Opinion Archives - Page 13 of 40

Donkeys Deserve Nobel!

CrossFireArabia
July 28, 2025

It started like this. In appreciation for the donkeys of Gaza and the extremely important role they are playing, Jordanian Journalist Ahmad Theiban Al Rabieh wrote in a satirical fashion:

“The donkeys of Gaza deserve the Nobel Prize! This is because of their present and vital role of transporting the injured, martyrs killed, and displaced people with the rest of their belongings…The so-called international community (a lie!) has proved incapable of providing these services.”

Donkeys have been forced into this role soon after 7 October, 2023 when the genocide on Gaza took a full-turn and Israel begun to massively destroy all means of public and private transport in the Gaza Strip.

And so the story of the Nobel prize went on from there.

Today, US president Donald Trump is trying to be nominated to get the Nobel Peace Prize because he regards himself as a man of peace. He is trying to get as many signatures as possible to be nominated for the top Norwegian accolade.

On his last visit to Washington on 7 July, 2025, and as a measure of more “sucking up” to the US president at a White House dinner, Netanyahu graciously told Trump that he will indeed be nominating him to the Norwegian Nobel Committee. And he has the “nominating letter” already he says, as he waves it in front of the cameras.

There is one problem however, the International Criminal Court has long issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. These arrest warrants were initialed and signed in November, 2024 and there are still valid.

So his Trump nomination might be seen as an insult from a man with genocidal traits on his head. However, Trump, and on camera, is seen as smiling, and maybe even appreciative despite coming for a war criminal as per the ICC.

The issue of the Nobel Prize came up a few days later when Trump was hosting a three-day meeting with five African leaders (Gabon, Guinea – Bissau, Senegal, Mauritania and Liberia) to discuss business cooperation between the USA and Africa. The leaders were put on the spot by a young ambitious African reporter from Angola who asked the leaders whether they would nominate the US president for the Nobel peace prize.

Many saw this as an “ambush question” as the leaders were put on the spot and involved diplomatic courtesies that may go a long way to nominating Trump. But on another level, many criticized Trump for being abrasive and condescending with the African leaders while bullying them around and appreciating the “good English” of Joseph Boaka, president of Liberia. Such a comment was made with the full-knowledge of the Nobel nomination.

Opinion

Netanyahu And His Genocide Denial

CrossFireArabia
July 27, 2025

By Dr Marwan Asmar

When Benjamin Netanyahu eventually dies and goes up to meet God, he is sure to be in for a shock!

God might initially forget all about the Israeli prime minister’s genocidal tendencies to the Palestinian people and ask him just about the horrors committed by his soldiers in Gaza.

I know many will at this point say “what the hell is this writer talking about” but this situation is so bad, catastrophic that one is bound to think that way because of the Israeli genocidal, criminal stubbornness and world failure to act.

Today, Netanyahu, struts as if he is cock-of-the-hoop, made so by the way, by American money and defense, but will he be able to stand and conjure what is in wait for him, either on the ground of Gaza and above in the celestial world. So. make most of your genocidal traits!

Today the pace-maker-attached-to-his-heart 75-year atrocious man is on a crusade to kill as many of the Gaza Palestinians as he can get way with. Having failed to get rid of Hamas and the Palestinian resistance fighters who are in a full-fighting mood, he is doing the next best thing which is to starve and kill its women and children, its old and infirm while looks into the camera with vanity.

The world will remember Gaza as the worst documented genocide under the guise of the west, Arab countries and Muslim states. It will be remembered as the genocide when the world stood shamefully still in the face of the Israeli army who continued to slaughter and starve its people and scorch its earth.

When Netanyahu meets God – and this is doubtful because the Maker refuses to meet those whose hands are blood-laden with murder – the Israeli Prime Minister, though this wouldn’t be the time for fame and pageantry – he will plead that the Muslim politicians never even tried to stop him on an earth thought-to-be designed for murderous Israelis. They just stood still and hoped for the best.

This of course wouldn’t be an excuse.

Netanyahu and his leading men of extremists have orchestrated this genocide to the hilt and under the nose of everyone. From the beginning their army drove into Gaza and imposed an even fiercer regime leading to the starvation of its people who are today dropping off en masse.

Today people are dying in front of the cameras, on punctured roads, in front of hospital and destroyed homes, they are shot and killed by Israeli snipers while running towards food distribution centers set up by Americans who don’t know half of the story and clouded by the Israeli narrative.

Netanyahu is claiming there is no genocide and there is no starvation but hospitals speak of skeletons and emaciated bodies taking their last breaths and final shrieks before their souls leave their down-trodden bodies. No matter how one tries to hide this starvation genocide, it’s there documented in cyberspace, on social media, on the news and through our veins – in the veins of every Jew, Israeli, Arab, Muslim and westerners even Netanyahu himself who is on a warpath blinded by hate, evil and murder.

You can’t run away from it, no one can. To claim it was Netanyahu, Itamar Ben Gavir and Bezel Smotrich who should rot in hell, is not good enough for all are involved in this genocide, starvation and famine and to say otherwise is degenerate and feeble.

Today the Nazi holocaust is being repeated with different actors. The Jews and Israelis have taken the role of the slave-masters with the Palestinians the victims who have become a travesty of justice for a heinous deep-seated problem involving the Jews, Adolf Hitler and the West.

But too late to think of that for the world stood silent for too long while Gaza was destroyed brick-by-brick and turned into rubble that would literally take years and years to remove and rebuild. The tonnage of wreckage is mind-boggling, those civilians killed at the tab of a button is horrendous.

The world watches by and occasionally condemns in a shy way, Arabs do likewise while Muslims are in-between. Stopping Netanyahu requires guts, not empty words spoken in a hollowed world with no action taken.

Meanwhile God watches on to see what man will do to each other next and how the murder cycle unfolds. Can the atrocities be stopped by the earthly hand?

Opinion

How Would You Like to Die?

CrossFireArabia
July 27, 2025

Hilal Elver

As we approach the second anniversary of the horrific and genocidal assault on the civilian population of the Gaza Strip, we are witnessing Israel’s systematic disregard for international law and human rights and its weaponization of humanitarian principles. In any armed conflict, the denial of food and water constitutes a war crime under international criminal law. But the mass starvation in Gaza—which quickly evolved into a man-made famine—is unlike any other crisis in modern times.

In Gaza, not only is access to food and water deliberately obstructed, but humanitarian aid itself has become a tool of warfare—used as leverage and denied as a means of collective punishment. The visibility of this crisis, the abundance of credible evidence of war crimes, the immense suffering of civilians—above all women and children—and the impunity of powerful actors make this both a test case for the erosion of humanitarian norms and a tragic outlier in the history of international law.

The blockade and starvation of Gaza are not new. They have a long history—and a uniquely bleak future compared to other conflict-related famines. Since 2007, Gaza has been under Israeli blockade. During this period, Israel systematically calculated the minimum caloric intake required for survival—creating a so-called “Gaza Diet.”[1]

Entering the war, Israel had detailed knowledge of the population’s basic needs and made a conscious, sustained choice to deny adequate access to food and clean water for over 21 months.

Unlike other conflicts, there is no escape from the devastation in Gaza. The entire territory is a war zone, and all 2.3 million Palestinians are treated as enemies[2]—collectively punished and militarily targeted. Humanitarian convoys wait at border crossings, fully loaded, but are denied entry. Food rots within sight of starving families, often just meters away.

Due to Gaza’s specific circumstances, starvation spread rapidly—from the North to the Center and then to the South. By December 2023, with winter approaching, most homes and residential areas were destroyed. The majority of Gazans were living in tents or the ruins of buildings—without food, water, cooking facilities, heating, or sanitation. Evidence has long shown that catastrophic living conditions, a crumbling healthcare system, and severely inadequate and sporadic humanitarian aid produced mass malnutrition and imminent famine.

Deliberate targeting tactics

Israel has repeatedly denied UN and NGO reports about the use of starvation as a weapon. The US government also ignored clear warnings and overwhelming evidence. For months, most Western governments avoided using the words famine or genocide in relation to Gaza. The UN’s Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)[3], the authoritative global body on famine assessments, has yet to formally declare a famine in Gaza—despite mounting evidence—due to political pressure from perpetrators. Statements by UN Special Rapporteurs, based on scientific data, and multiple interim rulings by the International Court of Justice [4] warning of the “plausibility of famine” have been disregarded. Instead, Israeli forces have responded with further attacks on aid convoys[5] and on civilians trying to collect sacks of flour.[6] These were not collateral damages; they were targeting tactics.

Day by day, the situation has gone from bad to worse—to catastrophic. On March 2, 2025, during a broken ceasefire, Israel blocked all international humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, allowing only minimal deliveries through a militarized and dehumanizing distribution system it controls. In March 2025, the blockade entered a harsher phase, marked by stricter restrictions and the militarization of aid distribution. After two months without food and water, the United States, alongside private contractors and mercenaries under Israeli military supervision, launched a long-planned entity: the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)[7].

This new structure replaced over 400 non-militarized UN distribution points with just four distribution centers—located in highly insecure areas. Humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence were completely abandoned. UN agencies and international humanitarian organizations refused to participate in this privatized, militarized, and lethally deceptive system.

Dire results were feared from the outset. More than 1,000 people have died of Israeli army sniper attacks at these sites, and more than 5,000 have been injured. People walk for hours along dangerous, dusty roads, wait under the desert sun, and are given just 11 minutes to collect 25 kilograms[8] of flour before the GHF arbitrarily closes its gates. When they exit, the ordeal often continues. Many are shot—by Israeli forces, private security, or armed groups. Gaza’s civilians are forced to choose between being killed by snipers or dying of hunger. Today, simply following the path of supposed humanitarian aid amounts to a death sentence.

Israel knows no limits in committing war crimes

On July 20, 2025, Israeli tanks and snipers attacked a 25-truck World Food Programme convoy[9] at the Zikim crossing. More than 100 Palestinians waiting for food were killed. It is a demonic inversion of humanitarianism: starvation weaponized, aid turned into bait, and civilians punished for seeking sustenance.

Famine, though still undeclared, is now undeniably present in Gaza. Why does the IPC exist if it cannot act? In recent days alone, over 100 people have died of hunger[10], including infants. Humanitarian workers and medical staff are collapsing from exhaustion and malnutrition. Every day, 10–15 people die from starvation.

Starvation is a silent death. It hides its cruelty. It is a societal torture.[11] People lose the energy to ask for help. Children stop crying. It is also one of the most painful deaths—the body consuming itself. Children suffer first, and if they survive, they are left with lifelong physical and cognitive damage. The effects of the Gaza famine will persist for generations.

Even the death toll has become a political battleground. Israel accuses Gaza’s health authorities of inflating numbers, yet respected research institutions have reported far higher estimates. In July 2024, The Lancet [12] projected over 186,000 deaths—many from indirect causes such as starvation, dehydration, and exposure. Oxfam[13] now reports that in the past 100 days, the daily death rate in Gaza is over 250—higher than in any other 21st-century conflict.

Unless there is an immediate permanent ceasefire or a meaningful intervention by the international community, Gaza will become even more of a monstrous killing field—a real-life version of The Hunger Games. What once seemed like dystopian fiction is now a horrifying reality, unfolding in plain sight.

[1] https://visualizingpalestine.org/visual/the-gaza-diet/
[2] https://www.isdglobal.org/digital_dispatches/no-innocents-the-collective-blame-of-palestinians-online/
[3] https://www.ipcinfo.org
[4] https://www.icj-cij.org/node/203447
[5] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/11/30/israel-kills-world-central-kitchen-aid-workers-in-gaza
[6] https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/03/un-experts-condemn-flour-massacre-urge-israel-end-campaign-starvation-gaza
[7] https://www.972mag.com/gaza-social-collapse-criminal-gangs/
[8] https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jul/22/food-aid-gaza-deaths-visual-story-ghf-israel
[9] https://www.wfp.org/news/gaza-convoy-incident-statement
[10] https://www.ft.com/content/6899af82-1a6f-4ec6-91ba-41e7a5f0012d?utm_source=chatgpt.com
[11] https://cjil.uchicago.edu/print-archive/siege-starvation-war-crime-societal-torture
[12] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01169-3/fulltext
[13] https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/daily-death-rate-gaza-higher-any-other-major-21st-century-conflict-oxfam

*Opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Anadolu’s editorial policy.

The author is a former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food (2014-2020) and a member of the High Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) of the UN Committee of World Food Security (CFS).

Opinion

Syria – The New Battleground?

CrossFireArabia
July 21, 2025

By Dr Amer Al Sabaileh

Southern Syria has returned to the center of regional attention with the recent outbreak of violent clashes. These developments, while not surprising, reflect the ongoing fragility of Syria’s political and security landscape. Since the collapse of the Assad regime, Syria has remained in a state of uncertainty, with internal power balances eroded and the rise of the Shar-Joulani administration in the absence of a viable and inclusive governance framework.

Over the past seven months, the country has witnessed massacres and targeted attacks against Alawites, Druze, Kurds, and Christians—clear signs of deep and worsening instability. This internal collapse is being exploited by external actors, particularly Israel, which views southwestern Syria as critical to establishing a demilitarized buffer zone along the Golan Heights. Despite the complexity of Syria’s internal landscape, Israeli strategic calculations in southwestern Syria remain a pivotal factor in shaping the region’s future.

While Israel initially entered the scene under the banner of “protecting the Druze,” this intervention risks inflaming sectarian tensions and sparking a prolonged conflict. At the same time, it has begun to impose a new reality on the ground—one that cannot be addressed without genuine understanding amongst key Syrian groups such as the Druze and Kurds, as well as broader arrangements with Israel itself. The latter has already sent unmistakable signals to Damascus through symbolic military strikes, indicating that future operations could escalate to directly undermine or even topple the current regime.

The ongoing clashes in Sweida and Damascus are likely to persist, especially in the absence of a clear military map for southern Syria. This suggests that Israeli strikes on military infrastructure in Damascus and beyond may continue. Furthermore, sectarian instability is set to deepen amid mutual distrust between the Druze, Bedouin tribes, and the central government—raising the probability of renewed violence. The recent developments have provided Druze militias with significant de facto autonomy, potentially opening the door for direct regional support, as they increasingly emerge as independent actors on the ground.

In parallel, this fragmentation heightens the risk of southern Syria becoming a multi-front proxy battlefield. Hezbollah—under internal pressure in Lebanon—alongside Iranian militias, may seek to open a new front against Israel, exploiting Syria’s geography to mount a tangible threat and divert Israeli focus away from Tehran.

These developments expose the deep institutional fragility of the Syrian state. The new transitional government remains unable to assert control or establish legitimacy in contested provinces, which paves the way for militias to expand their influence and for chaos to deepen. With the resurgence of extremist groups, the implications for long-term stability and reconstruction in Syria are deeply alarming.

Israel is moving forward with plans to establish a demilitarized buffer zone along its border with Syria, administered by friendly or at least non-hostile forces. The areas of Sweida and southern Daraa are of particular strategic importance, as Israel aims to prevent the advance of forces loyal to the new Syrian administration or the infiltration of Iranian proxies and Hezbollah operatives.

This unprecedented weakening of the Syrian administration may leave it increasingly prone to align with Israeli interests or offer major concessions simply to survive—an opportunity Israel will likely exploit to reshape not just Syria’s security geography, but its broader political map in accordance with long-term Israeli strategic goals.

From the Jordanian perspective, this evolving reality on Syria’s southern border presents a real and growing threat to national security. The concern goes beyond the spectre of chaos or fighting spilling across the border. It’s about a broader attempt to reshape the geopolitical landscape of the entire region—a transformation that will inevitably affect Jordan. Rising security threats are likely to be accompanied by political ones, as the drivers and dynamics of the Syrian conflict may cross borders. This makes it imperative for Jordan to adopt a proactive approach that prevents the spread of this new reality—both in its security and societal dimensions—into its own territory.

The author is a writer for The Jordan Times

Opinion

Israeli Gunboats Fire at Gaza Fishermen

CrossFireArabia
July 20, 2025

The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested several Palestinian fishermen from the shores of Gaza City as they attempted to catch fish, Saturday evening, amid the ongoing famine and unprecedented starvation sweeping the Gaza Strip.

The fishermen were fishing in the Gaza port basin about 100 meters offshore when an Israeli warship approached and arrested them according to local sources.

Zakaria Bakr, coordinator of the Fishermen’s Committees at the Union of Agricultural Work Committees, said Israeli naval vessels arrested five Palestinian fishermen from their boats while they were fishing near the shore.

Bakr added that the Israeli vessels threw some of the fishermen into the sea after detaining them, while the others were taken to an unknown location. He also noted that Israeli forces fired heavily toward the shoreline according to the Palestine Information Center.

The Israeli military has imposed a full maritime blockade on Gaza from its northern to southern borders, preventing fishermen from accessing the sea. This has led to the killing of dozens since the start of the genocide campaign in October 2023.

A week ago, a spokesperson for the Israeli army announced the complete closure of Gaza’s coastline to Palestinians, now in the 21st consecutive month of war, citing “security reasons.” He said addressing the Strip’s inhabitants: “We remind you that strict security restrictions have been imposed on the maritime area adjacent to the Gaza Strip, and entry to the sea is prohibited.”

The Gaza coastline is now heavily patrolled by Israeli warships, which conduct daily shooting and shelling operations targeting Palestinians along the coastal strip. Some vessels come dangerously close to shore, especially with tens of thousands of displaced people sheltering in the Gaza port area.

Supported by unwavering US backing, Israel is waging a genocide against Gaza, which, according to the Ministry of Health, has so far resulted in more than 58,765 martyrs, over 140,485 injuries of varying severity, and more than 11,000 missing persons. The famine has already claimed dozens of lives, while over two million Palestinians endure forced displacement under catastrophic conditions.