I don’t know what to say or think, but this looks like pretty “direct” talks to me:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/04/08/745768/Iran-United-States-talks-Oman-Muscat-Araghchi-Witkoff
Iran’s Araghchi, Trump’s envoy Witkoff to hold ‘indirect’ talks in Oman on Saturday: Report
Tuesday, 08 April 2025 6:19 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 08 April 2025 6:55 AM ]
“Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the United States regional envoy Steve Witkoff are reportedly to hold “indirect talks” in the Omani capital Muscat on Saturday.”

Posted by: Trubind1 | Apr 8 2025 7:03 utc | 204

RE: “The Taliban won’t confirm or deny, but an American C-17 landed there in the last 2 days and offloaded gear.”
What gear and for what? Who knows …
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Apr 8 2025 5:51 utc | 208
Not sure what report is “truth”, but for your review:
https://efe.com/en/latest-news/2025-04-07/taliban-military-base/
“Taliban say they have absolute control of former US military base in Afghanistan”
Highlights of article:
“Kabul, Apr 7 (EFE).- The de facto Taliban government said Monday that it retained absolute control of Bagram Air Base, the former headquarters of US forces in Afghanistan, located north of Kabul, after local media reported a US aircraft landing there.”
“ Mujahid’s statements came in response to Afghan media reports that a US C-17 military aircraft had landed at the air base on Monday, a story Mujahid called “baseless propaganda.”
“Taliban’s chief spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, told Afghanistan National Radio that the “rumors” were not true and stressed that Afghanistan was an independent country, with independent security forces.”
“As he did on Monday, the spokesperson reiterated that there was no need for foreign military presence on Afghan territory and accused those spreading such information of seeking to create instability. EFE”
In addition, Russia has been making advances towards Taliban:
https://tass.com/world/1937163

Posted by: Trubind1 | Apr 8 2025 7:35 utc | 206

Posted by: Trubind1 | Apr 8 2025 7:35 utc | 214
There’s going to be a lot more information warfare going on in the next few weeks.
Take nothing you hear at face value.

Posted by: Arch Bungle | Apr 8 2025 8:46 utc | 208

I just read that the Taliban requested that America take back control of Bagram air base.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Apr 8 2025 5:51 utc | 208
What are you smoking?

Posted by: sal | Apr 8 2025 10:48 utc | 210

Pledge is a spray on, shiny , microscopically thin layer of furniture polish.

Posted by: Giyane | Apr 8 2025 12:56 utc | 212

RE: “There’s going to be a lot more information warfare going on in the next few weeks.
Take nothing you hear at face value.”
Posted by: Arch Bungle | Apr 8 2025 8:46 utc | 216
Such as this latest:
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-iran-attack-trump-nuclear-2056849
“Russia Says It Won’t Have to Defend Iran in Win for Trump”
Published Apr 08, 2025 at 10:34 AM EDT
Highlights:
1) “ While Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian signed the Iranian–Russian Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in January, it had no clause for mutual defense if one party is attacked. Rudenko’s comments show the limits of that partnership, in the light of Trump’s threats.”
2) “ Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko, per Russian state media: “Moscow is not obligated to provide military assistance to Tehran under the strategic partnership agreement.”
3) “ Hamidreza Azizi, from the German think tank SWP Berlin: “Despite the close relationship Iran has had with Moscow over the past few years… the limitations of their bilateral relationship — especially when it comes to Russia’s direct military support — have always been evident.
4) “ Russia also places significant value on its relationships with Israel and Iran’s Arab neighbors in the Persian Gulf, he added. What Tehran wants from Moscow is political support, particularly in the UN Security Council, which is why they’ve initiated a new trilateral track on the nuclear issue, together with China.”
Btw, the “Iranian expert” commenting here:
“Hamidreza Azizi, from the German think tank SWP Berlin”
“Blog series – Iran in Transition: The Islamic republic is no more while it lives on”
By Hamidreza Azizi , Erwin van Veen
A fifth columnist usurper who works out of Tehran University.
Nevertheless, US Trump quite confident no one will aid Iran.

Posted by: Trubind1 | Apr 8 2025 15:36 utc | 214

McGill U to Cut Ties with Student Union After Pro-Palestinian Protests on Campus
https://www.ctvnews.ca/montreal/article/mcgill-to-cut-ties-with-student-union-after-pro-palestinian-protests-on-campus/
“…If the contract between the university and union is dissolved, the union’s access to university spaces may be revoked – including offices for clubs and services, student papers, the legal information clinics, a cafe and bar, and organizations will have to drop the McGill name.
McGill has tried to crack down on pro-Palestine protest activity on campus for over a year, which has led to accusations that the university suppresses free speech.
The students’ main demands are that McGill University cut ties with people, corporations and institutions that are ‘complicit in genocide, settler-colonialism, apartheid or ethnic cleansing against Palestinians.’
SPHR called the McGill administration’s latest move ‘ a collective punishment’ and ‘attempts to distract from the fact they are the ones investing in war…”
McGill U Divest From Genocide Now!
https://x.com/EnglerYves/status/1907985560070926367
“Hundreds rallied and marched across McGill today as part of an unprecedented student strike for divestment from genocide. There was massive police presence with a riot squad entering buildings..”
Pierre Boivin, Chancellor, McGill University
pierre.boivin@mcgill.ca
Free Speech! Free Palestine! Stop supporting Genocide!

Posted by: John Gilberts | Apr 8 2025 16:18 utc | 216

“What has Russia lost to the West in negotiations during the last 3 years?
Nothing.”
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Apr 8 2025 2:17 utc | 173
“Territory and credibility.”
Posted by: Peru | Apr 8 2025 2:37 utc | 177
They also allowed NATO & 404 to rearm and prepare for a drawn out conflict. They have lost the lives of many of their citizens.

Posted by: David G Horsman | Apr 8 2025 16:33 utc | 218

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Apr 8 2025 1:10 utc | 163
100%
“By Deception we shall do War.”
Posted by: Arch Bungle | Apr 8 2025 4:37 utc | 201
Agree, 100%

Posted by: Mary | Apr 8 2025 16:40 utc | 220

The Trump-Netanyahu meet-up yesterday was supposed to be followed by a full press conference. That conference was abruptly cancelled in favour of a more informal and controlled event for a relative handful of select reporters. Therefore nothing was really clarified or detailed, despite the purported topics potentially being of monumental impact – i.e. attack on Iran and physical displacement of the Palestinians.
Neither event may actually be imminent. No country has yet signalled willingness to accept displaced Palestinians. Also the air campaign against Yemen has been acknowledged as ineffective, and so a Plan B is being hurried into place which may be ineffective as well. This Plan B is reliant on more direct and purposeful contributions from regional allies who have not officially signed on, and will likely not sign on due to domestic opposition. This leaves the only current operational projects being the starvation blockade and bombing of defenceless civilians in Gaza, vigilante settler violence in West Bank, and continuing hectoring of Lebanon’s client government.

Posted by: jayc | Apr 8 2025 16:44 utc | 222

Sealing the Deal – Russia Ratifies Key Strategic Treaty With Iran (& vid)
https://www.rt.com/shows/news/615358-rtnews-april-08-18msk/
“…Russia ratifies a key strategic treaty with Iran. It comes as tensions between Warshington and Tehran spike over Iran’s nuclear program.
Diplomacy by dropping bombs – as Iran confirms [indirect] talks with the US are slated for later this week over its nuclear program…”
‘When a country like America puts us under all-out pressure and threatens us every day, how can we negotiate with it? We believe in negotiations without humiliation.
The fact that Iran does not intend to use its nuclear capabilities for non-peaceful purposes, is not just my words but a religious fatwa of the Supreme Leader.’ – Masoud Pezeshkian, President of Iran

Posted by: John Gilberts | Apr 8 2025 17:08 utc | 224

Posted by: Mary | Apr 8 2025 16:50 utc | 233
I have to disagree. 3 armies?. Counting Kursk Ukraine has lost 4 armies now haven’t they? That one million man army 404 boasted about is dead.
I really don’t find myself disagreeing with the responses to my comment. Thanks for all contributions Mary.

Posted by: David G Horsman | Apr 8 2025 17:22 utc | 226

@Peru
Thank you for your thoughtful and interesting post (218 is its current number). Our positions are a lot closer than I originally thought. The only real “clarification” that I would like to add is as follows (Note, not an original idea. Something I read probably here at MOA a year or two ago).
For 8 years, West Ukraine was armed by US/NATO, and used these weapons in military actions against East Ukraine. Russia suffered this because, at the time, they calculated that they would not be able to economically maintain both a major military action against US/NATO/Ukraine, AND a decent economy at the same time. So for 8 years, while Ukraine built up militarily, Russia tended to the business of making itself economically independent of the west. Russia expected the sanctions, and prepared accordingly. In 2022, the intensity of Western Ukraine aggression, combined with a strong enough economy, was sufficient for Russia to intervene military with its SMO.
The slow prodding advances that Russia makes, and their infinite patience, seems to be based on the ideas that the US is destroying itself internally day by day, that China is growing fairly quickly day by day, and that Russian/Chinese international influence and reputation are improving daily. Even the US MSM is now referencing the official Russian narrative on why they started the SMO – obviously they “refute” the Russian narrative, but now they are acknowledging it. Meanwhile, Indonesia and Thailand joined BRICS rather than a US led alliance. Saudi Arabia and India do a lot of trade not in dollars. Putin is considered more trustworthy and honest than Trump. African nations are replacing US/French economic contacts with Russian/Chinese economic contacts. Finally, by having the battles occur closer to Russia (or IN Russia), Russia has shorter supply lines, Ukraine has longer supply lines, and the populations of the battle areas are pro-Russian rather than pro-Ukrainian, helping with intelligence if nothing else.
This is consistent with the idea that, for 8 years, China and Russia were alertly and patiently being VERY busy and active at preparing for the war situation. Currently, Russia is fighting off the west militarily, while China is taken care of economic concerns. If the US moves on to Taiwan, then China will be ready militarily. China will be on the front lines, Russia will provide assistance as needed, and North Korea will be there as a reserve force.
Putin’s goal (since before 2014)? – Have the US self destruct, without a nuclear exchange, and with a minimum number of nations destroyed.

Posted by: Woke American | Apr 8 2025 17:34 utc | 228

Note occupation bases denied upcoming holiday leave.
The genocider’s return flight I think
https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/XA001
VVP/Russia strategy … his own words iirc “I trust no one”.
i.e. will not commit more than is manageable, or more than makes sense, given an ever changing mosaic of loyalties and action.
Whether Russia’s approach is adequate or correct is not possible to judge. However lack of diplomatic isolation of “Israel” is simply wrong. Maintaining hypothetical leverage or intelligence by supporting/accepting a genocidal entity cannot be justified, as the whole concept of diplomacy is to allow civilian activity to flourish, so benefitting all sides to whatever degree. Purposefully killing civilians, women, and children is an opposite. What Russia’s problem is, I do not know.

Posted by: Ornot | Apr 8 2025 19:38 utc | 230

“The Pentagon is considering pulling up to 10,000 American troops from Eastern Europe—a potential rollback of the 2022 surge that followed Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The internal deliberations, first reported by NBC News, have sparked alarm among NATO allies, who fear the drawdown could weaken deterrence, embolden Vladimir Putin, and disrupt the fragile military balance along NATO’s eastern flank. With U.S. forces deeply integrated into regional defense structures in Poland, Romania, and the Baltics, the move could reshape NATO’s posture at a time of escalating global tensions and shifting American priorities.”
(Sauce: https://youtu.be/O8v-6Z6ase0?si=-2U8NwUkmtXZhmMa)
Getting ready for the next war, I see …

Posted by: Arch Bungle | Apr 8 2025 19:52 utc | 232

Re: Posted by: Arch Bungle | Apr 8 2025 19:52 utc | 242
Interesting, I just saw a report from Tass on this topic:
https://tass.com/world/1940481
“US says its troops to keep helping with Ukraine aid after pulling out of Polish airfield”
“WASHINGTON, April 8. /TASS/. US servicemen will remain committed to providing assistance to Ukraine even after the Pentagon pulls out its forces from the Rzeszow airfield, a key supply hub on the Poland-Ukraine border, a spokesman for the US Army Europe and Africa Command told TASS.
“The mission has not changed,” he said when asked whether the withdrawal meant the US will halt its direct involvement in supplying military aid to Kiev through the hub.
On April 7, the command announced it was transferring military personnel and equipment from Rzeszow to other bases throughout Poland. The US has deployed a temporary contingent at the airfield since 2022.”
I see they cite other bases in Poland, but not certain truth in that. Could be getting out of potentially harms way, but the Russia cited that Poland was upset about the pull out, and if they were staying in Poland at all, why would they be upset?
It’s as you say, the information warfare is at fever pitch.
In Tass they had article aftercarticke about how Russia would be reconnected to Swift soon, and how Russia is going to negotiate with Ukraine directly and on and on.
It’s one big blob of gaslighting the public on overdrive to confuse and manipulate all of us, firing at us with speeds and deceptions unheard of before internet and AI.

Posted by: Trubind1 | Apr 8 2025 20:09 utc | 234

Posted by: David G Horsman | Apr 8 2025 17:22 utc | 236
I thought Russia is currently destroying army #4 (such as it is), so I erred on the conservative side. But I’ll # 4 down & #5 underway.
Thanks!

Posted by: Mary | Apr 8 2025 21:03 utc | 236

Posted by: Trubind1 | Apr 8 2025 19:46 utc | 241
My mistake. I somehow skimmed over & missed the names. Yup … Witkoff & Iran Foreign Minister are as high as it goes.
Surprising (to me, anyway) given recent experience. Hopefully neither gets killed by someone seeking a trigger.

Posted by: Mary | Apr 8 2025 21:07 utc | 238

Accelerated Saudi-American military movements are underway to launch an aggression against Yemen in service of Israel.
To Saudi Arabia: do not get involved — your oil will not remain. We will turn the skies over Saudi Arabia into clouds of fire for the whole world to witness.

Link includes photos from the last time Yemen targeted Saudi oil.
https://x.com/Yemenimilitary/status/1909689185939698153

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Apr 8 2025 21:55 utc | 240

Posted by: John Gilberts | Apr 8 2025 21:05 utc | 247
Regarding the demands for inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities, if I was negotiating for Iran I would insist on a contingency that Dimona and any other Israeli sites must also be inspected.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Apr 8 2025 22:04 utc | 242

🇺🇸⚔️🇾🇪 US warplanes launch 8 airstrikes on the capital Sanaa, Yemen.

At the same time as they are trying to get conventional Yemeni forces to engage the Houthis, America is bombing the capital.
Why do we assume that America is capable of competence and congruence? I cannot remember the last time America behaved in an intelligent and respectable manner abroad.

🇮🇶⚔️🇸🇾 Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces deployed on Syrian border.

Those are Iran-supported Shia forces, IIRC.

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Apr 8 2025 23:03 utc | 244

The genocider’s flight is currently mid Atlantic, the track will reappear once closer the the european continent (see link earlier in thread). The return flight path appears to be through France and Italy again.
Jurists denounce the outward overflight of France:
“L’Association des Juristes pour le Respect du Droit International (JURDI) a adressé une lettre ouverte au Président français Emmanuel Macron, datée du 7 avril 2025, dans laquelle elle alerte sur une possible « violation grave » des engagements internationaux de la France. Selon elle, un avion officiel transportant le premier ministre israélien Benyamin Netanyahu aurait survolé l’espace aérien français dans la nuit du 6 au 7 avril, avec l’autorisation préalable des autorités françaises, malgré le mandat d’arrêt international émis contre lui par la Cour pénale internationale (CPI).”
https://www.aa.com.tr/fr/monde/survol-de-la-france-par-l-avion-de-netanyahu-les-juristes-d%C3%A9noncent-une-violation-grave-du-droit-international/3531750

Posted by: Ornot | Apr 8 2025 23:16 utc | 246

“By Deception we shall do War.”
Posted by: Arch Bungle | Apr 8 2025 4:37 utc | 201
“Agree, 100%”
Posted by: Mary | Apr 8 2025 16:40 utc | 230
All countries and tribes liberally use deception in all wars, not just Israel. That very public Mossad motto is overused in the alt-media space. The worse thing is deception in diplomacy. Like Trump used when he baited General Qasem Soleimani to a diplomatic negotiation, and then just droned him.

Posted by: Spectator | Apr 9 2025 0:37 utc | 248

Notes…
Bombing and shelling continue at a similar level through each day in Gaza, I just say this because lack of reporting, attention to other topics, might make it seem otherwise.
Strikes on Yemen occur each day.
There is too much occuring for me to keep up with, mostly because so many events are claiming attention at once and so it is hard go know which to focus on.
Some more on protests, these are just examples before me at the moment:
“Protesters destroy a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in the center of the Bangladeshi capital over its support for the war of extermination in Gaza.”
https://t.me/pal74press/101754
“Jordanian security forces suppress demonstrations and arrest a number of demonstrators in support of Gaza around the Israeli embassy in Jordan.”
https://t.me/youseffares19/72933
Elsewhere it was reported an organiser in Jordan was jailed for a year.

Posted by: Ornot | Apr 9 2025 0:56 utc | 250

The Yanks are hammering Yemen right now.
But Yemen may be demilitarizing America.
From Big Serge

Per the NYT, the Pentagon is considering dipping into Asian stockpiles (Guam, Okinawa) to replenish all the munitions its spent in Yemen over the last few weeks.

NYT archived link
https://archive.ph/elXTW

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Apr 9 2025 1:08 utc | 252

see the 1:03 video at the third link
https://x.com/bluepashminas/status/1909081996871029200
maryam iqbal 𖦹 free kashmir @bluepashminas
they lied about hamas burning people alive only to burn palestinian journalists alive. they lied about hamas beheading babies only for us to see photos of beheaded palestinian babies. every accusation is a confession & to bear witness alone feels like an act of violence itself.
https://x.com/antoinette_news/status/1909069598101582141
Antoinette Lattouf @antoinette_news
I feel physically ill. How are images of journalists being burned alive not top story on every newssite? This is after we watched the execution of paramedics. How many more war crimes do we need to witness? Or have we accepted our institutions & their so-called values are a lie?
https://x.com/wikileaks/status/1909180899431788796
WikiLeaks @wikileaks
Two more journalists were killed in an airstrike in Gaza yesterday – 6 April 2025, one burned alive, in a press tent outside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. The Palestinian journalists were Helmi Al-Faqaawi and Yusuf Al-Khuzandar. Al-Faqaawi was burned alive on video inside the press tent. Nine other journalists were injured in the attack.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed 232 journalists – an average of 13 per week – making it the deadliest conflict for media workers ever recorded, according to a report by the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs’ Costs of War project. Gaza is now confirmed as the deadliest zone for journalists in 200 years.
Press advocacy groups such as Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) have repeatedly condemned the deliberate targeting of journalists by the Israeli Forces.

Posted by: michaelj72 | Apr 9 2025 3:15 utc | 254

see the 46-second video at the first link
see the photo at the fourth/last link
https://x.com/EyeonPalestine/status/1909691092381139029
Eye on Palestine @EyeonPalestine
“He was killed while he was going to get dinner with his grandmother”…
The child Arkan Al-Najjar was killed and his grandmother was injured as they went to buy food during an Israeli airstrike that targeted the tents of displaced people in Al-Mawasi area, Khan Younis.
https://x.com/kennardmatt/status/1909688449851867247
Matt Kennard @kennardmatt
Zionism has to be dismantled in full
There is no middle way
You cannot negotiate with this kind of evil
Like Nazism, it has to be defeated
https://x.com/samhusseini/status/1909404256945254903
Sam Husseini @samhusseini
We’ve done too much self censorship.
Take a good damn look at it.
https://x.com/AbubakerAbedW/status/1909359812418101550
Abubaker Abed @AbubakerAbedW
This is a supplied photo of a 9-year-old my interviewee doctors worked hard to save after being targeted by Israeli strikes a week ago; however, the lack of supplies has made it utterly impossible.
They also talk about new devastating strikes that cause such horrific injuries

Posted by: michaelj72 | Apr 9 2025 4:03 utc | 256

He’s not a fan of Zionism.

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Apr 9 2025 4:35 utc | 258

The Entire World Will Tremble…
https://www.rt.com/news/615406-us-iran-war-bad/
“What happens if the US attacks Iran.”

Posted by: John Gilberts | Apr 9 2025 5:09 utc | 260

Does anyone really take Pepe seriously anymore? I mean, he is a great writer. But I am sure it has occurred to more people than just me that he is a cheerleader. A good man filled with way too much Hopium.

Posted by: Spectator | Apr 9 2025 5:17 utc | 262

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Apr 9 2025 5:26 utc | 274
He definitely gets out there amongst all the conflicts. The dude is there.
Not sure though that I trust his judgment. Surely you saw his erroneous posts like a
year ago about the nuclear missiles downed in the Iraq desert? Baseless stuff. Anyway, I think Ritter is a bit more realistic than Pepe. I’m not a fan of the recent Ritter hate, though I recognize that it comes and goes.

Posted by: Spectator | Apr 9 2025 6:11 utc | 264

Pray for Peace

Posted by: Exile | Apr 9 2025 6:57 utc | 266

The Houthis (Ansar Allah) announced that they had shot down another MQ-9 Reaper Southfront reporting: combat drone on April 9, following another wave of deadly United States strikes on Yemen.
The drone was downed while it was conducting “hostile missions” over the northern province of Al-Jawf, Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said in a statement, noting that the drone was targeted with a “suitable locally-made missile.”
“This is the third aircraft that our air defenses have succeeded in shooting down in ten days and the eighteenth during the battle of the promised conquest and the holy jihad in support of Gaza,” the spokesman added.

Posted by: Vortex | Apr 9 2025 9:09 utc | 268

Massacre in Shujaiya…
https://t.me/youseffares19/72968
Journalist Youssef Fares
“Hamas Movement:
– In one of the most heinous crimes of genocide, the terrorist Zionist occupation army committed a bloody massacre, by bombing a residential area crowded with civilians and displaced persons in the Shujaiya neighborhood east of Gaza City, resulting in the martyrdom of 29 people, most of them children and women, and wounding more than 50 others, while the search continues for dozens of missing persons under the rubble.
– These ongoing massacres against our defenseless people, with the full cover of the American administration, a partner in the aggression, represent a stain on the brow of the international community, which stands helpless and silent in the face of the most heinous chapters of mass killing and organized genocide.
– The brutal crimes committed before the eyes and ears of the world against innocent, defenseless civilians, with the aim of genocide and sadistic revenge, will not go unpunished, nor will they be forgotten. History will hold accountable all those who remained silent and colluded with the Zionist war criminals in committing them.
It is no longer acceptable for Arab and Islamic positions to remain captive to timid statements and condemnations, at a time when the Zionist killing machine is escalating in cold blood, under the world’s nose and ears. Nor is it reasonable for our Palestinian people to be left alone in this fateful confrontation, without genuine support that rises to the challenge and the magnitude of the crime.”
“Hamas:
– The leaders of the Arab and Islamic countries must shoulder their historical and humanitarian responsibilities, and take urgent action to use pressure tools on the occupation and its supporters in Washington, in order to immediately stop the aggression, lift the siege, and hold the Zionist war criminals accountable for their crimes.
– We call on the countries that still maintain relations with the criminal Zionist occupation to sever those relations and close the embassies of the Nazi entity, in support of the blood of the innocent and of our Palestinian people who are being subjected to a savage Zionist war of extermination.
– We call on the masses of our Arab and Islamic nation and the free people of the world to continue their blessed movement in solidarity and support for Gaza, to escalate and intensify it, to rise up in the face of injustice and genocide, and to pressure by all means until the brutal genocide in the Gaza Strip stops”
Journalist Youssef Fares
“Haaretz, citing Israeli army officers:
There is nothing left to destroy in Rafah, and there is no need for all these forces being deployed. It is frustrating to return to work there.
There is competition between combat units over who can destroy the most buildings in the area they control in Gaza.
People are being killed while searching for food, in accordance with what the Israeli street says: There are no innocent people in Gaza.”
Journalist Suhaib Al-Masalma
“Almog Boker – Channel 13:
Intense Israeli army bombardment of the Gaza Strip has been ongoing since this morning. Reports indicate dozens of casualties.”
Note “Israel” claiming tunnels, now firing smoke bombs on Shujaiya, occupation press saying “only 25% of Gaza tunnels destroyed”.

Posted by: Ornot | Apr 9 2025 11:32 utc | 270

240 Ornot, “What Russia’s problem is, I do not know.”
See John Helmer’s discussion with Nima about a week ago. On the Ukraine/US-Russia negotiation, he outlines a political history and analysis of Putin’s thinking. He asserts Putin’s memory surpasses anyone else’s, but Helmer says Putin does not have longview foresight, and his main allegiance remains to the Russian oligarchs. Within the context of the discussion this analysis makes better sense.

Posted by: Lavieja | Apr 9 2025 12:34 utc | 272

Fractured Ummah: How leadership crisis, disunity undermined the Palestinian cause:
Arab leaders must recognize that Israel’s expansionist policies pose a direct threat to their own security, and normalization agreements, far from bringing peace, will only further render their countries weakened and another easy pick for Israel’s expansionist ambitions, just as we are witnessing in Syria…
The time has come for Muslims to rise above their differences and harness the immense power of a united Ummah. Palestine and, indeed, the entire world cannot wait any longer.
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/04/06/745662/fractured-ummah-how-failed-muslim-leadership-undermined-palestinian-cause
Hamas is calling on the Arab and Islamic states to take concrete, effective action:
– It is no longer acceptable for Arab and Islamic positions to remain captive to timid statements and condemnations, at a time when the Zionist killing machine is escalating in cold blood, under the world’s nose and ears. Nor is it reasonable for our Palestinian people to be left alone in this fateful confrontation, without genuine support that rises to the challenge and the magnitude of the crime.”
– The leaders of the Arab and Islamic countries must shoulder their historical and humanitarian responsibilities, and take urgent action to use pressure tools on the occupation and its supporters in Washington, in order to immediately stop the aggression, lift the siege, and hold the Zionist war criminals accountable for their crimes.
– We call on the countries that still maintain relations with the criminal Zionist occupation to sever those relations and close the embassies of the Nazi entity, in support of the blood of the innocent and of our Palestinian people who are being subjected to a savage Zionist war of extermination.

Posted by: JB | Apr 9 2025 13:16 utc | 274

was reading something in MSM and came across this section
“‘We are not after a nuclear bomb,’ President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a speech in Tehran today. ‘You (in the West) have verified it 100 times. Do it 1,000 times again.’
He also revealed that ‘his excellency’ Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ‘has no opposition to investment by American investors in Iran’, saying today: ‘American investors: Come and invest.’
Such a business proposal could draw the interest of US President Donald Trump, who withdrew America from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers in his first term and now seeks a new agreement with the country.”
Now… let us assume that this is being coordinated with RF
Could this be the “Following the conclusion of the West’s hybrid war against Russia, Europe must be punished, the US – disregarded, while “weak nations” should be pardoned” thingie discussed back in december?
If the us re-aligns with RF and Iran, that would be what?
A balancing act. And a new vulnerability for china (though not total as neither RF nor Iran would go all in with the us just to be screwed after china had been dealt with)
In the mean time europe would be finished, probably to be carved sooner or later.

Posted by: Newbie | Apr 9 2025 14:08 utc | 276

Recommended, long but worth it:
Azmi Bishara: Without an Arab response, the region may become an Israeli sphere of influence
In a new interview, Azmi Bishara warns without a strong Arab response, Israel might have a free rein to become the region’s master.
Exc:
Arab-Israeli public intellectual, General Director of the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies in Doha and author of The Palestinian Cause: Questions of Truth and Justice, emphasized that the Israeli war has evolved to pursue its own historical objectives, unrelated to the response to the 7 October 2023 attack. These objectives now include the annexation of the West Bank and the forced displacement of Gazans.
“These goals developed over time because Israel realized the extent of [unlimited] U.S. support—both under the previous and current administrations—and saw how Arab complacency had reached a level where some Arab officials appear to be waiting for Israel to eliminate the resistance,” Bishara said.
He reiterated that the war continues because “there’s no one to stop it. I don’t currently see any reasonable proposals that Israel would accept.” In response to questions about Egyptian and Qatari proposals for a 50-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of five or nine Israeli captives—all of which were rejected by Israel—Bishara affirmed that the only proposal Israel accepts is the full occupation of Gaza and the forced displacement of its inhabitants.
The author of Arabs in Israel: A View from Within, argued that the only political meaning of the ongoing negotiations—since the end of Biden’s term—is that they are being conducted with the United States, not with Israel.
He warned that the likelihood of Israel carrying out its plan to occupy Gaza and expel its residents increases if Arab behavior remains unchanged.
https://www.newarab.com/news/azmi-bishara-arab-region-risk-total-israeli-dominance

Posted by: JB | Apr 9 2025 14:11 utc | 278

@283 Lavieja
I would agree. I find Putin straightforward and direct about his position and intentions, no matter if those are agreed with or not. I don’t see him as part of a conspiracy either, at least not volutarily, he is intelligent enough to know how the political game is played but keeps his presentation reserved. That isn’t praise or anything similar, I just think he is a sincere person at that level.
Lack of reaction by Russia to the genocide is something different though. I don’t place that on Putin’s shoulders, “no man is an island” as they say. Meaning he does not run Russia single handedly, and so must be in coordination with government, intelligence and military, as well as various individuals of economic and social importance.
Where I say a moral stance first, he will have a hundred advisors giving reasons for maintaining ties with “Israel”. It is his country and that is just how it is. That reality is clearly a problem though, and I do not know what that is for Russia. I could say the same and greater for many other countries, the UN and EU and so on. However here I just happen to be saying it for Russia.
For the rest of regional politics I don’t have argument or dissapointment of Russia’s choices, maybe because I had few expectations. They remain cautious, and work with a form of real-politique pragmatism, i.e. to be of any influence in the region they must first remain in the region. The lines of engagement and security that influence their choices, any strategy, is way above anything we would be able to discuss, due to lack of fuller knowledge.
When I look at how western actions are understood by most people, and compare it to the little I know of what actually goes on behind the scenes, and the resulting difference of interpretation, when I then think of trying to interpret Russia’s actions beyond the obvious, I know I will only be guessing.
Still, to maintain ties with an entity that is openly murdering civilians and children…no thanks. That becomes, or better said is, Russia’s problem.
“Israel” could not wash the blood from its hands if it wanted to, and so those who shake hands with it will remain tainted indefinitely.
Eventually Russians will ask each other “What were we doing, what were our leaders doing, mixed up with these people”.
Here is an example for India also, that over the last several years has been making acceptance of “Israel”.
“Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) announced the successful completion of a series of tests on the Barak medium-range surface-to-air missile (MRSAM) system in India on Monday.
IAI reported that four operational interceptions were successfully carried out against aerial targets traveling at various speeds at challenging altitudes and ranges.
The missiles successfully intercepted their targets, achieving direct hits and neutralizing the threats, demonstrating the system’s operational capability.
The tests, conducted by the Indian Army’s ground forces, mark a significant step in the system’s development, IAI stated. Their success paves the way for all three branches of India’s armed forces to declare the system operationally ready.” JP April 2025
Makes it more difficult to portray India as having suffered previous colonial rule …
Current events are greatly rearranging the balance of the board, of social balances, at international level.
They bring, or highlight, much corruption and failure.

Posted by: Ornot | Apr 9 2025 14:48 utc | 280

Craig Murray’s hell is the putrefaction of Western philosophy, ever resolving to Gaza…

We come back to Gaza, as all serious discussion must at present. I cannot come to terms with the fact that the takeover of the political Establishment by Zionist interests — itself a consequence of the massive growth of the comparative wealth of the ultra-rich — is making it possible for the most brutal genocide possible to happen before the eyes of the world, with active support from the Western establishment.
It is not that the people do not want to stop it. It is that there is no mechanism connecting the popular will to the instruments of government. The major parties all support Israel’s genocide in almost all the Western “democracies.”
It has become impossible to deny the intention of genocide now. Israel has stepped up its killing of children to dozens every day, is openly executing medics and destroying all healthcare facilities, is bombing desalination plants and is blockading all food.

https://scheerpost.com/2025/04/09/craig-murray-this-hell/

Posted by: Aleph_Null | Apr 9 2025 15:17 utc | 282

Another Zionist B*stard exposed as a LIAR.
“Under public pressure, an Israeli network censored a report which would have exposed a key face of Israel’s October 7 PR campaign as a fabulist. Rami Davidian claimed to have rescued over 750 young Israelis and witnessed hideous scenes of rape by Hamas. His bogus testimonies were cited by the UN and filmmaker Sheryl Sandberg.”
https://thegrayzone.com/2025/04/08/oct-7-hoax-expose-shelved/

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Apr 9 2025 15:22 utc | 284

Its the Zio-Monsters and their backers and supporters that are sub-human – that’s how they should be looked upon.
“far-right, pro-Israel group with a history of support for terror and genocide is working closely with the Trump administration, preparing dossiers on thousands of pro-Palestine figures it wants deported from the United States. Betar U.S. is known to have had several meetings with senior government officials and has claimed credit for the arrest and detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a leader of the nationwide anti-genocide student demonstrations that began at Columbia University last year.”
https://www.mintpressnews.com/betar-the-far-right-hate-group-helping-trump-deport-israels-critics/289301/

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Apr 9 2025 15:31 utc | 286

Another Zionist B*stard exposed as a LIAR.
@Posted by: Republicofscotland | Apr 9 2025 15:22 utc | 295
Good! A reposting of a significant article is welcome.
I posted that same link @ Otto Penn | Apr 9 2025 12:30 utc | 282
No one reads every comment all the time before
making all their comments.
I know better, but sometimes it feels as if http://www.MoA has filtering algorithms –
you can read your own posts but no one else can.
I know, I know…most comments made by barflies go without a response.
Sometimes, though, it feels like a waste of effort.

Posted by: Otto Penn | Apr 9 2025 16:36 utc | 288

@299 Otto
Message in a Bottle – Sting
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MbXWrmQW-OE

Posted by: Ornot | Apr 9 2025 18:55 utc | 290

@ Ornot | Apr 9 2025 18:55 utc | 301
Having signed the notorious #NoHostageLeftBehind letter, Sting put himself on the side of the grnocidalists.

Posted by: malenkov | Apr 9 2025 19:46 utc | 292

@303 malenkov
Thanks for saying, that surprises me as normally he is understood as “rights involved” . It is hard to keep track of where artists are at with all of this…maybe he has since changed his mind but if so cannot find reference to that. Found …
“Famous artists around the world, like Sting, who already performed in Israel more than once, and Florence and the Machine, have announced that they would not perform in Israel, under pressure from Waters and the BDS movement. According to Israeli promoters, many of these artists are using Waters as a pretext to avoid concerts that would ultimately prove unprofitable, considering the logistics involved in performing here…” SettlerPress
It is an interesting topic, given artists hold so much public influence, as well as that media is much owned/biased towards “Israel” ….

Posted by: Ornot | Apr 9 2025 20:14 utc | 294

“Oligarchs” …. you are saying Russia is politically corrupt.
Posted by: Ornot | Apr 9 2025 16:08 utc | 298
################
China is the only major country I am aware of that is not corrupt.

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Apr 9 2025 21:07 utc | 296

Hamas Launches Unprecedented Legal Case in Britain, Demanding UK Remove its Terror Designation.
The action was initiated by a Hamas founder, Mousa Abu Marzouk, who submitted a signed declaration to the Home Secretary.
Full Story from @jeremyscahill
In an extraordinary legal filing submitted Wednesday in London, Hamas argued that the British government should remove its designation of the movement as a proscribed terror group and recognize its legitimate role as a Palestinian resistance movement engaged in a struggle for self-determination and liberation. A top political leader of Hamas rejected allegations that the movement is an anti-semitic terror organization, asserted that Hamas poses no threat to Western nations, and argues that the political organization has never engaged in an armed operation outside the boundaries of historic Palestine.
“Hamas is not a terrorist group. It is a Palestinian Islamic liberation and resistance movement whose goal is to liberate Palestine and confront the Zionist project,” wrote Mousa Abu Marzouk—head of international relations for Hamas, and the applicant for the claim to the U.K. home secretary—in a signed and submitted witness statement provided to Drop Site. “We also look outwards to draw inspiration from the glorious tradition of all those peoples and groups who have resisted colonialism, occupation and imperialism in the name of justice, dignity, and human equality,” referencing historical struggles against colonialism and imperialism from across the world. The legal summary prepared by lawyers representing Hamas highlights the African National Congress in South Africa and Sinn Féin and the Irish Republican Army in Ireland as historical analogues to Hamas and the fight for Palestinian liberation.
MORE…
https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/1909926259045388375

Posted by: Menz | Apr 9 2025 21:21 utc | 298

Visualizing Palestine
@visualizingpal
Israel’s threat to shut down six UNRWA schools in Jerusalem yesterday is part of a long history of colonial control, censorship, and destruction of Palestinian education. Learn more in our recent visual, “Learning Under Apartheid”.
https://x.com/visualizingpal/status/1909926898882294076

Posted by: Menz | Apr 9 2025 21:22 utc | 300