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the genocidals in israhell are trying as hard as they can to provoke an apocalyptic war....

The Global Majority is fully aware that the genocidals in Tel Aviv are trying as hard as they can to provoke an apocalyptic war – with full US military support, of course.  

Contrast that combative mindset with 2,500 years of Persian diplomacy. Iran’s acting Foreign Minister, Ali Bagheri Kani, has recently remarked how Tehran is trying hard to prevent “the Israeli regime’s ‘dream’ of triggering an all-out regional war.”

 

How a BRICS trio is staring down Israel
While Israel increasingly isolates itself on the international stage, BRICS members Iran, Russia, and China are quietly coordinating a full-spectrum effort to support Palestine diplomatically and militarily.

 

BY PEPE ESCOBAR

 

But one should never interrupt the enemy when he is in total panic. Sun Tzu would have approved this maxim. Iran certainly won’t interfere as the US and G7 members pull out all stops to come up with some semblance of a Gaza ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel to prevent a serious military retaliation by Iran and the Axis of Resistance.  

Earlier this week, that warning bore fruit: Hamas representative in Lebanon, Ahmed Abdel Hadi, reported yesterday that Hamas will not show up at the tentative negotiation round on Thursday – today. The reason? 

The clear climate is full of deceit and procrastination from Netanyahu, playing for time while the Axis prepares a response to the assassination of martyrs [Hamas Politburo Chief Ismail] Haniyeh and [Hezbollah Military Commander Fuad] Shukr… [Hamas] will not enter into negotiations that provide cover for Netanyahu and his extremist government.

So the waiting game, actually a masterclass of strategic ambiguity to rattle Israel’s nerves, will persist. Beneath all the cheap drama of the collective west begging Iran to not respond, there is a void. Nothing is offered in return. 

Worse. Washington’s European vassals – the UK, France, and Germany – issued a statement straight out of Desperation Row, where they “call on Iran and its allies to refrain from attacks that would further escalate regional tensions and jeopardize the opportunity to agree a ceasefire and the release of hostages. They will bear responsibility for actions that jeopardize this opportunity for peace and stability. No country or nation stands to gain from a further escalation in the Middle East.”

Predictably, not a single word about Israel. In this neo-Orwellian formulation, it’s as if the recorded history of the planet started when Iran announced it would retaliate for the assassinations of Haniyeh in Tehran.

Iranian diplomacy swiftly replied to the vassals, stressing its “recognized right” to defend national sovereignty and create deterrence against Israel, the real source of terrorism in West Asia. And crucially, emphasizing they “do not seek permission from anyone” to exercise it. 

The heart of the matter predictably escapes western logic: If Washington had forced a Gaza ceasefire last year, the risk of an apocalyptic war convulsing West Asia would have been avoided.

Instead, the US on Wednesday approved a further $20 billion weapons package to Tel Aviv, showing exactly how committed the Americans are to securing a permanent ceasefire.

Palestine meets the BRICS

The Israeli provocations, especially the assassination of Haniyeh, were a direct affront to three top BRICS members: Iran, Russia, and China.

So, the response to Israel implies a concerted articulation of the trio, deriving from its interlocked comprehensive strategic partnerships. 

Earlier on Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi took a crucial phone call from Iranian Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani, during which he adamantly supported all of Tehran’s efforts to ensure regional peace and stability. 

It also signals Chinese support for an Iranian reaction to Israel. Especially considering that the assassination of Haniyeh was seen in Beijing as an unforgivable slap to its considerable diplomatic efforts, taking place only a few days after the Hamas chief, alongside other Palestinian political representatives, signed the Beijing Declaration.

Then, on Tuesday, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence in Moscow. What Putin told Abbas is a gem of an understatement:

It is well known that Russia today, unfortunately, must defend its interests, defend its people with weapons in its hands, but what is happening in the Middle East [West Asia], what is happening in Palestine – certainly does not go unnoticed.

Yet there is a serious problem. The US- and Israeli-backed Abbas is like some sort of broken reed, enjoying scarce credibility in Palestine, with the latest polls revealing that 94 percent of West Bankers and 83 percent of Gazans demand his resignation. Meanwhile, less than 8 percent of Palestinians blame Hamas as responsible for their current, horrible plight. Overwhelming trust is placed in the new Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar.  

Moscow is in a complex position – trying to boost a new political process in Palestine with its instrumental tools of statesmanship, in a much more forceful way than the Chinese. Yet Abbas is resisting it. 

There are some auspicious angles, though. In Moscow, Abbas said that they had discussed BRICS: “We have reached a verbal agreement that Palestine would be invited in the ‘outreach’ format,” and expressed hope that:

A particular format of a meeting could be organized and it will be devoted exclusively to Palestine, so that all countries would voice their views on the developments that are taking place … It will all be as relevant as possible, considering the fact that the countries of this association [BRICS] are all friendly to Palestine.

That, in itself, is a significant Russian diplomatic victory. The optics of Palestine being placed among the BRICS for serious discussions will have an immense impact all across Muslim states and the Global Majority. 

How to calibrate a deadly response 

On the bigger picture – the Axis of Resistance’s response to Israel – Russia is also deeply involved. Recently, a stream of Russian aircraft landed in Iran, reportedly carrying offensive and defensive military hardware, including the game-changing Murmansk-BN system, capable of jamming and scrambling all sorts of radio signals, GPS, communications, satellites, and electronic systems up to 5,000 kilometers away. 

This is the ultimate nightmare for Israel and its NATO helpers. If deployed by Iran, the Murmansk-BN electronic warfare system can literally fry the whole Israeli grid, which is only 2,000 kilometers away, targeting military bases and also the electric grid.

If Iran’s response intends to really go off the charts – teaching the occupation state an epic, unforgettable lesson – that might feature a combination of the Murmansk-BN and new Iranian hypersonic missiles. 

And perhaps some extra Russian hypersonic surprises. After all, Secretary of the National Security Council Sergey Shoigu recently went to Tehran to meet with Iranian Chief of Staff Major General Bagheri, exactly to round up the finer points of their comprehensive strategic partnership, including in the military field.   

Major General Bagheri even let the BRICS cat out of the bag when he said, “We will welcome the tripartite cooperation of Iran, Russia, and China.” That’s how civilization-states unite in practice to combat the Forever War ethos built into the Western “democratic” plutocracy.

As much as Russia and China are supporting Palestine and Iran on several levels, it’s inevitable that the focus of the Forever Wars is now turned against all of them. Escalation is rampant across the board – in Ukraine, Israel, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, plus color revolutions from Bangladesh (successful) to Southeast Asia (aborted). 

Which brings us to the key drama in Tehran: how to carefully calibrate a response that will make Israel regretful, but not lead to bleeding wounds from Iran to Russia and China. 

The overarching clash – between Eurasia and NATOstan – is inevitable. Putin himself revealed it in stark terms when he said, “Any peace talks with Ukraine are impossible as long as it conducts strikes on civilian populations and threatens nuclear power plants.”

The same applies to Israel in Gaza. “Peace talks” – or ceasefire negotiations – are impossible while Gaza and sovereign nations such as Syria, Iraq, and Yemen are being shelled at will.

There’s only one way to deal with it: militarily, with smart force. 

Iran, in consultation with strategic partners Russia and China, may be trying to find a third way. Project Israel is practically shutting down its own economy to safeguard the occupation state from a deadly response by Iran and the Axis of Resistance.

So Tehran may be pushing Sun Tzu to the limit – the waiting game, the psy ops, the unbearable strategic ambiguity – forcing Israeli settlers to stew in their underground bunkers until the whole, across-the-board, coordinated strategy is in place to deliver a killer blow.

https://thecradle.co/articles/how-a-brics-trio-is-staring-down-israel

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

SEE ALSO: https://covertactionmagazine.com/2024/08/31/palestinian-pastor-calls-for-an-end-to-colonialism-empire-and-apartheid-from-mlks-pulpit/ 

cradle reborn....

 

‘Karbala is the path to Al-Aqsa’: an Iraq diary
Iraq’s prime minister hosted a unique conference in Baghdad during the 21 million-strong Arbaeen march, linking the seventh-century murder of Imam Hussain in Karbala to Israel’s current genocide of Palestinians.

 

BY PEPE ESCOBAR

 

BAGHDAD and KARBALA – Arriving in Baghdad today comes as an electric shock to any visitor who remembers recent, somber Iraqi history.

There are virtually no checkpoints, apart from sensitive government areas. None of those ghastly cement blocks from the time of the American occupation, forcing a slow slalom every few minutes. No sense of unpredictable danger capable of striking at any minute. Lush greenery thrives all over the capital city. Haifa Street has been rebuilt practically from scratch. Bustling commerce, from non-stop action in Karrada to a complex of restaurants by the Tigris called (most appropriately) Thousand and One Nights.

After over three decades of unspeakable horrors inflicted on the cradle of civilization, for the first time, Baghdad exudes a sense of normalcy. This has much to do with the new administration, led by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, that has been in power for just over two years.

Last week, the Office of the Prime Minister sponsored a unique conference titled The Road to Al-Aqsa Flood, inviting popular bloggers and influencers from the Arab world – Palestine, Kuwait, Jordan, Sudan, and Lebanon, among others – and only a few westerners. The bloggers were all young; most had never been to Iraq and, thus, had no memories of Shock and Awe and the occupation – at best, some hazy recollection of the ISIS years. They were all stunned by the hospitality, the dynamism, and, most of all, the hope now firmly embedded in Baghdad life.

The Iraqi government actually came up with a titillating concept, tying a serious discussion about all aspects of today’s ongoing Palestinian tragedy not only to Baghdad but to Arbaeen in Karbala.

Arbaeen marks the 40th day after Ashura, the Shia rite to honor the martyrdom of Hussein Ibn Ali, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, who was brutally murdered alongside his entire family by the Umayyad Caliph Yazid Ibn Muawiya. For Shia Muslims, this dishonorable slaughter represents the ultimate embodiment of injustice and betrayal, considered foundational evils by the religious sect.

It’s all about Resistance – without explicitly mentioning the Axis of Resistance. The martyrdom of Imam Hussein at the Battle of Karbala was – in Baghdad today – directly tied to the ongoing Israeli genocide of tens of thousands of Palestinians, in a “twenty-first-century Karbala.”

Twenty-one million walking pilgrims

Flying right before sunset on a Soviet helicopter from a military base by the Tigris in Baghdad to a mini-base in Karbala, some 10 kilometers away from the magnificent Hazrat Abbas shrine, is an astonishing experience.

Irrepressible commander Tahsin, in Karbala, had ordered the pilot to follow the Arbaeen pilgrim route – one of the multiple axes crisscrossing Iraq and leading to the shrine.

The feeling is of a long cinematic traveling shot. Rows and rows of pilgrims, mostly dressed in black, with their backpacks, carrying banners, walking at a steady pace, going through a collection of stalls, resting places, and mini-restaurants, mingling with volunteers offering free water bottles and free drinks to quench the thirst on this spiritual, yet, arduous journey during a scorching Iraqi summer.

As we approach Karbala, the crowd gets much thicker. It’s a sort of community spirit moveable feast. Spontaneous chants pop up, punctuated by infectious rhythm, and above all, there’s this relentless drive to keep walking, to try get as close to the shrine as possible.

We are told it’s absolutely out of the question to approach the shrine – the road is jam-packed, body pressed upon body. So the next best option is somewhere five kilometers away: a sort of mini-Palestine compound featuring an exhibition of military feats from Gaza, a space for lectures, a mini-mosque, a small replica of Al-Aqsa and even a road sign: “Al-Aqsa Mosque, 833 km.”

That couldn’t be more graphic: the Karbala–Al-Aqsa connection, at the heart of Arbaeen. It’s like the spirit of Imam Hussein veiling over every soul along these 833 kilometers.

This compound has been one of the focal points of this year’s commemoration. The flow of pilgrims from all over the Muslim world is relentless – and many stop to pay their respects. Nearby, commander Tahsin introduces us to a hard-as-nails anti-ISIS fighter from the Anbar province, who now supervises an Iraqi kebab stall, making delicious food for free, “in the spirit of Imam Hussein.”

Flying back to Baghdad at night, the pilot circles around the dazzling lights of the Hazrat Abbas Shrine – a spectacle worthy of a remixed One Thousand and One Nights. Later, the shrine’s management would confirm that an astonishing 21.4 million pilgrims had come to Karbala for Arbaeen.

Meeting al-Sudani

Prime Minister Sudani receives the foreign guests for a special meeting at one of those proverbially monumental marble-filled Saddam-era palaces inside Baghdad’s protected Green Zone.

Cool, calm, collected, he talks authoritatively not only about the Palestinian plight, but on his vision for a stable nation, detailing his “Iraq First” policy. It’s about sustainable development; investments in education and new technology; an affirmation of sovereignty; and in foreign policy, an extremely careful balancing act, juggling the US, the EU, Russia, China and Arab/Muslim partners.

A suggestion is made for Iraq to go to the next level and consider applying to join BRICS. PM Sudani duly takes notes.

The message is clear: Iraq is finally on the road to stability and normalcy. Earlier, a government official had observed, “Daesh [ISIS] set us back many years. Otherwise, we would have made even more progress.”

According to Dr Hussein Allawi, a top adviser to the Prime Minister, ISIS has been reduced to, at best, a few hundred fighters on the fringes of the Syrian–Iraqi desert, protected by local tribes. The threat seems to be finally contained, despite US efforts to exaggerate it.

But what gets Allawi really excited are the ramifications of the “Iraq First” policy – and an array of investment possibilities ahead. On energy, for instance, China buys nearly half of Iraq’s oil production; is a leading operator in several oil fields; and even diversifies in projects such as oil-for-schools, helping Baghdad on the education front.

Iraq is at the forefront of China’s ambitious, multi-trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in West Asia. The key focus is on the $17 billion Strategic Development Road: a transport corridor from Basra to Western Europe, to be finished by 2028, eventually to be connected to BRI – a route that will ultimately prove much cheaper and faster than the existing Suez one.

A visit to Abu Hanifa Mosque seals the Coming of the New Baghdad. This is where the first massive anti-occupation, Sunni-Shia march started in 2003, only nine days after the US-engineered fall of Saddam Hussein’s statue in Tahrir Square. The bombed-out minaret has been rebuilt, the mosque is now in impeccable condition, and an annex featuring precious Sufi objects has been sponsored by a Turkish cultural foundation.

The cradle of civilization is slowly but surely being reborn.

https://thecradle.co/articles/karbala-is-the-path-to-al-aqsa-an-iraq-diary

 

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.