version 1: usnews reuters | Why Did Ecuador Raid Mexico's Quito Embassy?, 6 Apr

to arrest Jorge Glas, Ecuador's former leftist [!] vice president, who is wanted [in Ecuador] on graft charges.
[...]
Ecuador, which requested Mexico's permission to enter the embassy at the start of March to detain Glas, contends [Mexico's] asylum offer was illegal, because under international law, people facing charges should not be granted asylum.

version 2: intercept | Leaked cables show White House opposes Palestinian statehood

The diplomatic cables detail pressure coercion being applied to members of the Security Council, including Malta, the rotating president of the council this month. Ecuador in particular is being asked to lobby Malta and other nations, including France, to oppose U.N. recognition.

NEW! Script: "'Like it or not, a General Assembly vote on this issue ["recognition and legal status"] is of political rather than legal weight,' Richard Gowan, the International Crisis Group's U.N. director."

[...]
A second cable dated April 13 sent from the U.S. Embassy in Quito, Ecuador, relays Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld's agreement with the United States that Palestine should not be recognized for statehood. The cable says that Security Council members must be persuaded to reject any proposal for Palestinian statehood—and thereby its recognition as a sovereign nation—before the council's open debate on the Middle East, scheduled for April 18.

un.org | How does a new State or Government obtain recognition by the United Nations?
[...]
2. The Security Council considers the application. Any recommendation for admission must receive the affirmative votes of 9 of the 15 members of the Council, provided that none of its five permanent members—have voted against the application.
[...]

In cooperation with the United States, according to the cable, Sommerfeld instructed Ecuador's permanent representative to the United Nations José De La Gasca to lobby Japan, Korea, and Malta (all rotating members of the Security Council) to reject the proposal. Lobbying of permanent member France is also mentioned.

consortiumnews | Violating Diplomatic Missions, 12 Apr

Sommerfeld agreed, according to the cable, that "It was important any proposed resolution fail to achieve the necessary votes without a U.S. veto." The cable says, "Ecuador would not want to appear isolated (alone with the United States) in its rejection of a 'Palestine' resolution (particularly at a time when the most UN member states are criticizing Ecuador over its April 5 incursion into Mexico's embassy in Quito)." Ecuador finds itself in an escalating conflict with Mexico over its decision to arrest the former Ecuadorian vice president inside the Mexican Embassy.
[...]

PALKI SHARMA @ 08:13: Tensions are rising. It's a worry for countries around the world but more so for west Asia. Many of them are caught in a bind. They cannot support Israel. They cannot support Iran. But they also want peace. Tonight, we're looking at where each of these players stand, starting with Qatar. Most Hamas leaders live in Qatar in the capital Doha. They get a lot of money from the government. So Qatar plays the role of mediator. They negotiate between Israel and Hamas, and in November they had some success, Both sides agreed to a pause in the fighting. Hamas also released some hostages. But a permanent cease fire has not been achieved, and now Qatar may have had enough. They say, their mediation is being abused, so they will re-evalute role in the peace talks. [VIDEO CLIP: Mohammed al Thani statement] Who's Qatar talking about? Israel or the U.S.? Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Qatar of funding terrorism. He also threated to shutter their state-funded news channel Al Jazeera. Even the US, they have been rumbling. Some in the [U.S.] Congress say, Qatar is not tough on Hamas. They're putting enough pressure. It looks like Doha has had enough. They will re-evaluate their role in the talks. But if Doha walks away, who is left? Egypt is still at the table. They have normal diplomatic relations with Israel, but they do not have much influence over Hamas, not like Qatar does. Then you have Turkey. The Turkish foreign minister visited Doha on Wednesday. He held talks with the Hamas leadership, and this Saturday the Hamas chief will be traveling to Turkey. He's slated to meet President Erdoğan. So, Ankara does have clout. It can put some pressure on Hamas. There's one problem though. Erdoğan may not use that clout. He's calling the Israeli prime minister 'blood-thirsty'. That's not the language of a negotiator. [VIDEO CLIP: Erdoğan statement] So, who's left? Jordan is one candidate. They have normal relations with Israel, but they also have a large Palestinian population. Their government is under pressure. And why is that? Because Jordan indirectly helps Israel. A number of Iranian drones and missiles have flown over Jordanian airspace, so their military shot them down. Jordan shot down Iranian drones heading for Israel. The government says, it was self-defense, but the people are not buying it. There are massive, anti-government protests. The people say, Jordan is betraying the muslims of Gaza. The government is under pressure there. They cannot afford to be seen as pro-Israel. Which brings us to The Gulf Case [the Abraham Accordian]. Two of them recognize Israel, Bahrain and the UAE. Bahrain's king is on a regional tour. He's visited Egypt and Jordan. He's called for an immediate cease fire in Gaza. [VIDEO CLIP: HRH Salman Al Khalifa statement] Bahrain is a key ally of Saudi Arabia. They do very little without Riyadh's support. So is the kingdom looking to play a more prominent role? There are no indications yet. Riyadh's main focus is de-escalation to make sure that Iran and Israel do not go to war. We saw that last weekend. Reports say the Saudi's shared intelligence on Iran's attack. Basically, they helped Israel against Iran. But reports also say that they shut their airspace to Israel and the U.S., and this very important. Israel and the U.S. could have used Saudi airspance to interecept Iranian drones, but Riyadh said, no. Apparently, the UAE did the same: Yes, to intelligence sharing; No, to opening the airspace. So the message from The Gulf is clear: We will help avoid escalation, but we have our own 'red line'....

That made the reconciliation between Tehran and Riyadh extraordinary and historic. Well done Xi Jinping. Biden's attitude to Arab leaders was quite similar to his posture vs the Palestinians of Gaza, West Bank and PA HQ in Ramallah. Joe continues his 50 year losing streak on US foreign policy.

Ceasefire Deal? Clinton On ME Peace Mission, Meeting Netanyahu | 20 Nov 2012 |

Have a peaceful cultural summer

VP Biden welcomed Qatari Minister of State for Defense Affairs Hamad Bin Ali Al-Attiyah at the White House today. pic.twitter.com/T68kHsMk1r

— VP Biden (Archived) (@VP44) July 15, 2014

The Hanging Gardens of the White House - Year 2014

US Vice President Joe Biden welcomed al-Attiyah at the White House and the two sides discussed regional issues, including Syria, Iraq, Libya, and the Gaza crisis.

• AJ and Qatar: Muslim Brothers' Dark Empire? | by Oui @BooMan - 15 July 2013 |
• Europe Ends Arms Embargo to Conflict Zone Syria | by Oui @BooMan - 28 May 2013 |

Qatar to buy Patriot missiles in $13b arms deal: US | Straits Times - 3 Feb 2016 |

Vice-President Joe Biden welcomed al-Attiyah at the White House and discussed the deal. The sale follows a visit to Qatar last December by the US defence secretary, and talks in May between Hagel and Qatari and other Gulf defence chiefs.

Qatar hosts a vital hub for the US military, the Combined Air Operations Centre, where officers oversee combat aircraft in Afghanistan and track air traffic across the volatile Middle East.

[...]

Qatar will buy US Patriot missiles for the first time in a major arms deal worth US$11 billion (S$13.6 billion), officials said, as Washington awaits a decision by the Gulf state on a lucrative fighter jet contract.

The sale will provide Qatar with roughly 10 batteries for Patriot systems designed to knock out incoming missiles, as well as 24 Apache helicopters and 500 Javelin anti-tank missiles, the US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

Qatar was investing in missile defence systems to counter what it sees as the threat from Iran across the Gulf, as Tehran has built up its missile arsenal, officials said. The weapons deal was the biggest for the United States in 2014 and came as Qatar weighs proposals in a fighter jet competition, with US aerospace firm Boeing vying against British BAE Systems and Dassault Aviation of France.

#Jordan : Big number of pro-Palestinian protesters trying to march to #Israel embassy in Amman #غزهالان #الأردناليوم pic.twitter.com/fKlxt26BNF

— sebastian usher (@sebusher) March 24, 2024

I just got back to London after spending 10 days in Egypt and Jordan.

I cannot stress enough how different life is offline and online.

People in the region are terrified as pundits in the West agitate for war. "Israel must strike!" But what do they really know? 1/

— Jasmine M. El-Gamal (@jasmineelgamal) April 15, 2024

Jordan on edge:
* Target of Iran media for shooting down missiles heading to Israel
* Weeks of pro-Palestine protests in Amman
* Economy runs on life support from external donors[_link] https://t.co/CNNaQjMFtD

— Ziad Daoud (@ZiadMDaoud) April 17, 2024

The King of Jordan was saved by election victory of Joe Biden ...

Planned coup d'état supported by Israel-UAE-Saudi Arabia in March 2021.

Which State Is Behind Coup Attempt Jordan | 3 April 2021 |

Have a peaceful cultural summer

#Breaking: #China supports #Palestine to become a formal member of the #UN. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has caused a humanitarian disaster and calls for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire and the swift establishment of a humanitarian aid mechanism to prevent further... pic.twitter.com/vsGWHLdKBc

— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) April 18, 2024

"The U.S. and Israel are lobbying France, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea and Ecuador to vote against or abstain so the Palestinians don't reach nine votes. If these efforts fail, the Biden administration is expected to veto the resolution." [_link]

— Murtaza Hussain (@MazMHussain) April 18, 2024

Turkish official says Ankara's foremost objective is "to bring the massacre in Gaza to an end," and the establishment of a Palestinian state to achieve lasting peace in the region [_link]

— TRT World (@trtworld) April 21, 2024

BREAKING: Palestinian President Abbas says the Palestinian Authority will reevaluate its relations with the U.S. after the American veto at the Security Council regarding the admission of Palestine as a full member state of the UN

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) April 20, 2024

Abbas says Palestinian Authority will reconsider ties with US after UN veto [_link]

— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) April 20, 2024

The Futility of Evil | Opinion Ian Buruma |

And yet, these Holocaust analogies are again being used to describe the tragic events unfolding in Gaza. In a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu labeled Hamas the "new Nazis." He noted that "the savagery that we witnessed, perpetrated by the Hamas murderers coming out of Gaza, were the worst crimes committed against Jews since the Holocaust."

Netanyahu's comments undoubtedly reflect the view of many Israelis. I heard an Israeli critic of Netanyahu say that the current situation is like 1940, and the war against Hamas is a "war against evil" that must be won through the "total elimination" of the enemy. But Hamas's horrific slaughter of more than 1400 1000 [Hannibal Directive] Israelis on October 7 was more comparable in scale to a brutal pogrom than the near-total annihilation of European Jewry.

Scholz: After Holocaust, Germany must stand with Israel against Hamas | JPost - 17 Oct 2014 |

Have a peaceful cultural summer

SAMSON AND CASSANDRA (April 16, 2024)

My Mother once told me the story of an emaciated woman in the Warsaw Ghetto who would wail from her window sill that all the Jews in the ghetto would be killed. She came to be called Cassandra, after the prophetess of doom in Greek...

— Norman Finkelstein (@normfinkelstein) April 19, 2024

There's no way to 'explain' the degree of death and destruction in Gaza [_link].

— Gideon Levy (@gideonle) December 28, 2023

[_link]

— Gideon Levy (@gideonle) February 3, 2022

We even destroy their water wells [_link].

— Gideon Levy (@gideonle) July 30, 2023

Haaretz Columnist Gideon Levy on Israel's Conduct in Gaza | Amanpour Interview - 9 Jan 2024 |

Have a peaceful cultural summer

The World Health Organization says Israel killed 627 doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers and other healthcare workers between October and January.

Have a peaceful cultural summer

Jimmy Carter Meets with Hamas Leaders | NPR 21 April 2008 |

Former President Jimmy Carter says that the Palestinian militant group Hamas is prepared to accept Israel's right to live in peace. Carter met with Hamas leaders over the weekend, a meeting opposed by Israel and the Bush administration. They both shun Hamas and view it as a terrorist organization.
And as NPR's Michele Kelemen reports, the U.S. is brushing aside talk that Carter's mission represents any kind of breakthrough.

MICHELE KELEMEN: In an interview with NPR today, former President Jimmy Carter said he posed a very specific question to Hamas leaders. Would you accept a peace agreement negotiated by the Palestinian authority and Israel if Palestinians approve it in a referendum?

Former President JIMMY CARTER: We wrote out this question so there would be absolutely no question about it, and they said yes. They will accept it even if they strongly opposed some provisions in the peace agreement.

KELEMEN: Carter says this means Hamas won't undermine Palestinian authority President Mahmoud Abbas' efforts to negotiate with Israel. Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, in a news conference in Syria today, seemed to back this up, saying the group wouldn't formally recognize Israel, but would accept a Palestinian state based on the borders with Israel before the 1967 war.

Mr. KHALED MASHAAL (Chairman, Hamas Political Bureau): (Through translator) We have offered a ten-year truce starting after Israel withdraws to the 1967 borders as an alternative to recognition. This is the clear vision of Hamas.

KELEMEN: Bush administration officials didn't sound impressed. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said she takes the comments with a grain of salt. State Department spokesman Tom Casey added, nothing has changed.

Israel the terror state from its founding extended to the present ...

Khaled Mashaal: Hamas Leader Hunted by Netanyahu | TIME - 29 July 2014 |

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Kill Him Silently: Mossad vs Khaled Meshaal | Al Jazeera |

Have a peaceful cultural summer

• The Islamic militant Hamas won a landslide victory in Palestinian parliament elections: 76 seats vs Fatah of Abbas 43 | 25 Jan 2006 |

  Hamas was founded in the Gaza Strip in late 1987, at the start of the first intifada, as the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. Its secretive military wing, as Hamas describes it, carried out attacks on Israelis. But while its political wing rejected the Oslo Accords, it opened a dialogue with the Palestinian authors of the peace process in Fatah.

  Meanwhile, Hamas runs preschools, youth clubs, and health clinics. It provides needy people with assistance, and even holds free weddings. It is that face of Hamas that many Palestinians see first.

• Second To None | 14 Oct 2011 |

😡 Thirteen years wasted on a fascist regime in Israel and U.S. Congress votes bought by Jewish oligarchs ... funding the terror state ... history will judge harshly, no hiding from the ICJ in The Hague.

My diary from 2011 continued ...

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Benjamin Zelensk*: I don't need a ride. Send weapons and money. kthnxbye.

Analysts remark this US propaganda action is to be seen as the United States and Israel are isolated in the world on their position on Palestinian statehood. I believe the Gilad Shalit release and prisoner swap in a deal with Hamas could be a new start in peace talks. It seems a process is underway as Hamas leadership moves from Damascus to Cairo and Biden does his best to explain the release of spy Jonathan Pollard is not part of the deal. It's nice Clinton and Obama take a tough stance on our common worst enemy the Iranian leadership and not its people.

• Netanyahu deal with Hamas to weaken leadership of Abbas seeking statehood
• Hamas steals Abbas' thunder with prisoner exchange
• Inside Iran - panel debate on assassination plot
• Avigdor Lieberman and Israel's credibility

Biden on Israel and the Iraq War ... Release spy Pollard over my dead body ...

Have a peaceful cultural summer