2020-02-02: News Headlines

RT (2020-02-02). Trump's 'deal of the century' contradicts UN resolutions – Kremlin. rt.com Moscow doubts the viability of the new peace plan for the Middle East recently unveiled by Donald Trump, as it is incompatible with UN decisions on the matter and does not sit well with the Arab world. | "It's plain enough that some of this plan's provisions do not fully correspond to the relevant resolutions by the UN Security Council," presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Rossiya-1 channel. | His remarks appear to be the Kremlin's first official response to the US proposal. | "We see the reaction of the Palestinians, we see the reaction of a number of Arab states that are rejecting this plan in solidari…

Staff (2020-02-02). In Wake of Trump-Netanyahu Proposal, Palestinian Authority Cuts Ties With US. truthout.org The Palestinian Authority, which governs the occupied West Bank, announced on Saturday that it would act immediately to cut ties with the U.S. after President Donald Trump unveiled a so-called peace plan that effectively allows Israel carte blanche to continue the occupation and theft of Palestinian land. | "We've informed the Israeli side … that there will be no relations at all with them and the United States including security ties," Authority president Mahmoud Abbas told members of the A…

yenisafak (2020-02-02). Russia questions feasibility of US peace plan for Middle East. yenisafak.com A Middle East peace plan presented by U.S. President Donald Trump contravenes several United Nations resolutions, Russian news agencies cited a Kremlin spokesman as saying on Sunday, questioning the plan's feasibility.The Palestinian Authority has cut all ties with the United States and Israel, including those relating to security, after rejecting the Middle East peace plan put forward by Trump."We see the reaction from the Palestinians, we see the reaction of a wide range of Arab states which have sided with the Palestinians in rejecting the plan. This, obviously, makes one think about its feasibility," Dmitry P…

Fight Back (2020-02-02). Minneapolis protests anti Palestine "Deal of Century," racist travel bans. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – On January 31, 40 people protested at the Minneapolis Federal Building to stand in solidarity with Palestine. The MN Anti-War Committee and Women Against Military Madness called this emergency response protest after President Trump's announcement of his 'peace' plan which he wants to impose on Palestine. The protest's message was clear: the "Deal of the Century" proposed by Trump and Netanyahu is a sham and part of an expanding apartheid against the Palestinian people. There can be no deal without the Palestinian right to return, the Palestinian right to exist, and the return of Jerusalem to Pal…

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-02-01). Analysis: Palestinians Have Indeed 'Missed an Opportunity' — to Surrender to Zionism. imemc.org By Joseph Massad for Middle East Eye Western and Israeli propaganda never tire of telling the world of the age-old Israeli quest for peace, and how much Israel longs to be accepted by Palestinians and the rest of the Arab peoples as a Jewish state — an oasis of European …

Eds. (2020-01-31). Palestinians around the world reject Trump's 'fraud of the century'. mronline.org Palestinians have responded to US President Donald Trump's peace plan with a resounding "no," expressing their frustrations with what they have dubbed as the "fraud of the century." From social media to the streets, Palestinians in the occupied territory and in the diaspora have rejected Trump's vision for the region, criticizing the plan for granting […] |

Miko Peled (2020-01-31). Dead on Arrival: Dissecting Trump's Vision for the Future of Palestine. mintpressnews.com What used to be an idea expressed by only the most extreme right-wing Zionists, namely ridding Israel of its Palestinian citizens, is now part of a "peace" plan and has been given the rubber stamp of the United States government, writes Miko Peled.

CounterSpin (2020-01-31). Omar Baddar on Israel/Palestine 'Peace' Plan, Rainey Reitman on Greenwald Persecution. fair.org MP3 Link This week on CounterSpin: It is strange to think that you could create a plan to shape the relationship between two entities, in consultation with one but not the other, and then not just declare it, yourself, a "win-win," but also say to the unconsulted party, "You better take it, or else." Yet …

Tom Anderson (2020-01-31). Trump's 'peace plan' gives the go-ahead to Israel's biggest land grab in decades. thecanary.co Donald Trump's ' The Jordan Valley, which

Stephen Lendman (2020-01-31). Trump's Annexation Scheme: A Stake in the Heart of the Moribund Two-State Solution and Peace. globalresearch.ca Since no-peace/peace plans first surfaced in the 1970s, the US and Israel supported Palestinian self-determination in name only. | Both countries opposed the idea since Israel seized Palestinian territory not stolen in 1948. | A two-state solution was theoretically possible years earlier, …

teleSUR (2020-01-31). Venezuela's Supreme Court Rejects Attempted Takeover of Telesur. telesurenglish.net The Supreme Tribunal of Justice declared null and voided the decree on the reorganization of Telesur, following an appeal by RELATED: | The court declared the 'Decree on the Creation of a Commission for the Reorganization of Telesur Venezuela and its subsidiaries,' presented by opposition lawmaker Juan Guaido and approved by…

J.B. Gerald (2020-01-31). To Keep the Rohingya Alive. dissidentvoice.org The Contracting Parties confirm that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and to punish. — Article 1. The Genocide Convention On November 11, 2019 The Gambia filed at the International Court of Justice an Application of proceedings against Myanmar, …

Jon Rainwater (2020-01-31). House Votes to Rein in Trump's Iran War Powers While Ending Endless Wars. peaceaction.org Washington, D.C. — January 30, 2020 — In response to two high-profile war powers votes on the House floor today, Peace Action released the following statement: "Our nation's endless wars are on autopilot, with Trump fitfully grabbing the steering wheel until his attention wanders somewhere else. Today's votes are a step toward Congress reclaiming its …

Jeffrey St. Clair (2020-01-31). Roaming Charges: The Steal of the Century. counterpunch.org An impeached president meeting in the White House with a Prime Minister indicted for corruption and bribery to pitch a giant land swindle in the Middle East, which they market to a gullible press as a "peace plan." Is there a more precise image for the current state of our political condition?

Steve Sweeney (2020-01-30). General strike in Gaza, protests rage against Trump's 'deal of the century'. peoplesworld.org Palestinians waged a general strike in the besieged Gaza Strip Jan. 29 as protests continued to rage against the "dismal" Middle East peace plan announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday. His so-called "deal of the century" has been met by global condemnation with international governments and progressives branding it as "shameful" and unworkable. …

Lucas Koerner (2020-01-30). How Western left media helped legitimate U.S. regime change in Venezuela. mronline.org It's been a year since Juan Guaidó began his U.S.-anointed mandate as "interim president" of Venezuela. |

Anya Parampil (2020-01-30). US government censorship? Social media giants disappear accounts of Iranian and Venezuelan academics, journalists. thegrayzone.com Red Lines host Anya Parampil talks with Professor Mohammad Marandi of the University of Tehran. Professor Marandi's Facebook and Instagram…

Saree Makdisi (2020-01-30). What's New About Trump's Mideast 'Peace' Plan? Only the Blunt Crudity of Its Racism. thenation.com What's New About Trump's Mideast 'Peace' Plan? Only the Blunt Crudity of Its Racism.

Jonathan Cook (2020-01-30). Trump's "Deal of the Century" Will Not Bring Peace: That was the Plan for the US and Israel. dissidentvoice.org Much of Donald Trump's long-trailed "deal of the century" came as no surprise. Over the past 18 months, Israeli officials had leaked many of its details. The so-called Vision for Peace unveiled on Tuesday simply confirmed that the US government has publicly adopted the long-running consensus in Israel: that it is entitled to keep permanently …

news.un (2020-01-30). Find unity 'to halt Libya's senseless unraveling', UN envoy urges Security Council. news.un.org The top UN official in Libya on Thursday expressed his "deep anger and disappointment" over intensifying conflict in Libya despite a high-level summit held in the German capital of Berlin earlier this month, that set out measures to de-escalate fighting and put the divided country back on a path towards peace.

Susan Price (2020-01-30). Trump's 'win-win' plan hands everything to Israel. greenleft.org.au

Max Blumenthal (2020-01-29). Ciudadano estadounidense detenido e interrogado por agentes del DHS sobre la solidaridad con Venezuela del movimiento antiguerra. thegrayzone.com Un ciudadano estadounidense que participó en el Colectivo de Protección de la Embajada de Venezuela fue detenido, registrado e interrogado…

Aaron Maté (2020-01-29). Trump's fake 'peace plan' is permanent apartheid for Palestine. thegrayzone.com Attorney, professor, and author Noura Erakat on Trump's "deal of the century": a call for permanent apartheid in Palestine. President…

Staff (2020-01-29). Mehdi Hasan: Trump's Middle East Plan Is a Policy of Apartheid & Settler Colonialism. democracynow.org We continue our discussion of President Trump's long-awaited Middle East plan to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which he has described as the "deal of the century." The plan was drafted by Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner without any input from Palestinians and would give Israel sovereignty over large areas of the occupied West Bank, control over all of Jerusalem, and keep all illegal settlements built in the occupied West Bank. We speak with Mehdi Hasan, senior columnist at The Intercept, and Rashid Khalidi, the Edward Said professor of modern Arab studies at Columbia University. Khalidi's latest book is…

Staff (2020-01-29). "Yet Another Declaration of War on Palestinians": Rashid Khalidi on Trump's Middle East "Peace" Plan. democracynow.org Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced plans to annex about 30% of the occupied West Bank, after Israel was given the green light to do so by the United States. On Tuesday, President Trump — with Netanyahu by his side — unveiled a so-called Middle East peace plan that was drafted by Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner without any input from Palestinians. Under the plan, Israel will gain sovereignty over large areas of the occupied West Bank, Jerusalem would be under total Israeli control, and all Jewish settlers in the occupied territory will be allowed to remain in their homes. The plan…

Fight Back (2020-01-29). USPCN Rejects "Deal of the Century" fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN). | Three war criminals – Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Israeli politician Benny Gantz – have met in DC this week, and today unveiled the announcement of Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner's self-proclaimed "deal of the century." | As Palestinians and Arabs living and organizing in the U.S., we join the voices of our people in besieged Gaza and all across Palestine and the Arab World in fully rejecting this sham peace process created by the apartheid, settler-colonial…

Staff (2020-01-28). Headlines for January 28, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Lawyers Says He Did No Wrong as Calls Mount for Bolton and Other Witnesses to Testify | , Trump to Unveil Middle East "Peace Plan" as Netanyahu Indicted over Corruption, SCOTUS Allows Trump's "Public Charge" Rule Targeting Low-Income Immigrants to Take Effect, State Dept. Bars NPR Reporter from Upcoming Pompeo Trip, Washington Post Suspends Reporter for Tweet About Kobe Bryant Rape Allegation, Mixed Accounts After U.S. Military Plane Crashes in Afghanistan, Torrential Rains and Landslides Kill At Least 46 People in Brazil, Nigerian Journalist Maxwell Nashan Killed, 2nd Accuser Testifies in Weinstein Trial a…

Staff (2020-01-24). International Court of Justice Orders Burmese Authorities to Protect Rohingya Muslims from Genocide. democracynow.org In a major ruling, the U.N. International Court of Justice at The Hague has ordered Burma to "take all measures within its power" to protect Rohingya Muslims from genocide. The court issued the ruling Thursday, calling the 600,000 Rohingya remaining in Burma, also known as Myanmar, "extremely vulnerable" to military violence. The court ordered Burma to report regularly to the tribunal about its progress. The ruling is a sharp rebuke of Burma's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who last month asked the court to drop the genocide case against Burma. Suu Kyi is a Nobel Peace Prize winner who spent over a decade figh…

Staff (2020-01-24). Headlines for January 24, 2020. democracynow.org Impeachment Managers Continue Opening Arguments in Trump's Senate Trial, 33 Million on Lockdown in Chinese Cities as Coronavirus Outbreak Spreads, Hundreds of Thousands of Iraqis March to Demand U.S. Troop Withdrawal, Trump Invites Israeli Leaders to White House for "Peace Plan" Unveiling, Mexican Soldiers Attack Central American Migrant Caravan, Arresting 800, U.S. to Send Ambassador to Bolivia After Coup That Ousted Evo Morales, Puerto Rican Protesters Demand Ouster of Gov. Wanda Vázquez, SC Official Switches Presidential Endorsement from Biden to Sanders, National Archives Replaces Doctored Women's March Photo…

Jon Rainwater (2020-01-08). In the ongoing crisis, Congress must rein in Trump's war powers. peaceaction.org As we feared, President Trump's reckless assassination of Iran's Gen. Soleimani resulted in escalation — direct Iranian missile attacks on two military bases in Iraq. It's painful to watch more violence in a country that has already suffered far too much from endless war. All parties in the US/Iran conflict must cease military action and …

Joe Emersberger (2019-12-20). Notes on a private TV newscast in Bolivia. The contrast with Venezuela is clear as day. zcomm.org In August, I took detailed notes a news broadcast on one of Venezuela's largest TV networks. I summarized these notes in an interview I did with the Real News Network making the point that Venezuela's private media (which reaches 60-90% of households) is remarkably free — most especially when you consider the US is openly

Joe Emersberger (2019-12-16). Francisco Rodriguez answers some questions I asked about Venezuela. zcomm.org Venezuelan economist Francisco Rodriguez, formerly of Torino Economics, answered a few questions of mine about his country. He was the economic adviser to Henri Falcon, the second place finisher in the May 2018 presidential election. His updated estimate for 2019 is that Venezuela's real GDP will contract by 25% . That's horrific, but less severe

Jon Rainwater (2019-11-07). Take Action — Some actual, SANE legislation. peaceaction.org Trump has plans to spend nearly $2 TRILLION over the next 30 years on unneeded and unnecessary nuclear weapons and delivery systems. This makes no sense. This is insane. That's nearly $100 million wasted every day for thirty years on weapons we are supposed to be getting rid of. To put that amount in perspective, …

Jon Rainwater (2019-09-25). Take Action to Avoid War with Iran. peaceaction.org photo credit Dear Groundswell Readers, We have to keep pushing Congress this week if we want to avoid war with Iran. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said recently that the U.K. might join a U.S.-led military effort in the Gulf. When other nations step up to join the "coalition of the willing" it's often a bad sign. …

Paul Kawika Martin (2019-07-18). Diplomacy Instead of a Disaster in Iran. peaceaction.org Washington, D.C. — July 18, 2019 — In response to reports of the U.S. shooting down an Iranian drone, Paul Kawika Martin, Senior Director for Policy and Political Affairs at Peace Action, released the following statement: "Because of the Trump administration's policy of maximum provocation towards Iran, America stands on the precipice of another blunderous …

Peace Action (2019-07-11). Peace Action Endorses 'the Squad' — Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Pressley and Tlaib for Congress. peaceaction.org Washington, D.C. — July 11, 2019 — Peace Action, the nation's largest grassroots peace organization, has endorsed four progressive champions for the House of Representatives in the 2020 election, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for New York's 14th district, Rep. Ilhan Omar for Minnesota's 5th district, Rep. Ayanna Pressley for Massachusetts' 7th district, and Rep. Rashida Tlaib …

Paul Kawika Martin (2019-06-28). Most Senators Oppose War with Iran Without Congressional Approval. peaceaction.org Washington, D.C. — June 28, 2019 — In response to the Senate voting 50-40 in favor of an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to block funding for military action against Iran without congressional approval, Paul Kawika Martin, Senior Director for Policy and Political Affairs at Peace Action, released the following statement: "Because …

Peace Action (2019-06-25). Peace Action Endorses Ilhan Omar for Congress. peaceaction.org Washington, DC — June 25, 2019 — Peace Action has announced its endorsement of Ilhan Omar for Congress in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District. Peace Action is a national grassroots organization working to advance nuclear disarmament, promote government spending priorities that support human needs, encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights, and support nonmilitary …

Peace Action (2019-06-24). Peace Action Endorses Kara Eastman for Congress. peaceaction.org Washington, DC — June 24, 2019 — Peace Action has announced its endorsement of Kara Eastman for Congress in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District. Peace Action is a national grassroots organization working to advance nuclear disarmament, promote government spending priorities that support human needs, encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights, and support nonmilitary …

Jon Rainwater (2019-06-20). Striking Iran Now Could Spark a Major War. peaceaction.org Washington, D.C. — June 20, 2019 — In response to reports that the Trump administration is considering strikes on Iran in response to the downing of a U.S. surveillance drone, Jon Rainwater, Executive Director of Peace Action, released the following statement: "The United States has stumbled into a perilous situation. If, for example, the U.S. …