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Palestinian footballer battles through tragedy

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Palestinian footballer battles through tragedy

A highly anticipated match between Al-Sadaqa and Gaza Sports Club, and the seventh week of the season, which held the hallmarks of an early title race. The match was scheduled for October 10, 2023.

Mohamed Balah was ready. He had two goals to his name, the ambition to score a third, and confident steps toward a season of renewed brilliance.

But the morning of October 7th was anything but ordinary.

Balah told the Canary:

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We woke up to the sounds of rockets… and in an instant, there was no more league, no more season, no more plans.

Gaza talent struck by geography

Balah is one of the most prominent stars of Palestinian football in recent years. He shone in the Al-Sadaqa jersey, winning both the league and cup titles in the southern governorates, and finishing as runner-up in the competition’s top scorer race, behind the martyred captain Suleiman Al-Obeid. His early talent led to his call-up to the Olympic team in 2014 and 2015, but the Israeli occupation prevented him from traveling to the northern West Bank, thus thwarting his dream of representing his country.

This wasn’t the first time the borders had been closed to him, but it was the first harsh lesson that Palestinian players compete not only on the field, but also for their right to freedom of movement.

In 2017, Balah had a new window of hope when he joined the Jordanian club Al-Ahli. From there, despite the restrictions, the Palestinian Football Association succeeded in securing his participation with the national team, “Al-Fida’i,” allowing him to play his first international match. It was a small victory against a reality of widespread restrictions.

Professionalism expands… then falters

Balah moved between professional experiences in the Sultanate of Oman with Al-Suwaiq, Saham, and Al-Oruba clubs, where he scored crucial goals and accumulated significant experience. He received an offer to move to the UAE league, but the COVID-19 pandemic closed the stadiums and temporarily halted his dream.

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He returned to Gaza in 2021 and signed a short-term contract with Al-Sadaqa, scoring seven goals in nine matches. During that time, he got married and began dreaming of a double stability: family life and football.

But a torn cruciate ligament in early 2022 plunged him into the longest test of his career. A year and a half of treatment and rehabilitation before he returned to the pitch in the 2023-2024 season, scoring two goals… before life itself came to a standstill.

From the pitch to the tents

With the outbreak of war, the player’s journey transformed into a harrowing series of displacements: from Gaza to Khan Younis, then to Al-Maghraqa, then back to the besieged Khan Younis, and finally to dilapidated tents in Rafah.

Balah told me:

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I lost my home and everything I owned. We sold the car to buy food. We were living without electricity or water, under relentless bombardment.

He made the decision to travel to Egypt in search of temporary safety, hoping his wife would join him within days. But the crossing was closed, and the Rafah invasion preempted all promises. His wife remained stranded in Gaza, where she gave birth to their first child, whom he has yet to see.

Between a father deprived of the moment his son was born and a player robbed of his season, personal tragedy intertwines with collective tragedy.

A comeback from the ashes

In Egypt, Balah refused to let his setback become the end. He embarked on a rigorous physical program and then joined Al Mokawloon Al Arab. In his first official appearance, he scored two goals and contributed to leading the team to the Egyptian Premier League title after scoring several crucial goals.

This wasn’t just a football comeback; it was a declaration of survival.

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Later, he moved to the Qatari league with Al Shahaniya, a new professional chapter that revived his old dream: to wear the national team jersey again, but this time with a heavier heart and deeper experience.

A Player… and a Cause

The story of Mohamed Balah is not just about a striker searching for the net, but the biography of a Palestinian athlete battling siege, restrictions, and war, striving to keep his footing on the grass while the land around him crumbles.

He is a player who lost his home, was forcibly separated from his wife and child, and buried entire seasons of his sporting career, but he never buried his dream.

Between a goal in the opponents’ net and a tear held back of a child he never saw born, Mohamed Balah continues on a path not measured by the number of goals scored, but by his ability to run, despite everything.

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US and Israel chose war with Iran despite progress in negotiations

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US and Israel chose war with Iran despite progress in negotiations

With a peace deal at hand, Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu chose war. Negotiators have said unprecedented progress was being made in US-Iran talks. Iran itself said it was willing to offer immense flexibility on the nuclear issue and other questions.

The US and Israel attacked anyway.

Their pretext is incredibly weak — perhaps even weaker than the rationale for the Iraq 2003 invasion. Donald Trump’s rambling eight-minute explainer was so thin that he started citing events from the 1950s:

As the bombs were dropped on 28 February, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi — a key negotiator — told CBS News that unheralded breakthroughs had been made in the talks:

I’m asking to continue this process because we have already achieved quite a substantial progress in the direction of a deal. And the heart of this deal is very important, and I think we have captured that heart.

Asked what the heart of the deal was, Albusaidi said:

if the ultimate objective is to ensure forever that Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb, I think we have cracked that problem through these negotiations by agreeing a very important breakthrough that has never been achieved any time before. And I think if we can capture that and build on it, I think a deal is within our reach.

And pressed on the nuclear questions, the minister said the deal had gone beyond even former US president Barack Obama’s 2015 deal with Iran:

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The single most important achievement, I believe, is the agreement that Iran will never, ever have a nuclear material that will create a bomb. This is, I think, a big achievement. This is something that is not in the old deal that was negotiated during President Obama’s time. This is something completely new.

Read the full transcript here.

Peace thrown away by US and Israel

It is highly unusual that a figure like Albusaidi would publicly disclose details like this. Guardian diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour suggested it was a desperate — and, it seems, vain — attempt to avoid a war:

The US was about to achieve its objectives. Trump opted to attack. The Omani minister even said that Iran had even agreed to discuss its ballistic missiles — a previous red line for Iran:

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Oman FM says he believes Iran will discuss its ballistic missile program in context of a separate security negotiation with GCC countries.

He told CBS Iran was open to direct nuclear inspections, again at an unprecedented level:

This is why I think this is a much, much better deal, because I think Iran is open to the idea in a way that- that- that never had been the case in the past.

Drop Site News is one of the few outlets to engage with official US enemies. Drop Site have made a point of speaking to Hamas. The outlet has also interviewed Iranian officials.

On 24 February, an Iranian official told them:

We have demonstrated an almost unbelievable level of flexibility on the enrichment issue itself.

The same individual claimed:

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Iranian negotiators, he said, working in coordination with the Supreme National Security Council and empowered by the country’s leadership, “decided to exercise maximum flexibility on the nuclear issue, but only on the strict condition that it would genuinely prevent the outbreak of war.

Drop Site are publishing regular strike updates here:

British operations against Iran

The Brits say they aren’t involved in hitting Iran. This is false. As the Canary reported on 24 February, at least one Royal Navy sailor permanently serves as navigator for the USS Churchill. The Churchill is currently part of the US armada attacking Iran.

And in 2024, our colleagues at Declassified UK reported the UK has a secret war pact with Israel to attack Iran:

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According to leaked documents, the British project was codenamed HEZUK and designed to counter the “destabilising regional activity of Iran and Hizballah”.

This would be done by strengthening UK-Israel intelligence collaboration and increasing military cooperation, with the effect of deepening bilateral security integration.

Read the full report here.

The US — with Israeli assistance — has thrown away the very deal Trump has been clamouring after for years. Against a background of genocide in Gaza and increased belligerence in the western hemisphere, Trump and Netanyahu have pulled the trigger. And the so-called ‘peace president’ — who built his brand around opposition to American wars in the Middle East — may have just blown open the gates of hell.

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Starmer and EU called out on hypocrisy over Iran

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Starmer and EU called out on hypocrisy over Iran

The US and Israel are committing a cheeky war crime again, this time with another horrific attack on Iran. And as usual, Starmer and European governments are allowing it to happen.

Zarah calls out Starmer’s cowardice, again

Zarah Sultana was among the many British people to point out the hypocrisy of Prime Minister Keir Starmer allowing this to happen.

The Your Party MP tweeted:

An Omani mediator said last night a peace deal between the US and Iran was within reach.

This morning, the US and Israel bombed Iran.

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No imminent threat. No legal basis. Another illegal war dressed up as “security” and “democracy”.

The Labour government must stop being Trump’s poodle and condemn this blatant violation of international law before it engulfs the region.

The war drums are banging, our movement must resist.

She is, of course, correct. There is absolutely no legal basis for this war. And as usual, Starmer has rolled over for Trump, telling BBC News:

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Iran should return to the negotiating table

To be clear, that’s where they were when the US and Israel attacked them.

The attack, we were told, was preemptive. But that is of course more bullshit. As Sultana says there was no imminent threat from Iran. As Zeteo News reporter Prem Thakker pointed out, the phrase is insulting our intelligence:

The phrase “preemptive strike” is as insulting as when we were sold “humanitarian pauses” in the middle of a live-streamed genocide. The powerful looking you straight in the face and telling you your common sense simply doesn’t matter.

EU also rolls over for Israel and US

While Starmer has stayed silent, other officials defended the US and Israel’s actions. Vice President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, blamed Iran:

The latest developments across the Middle East are perilous.

Iran’s regime has killed thousands. Its ballistic missile and nuclear programmes, along with support for terror groups, pose a serious threat to global security. The EU has adopted strong sanctions against Iran and supported diplomatic solutions, including on the nuclear issue.

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However, as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese told her, this is rank hypocrisy:

I wish you had applied the same scrutiny to Israel, as it made millions homeless and displaced; thousands killed; thousands detained and tortured. Regional destabilisation from Gaza to Lebanon and the whole region.
Double standards elevated to policy make Europe weaker, not safer

Donald Trump is a war criminal and a pedophile

As always, there’s a Trump tweet for everything, though. In 2011, the President tweeted:

In order to get elected, Barack Obama will start a war with Iran.

Let’s not forget, though, the real reason why Trump is getting more dangerous by the day. The rapist-in-Chief is hoping that by dropping bombs, he’ll distract everyone from the fact that he’s named over 38,000 times in the Epstein files.

This can’t be an either-or, he needs to be arrested for war crimes and for being a massive fucking paedophile.

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Israel is terrorising Palestinians in Ramallah

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Israel is terrorising Palestinians in Ramallah

Not a day goes by when Al-Mughayyir is not violently attacked- either by settlers or the Israel occupation army.

The village, which has a population of around 4000, is in the occupied West Bank, North East of Ramallah. Problems began in 2018, when the first settlement was built, just 300m to the North of al Mughayyir.

Israel work with settlers to terrorise the village

Marzouk Abu Naim, is on the village council. He tells the Canary:

The first thing they did was cut the trees, burn the land, and steal livestock. They assaulted farmers and stopped them going to their land.

There are now nine settlements to the North, East, and South of the village. The violence directed at the community has increased exponentially, and so to has the land theft. Not long ago, Al Mughayyir had 43,000 dunums, or 4300 hectares of land, but not any more.

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Abu Naim told me:

Since 7 October, 2023 we only have 1000 dunums of land. Settlers, helped by the army, have taken it all. They hit and shoot at people, and force them from their land and their homes, and they steal everything. They are with the army all the time. The army and the settlers are the same thing, except for the jacket. They all have guns.

There used to be two routes into the village. But the army has now closed the gates to the Western village entrance, and made the other one into a checkpoint. Sometimes this is closed, so people are unable to go in or out of al Mughayyir.

Multiple Palestinian young men have been killed by the Israeli occupation during the raids on the village

In January 2019,  a large number of settlers entered the village and shot at people. A 15 year old boy was killed. According to Abu Naim, five Palestinians are still suffering long term injuries from this attack, and regularly need to be treated in hospital.

In April 2024, around 1000 settlers stormed the village, cut down trees and destroyed Palestinian homes. While the settlers terrorised al Mughayyir,  the army closed the gates of the village and prevented anyone from leaving. A 23 year old young man was killed, and more than 75 people were injured. Homes were raided, 200 sheep were stolen, and scores of cars belonging to villagers were vandalised.

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In August 2025, when the Canary last spoke with Abu Naim, Israel prevented Palestinians from leaving or entering the village, for three days. They killed an 18 year old Palestinian, and destroyed 10,000 olive trees.

Abu Naim says:

When they killed the last person, they closed the village while the funeral was going on and started shooting at people in their cars. And the settlers threw stones. They want us to leave our village. They want the village, but without the Palestinians. They start with the trees, with the sheep, now they will end  our income. Our life here has stopped. We cannot do anything. Everyone is so worried. We don’t know what will happen, but we will stay here.

No one from al Mughayyir  is spared from the occupation’s violence

The people of al Mughayyir are costantly harrassed, intimidated and physically abused. And the situation has escalated since 7 October. Israeli occupation forces (IOF) come into the village almost every nght, entering homes, destroying their contents, and directing violence towards residents. They even arrest children.

Then the settlers arrive in the daytime to continue terrorising the community.

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One villager, who wished to remain anonymous, for fear of retribution, tells us about a recent raid in al Mughayyir, where the IOF smashed their way into his home. He says that two military vehicles entered the village, and blocked all access into and out of al Mughayyir. The vehicles were there for around two hours, ahead of the arrival of around 100 Israeli occupation soldiers.

He told me:

Residents were unaware of where these soldiers had come from. They had entered al Mughayyir on foot, without being detected. During the raid, soldiers played music, fired sound bombs and tear gas, leading to multiple cases of suffocation. A tear gas canister landed in the home of an older woman, and she had to be transferred to the hospital. They also fired live ammunition. The soldiers moved through the village like thieves, spreading across several streets and neighbourhoods. They scared the children, stole money, stormed houses, and did everything possible to intimidate the families. They raided at least 35 houses, including the homes of prisoners. The purpose of this was to threaten the prisoners wives, who are alone, and to scare the prisoner’s children. The soldiers also stole money from the houses. In one case they stole 2000 NIS (£500) from a man’s home, and in another they took 1500 NIS. They smashed everything inside my house, threw the contents of the fridge onto the floor, and destroyed everything that was planted. They kept shouting: “Where’s the money? Where’s the money?”.”

“They target us because we are Palestinian”

This resident told us the raid lasted until about 6am, when the military withdrew to the Eastern part of al Mughayyir.

He says:

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We always say it, and keep saying it- they target us because we are Palestinian. We are the voice of truth, and the rightful owners of this land.

Another resident of al Mughayyir, who also wishes to remain anonymous, tells us about a raid on the village some time ago. He was only a child when the IOF stormed his home and arrested him, at 1am. He says he was taken to the Israel occupation’s army camp, called Jebbit, close to al Mughayyir, and then transferred to another army camp in the morning.

It was not a normal arrest. It was barbaric- full of insults and severe beatings. When I arrived at the camp, they handcuffed and blindfolded me. At sunrise they transferred me to another camp, where I was interrogated for 22 days. After my six months detention, I was sentenced to one year in actual prison.

During his transfer between prisons, this resident says the occupation severely beat him. And, throughout his time in jail, he had no means of communication with his family whatsoever. “Israel” is the only country in the world to prosecute children in military courts, although only Palestinian children, of course. And conviction is inevitable.

He told me:

I am a resident of the Ramallah area, but was released at Hebron Gate. This is the occupation policy, to make families worry about their children, and take longer to bring them to their homes. That’s my story, but there’s so much suffering, and stories we can’t tell. So much pain in our hearts for our brothers and children who are in jail. But we will stay. We are here in our land, and won’t leave. They won’t intimidate us. This land will remain ours.

While attention is diverted elsewhere, the Israeli occupation acts with impunity and consolidates its control over Palestinians

While the international community is focused on the genocide in Gaza, Israel is still getting away with serious human rights violations, not only in al Mughayyir but throughout the occupied West Bank.

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War crimes, and crimes against humanity are being committed by settlers and the IOF on a daily basis. They blatantly abuse, displace and kill Palestinians, and do not even feel they need to hide their crimes. They know the world will remain silent, and the time is right for them to ethnically cleanse occupied Palestine.

The international community needs to act urgently for justice and peace in the territory. And it must uphold the ruling of the International Court of Justice which ruled, in 2024, that ‘Israel’s’ occupation of Palestine is illegal, and must be stopped “as rapidly as possible.”

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displaced Palestinians have nowhere to turn

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displaced Palestinians have nowhere to turn

The people of Jenin Refugee Camp, in the occupied West Bank, have experienced many difficulties and much suffering over the years.The camp was established in 1953, after the Nakba, to house Palestinians expelled from over 50 villages in the Haifa and Nazareth areas by the Israeli occupation.

Jenin Refugee Camp residents endure

Until last year, 17,000 Palestinians lived in the 1 km2 Jenin Camp. They endured decades of displacement and military incursions, and one of the highest levels of poverty and unemployment of all those living in the West Bank refugee camps.

Farha Abu AlhaijaI was born and brought up in the camp. She says the situation is now the most difficult it has ever been for the people who lived there. In January 2025, the largest forced displacement in the West Bank since 1967 took place. The criminal ‘Israeli’ regime launched Operation Iron Wall, forcibly displacing 40,000 Palestinians living in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams refugee camps.

She tells the Canary:

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All 17,000 people from Jenin camp have been displaced, along with about 1800 houses completely destroyed. That is around half of the houses that were in Jenin Camp. The other houses are burnt or partially destroyed. The Palestinian Authority (PA) and UNRWA paid six months of their rent for the people, but now it has finished, and the PA cannot pay. So the people have to pay from their own money, but they cannot pay, as they don’t have enough money. No one is helping them, and it is a big problem. Some go out of their houses to stay with. their family, while others have moved into metal or plastic shelters.

82 percent of displaced families in the Northern West Bank are currently living in rented accommodation. This causes a huge financial burden on Palestinians. While living in Jenin Refugee Camp, residents needs were met, and accommodation was free. But those forcibly displaced must now pay rent. In addition, there is an unemployment crisis in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli occupation has not only driven the Palestinian economy to “near total collapse”. It has also, since October 2023, taken away permits allowing work in ‘Israel’ from more than 100,000 Palestinians.

Huge psychological toll on women and children from

According to Abu Alhaijal, these hardships also take a psychological toll on the population, including herself:

It’s very very difficult. All my history, my friends, my family were in this camp. Many people have been killed, many from my family. I wonder what we can do. We want peace for our children, to continue their lives, but there is no hope for people here. We feel we have lost all things.

Abu Alhaijal is also chairperson of Not to Forget Association, an organisation working with women and children of Jenin refugee camp. It was established in the aftermath of the 2002 massacre. 150 Israeli occupation force (IOF) tanks and armoured personnel carriers, along with F16 fighter jets, shelled the camp. No food, water or medical supplies were allowed in, while the dead and injured residents were prevented from leaving the camp or receiving treatment for their injuries. According to Human Rights Watch, 400 people were made homeless, their houses demolished and destroyed by the IOF.

She told me:

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After the incursion in Jenin Camp in 2002, it was really the women and children who were most in need, because their psychology was very destroyed. We cared for those who had lost members of their family – at this time the occupation damaged the houses, so many people left the camp. More than 70 were killed, including many children and those with disabilities. Immediately, Not to Forget set up a psycho-social support project, with mothers and their children from Jenin camp.

Although this project was the association’s first programme, it was not the last. Then came the distribution of much needed relief – food, blankets, medicine, and even school materials. But according to Abu Alhaijar the most recent incursion, which displaced the entire population of Jenin Refugee Camp, has been the hardest for those affected.

Not to Forget providing “an emergency response to the tragic situation”

She says:

We are providing an emergency response to the tragic situation the people of Jenin camp have found themselves facing. Some families are unable to pay for rent, electric, water, or medicine. Not To Forget tries to help them, but we cannot do this all the time, as we are also struggling with funding. This is an especially big problem for the people now. We are in Ramadan now, a special time for the Islamic people. They must prepare food, sit the family at the same table, but there’s nothing for the people now.

Snipers prevent anyone accessing Jenin Refugee Camp to see what, if anything, remains of their homes. Those who have entered the camp have been shot and killed, including children. From their office, the Not to Forget team often see burning homes and explosions from the camp area, and hear shooting throughout the day. But they have no idea what is happening there, or what the Israeli occupation is shooting at. And while the association knows that its centres in the camp were destroyed, there have no further details.

Abu Alhaijal says:

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It’s a really tragic situation. The children pay the highest price, and the impact of displacement on them is great. They don’t accept the situation they find themselves in. Many times we have gone outside to make a trip. But the children ask if they can go back to the camp instead.

The association’s staff members are now scattered throughout various villages in the area, so travelling to the newly rented centre in Jenin is often difficult. But these psychologists, educators, and teachers continue their essential work with women and children.

All that is needed is for powerful countries to stop supporting the terrorist state of ‘Israel’

Not to Forget projects are numerous and varied. Teenagers benefit from vocational training, such as car maintenance courses. The association has also joined forces with Medical Aid for Palestine, to help Palestinians come to terms with their grief and trauma. Women are taught new skills, not only to give them self confidence but to provide them with a livelihood. Economic empowerment is extremely important, especially during this period of high unemployment. Children also benefit from after school teaching that is currently taking place.

Conditions across the occupied West Bank are dire. Not only has the economy collapsed, and public services become non-functional. Settlers and the IOF also terrorise, displace, and kill Palestinians on a daily basis. Vast amounts of Palestinian land are stolen for the ‘Jewish state’, while more than 10,000 Palestinians are held as political prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons. Silence from the international community gives these Israeli terrorists confidence. They make no attempt to conceal their crimes, which occur in broad daylight, and are carefully planned out to inflict maximum suffering on the Palestinian population.

International support for the people of Palestine is now more important than ever and, according to Abu Alhaijal, change is not as difficult as people imagine.

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She told me:

Change would be easy if there was international pressure on Israel. Israel doesn’t work alone. It has the support of the powerful – the US, the Arabic countries and the rest of the world. This world support allows Israel to continue doing whatever it wants. Without this, Israel would be nothing.

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Iran attacks by US and Israel are colonialism on full display

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Iran attacks by US and Israel are colonialism on full display

The US and Israel are once again showing their true colonialist colours as they launch unprovoked attacks on Iran.

Of course, Trump claims the attacks are due to the US not being happy with Iran’s position on the nuclear weapon negotiations. CNN claims the US and Israel have been planning the operation for months and targeted:

Iran’s supreme leader, president and head of the armed forces.

But already, despite their advanced precision weaponry, Israel has attacked two schools.

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Whether it’s seizing oil, regime changes, or destroying and preventing the use of nuclear weapons, the US and Israel have been singing from the same hymn sheet for 30 years.

Iran and the right to self-defence

The reality? The goal is murdering black and brown people and stealing land. Whether it’s for ‘Greater Israel‘ or for the US’s financial interests, it’s one and the same — murder and control the people in the global majority, and get rich in the process.

What the mainstream media is not telling you is that under international law, Iran has the right to self-defence against unprovoked and illegal attacks.

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Unfortunately, Zarah Sultana is, so far, the only left-wing MP in the UK to have said that publicly.

Jeremy Corbyn stated that the attacks were:

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But he failed to mention that Iran has the right to self-defence.

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As did Zack Polanski, which is disappointing to say the least.

As did many members of the European Parliament.

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When white people are bombed illegally, as we have seen over the last few years in Ukraine, there is an automatic and non-negotiable right to self-defence. No one questions it; the world sends weapons, and random MPs decide to go and fight for the cause.

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So why is this different?

I think we all know the answer to that. It’s because so much of the world still sees black and brown people as less than, and it’s fucked up.

Bombing Iran — including children, is in the typical US and Israeli imperial playbook. We’re once again seeing their pattern of colonial conquest play out in real time. But just like Palestine, Iran has the right to self-defence against these unprovoked and illegal attacks.

Feature image via Al Jazeera English/ YouTube

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Democrats split over response to Trump’s Iran strikes

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Democrats split over response to Trump’s Iran strikes

Democrats of all stripes quickly accused President Donald Trump of starting another prolonged conflict in the Middle East on Saturday and demanded limits to his war powers.

That’s where their agreement ended.

Progressives castigated the president for pursuing “dangerously illegal,” “totally unnecessary” and potentially “catastrophic” military action when diplomacy was still on the table. Some, including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), declared “no war with Iran.”

But several lawmakers from battleground districts adopted a more cautious tone, calling for Trump to justify his actions to Congress but stopping short of demanding an end to the operation.

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And moderate Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), both staunch supporters of Israel, which aided the U.S. in the strikes, praised Trump for defending national security and being “willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region.” Gottheimer also requested a classified briefing and said he expects Trump to “comply with the War Powers Act.”

The breaks in their responses reveal the underlying divisions that have shadowed the party for two decades, and the challenge Democrats face in presenting a unified foreign policy message ahead of the midterms, where Trump’s aggressive use of the military could become a defining flashpoint.

“There’s always been a peace wing to the Democratic Party and there’s always been a more interventionist wing to the party. That has narrowed over time, but it is still there,” said veteran Democratic strategist Mark Longabaugh.

Democratic lawmakers split over the Iraq vote in 2002, the Yemen war powers vote in 2019 and the first Trump administration’s strike on Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in 2020.

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Now they will have to navigate yet another politically thorny foreign policy vote — one that is playing out against the backdrop of a yearslong intraparty struggle over Israel as public support for the longtime U.S. ally slides.

Congress is set to vote next week on ending Trump’s military campaign in Iran through a pair of resolutions Democrats are pushing alongside GOP Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.). Fetterman has said he’ll oppose the effort. A spokesperson for Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) said he would as well. And House Democratic leaders believe moderates in their caucus could join them.

Many Democrats opted for careful messaging as the situation unfolded on Saturday, attempting to strike a balance between the need to crack down on Iran and the desire to denounce Trump’s unilateral action and its potentially deadly consequences.

Democratic congressional leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries both focused on the process Trump should follow: Iran must never obtain a nuclear weapon, they said, but lawmakers need to be briefed and vote on further action.

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Schumer said in a statement he had urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to “be straight with Congress and the American people about the objectives of these strikes and what comes next,” adding that the Senate “should return to session to pass a war powers resolution.”

Jeffries similarly pressed for classified briefings and a vote.

“Iran is a bad actor and must be aggressively confronted for its human rights violations, nuclear ambitions, support of terrorism and the threat it poses to our allies like Israel and Jordan in the region,” Jeffries said in a statement. But, he added, “The Trump administration must explain itself to the American people and Congress immediately, provide an ironclad justification for this act of war, clearly define the national security objective and articulate a plan to avoid another costly, prolonged military quagmire in the Middle East.”

Neither leader is expected to break ranks with the majority of their fellow Democrats, who plan to vote to bar Trump from taking further military action against Iran without congressional approval.

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Still other members, including lawmakers in battleground districts or with military and national security backgrounds, stopped short of explicitly calling for the operation to end.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) slammed Trump on X for not providing justification for “committing our nation to war” and said Congress “should come back to Washington to debate these issues.” Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) said the administration “must immediately brief the full Congress and clearly explain the scope, strategy, and expected duration of this operation.”

Rep. Tom Suozzi, a swing-seat New York Democrat, even appeared to defend Trump, saying the president briefed appropriate leadership ahead of the attack — though he still called for Trump to seek congressional authorization going forward.

“I agree with the President’s objectives that Iran can never be allowed to obtain nuclear capabilities,” Suozzi wrote on X. “The President must now clearly define the national security objective and articulate his plan to avoid another costly, prolonged war in the Middle East.”

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But progressives — including possible 2028 contenders Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) — were adamant about drawing a red line, saying that Trump was steering the U.S. toward another “disaster” in the region.

They found a surprising ally in former Vice President Kamala Harris.

“I am opposed to a regime-change war in Iran,” Harris said in a statement. “I know the threat that Iran poses, and they must never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon, but this is not the way to dismantle that threat.”

Where Democrats did find more uniformity on Saturday was in their attempts to turn Trump’s strike on Iran into a campaign cudgel, accusing the president of again violating his “America First” doctrine and breaking the compact he made with voters to end “endless wars.” Some began circulating Trump allies’ past comments denouncing the notion of war with Iran and other prolonged conflicts in the Middle East.

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Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) relayed the party’s message bluntly, rejecting the war in Iran as “wrong.”

“Trump ran on exposing the pedophiles and stopping wars,” he wrote on X. “Trump is now protecting pedophiles and starting wars.”

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Iran defends itself via closing key shipping strait

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Iran defends itself via closing key shipping strait

Iran responded this morning to the illegal US-Israel attacks on its facilities and attempts to assassinate its leadership with missile and drone attacks on Israel and on US bases in the region. Tonight, it has announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which runs along a large part of its coastline, to all shipping.

The territorial greed of the US and Israel – and the desire of Donald Trump for a distraction from his Epstein crimes – has put the world on the edge of a global financial meltdown, as well as of outright war.

During the ’12-day war’ of 2025, which saw Iranian retaliation pummel Israel and force back US naval vessels, Iran’s parliament approved the closure of the Strait. It didn’t have to implement it fully – Israel and the US quickly backed down.

Iran’s ability to close the Strait, through which a third of global gas and a quarter of global oil consumption passes, is widely acknowledged. A prolonged closure will mean economic catastrophe impacting billions. All for the sake of a war criminal’s ambitions and an old pervert’s desire to avoid humiliation until he dies.

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Featured image via the Canary

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Israel closes all access into Gaza

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Israel closes all access into Gaza

Israel has shut down all crossings into and out of Gaza, even for humanitarian workers.

The occupation’s administrative body COGAT claimed the move was a “necessary security adjustment” because of Israel’s attacks on Iran. The blockade will prevent volunteer medics and other humanitarian workers either entering or leaving Gaza while it remains in place. Food and medicine deliveries, already barely a trickle, will be choked off – condemning thousands more Palestinians in Gaza to misery, suffering and death.

The unprovoked Israel-US attacks on Iran are a war crime. The intensified starvation of the people of Gaza is a crime against humanity and a continuation of genocide. While Israel murders in Iran and puts the world in danger, it continues to use disease and famine, as well as bullets, to murder in Gaza.

Featured image via the Canary

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Zia Yusuf is being a dickhead again

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Zia Yusuf is being a dickhead again

Zia Yusuf came out as a fucking dickhead on the day of the Gorton and Denton by-election.

After Matt Goodwin and Nigel Farage kicked off about ‘family voting’, Zia seemed to get his wires crossed.

Family voting is when a family member appears to be influencing someone else’s vote, for example, by entering the polling booth with them. The government made it illegal under the Ballot Secrecy Act in 2023.

So was Yusuf endorsing family voting? Or is he just a bit dense? Anyway, he deleted the post, but not before the internet took screenshots.

Remember when we had the choice of chaos with Ed Miliband? Imagine the sheer chaos if voters elected this clown to government.

On that note, is Matt Goodwin now the shadow MP for Gorton and Denton? Will he still be fighting for the best interests of locals?

Please, he wouldn’t have done that even if he were elected. Who am I kidding?

Featured image via Times News/YouTube

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Mark Carney shows he’s an imperialist at heart

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Mark Carney shows he's an imperialist at heart

Mark Carney, prime minister of Canada, has put out a bullshit statement in support of the US and Israel’s strikes on Iran.

Of course, he completely fails to mention the illegality of the unprovoked strikes. Instead, he spouts bullshit about Iran’s instability and ‘terror’. More like, he’s a racist muppet who disapproves of black and brown people having free will and being able to live their lives away from imperialist control.

Carney is a liberal through and through

Canada’s position remains clear: the Islamic Republic of Iran is the principal source of instability and terror throughout the Middle East, has one of the world’s worst human rights records, and must never be allowed to obtain or develop nuclear weapons.

What he also failed to mention was that Iran was attending peace talks. Additionally, Netanyahu has been claiming Iran is ‘days away‘ from nuclear capabilities for over 30 years.

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Meanwhile, Israel DOES have nuclear weapons and hasn’t signed up to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Israel is the only one that’s been breaking international law and invading multiple countries, all at the same time.

Plus, Carney’s idea of ‘Iran-related hostilities’ is simply the US and Israel’s bullshit, imperialist aggression against Iran.

‘Imperialist running dog’

It seems like only yesterday the Canadian PM told the US to suck it. In fact, it kind of was – he gave a surprisingly blistering speech in Davos at the end of January.

During his speech, he called the old “rules-based” order an illusion.

Then, he made a completely unexpected set of remarks. He described the idea that Canada’s ties with the US bring “mutual benefit” as a “lie”.

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As the Canary previously reported:

Carney’s remarks came as EU nations started to move troops into Greenland for ‘exercises’ that were really preparations to fight a US invasion. But Canada’s military was also doing the same – Trump has frequently expressed his lust to make Canada a 51st US state, according to Canadian Daily the Globe and Mail.

Of course, Carney is only against the US’s imperialism when it isn’t working in his favour.

In one powerful moment, he noted how:

there is a strong tendency for countries to go along to get along, to accommodate, to avoid trouble, to hope that compliance will buy safety.

Of course, fighting against the economics of the US’s imperialism only goes so far for a spineless liberal. After all, he was governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, after spending 13 years at Goldman Sachs.

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The rich for the rich, and all that.

Carney has now made it abundantly clear that he was only referring to rich, white nations. Obviously, he only meant Canada and Greenland when he stood up to Trump:

A settler colonial conquest

Of course, the statement is about what you’d expect from another settler colonial nation, which is dripping in its own genocidal history. Its complicity with Israel’s genocide undoubtedly does a lot of the heavy lifting with that crappy IsRaEL HaS ThE rIGhT tO DEfeND ITseLF bullshit.

Like the UK, the US, and several other European Zionist muppets, Canada has also been supplying arms, cutting funds to UNRWA, and laying cover for Israel. The Canadian government even grants tax relief to donors funding a notorious Zionist propaganda organisation: NGO Monitor.

But why are we surprised? Carney stood idly by whilst Israel committed genocide for two and a half years, the US kidnapped Venezuela’s president, and he said fuck all about Cuba for weeks. It’s perfectly in tune with his morals that only appear when rich white people might get their feelings hurt.

Featured image via HG

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