LAITH MAROUF—Thousands of years of cultural exchange and intermarriage exists between East African peoples, and Arabic peoples and their ancestors. For one, there is not one Somali family that is not intermarried to a Yemeni family; thousands of years of sailing back and forth between what is now Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Yemen and Hijaz. The cultural exchange, trade and intermarriage along the Nile basin from Egypt to Ethiopia was as significant as the movement across the Red Sea. Finally, we can not forget the failed invasion of Mecca by the King of Abyssinia on the day of the birth of Prophet Mohammad, and the complete opposite 40 years later, the granting of asylum by the Christian King of Abyssinia to the first Muslims who were escaping assassins.
ISRAEL
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DR AMIRA ABO EL-FETOUH—According to UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths, “Life is draining out of Gaza at terrifying speed.” Oxfam International, meanwhile, took to X to say that it is “appalled by reports of killing people in #Gaza waiting for food aid. Israel deliberately targeting civilians after starving them is a gross violation of international humanitarian laws and our humanity. The risk of #Genocide is real.”
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BILLY BOB—International law expert Christopher Black and geopolitical analyst Ian Kummer join the Blowback roundtable to discuss the astonishing hypocrisy of the ICJ. The roundtable analyses the West’s disproportionate influence over international institutions and their subsequent subservience to imperialist interests. The roundtable ponders the prospects for improved international organization and the likelihood of effective and just management of the current situation, in lieu of any changes to the status quo.
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EDITOR—Official Biden government mouthpiece (former rear admiral) John Kelly exposes the degree of cynicism, corruption and integration US Middle East policies have with the unconditional support for Israel. Protestations to the contrary are proven time after time groundless. The US is a major, if not the sole, key supporter of Israel Gazan genocide, and so is the entire top tier of the Biden administration. As well, Craig Mokhiber peels off the lies and virtue signaling behind the US and its usual accomplices’ desertion of UNRWA, the vital agency that has long kept Gaza alive.
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INDRAJIT—Israel had three broad strategic objectives to ‘get back to normal’. Kill, terrorize, and intimidate enough natives to ‘be at peace’. But after 100 days of killing, terrorizing, and intimidating people, they’re in a much worse position! And they’ve dragged the whole White Empire down with them. All of their military power and media propaganda is discredited.
Israel may have killed over 1% of Palestinians in Gaza, but that means 99% more to kill! They may have traumatized an entire generation, but that just means more motivated fighters forever. Finally while they may have deterred hospitals from existing, Hamas is more emboldened than ever.