Monday, August 5: Two Ismail's
300, 301, 302, 303 days of genocide and counting...
There’s a certain apartheid state doing everything it can to kick off a broader regional war with Iran and it kinda seems like everyone with any semblance of power (Biden, Harris, Trump, Putin, Bueller?) is choosing to pretend that the war criminals at Israel's helm aren’t doing exactly that.
Over the course of a week, the apartheid state has bombed civilians in 5 different countries, debated and seen mutiny arguing over whether or not it's okay to rape Palestinian prisoners, killed the man they’re supposed to be negotiating with, violated UN resolutions, Geneva conventions and Vienna conventions, and killed more of the journalists covering these atrocities.
It’s always more bad news for any journalists trying to report what’s happening in Gaza. The apartheid state publicly admitted to targeting and assassinating a working Al-Jazeera journalist, 27 year old Ismail al-Ghoul without affording him a trial or a shred of due process. No evidence or investigation needed. Just broad, baseless allegations and a headless corpse, as the death toll of journalists climbs to well over 100. The Committee to Protect Journalists documents at least 113 journalists and media workers among the tens of thousands killed since October, making it the deadliest period for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992.
The internal unrest in the apartheid state came to a head when Israel Defense Forces military police last Monday detained nine reservists who served in the "Force 100" unit at the "Sde Teiman" military base/torture center. Sde Teiman was used as a detention facility for Hamas militants involved in the Oct. 7 attacks, as well as many innocent suspects arrested by the IDF in Gaza for any number of offenses, mainly the crime of being Palestinian.
Several reports in the Israeli and international press focused on alleged human rights violations at the base, which some human rights organizations called "the Israeli Guantanamo" (always nice when the US can set the international standard). The Israeli outlet Haaretz has reported that more than 30 detainees have died at the facility since Oct. 7.
In a separate, diplomatic sense, tensions are also escalating and coming to a full boil. The apartheid state assassinated Ismail Haniyeh, the lead negotiator in ceasefire talks with Hamas and an important advocate for Palestinian liberation. The apartheid lovers killed the UN's peace mediator Count Folke Bernadotte, a Swedish diplomat and literal ‘nobleman’ waaayy back in 1948, and now they’ve done the same with Haniyeh, Hamas' top negotiator, traveling on a diplomatic passport to attend the president's inauguration in Iran.
Mind you Iran is a whole separate country people. We’re talking about a major military strike on foreign soil kind of escalation. This kind of action demands and anticipates hostile response, it doesn’t take a genius military strategist to recognize that. The US and all our imperialist allies are preparing to defend the apartheid state from any expected counterstrike(s) and ignore or contribute to an even more destructive broader regional conflict.
If the violence was limited to parts of Gaza or even just Gaza, perhaps we could believe that a ceasefire was a possible outcome on the horizon, but John Oliver did an informative piece on the violence continuing to unfold in the West Bank these past weeks and months, and it’s clear that there was never really any hope for a ceasefire because one side (surprise it’s Israel) has consistently and explicitly stated they are NOT seeking one. The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh is in line with this pledge. Any notion of the apartheid state negotiating an end to the current hostilities is 100% a fabrication of the US media.
The UN human rights office issued a report Wednesday saying Palestinians detained by the apartheid state authorities since the Oct. 7 attacks have faced waterboarding, sleep deprivation, electric shocks, dogs set on them, and other forms of torture and mistreatment. This is what Kamala and her IDF-adoring VP are endorsing, this is what Biden is currently supporting, this is what American taxpayers are directly funding.
Side Items
Stock Market Update: Things are looking rough from a global financial perspective. The Japanese market took a nosedive today, dropping more than 12% overall as the rest of the world keeps a nervous eye on what plays out in terms of international security. Perhaps we’re witnessing the early rumblings of global capitalist discontent, time will tell
Harris VP Pick: With Officer Kamala finally securing enough delegates to guarantee the democratic nomination in a few weeks, all eyes are now firmly set on her choice of running mate. Trump caved a few weeks ago and announced Ohio senator//teenage 40 year old JD Vance as his partner in the November clown contest. There were several names floated as potential vice presidential candidates, but it appears to be coming down to Pennsylvania governor and worst guy you could ever spend time in a room with, Josh Shapiro. Already there have been a number of publicized scandalous stories relating to Shapiro’s prior career and personal life, none more relevant than his decision to volunteer with the IDF. You gotta be really committed to the scumbaggery if you’re spending your time serving the apartheid defense forces for free!
Olympics Update: For the first time in 20 years, the fastest man in the world is American, Türkiye may or may not have sent a hitman to earn the silver medal in men’s shooting with one of the coldest performances in modern memory, Gabriel Medina had the iciest photo of the entire competition and will likely earn a medal tonight, and an Italian cop boxer was such a sore loser that she made the whole world question an Algerian woman’s credentials, but the Algerian took home the bronze when it was all said and done. All in all, a relatively memorable competition thus far
The Patriotic Rock: In the end, it appears the most patriotic thing Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson ever did was make a failed deal with the US military. The army signed a significant sponsorship with the United Football League, or UFL, a failing minor league alternative to the NFL, but the investment barely got them any new recruits and more likely lost them any viable candidates. An ~$11 million deal set the military up to be the premier partner for the league's inaugural season, which kicked off last month, and should’ve only strengthened the relationship between the army and Mr. "The Rock" Johnson, an owner of the league