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TODAY. “Suspicious website” -Hooray -I have earned this award.

I’m pretty chuffed to have at last been included in this elite honoured group.

At least Google now has recognised my status. When I send an email, with a link to my Substack website, Google has kindly coloured it red, with the announcement that it is a SUSPICIOUS WEBSITE.

Little me! Up in the echelons of Chris Hedges and Caitlin Johnstone – the highly honoured few who dare to tell the truth, or even make fun of the mighty!

While we’re on about this, I have to acknowledge that some websites surely deserve this award from our corporate masters. For example Scheerpost does a great job in busting corporate propaganda.

I couldn’t resist pinching this one, today from https://scheerpost.com/2023/11/08/shooting-gallery/

There are so many truth-tellers: their message is not acceptable in the “mainstream” media – but they are out there – still fighting the good fight. #nuclear #antinuclear #nuclearfree #NoNukes #Israel #Palestine

November 9, 2023 Posted by | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

NuScale Power, UAMPS agree to terminate nuclear project

Reuters, November 9, 2023

– NuScale Power (SMR.N) said on Wednesday it has mutually agreed with Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) to terminate the company’s small modular reactors project, sending shares sliding 20% in extended trading.

The six-reactor, 462 megawatt Carbon Free Power Project was expected to be the first small modular reactor (SMR) design certified by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in January. But NuScale said it appeared unlikely the project will have enough subscription to continue toward deployment.

NuScale said in January the target price for power from the plant is $89 per megawatt hour, up 53% from the previous estimate of $58 per MWh, a jump that raised concerns about whether customers would be willing to pay.

SMRs are meant to fit new applications such as replacing shut coal plants and being located in more remote communities.

So far, the design for only NuScale Power Corp’s SMR had been approved by U.S. regulators.

NuScale had previously said the project will be fully running in 2030.

Reporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Krishna Chandra Eluri #nuclear #antinuclear #nuclearfree #NoNukes

November 9, 2023 Posted by | business and costs, USA | Leave a comment

Chris Hedges: Israel’s Endgame is ‘Destruction of the Idea of Palestine’

The arms manufacturers are thrilled. They’re making money in Ukraine, they’re making money with Israel, because remember, most of this money is going straight to Raytheon and Northrop Grumman, and that’s who’s making the money.

the Palestinians really don’t have many friends. Iran, Qatar, Hezbollah, Syria to a certain extent, but not… Am I, if I had to make an educated guess, I think Israel’s going to get away with it.

Pushing most of the Palestinians out of Gaza and turning most of Gaza into a moonscape, which is they’ve already done with the North.

 I know that’s what they want to do. I mean, that is without question. The question is whether they can be stopped, but I don’t see the forces that are going to stop them.

What Netanyahu’s government aims to achieve in Gaza today is something akin to the Armenian genocide.

SCHEERPOST, 8 Nov 23

One month since the launch of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on Oct. 7, the Israeli military has slaughtered more than 10,000 Palestinians, including over 4,000 children. International condemnation is growing, with multiple governments withdrawing their ambassadors from Israel and organizations around the world calling for Israel’s leaders to be prosecuted for war crimes. In an Oct. 28 resignation letter, Craig Mokhiber, former Director of the New York Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, noted that there is “no room for doubt or debate” that the Israeli government is intentionally perpetuating a genocide of the Palestinian people with the support of the US, EU, and other international actors. Drawing on his decades of experience as a war correspondent and years living in and reporting on Gaza, Chris Hedges joins The Marc Steiner Show to discuss Israel’s endgame: the full elimination and depopulation of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and eventually the West Bank.

TRANSCRIPT

Chris Hedges:

Well, most of the people in the Netanyahu government, including Netanyahu himself, have been quite clear for, often decades, what the end game is, and that’s the destruction of the state or even the idea of Palestine. And that will be accomplished through acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing. 

And I fully expect things to get worse in Gaza. I mean, they’re bombing the hospitals now. There’s not enough food or water. Israel is impervious to requests from Washington because of the Israel lobby. They have, traditionally Israel, because of the power of the Israel lobby, it doesn’t really matter what any administration wants. They humiliated Biden when he was Vice President and called for a moratorium on settlements, and then the day he was in Jerusalem, announced an expansion of settlements. They bypassed the White House to go speak, by Netanyahu, to go speak before Congress to denounce the Iran deal.

They know that, in essence, the Biden administration can’t touch the military aid and has no ability to really pressure the government to halt this massive bombing campaign. 

…………………the first two weeks, they damaged or destroyed 45% of the housing stock. They’ve dropped, I think, it was just in the first two weeks, 20,000 tons of bombs. I mean, this is a Stalin grad level. It’s as bad as Sarajevo was. It doesn’t come close.

Thousands of Palestinians are trapped under the rubble and they have surrounded the northern part. I mean, they will do it piecemeal. They learn that from the Americans, in Fallujah. You don’t essentially attack on a wide front. You break up your urban areas into sectors that you then dominate. So, they’ve cut off Gaza City from the South, which is Gaza’s largest city, about 700,000 people.

………. I think that it’s saturation bombing. I mean, they will keep the northern part of Gaza corded off, surrounded, but I expect them to kind of bomb their way to victory, or what they’re going to continue or call victory.

……..They don’t really want to start crawling through the rubble fighting Hamas fighters. The tunnels are an issue. We don’t know how big, but they’re big. But they need generators in order to pump down air into the tunnels.

……….I think most of the hostages are probably in the tunnels. This is also a very cynical decision on the part of the Netanyahu government. I don’t think many of those hostages are going to come back. I think they know that and they don’t care. So, they’ve cut off food. In essence, they’ve cut off water. I mean, the trucks that have come over through Rafan are, it’s negligible. It’s a very cynical kind of public relations ploy, but it doesn’t do anything to alleviate the tremendous suffering.

So, I expect that they will push what remains of the Gaza population over the border into the Sinai, into Egypt, and they will never come back. And there have been reports in the Egyptian press that the Americans have approached the CC government. The Egyptian economy is in a mess at over $160 billion in debt. And they will offer financial incentives, and probably if that doesn’t work though, use threats and to do Israel’s bidding. And in essence, Gaza as we know it, and I spent seven years covering Gaza, my office was right in the center of Gaza City, just won’t exist.

……………………………………………………………….. Marc Steiner:

So, I’m thinking about the American end in this, and I know it’s not going to happen, but it seems like the only way conceivably to stop Israel from doing what it’s doing at this moment would be the threat of a cutoff of aid. And when you see inside the Jewish world in America, in the United States, I see it all the time, is a growing body of Jews saying, ‘No, not in our name. We don’t agree,” And whether it’s marches or articles and organizations being developed. So, I mean, that seems to me the only way to stop the madness.

Chris Hedges:

Well, that would be the only way, even that might not work because Israel needs that aid to essentially replenish stockpiles. But they have a pretty robust arsenal. Well, those are the Jews that don’t count. I mean, J Street and Jewish voices for peace don’t count. I mean, for me, they count quite a bit. But I’m talking about in terms of the power structure, and it’s money. I mean, it’s APAC and these Sheldon Adelson type retrograde Jewish billionaires. By the way, they funded Netanyahu. I covered that campaign. Netanyahu was their baby. They created him and they bankrolled him against Rabin.


So, yes, I mean, I think ultimately that’s why I support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanction movement, that it is about severing aid and imposing sanctions on Israel. That’s the only weapon we have. We’re very far from achieving that. Even most of the liberal groups don’t support BDS. And the Israel lobby is just so well-funded and so powerful, and they represent a political strain of a very right wing political strain within the American population that it does not, I would guess, represent the political leanings of probably most American Jews.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………for them, it’s the final solution, or their version of the final solution, which is, and they won’t stop. And once they finish with Gaza, they will turn on the West Bank. And they want to create, these are their own words, a kind of religiously pure state, which means the forced exile, ethnic cleansing, whatever you want to call it, of millions of Palestinians, including Christians. I mean, there’s a significant Christian population among the Palestinians. They think they’re going to finish with this problem once and for all.

………………………… the United States is actively backing and supporting the genocide with intelligence, with military support, vetoing, the calls for the ceasefire at the UN, etc. I mean, what you will, you will certainly create blow back probably in the form of terrorism. But once these people are pushed out of their land and permanently thrust into the diaspora, which I think is the plan……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

 Well, I mean, it’s not my job to sell hope. That’s not journalism, by the way.

It’s my job to assess the situation as clearly as I can.

………………………………………………….. Israel will become a fascistic state ruled by the ultra orthodox, kind of Jewish version of Iran.

……………………………..Netanyahu’s dismantling of the judiciary is, of course, a huge step in that. But people who speak out against the Netanyahu assault against democracy or the slaughter in Gaza are attacked as traitors and silenced. And I mean, there’s been a huge campaign preceding October 7th against Israeli human rights workers at B’Tselem.

……. And that will just now accelerate. There’ll be no room for dissent

Marc Steiner:……………………………………. And what’s happening in the Palestinian world, I think people don’t really grasp the intensity, the madness, the murder that’s taking place among Palestinians now…………………..

Chris Hedges:

Well, Israel’s cut off all the internet and cell phone service because when you carry out genocide, you block the ability of the victims to reach the outside world. That’s standard.

……….. it’s about the wholesale destruction of people, and all of the mechanisms by which you can destroy a people. The denial of food, the denial of water, the denial of safety, the ability to flee, fleeing to the south. They’re bombing the south. They’re bombing the supposedly corridors that they set up to go to the south. It’s indiscriminate, dropping 2,000 pound bombs on Jabalia, on refugee camps. Jabalia, I’ve been in, spent a lot of time in Jabalia. So, Gaza is one of the most densely packed spots on the planet, but Jabalia is the most densely packed spot in Gaza, and I think they bombed it three times. Nobody knows the number of dead because-

……… … thousands are under the rubble. So, that indiscriminate, they’re bombing hospitals. I mean, they say, “Well, they’re terrorist command centers, or Hamas command centers.” They’re bombing hospitals, they’ve cut off the fuel. The babies in incubators are dying. I mean, that’s genocide.

………………………… the wild card is whether it ignites a regional conflagration. So, that would begin in Lebanon with Hezbollah, but it wouldn’t begin unless Iran green-lighted it. I don’t think that Iran or Hezbollah wants to ignite a regional conflagration, but that’s the wild card. I mean, things can just go wrong. I’ve covered enough war that once you open that Pandora’s box and let all those evil spirits out, they control you. It doesn’t control… You don’t control it.

So yeah, things could go wrong that way. The arms manufacturers are thrilled. They’re making money in Ukraine, they’re making money with Israel, because remember, most of this money is going straight to Raytheon and Northrop Grumman, and that’s who’s making the money. So, I don’t… The Palestinians have always been friendless, powerless. And the Arab states are very duplicitous about their commitment, which is largely rhetorical, and they’re quite happy to sell the Palestinian’s outing. There’s a lot of animus towards, I mean, for instance, Egypt hates Hamas because Hamas was born out of the Muslim brotherhood, and they, CC with us and Israeli backing, seized power to essentially prevent a Muslim brotherhood government from running Egypt.

So, the Palestinians really don’t have many friends. Iran, Qatar, Hezbollah, Syria to a certain extent, but not… Am I, if I had to make an educated guess, I think Israel’s going to get away with it.

Pushing most of the Palestinians out of Gaza and turning most of Gaza into a moonscape, which is they’ve already done with the North.

I  know that’s what they want to do. I mean, that is without question. The question is whether they can be stopped, but I don’t see the forces that are going to stop them.

…………………..Marc Steiner:

Mainstream media is not really giving the people here [inaudible 00:25:15]…………………………………………………………………………………more https://scheerpost.com/2023/11/08/chris-hedges-israels-endgame-is-destruction-of-the-idea-of-palestine/ #Israel #Palestine

November 9, 2023 Posted by | Israel, politics international, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Preventing AI Nuclear Armageddon.

Nov 8, 2023,MELISSA PARKE https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/dangers-of-artificial-intelligence-ai-applications-nuclear-weapons-by-melissa-parke-2023-11

Nuclear history is rife with near-misses, with disaster averted by a human who chose to trust their own judgment, rather than blindly follow the information provided by machines. Applying artificial intelligence to nuclear weapons increases the chances that, next time, nobody will stop the launch.

GENEVA – It is no longer science fiction: the race to apply artificial intelligence to nuclear-weapons systems is underway – a development that could make nuclear war more likely. With governments worldwide acting to ensure the safe development and application of AI, there is an opportunity to mitigate this danger. But if world leaders are to seize it, they must first recognize just how serious the threat is.

In recent weeks, the G7 agreed on the Hiroshima Process International Code of Conduct for Organizations Developing Advanced AI Systems, in order to “to promote safe, secure, and trustworthy AI worldwide,” and US President Joe Biden issued an executive order establishing new standards for AI “safety and security.” The United Kingdom also hosted the first global AI Safety Summit, with the goal of ensuring that the technology is developed in a “safe and responsible” manner.

But none of these initiatives adequately addresses the risks posed by the application of AI to nuclear weapons. 

Both the G7 code of conduct and Biden’s executive order refer only in passing to the need to protect populations from AI-generated chemical, biological, and nuclear threats. And UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak did not mention the acute threat posed by nuclear-weapons-related AI applications at all, even as he declared that a shared understanding of the risks posed by AI had been reached at the AI Safety Summit.

No one doubts the existential risks posed by the use of nuclear weapons, which would wreak untold devastation on humanity and the planet. Even a regional nuclear war would kill hundreds of thousands of people directly, while leading to significant indirect suffering and death. The resulting climatic changes alone would threaten billions with starvation.

Nuclear history is rife with near-misses. All too often, Armageddon was averted by a human who chose to trust their own judgment, rather than blindly follow the information provided by machines. In 1983, the Soviet officer Stanislav Petrov received an alarm from the early-warning satellite system he was monitoring: American nuclear missiles had been detected heading toward the Soviet Union. But rather than immediately alert his superiors, surely triggering nuclear “retaliation,” Petrov rightly determined that it was a false alarm.

Would Petrov have made the same call – or even had the opportunity to do so – if AI had been involved? In fact, applying machine learning to nuclear weapons will reduce human control over decisions to deploy them.

Of course, a growing number of command, control, and communications tasks have been automated since nuclear weapons were invented. But, as machine learning advances, the process whereby advanced machines make decisions is becoming increasingly opaque – what is known as AI’s “black box problem.” This makes it difficult for humans to monitor a machine’s functioning, let alone determine whether it has been compromised, is malfunctioning, or has been programmed in such a way that could lead to illegal or unintentional outcomes.

Simply ensuring that a human makes the final launch decision would not be enough to mitigate these risks. As psychologist John Hawley concluded in a 2017 study, “Humans are very poor at meeting the monitoring and intervention demands imposed by supervisory control.”

Moreover, as Princeton University’s Program on Science and Global Security showed in 2020, leaders’ decision-making processes in a nuclear crisis are already very rushed. Even if AI is merely used in sensors and targeting, rather than to make launch decisions – it will shorten the already tight timescale for deciding whether to strike. The added pressure on leaders will increase the risk of miscalculation or irrational choices.

Yet another risk arises from the use of AI in satellite and other intelligence-detection systems: this will make it more difficult to hide nuclear weapons, such as ballistic-missile submarines, that have historically been concealed. This could spur nuclear-armed countries to deploy all their nuclear weapons earlier in a conflict – before their adversaries get a chance to immobilize known nuclear systems.

So far, no initiative – from Biden’s executive order to the G7’s code of conduct – has gone beyond a voluntary commitment to ensure that humans retain control of nuclear-weapons decision-making. But, as United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has noted, a legally binding treaty banning “lethal autonomous weapons systems” is crucial.

While such a treaty is a necessary first step, however, much more needs to be done. When it comes to nuclear weapons, trying to anticipate, mitigate, or regulate the new risks created by emerging technologies will never be enough. We must remove these weapons from the equation entirely.

This means that all governments must commit to stigmatize, prohibit, and eliminate nuclear weapons by joining the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which offers a clear path toward a world without such arms. It also means that nuclear-armed states must immediately stop investing in modernizing and expanding their nuclear arsenals, including in the name of making them “safe” or “secure” from cyberattacks. Given the insurmountable risks posed by the mere existence of nuclear weapons, such efforts are fundamentally futile.

We know that autonomous systems may lower the threshold to engage in armed conflict. When applied to nuclear weapons, AI is adding another layer of risk to an already unacceptable level of danger. It is critical that policymakers and the public recognize this, and fight not only to avoid applying AI to nuclear weapons, but to eliminate such weapons entirely. #nuclear #antinuclear #nuclearfree #NoNukes

November 9, 2023 Posted by | technology, weapons and war | 1 Comment

Wikileaks cable: Israeli intelligence chief encouraged Hamas takeover of Gaza Strip

 DEC 22, 2010 , By Saed Bannoura   https://imemc.org/article/60238/

In the latest revelation to come out of the hundreds of thousands of leaked diplomatic cables provided by the website ‘Wikileaks’, a diplomatic exchange between then Israeli Director of Military Intelligence, Major General Amos Yadlin, and US Ambassador to Israel Richard Jones showed Israeli support for a Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip which Israel could then declare Gaza to be a ‘hostile entity’.The Hamas party won Palestinian parliamentary elections in January 2006, but was prevented from forming a government as required by the Palestinian constitution. In June 2007, after months of attempted takeovers by the US-supported Fateh party, the Hamas party was able to form their government in Gaza. The cable in question was recorded just hours before the Hamas government was formed in Gaza in June 2007.

In the transcript, Yadlin told the US Ambassador that he would be “very happy” if Hamas formed a government in Gaza “as long as they have no (air or sea) port.” He added that Israel would then work with the rival Palestinian political party, Fateh, to form a government in the West Bank and work to undermine the Hamas government in Gaza.

That is exactly what took place, just after the meeting between Yadlin and Ambassador Jones, as Hamas created its government in Gaza and Israel launched a massive siege, and the largest-ever assault on Gaza in late December 2008.

In another leaked cable, Yadlin spoke with US Congressmember Robert Wexler in December 2008, saying ‘Abu Mazen ‘(Mahmoud Abbas) and (Salam) Fayyad are controlling the West Bank while the Hamas has established a terror entity in Gaza”. #Israel #Palestine

November 9, 2023 Posted by | Israel, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

The USA cancellation of NuScale’s small nuclear reactor project is a blow to Australia’s Coalition opposition political party.

Coalition’s nuclear SMR poster boy cancels flagship project due to soaring costs

ReNeweconomy, Giles Parkinson 9 November 2023

NuScale, the controversial proponent of nuclear small modular reactor designs that has been championed by the federal Coalition and technology ideologues around the world, has had its flagship project cancelled because of rising costs.

NuScale is often cited as the company with the most advanced plans on nuclear SMRs – a technology that does not actually exist in the commercial market – and had planned to build six such 78 MW reactors in Utah under a much vaunted proposal.

But the contract has been cancelled because its proposed customers – mostly municipal based utilities – refused to pay the target price for nuclear power, which had already jumped earlier this year by 53 per cent to $US89 a megawatt hour ($A139/MWh), despite a $US30/MWh subsidy from the US government.

The US Department of Energy had bet heavily on the technology, and NuScale itself, giving it $US600 million since 2014, according to a Reuters report, and promising a further $US1.35 billion for the Utah project in 2020.

NuScale is the only developer of SMRs to have received a licence from US nuclear regulators, but had to go back to the drawing board and re-apply after deciding that the licenced SMR design was too small to be commercial successful. Now it seems that the bigger units don’t add up either.

Despite the fanciful nature of the technology, and an expected wait of at least 20 years for it to be commercially available in Australia, if at all, nuclear SMRs have been pushed heavily by the Coalition and conservative media, particularly the Murdoch press, Sky News, the AFR and various radio networks.

They have argued that Australia should halt the closure of coal fired power stations, stop the rollout of new transmission lines and new wind, solar and storage projects, and wait for SMRs to appear – despite the increased urgency of climate action and emission cuts urged by scientists.

Some nuclear proponents have said, absurdly, that SMRs could be brought to Australia within a decade, but most of the media have had to resort to interviewing emergency doctors, school children and sales people to find any support for that idea…………………………………….

NuScale’s share crashed on the news, falling more than 20 per cent according to Reuters, taking their losses since August last year to more than 80 per cent as the market reassessed the company’s claims.

NuScale still wants to pursue SMRs, and hopes to build up to 2GW of plants in Ohio and Pennsylvania for Standard Power, but it is now targeting markets where there is less regulatory oversight and more government support. Reuters says it is looking at Poland, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Romania.

The New York Times reports that decision to cancel the project followed an update from NuScale this year regarding the cost of building the reactors, which had soared to $US9.3 billion from $US5.3 billion because of rising interest rates and inflation.

Mason Baker, the CEO of UAMPS, the group of municipal utilities in Utah that had signed up to the proposed SMRs, said the decision to cancel the contract was “the best course” and “what is best for member communities.”

In a statement, Baker said the utilities will look at alternative technologies for their low carbon energy needs. In an interview with a local newspaper, he cited wind and solar projects, geothermal and gas plants with a mix of green hydrogen as likely alternatives.  https://reneweconomy.com.au/coalitions-nuclear-smr-poster-boy-cancels-flagship-project-due-to-soaring-costs/ #nuclear #antinuclear #nuclearfree #NoNukes

November 9, 2023 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, politics | Leave a comment

Flagship US nuclear reactor project collapses owing taxpayers $600m

Ben Potter, Australian Financial Review, 9 Nov 23

A flagship US small modular nuclear reactor project has collapsed, taking with it $US600 million ($930 million) of American taxpayers’ money.

Develop NuScale said the Portland, Oregon-based company and Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) had agreed to terminate their Carbon Free Power Project after cost blowouts scared off potential customers.

“It appears unlikely that the project will have enough subscription to continue toward deployment,” NuScale said in a statement.

Its shares fell 30 per cent in after-market trade, on top of a 70 per cent decline for the year to date.

The Utah project to build a 462-megawatt small modular reactor was one of a handful aimed at demonstrating the commercial viability of SMRs.

The nuclear industry is pinning its hopes on the ambitious technology as a zero-carbon option for firming variable renewable energy after massive cost blowouts in conventional large-scale nuclear reactors in the US and UK.

It has been enthusiastically promoted by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and his energy spokesman Ted O’Brien. However, Energy and Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen and local experts such as The Grattan Institute’s Tony Wood have dismissed the technology as too costly and too far away in terms of implementation to be of use to Australia’s faltering grid decarbonisation.

A small modular reactor project being pursued by Ontario Power Generation remains on foot.

……………………………………………………..Reuters reported the US Department of Energy had agreed to provide $US1.35 billion to the collapsed project over 10 years, of which about $US600 million had been disbursed since 2014.

Municipal participants in the project were unnerved when the indicative wholesale cost of power from the Utah project jumped to $US89 per megawatt hour ($A137/MWh) from $US58/ MWh last January.

Mr Bowen said: “The opposition’s only energy policy is small modular reactors. Today, the most advanced prototype in the US has been cancelled. The LNP’s plan for energy security is just more hot air from Peter Dutton.” ……………………………………. https://www.afr.com/policy/energy-and-climate/flagship-us-nuclear-reactor-project-collapses-owing-taxpayers-930m-20231109-p5eit0 #nuclear #antinuclear #nuclearfree #NoNukes

November 9, 2023 Posted by | business and costs, USA | Leave a comment

The moniker ‘Genocide Joe’ beginning to fit President Biden

Walt Zlotow, West Suburban Peace Coalition, Glen Ellyn I https://heartlandprogressive.blogspot.com/ 8 Nov 23

The moniker ‘Genocide Joe’ beginning to fit President Biden

The Chicago Tribune headline last nite should have been in the largest type available:

‘Civilians trapped in Gaza running out of food, fuel and hope.’

That’s not 23 or 230 or 2,300 civilians in Gaza. It’s 2,300,000.

That near genocidal ethnic cleansing by Israel is fervently supported and enabled by President Biden. It is the most ghoulish US foreign policy I’ve witnessed in my 72 years following America’s international affairs.

Biden appears to view the grotesque destruction he’s enabling of the 2.3 million folks there in purely political terms. He’s feeling the heat of tens of million nationally and likely billions worldwide, that immediate ceasefire and unlimited humanitarian relief must occur forthwith.

But Biden simply fakes empathy, calling for a ‘pause’ for humanitarian relief before the onslaught continues unabated. He sent his Secretary of State Tony Blinken to Israel to literally beg Prime Minister Netanyahu to implement such a pause. Netanyahu brushed him off like a fly on his lapel.

Biden has tremendous leverage to force both an immediate ceasefire and a commitment to work for a true two state solution to end Israel’s 75 yearlong imprisonment and destruction of the Palestinian people. He must implement his own ceasefire by cancelling America’s $3.8 billion annual giveaway to Israel forthwith. He should withdraw his request for a supplemental $14 billion in weaponry and other aid that supports genocidal ethnic cleansing. Israel needs not one dollar in US largess. Israel’s annual expenditure on defense has dropped from over 20% of GDP in ’73 to just 5% today. Why should Israel spend more when Uncle Sam helps make up the slack with borrowed US treasure?

It has by far the most powerful military in the Middle East. No other power comes close.

Many can no longer look at Joe Biden’s visage without pondering: ‘Why is the most powerful leader in the world, allowing this unrelenting humanitarian catastrophe continue?’ Without an immediate and robust pivot to peace, Biden’s legacy may not be America’s 46th president.

He’s risking more and more it simply being ‘Genocide Joe.’ #Israel #Palestine

November 9, 2023 Posted by | USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Biden’s Pathetic Response to Israel’s Bombing of Gaza (w/ Chris Hedges)

SCHEERPOST, November 8, 2023

steemed journalist Chris Hedges returned from weeks in Europe to find huge changes to the Cornel West campaign, Biden’s election changes, and the fate of Palestinians in Gaza. He talks about what he hopes to have accomplished in Europe vis-a-vis Julien Assange’z extradition, and weighs in on Dr. West leaving the Green Party, the campaign manager switch ups, and what’s left for the left to do now that the geopolitics of the moment make Biden a less viable candidate than ever. ……….more https://scheerpost.com/2023/11/08/bidens-pathetic-response-to-israels-bombing-of-gaza-w-chris-hedges/ #Israel #Palestine

November 9, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Does Israel pose a nuclear threat to the world?

 https://www.aljazeera.com/program/inside-story/2023/11/8/does-israel-pose-a-nuclear-threat-to-the-world

Israeli cabinet minister’s statement that an atomic bomb is an option for Gaza raises global alarm.

Israel’s nuclear programme is widely seen as one of the Middle East’s worst kept secrets.

It is believed to have originated in the 1950s. Today, Israel possesses about 90 nuclear bombs, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Israel has never officially acknowledged the existence of its nuclear weapons, but they’re believed to be aimed at rivals in the region such as Iran.

The country is not a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

So the statement by a cabinet minister that Israel could opt to drop an atomic bomb on Gaza is raising alarm. More so since hardliners such as National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich are part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet.

So as Israel continues its bloodbath in Gaza, should the world be worried about its nuclear arms programme?

Presenter: James Bays

Guests:

Rabia Akhtar – director of the Centre for Security, Strategy and Policy Research at the University of Lahore

Ahmed Abofoul – international lawyer and legal researcher and advocacy officer for Al Haq, a human rights organisation

Patrick Bury – defence and security expert at the University of Bath #nuclear #antinuclear #nuclearfree #NoNukes #Israel #Palestine

November 9, 2023 Posted by | weapons and war | Leave a comment