Israel's Military Advocate General announced that the soldiers involved in the death of an 80-year-old Palestinian American would be disciplined but would not face criminal charges. 1/13

Cartoon by @LatuffCartoons [_link] pic.twitter.com/ObRT4siaRq

— Mondoweiss (@Mondoweiss) June 16, 2023

Palestinian-American man dies of heart attack during aggressive Israeli arrest operation

Amnesia and Gaza Genocide

Fixed the headline:

Biden to Promote Alliance of Killers of American Journalists#JusticeForShireen [_link]

— Nathan Thrall (@NathanThrall) June 18, 2023

Amnesia and Gaza Genocide

Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) last Friday, V. V. Putin was heard to say, "They ["his friends in the Jewish community"] say that Zelensk* is not a Jew, he is a disgrace to the Jewish people. I'm not joking, this is not irony", because current Ukrainian authorities openly celebrate Nazi figures. Over the weekend, this is remark prompted Israel's ambassador in Ukraine to uhh clarify the government's unaligned or misaligned "wartime" domestic and foreign policies.

On one hand, titon.tv's programming note ledes Putin's presumptuous criticism of Zelensk* with a string of perfunctory "anti-Israel" questions.

iton.tv | Ambassador: Israel is on the side of Ukraine, but does not join the sanctions against Russia
[...]
• In Israel, many are worried about the ongoing glorification of Nazi collaborators in Ukraine. Why is this happening and how does Israel react to it?

On the other hand, Brodsky's reply skirts the question of historic "identity politics" by adding fascinating flourishes of modernity to Israel's foreign policy priorities.

Alexander GUR-ARIE [@ 20:01]: I'll add a word to you. Our commentatators write, especially commentators from Russia. You [Israel] see the Jews? You support them, [but] they won't see what they [Ukrainians] are doing: the glorification of fascism. They have Bandera. They have Bandera. They have everythin there, and you support them.

Michael BRODSKY: Well, the question is somewhat deeper, more complex than in the frame within the framework of your program, the allow you to discuss now, and the issue has historical roots. But I will say this in terms of looking at such personalities. Such personalities as Bander, Shukhevych, Melnyk and so on is very different from the view of most Ukrainians. Indeed these people supported the ideology of "Nazism". They wanted to see Ukrained as part of their struggle for independence. They wanted to see Ukraines without Jews just as they wanted to see Ukraine without Poles, without communists, probably a lot more without anyone, but Ukraine today is experiencing a colossal tragedy. Ukraine was attacked, subjected to aggression, and Ukraine is of course in search of its identity, [a] search for its heroes. Of course, we do not like these heroes, but for most Ukrainians, these are heroes. These are the heroes who fought for indpendence, and therefore we express our opinion unequivocally without hiding your [GUR-ARIE] opinion, because it concerns our common history, because it concerns the tragedy of Kolokoltsev* on the territory of Ukraine, and in a number of cases it really succeeds, like in case you mentioned, Alexander. It is possible to prevent the re-naming of the street [] Bandera, but Bandera Street, unfortunately, it exists in different cities of Ukraine as wll as [] abroad, for example, in the United States. If you open Google and enter the name, that is, you will find several streets of Bandera. Unfortunately, can we influence the process?[] We can and must express our point of view which is what we are doing, but I think that it is impossible to stop this process, if it is impossible to look at things realistically today. And it seems to me that today it would be wrong to condition our support for Ukraine and our assistance to Ukraine by the fact that Ukraine wil stop Perry [?] to renovate the streets or stop calling Bandera or Bandera heroes or Melnik.

3 days later editorial management rushed to bond orthodox Israelis' "identity" with Ukranians' "right to exist" free of savage Palestinian Russian domination.
iton.tv | Putin is looking for someone to blame for the failure of the war. Jews get ready (reprise)

At the SPIEF meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin, answering the host's question, for which he "accidentally" prepared himself, because he "knew that you would ask me about it," burst out with another historical conclusion on the topic of Jews, Bandera, and their role in the Holocaust, incidentally insulting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensk*. The command "face" was joyfully received by the Kremlin propagandists, who pounced on Israel, distorting the words of the Israeli ambassador Mikhail Brodsky, uttered in an interview with our TV channel. He talks about Bandera and General Vlasov, anti-Semitism, the Holocaust and the falsification of history on the air of the TV channel ITON.TV, military historian, Dr. Yakov Falkov, researcher at Tel Aviv University. The program is hosted by Alexander Gur-Arie.

* not a Google-listed place name, AFAICT, although it might be either a modern Ukrainian- or Russian-language mispelling or AI translation error. Google results associate US sanctioned "Kolokoltsev" with Gen. Vladimir A., RU Interior Minister, b. 1961. btw, this Russian War Crimes Against Ukraine (Ukraine Task Force, 2022) is quite the encyclopedia of grievances.

Evin Prison: President Biden Leaving Americans Behind

A long time coming ...

Iran calls on US to implement prisoner swap deal, free jailed Iranians | Aug. 17, 2022 |

Siamak Namazi has now spent 2,500 days wrongfully detained in Iran. We are determined to secure his freedom and ensure all Americans who have been wrongfully detained by Iran, including his father Baquer, can return home.

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) August 16, 2022

Siamak Namazi has spent five five years in prison in Iran to become the longest serving US-Iranian in the country's prison system | The National - April 20, 2023 |

Mr Namazi spoke to CNN from inside Evin prison ...

But his emotional appeal appears to have fallen on deaf ears.

"The silence I have received from President Biden in response to my despairing plea to him last month on CNN from an Evin prison cell hardly gives the impression that rescuing the US hostages in Iran is a Biden administration priority," Mr Namazi said in a statement released by his lawyer Jared Genser.

Namazi is one of three Americans- being held in Evin on similar charges. The US government has deemed them all to be wrongfully imprisoned.

The other two detained are businessman Emad Shargi, who was jailed in October 2018, and conservationist Morad Tahbaz, who has been held since January 2018.

Rumors circulating in #Iran Telegram news channels that AmCit hostage @sianamazi informed his family he'll be freed from Evin Prison w/in days are completely unfounded. Siamak didn't make any calls making this claim, and neither he nor his family have received such news.

— Jared Genser (@JaredGenser) June 1, 2023

Amnesia and Gaza Genocide

.@alufbenn @haaretzcom What's wrong w this wretched headline? These were not "clashes." These were invasions w massive force against a ragtag group of defenders. Nor are resistance fighters "terrorists." UN resolution affirms right to armed resistance against illegal occupation pic.twitter.com/E484IL4KkQ

— Tikun Olam (@richards1052) June 20, 2023

Amnesia and Gaza Genocide

Notice the insane coordination with which soldiers and settlers systematically attack Palestinians again and again. This time, the footage is of attacks that went on for three days in the village of Surif. But events like this happen all over the West Bank - all the time. > pic.twitter.com/DgxmxwVNRl

— B'Tselem בצלם بتسيلم (@btselem) June 13, 2023

Amnesia and Gaza Genocide

The Guardian of Islam's Holy Site Al Aqsa in Jerusalem is mum on the violence taking place on occupied Palestinian land. Remember #BlackSeltember and no more Palestinian refugees #Damascus ... wait until the settler Zionists drive the Palestinians across the Jordan River to free Israel of all #terrorists.

From the marriage ceremony of Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Al Hussein and Princess Rajwa Al Hussein #Jordan #Jo #Amman #CelebratingAlHussein pic.twitter.com/avRg81dpg9

— The Jordan Times (@jordantimes) June 2, 2023

Jordan is pre-occupied with climate change, water shortage, reliance on the West for economic survival, World Bank and wedding happiness.

Inside the Jordanian monarchy's relationship with Al Aqsa

Amid Zionist expansion a century ago, Palestinians entrusted the Hashemite royal family with the site

On a summer weekend in 1951, Jordan's King Abdullah I made a routine trip from Amman to Jerusalem to pray at Al Aqsa mosque when he was shot dead at the entrance of the building.

The prayer was being broadcast live and the shots fired at the royal by a trainee tailor, 21, echoed across the airwaves.

Amnesia and Gaza Genocide

NEW | An unidentified high-ranking Israel Defense Forces (#IDF) commander told Newsweek that #Israel is concerned about #Russia transferring Western weapons captured in #Ukraine to #Iran. Read today's update from CTP & @TheStudyofWar: [_link] (1/3) pic.twitter.com/0WVdcRGSJC

— Critical Threats (@criticalthreats) June 15, 2023

Israel is concerned about Russia transferring Western weapons captured in Ukraine to Iran | ISW - June 15, 2023 |

Amnesia and Gaza Genocide

Department Press Briefing - June 21, 2023

QUESTION: Do you understand that the actions of the Israeli Government are jeopardizing the normalizations that happened under the Abraham Accords and future normalizations that the Secretary was discussing while in Saudi Arabia recently? Specifically noting that there's reporting that Morocco is no longer going to be hosting a ministerial, the Negev Forum, which was - which has sort of already been delayed several times, and it seems to be being delayed again. Is the Israeli Government doing enough to sort of address the concerns of both these regional countries that are obviously - don't want to be seen to be engaging with Israel at this time?

MR PATEL: Well, regional integration is not just an important priority for the United States. It's also an important priority for Israel itself, including the Netanyahu government. And don't take my word for it; this is something that they clearly have spoken about as well, and I'd let them speak to their own priorities.

But broadly, we continue to believe that there are tangible benefits, of course, to regional integration, and there is important issues in the security space, trade space and otherwise, that can continue to be collaborated on through those mechanisms. As it relates to the Negev ministerial, we're continuing to consult with partners about a second Negev ministerial this year but I don't have any specific updates to offer on that.

Anything else on this region before we move away?

QUESTION: On Iran.

QUESTION: China.

MR PATEL: Okay, I'm going to - let me do Iran. I'll come back to you, Jenny. Go ahead in the back.

QUESTION: Okay. Washington Post reported yesterday on U.S.-Iranian direct talks, citing an EU official that European partners are not entirely sure of the contours of the current discussion. So my question is that why is this? Because Mr. President and Mr. Secretary always have emphasized on how this administration is close to U.S. allies and they want to revive ties which they believe were hurt during the previous administration. But now, why your close allies are not aware of what is exactly going on between you and Islamic Republic of Iran?

MR PATEL: So we are in constant touch with our partners and allies, including those in the E3, on issues related to Iran. I'm certainly not going to detail those conversations or give you specifics from here, but we absolutely are in touch with our partners and allies on this.

QUESTION: Okay, I have one more.

MR PATEL: Uh-huh.

QUESTION: House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mr. McCaul wrote an open letter to Joe Biden about re-engaging with Iran again.

McCaul's letter was prompted by reports first published in the Wall Street Journal  on Wednesday that confirmed that the US and Iran had engaged in so-called "proximity talks" in March and May in Oman, with the Omanis passing messages between US Middle East adviser Brett McGurk and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator.

The negotiations coincided with the Biden administration authorizing $2.7 billion-worth of Euro-denominated payments from Iraq to Iran that had previously been frozen by US sanctions.

In the letter, he says that the House Foreign Affairs Committee has had a request pending with the State Department since April 11 and special - that Special Envoy for Iran Mr. Malley testified before the committee, which the State Department has not fulfilled. Why?

MR PATEL: So we remain deeply committed to continued close engagement with Congress in a bipartisan manner, and department officials engage with Congress on a regular basis on U.S.‑Iran policy. I will also note that it was only a number of weeks ago that Deputy Secretary Sherman was on the Hill talking about this very exact topic. So we engage with Congress regularly. I'm not going to get into specifics and don't have any visits to Congress to specifically preview, but this is, of course, something we're going to continue to remain deeply engaged on.

Anything else on Iran specifically before we move away?

QUESTION: This is about negotiating --

MR PATEL: Go ahead. Go ahead. We'll get to everybody. Don't worry.

QUESTION: Yeah, talking Iranian negotiation, Ali Bagheri, today he met with the EU officials, and they - he said they are so glad to discuss the lifting sanctions. [Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani held talks with Enrique Mora, the European Union coordinator for the Tehran talks, in Doha] Do you have any plan to lift any sanctions on Iran, and then do you have any plan to release the money that Iraq owes to Iran?

MR PATEL: You're speaking about the meeting in --

QUESTION: About the lifting sanctions - softening sanctions --

MR PATEL: But are you speaking about the meeting in Doha?

QUESTION: Yes.

MR PATEL: Yeah. So, look, we are in constant touch with our allies and partners, including the E3 and the European Union, on issues relating to Iran. I'm just not going to get into the specifics of those conversations and would refer you to the EU to speak about anything about their engagements today.

QUESTION: And today the House Foreign Affairs Committee, they advanced a bipartisan bill to make the Iranian sanctions permanent. To what extent do you agree with this idea, and do you want the Iranian sanctions --

MR PATEL: I'm certainly not going to - I'm not going to comment on active legislation that's going through whatever process it's going through in the House. What I will say is that as it relates to the malign and destabilizing activities of the Iranian regime, we continue to have a number of tools at our disposal. Sanctions have continued to be a big piece of that and have been instrumental in continuing to hold the Iranian regime accountable.

Amnesia and Gaza Genocide

Blinken's claim that US strived to revive JCPOA holds no water | PressTV Iran |

During the visit, the top American diplomat sat down for an interview with Arabic-language Asharq News, fielding questions on a range of subjects from Iran's nuclear program to the Ukraine war.

Blinken's responses were riddled with glaring inconsistencies and false assertions, in particular regarding efforts to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal.

On being asked whether the US was "trying to revive the negotiations" over the 2015 nuclear accord, the US Secretary of State said "from day one" the US "made a significant effort in that direction".

"So we, from day one, sought to determine whether a return to mutual compliance with the JCPOA was possible, and we made a significant effort in that direction, as did the European partners, and, for that matter, Russia and China," Blinken said in the interview.

"But Iran either couldn't or wouldn't do what was necessary to get back into compliance with the JCPOA.  So the JCPOA is not our focus," he hastened to add.

A simple fact-check is in order to set the record straight.

Joe Biden on campaign: "Iran nuclear deal is dead"

Amnesia and Gaza Genocide

Islamophobia in Germany is widespread and an everyday reality for millions of people, a new report shows. German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said it was important "to raise awareness of how widespread this resentment still is". pic.twitter.com/lacRQw9Y31

— DW Politics (@dw_politics) June 29, 2023

Analysis - Racist terrorist attack in Hanau 2 years on

Amnesia and Gaza Genocide

Worse energy crunch is looming for Europe: Qatar warns Economic Forum | TRT World |

"You need a proper energy mix."

Qatar's Energy Minister H.E. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi says the global push toward cleaner sources of energy will result in a shortage in oil and gas supplies @QatarEconForum [link] #QatarEconomicForum #منتدىقطر_الاقتص ;ادي pic.twitter.com/Muq0srZoQI

— Bloomberg Live (@BloombergLive) May 23, 2023

Qatari Energy Minister Saad al Kaabi  and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, both told the conference that an energy crunch was looming.

"If they don't realise that and have a proper plan and sit down with producers and oil and gas companies are not demonised, reality will kick in and we'll have a sensible solution," Kaabi said.

Amnesia and Gaza Genocide

See my earlier post Ukraine's 10 Point Plan A Non-starter

A typical Joe Biden's Quid pro Quo ... where is the beef?

Saudi Press Agency: Ukrainian President: We Come here for Peace and Justice

Jeddah, May 19, 2023, SPA -- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, expressed his thanks to His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, the Saudi people and Jeddah city, which is hosting this summit.

The President of Ukraine said in his speech before the 32nd Regular Session of the Arab League Council at the Summit Level hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Jeddah: "We came here for peace and justice and called to help the Ukrainian people," expressing his thanks to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its efforts regarding the release of prisoners in Russia.

Readout of National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's Meeting on Regional Integration | May 7, 2023 |

Amnesia and Gaza Genocide

During hostilities on the border, impose martial law, ban opposition and postpone democracy ... no election as Zelenskyy holds on to Azov Nazi power. Little has changed in Ukraine past 18 months ... lost a third of population as men fight on frontline and mothers flee to the West ... a ♀-drain.

Ukraine suspends 11 political parties with links to Russia | The Guardian - March 20, 2022 | [a third of country speaks Russian]

Zelenskiy says parties such as Viktor Medvedchuk's Opposition Platform for Life are 'aimed at division or collusion'

President's decree "On the Introduction of Martial Law in Ukraine" - Feb. 24, 2022

Profitable enterprise Lawyers services: Appealing the refusal to cross state border

Civilian Men Are Trapped in Ukraine | FP - July 15, 2022 |

Human rights and humanitarian NGOs should pay attention to Kyiv's sex-selective martial law.

On July 5, Ukrainian army generals issued a proclamation dramatically expanding the martial law prohibiting Ukrainian civilian men's freedom of movement, calling on all those "liable for military service" to remain in their home districts. With the Twitter hashtag #UkraineLetMenOut, citizens had already been complaining bitterly about men being unable to leave the country with their families since Russia's invasion. After the new proclamation came down, one Ukrainian tweeted, "Now we can't even leave our cities without permission from military recruitment centers."

Zelensky Frustrated Ukraine Military Made Decision Without Him | Newsweek |

"Dear citizens--conscripts and those liable for military service! I remind you that the war is going on. Your country needs you," Valeriy Zaluzhny, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said in a Facebook post reported by Ukrinform, a Ukrainian news agency.

Amnesia and Gaza Genocide

Press review: Moscow dismisses one-sided Saudi peace bid and sanctions for post-coup Niger

Russia skeptical about utility of Saudi Arabia's Ukraine peace conference at which Moscow has no seat; Niger faces sanctions, isolation following military seizure of power; and China's ban on exports of large drones to impact Russian UAV market. These stories topped Tuesday's newspaper headlines across Russia.
 

Vedomosti: Russia skeptical about prospects for Saudis' Ukraine summit that shuns Moscow | TASS |

Russia intends to observe from afar the announced Saudi Arabian summit in Jeddah on August 5-6 on a peaceful settlement in Ukraine, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Up to 30 countries have reportedly been invited to attend the meeting, including Indonesia, Egypt, Mexico, Chile and Zambia. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan may represent the United States at the gathering. But Russia is not being invited and will be absent. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Vedomosti, "if Saudi Arabia's talks on Ukraine help the West understand the dead end of [President Vladimir] Zelensky's plan, then they will not be useless."

The absence of China at such an event will effectively strip it of any substantive meaning, given that Beijing is Russia's main economic partner and wields economic leverage over many of those Global South, African and Middle Eastern countries that will gather in Jeddah, nearly as weighty as that of the United States itself, Vasily Kashin, director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics (HSE University), told the newspaper.

Amnesia and Gaza Genocide

From the White Man's Burden to the Responsible Saviour: Justifying Humanitarian Intervention in Libya

Barbarians and Civilized Intervention

To Be or Not To Be, Shakespeare's Hamlet mused. In the light of human intervention, one might ask: To be human or not to be human. For Tim Ingold, human is not a noun but a verb. The process of becoming human is open-ended. In Greco-Roman tradition the idea of being human was to be civilised. In particular, the so-called Humanitas Romana was essentially linked with the idea of civilisation. Humans were not naturally born as human but rather nurtured into becoming human through education and sympathy. Hence, Greco-Roman society made a distinction between those who were civilized (full-pledged educated humans) and those who were uncivilized such as the barbarian or foreigner or slave.

These ideas prevailed albeit defined in different ways regarding who belonged to the civilised. Lewis Henry Morgan, in the mid-19th century, combined Charles Darwin's recent work on evolution with Humanitas Romana to set out a theory of social evolution. Morgan compared Indigenous communities in North America with European civilization and divided human cultures into three categories: savagery; barbarism; civilization. He held that Western culture is the pinnacle of cultural development in his unilineal evolutionary scheme. Consequently, human society was understood as progressing from primitive forms to the most advanced, passing through the stages of savagery, barbarism, and civilization.

Such notions of human society also would be incorporated into the conceptualisation of justified intervention. John Stuart Mill, in Few Words on Non-Intervention, laid out the main lines for justifying liberal interventionism. Mill held that England is an exceptional nation that is characterised by altruism, in the service of others. Its selfless foreign policy is dedicated to peace. Mill made his case against intervention on moral grounds. However, there is one exception to that rule: `One fundamental distinction'. He argued that the rule does not apply in the case of `barbarians'.

So damn closely related to Borrell's recent fascist declaration of Europe as the Garden and the outside Jungle of "Savages or Barbarians., the Uncivilised" ... fill out your preference.

What happened to the notion  "All men are created equal?"

The Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man, signed in Paris on 10 December 1948, just like the European Convention on Human Rights, signed in Rome on 4 November 1950, have the same origins.

"Les hommes naissent et demeurent libres et égaux en droit" ✊
26 août 1789 : la France se dote de la Déclaration des droits de l'homme et du citoyen pic.twitter.com/fCxogCAaQv

— INA.fr (@Inafr_officiel) August 26, 2018

Déclaration des droits de l'homme et du citoyen - rétrospective (1989)

Amnesia and Gaza Genocide

Whistleblower and hero reveals NSA intrusion into our lives ... no excuse whatsoever.

NSA Files Decoded: What the revelations mean for you | The Guardian - Nov. 2013 |

Edward Snowden: The Executive Branch 'Sort of Hacked The Constitution' | NPR |

Amnesia and Gaza Genocide

On the need for pluralism and the dangers of demonization | TOI - June 21, 2023 |

The pro-democracy protest movement must recognize that thoughtful, decent, and moral people can disagree on policies

The judicial reform plan as proposed by this coalition government would undermine the systems of checks and balances necessary to protect Israel's democratic identity. By curtailing the Supreme Court in a way unparalleled in any democracy in the world, any coalition majority could legislate at will, regardless of its implications for human and minority rights, religious freedom, and the rule of law.

The judicial reform, as proposed, would have brought Israel to the verge of a tyranny of the majority; and simultaneously, if paradoxically, would have dangerously empowered several minorities - ultra-Orthodox and religious nationalists - in serving their own tribal interests. Certain aspects of the proposed reform are a dead giveaway to this anti-democratic strategy, especially the narrow Knesset override clause; it was a power play to enable some to become Aadonei ha-Aretz, the sole masters of the land and the state of Israel.

Based on this analysis, the Shalom Hartman Institute has raised its voice consistently in principled opposition to this plan for judicial reform, and we as its senior leaders have personally participated in the demonstrations. Our institution believes in the integrity of Israel as a Jewish democratic state, committed to pluralism, minority rights, and human rights. Taking a stand against the judicial reform as proposed is a natural outcome of our commitment to these values.

Amnesia and Gaza Genocide

Israelis Demonstrate to save democracy, while IDF slaughters Palestinians mere miles away | Tikun Olam - Jan. 28, 2023 |

In a similar sense, the anti-government protest of the past few weeks sought to stop a rising tide of fascism in the country. This includes proposed legislation which would dismantle the Supreme Court and permit a majority right-wing government to rule by fiat.  The protests have caught the fancy of the Israeli zeitgeist.  Demonstrators from left, right, and center have joined in disgust at misogyny and homophobia of the government.

Amnesia and Gaza Genocide

10-point peace formula presented at Ukraine crisis talks in Jeddah | Arab News |

🔴 Live: Ukraine says Jeddah peace talks 'productive', Russia calls meeting 'futile'
➡️ [_link] pic.twitter.com/w8RhjjNNwv

— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) August 7, 2023

Amnesia and Gaza Genocide

Summer of the Hawks | Seymour Hersh |

Wishful thinking is still the rule among Biden's foreign policy team, as the slaughter in Ukraine continues

It's been weeks since we looked into the adventures of the Biden administration's foreign policy cluster, led by Tony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, and Victoria Nuland. How has the trio of war hawks spent the summer?

Reuters reported that Zelensky's goal was to get international support for "the principles" that that he will consider as a basis for the settlement of the war, including "the withdrawal of all Russian troops and the return of all Ukrainian territory." Russia's formal response to the non-event came not from President Vladimir Putin but from Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Ryabkov. He called the summit "a reflection of the West's attempt to continue futile, doomed efforts" to mobilize the Global South behind Zelensky.

Meanwhile, far away on the battlefield in Ukraine, Russia continued to thwart Zelensky's ongoing counteroffensive. I asked an American intelligence official why it was Sullivan who emerged from the Biden administration's foreign policy circle to preside over the inconsequential conference in Saudi Arabia.

"Jeddah was Sullivan's baby," the official said. "He planned it to be Biden's equivalent of [President Woodrow] Wilson's Versailles. The grand alliance of the free world meeting in a victory celebration after the humiliating defeat of the hated foe to determine the shape of nations for the next generation. Fame and Glory. Promotion and re-election.

The jewel in the crown was to be Zelensky's achievement of Putin's unconditional surrender after the lightning spring offensive. They were even planning a Nuremberg type trial at the world court, with Jake as our representative. Just one more fuck-up, but who is counting? Forty nations showed up, all but six looking for free food after the Odessa shutdown"--a reference to Putin's curtailing of Ukrainian wheat shipments in response to Zelensky's renewed attacks on the bridge linking Crimea to the Russian mainland.

Amnesia and Gaza Genocide