Dear friends--
Israeli PM Netanyahu will arrive here in Washington DC soon, to hold talks Monday with Pres. Trump aimed at speedy conclusion of-- yet another-- ceasefire in Gaza. But meantime, the Israelis' (fully U.S.-backed) campaign of genocidal violence against the Palestinians of Gaza still continues...
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Yesterday, Gaza's Health Ministry reported that since March 18-- the date on which Israel resumed its killing campaigns in Gaza, two weeks after it unilaterally exited the previous ceasefire process-- Israel has killed an additional 6,710 Gazans and injured 23,584 more.
Yesterday, too, the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, announced that it had, "submitted a positive response to the [ceasefire] mediators, and is fully prepared to immediately enter into a round of negotiations on the mechanism for implementing this framework."
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Scroll further down in this newsletter for news about:
- Our Call To Humanity
- Francesca Albanese's searing new report
- The PalCast
- New language editions for Gaza Writes Back...
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So the Hamas negotiators apparently have some hope that now, four months after the Israelis exited the previous ceasefire process, they might be able to enter yet another ceasefire process with the brutal Israeli authorities that can preserve the lives of those still remaining in Gaza and hopefully also set Gaza's people back on a path of repair, reconstruction, and-- at some point not too far away-- liberation from military occupation and the restoration of all their long-denied national rights.
How realistic would such hopes be? Or indeed, the broader hope for an end to all of Israel's many illegal military occupations, including in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), in Golan, and South Lebanon? I would argue that these aspirations, all of which are deeply rooted in international law and the principles of the U.N. Charter, are actually more realistic today than they have been for many decades... And specifically that they are more realistic than they were just four months ago, at that point when Netanyahu's government simply walked away from that previous Gaza ceasefire process with complete impunity.
What changed in the interim? The main thing that changed is that the aura of military invincibility upon which Israel-- with complete backing from Washington-- has for decades based its "deterrence" (= intimidation) capability across the whole of West Asia was revealed, during the "12-day War" that the U.S.-Israeli alliance waged against Iran last month, to be nothing but a paper tiger.
(Or, as I called it in the great conversation I had with Ali Abunimah and Nora Barrows-Friedman on the EI Livestream on Thursday, a "damp squib.")
This is not to minimize the impact of the human and material losses that that U.S.-Israeli attack inflicted on the people of Iran. But what we should rightly call the U.S.-Israeli "Bipartite Aggression" against Iran had as its goal the toppling and (Libya-style) dismantlement of the entire governance structure of Iran. And it failed. Despite destroying many Iranian military facilities including crucial air-defense systems, the Bipartite Aggressors failed to dismantle Iran's core command-and-control systems at both the military and political levels. And they failed to prevent the Iranian military from continuing to employ, with sometimes stunning accuracy and effect, a broad range of missiles and drones against key targets in Israel... day after day after day...
By about seven days into the Bipartite Aggression, the Israelis and possibly also their U.S. allies were rapidly running out of the interceptor missiles on which the residents of tiny Israel relied to prevent complete "obliteration" of their cities. So in the early morning of June 22, Pres. Trump launched one of his hyper-theatrical shows of force-- the B-2 bombers!-- and engaged in a final, kabuki-style interaction with the Iranians that allowed all sides to declare a ceasefire and stand down.
And the Islamic Republic of Iran survived not just to live another day but also to make several key political and military-tech changes that would make it even stronger and more resilient going forward than it was on June 13. (Among these changes: Tehran's decisions to suspend the IAEA's now deeply compromised series of inspections inside Iran and expel the inspectors; and also to disable any use of the US-dominated "GPS" system inside Iran and to replace it with China's much sturdier sat-nav system Beidou.)
Make no mistake, the capabilities Tehran displayed during the war had huge impact. For two decades now Netanyahu, his generals, and key leaders in the U.S. command in West Asia (Centcom), had been planning for a "stunning" knock-out blow against the Islamic Republic of Iran. On October 6, 2023, that had already been the main focus of the Bipartite Aggressors for many years. (Which was a good part of why Israel's military was so unprepared for the Hamas-led breakout from Gaza in the early hours of the following day.) So then, 20 months later, after grinding on with their genocide in Gaza and brutally taking both Hizbullah/Lebanon and Syria out of the regional resistance equation, the Bipartite Aggressors thought it was finally their moment to take on the "big Kahuna", Iran.
On June 13, based on the flimsiest and most hastily concocted allegations from their allies in the IAEA bureaucracy, the Aggressors hit "Go" on their whole big campaign against Iran.
And it failed. So here we are, with the intimidatory capacity that the U.S. and Israeli militaries were until recently able to wield so broadly throughout West Asia having revealed itself to be... a paper tiger.
This is not to say that these two military machines no longer have the capacity to inflict brutal harm on vulnerable, captive populations. They obviously do, as we see happening in Gaza day after day after sickening day. But it does mean that there has been a deep shift in the balance of power within the West Asian region, and also to a non-trivial extent globally. The United States can no longer effortlessly play the role of hegemon in West Asian or other world affairs. There is a new ability for the peoples and governments of the Global Majority to defend and advance their (our) interests.
Starting, let us hope, with a strong, serious plan to end the carnage in Gaza and to bring its people the degree of stability, healing, hope, and flourishing that they-- like all the peoples of the world-- so very evidently deserve.
Actions by, and around, the UN
Back on June 14-- it feels like an eon ago-- Just World Ed released a Call to Humanity in which we called for three things:
- An end to the US-Israeli war on Iran
- An end to the US-Israeli genocide in Gaza, and
- An end to Washington's veto at the UN.
![]() Now, however, thanks to the steadfast and smart defense mounted by the Iranian government and its allies, the first of those demands has been rendered moot-- for the moment, and most likely for a long time going forward. So I made a quick (and slightly tongue-in-cheek) edit to the poster we'd created for this campaign, as shown here.
As we explain in the text of our Call, in order to end the genocide in Gaza we need to over-ride or nullify Washington's veto power at the UN Security Council, and a way exists to do that by using the UN's "Uniting for Peace" process.
A couple of other excellent DC-based organizations, DAWN and WRMEA, are also pushing this same campaign, and they have created this petition that people can sign onto. I just signed it, and I urge you to do so, too. Over the weeks ahead I hope that Just World Ed can work closely with our colleagues at these two orgs and all the other orgs that are working for these ends...
My only, admittedly slight, reservation about their petition is that it seems to assume that having the UN send its own "multinational armed protection force" to Gaza will somehow resolve the ongoing, deep crisis of governance (as well as genocide) there. But there are already armed, multinational UN disengagement/protection forces deployed in Lebanon and Syria's Golan, and in both arenas these forces have been almost completely co-opted intothe ongoing US-Israeli diktat for the region. So what is needed for the effectiveness of any future UN protection force in Gaza and the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), or for that of UNIFIL in Lebanon or UNDOF in Syria, is a very thorough housecleaning within the whole of the UN "peacekeeping" apparatus and the ending of all these forces' subservience to US-Israeli goals.
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Special Rapporteur Albanese's report on corporate involvement in the genocide
![]() On Thursday, the UN's super-talented Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese, issued a powerful new report detailing the intense involvement of many businesses around the world, and in Israel, in the "business" of genocide.
Her report is titled "From economy of occupation to economy of genocide." It calls out numerous international corporations that have profited for many decades from supporting and enabling various aspects of Israel's military occupation of Palestinian lands-- and that then continued, or even intensified, their complicity with Israel's brutality during the heinous action the Israeli state and military have undertaken in Gaza and the West Bank since October 7, 2023.
In presenting the report, Albanese noted that,
“In the past 21 months, while Israel’s genocide has devastated Palestinian lives and landscapes, the Tel Aviv stock exchange soared by 213 percent (USD), amassing $225.7 billion in market gains—including $67.8 billion in the past month alone. For some, genocide is profitable..."
Her report calls out 48 separate corporate actors, along with their parents, subsidiaries, franchisees, licensees and consortium partners across sectors, as having profited from first the lengthy occupation and then ongoing genocide.
A UN Human Rights Council summary of her presentation stated that:
Albanese found that these entities have failed their most basic legal responsibilities to exercise their leverage to bring an end to the violation at stake or terminate relations and disengage. Instead, they have treated Israel’s illegal enterprise in the occupied Palestinian territory as ordinary economic activity—wilfully ignoring documented, systemic abuses, even as atrocities mounted after 7 October 2023.
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The report named companies supplying F-35s, drones, and targeting tech that enabled 85,000 tons of bombs – six times the amount of Hiroshima – to be unleashed on Gaza. It highlighted tech giants that have set up R&D hubs and data centres in Israel, using Palestinian data for AI warfare, fueling what Albanese calls a ‘livestreamed genocide.’ The report points to energy giants having fuelled Israel’s blockade, while construction companies continued to supply the equipment that has turned Gaza to rubble and prevented the return and reconstitution of Palestinian life. Even seemingly neutral actors – tourism sites, supermarkets, and universities are normalising apartheid and the systematic erasure of Palestinian life, the Special Rapporteur’s report found.
“This report shows why Israel’s genocide continues: because it is lucrative for many,” Albanese said.
You can download the whole, 39-page PDF of her report here. It provides powerful data that can act as a spur to swift action by shareholders, investors, and governments worldwide.
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An amazing PalCast ep, and Yousef Aljamal's searing new article on the genocide
Earlier this week, our great PalCast hosts Dr. Yousef Aljamal (this week, from Auckland, NZ) and Tony Groves (from Dublin, Ireland) had a great guest on, live from Gaza: Ahmed Abu Amsha, a Palestinian musician, teacher, and father in Gaza.
![]() If you're not familiar with Ahmed's truly amazing work, bringing music, a sense of fun, and caring to big groups of kids in displacement centers all over Gaza, then I absolutely urge you to follow his Instagram account (for starters), and also if possible to help support the amazing work he does.
In the conversation that Yousef and Tony conducted with him, he explained how hard it was for him to get a signal. And then, the whole conversation was backgrounded with the really annoying buzzing of Israeli drones overhead.
He described spending hours each day searching black markets, often returning empty-handed, and explained how his family survives on a single daily meal. He also shared how the lack of functioning banks has forced people to lose nearly half their money just to access cash.
Despite the suffering, Ahmed has kept music alive for himself and others. He joined forces with the Edward Said Conservatory to bring music to displaced children, helping them process trauma through songs. While many at first questioned whether music had a place in such dire times, families soon embraced the effort. Children found comfort in singing and playing instruments, and parents began to stay close by, grateful for the hope and healing the program brought.
![]() This was such a moving and vital conversation about survival, resistance, and the human need for _expression_, even under siege. I was deeply sorry not to be able to participate. The episode is now available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
But do also go and watch some of Ahmed's truly inspiring work. Who knew that seeing someone leading kids in singing "Doe, a deer, a female deer..." could leave a person (me) in tears?
![]() ... Bringing great guests onto the PalCast, and doing speaking gigs all around the world, is not all that Yousef Aljamal has been up to recently! This week, he also published this very sobering article with In These Times.
Its title is "This is the Worst Phase of the Gaza Genocide." Yousef, who grew up in Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp, concludes somberly with this: "We cannot look away, even during the worst phase of the Genocide. We must continue to relentlessly work for it to end."
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... I realize that many of my recent newsletters, including this one, have tended to go on probably longer than they should, and to be less than perfectly organized... But there has been a huge amount happening in the world-- and in my life, of which I'll share more details in the coming days.
![]() Before I sign off here I want to convey a couple of things. One is how very enriching I found the conversation I had with Ali Abunimah and Nora Barrows-Friedman on the EI Livestream on. Thursday.
When I'm a listener to the amazing episodes that they and their amazing EI team have been producing almost weekly for the past 638 days, I always learn such a lot! (Full disclosure: Nora is also a board member of Just World Ed. I am so proud that she is my colleague there!) And on the two or three occasions I've been their guest over these months, it has also been a great learning experience. Fascinating in this last one to hear Ali's account of how, sitting in Jordan during the US-Israeli war on Iran, he watched the Iranian missiles and the US-Israeli interceptors streaking across the skies right above him. But also, his and Nora's insights on some of the broader implications of the war.
My segment there went on for just over an hour. It was preceded by Nora's always heart-wrenching report of events on-the-ground in Gaza and the West Bank, and followed (after some technical glitches) by Jon Elmer's always-informative Resistance Report.
Over the next couple of weeks I want to build even further on some of the analysis that I, and they, shared there. In particular I want to look more deeply at some of the intriguing impact that the 12-Day War had not just on the Israel-Iran balance in the region (a clear flub for Israel!) but also on:
- the status of U.S. power in West Asia (a clear diminishment)
- the relationship between the U.S. and Israel (with Israel's extreme dependence on the U.S. revealed more starkly than ever)
- the integrity and utility of the IAEA (definitely compromised and in need of urgent reform)
- the integrity and utility of the whole UN system more broadly (ditto), and also
- actually, the utility of nuclear weapons possession in today's world.
In this latter regard, I think it's important to note that Israel's widely known and quite extra-legal possession of a sizeable nuclear arsenal did it absolutely no good during the whole of that significant conflict with Iran-- just as the possession by India and Pakistan of nuclear arsenals served no purpose for them during their most recent (and preceding) armed conflicts.
Much to reflect on there...
More international news from Just World Books
As you know, I love to share news of the books that my publishing company Just World Books LLC has published over the years. I just want to report that we now have the late (assassinated) Dr. Refaat Alareer's powerful anthology Gaza Writes Back available in two new languages. Ladies and gentlemen, here it is in Spanish and Bulgarian!
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So the Bulgarian publisher is Black Flamingo, of Sofia. And this Spanish-language edition is published by the Instituto de Cultura Arabe de Colombia-- for distribution in Colombia only! So if you know of a Spanish-language publisher elsewhere who might be interested in licensing what looks like an excellent translation of this important work, then have them contact Just World Books, since under our contract with the Instituto we actually own the rights to this translation for everywhere else in the world!
I hope you agree with me that books can have a powerful effect in informing publics that have been systematically lied to, for decades, by the promoters of war, brutality, and "White" domination of the whole world?
![]() ... So in other book news (not from Just World Books) it seems evident that Just World Ed's own recent volume Understanding Hamas And Why That Matters can play a big role, right now, in helping to inform publics, legislators, and others about the political history and dynamic of the very organization with which Pres. Trump and the Israelis are conducting their negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, right now.
We all have so much work still to do! But today, perhaps, we can hope that the campaign to end the genocide and build a more just and peaceful global order may one day soon see victory?
Support Just World Ed if you can! And stay well and strong as we face the challenges ahead.
~ Helena
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