managed to avert a major collapse that could have resulted in endless bloodshed. President Al-Sharaa acted realistically and focused on returning Syria to its Arab family and paving the way for its existence under a new constitution and the rule of law. He sought to give the impression that Syria’s main concern was restoring stability, beginning reconstruction and building a normal country away from a model that goes against its foundations and unity. He gave the impression that the new Syria does not want to export its model or infiltrate the maps of its neighbours.
The recent bloodshed gave the impression that the conflict in Syria never stopped on the inside or in the region. Any foreign attempt to turn back the hands of time will lead to an escalation in the war of roles inside Syria and around it.
Syria has always been an anxious country. For 60 years, it never managed to reclaim the Golan Heights occupied by Israel. It never managed to become a normal state on the inside. It was unnerved by Turkiye’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and its role in the NATO alliance. It was fearful of Iraq under Saddam, Jordan’s moderation and the international umbrella that protects it and Lebanon, which had escaped Syrian hegemony.
The anxious Baathist Syria turned into a country that sparked alarm in others when it began to collect cards that it could use to manipulate the security and stability of its neighbours. It became an even greater source of alarm when it transformed into an arena for Iran and its militias.
The solution lies in Syria returning to Syria: a return to a normal state that safeguards unity and that guarantees the respect of differences through coexistence and under the rule of law. Only a normal state can close the chapter of the anxious and alarming Syria. A just Syria is the best home for its segments.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2593116
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