From cwfresidence@gmail.com Mon Oct 13 04:00:32 2025 Return-Path: X-Original-To: salon@mlm2.listserve.net Delivered-To: salon@mlm2.listserve.net Received: from mlm0.listserve.net (mlm0.listserve.net [161.35.233.68]) by mlm2.listserve.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id EBDA4B0851 for ; Mon, 13 Oct 2025 04:00:31 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Filter: OpenDKIM Filter v2.11.0 mlm2.listserve.net EBDA4B0851 Authentication-Results: mlm2.listserve.net; dkim=pass (2048-bit key) header.d=gmail.com header.i=@gmail.com header.b="UaXur+3f" Received: by mlm0.listserve.net (Postfix) id D127CBD031; Mon, 13 Oct 2025 04:00:31 -0700 (PDT) Delivered-To: salon@listserve.com Received: from mail-ej1-f42.google.com (mail-ej1-f42.google.com [209.85.218.42]) by mlm0.listserve.net (Postfix) with ESMTPS id A51CBBD02D for ; Mon, 13 Oct 2025 04:00:31 -0700 (PDT) Received: by mail-ej1-f42.google.com with SMTP id a640c23a62f3a-b50206773adso933699566b.0 for ; Mon, 13 Oct 2025 04:00:31 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20230601; t=1760353230; x=1760958030; darn=listserve.com; h=to:subject:message-id:date:from:in-reply-to:references:mime-version :from:to:cc:subject:date:message-id:reply-to; bh=5VcLxF9CJ2d5lKseTBetF/fgn3QfwHf0l9iqKr7Dqyc=; b=UaXur+3frEnlNYQYt8bERh9d/Az/iHrI2cWbD46xf/ltQmpefXLogJmXX0CEmK6SN7 /Rhy5211cmfZkdMYoCYw6n1dmBYLpg4uil1KLnTx+r5oxyNzSWc9iREywuI10XPfb3cZ Eurwv6UjRBfUazXcPscpIoBeG9fzMWCwKYn5/1pzZJw2dgznzlzdx8/1NvSqXkRalwlz f7N2Wvg8TBGKqbQq0SMnSacV0fLTQjeTCepQzIrTABAQgskOruY1YEarjECRqNlyNELq 4JONULV9zoyQz7VSe15srzbMjObrwNhQcBluhfpxzCh/cG35XK2iPhG7Nh9f2NYRJZPv LaBQ== X-Google-DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=1e100.net; s=20230601; t=1760353230; x=1760958030; h=to:subject:message-id:date:from:in-reply-to:references:mime-version :x-gm-message-state:from:to:cc:subject:date:message-id:reply-to; bh=5VcLxF9CJ2d5lKseTBetF/fgn3QfwHf0l9iqKr7Dqyc=; b=LEafP25VlWzWE5KdWXrqNdrzvZ6EJwA33fT8wdOwcAISRNYCbFyMqHHMOaF3KRsEhF bP/jrsq7tYW0/WdoBKs3qo9nMueCcmAAdD5mQcO27M/r/Jb+yriKJWN0vmMnwqha5Z56 9kfDFXDZp4SV9hyQykEgz7aXz8AgF9g/aazsJDG/GUn2sHTkKIK/64e2BM2P+CMFCbeF ZGyBHwqUelGHcziSaT+z2/f70dkqXe5Qe9rm2y394tPO5tBugvNrVgRKXQGRz65iRwjV zEybaq/Iw6+nLkVMG7NV8o1+xEsUuBZLzVNeCsAHQViDjA2PvdPwvnQxXzaV5bf+Lr3j CZPw== X-Gm-Message-State: AOJu0YxV7uGmUbogkqXP0w0MfJEfgNdKzXqs0AQsIaRXSDkTqiX4isqS KB0TYOube210m1uA24I2FJjS3fVcMhap7p1DIxlagU+v+zQz713fvVNFhW7/8L+kZPkhCrVrzrc RPnPxD7j72gfzoV4sAdg/NmI1Zsd6QvkU5z64 X-Gm-Gg: ASbGncs4V/iLfjZPfShOp7oiVPD/ypPEk8XluJZ8yeOgf9bneqKaaaxCqaTuN9cYCdl PrRNdK0KjZ8C7I0FtCG3ncWH550ycNKAnZV2uNmTA3MSSzdRRJMe/O/c3ClF9wwGGwQjBzZReey 6sRl3CtEmaf2JcCRFV56jiuDfUOL5kms69B1nnrTSXyPf49AJ5bL5kG9jWayUL3g3TrnSVMeyI/ 2+tZ3Rcxm96shP1OjiwrEZ42YMr2X1QRkC0U7aElh5gWe8ddFMTlR44Oi+grevdHdeqy5bwUD4o Oq4Zix2wuEUufzui/il1l+BT0It7I9nRy+Jh0i1Qe6AFGfOzLXTjGqbVpaF9Iuo8fyMLDs8OTBg pjl24d+C+BHeuTtKsnh4P95S/yToUzfBJYuCMrNM= X-Google-Smtp-Source: AGHT+IGGEavU/FM077VEgVZyJ3t2+pyr57FN5ln/0+A5x6VHy6ouHAh7vCK25IEx2Q76rQEwT5Dag70xEQZeUXvpHdw= X-Received: by 2002:a17:907:6092:b0:b2f:4970:8720 with SMTP id a640c23a62f3a-b50bd03f431mr2307382866b.8.1760353229220; Mon, 13 Oct 2025 04:00:29 -0700 (PDT) MIME-Version: 1.0 References: In-Reply-To: From: Chas Freeman Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2025 07:00:12 -0400 X-Gm-Features: AS18NWDYQEguamqbaSHvGSfWTbSUHADw77MDBb0Q2uiRqCpXnewtNu0tJoMRpCk Message-ID: To: salon@listserve.com Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="000000000000e82fbd0641082c96" Subject: [Salon] Fwd: MEMO: "Justice first: Rewriting the Gaza peace plan." (10/12/25.) X-BeenThere: salon@listserve.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.33 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion List for the Committee For The Republic List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2025 11:00:32 -0000 --000000000000e82fbd0641082c96 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable *https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20251012-justice-first-rewriting-the-gaz= a-peace-plan/ * *Justice first: Rewriting the Gaza peace plan* - by Ranjan Solomon 10/12/25 [image: Senior Advisor to the President Jared Kushner (R) and US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington DC, US on 1 October 2018 [Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]] *The so-called Gaza deal, announced with fanfare by Washington, is neither just nor legitimate. It is a trophy for Donald Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner =E2=80=94 a cynical exercise in self-promotion disguised as diplomacy. For the people who matter most =E2=80=94 the Gazans, the Palesti= nians, the Arab nations whose histories are tied to the land =E2=80=94 there was n= o seat at the table, no voice in the room. Even the United Nations, whose mandate is to protect the occupied and mediate peace, was not consulted. What the world has been handed is not a peace accord but a political masquerade =E2= =80=94 a deal written by the occupier, for the occupier.* *True peace cannot be imposed by those complicit in the destruction of Gaza. The deal lacks the fundamental ingredients of justice. There is no end to the occupation, no commitment to reparations for decades of displacement and devastation, and no recognition of Palestinian sovereignty or the right of return. What it offers instead is a recycled illusion =E2= =80=94 the illusion that one can build peace upon ruins while maintaining apartheid walls, checkpoints, and blockades. The civilians who have endured the bombings since October 2023, the starvation of children, and the collapse of hospitals see this clearly: there is no justice in deals that ignore their suffering.* *The two-state solution, once considered a moral compromise for coexistence, has long been rendered obsolete by Israel=E2=80=99s relentless expansionism. Settlements have fractured the West Bank into isolated enclaves; Gaza has been reduced to rubble and deprivation. A =E2=80=9Cstate= =E2=80=9D without control over its borders, airspace, or economy is not sovereignty = =E2=80=94 it is subjugation. In principle, a unitary, democratic state where Palestinians and Jews live as equals would be the truest expression of justice. Yet even that vision feels impossible today, for how can Palestinians coexist with those who have bombed, starved, and killed their families with impunity?* *If a two-state formula is to be revived, it must not be the hollow version of Oslo, which only legitimised Israeli domination. It must return to the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital and full withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied territory. Anything less would perpetuate apartheid under the guise of compromise. The decades of failed negotiations =E2=80=94 from Camp David to Annapolis =E2=80=94 have proven t= hat half-measures only embolden the occupier. Peace cannot flourish in the shadow of injustice.* *The Trump-Kushner deal must be dumped, except for the ceasefire clause that offers temporary relief from slaughter. The world must return to the drawing board and craft a peace plan rooted in historical truth, moral responsibility, and respect for Palestinian identity and integrity. No durable peace can emerge without acknowledgment of guilt and repentance. Israel must apologise for the genocidal war since October 2023, a war that has killed tens of thousands of civilians, starved children, and destroyed every basic human facility. It must recognise the Palestinian right to resistance under international law =E2=80=94 a right born of occupation and= denied for 77 years.* *Settlers must withdraw from the West Bank. Their very presence violates the Fourth Geneva Convention and constitutes a war crime. Their removal is not vengeance but justice =E2=80=94 a step toward dismantling a system of p= rivilege built on stolen land. Jerusalem must become an international city, shared by all faiths and both peoples, under a joint administration that reflects its universal spiritual significance. No peace is possible while Jerusalem remains a monopoly of Israeli power and exclusion.* *READ: Hamas says working to ensure entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza under ceasefire deal * *A Middle East free of nuclear weapons is another essential pillar of regional stability. Israel, the region=E2=80=99s only nuclear power, has lo= ng evaded accountability under US protection. Its armaments must be submitted for international inspection, followed by a process of gradual demilitarisation, not only of Israel but of all parties in the region. Disarmament will follow justice =E2=80=94 never precede it. True security i= s inseparable from justice, and peace without accountability is an illusion.* *The role of Hamas must be determined by Palestinians themselves, through a democratic and transparent process, not dictated by Washington, Tel Aviv, or Brussels. The hypocrisy of Western powers is evident: they call for democracy yet refuse to accept the outcome when Palestinians vote freely. Any legitimate peace framework must include all Palestinian political forces, not selectively label some as =E2=80=9Cterrorists=E2=80=9D while re= warding the true perpetrator of state terror.* *The United States and the European Union can be participants in dialogue, but not its arbiters. Their record of bias disqualifies them from leading negotiations. Instead, the peace architecture must expand to include Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Arab League, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The oversight mechanism should be internationally constituted under the United Nations, coordinated by a Global South country respected for its neutrality and moral credibility. This would restore balance and legitimacy to a process long hijacked by the West.* *For decades, Israel has claimed to be the only democracy in the Middle East. Yet democracies do not bomb hospitals, starve populations, or imprison entire communities behind walls. Israel is not the victim in this equation; it is the occupying power. It cannot dictate the terms of peace while continuing to steal land and water, demolish homes, and assassinate journalists. The global community must say plainly: Israel is only one of the parties =E2=80=94 not the judge, jury, or executioner.* *To achieve lasting peace, the conversation must shift from security to justice. Security without justice is repression. Peace without dignity is surrender. The Palestinian cause is not a dispute over borders but a struggle for freedom and equality =E2=80=94 a struggle against a system of colonialism and racial supremacy sustained by Western complicity.* *The international community must confront its own moral failure. The silence of powerful states in the face of genocide is a stain on modern civilisation. The United Nations must reclaim its original mandate =E2=80= =94 to protect the weak from the powerful, the occupied from the occupier. A permanent UN observer mission in Gaza, under the protection of neutral states, could begin rebuilding trust. Global civil society, from universities to trade unions, must intensify boycotts, divestments, and sanctions until Israel complies with international law.* *History teaches that no empire, however brutal, lasts forever. South Africa=E2=80=99s apartheid regime collapsed when global conscience aligned = with internal resistance. The same will happen in Palestine. The spirit of the people =E2=80=94 those who have endured siege, starvation, and sorrow =E2= =80=94 remains unbroken.* *The Trump deal is not a roadmap to peace; it is an epitaph for the moral authority of those who pretend to mediate it. Real peace will not come from deals written in Washington or Jerusalem but from the ashes of injustice = =E2=80=94 when Palestinians can walk their land in freedom, when the refugee camps empty, when apology replaces arrogance, and when both peoples stand as equals before the law of humanity.* *Enough is enough. The world has watched too many false dawns. It is time to end the occupation, dismantle apartheid, and recognise the right of Palestine to live =E2=80=94 free, sovereign, and whole. Until that day, eve= ry =E2=80=9Cdeal=E2=80=9D that ignores justice is nothing more than a hollow v= ictory for the powerful and a betrayal of the oppressed.* *OPINION: Palestine in BRICS: Decolonisation=E2=80=99s second wave * *The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.* --000000000000e82fbd0641082c96 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
https://www.mi= ddleeastmonitor.com/20251012-justice-first-rewriting-the-gaza-peace-plan/

<= font color=3D"#000000" size=3D"4">Justice first: Rewriting the Gaza peac= e plan

3D"Senior

<= b>The so-called Gaza deal, announced with fanfare b= y Washington, is neither just nor legitimate. It is a trophy for Donald Tru= mp and his son-in-law Jared Kushner =E2=80=94 a cynical exercise in self-pr= omotion disguised as diplomacy. For the people who matter most =E2=80=94 th= e Gazans, the Palestinians, the Arab nations whose histories are tied to th= e land =E2=80=94 there was no seat at the table, no voice in the room. Even= the United Nations, whose mandate is to protect the occupied and mediate p= eace, was not consulted. What the world has been handed is not a peace acco= rd but a political masquerade =E2=80=94 a deal written by the occupier, for= the occupier.

True peace cannot be imposed by those complicit in the destruction of Ga= za. The deal lacks the fundamental ingredients of justice. There is no end = to the occupation, no commitment to reparations for decades of displacement= and devastation, and no recognition of Palestinian sovereignty or the righ= t of return. What it offers instead is a recycled illusion =E2=80=94 the il= lusion that one can build peace upon ruins while maintaining apartheid wall= s, checkpoints, and blockades. The civilians who have endured the bombings = since October 2023, the starvation of children, and the collapse of hospita= ls see this clearly: there is no justice in deals that ignore their sufferi= ng.

The two-= state solution, once considered a moral compromise for coexistence, has lon= g been rendered obsolete by Israel=E2=80=99s relentless expansionism. Settl= ements have fractured the West Bank into isolated enclaves; Gaza has been r= educed to rubble and deprivation. A =E2=80=9Cstate=E2=80=9D without control= over its borders, airspace, or economy is not sovereignty =E2=80=94 it is = subjugation. In principle, a unitary, democratic state where Palestinians a= nd Jews live as equals would be the truest expression of justice. Yet even = that vision feels impossible today, for how can Palestinians coexist with t= hose who have bombed, starved, and killed their families with impunity?

If a two-state = formula is to be revived, it must not be the hollow version of Oslo, which = only legitimised Israeli domination. It must return to the 1967 borders, wi= th East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital and full withdrawal of Israeli= forces from occupied territory. Anything less would perpetuate apartheid u= nder the guise of compromise. The decades of failed negotiations =E2=80=94 = from Camp David to Annapolis =E2=80=94 have proven that half-measures only = embolden the occupier. Peace cannot flourish in the shadow of injustice.

The Trump-Kush= ner deal must be dumped, except for the ceasefire clause that offers tempor= ary relief from slaughter. The world must return to the drawing board and c= raft a peace plan rooted in historical truth, moral responsibility, and res= pect for Palestinian identity and integrity. No durable peace can emerge wi= thout acknowledgment of guilt and repentance. Israel must apologise for the= genocidal war since October 2023, a war that has killed tens of thousands = of civilians, starved children, and destroyed every basic human facility. I= t must recognise the Palestinian right to resistance under international la= w =E2=80=94 a right born of occupation and denied for 77 years.<= /span>

Settlers must withdraw = from the West Bank. Their very presence violates the Fourth Geneva Conventi= on and constitutes a war crime. Their removal is not vengeance but justice = =E2=80=94 a step toward dismantling a system of privilege built on stolen l= and. Jerusalem must become an international city, shared by all faiths and = both peoples, under a joint administration that reflects its universal spir= itual significance. No peace is possible while Jerusalem remains a monopoly= of Israeli power and exclusion.

READ:=C2=A0Hamas says working to ensure entry of humanitarian aid into Gaz= a under ceasefire deal

A Middle East free of nuclear weapons is another essential pil= lar of regional stability. Israel, the region=E2=80=99s only nuclear power,= has long evaded accountability under US protection. Its armaments must be = submitted for international inspection, followed by a process of gradual de= militarisation, not only of Israel but of all parties in the region. Disarm= ament will follow justice =E2=80=94 never precede it. True security is inse= parable from justice, and peace without accountability is an illusion.

The role of Hama= s must be determined by Palestinians themselves, through a democratic and t= ransparent process, not dictated by Washington, Tel Aviv, or Brussels. The = hypocrisy of Western powers is evident: they call for democracy yet refuse = to accept the outcome when Palestinians vote freely. Any legitimate peace f= ramework must include all Palestinian political forces, not selectively lab= el some as =E2=80=9Cterrorists=E2=80=9D while rewarding the true perpetrato= r of state terror.

The United States and the European Union can be participants in dial= ogue, but not its arbiters. Their record of bias disqualifies them from lea= ding negotiations. Instead, the peace architecture must expand to include A= frica, Asia, Latin America, the Arab League, and the Organisation of Islami= c Cooperation (OIC). The oversight mechanism should be internationally cons= tituted under the United Nations, coordinated by a Global South country res= pected for its neutrality and moral credibility. This would restore balance= and legitimacy to a process long hijacked by the West.

For decades, Israel has claimed= to be the only democracy in the Middle East. Yet democracies do not bomb h= ospitals, starve populations, or imprison entire communities behind walls. = Israel is not the victim in this equation; it is the occupying power. It ca= nnot dictate the terms of peace while continuing to steal land and water, d= emolish homes, and assassinate journalists. The global community must say p= lainly: Israel is only one of the parties =E2=80=94 not the judge, jury, or= executioner.

To achieve lasting peace, the conversation must shift from security to ju= stice. Security without justice is repression. Peace without dignity is sur= render. The Palestinian cause is not a dispute over borders but a struggle = for freedom and equality =E2=80=94 a struggle against a system of coloniali= sm and racial supremacy sustained by Western complicity.<= /p>

The international community = must confront its own moral failure. The silence of powerful states in the = face of genocide is a stain on modern civilisation. The United Nations must= reclaim its original mandate =E2=80=94 to protect the weak from the powerf= ul, the occupied from the occupier. A permanent UN observer mission in Gaza= , under the protection of neutral states, could begin rebuilding trust. Glo= bal civil society, from universities to trade unions, must intensify boycot= ts, divestments, and sanctions until Israel complies with international law= .

History te= aches that no empire, however brutal, lasts forever. South Africa=E2=80=99s= apartheid regime collapsed when global conscience aligned with internal re= sistance. The same will happen in Palestine. The spirit of the people =E2= =80=94 those who have endured siege, starvation, and sorrow =E2=80=94 remai= ns unbroken.

The Trump deal is not a roadmap to peace; it is an epitaph for the moral a= uthority of those who pretend to mediate it. Real peace will not come from = deals written in Washington or Jerusalem but from the ashes of injustice = =E2=80=94 when Palestinians can walk their land in freedom, when the refuge= e camps empty, when apology replaces arrogance, and when both peoples stand= as equals before the law of humanity.

= Enough is enough. The world has watched too many= false dawns. It is time to end the occupation, dismantle apartheid, and re= cognise the right of Palestine to live =E2=80=94 free, sovereign, and whole= . Until that day, every =E2=80=9Cdeal=E2=80=9D that ignores justice is noth= ing more than a hollow victory for the powerful and a betrayal of the oppre= ssed.

OPINION= :=C2=A0Palestine in BRICS: Decolonisation=E2=80=99s second= wave

The views express= ed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the = editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.

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For two years, the unfortunate people of Gaza have faced a horrific military assault. Yes, people can debate the rights and wrongs of Israel=E2= =80=99s actions, but the fact remains that hundreds of thousands of people have faced death, injury, bereavement, fear and malnutrition. Now these people are going to endure=E2=80=94Tony Blair? =E2=80=9CBlair would help oversee Gaza transition under Trump plan,=E2=80= =9D the BBC reports . Trump=E2=80=99s =E2=80=9Cplan=E2=80=9D involves a campaign of demilitarizat= ion and redevelopment. Happily, the president has dropped what seemed to be a plan of ethnic cleansing and hotel construction , but inflicting Blair on the luckless Gazans seems cruel nonetheless. Blair, whose government held Britain in its cold and clammy hands between 1997 and 2007, is best known in the Middle East for cocreating the invasion of Iraq. This nightmarishly stupid endeavor, based on overheated claims about Saddam Hussein=E2=80=99s military capacities and childish delusions a= bout liberal democracy flourishing amid sectarianism and clannishness, left hund= reds of thousands of Iraqis and thousands of coalition soldiers dead, as well as providing fertile grounds for the development of ISIS. Such were the horrors of the war that it made Bush and Blair=E2=80=99s doomed adventure in Afghanistan seem comparatively sane=E2=80=94and that war ended with the Taliban simply retaking control af= ter 20 blood-soaked years. *This *is the man tasked with sorting out Gaza? How about bringing in Sam Bankman-Fried to reshape its economy, or Ghislaine Maxwell to campaign for women=E2=80=99s rights? Blair=E2=80=99s failings don=E2=80=99t end here. It might seem churlish to = bring up his lamentable role in expanding mass migration or the higher education system. Gaza is hardly liable to suffer from an excess of migrants or universities. But the point is that Blair is self-important and delusional=E2=80=94launch= ing secular crusades without a sense of realism. He is a great marketer inexplicably elevated to leadership=E2=80=94holding forth on the world stag= e as if he can conjure up a brighter future with the sheer power of clich=C3=A9s. T= he tragedy is that people have tried to put his =E2=80=9Cnarratives=E2=80=9D i= nto practice. Since 2016, Blair=E2=80=94now *Sir* Tony Blair=E2=80=94has been the frontma= n of the modestly titled Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. With 800 employees working on projects in 40 different countries, some have speculated that Blair is more powerful than he was in 10 Downing Street. On the back of multi-million dollar donations from the likes of Larry Ellison of Oracle, the TBI=E2=80=94it sounds like a gastrointestinal disorder=E2=80=94have bee= n involved in AI boosterism and advising leaders on governance and geopolitics (=E2=80=9CI=E2=80=99m Tony B= lair and here=E2=80=99s what not to do =E2=80=A6=E2=80=9D *et cetera)*. Their links with power were= seemingly demonstrated by Prime Minister Keir Starmer=E2=80=99s recent announcement that Britain would adopt a system of digital ID cards coming days after a TBI report on digital ID . It would be dishonest to suggest that the Tony Blair Institute can offer no valuable insight into the Israel/Palestine conflict. One suspects that a lot of people could have done with reading Beth Oppenheim=E2=80=99s June 20= 23 article for the TBI, which warned: =E2=80=9CWithout a political process, th= e next Gaza-Israel escalation is only a matter of time .=E2=80=9D Well, yes. Still, ending wars takes a lot more risk and insight than anticipating them. Blair=E2=80=99s sweeping plan for Palestinian development, while admi= ttedly humane compared to some that we have heard, brims with vain technocratic optimism, appearing to think that economic development can be manifested in a political vacuum. Blair is a big believer in the power of AI, and his techno-optimism seems to have made him even blinder to the sheer messiness of human beings. All this smells of the worst sort of imperial arrogance, without even the entertaining pomp and circumstance. Bluntly, if Blair could make such a hash of =E2=80=9Cmodernizing=E2=80=9D the peaceful and prosperous Britain o= f the late =E2=80=9990s, how can we expect that he will =E2=80=9Cmodernize=E2=80=9D Gaza? *The American Conservative* is an entirely reader supported charitable organization. If you would like to see more independent conservative journalism, please consider making a donation today! Thank you! SUPPORT TAC I suppose that Blair could point to his role in the Good Friday Agreement, which=E2=80=94largely=E2=80=94ended violence in Northern Ireland. But North= ern Ireland was not Gaza, and Israel is not Great Britain. If nothing else, peace in Northern Ireland would have been a different proposition if Belfast had been left in smoking ruins, or if the IRA had carried out an attack on the scale of October 7. Establishing a durable peace in Palestine will absolutely take ambition. It will absolutely take international involvement (unless people think Hamas can lead the Gazans to a glorious future). But Tony Blair is not just ambitious=E2=80=94he is deeply and devastatingly hubristic. A series of avo= idable catastrophes in government did nothing to diminish his self-belief. Like an evangelical veering towards the status of a cult leader, he remains blissfully convinced that he can reshape the world. I agree with him. He can. But not=E2=80=94I suspect=E2=80=94for the better. --00000000000079cabc064108494b Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
<= table align=3D"left" width=3D"100%" border=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspac= ing=3D"0" style=3D"border-collapse:collapse;min-width:100%;float:left">
3D""
=
=
=
=
READ ON= SITE NOW
<= td valign=3D"top" class=3D"m_8490543224587689777mcnTextContent" style=3D"wo= rd-break:break-word;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Helvetica Neue"= ,Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:21px;padding= :0px 18px 9px">

Have the Palestinians not suffered enoug= h?

For two years, the unfortunate people of Gaza have faced a horrific mil= itary assault. Yes, people can debate the rights and wrongs of Israel=E2=80= =99s actions, but the fact remains that hundreds of thousands of people hav= e faced death, injury, bereavement, fear and malnutrition.

Now these peopl= e are going to endure=E2=80=94Tony Blair?=C2=A0

=E2=80=9CBlair would help = oversee Gaza transition under Trump plan,=E2=80=9D the BBC=C2=A0reports. Trump=E2=80=99s =E2=80=9Cplan= =E2=80=9D involves a campaign of demilitarization and redevelopment. Happil= y, the president has dropped what seemed to be a=C2=A0plan of ethnic cleansing and hotel construction,= but inflicting Blair on the luckless Gazans seems cruel nonetheless.

Bla= ir, whose government held Britain in its cold and clammy hands between 1997= and 2007, is best known in the Middle East for cocreating the invasion of = Iraq. This nightmarishly stupid endeavor, based on overheated claims about = Saddam Hussein=E2=80=99s military capacities and childish delusions about l= iberal democracy flourishing amid sectarianism and clannishness, left=C2=A0= hundreds of thousands of Iraqis= =C2=A0and thousands of coalition soldiers dead, as well as providing fe= rtile grounds for the development of ISIS. Such were the horrors of the war= that it made Bush and Blair=E2=80=99s doomed adventure in Afghanistan seem= comparatively sane=E2=80=94and that=C2=A0war ended with the Talib= an simply retaking control after 20 blood-soaked years.

This=C2=A0is the man tasked with sorting out Gaza? How about bringing in Sam Bankma= n-Fried to reshape its economy, or Ghislaine Maxwell to campaign for women= =E2=80=99s rights?

Blair=E2=80=99s failings don=E2=80=99t end here. It mig= ht seem churlish to bring up his lamentable role in expanding mass migratio= n or the higher education system. Gaza is hardly liable to suffer from an e= xcess of migrants or universities. But the point is that Blair is self-impo= rtant and delusional=E2=80=94launching secular crusades without a sense of = realism. He is a great marketer inexplicably elevated to leadership=E2=80= =94holding forth on the world stage as if he can conjure up a brighter futu= re with the sheer power of clich=C3=A9s. The tragedy is that people have tr= ied to put his =E2=80=9Cnarratives=E2=80=9D into practice.

Since 2016, Bla= ir=E2=80=94now=C2=A0Sir=C2=A0Tony Blair=E2=80=94has been the front= man of the modestly titled Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. With 800= employees working on projects in 40 different countries, some have=C2=A0speculated=C2=A0that Blair i= s more powerful than he was in 10 Downing Street. On the back of multi-mill= ion dollar donations from the likes of Larry Ellison of Oracle, the TBI=E2= =80=94it sounds like a gastrointestinal disorder=E2=80=94have been involved= in=C2=A0AI boosterism=C2= =A0and advising leaders on governance and geopolitics (=E2=80=9CI=E2=80=99m= Tony Blair and here=E2=80=99s what not to do =E2=80=A6=E2=80=9D=C2=A0e= t cetera). Their links with power were seemingly demonstrated by Prime= Minister Keir Starmer=E2=80=99s=C2=A0recent announcement=C2=A0that Britain would adopt a system of d= igital ID cards coming days after=C2=A0a TBI report on digital ID.

It would be dishonest to suggest t= hat the Tony Blair Institute can offer no valuable insight into the Israel/= Palestine conflict. One suspects that a lot of people could have done with = reading Beth Oppenheim=E2=80=99s June 2023 article for the TBI, which warne= d: =E2=80=9CWithout a political= process, the next Gaza-Israel escalation is only a matter of time.=E2= =80=9D Well, yes.

Still, ending wars takes a lot more risk and insight tha= n anticipating them. Blair=E2=80=99s sweeping plan for Palestinian developm= ent, while admittedly humane compared to some that we have heard, brims wit= h vain technocratic optimism, appearing to think that economic development = can be manifested in a political vacuum. Blair is a big believer in the pow= er of AI, and his techno-optimism seems to have made him even blinder to th= e sheer messiness of human beings.

All this smells of the worst sort of im= perial arrogance, without even the entertaining pomp and circumstance. Blun= tly, if Blair could make such a hash of =E2=80=9Cmodernizing=E2=80=9D the p= eaceful and prosperous Britain of the late =E2=80=9990s, how can we expect = that he will =E2=80=9Cmodernize=E2=80=9D Gaza?

<= /tr>
=
The American Conservative=C2=A0is an entirely reader supported charitable organization. If you woul= d like to see more independent conservative journalism, please consider mak= ing a donation today! Thank you!
SUPPORT TAC

I supp= ose that Blair could point to his role in the Good Friday Agreement, which= =E2=80=94largely=E2=80=94ended violence in Northern Ireland. But Northern I= reland was not Gaza, and Israel is not Great Britain. If nothing else, peac= e in Northern Ireland would have been a different proposition if Belfast ha= d been left in smoking ruins, or if the IRA had carried out an attack on th= e scale of October 7.

Establishing a durable peace in Palestine will absol= utely take ambition. It will absolutely take international involvement (unl= ess people think Hamas can lead the Gazans to a glorious future). But Tony = Blair is not just ambitious=E2=80=94he is deeply and devastatingly hubristi= c. A series of avoidable catastrophes in government did nothing to diminish= his self-belief. Like an evangelical veering towards the status of a cult = leader, he remains blissfully convinced that he can reshape the world.=C2= =A0

I agree with him. He can. But not=E2=80=94I suspect=E2=80=94for the be= tter.

3D""
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--0000000000007e3f170641084dc8 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable The still-employed man performs no identifiable function, Americans noted. =CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD= =CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD= =CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD= =CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 = =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 = =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 = =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F = =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F = =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F = =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 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Subscribe here for more Americans Mystified Why Nonessential Federal Employee Still Has Job Oct 13 READ IN APP Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report )=E2=80=94As the government shutdown drags on into its thirteenth day, Americans have become baffled as to why a totally nonessential federal employee still has his job. Unlike thousands of workers at agencies like EPA and HUD who have been furloughed, the still-employed man serves no identifiable function, Americans noted. In fact, a review of activities performed by him in 2025 yields only three: sending co-workers home on an extended vacation, refusing to swear in a new co-worker, and praying for the Rapture. But in a testy exchange with reporters on Monday, the nonessential employee vehemently rejected the widespread claims of his abject uselessness, declaring, =E2=80=9CI have been working around the clock protecting pedophi= les.=E2=80=9D *As corporate media bend their knee to our senile wannabe dictator, I have never been more grateful that I don=E2=80=99t work for one of these craven companies. I work for you.* Upgrade to paid Leave a comment Share Share Like Comment Restack =C2=A9 2025 Andy Borowitz 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104 Unsubscribe [image: Get the app] [image: Start writing] --0000000000007e3f170641084dc8 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

The still-employed man pe= rforms no identifiable function, Americans noted.
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=C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 = =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F = =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80= =87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD= =8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2= =80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD= =CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 = =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2= =AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2= =A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 = =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F = =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80= =87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD= =8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2= =80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD= =CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 = =E2=80=87 =C2=AD
<= td height=3D"16" style=3D"font-size:0px;line-height:0">=C2=A0
<= td align=3D"left" width=3D"1024" style=3D"text-align:center">3D""=
Chip Somodevilla/Get= ty Images

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report= )=E2=80=94As the government shutdown drags on into its thirteenth day= , Americans have become baffled as to why a totally nonessential federal em= ployee still has his job.

Unlike thousands of workers at = agencies like EPA and HUD who have been furloughed, the still-employed man = serves no identifiable function, Americans noted.

In fact, a rev= iew of activities performed by him in 2025 yields only three: sending co-wo= rkers home on an extended vacation, refusing to swear in a new co-worker, a= nd praying for the Rapture.

But in a testy exchange with reporte= rs on Monday, the nonessential employee vehemently rejected the widespread = claims of his abject uselessness, declaring, =E2=80=9CI have been working a= round the clock protecting pedophiles.=E2=80=9D

3D""

As corporate media bend their knee to our senil= e wannabe dictator, I have never been more grateful that I don=E2=80=99t wo= rk for one of these craven companies. I work for you.

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=C2=A9 2025 Andy Borowitz
548 M= arket Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104
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Photo: AP] Alice Li SCMP 13 Oct 2025 China=E2=80=99s expansion of its rare earth export controls appeared to mar= k another escalation in the US-China trade war last week. But the announcements were also significant in another way: unusually, the documents could not be opened using American word processing software. For the first time, China=E2=80=99s Ministry of Commerce issued a slew of d= ocuments that could be directly accessed only through WPS Office =E2=80=93 China=E2= =80=99s answer to Microsoft Office =E2=80=93 as Beijing continues its tech self-reliance driv= e. Developed by the Beijing-based software company Kingsoft, WPS Office uses a different coding structure to Microsoft Office, meaning WPS text files cannot be opened directly in Word without conversion. Previously, the ministry primarily released text documents in Microsoft Word format. The switch in document delivery format came amid escalating trade tensions between China and the US, as Washington continues to wield its technological edge as leverage in its rivalry with Beijing. Following China=E2=80=99s announcement of the new export controls , US President Donald Trump threatened that America would curb the export of =E2=80=9Cany and all critical software=E2=80=9D. [image: Microsoft closed its artificial intelligence research facility in Shanghai=E2=80=99s Zhangjiang hi-tech zone in March. Photo: Wency Chen] Microsoft closed its artificial intelligence research facility in Shanghai=E2=80=99s Zhangjiang hi-tech zone in March. Photo: Wency Chen In recent years, Beijing has intensified its push to reduce its reliance on foreign information technology, especially software and systems used across government institutions, state-owned enterprises, universities and key strategic industries. The move helped China emerge almost unscathed from an outage of Microsoft=E2=80=99s Windows operating system in July 2024 caus= ed by a faulty update provided by Texas-based cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, with a host of critical service providers =E2=80=93 from airlines to banks = =E2=80=93 having already reduced their use of foreign systems. China=E2=80=99s State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commissio= n announced in 2022 that state-owned enterprises were required to achieve full adoption of domestic software across their operational systems and daily office functions by 2027. WPS Office is currently China=E2=80=99s leading domestic word processing so= ftware, while a host of domestic tech giants including NetEase, Tencent, Huawei Technologies and Alibaba Group Holding compete to provide email systems and cloud services. Alibaba is the owner of the South China Morning Post. Several foreign software providers whose systems were widely used in China in the past =E2=80=93 including Adobe and Citrix owner Cloud Software =E2= =80=93 have either exited the Chinese market or scaled back their operations in the country in recent years. Earlier this year, Microsoft closed its artificial intelligence research facility in Shanghai, after shuttering all its bricks-and-mortar stores on the mainland in 2024. The stock price of Kingsoft Corporation, the holding company of WPS developer Kingsoft Office, had surged by as much as 18.9 per cent in Hong Kong as of Monday morning. Kingsoft Office stocks were also up 18 per cent on mainland exchanges. --00000000000022b2030641086258 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Sending a mes= sage: Beijing issues documents without Word format amid US tensions<= /h1>

= For the first time, China=E2=80=99s Ministry of Commerce issued policy anno= uncements in documents only accessible via domestic software last week

<= /h3>

3D"China
Alice Li
SCMP=C2=A0 13 Oct 2025

China=E2=80=99s expans= ion of its rare earth export controls appeared to mark another escalation i= n the US-China trade war last week. But the announcements were also signifi= cant in another way: unusually, the documents could not be opened using Ame= rican word processing software.

For the first time, China=E2=80=99s Ministry of Commerce issued a = slew of documents that could be directly accessed only through WPS Office = =E2=80=93 China=E2=80=99s answer to Microsoft Office =E2=80=93 as Beijing c= ontinues its tech self-reliance drive.

Developed by the Beijing-based software company Kingsoft, W= PS Office uses a different coding structure to Microsoft Office, meaning WP= S text files cannot be opened directly in Word without conversion.

Previously, the ministry= primarily released text documents in Microsoft Word format.

The switch in document delivery format came ami= d=C2=A0escalating= trade tensions=C2=A0between China and the US, as Washington con= tinues to wield its technological edge as leverage in its rivalry with Beij= ing.
Following China=E2=80=99s= =C2=A0<= span class=3D"gmail-css-0 ef9u0v00" style=3D"box-sizing:border-box;margin:0= px;padding:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;= font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size-adju= st:inherit;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-alig= n:baseline;border:0px;word-break:break-word">announcement of the new export= controls, US President Donald Trump threatened that America wou= ld curb the export of =E2=80=9Cany and all critical software=E2=80=9D.
3D"Microsoft
Microsoft clos= ed its artificial intelligence research facility in Shanghai=E2=80=99s Zhan= gjiang hi-tech zone in March. Photo: Wency Chen

In re= cent years, Beijing has intensified its push to reduce its reliance on fore= ign information technology, especially software and systems used across gov= ernment institutions, state-owned enterprises, universities and key strateg= ic industries.

The move hel= ped China=C2=A0emerge almost unscathed=C2=A0= from an outage of Microsoft=E2=80=99s Windows operating system in July 2024= caused by a faulty update provided by Texas-based cybersecurity company Cr= owdStrike, with a host of critical service providers =E2=80=93 from airline= s to banks =E2=80=93 having already reduced their use of foreign systems.

China=E2=80=99s State-= owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission announced in 2022 th= at state-owned enterprises were required to achieve full adoption of domest= ic software across their operational systems and daily office functions by = 2027.

WPS Office is cur= rently China=E2=80=99s leading domestic word processing software, while a h= ost of domestic tech giants including NetEase, Tencent, Huawei Technologies= and Alibaba Group Holding compete to provide email systems and cloud servi= ces.

Alibaba is the own= er of the South China Morning Post.

Several foreign software providers whose systems were widely u= sed in China in the past =E2=80=93 including Adobe and Citrix owner Cloud S= oftware =E2=80=93 have either exited the Chinese market or scaled back thei= r operations in the country in recent years.

Earlier this year, Microsoft=C2=A0closed its artificial intel= ligence research facility=C2=A0in Shanghai, after shuttering all= its bricks-and-mortar stores on the mainland in 2024.

The stock price of Kingsoft Corpor= ation, the holding company of WPS developer Kingsoft Office, had surged by = as much as 18.9 per cent in Hong Kong as of Monday morning. Kingsoft Office= stocks were also up 18 per cent on mainland exchanges.

--00000000000022b2030641086258-- From cwfresidence@gmail.com Mon Oct 13 04:29:18 2025 Return-Path: X-Original-To: salon@mlm2.listserve.net Delivered-To: salon@mlm2.listserve.net Received: from mlm0.listserve.net (mlm0.listserve.net [161.35.233.68]) by mlm2.listserve.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id 4134CB0851 for ; Mon, 13 Oct 2025 04:29:18 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Filter: OpenDKIM Filter v2.11.0 mlm2.listserve.net 4134CB0851 Authentication-Results: mlm2.listserve.net; dkim=pass (2048-bit key) header.d=gmail.com header.i=@gmail.com header.b="mnkrh3H7" Received: by mlm0.listserve.net (Postfix) id 2D769BD031; Mon, 13 Oct 2025 04:29:18 -0700 (PDT) Delivered-To: salon@listserve.com Received: from mail-ed1-f50.google.com (mail-ed1-f50.google.com [209.85.208.50]) by mlm0.listserve.net (Postfix) with ESMTPS id E7FFEBD02D for ; Mon, 13 Oct 2025 04:29:17 -0700 (PDT) Received: by mail-ed1-f50.google.com with SMTP id 4fb4d7f45d1cf-639fe77bb29so6263615a12.1 for ; Mon, 13 Oct 2025 04:29:17 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20230601; t=1760354956; x=1760959756; darn=listserve.com; h=to:subject:message-id:date:from:mime-version:from:to:cc:subject :date:message-id:reply-to; bh=mb3oKJA7zpQQVP1o/OgFhDNVNjmPjdYrUDbLWDQPxRk=; b=mnkrh3H79ex1No8KnLDJwJreRBq7UcarE32vMqP6DWguUyi4f4ztqSJIzqrEV4ud3W N+3TXokraodGlnyLKNCfqdXnezBr8mo0ob56p8gyf3CxTLdPCGyM6Fclmx2IXlJM8+ku pw3MIMOs/kTrUbFCNsLfMidekOo+MEZ3EDl8Os5uq4R0QDmWQ/aN3Tu7eJIUPUEaovnK zNliFNfa+2J6aJcEuF7sFmD3rF2/Q5rQrAXVV/khVht4cFdwZeEextR0kSg0H7+h6j+P BRgfvOoS/nWX24zI3u0ilcXHHdImsQtFLrvYtJz0IqBRfYecRAKnncdIYGNUcwme2RvS QGeQ== X-Google-DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=1e100.net; s=20230601; t=1760354956; x=1760959756; h=to:subject:message-id:date:from:mime-version:x-gm-message-state :from:to:cc:subject:date:message-id:reply-to; bh=mb3oKJA7zpQQVP1o/OgFhDNVNjmPjdYrUDbLWDQPxRk=; b=XHZGSEfB52wB9lJEjl6+g6473cXP/R0i0ejwPT1tyeaGS1cgiiQs3cMdxEXQJaxjd9 Xk3tQlEn99KfOvsewhVm2mgSaN8Xcx4GCnwL9H0+jnN/kqU8F39qkYe1Fc/AMw9EQe/h QxvaWO+Hlz/m0VixbqBppW7EmnueEZUlsH6YKRSUkeT8OgEsq+QbHi49LsHND7gIFgM7 Nu9OpGkEyjo69GNaYdGAQvwCuSI+BcOETp34RRze88qezBKN+0eKNJfzqbd2ECYRbEDi snEXy5LEPrJBbi/c7Glt7zNOSzXSRDk9KhjPwYnqBNN4QQvlZDz0AfCeAULlZaXYmYdm dpOw== X-Gm-Message-State: AOJu0YyPakXP1G0qklnTLrbdkz0nZSQ5C0pXC+g6huUT1vmOpGs+FUlY K2BkbzdqnjnBIYCuOhJkFEgfhtlnVAlYm5HfLBDV5p/+efGtvaWnmJKGSixRqQvi/kBQ6Vjb3ih zfkFmU92FUcHCb2NjAaZW8kZK4j4Qg+s5Hcb5 X-Gm-Gg: ASbGncuvNBuxnx6ZBR5zemwd5CDgzff8c3yd7bTPff94Jm0MK33VWZnGR3t/sERlqPu AREpO4FRpVCVhQt467CpJn6VDnLvyztf4OLDZzuYHkOj+YTNBmjbHYWVrLuqBFiz8bw7Vk0dS9E ElvTDAnwuuV2/Y1n8t/Zc/sE2F4z0qenGzQNACKyKnbhii5z9GvuajMqLaM7fM9r2HH4CP7H7cO 1gNWP+5UUIkxt5QeEZKC45F/ABZRoHU1eOFAcWBKH0jaLOMeOZQSVnzQ2M3B52MjloujK6euUr/ PvtI1Dsmcn9TrGt+L0Km9NgNrUmSd+jJjrhLHQS/fqjb2I/cKWWxcRhLAjwHvTbSz+2AE2PpLgL R3DZO5tjP4GJceER3bhbUerDTHVYcrHlHbb2oeag= X-Google-Smtp-Source: AGHT+IFOF+peirsjiWC5YLUkZKTlop4/BzhmgLu8ZarUAoAek6QzMA4JmXwgwY41y1wJQAt4hdENc7GGeFkgO85PQVw= X-Received: by 2002:a17:907:2d26:b0:b41:cd32:a434 with SMTP id a640c23a62f3a-b50ac4d5703mr2027407966b.65.1760354955888; Mon, 13 Oct 2025 04:29:15 -0700 (PDT) MIME-Version: 1.0 From: Chas Freeman Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2025 07:28:59 -0400 X-Gm-Features: AS18NWDoY-Zy5nP27l_BxjUpadx4k2KMaCvk4KzZcRsTfZ7evIqJJbrHESE1OCA Message-ID: To: salon@listserve.com Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="000000000000d30d71064108933e" Subject: [Salon] Unfinished War: Why the Ceasefire is a Battle in the Global Intifada X-BeenThere: salon@listserve.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.33 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion List for the Committee For The Republic List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2025 11:29:18 -0000 --000000000000d30d71064108933e Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Unfinished War: Why the Ceasefire is a Battle in the Global Intifada *Summary: the recent ceasefire in Gaza marks not a peace agreement but a tactical retreat by Israel, which failed to achieve its military objectives despite a devastating two-year war. This conflict has sparked a global awakening, exposing the complicity of Western media and governments and galvanising a worldwide resistance that, drawing on historical precedent for liberation struggles, has fundamentally shifted the momentum in favour of the Palestinian cause.* The world that existed before October 7th is gone. It was a world shrouded in a carefully managed narrative, where the reality of Israel=E2=80=99s decades-long occupation and apartheid against the Palestinian people was filtered through a media lens that rendered their suffering abstract, distant, and palatable. October 7th was a violent rupture, not just in the security apparatus of a nuclear-armed state, but in the global consciousness. It tore away the veil, and in the brutal, two-year genocide that followed, humanity was forced to watch, and in watching, to see. What followed was a period of profound disorientation and collective awakening, both in the Arab world and in the West. The sheer, graphic horror of the violence unleashed upon Gaza, the levelling of entire neighbourhoods with explosives equivalent to nearly 13 Hiroshima bombs , the systematic destruction of hospitals, the images of burned children and families obliterated in their tents, the rape of detainees , was met not with universal condemnation, but with a shocking, bewildering defence from the very institutions and politicians in whom many had placed their trust. We witnessed the full power of the state, the media, and the military-industrial complex leveraged to support what could only be described as a genocidal campaign by a racist settler colony. The psychological tremor was deep. How could every mainstream media outlet, every government official in Washington and London, either implicitly or explicitly, support the Zionist project=E2=80=99s most violent excesses? We= were fed lies about 40 beheaded babies and systematic rape , while the actual, documented war crimes were downplayed or justified. We saw the vilification of UN experts like Francesca Albanese and political pressure applied to the International Criminal Court. The illusion of a civilized, democratic West, committed to human rights and equality, was stripped away , exposing the raw colonial power structure that truly governs the world. For two years, we were not just witnessing a genocide; we were being gaslit on a planetary scale. The complicity was so total, so absolute, that it forced a fundamental question: who, exactly, controls our governments and our media? *The Gaza holocaust has exposed the Zionist regime and its Western backers as genocidal and therefore illegitimate in the eyes of the world, especially the youth in the West* Against this backdrop of global outrage and Israeli failure, the recent ceasefire agreement emerges not as a triumph of diplomacy, but as a tactical retreat by a regime in crisis. Despite unleashing a holocaust that killed tens of thousands, Israel failed to achieve a single one of its stated goals. The Palestinian resistance, Hamas and its allies, remains intact and undislodged. Its tunnel network endures. Its political will is unbroken. On other fronts - in Lebanon against Hezbollah , in the Red Sea against the Huthis , and in its shadow war with Iran - Israel and its superpower backer, the United States, similarly failed to secure victories. This ceasefire is a reflection of that comprehensive failure. Israel has become a global pariah , and even its most steadfast allies are facing unprecedented domestic pressure . The global Zionist project, a powerful amalgamation of wealthy ethno-supremacists, Western oligarchs, and imperial interests, reached a cold-eyed conclusion: the Israeli regime was destroying itself. The global momentum was turning decisively against them, with millions taking to the streets from London to Sydney, and a generation of youth becoming radicalised against the colonial project. The Western media=E2=80=99s portrayal of this moment as a "new beginning " or a "fresh start ," with credit due to figures like Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, is a deliberate and desperate act of narrative reclamation. It is political theatre , a ceremony staged for television to de-escalate the global intifada and re-bilateralise a conflict that the Palestinians could never win through negotiations alone. The reality is that this deal, negotiated under the genocidal auspices of a Trump administration that armed, funded, and vetoed ceasefires for two years, does not challenge Israeli control in any fundamental way. It provides a respite, a humanitarian pause, but it leaves the power dynamics of occupier and occupied intact. Both sides now use this fragile pause to prepare for the next, inevitable phase of the struggle. For the Palestinian resistance, this means a critical period of consolidation. The agreement to release Israeli prisoners of war - uniformly labelled "hostages" in Western media while ignoring the thousands of Palestinian women and children held in Israeli dungeons - is a strategic calculation. This leverage was insufficient to stop the genocide, and relinquishing it buys precious time. This time will be used to strengthen military infrastructure, expand the labyrinth of tunnels, re-arm, and prepare for the next round. This aligns with the historical strategy of Protracted People=E2=80=99s War , a disciplined philosophy of attrition against a superior enemy. The first phase, the strategic defensive, where the weaker force mobilises the masses and wages a guerrilla campaign, has just concluded. We now enter the second phase: stalemate and consolidation. The resistance will use this time to build strength, establish revolutionary base areas, and spread its influence, patiently waiting for the moment when the enemy is sufficiently worn down to launch a final, strategic offensive. This is not a quest for a quick win, but a patient, enduring struggle that trades space for time. Israel and its global backers are equally busy. Their failure on the military battlefield has been matched by a chilling success on the domestic front in the West. The last two years have seen an unprecedented assault on civil liberties in the name of defending Zionism. Universities are censored and defunded , doctors , lawyers and journalists are silenced, and social media platforms are systematically silencing Palestinian voices. Vast swathes of the media have been acquired by Zionist supporters to control the narrative. This is not an isolated phenomenon; it is one front in a global war. The same oligarchs, corporations, and intelligence agencies that support Israel=E2=80=99s genocide are the ones dismantling pr= ivacy, free speech, and accountability in the West. Palestine is the canary in the coal mine, and its fate is inextricably linked to our own. The ceasefire is fragile, the fighting will likely soon restart. The racist, ethno-supremacist core of the Zionist project remains unchanged, and ethnic cleansing continues unabated in the West Bank. Yet, the situation is fundamentally different than it was two years ago. The world has been awakened. The comprador Arab regimes in Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been exposed as collaborators, utterly disconnected from their people. The hypocrites in Western governments and corporations have been unmasked. A global resistance has been born. History offers a clear precedent. The Algerians lost the Battle of Algiers, the Viet Cong=E2=80=99s Tet Offensive was a military failure, and the Mau M= au rebellion was brutally suppressed. Yet, all marked irrevocable turning points that shattered the status quo and set the stage for eventual liberation. These struggles demonstrated that there are no stunning, overnight victories against an overwhelming colonial power. Liberation is won through a long, painful struggle that makes the cost of oppression intolerable for the oppressor. The Palestinians, backed by a global movement that now understands this is a fight against Zionism, imperialism, and a dystopian system of global control, are closer to that goal than ever before. The Israeli regime is divided and morally bankrupt. Its backers are scrambling. The veil has been lifted, and it can never be put back. The path ahead remains long and fraught with suffering, but the direction of history is clear. The relentless spirit of a people demanding their humanity, amplified by a world that can no longer look away, is a force that, in the end, no wall, no bomb, and no propaganda can contain. When we say "Free Palestine," we are not just calling for the liberation of a strip of land; we are demanding a future free for all of us. *Members can leave comments about this newsletter on the Arab Digest website.* follow us on Twitter , LinkedIn and Facebook *Copyright =C2=A9 2025 Arab Digest, All rights reserved.* You are receiving this email as you are subscribed to the Arab Digest. *Our mailing address is:* Arab Digest 3rd Floor 207 Regent Street London, W1B 3HH United Kingdom To unsubscribe from this list email editor@arabdigest.org --000000000000d30d71064108933e Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
3D"" =09
=20
=20
=20

Unf= inished War: Why the Ceasefire is a Battle in the Global Intifada

Summary: the recent ceasefire in Gaza marks not a peace agreement but a tactical retreat by Israel, which failed to achieve its military=20 objectives despite a devastating two-year war. This conflict has sparked a global awakening, exposing the complicity of Western media and=20 governments and galvanising a worldwide resistance that, drawing on=20 historical precedent for liberation struggles, has fundamentally shifted the momentum in favour of the Palestinian cause.

The world that existed before October 7th is gone. It was a world=20 shrouded in a carefully managed narrative, where the reality of Israel=E2= =80=99s decades-long occupation and apartheid against the Palestinian people=20 was filtered through a media lens that rendered their suffering=20 abstract, distant, and palatable. October 7th was a violent rupture, not just in the security apparatus of a nuclear-armed state, but in the=20 global consciousness. It tore away the veil, and in the brutal, two-year genocide that followed, humanity was forced to watch, and in watching,=20 to see.

What followed was a period of profound disorientation and collective=20 awakening, both in the Arab world and in the West. The sheer, graphic=20 horror of the violence unleashed upon Gaza, the levelling of entire=20 neighbourhoods with explosives equivalent to nearly 13 Hiroshima bombs, the systematic destruction of hospitals, the images of burned children = and families obliterated in their tents, the rape of detainees, was met not with universal condemnation, but with a shocking,=20 bewildering defence from the very institutions and politicians in whom=20 many had placed their trust. We witnessed the full power of the state,=20 the media, and the military-industrial complex leveraged to support what could only be described as a genocidal campaign by a racist settler=20 colony.

The psychological tremor was deep. How could every mainstream media=20 outlet, every government official in Washington and London, either=20 implicitly or explicitly, support the Zionist project=E2=80=99s most violen= t=20 excesses? We were fed lies about 40 beheaded babies and sy= stematic rape, while the actual, documented war crimes were down= played or justified. We saw the vilification of UN experts like Fra= ncesca Albanese and political pressure applied to the International Criminal Court. The illusion of a=20 civilized, democratic West, committed to human rights and equality, was = stripped away, exposing the raw colonial power structure that truly governs the world. For two years, we were not just witnessing a genocide; we were being=20 gaslit on a planetary scale. The complicity was so total, so absolute,=20 that it forced a fundamental question: who, exactly, controls our govern= ments and our media?

<= div style=3D"color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;font-si= ze:12px;line-height:20px;text-align:left">
The Gaza holocaust has exposed the Zionist regime and its Western=20 backers as genocidal and therefore illegitimate in the eyes of the=20 world, especially the youth in the West

Against this backdrop of global outrage and Israeli failure, the recent = ceasefire agreement emerges not as a triumph of diplomacy, but as a tactical retreat by a=20 regime in crisis. Despite unleashing a holocaust that killed tens of=20 thousands, Israel failed to achieve a single one of its stated goals.=20 The Palestinian resistance, Hamas and its allies, remains intact and=20 undislodged. Its tunnel network endures. Its political will is unbroken. On other fronts - in Lebanon against Hezbollah, in the Red Sea agai= nst the Huthis, and in its shadow war with Iran - Israel and = its superpower backer, the United States, similarly failed to secure victor= ies.

This ceasefire is a reflection of that comprehensive failure. Israel has= become a global pariah, and even its most steadfast allies are f= acing unprecedented domestic pressure. The global Zionist project, a powerful amalgamation of wealthy=20 ethno-supremacists, Western oligarchs, and imperial interests, reached a cold-eyed conclusion: the Israeli regime was destroying itself. The=20 global momentum was turning decisively against them, with millions=20 taking to the streets from London to Sydney, and a generation of youth=20 becoming radicalised against the colonial project.

The Western media=E2=80=99s portrayal of this moment as a "new = beginning" or a "fresh start," with credit due to figures like Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, is a deliberate and desperate act of narrative reclamation. It is politica= l theatre, a ceremony staged for television to de-escalate the global intifada and re-bilateralise a conflict that=20 the Palestinians could never win through negotiations alone. The reality is that this deal, negotiated under the genocidal auspices of a Trump=20 administration that armed, funded, and vetoed ceasefires for two years,=20 does not challenge Israeli control in any fundamental way. It provides a respite, a humanitarian pause, but it leaves the power dynamics of=20 occupier and occupied intact.

Both sides now use this fragile pause to prepare for the next,=20 inevitable phase of the struggle. For the Palestinian resistance, this=20 means a critical period of consolidation. The agreement to release=20 Israeli prisoners of war - uniformly labelled "hostages" in Weste= rn=20 media while ignoring the thousands of Palestinian women and chil= dren held in Israeli dungeons - is a strategic calculation. This leverage was insufficient to stop=20 the genocide, and relinquishing it buys precious time. This time will be used to strengthen military infrastructure, expand the labyrinth of=20 tunnels, re-arm, and prepare for the next round.

This aligns with the historical strategy of Protracted People=E2=80= =99s War, a disciplined philosophy of attrition against a superior enemy. The=20 first phase, the strategic defensive, where the weaker force mobilises=20 the masses and wages a guerrilla campaign, has just concluded. We now=20 enter the second phase: stalemate and consolidation. The resistance will use this time to build strength, establish revolutionary base areas,=20 and spread its influence, patiently waiting for the moment when the=20 enemy is sufficiently worn down to launch a final, strategic offensive.=20 This is not a quest for a quick win, but a patient, enduring struggle=20 that trades space for time.

Israel and its global backers are equally busy. Their failure on the=20 military battlefield has been matched by a chilling success on the=20 domestic front in the West. The last two years have seen an=20 unprecedented assault on civil liberties in the name of defending=20 Zionism. Universities are censored and defunded, doctors, lawyers and journalists are silenced, and social media pl= atforms are systematically silencing Palestinian voices. Vast swath= es of the media have been acquired by Zionist supporters to control the narrative. This is not an isolated phenomenon; it is one front in a global war. The same oligarchs, corporations, and=20 intelligence agencies that support Israel=E2=80=99s genocide are the ones= =20 dismantling privacy, free speech, and accountability in the West.=20 Palestine is the canary in the coal mine, and its fate is inextricably=20 linked to our own.

The ceasefire is fragile, the fighting will likely soon restart. The=20 racist, ethno-supremacist core of the Zionist project remains unchanged, and ethnic cleansing continues unabated in the West Bank. Yet, the situation is fundamentally different than it was two years ago. The world has been awakened. The comprador Arab=20 regimes in Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been exposed as=20 collaborators, utterly disconnected from their people. The hypocrites in Western governments and corporations have been unmasked. A global=20 resistance has been born.

History offers a clear precedent. The Algerians lost the Battle of=20 Algiers, the Viet Cong=E2=80=99s Tet Offensive was a military failure, and = the=20 Mau Mau rebellion was brutally suppressed. Yet, all marked irrevocable=20 turning points that shattered the status quo and set the stage for=20 eventual liberation. These struggles demonstrated that there are no=20 stunning, overnight victories against an overwhelming colonial power.=20 Liberation is won through a long, painful struggle that makes the cost=20 of oppression intolerable for the oppressor.

The Palestinians, backed by a global movement that now understands=20 this is a fight against Zionism, imperialism, and a dystopian system of=20 global control, are closer to that goal than ever before. The Israeli=20 regime is divided and morally bankrupt. Its backers are scrambling. The=20 veil has been lifted, and it can never be put back. The path ahead=20 remains long and fraught with suffering, but the direction of history is clear. The relentless spirit of a people demanding their humanity,=20 amplified by a world that can no longer look away, is a force that, in=20 the end, no wall, no bomb, and no propaganda can contain. When we say=20 "Free Palestine," we are not just calling for the liberation of a= strip=20 of land; we are demanding a future free for all of us.

Members can=C2=A0leave comments about this newsletter=C2=A0o= n the Arab Digest website.
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follow us on=C2=A0Twitter,=C2=A0= LinkedIn=C2=A0and=C2=A0Facebook

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--000000000000d30d71064108933e-- From cwfresidence@gmail.com Mon Oct 13 05:20:45 2025 Return-Path: X-Original-To: salon@mlm2.listserve.net Delivered-To: salon@mlm2.listserve.net Received: from mlm0.listserve.net (mlm0.listserve.net [161.35.233.68]) by mlm2.listserve.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id B04ACB0851 for ; Mon, 13 Oct 2025 05:20:45 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Filter: OpenDKIM Filter v2.11.0 mlm2.listserve.net B04ACB0851 Authentication-Results: mlm2.listserve.net; dkim=pass (2048-bit key) header.d=gmail.com header.i=@gmail.com header.b="e21sYALu" Received: by mlm0.listserve.net (Postfix) id 9B45CBD031; Mon, 13 Oct 2025 05:20:45 -0700 (PDT) Delivered-To: salon@listserve.com Received: from mail-ej1-f53.google.com (mail-ej1-f53.google.com [209.85.218.53]) by mlm0.listserve.net (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 73C33BD02D for ; Mon, 13 Oct 2025 05:20:45 -0700 (PDT) Received: by mail-ej1-f53.google.com with SMTP id a640c23a62f3a-b54f55a290cso567219666b.2 for ; Mon, 13 Oct 2025 05:20:45 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20230601; t=1760358043; x=1760962843; darn=listserve.com; h=to:subject:message-id:date:from:mime-version:from:to:cc:subject :date:message-id:reply-to; bh=d9fYlmRAmzQ5y68azZ//zxmJhuaKV/Fs8e76gi17iZE=; b=e21sYALuhuKHgy/V/n1TNklChofFoHTEnpe+Crsges8EvIV6aqwvlTcLzWd3O4sGW0 YlP7vl0sE45xsyaMHv5DmJhwVJZr+z4l/oedi+SrHyeirc5goXOSXIDtnklmWtEd2OdS lMbBPNEScqxJ9v9GiOkxuik6lMKts2JYBdMmEGAWSMLI+GwwDrn3C9arVGhmlmOp31oF mv4xZ87vPXLxU8QduLFCafHxy3gDjQshHMQ2CK0RMt3amXGcG5jb+7EQDUisfhAj2Kdx UG7lBJq/+jq2UPNccMLK5NVhp92d2EMzPjqj2U8aKxU7g+aD+UNxBQAb6y1Drb6oCcwF NdZg== X-Google-DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=1e100.net; s=20230601; t=1760358043; x=1760962843; h=to:subject:message-id:date:from:mime-version:x-gm-message-state :from:to:cc:subject:date:message-id:reply-to; bh=d9fYlmRAmzQ5y68azZ//zxmJhuaKV/Fs8e76gi17iZE=; b=v1BcK49Gl3tPU3EHQmEDqDDJcUA/L0mBfqLFDIqmjQAuneusu0Dnc3LSsX9zUU+XJ5 2hqseJfNmyUk0gOKIXf6W+ipuaq3JjYGVtUYBElut1k7VEAiZ5luPt6/sGR8xHhQVrjU MvXZmaSOl3I7jL7d6SpN4ZHy1iUAQZx4yrSc9zPZ8XsYeugAZFMkQ61oerHIGoLyEpbT KcCd7F+wbLkzTmfGT1Lp7qFGxGzfK8yl5Yy4/+fiMs57eL5geT7mHUZ+nWnDzDPoYNHA 9Z2EC/1csM2bbpO8unaHcg/GH14zjfpMj8eIFjVw1YFmgQqYzJNFu50JrAcK4g5dFJ80 p5jA== X-Gm-Message-State: AOJu0Yy9FVKPrsFhJ7zSkgZy74l011765wpmC91qWzX22S0Mgj7lhv0l J1s93GAobgZQNCxM7J+v1FoahN/7ZqdGzD8Xg0YNaGgLK2sHfVMZe6tFZwvWuHYn7488T7WR8S0 w/6dszmz5binHBrNs3nH3thj+Ab7tFp7NL8DS X-Gm-Gg: ASbGnctXzVZLV1k9ruPm8ynWMbO2WROM4ImnJ8ZT65skyy2yEkJOEJ8m8CwMfNa8paq eRdA5kQuKxF55LqxUgDYTQWfYIqQFPbzi4kh7ZgODxI1vrg+6LhrhPwxucqNuXH2435W0I+9qK4 DB80tHAAaOFOlLvmDB89KI2HAJxcvh8Nqe/W2+qmUdNf9Z5fqMlftHTD5pIE/CZNCveKbbNSQdP 89BnMD/d3suTBKrs0zGrDeRvQmZ1kdVMtkjKVXXPbVoYFXHndd8N/tHmWdb5e74WiGdbHFWUquZ 6TA4TSyRTL2hDjbDf+lV/o8a/kJ0q1GlCgHrrGLyLRcbb6rYJ52BDqQfhy/QIFnOEK+O31sszZO HpwX3H5Gg3D0I8m2Ff+a4haCWOdA2K3DV353SYjI= X-Google-Smtp-Source: AGHT+IGPnWHhq1fbW9ukIh1inoybBaEMfRdvDFOsA68J5kus8J5JXv/tT1fZcFj2MNWEaATv8nXe6QHeaJpjNbvGc/8= X-Received: by 2002:a17:906:c145:b0:b45:7cb4:7d3 with SMTP id a640c23a62f3a-b50ac1c47dbmr2095334566b.32.1760358043193; Mon, 13 Oct 2025 05:20:43 -0700 (PDT) MIME-Version: 1.0 From: Chas Freeman Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2025 08:20:26 -0400 X-Gm-Features: AS18NWBlwlMw4tyw0eigS8cVj57hBimCUOo4S3RpBt6dgyJaemzEbwpvXoNgnJQ Message-ID: To: salon@listserve.com Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="000000000000d7968f0641094b95" Subject: [Salon] Aluminum now X-BeenThere: salon@listserve.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.33 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion List for the Committee For The Republic List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2025 12:20:45 -0000 --000000000000d7968f0641094b95 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Bloomberg Chip at shots President Donald Trump's press conference last month about autism created a firestorm of controversy about the over-the-counter painkiller Tylenol. The hubbub overshadowed that he also revealed a new frontier in his administration=E2=80=99s moves to chang= e how childhood vaccines are formulated and administered. =E2=80=9CWe want no aluminum in the vaccine,=E2=80=9D Trump said during the= White House press conference, surprising even some ardent anti-vaccine activists. A panel of experts that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine policy is taking the first steps toward implementing the president=E2=80=99s directive. The panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, said in a new document it may study whether either of two aluminum adjuvants in childhood vaccines increase the risk of asthma. An adjuvant is an ingredient used to boost the effects of a shot. The CDC says that aluminum salts, used to strengthen the body=E2=80=99s immune system, =E2=80= =9Chave been used safely in vaccines for decades.=E2=80=9D Vaccines that contain aluminum adjuvants primarily include products made by GSK, Merck & Co., Pfizer and Sanofi. They are used to inoculate children and adults against diseases including polio, hepatitis A and B, human papillomavirus, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, meningitis and pneumonia. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a history of blaming aluminum in vaccines for various ailments, including depression, anxiety, allergies and Alzheimer=E2=80=99s disease. There=E2=80=99s no evid= ence to support his claims. The CDC says vaccines that use adjuvants can cause more redness and pain at the injection site and more side effects like fever and chills than ones that don=E2=80=99t include them. The CDC also cites one observational = study from 2022 that showed a possible relationship between aluminum exposure from vaccines and asthma, and says =E2=80=9Cfurther investigation is needed.=E2= =80=9D A larger 2023 study conducted by Denmark=E2=80=99s public health agency fou= nd no association between aluminum adjuvants and asthma. Kennedy demanded that the Annals of Internal Medicine medical journal retract the Danish study, but the editors of the journal refused . Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children=E2=80=99s Hospital of Philadelp= hia, said that aluminum adjuvants are used so clinicians can offer greater effectiveness with fewer doses of a vaccine. Kennedy has attacked Offit, who previously served on the CDC vaccine advisory panel, publicly over his role in developing a rotavirus vaccine. =E2=80=9CThere is abundant evidence that aluminum in vaccines is harmless,= =E2=80=9D Offit says. =E2=80=9CIf you live on the earth=E2=80=99s surface, you are going to= be exposed to aluminum.=E2=80=9D Kennedy fired all the members of ACIP this summer and appointed new members, including vaccin= e critics . The panel=E2=80=99s next meeting, scheduled for October, has been delayed , and it=E2=80=99s unclear when it will be rescheduled and whether its next m= eeting will include any policy or research presentations related to aluminum adjuvants. =E2=80=94 *Rachel Cohrs Zhang * --000000000000d7968f0641094b95 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Bloomberg
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Chip at shots

<= tbody>

President Donald Trump's press conference last mon= th about autism created a=C2=A0firestorm= of controversy=C2=A0about the over-the-counter painkiller Tylenol. The= hubbub overshadowed that he also revealed a new frontier in his administra= tion=E2=80=99s moves to change how childhood vaccines are formulated and ad= ministered.

=E2=80=9CWe want no aluminum in= the vaccine,=E2=80=9D Trump said during the White House press conference, = surprising even some ardent anti-vaccine activists.

A panel of experts that advises the Centers for Disease Control an= d Prevention on vaccine policy is taking the first steps toward implementin= g the president=E2=80=99s directive.

The pa= nel,=C2=A0the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices,=C2=A0said in a new doc= ument=C2=A0it may=C2=A0study whether either of two aluminum adjuvants i= n childhood vaccines increase the risk of asthma.

An adjuvant is an ingredient used to boost the effects of a shot. Th= e CDC=C2=A0says=C2=A0that aluminum salts, used to strengthen the body= =E2=80=99s immune system, =E2=80=9Chave been used safely in vaccines for de= cades.=E2=80=9D

Vaccines that contain alumi= num adjuvants primarily include products made by=C2=A0GSK,=C2=A0Merck & Co.,= =C2=A0Pfizer=C2=A0and=C2=A0Sanofi. They are used to inoculate children and adults = against diseases including polio, hepatitis A and B, human papillomavirus, = diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, meningitis and pneumonia.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a=C2=A0history= =C2=A0of blaming aluminum in vaccines for various ailments, including depre= ssion, anxiety, allergies and Alzheimer=E2=80=99s disease. There=E2=80=99s = no evidence to support his claims.=C2=A0

Th= e CDC says vaccines that use adjuvants can cause more redness and pain at t= he injection site and more side effects like fever and chills than ones=C2= =A0that don=E2=80=99t include them. The CDC also cites=C2=A0one observational study=C2=A0from 2022 that showed a possible rel= ationship between aluminum exposure from vaccines and asthma, and says =E2= =80=9Cfurther investigation is needed.=E2=80=9D

A larger 2023 study conducted by Denmark=E2=80=99s public health agenc= y found=C2=A0no association=C2=A0between aluminum= adjuvants and asthma.=C2=A0Kennedy demanded that the Annals of Internal Me= dicine medical journal retract the Danish study, but the editors of the jou= rnal=C2=A0refused= .

Paul Offit,=C2=A0director of the Vaccine Education Center at Child= ren=E2=80=99s Hospital of Philadelphia, said that aluminum adjuvants are us= ed so clinicians can offer greater effectiveness with fewer doses of a vacc= ine. Kennedy has=C2=A0attacked=C2=A0Offit, w= ho previously served on the CDC vaccine advisory panel, publicly over his r= ole in developing a rotavirus vaccine.=C2=A0

Kennedy=C2=A0fired=C2=A0all th= e members of ACIP this summer=C2=A0and=C2=A0appointed new members, includin= g=C2=A0vaccine critics. The= panel=E2=80=99s next meeting, scheduled for October,=C2=A0has been delayed, and it=E2=80=99s unclear when it wi= ll be rescheduled and whether its next meeting will include any policy or r= esearch presentations related to aluminum adjuvants. =E2=80=94=C2=A0R= achel Cohrs Zhang