israeli (apartheid state) Fake News on Hamas

Israeli Fake News About Hamas

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org – Home – Stephen Lendman)

On geopolitical issues, along with most everything related to Occupied Palestine, especially blockaded Gaza, Israeli media stick to the official falsified narrative, suppressing what’s vital to report.

Hamas is a legitimate political organization, its military wing for self-defense. It’s not a terrorist organization, as falsely designated by the State Department at the behest of Israel.

The Jewish state needs Palestinian enemies to unjustifiably justify apartheid persecution, especially the Gaza blockade, enforced solely for political, not security, reasons.

Fed up with Fatah’s institutionalized corruption and willingness to serve as Israel’s enforcer, Palestinians overwhelmingly elected Hamas their legitimate government in January 2006.

Its leaders promised an end to serving Israeli interests at the expense of Palestinian rights. US and Israeli harshness followed, including illegally blockading Gaza. 

It continues endlessly as long as Hamas is a convenient enemy both countries need – despite posing no threat to Israeli or regional security.

Hamas’ 2006 electoral triumph benefitted Israel, reinventing its leaders as security threats, unjustifiably justifying suffocating blockade, persecuting an entire population, waging wars and other hostile incidents at its discretion.

Hamas and other Palestinians are consistently blamed for Israeli high crimes. As long as the Jewish state has full US support, it’s able to get away with holding an entire population hostage to its viciousness.

A fake news Haaretz report claimed the Netanyahu regime “decide(d) against toppling Hamas…seek(ing) (only) to weaken it,” adding:

“Israel’s  policy on Hamas has not changed; the plan to keep the group in power in the Strip stems from a desire to prevent a collapse of Gaza’s infrastructure, a problem that could harm Israel as well.”

Fact: Israel’s suffocating blockade created years of humanitarian crisis conditions, along with destroying Gaza’s infrastructure and economy, causing it to collapse – precisely its aims, along with falsely accusing Hamas of being a security threat.

Fact: The Jewish state’s three wars of aggression in the last decade were all about causing mass slaughter, destruction, and human misery – overwhelmingly targeting civilians, entire communities destroyed, dozens of families murdered in cold blood.

Fact: Israel considers civilians legitimate targets, flagrantly violating international law – its wars of aggression the highest of high crimes, what Western and Israeli media never explain.

Fact: Israel’s blockade has nothing to do with deterring Hamas, as Haaretz falsely claimed.

Fact: Claiming the Netanyahu regime “support(s) efforts to reach an agreement that will restore quiet to” Gaza is a bald-faced lie. Israel’s aim is polar opposite, needing violence and chaos to justify its harshness.

Fact: Hamas is an invented enemy, not a legitimate one.

Fact: Haaretz and other Israeli media fail to explain that Fourth Geneva and other international laws prohibit collective punishment, along with requiring civilians be kept out of harm’s way during conflicts.

Netanyahu lied claiming he’s “working to prevent (Gazans from) harm(ing) our soldiers and communities.”

They face no threat from Gazans or any other Palestinians.

Netanyahu lied again saying “we’re working to prevent a humanitarian crisis, which is why we’re willing to accept the UN and Egyptian mediation efforts to achieve quiet and fix the electricity situation” – IDF terror-bombing destroyed, he failed to explain.

Haaretz failed to expose his Big Lies. It quoted an unnamed Israeli source, saying “there is no diplomatic solution with a group that wants to destroy us. The only solution is deterrence…”

Israel is waging war on Gazans and other Palestinians without declaring it. Its only threats are invented one – the same strategy Washington uses as a pretext for endless wars of aggression.

Haaretz and other Israeli media fail to explain what’s going on. They fail to lay blame where it belongs – Israel the aggressor, Palestinian civilians their targeted victims.

VISIT MY NEW WEB SITE: stephenlendman.org (Home – Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net

Israeli Fake News About Hamas

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org – Home – Stephen Lendman)

On geopolitical issues, along with most everything related to Occupied Palestine, especially blockaded Gaza, Israeli media stick to the official falsified narrative, suppressing what’s vital to report.

Hamas is a legitimate political organization, its military wing for self-defense. It’s not a terrorist organization, as falsely designated by the State Department at the behest of Israel.

The Jewish state needs Palestinian enemies to unjustifiably justify apartheid persecution, especially the Gaza blockade, enforced solely for political, not security, reasons.

Fed up with Fatah’s institutionalized corruption and willingness to serve as Israel’s enforcer, Palestinians overwhelmingly elected Hamas their legitimate government in January 2006.

Its leaders promised an end to serving Israeli interests at the expense of Palestinian rights. US and Israeli harshness followed, including illegally blockading Gaza. 

It continues endlessly as long as Hamas is a convenient enemy both countries need – despite posing no threat to Israeli or regional security.

Hamas’ 2006 electoral triumph benefitted Israel, reinventing its leaders as security threats, unjustifiably justifying suffocating blockade, persecuting an entire population, waging wars and other hostile incidents at its discretion.

Hamas and other Palestinians are consistently blamed for Israeli high crimes. As long as the Jewish state has full US support, it’s able to get away with holding an entire population hostage to its viciousness.

A fake news Haaretz report claimed the Netanyahu regime “decide(d) against toppling Hamas…seek(ing) (only) to weaken it,” adding:

“Israel’s  policy on Hamas has not changed; the plan to keep the group in power in the Strip stems from a desire to prevent a collapse of Gaza’s infrastructure, a problem that could harm Israel as well.”

Fact: Israel’s suffocating blockade created years of humanitarian crisis conditions, along with destroying Gaza’s infrastructure and economy, causing it to collapse – precisely its aims, along with falsely accusing Hamas of being a security threat.

Fact: The Jewish state’s three wars of aggression in the last decade were all about causing mass slaughter, destruction, and human misery – overwhelmingly targeting civilians, entire communities destroyed, dozens of families murdered in cold blood.

Fact: Israel considers civilians legitimate targets, flagrantly violating international law – its wars of aggression the highest of high crimes, what Western and Israeli media never explain.

Fact: Israel’s blockade has nothing to do with deterring Hamas, as Haaretz falsely claimed.

Fact: Claiming the Netanyahu regime “support(s) efforts to reach an agreement that will restore quiet to” Gaza is a bald-faced lie. Israel’s aim is polar opposite, needing violence and chaos to justify its harshness.

Fact: Hamas is an invented enemy, not a legitimate one.

Fact: Haaretz and other Israeli media fail to explain that Fourth Geneva and other international laws prohibit collective punishment, along with requiring civilians be kept out of harm’s way during conflicts.

Netanyahu lied claiming he’s “working to prevent (Gazans from) harm(ing) our soldiers and communities.”

They face no threat from Gazans or any other Palestinians.

Netanyahu lied again saying “we’re working to prevent a humanitarian crisis, which is why we’re willing to accept the UN and Egyptian mediation efforts to achieve quiet and fix the electricity situation” – IDF terror-bombing destroyed, he failed to explain.

Haaretz failed to expose his Big Lies. It quoted an unnamed Israeli source, saying “there is no diplomatic solution with a group that wants to destroy us. The only solution is deterrence…”

Israel is waging war on Gazans and other Palestinians without declaring it. Its only threats are invented one – the same strategy Washington uses as a pretext for endless wars of aggression.

Haaretz and other Israeli media fail to explain what’s going on. They fail to lay blame where it belongs – Israel the aggressor, Palestinian civilians their targeted victims.

VISIT MY NEW WEB SITE: stephenlendman.org (Home – Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net

Illegal US Presence in Syria Assures Endless War

Source

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org – Home – Stephen Lendman)

Wherever US forces show up, mass slaughter, destruction, and human misery follow – the same thing happening in all its war theaters, endless violence continuing, what imperial rage is all about.

Syria risks becoming another Afghanistan. US aggression in its eighth year for regime change continues endlessly with no prospect for resolution any time soon.

Tens of thousands of heavily armed US-supported terrorists remain in the country, Idlib province their main stronghold, others in pockets elsewhere.

So-called Syrian Democratic Forces include US-supported Kurdish YPG fighters and cutthroat killer jihadists.

According to Russia’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, no US/Russia cooperation exists on geopolitical issues other than contacts maintained in Syria to avoid confrontation – the objectives of both nations world’s apart otherwise.

Relations between them continue deteriorating, Trump’s announced INF Treaty pullout the latest shoe to drop.

It’s unrelated to false US claims about Russian treaty violations that don’t exist, unacceptable US violations ignored. 

It’s all about instigating an arms race, along with pursuing Washington’s belligerent imperial agenda, risking greater conflicts than already.

With bipartisan Russophobes infesting Washington, bilateral cooperation and trust are unattainable.

On Monday, Sergey Lavrov said the US isn’t ready to cooperate with Russia in Syria or most anywhere else.

Asked if he’d raise the issue with John Bolton during his two-day Moscow visit, Lavrov said “(c)oncerning our cooperation with the US on (various) issues, particularly, regional affairs – Syria, the Korean Peninsula and the situation around the Iran nuclear program – no formalized negotiations have been going on,” adding:

“We have a deconfliction channel on Syria. We would be prepared for more substantive cooperation to find ways of resolving the Syrian conflict as efficiently as possible, primarily, to launch the process of refugees’ return, begin political negotiations, and ensure the final elimination of remaining terrorists on Syrian soil.”

“However, the US is not ready for such full-fledged cooperation yet.” He called Trump’s unilateral JCPOA pullout last May a “big mistake,” the same view shared by other P5+1 one countries, Washington the sole outlier, catering to Israel’s agenda and its Zionist lobby.

During his visit, Bolton met with top Russian officials. Discussions failed to change hostile US relations toward Moscow.

No change is possible as long as bipartisan Russophobe hardliners infest Washington, relations more dismal than any previous time in memory – why eventual conflict between the world’s dominant nuclear powers remains possible.

Israel Waging War on Gaza Without Declaring It

By Stephen Lendman
Source

Under international law, blockades are acts of war – waged by Israel on Gaza, suffocating its two million people, destroying the strip’s economy, creating humanitarian crisis conditions.

Gazans are held hostage to Israeli viciousness, solely for political reasons. Hamas poses no security risk to the state. Claims otherwise are bald-faced lies, the world community supporting what demands condemnation.

Its criticism of Israeli violence against peaceful Palestinian demonstrators is largely muted. Former UN special rapporteur for human rights in Occupied Palestine Richard Falk considers unlawful Israeli blockade of Gaza a crime against humanity.

So do numerous other human rights supporters. In his book, titled “Gaza: An Inquest into Its Martyrdom,” Norman Finkelstein discussed the “human suffering” of an entrapped people, explaining that “virtually all the incidents between Israel and Gaza (are) initiated by Israel, and it’s well documented.”

Israel is the aggressor every time, Gazans and other Palestinians the victims. Most often, world leaders ignore Israeli high crimes against a defenseless people, Palestinian suffering of no consequence in Gaza or elsewhere in the Territories.

Washington supports and encourages Israeli high crimes, both countries partnering in each other’s wars of aggression.

Pre-dawn Wednesday, a locally produced rocket fired from Gaza by an unknown party landed in Beersheba, Israel, causing no injuries or damage. A second rocket fell harmlessly into the Mediterranean Sea.

Hamas denied responsibility for the incident. So did Gazan resistance groups, a joint statement saying:

“The representatives of the resistance in Gaza salute and thank the Egyptian effort to achieve our national goals, and reject all irresponsible attempts to thwart these efforts – including these rockets fired last night.”

“The resistance does not hide behind any veil. We are always willing to claim responsibility for our actions. But we did not fire these rockets.”

Spokesperson of the National Resistance Committees in Gaza, said Israel “is coming up with excuses to attack and bomb Gaza. The resistance will always be ready to retaliate (against) any Israeli offensive.”

Hamas and Islamic Jihad issued similar statements, saying rockets fired overnight from Gaza aim to sabotage constructive talks.

Hamas and resistance groups fired no rockets on Israel since peaceful weekly Great March of Return demonstrations began on March 30.

Israel holds Hamas responsible for everything occurring in the Strip, the world community failing to denounce its unacceptable actions.

In response to the overnight incident, the IDF terror-bombed multiple Gazan sites, at least one death reported, 14 Palestinians wounded, including six children.

Gaza’s health ministry said 27-year-old Saddam Abu Shallash died on Tuesday after being seriously wounded by Israeli live fire.

On Monday, Israeli forces shot 32 Palestinians with live fire, dozens more affected by toxic tear gas, protesting against blockade conditions – two more Gazans shot on Tuesday.

The Netanyahu regime closed all border area checkpoints, along with restricting fishing areas more than already. Days earlier, Qatar donated fuel to Gaza was blocked.

Hamas is falsely accused of Israeli state-sponsored terrorism, the Netanyahu regime entirely responsible for violence in Gaza.

Haaretz lied about the overnight incident, claiming a rocket from Gaza “hit a house in the southern Israeli city of Be’er Sheva in the early morning hours of Wednesday, damaging it heavily.”

The rocket landed harmlessly near a house, causing no damage or injuries.

On Tuesday, Israeli war minister Avigdor Lieberman suggested Israel may wage another war on Gaza, saying the Netanyahu regime’s security cabinet should confront Hamas militarily “even at a price of moving to a wide-scale confrontation,” adding:

“My opinion is very clear. We must land a strong blow against Hamas. That’s the only way to lower the level of violence to zero or close to zero.”

Israel initiates all violence, terrorizing Palestinians throughout the Occupied Territories. There’s no ambiguity about it.

Netanyahu’s security cabinet is meeting on Wednesday, according to a statement from his office.

Security cabinet member Yuval Steinitz said “(w)e  must aggressively respond with force to the rocket strike on Beersheba, but there is a difference between that and being drawn into a full campaign in Gaza,” adding:

“If we go to war in the Strip, we will call it ‘Abbas’s war,’ because he is the architect of this flareup.”

Israel is the “architect” and perpetrator of violence throughout Occupied Palestine – defenseless Palestinians always blamed for its high crimes.

Saudis Aid US Combat Terrorism, Says Trump

By Stephen Lendman
Source

All politicians lie – affirmed every time Trump tries justifying unjustifiable US policies.

Interviewed by Fox Business on Tuesday, he disputed what’s increasingly indisputable. Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) clearly was behind Jamal Khashoggi’s elimination.

Instead of accepting reality, Trump defended MBS, saying royal family responsibility for what happened “depends on whether the king or the crown prince knew about it, in my opinion,” suggesting perhaps not, adding:

“Saudi Arabia’s our partner, our ally against Iran. They’ve been a great ally to me,” leaving unmentioned his longstanding business ties to the kingdom, including distress sales to royal family members when needing cash to meet debt obligations.

In 2015 as a presidential candidate, he created and registered eight companies to do business in Saudi Arabia.

As president, Trump chose the kingdom for his first foreign trip, sealing a $110 billion arms deal, along with a memorandum of intent to supply its regime with weapons worth around $350 billion over the next decade. 

“Aren’t we just hurting our own country” if stop dealing with the kingdom, he told Fox. He called denials of knowledge about Khashoggi’s elimination by king Salman and MBS a “big factor in my eyes.”

“We need Saudi Arabia in terms of our fight against all of the terrorism, everything that’s happening in Iran and other places,” he roared.

The US, NATO, Turkey, and Israel are the world’s leading state sponsors of terrorism – in the Middle East and elsewhere, supporting ISIS, al-Qaeda, its al-Nusra offshoot, and likeminded jihadists.

The kingdom is the Arab world’s most ruthless dictatorship. Its horrendous human rights abuses need no elaboration. 

MBS is despotic like his father and earlier Saudi rulers. His feud with Qatar is all about wanting the country reduced to satellite status, along with gaining control over its resources and cash reserves.

Institute for Gulf Affairs director Ali al-Ahmed earlier explained that Saudi Arabia was “founded on the principle of robbery and looting.”

Its founders “were desert raiders and looters. They were desert pirates,” committing unspeakable crimes.

Eliminating Khashoggi was minor compared to its regional state terrorism and homeland repression.

The state has been a close US ally since the 1930s. The worst of its high crimes won’t change a thing in the bilateral relationship.

Former regime insider turned critic Khashoggi paid with his life for foolishly entering its Istanbul consulate.

MBS proved he’s an inept leader by eliminating him and lying about it, causing a global furor even though temporary. Relations with the West remain strong.

Why Israel Gets Away with Murder in Occupied Palestine

By Stephen Lendman
Source

Israel brutalizes defenseless Palestinians as viciously as Nazis mistreated Jews.

Since creation of the Jewish state, they’ve endured virtually every form of indignity, degradation, and crime against humanity imaginable, including land theft, political imprisonments, brutal torture in detention, and cold-blooded murder, among other serious offenses.

Law Professor Francis Boyle earlier accused Israel of “heinous war crimes inflicted every day…against the Palestinian people,” including “willful killing” and state terror.

The late Law Professor Michael Mandel called illegal Israeli settlements “war crimes,” citing the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Geneva Conventions, along with other international and Canadian law.

Israel gets away with murder and much more because the world community fails to hold it accountable, largely turning a blind eye to its high crimes of war, against humanity, and daily apartheid persecution of a long-suffering people – illegally blockaded Gazans harmed most of all.

Last May, Israel’s High Court rejected petitions by the Adalah and Al Mezan human rights groups, demanding Israeli soldiers stop using live fire against peacefully demonstrating Gazans.

A three-justice panel lied, ruling protesters endanger Israeli soldiers and civilians. Throughout 27 straight Great March of Return Friday protests, Gazans alone were grievously harmed, no Israelis.

The justices turned truth on its head, claiming Israeli and international law permits live fire against peaceful Gazan protesters because Hamas controls the Strip.

In response to giving Israel “a green light to its continued use of snipers and live fire against Palestinian protesters,” petitioners Adalah and Al Mezan issued a statement, condemning the ruling, saying:

“The Israeli Supreme Court completely ignored the broad factual basis presented to it by the petitioners, which includes multiple testimonies of wounded and reports of international organizations involved in documenting the killing and wounding of unarmed protesters in Gaza,” adding:

The justices “refused to watch video clips, documenting Israeli shootings of demonstrators and, rather than actually examining the case, fully accepted the claims presented to it by the state.”  

“The extreme nature of the ruling is also highlighted by the striking absence of any mention of the casualty figures that had been presented to the court…”

On September 30, Adalah accused Israel of “blatantly ignoring domestic and international law…demand(ing) accountability and prosecution of those responsible for gross violations of right to life,” adding:

“From October 2000 (start of the Second Intifada) to Gaza 2018, Israeli snipers continue killing unarmed Palestinian demonstrators with Israeli Supreme Court’s approval.”

In October 2000, Israeli police killed 12 Arab citizens and one Palestinian.

Israel’s Orr Commission of Inquiry said police and other security forces must alter the way they treat Arabs. 

It called use of live fire, toxic tear gas, rubber bullets, and similar tactics against nonviolent demonstrators illegal.

“It should be unequivocally clear that live fire, including by snipers, is not a means for the police to disperse crowds,” it stressed.

“These universal norms apply equally and without discrimination to citizens and non-citizens alike, regardless of the content of the protest, their slogans, their location, their organizational affiliation, and the ethnic and national affiliation of the participants.”

The commission said police must renounce its culture of lying. It called for ending racist discrimination. Its report focused on Israeli Arab citizens. Its findings hold for Occupied Palestinians.

Adalah said 18 years after the October 2000 massacre, “despite solid condemnation of this practice on both the national and international levels – the Israeli military continues killing unarmed Palestinian civilian protesters with snipers and live fire in the Gaza Strip, with the approval of Israel’s Supreme Court.”

Adalah’s call for “immediately” halting this practice fell on deaf ears in Israel. The world community ignores the plea.

Not a single Israeli political or military official has ever been held accountable for crimes of war, against humanity, and cold-blood slaughter of peaceful Palestinian demonstrators.

Adalah: “Israeli armed forces backed up by the Supreme Court’s ruling, continue to target unarmed Palestinian demonstrators with snipers and live ammunition today in Gaza just as they killed Palestinian citizens of Israel protesting in October 2000.”

On October 1, Israeli Arab citizens engaged in strike action, commemorating the October 2000 massacre, along with protesting against Khan al-Ahmar village’s illegal demolition and Israel’s new apartheid Nation State Law.

What’s Going On in Idlib, Syria’s Demilitarized Zone?

By  Stephen Lendman
Source

In mid-September, Putin and Turkey’s Erdogan agreed on establishing a 15 – 20 km-wide demilitarized zone in Idlib province along the Turkish border.

Russian and Turkish forces will control the zone, an offensive to liberate Idlib put on hold at least until later this year, maybe not until 2019.

Full withdrawal of US-supported terrorists was to be completed by October 15, the deadline missed because al-Nusra and allied jihadists refuse to disarm and leave – likely at the behest of Washington, their paymaster.

According to AMN News, Syria’s military “demand(s) answers regarding the(ir) failed…withdrawal from the designated buffer zone,” adding:

“(T)he Syrian Arab Army’s High Command is in talks with the Russian military about the next steps to take in the Idlib, Aleppo, Latakia, and Hama provinces” in response to noncompliance with the buffer zone agreement – by US-supported terrorists.

A Syrian military source said jihadists in Idlib continue attacking government forces and civilians, explaining:

They’re “strengthening their positions, digging new trenches and expanding their network of underground tunnels,” digging in for continued battle.

Al-Nusra, its affiliate Guardians of Religion Organization, and the Turkistan Islamic Party of Syria intend remaining in their positions, including strategic high ground and nearby areas held, using them as platforms for continued shelling.

Idlib is the last major stronghold of US-supported terrorists in Syria, controlled by tens of thousands of jihadists.

On Monday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said Idlib’s demilitarized zone agreement is untenable if al-Nusra and other jihadists fail to comply, saying:

“We cannot keep quiet about the continuation of the current situation in Idlib if the Nusra Front refuses to comply with this agreement,” adding:

“After liberating territory east of the Euphrates River, freeing Idlib from terrorists’ control is the next objective, stressing the province will be returned to Syrian sovereignty.

If the Russian/Turkish demilitarized zone isn’t implemented, Damascus will take other options to eliminate al-Nusra and other terrorists in Idlib, he said.

“Because (millions of) Syrian citizens in Idlib, and it is not their fault, we said that the liberation of Idlib with reconciliation is much better than the bloodshed. Syria’s support for the (Moscow/Ankara) Sochi agreement came from its desire not to shed blood,” al-Moallem explained.

Commenting on US occupied territory in the country, he stressed the importance of liberating it from their presence, returning the entire nation to Syrian control.

“(W)e still consider Turkey a state that is occupying our territories. Therefore, our armed forces cannot participate with their forces in any operation east of the Euphrates,” he stressed.

Head of Russia’s reconciliation center in Syria Vladimir Savchenko blamed the Trump regime for the failure of al-Nusra and other jihadists to withdraw from Idlib’s demilitarized zone, saying:

Because of US “inaction,” they “establish(ed) control over a 20-kilometer strip on the Euphrates’ east bank between the settlements of Hajin and al-Susa,” adding:

US forces continue “simulat(ing)” fighting against ISIS terrorists they support. Days earlier, their fighters abducted 700 civilians during an attack on a refugee camp near al-Bahrah, holding them hostage as human shields.

On Tuesday, Iraqi General Dia al-Wakil blasted Washington, saying its so-called coalition supports the scourge of ISIS it pretends to oppose.

“I do not believe that the (US-led) international coalition wants to bring an end to terrorism in the region,” he said, adding:

“Under the cover of the ‘fight against terrorism,’ US forces can remain and strengthen here. Behind this are economic goals. Americans need oil and arms sales contracts.”

ISIS and other terrorists are deployed where the US wants them used. Their fighters are “simply transferred to a given point” from another, including from one country to another.

“We have already seen how terrorists moved throughout the region before the international coalition’s very eyes,” transported by Pentagon helicopters. It happens repeatedly.

ISIS “has not been destroyed, but will still be used in political struggles, especially amid instability in the Middle East.” The same goes for al-Qaeda, its al-Nusra offshoot, and other terrorist groups.

Separately, Iranian Foreign Ministry official Jaberi Ansari said a massacre in Idlib by al-Nusra and/or other terrorists is Tehran’s red line.

It would have “grave humanitarian and moral, as well as political costs, which is unacceptable,” he said – no further elaboration added on how Iran might respond.

Banned Weapons Used in All US War Theaters

Banned Weapons Used in All US War Theaters. In all Post-9/11 Wars, US used Banned Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Incendiary and Cluster Munitions

By Stephen Lendman,

Whenever US forces aggressively attacks countries, dirty war is waged, including use of banned weapons.

Prohibited terror-bombing is longstanding US policy, indiscriminately harming civilians.

The Laws of War: Laws and Customs of War on Land (1907 Hague IV Convention) states:

Article 25: “The attack or bombardment, by whatever means, of towns, villages, dwellings, or buildings which are undefended is prohibited.”

Article 26: “The officer in command of an attacking force must, before commencing a bombardment, except in cases of assault, do all in his power to warn the authorities.”

Article 27: “In sieges and bombardments, all necessary steps must be taken to spare, as far as possible, buildings dedicated to religion, art, science, or charitable purposes, historic monuments, hospitals, and places where the sick and wounded are collected, provided they are not being used at the time for military purposes.”

Fourth Geneva protects civilians in time of war. It prohibits violence of any type against them, requiring treatment for the sick and wounded.

In September 1938, a unanimously adopted League of Nations resolution prohibited the:

“bombardment of cities, towns, villages, dwellings or buildings not in the immediate neighborhood of the operations of land forces.”

“In cases where (legitimate targets) are so situated, (aircraft) must abstain from bombardment” if it indiscriminately harms civilians.

The 1945 Nuremberg Principles prohibit “crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

These include “inhumane acts committed against any civilian populations, before or during the war,” including indiscriminate killing and “wanton destruction of cities, towns, or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity.”

The 1968 General Assembly Resolution on Human Rights prohibits attacks against civilian populations. US-led NATO and Israel do it repeatedly – by land, sea, and aerial terror-bombing, flagrantly violating international laws.

US forces used banned weapons during and since WW II. Illegal incendiary and cluster munitions were used against German and Japanese forces.

In February 1945, three months before war against Nazi Germany ended, US and UK heavy bombers used thousands of tons of high-explosive and illegal incendiary weapons against Dresden, creating a firestorm, an act of barbarism against the defenseless city, massacring 100,000 or more Germans, mainly civilians.

Mosul Raped and Destroyed, Not Liberated

In February 1945, US warplanes firebombed Tokyo when war in the Pacific was effectively won, Japan at the time willing to surrender unconditionally provided its emperor was retained.

The overture was declined by Franklin Roosevelt, later by Harry Trumanbefore formally accepting Japanese surrender on September 2 aboard the USS Missouri.

Ahead of war’s end in August 1945 with Japan defeated, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were gratuitously nuked, hundreds of thousands killed or harmed by nuclear radiation, mostly civilians.

During Truman’s aggression on North Korea, US forces used biological and other banned weapons.

According to Professor Stephen Endicott’s research on the war,

“American aircraft…dropped strange objects, including live spiders, flies, bees, snakes, fleas (with bubonic plague), ticks, dead rats, and mosquitos encased in US military tubes.”

Anything goes terror war was waged on the country, killing three or four million people, destroying most of it.

US forces notoriously used cluster, incendiary, and radiological munitions, deadly dioxin (Agent Orange), and other banned weapons in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

Since the 1991 Gulf War, illegal depleted uranium (DU) weapons were used. The 1925 Geneva Protocol and succeeding Geneva Weapons Conventions prohibited use of chemical and biological agents in any form as weapons of war.

The 1907 Hague Convention banned use of any “poison or poisoned weapons.”

DU munitions are radioactive, chemically toxic and poisonous. America is a signatory to the Hague and Geneva Conventions. Using these weapons in combat is a war crime.

In all post-9/11 wars, US forces used banned chemical, biological, radiological, incendiary and cluster munitions. They’re still used in all US war theaters.

According to the Syria Arab News Agency (SANA),

“(t)he US-led coalition bombed several areas in the town of Hajin, 110km east of the city of Deir Ezzor, with internationally forbidden white phosphorous bombs” – on the phony pretext of combating ISIS the US created and supports, as well as al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups.

Russian lower house Duma Deputy Defense Committee chairman Yury Shvytkin called for an international investigation to learn precisely what happened, urging Security Council involvement.

According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, US-led forces in Syria used banned white phosphorous bombs in earlier airstrikes – including during the rape and destruction of Raqqa, massacring countless thousands of civilians, destroying most of the city, a high crime of war and against humanity.

A Pentagon statement lied, saying

“(a)s a matter of policy, the coalition will not publicly discuss the use of specific weapons and munitions in operations.”

“However, every weapons system in the US inventory undergoes a legal review to ensure the weapon complies with the Law of Armed Conflict.”

In all US wars since the misnamed “good war” against Nazi Germany and imperial Japan, US forces used banned weapons.

Pentagon claims otherwise are false, issued to try concealing its war crimes in all US war theaters – naked aggression waged in them all from Korea to post-9/11 conflicts.

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Award-winning author Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG)

His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

Escalating Online Censorship

By Stephen Lendman
Source

In cahoots with dark US forces, anti-social media escalated their war on alternative views – ones conflicting with the official narrative by pulling down hundreds of pages.

The worst is likely yet to come. Censorship in America is the new normal – speech, media and academic freedoms threatened.

Facebook, Twitter, Google, and other tech giants are allied with Washington against digital democracy, the last frontier of media freedom.

Major print and electronic media operate as press agents for wealth, power, and privilege, suppressing what’s vital to know on issues mattering most.

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is increasingly ignored in America and Europe, stating:

“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

These fundamental rights and values are increasingly eroding. When they’re compromised, so are all others – free societies replaced by totalitarian rule, increasingly where US-led Western societies are heading.

In August, Facebook purged over 650 pages originating in Russia and Iran, falsely calling them malicious accounts engaged in disinformation.

Twitter suspended nearly 300 accounts at the same time, falsely accusing them of involvement in “coordinated manipulation.”

Ahead of November midterm elections, Facebook purged over 800 legitimate pages, including some with millions of followers.

Reliable indymedia sites and others were shut down for “inauthentic behavior” – code language for diverging from the official narrative, truth-telling exposing state-sponsored disinformation and Big Lies.

Facebook, Twitter, Google, and other tech giants are coordinating censorship tactics to suppress important alternative views on major issues.

They’re using censorship algorithms to greatly diminish traffic on targeted sites. Their so-called war on disinformation, fake news, hate speech, inappropriate language, spamming, and inauthentic behavior is all about blatant censorship, the hallmark of totalitarian rule.

Online censorship so far may be prelude for much worse to come. Maybe all content dark forces in Washington want suppressed will be eliminated – including truth-telling web sites.

America and other Western societies are on a slippery slope toward full-blown tyranny.

A month-ago article discussed the Trump regime’s plan to charge fees for groups wanting to demonstrate on the National Mall, a flagrant First Amendment violation if imposed.

Restricting public demonstrations on sidewalks in front of the White House and at other city locations, including Trump’s Washington hotel, was proposed – another affront to constitutionally protected speech and public assembly.

According to Partnership for Civil Justice Fund executive director Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, other US administrations tried curbing Washington protests.

Trump regime hardliners intend “the most bold and consequential overhaul” of First Amendment rights – way beyond where their predecessors dared go with enormous potential consequences.

“There’s never been such a large effort at rewriting these regulations. I don’t think there can be any question that these revisions will have the intent and certainly the effect of stifling the ability of the public to protest.”

Perhaps it’s coming everywhere after enforcing it in the nation’s capital.

Speech, media, academic, and assembly freedoms are threatened in America and other Western societies. 

Greatly curbing or prohibiting them is what tyranny is all about.

Trump Regime’s Hostility Toward Iran

By Stephen Lendman
Source

US hostility toward Iran is all about wanting its sovereign independence replaced by pro-Western puppet rule, along with eliminating Israel’s key regional rival.

Washington under Republicans and undemocratic Dems consistently invent reasons to vilify sovereign independent governments they want forcefully toppled.

Accusations against them are fabricated, US crimes of war and against humanity ignored, along with abuses against its own citizens and residents.

Since Iran’s 1979 revolution, ending a generation of US-installed fascist tyranny, Washington has waged political, economic, and propaganda war on the country.

Hostility by Trump regime hardliners toward its governance risks heading things toward military confrontation, an ominous possibility, certain to be hugely destructive if occurs.

Even though Iran is no match against superior US-led NATO capabilities, it’s better able to retaliate in response to aggression than other nations Washington attacked – Israel vulnerable as well to be struck.

A militantly hostile State Department report turned truth on its head about Iran. No Islamic Republic “long history of violating the (Nuclear) Non-Proliferation Treaty and multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions on its nuclear program prior to the JCPOA” occurred. No evidence suggests otherwise.

Trump’s agenda is all about regime change, wanting Iran’s legitimate government forcefully toppled – likely by war if other methods fail.

Below is a debunking of the State Department’s (SD) key points:

SD: Iran “will do whatever it takes to maintain its grip on power and spread its revolutionary ideology.”

Fact: Iranians support their elected government. Their “revolutionary ideology” is all about pursuing regional peace, deploring war, wanting mutual cooperations with all other nations, along with the elimination of nuclear weapons.

SD: Iranian security forces are “mobilized at home to surveil and harass ordinary Iranians” – a US/NATO/Israeli/Saudi specialty, not how Iran operates.

SD: “(I)ts…IRGC Qods Force (IRGC-QF) leads the Islamic Republic’s destabilizing support for proxies and terrorist groups.”

Fact: Iran, Syria, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah are the region’s leading forces against terrorism the US, NATO, Turkey, Israel, and their regional partners support.

Iran has no “long history (of) support(ing) terrorism,” no involvement in “actively direct(ing), facilitat(ing), and carry(ing) out terrorist activity globally.” Claiming otherwise is a bald-faced lie, US-led anti-Iran propaganda.

SD: “Iran’s development of ballistic missiles…pose a critical threat to regional security.”

Fact: False! Legitimate Iranian ballistic and other missiles are solely for defense. US/NATO/Israeli ones are for naked aggression.

SD: “(T)he Islamic Republic’s illicit financing activities…undermine the integrity and security of the global financial system.”

Fact: The accusation describes how the US operates, not Iran.

SD: “Iran threat(ens) maritime security in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. The Islamic Republic has repeatedly threatened to interfere with freedom of navigation and international shipping in these areas.”

Fact: False! US global naval operations treat coastal waters near other nations like its own, conducting provocative incursions in them. Iran respects the territorial integrity of other nations.

No evidence suggests the existence of malign Iranian activities in cyberspace, as the State Department falsely claimed – another US/NATO/Israeli specialty, not an Islamic Republic one.

The US is the world most longstanding, systematic civil and human rights abuser globally. Its contempt for international laws, norms and standards need no elaboration – polar opposite how Iran operates.

Iranian Jewish parliamentarian Siamak Moreh Sedgh earlier said conditions for Jews in the Islamic Republic have “always been better than in Europe,” adding:

“In our country’s history, there was never a time when all Iranians had the same religion, race, or language, so there is a high degree of tolerance.” 

“Jews are a recognized minority here, so we can practice our religion freely. We have more than 20 working synagogues in Tehran and at least five kosher butcheries.”

In 2016, Iranian Jewish lawmaker Ciamak Morsadegh, a surgeon turned politician, said “Iran is a place where Jews feel secure and we are happy to be here. We are proud to be Iranian. I know this doesn’t follow the Zionist script, but this is the reality.

Iran’s Jewish population is small, at most around 25,000. They prefer living in the Islamic Republic to Israel or elsewhere.

SD: Iran is responsible for “environmental degradation…inching ever closer to an environmental crisis.”

Fact: US environmental crimes are some of the most egregious anywhere – notably by its corporate air, water, and soil polluters, especially by the Pentagon.

One of Project Project Censored’s 25 most censored 2010 stories headlined the “US Department of Defense is the Worst Polluter on the Planet,” saying:

“The US military is responsible for the most egregious and widespread pollution of the planet, yet this information and accompanying documentation goes almost entirely unreported” – including by environmental organizations.

“This impact includes uninhibited use of fossil fuels, massive creation of greenhouse gases, and extensive release of radioactive and chemical contaminants into the air, water, and soil.”

US imperial rage for global dominance is humanity’s greatest threat. Iranian rule is polar opposite how America is governed.

For centuries its ruling authorities attacked no other nations – what US-dominated NATO and Israel do repeatedly.

Did the Saudis Kidnap and Murder Journalist Jamal Khashoggi?

On October 2, prominent Saudi journalist/critic Khashoggi disappeared after entering the kingdom’s Instanbul, Turkey consulate, needing documents for his upcoming wedding, scheduled for this week.

He hasn’t been seen or heard from since, likely victimized by foul play. Turkish officials believe he was murdered by a Saudi hit squad sent from the kingdom to eliminate him.

According to Turkish police, 15 Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on October 6. They entered the consulate when Khashoggi was believed alive inside.

On October 7, Turkish/Arab Media Association head Turan Kislakci cited unconfirmed reports that he was killed in the consulate, his body dismembered, then removed undetected.

Instabul’s chief prosecutor initiated an investigation into what happened, including an examination of all video surveillance footage of consulate entrances, along with checking all inbound and outbound flights since Khashoggi’s disappearance. 

On Monday, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry asked permission to conduct a forensic search of the consulate, after Saudi envoy to the country Waleed AM El-Hereiji was summoned to the ministry for the second time.

Last year, Khashoggi fled Saudi Arabia over harsh crackdowns on regime critics. Friction between him and its despotic ruling family surfaced after saying the kingdom should be “nervous about a Trump presidency.”

He opposed Saudi aggression in Yemen, its unacceptable policies toward Qatar, and harshness against critics.

Banned from writing and speaking out publicly, he self-exiled himself to America, saying “I have left my home, my family and my job, and I am raising my voice,” adding:

“To do otherwise would betray those who languish in prison. I can speak when so many cannot.”

Earlier this year, he said Saudi intellectuals and journalists risk imprisonment for criticizing ruling family policies.

“(N)obody…dare(s) speak and criticize reforms” initiated by MBS. “I haven’t heard him make even the slightest inference that he would open the country for power-sharing, for democracy.”

The State Department was largely silent on Khashoggi’s disappearance, a statement saying it’s aware of reports and seeks more information.

Crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) is ruthlessly intolerant of regime criticism. If it’s proved responsible for Khashoggi’s death, relations with Turkey will likely worsen.

They deteriorated markedly in recent years. Saudi consul-general Mohammad al-Otaiba claimed Khashoggi “is not at the consulate nor in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the consulate and the embassy are working to search for him.”

His fiancee Hatice Cengiz waited for him outside the consulate. She disbelieves the regime’s explanation about his disappearance.

Kingdom assassins likely murdered him. Its ruling are authorities contemptuous of civil and human rights, along with disdaining the rule of law.

GOP Senators Bob Corker, Lindsey Graham, and Ben Cardin called for honest answers on what happened to Khashoggi, Graham tweeting:

“We agree that if there was any truth to the allegations of wrongdoing by the Saudi government it would be devastating to the US-Saudi relationship, and there will be a heavy price to be paid — economically and otherwise.”

Senator Chris Murphy said if reports about US resident Khashoggi’s murder by the kingdom is true, “it should represent a fundamental break in our relationship with Saudi Arabia.”

Khashoggi is a Washington Post columnist. Commenting on his disappearance, its editorial page editor Fred Hiatt said “(i)f the reports of (his) murder are true, it is a monstrous and unfathomable act.”

Separately the broadsheet accused kingdom authorities of unlawfully “carry(ing) out hundreds of arrests under the banner of national security, rounding up clerics, business executives and even women’s rights advocates.”

Khashoggi was likely abducted and murdered to silence his criticism. If proved, it’s unlikely to disrupt longterm bilateral relations America – notably strong since Franklin Roosevelt met with king Abdul Aziz in 1945.

Around the same time, the State Department called Middle East oil riches, mainly Saudi ones, “a stupendous source of strategic power, and one of the greatest material prizes in world history.”

The kingdom’s likely responsibility for whatever happened to Khashoggi isn’t likely to change longterm US/Saudi relations.

By Stephen Lendman
Source

Will Khashoggi Incident Be Saudi Crown Prince’s Undoing?

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance since October 2 after entering Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consulate clearly suggests foul play.

His likely abduction and possible murder by Riyadh created an international uproar.

Make no mistake. Saudi relations with the US and other Western countries are strong – given its huge oil reserves and support given Washington’s regional imperial agenda.

How crown prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) fares if Khashoggi’s abduction and/or murder is proved is another issue entirely.

His status and ascension to the kingdom’s throne could be doomed. Saudi king Salman may replace him as crown prince to soothe international anger, especially in the region and West.

On Monday, Turkish President Erdogan demanded Riyadh prove Khashoggi left the Saudi consulate in Istanbul as claimed.

“Do you not have cameras and everything of the sort,” Erdogan asked? “They have all of them. Then why do you not prove this? You need to prove it.”

Turkish officials believe Khashoggi was abducted and killed because of his outspoken criticism of the kingdom.

Until Monday, Trump was silent, finally expressing weak-kneed concern saying:

“I don’t like hearing about it. Hopefully that will sort itself out. Right now, nobody knows anything about it, but there’s some pretty bad stories going around. I do not like it.”

Pompeo on Monday tried downplaying the incident, saying there are “conflicting reports on (Khashoggi’s) safety and whereabouts.”

Turkish media reported that a number of diplomatic vehicles left the consulate on October 2, the day Khashoggi disappeared. 

Turkish investigators believe he may have been killed, his body dismembered, taken from the consulate in boxes, and flown to the kingdom for disposal.

The so-called anonymous Saudi Julian Assange whistleblower known as Mujtahid uses Twitter as a platform for his remarks.

Last April, he was wrong tweeting in Arabic: “Circles close to Mohammed bin Salman have disclosed that he has coordinated with Trump and Jared Kushner to have King Salman step down from power to be succeeded by the Saudi Crown Prince by July 4 at most.”

On Tuesday, he tweeted: “It seems that the details that Turkey will announce (in the near future about the fate of Khashoggi) are enough to put an end to the political career of Mohammed bin Salman.” 

“It is also likely that an international stance will be formed against Saudi Arabia which is a law-breaking government and bin Salman will be sued (in) the International Court of Justice (ICJ).”

He believes evidence Turkish investigators uncover may dissuade the Trump regime to stop supporting MBS – suggesting Ankara already has enough evidence to prove his responsibility for Khashoggi’s disappearance and likely death, adding they’re waiting to complete their investigation before passing judgment publicly.

According to Turkish/Arab Media Association head Turan Kislakci, “(w)hat was explained to us (by Turkish officials) is this. (Khashoggi) was killed. Make your funeral preparations,” adding:

“We called a few other places. These are lower officials, but they said: ‘We have evidence he was killed in a barbaric way. We will announce it’ ” later this week.

Last May, exiled Saudi prince Prince Khaled bin Farhan Al Saud since 2013 said the kingdom could “descend into chaos,” destabilizing the region and elsewhere.

“I would like to say to Europeans that the situation in Saudi Arabia resembles a volcano that is about to erupt. And if this volcano erupts, it will not only affect the situation inside Saudi Arabia or in the Arab region, but it will also have an effect on you too,” he said, adding:

“(I)f Saudi Arabia descends into a state of chaos, there will be global chaos, and (the kingdom) will be a source of terrorism for the entire world as it will support and sustain international terrorism” – what it’s done for many years, he failed to explain.

On Monday, he tweeted: “If the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi is proved, I invite all walks of life in Saudi Arabia to cooperate in a legal measure and change the political system through civil disobedience.”

According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), at least 81 members of the profession were killed in 2017 globally, calling attacks and threats against journalists at “epidemic levels.”

So far this year, IFJ reported 73 journalists killed worldwide. No fatalities from their ranks in recent memory caused the international uproar like Khashoggi’s disappearance and likely murder.

By Stephen Lendman
Source

Trump Regime Refuses World Court Rulings on Palestine and Iran, US Withdrawal from the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations

Source

By Stephen Lendman,

Is Trump being held captive by political operatives within his Cabinet – notably Pompeo, Bolton and Haley on geopolitical issues?  They’re  hostile to world peace,  democratic values, and respect for international law. 

On Wednesday, John Bolton announced the Trump regime’s withdrawal from the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (VCDR) optional protocol.

The 1961 international treaty defines the legal way diplomatic relations between countries are supposed to be conducted.

It codifies basic rules of diplomatic law, enabling diplomatic missions to operate without fear of coercion or harassment where they’re located.

According to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), its success depends on observance of international law.

Its optional protocol on settling international disputes permits  ICJ adjudication when petitioned by a VCDR member state.

It’s charged with settling disputes between member states, along with providing advisory opinions when asked.

Chapter XIV of the UN Charter authorizes the Security Council to enforce its rulings – compromised by veto power of the five permanent members – America, Britain, China, France, and Russia.

On Wednesday, John Bolton issued a statement, saying

Trump  “decided that the United States will withdraw from the optional protocol and dispute resolution to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.”

“This is in connection with a case brought by” the Palestinian Authority (PA) – petitioning the ICJ to compel Washington to shut its Jerusalem embassy, adding its move from Tel Aviv violated the Vienna Convention, requiring embassies to be located in host countries.

Jerusalem is a UN-established international city – Resolution 181, 1947, designating the city a “separate entity” under a world body protectorate.

Unanimously passed Security Council Resolution 476 (June 1980) declared “all legislative and administrative measures and actions taken by Israel, the occupying Power, which purport to alter the character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal validity and constitute a flagrant (Fourth Geneva) violation.”

Israel claiming the city, “complete and united, as (its) capital” has no legal standing. East Jerusalem is illegally occupied territory. So is historic Palestine.

The Draft UN Security Council Resolution on Jerusalem

Security Council Resolution 478 (1980) “call(ed) upon all States to refrain from the establishment of diplomatic missions in the Holy City of Jerusalem.”

It “demand(ed) that all states comply with Security Council resolutions regarding the Holy City of Jerusalem, and not to recognize any actions or measures contrary to those resolutions.”

Security Council Resolution 2334 (December 2016, adopted 14 – 0 with the US abstaining) said settlements have “no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation under international law.”

It demanded “Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.”

It recognized no territorial changes “to the 4 June 1967 lines, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties through negotiations.”

It “(c)alled upon all States, to distinguish, in their relevant dealings, between the territory of the State of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967.”

It “(c)alled for immediate steps to prevent all acts of violence against civilians, including acts of terror, as well as all acts of provocation and destruction, calls for accountability in this regard…”

The US and Israel consistently ignore SC resolutions and other international laws opposing their imperial agenda.

Israel unlawfully considers Jerusalem its exclusive capital. Under international law, it was illegally annexed.

On September 28, the PA petitioned the ICJ, stating:

“The relocation of the United States embassy in Israel to the Holy City of Jerusalem constitutes a breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 18 April 1961” – as well as UN resolutions discussed above.

The PA called on the ICJ to declare moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem a violation of international diplomatic law – demanding it be withdrawn.

In 2012, Palestine was granted non-member UN observer status. Law Professor Francis Boyle earlier said:

“The world had inflicted a terrible injustice upon the Palestinian people in 1947-1948.

There would be no peace in the Middle East until this injustice was somehow rectified; and

The Palestinian people were certainly entitled to an independent nation state of their own.”

Diplomatic recognition by over two-thirds of UN member states affords Palestine de facto membership in the world body – de jure status “only a matter of time,” said Boyle.

Withdrawing from the Vienna Convention protocol is all about the Trump regime’s unwillingness to accept lawfully binding ICJ rulings – including its decision for Iran, saying certain US sanctions on the country violated the 1955 US-Iran Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations, and Consular Rights, the ruling discussed in a same-day article.

Bolton said the Trump regime “will commence a review of all international agreements that may still expose the United States to purported binding jurisdiction dispute resolution (sic) in the International Court of Justice.”

US aggression against one non-threatening country after another, along with countless other hostile actions, clearly shows it’s an international outlaw, a pariah state, under Republicans and undemocratic Dems.

Neocon extremists in charge of Trump’s geopolitical agenda match or exceed the unlawful actions of their predecessors – their policies further isolating the US from the world community.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

The original source of this article is Global Research