The sheer hypocrisy of Western MSM
...plus news and updates from the Middle East, focussing on Syria, and Russia.
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In my previous article yesterday, Monday 30th December 2024, I wrote about the sheer hypocrisy and double-standards of Western mainstream media (MSM), focussing in particular on freedom of the press and the case of presstitute Cecilia Sala. Allow me to continue on this topic, starting with the case of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, who was kidnapped by Little Satan (a.k.a. Israel) and taken to the notorious Israeli detention camp of Sde Teiman. In this case, almost nobody in the Western MSM is covering this case (except for a few news media outlets, e.g. The Guardian, Huffington Post, New York Post, CNN and NBC - all American, apart from first one (UK), where are the European media?!), nobody is forcefully demanding his release, nobody is condemning Israel, nobody is outraged at the rule of law being torn apart, as in the case of Cecilia Sala.
Meanwhile, today Al Mayadeen has reported about a group of United Nations (UN) rights experts calling for Israel’s accountability “for its violations of international law and the severe suffering inflicted on Palestinian civilians in Gaza” and calling for “independent and thorough investigations into the violations”. Here are some excerpts from the experts’ joint statement, which accuses Israel of committing acts such as “murder, torture, sexual violence, and repeated forced displacement amounting to forcible transfer […] indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian objects [...] the use of starvation as a weapon of war” and “collective punishment” (emphasis mine):
International humanitarian law comprises a set of universal and binding rules to protect civilian objects and persons who are not, or are no longer, directly participating in hostilities and limits permissible means and methods of warfare.
Rather than abide by these rules, Israel has openly defied international law time and again, inflicting maximum suffering on civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory and beyond. Israel continues to face no real consequences, largely due to protection offered by its allies.
In another article Al Mayadeen quotes Israeli Channel 13 as saying that…
a prisoner exchange deal and an end to the war on Gaza would not be approved by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “unless it comes as a directive or clear order from the US president”.
The channel added that, so far, it seems “Israel” has not received a clear order from the American president, despite the ongoing losses suffered by the Israeli military. However, this could change if “Donald Trump assumes power in the White House and tells Netanyahu: Enough. At that point, perhaps we will reach enough”.
This is just the umpteenth confirmation that the war in Gaza and the wider Middle East could be easily stopped with a phone call from the White House.
The father of one of the Israeli hostages, was also quoted as saying (addressing directly US President-Elect Donald J. Trump):
Netanyahu is trying to deceive you. Do not accept a partial agreement; it is effectively a death sentence for the remaining captives and will not end the war. Do not allow these delays to continue.
…while the captives' families issued the following statement accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of obstructing progress on the ceasefire deal:
Netanyahu is fabricating new excuses each time to prevent completing the deal. Anyone who claims they do not intend to end the war has no intention of bringing the captives home. By setting new conditions before completing the deal, they are sentencing the captives to death.
In the meantime, the Israel “Defense” Forces (IDF) that have encroached on Syria are preparing for a long stay, as reported in this Al Mayadeen article quoting Israeli Walla! news media outlet as saying:
Despite pressure from European parties on Israel, political leaders have instructed the Israeli army to brace for a prolonged stay in Syrian territory.
In fact, Al Mayadeen cites an “urgent plan” to bolster control over Mount Hermon, including the construction of “infrastructure at two elevations—2,400 meters and 2,800 meters”.
However, an Israeli senior officer in the northern region Israeli cited by Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, quoted in the same Al Mayadeen article, warned that…
[It is] only a matter of time until we are hit by a surprise anti-tank missile or mortar shell targeting our forces here, which could result in casualties among the soldiers.
There is no enemy here, and we are not conducting meaningful operations or missions. The entire situation feels futile.
…emphasizing that “the Israeli presence in Syria, characterized by the frequent movement of tanks, could inadvertently provoke armed groups into attacking”. In fact, Yedioth Ahronoth had to admit “two recent incidents where Israeli forces opened fire on Syrian protesters demonstrating against the Israeli occupation of their lands” and most likely these incident will not be the last.
Regarding Syria, Iran has a different view from Israel, of course. In fact, in a meeting with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Akbar Ahmadian, said:
[Given] Zionist entity's occupation of Syrian territories, a new resistance will emerge in Syria in the coming years.
…as reported by Al Mayadeen, which also quoted Badr al-Busaidi as saying:
We are capable of standing against the ambitions of the Zionist entity if Islamic countries adopt unified positions.
…in another meeting with Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf - see also this article by IRNA (Islamic Republic News Agency) - while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated the following in a press conference with Badr al-Busaidi, as per IRNA:
Iran’s positions have much in common with Oman and most countries in the region, and we all want independence and stability in Syria.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was quoted by IRNA as saying:
It is unacceptable and undesirable for Muslim nations to be in discord while a criminal regime like the Zionist regime exploits this situation to harm them.
…in a meeting with Badr al-Busaidi’s delegation.
Meanwhile in Syria, its de facto leader Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, formerly known as “head-chopper” Abu Mohammad al-Julani, “has appointed dozens of former opposition members, including several foreign jihadists, to prominent positions in the Syrian army as part of efforts to restructure the country's military”, as reported by Al Mayadeen, which quoted the UK-based war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as saying that “many of the appointees are close allies of al-Sharaa, including at least six foreigners. These include fighters from Albania, Jordan, Turkey, Tajikistan, and a Uyghur associated with the Turkistan Islamic Party”.
Aymenn al-Tamimi, an expert on jihadist groups, confirmed to AFP the inclusion of foreigners on the list, including a Jordanian, a Uyghur, and a Turkish fighter who led a faction of Turkish fighters under HTS and is now a brigadier general.
I wonder what could be possibly go wrong in a country whose military is led by foreign mercenaries!
Haid Haid, a consulting fellow at Chatham House, was also cited as saying:
The top seven highest ranks of those promoted seem to be all from HTS.
HTS has been able to position its members, as well as those who are close to it, to be the ones leading the defense ministry, the future army, as well as the ones leading the restructuring of this army.
It is also worth reporting that in an interview to Al Arabiya, referenced by Al Mayadeen, al-Sharaa a.k.a. al-Julani stated the following (emphasis mine):
The current appointments were essential for the period and not intended to exclude anyone.
There will be no division of Syria in any way.
Negotiations are ongoing with the SDF to resolve the crisis in north-eastern Syria.
Saudi Arabia has a major role in Syria’s future, and I take pride in everything it has done for us.
We hope the incoming Trump Administration will not follow the policy of its predecessor. [Referring to US sanctions against Syria].
The United Nations has failed to secure the release of a single detainee or facilitate the return of a single refugee.
Russia is the second most powerful state in the world. It is of great importance. Syria shares strategic interests with Russia.
We don’t want Russia to exit Syria in a way that undermines its relationship with country.
…and regarding the topic in the last two statements (emphasized), Al Mayadeen cited a Sputnik interview with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (discussed in more detail in another Al Maydeen article), where he said:
Undoubtedly, the change of power that has taken place and the change in the state of affairs on the ground are making certain adjustments regarding the Russian military presence in Syria. It is not only about preserving our bases or strongholds, but also about the conditions of their operation, maintenance and provision, and interaction with the local side. These topics could be the subject of negotiations with the new Syrian leadership.
However, the press bureau of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) issued a statement, according to which “ISIS field commanders have been supplied with attack drones to target Russian military bases in Syria” and warning that (all emphasis mine)…
According to information received by the SVR, the outgoing US administration and the British leadership, with the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, are aiming to prevent the stabilization of the situation in this country. More broadly, they aim to maintain a state of chaos in the Middle East.
Speaking of Russia and returning to the hypocrisy of Western MSM, yesterday the Ukrainian forces attacked the office of the chief physician of the Aleshky central district hospital in the Kherson region, resulting in the wounding of the chief doctor and the death of his deputy, as reported by TASS. Of course the Western governments and MSM are completely silent on this and other similar terrorist attacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), as it would counter their narrative otherwise.
Here is what Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, wrote on a post on her Telegram channel yesterday (all formatting original):
⚡️ Commentary by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, M.V. Zakharova, in connection with the terrorist attacks by the Kyiv regime on the Kherson region of the Russian Federation
💬 On 30th December [2024], the criminal Kiev regime, with the complicity of its NATO patrons, carried out a heinous attack on the building of the Central District Hospital in the town of Alyoshki in the Kherson region of the Russian Federation, directing a drone at the office of the chief doctor. As a result of this tragedy, the deputy chief doctor for medical work V.I.Borisov was killed, the chief doctor V.I.Kharlan received severe shrapnel wounds.
❗️ We strongly condemn this yet another cynical and bloody crime, by which the Kyiv regime has once again shown its inhuman Nazi nature.
The shelling of populated areas in the Russian regions, the ruthless and blind murders of civilians, journalists, doctors and representatives of other civilian professions testify to the agony of the neo-Nazi regime of Zelensky, which is mired in terrorism, lawlessness, corruption and cynicism and which in its impotent anger seeks to kill as many Russian people as possible to please its Western masters.
☝️ All organisers and perpetrators of this and other crimes of the Kiev regime will be inevitably punished in accordance with the law.
We call on all responsible foreign governments and relevant international structures to issue a strong condemnation of this brutal terrorist attack and to publicly distance themselves from the Kiev regime and its Western handlers who commit such crimes. Silence in response to the unbridled barbarity of the Ukronazis and their puppeteers from “civilized democracies” will be confirmation of complicity in their murderous acts.
I will conclude this article returning briefly to the Middle East with the news that last night the missile force of the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) carried out two military operations, one targeting the Ben Gurion Airport in Yaffa (Tel Aviv) with a Palestine 2 hypersonic ballistic missile and the other one targeting the power station south of al-Quds (Jerusalem) with Zulfiqar ballistic missile; at the same time, a joint operation by the naval force, missile forces, and the UAV force of the YAF targeted the American aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman with a large number of drones and cruise missiles while the American forces were preparing to launch a major air attack against Yemen, as reported by Yemen News Agency Saba and Al Mayadeen, which quoted some Israeli media outlets criticizing the IDF spokesperson for saying the missile was intercepted outside Israel's borders:
He is either lying or distorting the truth.
Al Mayadeen also cited Roi Kais, Israeli correspondent on Arab Affairs for the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (KAN), as saying that “the ballistic missiles were launched from an area south of Hodeidah, which is the same area reported to have been attacked by the United States hours earlier”, which confirms once more that Israeli and joint US-UK bombing of Yemen are completely ineffective, as highlighted also in this IRNA article:
Alon Ben David, an analyst at Israel’s Channel 13, said, “Israel is aware of the limitations of its ability to decide in Yemen”, noting that the conflict will not be resolved by individual attacks.
Amos Harel, an analyst at the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, stated that Ansarullah’s missiles indicate that the issue will not be resolved soon and that Israel in now in another war of attrition – this time with Yemen.
In a related development, The New York Times reported early on Monday that “Israel is being challenged by intensifying attacks” from Yemen’s Ansarullah.
To compensate for its “lack of precise intelligence on the whereabouts of the group’s leaders and weapons stores,” Israel tries to frame its actions as an international issue, the American newspaper reported.
Even Israel’s warplanes and the regime’s retaliatory strikes against Yemen, which recently damaged the international airport in the Yemeni capital, could not shake the Yemenis’ determination, the report says.
However, the Israeli ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, issued the following threat against Yemen, as quoted by The Guardian:
To the Houthis, perhaps you have not been paying attention to what has happened to the Middle East over the past year.
Well, allow me to remind you what has happened to Hamas, to Hezbollah, to Assad, to all those who have attempted to destroy us. Let this be your final warning. This is not a threat. It is a promise. You will share the same miserable fate.
Israel will defend its people. If 2,000 kilometres is not enough to separate our children from the terror, let me assure you, it will not be enough to protect their terror from our strengths.
This threat does not bode well for 2025! But let’s hope/pray for a peaceful new year, though I am not very optimistic.
P.S.: Regarding Syria, I strongly recommend this post by Richard Silverstein on his Tikun Olam blog, focussed on the different views of Israel and Turkey.
there will be no peace until Israel is gone.