Pakistan army’s slaughter of innocent civilians in Islamabad

Crescent International

Battleground Islamabad: Unable to fight external enemies, the Pakistan army perpetrates a bloodbath of innocent civilians.

The slaughter on night of November 26 in Islamabad will go down in Pakistan’s tortuous history as a black chapter.

Army sharp shooters posted atop tall buildings surrounding D-Chowk in the capital opened fire on the unarmed protesters below.

D-Chowk is the heart of Islamabad.

Tear gas shelling accompanied the shooting.

According to eye witnesses, the firing went on for at least half hour.

By the time it stopped, there were more than 270 people murdered in cold blood.

Some were crushed to death under military vehicles.

Hundreds of others were injured, several in critical condition and may succumb to their injuries.

Independent journalists on the ground—not the paid touts that shamelessly spout army propaganda—reported that more than 1,000 Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaf (PTI) members have been arrested.

There is little doubt that the orders to shoot came directly from the army chief, Asim Munir.

A venal character, he is in his post illegally.

In a deal with Nawaz Sharif, that other venal character of Pakistani politics, he was elevated to the army’s top position.

The list of crimes that general Munir and his fellow thugs in uniform have committed is very long.

PTI supporters were protesting peacefully.

They demanded the release of their jailed leader Imran Khan.

He was ousted in a military-engineered coup and has been imprisoned on completely bogus charges.

While PTI supporters came in huge numbers—this clearly unnerved the army-installed regime’s operatives—the gatherings were completely peaceful.

Before the blood of the martyrs was even washed away from the streets, the battle of narratives began.

Not surprisingly, the regime and its clownish spokesmen are trying to downplay the number of casualties.

Media outlets such as Dawn, Pakistan’s largest English language newspaper, had this to say:

‘Casualties of marchers’ main bone of contention between govt, PTI.

What ‘government’ is Dawn talking about?

It is a regime installed by the army that comprises opportunistic, shameless and corrupt politicians.

They will sell their mothers to be allowed to stay in power.

Pakistan is under de facto martial law.

The thugs in uniform have put their civilian puppets in front to create the impression that there is a civilian government in power.

Pakistani television channels, on orders from the army, have started the totally nonsensical debate that PTI should not have launched its campaign.

They have gone so far as to allege that the deaths of protesters is the fault of PTI.

It is in the army’s interest to blame the victims for its brutal murder of innocents.

For the vast majority of people, this is not a Pakistani army.

It is a mercenary outfit which will eagerly serve any foreign master willing to pay them dollars.

If there are any naïve Pakistanis who still harbour the illusion that it is “our army”, the slaughter of November 26 night should remove those lingering doubts.

Pakistan does not need an army of criminals and parasites that is sucking the blood of the people to maintain their rapacious lifestyle.

While they cannot fight any external enemy, they are eager to show their prowess by killing their own people.

Pakistanis must also disabuse their minds from the notion that not everyone in the army is bad.

The entire lot is rotten to the core.

After all, it was not Asim Munir or his generals who pulled the trigger on the machine guns mounted on top of buildings.

It was rank and file soldiers.

For them to obey illegal orders and kill innocent civilians puts them beyond the pale.

The people of Pakistan will have to prepare for a revolution and completely demolish this imposed system in which the slaughter of innocent people is the norm.

The new system that will be established will have no room for a mercenary army.

Let that sink in otherwise many more innocent lives will be lost.

And Pakistan may not survive much longer either.

Imran KhanIslamabadPakistan ArmyPTID-ChowkArmy kills innocent civilians

The importance of diplomacy

 TEHRAN PAPERS

TENRAN - In a note, Hamshahri discussed the beginning of Iran's negotiations with three European countries and wrote: The diplomatic team of the Islamic Republic of Iran, headed by Majid Takht-Ravanchi, met with Enrique Mora, the deputy head of the European Union foreign policy chief, on Thursday, and was set to hold talks with British, French and German diplomats on Friday in Geneva.

The tension has been increasing between Iran and European countries due to a series of claims over the last two years. Europeans accuse Iran of sending ballistic missiles to Russia and supporting this country in the Ukraine war, a claim that Iran has repeatedly denied and even (Ukrainian President) Zelensky has said that such missiles have not been delivered to Russia. The recent action of European countries in advancing the anti-Iranian resolution in the IAEA Board of Governors is very destructive and unjustifiable. The Geneva meeting will be important to clarify the views of the parties regarding various issues and the exchange of ideas on the way forward. This meeting is also considered important due to keeping the path of diplomacy and dialogue open, despite mutual tensions and criticisms.

Ettelaat: Iran's maritime trade flourishing in North-South Corridor

In an analysis, Ettelaat discussed the increase in Iran’s maritime trade with Russia and said: Iran is trying to activate more trade with Russia and increase the transfer of goods through the North-South Corridor by purchasing more than 50% of the shares of Solyanka port in the northwest of the Caspian Sea. The western route of the North-South Corridor, which includes the countries of Russia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Republic of Azerbaijan, required the construction of a railway line between Rasht and Astara. Last year, Iran and Russia signed a memorandum of cooperation to build this railway line. To facilitate the transfer of goods through the North-South Corridor, Iran started to play a role in Solyanka port, which is one of the Russian ports. In the past Iranian ships faced problems entering the port, but in 2010 the Islamic Republic Shipping Group bought a part of the shares of this port so that Iranian vessels could enter Russia without delay. Now 53% of the ownership of Solyanka port belongs to Iran. The two countries are trying to increase the amount of maritime trade between the two countries through the Caspian Sea and the Volga River to 20 million tons in the next 10 years.

Etemad: Iran is flagship of dialogue in service of trade

In a commentary, Etemad dealt with the 10th meeting of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations. The paper said: Considering the economic challenges and international pressures, Iran has always believed that economic diplomacy can play an effective role in removing obstacles and improving trade relations. Dialogue between civilizations in the form of economic diplomacy can lead to unique opportunities for trade and investment. Iran's strategic position, rich natural resources, and commercial infrastructure have turned the country into a key partner for the countries of the region and the world. Iran always emphasizes the importance of dialogue and interaction between civilizations. This approach, which was also evident in the past moderate governments, can form the foundation for sustainable trade relations and economic development. Starting from dialogue between civilizations to the effort to remove trade obstacles, Iran has proven that peace, interaction, and international cooperation are the main paths of its policies in the world.

Iran: Neither side has right to use Islamic Republic as scapegoat

Although the meeting between Iran and the three European countries (E3) is very late, there is still time left. It is true that Iranian statesmen say they have never left the negotiating table. Upon the reemergence of Trump and a possible increase in Europeans’ challenges with him, it is highly probable that Europe would try to increase the tension with Iran to use it in the negotiations of the parties in the future. Europe will be worried about the possible contact between Iran and Trump. Therefore, future negotiations with Europe, although late, are a worthy and necessary action, and if we look at the long-standing nuclear debates and JCPOA, we should be diligent in managing the work and time. They should be given a chance to understand Iran's policy towards Russia and Ukraine. Neither the Russians nor the Europeans have the right to use Iran as a scapegoat in the war between them, one by making Iran appear as an ally and the other by finding excuses to pressure Iran and exploit its results in another way.

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German envoy makes discreet comeback to Tehran embassy

TEHRAN – German Ambassador Markus Potzel has reassumed his position at the German Embassy in Tehran after he was recalled to his country early this month, the Tasnim News Agency reported on Tuesday.

Potzel returned to his office in Tehran without public announcement. Berlin recalled its ambassador to Tehran after a convicted terrorist with German citizenship died before he could face justice. Jamshid Sharmahd had been sentenced to death on several counts of terrorism. 

Sharmahd orchestrated a 2008 terrorist bombing that claimed 14 civilian lives in the Iranian city of Shiraz. 

As the leader of the Tondar terrorist organization, he had gained notoriety for publicly claiming responsibility for civilian casualties through Western media outlets. 

After his death, Germany also ordered all three of Iran’s consulates to be shut down. 

In an interview with Der Spiegel on November 9, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded to Germany’s moves, saying that the government "should not have defended a terrorist who has trampled all humanitarian standards underfoot," adding that Europe's support for human rights is "selective." 

The diplomatic reset mirrors a similar pattern from the mid-1990s when Germany's ambassador to Iran temporarily withdrew before eventually returning to post.

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• German ambassador
 
• Jamshid Sharmahd
 
• Iran

Solidarity with Palestine or death warrant?

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators march during a “No Votes for Genocide” rally organised by the Boston Coalition for Palestine before the US election. AFP

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Today is the United Nations Day for Solidarity with Palestine. Exactly 77 years ago today, the international community—dominated by the West then as it is now—signed the death warrant for the Palestinian people by adopting a United Nations General Assembly resolution. 

Apart from being the death warrant, UN Resolution 181 itself was everything the UN Charter does not represent. It paved the way for land grabs, settler colonialism, racism, ethnic cleansing, and now genocide.

In what is seen as a miscarriage of justice, the resolution endorsed a colonialist invasion by European Zionists who migrated to Palestine, evicted the indigenous people, and took their land by force—a process that is continuing with the full backing of the Western powers. The illegitimate state thus established is called Israel. It was the first manifestation that the United Nations set up in 1945 was a charade. Hijacked by a coterie of World War-winning thugs, the UN is an ineffectual organisation. Its mechanisms are abused by international thugs who hold the rest of the world for ransom through threats of violence. Their foreign policies are not based on universal moral values but on power politics, which in turn is linked to the use of force, the threat of violence, or intimidation of weaker nations. The biggest abuser is the US.

In the run-up to the United Nations General Assembly vote for Resolution 181 on November 29, 1947, the US arm-twisted weaker nations such as Liberia and the Philippines to change their stance or face aid cuts in what was the first attempt—after the setting up of the UN—to distort the will of the international community. The resolution that partitioned Palestine was adopted by killing principles of natural justice. The indigenous Arab Palestinian people, who were 68 percent of the population, were given 45 percent of the land. In contrast, the Jewish population, who were 32 percent of the population, got 55 percent of the land. 

When in 1897, the Zionist movement adopted a resolution in Basel, Switzerland, to establish a Jewish state, Palestinian Arabs, both Muslims and Christians, were living in harmony with the indigenous Semitic Jews. When World War I ended with the Ottoman Empire losing its Arab territories, including Palestine, to the British and French forces, the Jews were 11 percent of the population.

The partition was also a recipe for conflict because the land mass given to Israel effectively separated the West Bank from the Gaza Strip. The connectivity was a tiny corridor with the state of Israel on either side.

Within five months of the adoption of this preposterously unjust resolution, the Palestinian ethnic cleansing, or Nakba, began. In the first Nakba, ahead of Israel’s declaration of independence in May 1948, some 750,000 to 900,000 Palestinians were expelled from 500-odd villages. Hundreds, if not thousands, were lined up and massacred. Their properties were looted and their history was erased. 

The Palestinian’s right to self-determination and statehood was recognised in the Versailles Treaty that defined the rules of the post-World War I international order. However, after the League of Nations was set up in 1920 in terms of the Versailles Treaty, ‘Not-So-Great’ Britain, one of the permanent members of the League Council—the equivalent of the UN Security Council—manipulated the League process to enforce the 1917 Balfour Declaration. In terms of this declaration, imperial Britain, which was enriching itself by exploiting and plundering its colonies across the world, allowed the European Zionist colonialists to set up a Jewish state in Palestine, as though Palestine was the British monarch’s grandmother’s property.

With Britain, the US, and their allies aborting justice, can they call themselves civilised, and are they morally qualified to be in the UN Security Council? The US has turned the UNSC into a counter that issues permits for genocide. As a result of Washington’s deliberate failure to rein in Israel through the UNSC mechanism, Israel has killed so far 45,000 Palestinians since October 7, 2023. Nearly 20,000 of these victims are children, some dying in their mothers’ wombs, some dying while being suckled, and some dying in schools, UN shelters, and food queues. 

As though a 45,000 death toll is not enough, the sociopathic Joe Biden administration on Wednesday approved fresh arms supplies to Israel. With Israel using these weapons in its war against Palestinian children and civilians, Biden has made his country an accomplice in the genocide. 

It is time that International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor General Karim Khan investigated Biden, the worst US president as far as Middle East peace efforts are concerned.

The ceasefire deal that came into effect this week in Lebanon has nothing to do with any compassion Biden had for the suffering people. It was more a strategic move on behalf of Israel than any humanitarian action. Israel agreed to the ceasefire deal not because it wanted peace but because it found Hezbollah to be a formidable foe. The ground invasion of Lebanon proved costly for Israel. It lost too many soldiers. Hezbollah, though it lost leader after leader in Israeli attacks and its officers were bombed, did not lose its ability to inflict pain on Israel. Throughout the war, Hezbollah was liberally launching hundreds of missiles at once at Israeli targets, including Haifa and Tel Aviv.

So attributing any humanitarian motives to the US-sponsored Israeli-Lebanon ceasefire deal amounts to pleading ignorance to the US moves to protect Israel come what may. Had the Biden administration been moved by the humanitarian suffering, it could have long coaxed or browbeaten Israel to agree to a ceasefire deal in Gaza. Instead, it lets Israel massacre the Gaza innocents at will, even though it knows that under international law what Israel does is wrong and disproportionate even if its action is justified on the basis of its right to defend itself.

This week, the Biden administration even hit out at the ICC for issuing arrest warrants on Israel’s war-crimes suspect cum Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and war-crime suspect cum former defence minister Yoav Gallant. Biden condemned the court’s actions as outrageous and said the US would always stand with Israel. A law-abiding nation will respect the decisions of courts set up for the enforcement of international law and international humanitarian laws. The US is the only country that has enacted laws against ICC. The American Service-Members’ Protection Act (ASPA), enacted in 2002, prohibits cooperation with the ICC and even authorises the President to use military force to free US personnel detained or imprisoned by the ICC. That the ICC took unusually more than six months to issue the arrest warrants on the two Israeli war crimes suspects while it issued arrest warrants on Russian President Vladimir Putin within days is also a controversy that needs to be tackled in a separate article.

Israel-worshipping US Congress members interpret the ASPA to say that the US should send a military force to The Hague and release Netanyahu and Gallant if they were ever arrested and detained by the ICC. Weaker nations are well advised to ignore, with a smirk, any advice or warning from the US if they violate international law.

Araghchi briefs UN Secretary-General on regional efforts to halt Israeli aggression

TEHRAN – Continuing his series of high-level diplomatic meetings at the 10th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) in Portugal, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi held talks with UN Secretary-General António Guterres to discuss the pressing humanitarian crises in Gaza and Lebanon.

The meeting centered on critical regional and international issues, particularly the dire situation unfolding in Gaza and Lebanon. 

Araghchi highlighted Iran’s pivotal role in promoting dialogue among civilizations and cultures, emphasizing that constructive engagement and international cooperation are essential to addressing global challenges.

Focusing on the catastrophic humanitarian conditions in Gaza and Lebanon, Araghchi briefed Guterres on Iran’s ongoing efforts and diplomatic consultations with regional countries to halt the genocide and aggression perpetrated by the Israeli regime. He underscored the urgency of mobilizing international efforts to ensure an immediate cessation of violence, prevent further loss of civilian lives, and address the devastating humanitarian fallout.

The UN Secretary-General expressed his deep concern over the escalating violence in the region, reiterating his call for calm and the urgent need to establish a ceasefire. Guterres voiced hope that peace could soon be restored in both Gaza and Lebanon, allowing for humanitarian aid to reach those in desperate need.

Araghchi and Guterres also explored avenues for strengthening the United Nations’ role in mediating a peaceful resolution to the ongoing crises, as well as fostering broader dialogue among nations to prevent future conflicts.

Iran, Algeria aim to enhance bilateral ties

Seyed Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian Foreign Minister, also met with Ahmed Attaf, Algeria’s Foreign Minister, on the sidelines of the UNAOC Global Forum. The two leaders reviewed the status of Iran-Algeria relations and explored strategies to enhance cooperation in various fields, including trade, culture, diplomacy, and defense.

Both sides discussed the alarming situation in West Asia, focusing on the Israeli regime’s continued aggression against Lebanon and the genocide in Gaza. Araghchi thanked Algeria for its unwavering support for the Palestinian cause, particularly in the UN Security Council and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. He proposed forming an Islamic and global coalition to counter the Israeli regime’s violations, halt arms sales to the regime, and advocate for its removal from the United Nations.

Attaf emphasized the importance of closer Algeria-Iran cooperation to address the challenges posed by Israeli expansionism. He praised the recent Islamic-Arab Summit in Riyadh, initiated by Iran, as a milestone in fostering unity within the Islamic world. Both ministers reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral and multilateral collaboration.

Iranian, Tunisian FMs discuss regional unity, cooperation

In another bilateral meeting at the UNAOC Forum, Araghchi held talks with Mohamed Ali Nafti, the Tunisian Foreign Minister, to discuss ways to strengthen Iran-Tunisia relations and address regional and global challenges.

Araghchi reiterated Iran’s commitment to fostering collaboration among Islamic nations, emphasizing the importance of unity within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to advance the interests of Muslim communities worldwide.

Touching on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the escalating Israeli attacks in Lebanon, Araghchi called for swift and united action by Islamic nations to pressure Israel’s backers to end their support and compel the regime to cease its aggression. The discussions also delved into avenues for enhancing economic, cultural, and diplomatic ties between the two nations.

The meeting concluded with both sides expressing their determination to strengthen bilateral cooperation and foster greater solidarity among Islamic countries to address shared challenges.

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• António Guterres
 
• algeria
 
• Tunisia

China stands among Iran’s closest allies: parliament speaker

TEHRAN – The Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, has underscored the necessity of strengthening Iran’s strategic partnership with China, characterizing the Asian superpower as a key ally with whom Iran shares mutual interests and goals. 

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Qalibaf elaborated on the enduring significance of Iran-China relations and their broad potential for expansion in economic, political, and security domains.  

“China stands among our closest allies, with whom we share deep strategic ties rooted in common interests and mutual challenges,” Qalibaf stated. 

He emphasized the importance of leveraging opportunities offered by international frameworks such as BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and Eurasian economic initiatives to further strengthen this partnership. 

“To address regional and global challenges effectively, we need to build a robust foundation for our bilateral relationship and take it to new heights,” he added.  

‘Iran supports Lebanon’s ceasefire’

Shifting focus to West Asia, Qalibaf welcomed the recently established ceasefire in Lebanon, expressing gratitude for the respite it provides to the Lebanese people after weeks of Israeli bombardment. 

“We are thankful that the people of Lebanon can finally experience a peaceful night, free from the oppression and brutality of the Zionist regime,” he said. 

Qalibaf also praised the valor of Hezbollah fighters, commending their resistance against Israeli aggression and their steadfastness in defending Lebanese sovereignty.  

He called for similar peace initiatives in Gaza, reiterating Iran’s unwavering commitment to supporting Islamic nations and the Resistance Front as key pillars of its foreign policy.  

‘Netanyahu’s claim of focusing on Iran is mere rhetoric’  

Addressing recent threats from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Qalibaf dismissed them as unfounded posturing, citing Israel’s repeated failures in Lebanon. 

“Netanyahu’s claim of focusing on Iran is mere rhetoric. During the war in Lebanon, Israel believed Hezbollah was weakened, yet history proved otherwise. Even with seven divisions deployed to southern Lebanon, Israel could not achieve its objectives,” he said.  

Recalling his previous visit to Beirut during the aftermath of conflict, Qalibaf reflected on the resilience and creativity of the Lebanese people. 

“I saw the determination of a nation rebuilding amidst devastation. Hezbollah remains more alive and resolute than ever,” he declared. 

Qalibaf also highlighted recent rocket strikes on Tel Aviv by Hamas, describing them as a testament to the enduring strength of the resistance. He hinted at future strategic responses by Iran, referring to “Promise of Truth 3” as a planned operation to be executed at the appropriate time.  

‘Iran’s approach to negotiations depends on Washington’s actions’

When questioned about potential future negotiations between Iran and the United States, Qalibaf emphasized that Iran’s approach would depend on concrete actions from Washington. 

“The current U.S. administration is different from the last, but we cannot forget that it assassinated General Soleimani. For over a decade, their policies have consistently opposed the Iranian nation. We will reserve judgment until we see tangible changes in their behavior,” he stated.  

‘Netanyahu’s policies ensnared Israel in a quagmire’

Qalibaf concluded his remarks by criticizing Netanyahu’s regional policies, describing them as failures that have ensnared Israel in a “quagmire.” He urged the new U.S. administration to avoid repeating these mistakes. “Netanyahu’s strategies have destabilized the region, creating a swamp that the U.S. must not wade into. Stability and peace can only be achieved through recognizing the legitimate rights of oppressed nations,” he asserted.  

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• Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf
 
• Iran
 
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Israel’s war and enmity with Muslims predate the Islamic Revolution

TEHRAN PAPERS

Siasat-e-Rooz devoted its editorial to the sinister goals of the West, particularly the United States, and the fake regime.

 It wrote: The enemies are trying to consider the war in Palestine and Lebanon as a war between Iran and Israel, while before the Islamic revolution in Iran, the Zionist regime was at war with Islamic countries such as Egypt, Syria, etc. In fact, the fake Israeli regime was at war with the Islamic world before the revolution. The main policy of America, the West, and Israel is to neutralize the West Asia region. It is illogical that some people, both inside and outside, object to Iran's role in regional issues and crises and accuse Iran of provoking crises. Iran is defending its land against enemies who are greedy of the country. Being on the battlefield can protect Iran against the enemy and strengthen Iran's friends against their enemies. Israel is on the brink of collapse and the continuation of this path will lead to the end of the Zionist regime.

Jam-e-Jam: There’s global demand to execute Netanyahu

In an analysis, Jam-e-Jam discussed the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant by The Hague-based International Criminal Court. It wrote: The Leader of the Revolution, in a meeting with the Basiji members, emphasized that the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and his sacked war minister Gallant is not enough, suggesting that other Zionist criminal leaders should face justice and be sentenced to death. The reference of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution to the necessity of issuing death sentences against Netanyahu and other war criminals of the Zionist regime is derived from the will of two billion Muslims around the world who seek strong punishment against these criminals. The arrest warrant did not reduce the anger of the Muslim nations and the free people of the world. They would expect a more severe punishment for the war criminals. The Leader of the Islamic Revolution also pointed to the inevitable victory of the Axis of Resistance against the Zionist regime. Although this victory will be costly to the Muslim nations in the region, it shows that the will to resist has always prevailed over the arrogant countries throughout history.

Arman-e-Melli: Iran's new foreign policy strategy

In an interview with Dr. Bahman Arman, an economist, Arman-e-Melli discussed with him the negotiations that Iran and the European trio (Germany, Britain, and France) are about to start on Friday. He said: The reality is that European countries do not enjoy decision-making independence, and the approach that America will take is effective in this regard. In fact, European countries always implement the orders issued by Washington. The Middle East is important for America and other countries in the world in many ways. And Iran is known as the heart of the Middle East. It is unlikely that Iran and Trump would move towards increasing tension. The fact that we think that there will be a lot of tension between Iran and the United States due to Trump's return to power is due to an emotional outlook and is not based on reality. Trump is well aware that since 60% of the world's oil reserves are in the Middle East, this region must enjoy sufficient security. Iran wants to end the tension. Meanwhile, Trump, a businessman, looks at Iran as a big market.

Farhikhtegan: Iran can achieve whatever it wants

In a commentary, Farhikhtegan discussed Iran's achievement in producing 20 percent-enriched uranium in 2010 to operate a research reactor in Tehran that runs on uranium enriched to that level. It said: Iran's achievement in producing uranium enriched to 20% marks a milestone in the history of Iran’s nuclear activities. It also highlights the failure of the United States and its allies to undermine Iran’s technological progress. America and its allies tried to limit the scientific capability of our country by abusing Iran's vital need for nuclear fuel. But Iranian scientists aborted this conspiracy by relying on domestic knowledge and power. This U.S. action showed that the main goal was not to solve Iran's problem but to limit our country's nuclear capability and drain Iran's enriched uranium reserves. This experience provides an important lesson for global diplomacy. Reliance on internal strength is the best way to deal with external pressures. Iran's achievement of 20% uranium production technology is a turning point in the country's nuclear history and a symbol of scientific progress and national will. This success, achieved under sanctions and unprecedented pressures, showed that Iran can meet its vital needs even in the most difficult conditions.

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• Israel
 
• Muslims
 
• enmity
 
• Benjamin Netanyahu
 
• International Criminal Court (ICC)
 
• Foreign policy
 
• Donald Trump
 
• nuclear enrichment
 
• uranium

Israel Holding Close Bonds with ISIS Gangsters and Looters in Gaza

Alwaght- The latest Israeli tactic in Gaza war is setting up alliance with criminal and looting gangs in Gaza. It seems that the Israelis are intentionally trying to deploy organized groups to Gaza to sink this war-ravaged enclave into looting and instability.

Arming ISIS terrorists by Israel

A former senior Palestinian Authority official told New Arab news in detail how the looting gangs are recruited into Gaza. According to the Palestinian official, when Israeli forces attack an area, they deliberately leave weapons on the bodies of Palestinians so that the looters can come and loot the area after the army has withdrawn. Local Palestinian reporters confirmed this, saying that the looting groups have obtained their weapons in this way.

The Israeli regime is also suspected of directly arming gang leaders. In March, the Israeli army announced that it was considering arming Hamas’s rival tribes in Gaza. Some of these clans, including the Doghmush, have close ties to the terrorist groups of ISIS and Al-Qaeda.

The Israeli army is also considering making these clans responsible for distributing daily aid in Gaza and administering zones not run by Hamas. 

Recently, videos emerged of teenagers and young men from a tribe in Deir Al Balah in Gaza, parading in broad daylight with new American-made M16 assault rifles and firing in the air. This is despite the fact that the Israeli regime constantly monitors Gaza from the air and attacks those who are armed very quickly. On the other hand, M16 rifles are very rare in Gaza, and these rifles are mostly in the possession of the Israeli military forces, and now holding these weapons in the hands of the looting groups promotes the theory that the Israeli army has probably provided these weapons to the anti-Hamas groups. 

Joe Saba, the head of a relief group in Gaza, said that if the Gazans resist the looters, the Israeli drones attack them, not the armed gangmen. 

Looting in broad daylight under Israeli cover 

Before the war, at least 500 trucks of food aid were entering Gaza daily, but even then it was insufficient. The aid now barely reaches 100 trucks a day, and many of these trucks are also looted. Last week, 98 trucks were looted by armed gangs and looters at entries of Gaza by armed tribesmen. A UN official told New Arab that two trucks, after obtaining the necessary permits, were trying to reach the northern half of Gaza, but were stopped by the Israeli army for five hours in the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza and were eventually looted.

There are many reports that members of the criminal gangs in Gaza are operating and moving around with AK-47 rifles and other weapons within 100 meters of Israeli soldiers and tanks without being harmed, but if civilians and ordinary citizens approach the Israeli soldiers, they soon become target for Israeli shootings.

Two Palestinian sources have also confirmed that the Israeli army never shoots at members of the armed gangs who loot trucks.

What's behind Israeli alliance with ISIS looters? 

It seems that emergence of the organized armed criminal gangs is the latest Israeli plan to block aid entry to Gaza. 

Another issue that can be taken into account in connection with Israel’s support for criminal groups in Gaza is Israel’s attempt to cause social collapse in Gaza. In fact, social collapse in Gaza is the Israeli goal of making the Gaza Strip uninhabitable.

Israel also uses the state of disorder in Gaza as an excuse to issue licenses to foreign private security companies to open the way for foreign security companies to enter Gaza under the pretext of providing security. 

Most notorious Gaza criminals

Palestinian sources have said that two of the most vicious criminals are probably behind the main looting gangs in Gaza. They have formed their gangs with 200 criminal individuals. These groups also extort humanitarian aid convoys, charging more than $4,000 per truck to allow it to pass. Some of the most important individuals in these groups are:

Yasser Abu Shabab: He is a drug dealer who before the war was convicted and imprisoned several times. He broke from the prison amid the war. Last week, police and Hamas forces attempted to eliminate Abu Shabab in an ambush, killing 11 of his gang members, including his brother and partner, Fathi, and the group's accountant, and wounding 30 others, but Abu Shabab escaped. A day later, he resumed his criminal campaign by stealing a fuel truck, burning another truck, and preventing other trucks from reaching the Kerem Abu Salem crossing.

Shadi al-Sufi: He is a murder and son of a man under charges of collaborating with Israel. Al-Sufi was sentenced to death in 2020 for murdering Jabr al-Ghayegh, a senior official of the Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Al-Sufi was arrested later in 2020 by Gaza police. His tribe in the same year said that he fled to Sinai Desert, but he emerged in the middle of war. 

Police sources maintain that both of these gangsters hold links to ISIS and Al-Qaeda in Sinai. However, the important point is that now there are close bonds between the looting groups and criminals and Israeli army, serving each other's interests in the middle of war.