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BoP and The Lurking Devil!

Saleem Ayoub Quna
March 5, 2026

Eight months ago and precisely in June 2025, the US and Israel launched their first combined “Midnight Hammer” military operation against Iran, in an attempt to obliterate its controversial nuclear facilities, set since 2018, to be settled through negotiations between the US and Iran. Prior to that strike, not Ukraine nor Venezuela or Greenland, but Gaza was the hottest issue on Trump’ international agenda, as he was applying the final touches on his anticipated peace plan for the devastated tiny strip! On 26 January this year, i.e. nearly a month ago, Trump from Davos, in Switzerland, proudly announced the birth of BoP, “The Board of Peace”, which he would preside over forever.

To enhance his initiative’s chances to succeed, Trump had invited world leaders to join his new born club for peace. Those who responded favorably had little choice to do otherwise, and some of them promised to contribute billions of dollars to make the plan work. Other big shots such as Russia, France or China were either not interested or invited!

The last one to join the club, but reluctantly, was no other than the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, despite his direct involvement in the thick of the matter. Netanyahu thought the plan was naïve and amateurish in more than one aspect! So he would send his Foreign Minister to attend the signing ceremony in Davos, for his own thoughts were focused on other more important issues that would take place later! Regardless of Netanyahu’s caveats, the Trump BoP seemed to be one of few feasible options to stop the violence and killing committed by Israel.

in Gaza, and a shy start towards a peaceful transition in Gaza and beyond despite the many loopholes.
On this occasion Trump said: “This is a big, big day, a beautiful day, potentially one of the great days ever in civilization”. The he added: “I am not talking about Gaza. Gaza is one thing, but we are talking about
much beyond Gaza. The whole deal, everything getting solved. It is called peace in the Middle East”. While this BoP was hailed as an achievement for Trump’s diplomacy, envisaged by his top capable advisor to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and his assistant Jared Kushner, Trump’s trusted son-in-law, it whistled disaster in Netanyahu’s ears.

From this man’s point of view, if the BoP was put on track of the peace train, let alone its arrival at its desired destination, it would mean one thing and nothing else: the end of Gaza tragedy which also meant the end of Netanyahu’s political career. For him, it looked like a trap that he had, knowingly but unwillingly, a role in setting up. At this crucial moment the manipulative devil and the survival instinct in
Netanyahu, were awakened and pushed him to embark on planning a reversal of this momentum. He had to end this nonsense talk about peace for Gaza, let alone beyond! For certain, he regretted his consent to the suspension of the Midnight-Hammer strike back in June against Iran. Now time is running short for him again.

He needs to take a big and last gamble to divert Trump’s current menacing approach to solve the thorny issues in this region. He, prematurely, and ahead of his originally scheduled visit to the US, books
a meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, thus effecting his sixth meeting with Trump in less than a year!

There, he presents his case: Today, he tells Trump, Iran is the biggest real danger facing Israel and the free world led by the US; Iran is stockpiling an arsenal of all kinds of deadly missiles; the majority of
Iranians want the US to help them topple the regime which is massacring the protesters in the streets; Iranian negotiating team are just buying more time; it is now or a never again chance to finish this
nightmare called Iran, after its proxies in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Gaza and Lebanon were defeated earlier.
Trump submissively listened, as Netanyahu managed to put a hold on every other item on Trump’s agenda, including his cherished BoP project for which he hoped to be nominated for the Nobel Prize for
peace!

Today as the war against Iran goes into its sixth day, two things and plus are crystal clear; there will be no peace prizes, and there will lot of havoc and chaos on the ground, plus the devil in Netanyahu, will be the happiest breathing creature around, for the time being!

News

US Man Shoots Two Israelis Thinking They Were Palestinians

CrossFireArabia
February 17, 2025

A man in Florida, who has been described as a staunch supporter of Israel, is facing charges after allegedly opening fire on a vehicle in Miami Beach, believing the occupants to be Palestinian, US media reported.

The suspect, identified as 27-year-old Mordechai Brafman, was arrested and charged with two counts of attempted murder following the Saturday night shooting.

Unprovoked Shooting Captured on Video

According to arrest documents cited by CBS News, around 9:30 p.m., surveillance footage captured Brafman’s truck traveling south on Pine Tree Drive before making a U-turn at 48th Street, where the victims’ vehicle was stopped in the left lane.

https://twitter.com/KashifMD/status/1891289023932428604

Brafman then drove past, stopped in front of them, exited his vehicle, and fired at least 17 rounds unprovoked, striking both victims as they passed.

One victim suffered a gunshot wound to the left shoulder, while the other was grazed on the left forearm. Police confirmed that there was no prior connection between the suspect and the victims, whose statements were consistent with the surveillance footage.

After the shooting, Brafman drove to an area near 4887 Pine Tree Drive, where responding officers took him into custody.

Shooter Expressed Anti-Palestinian Motive

At the request of his attorney, Brafman was not interviewed by police, but while in custody, he spontaneously stated, “While driving my truck, I saw two Palestinians and shot and killed both,” according to the arrest report.

However, the victims were not Palestinians. They were Jewish Israeli tourists—a father and son visiting the United States.

The Times of Israel, citing the same arrest report, described Brafman as an extreme supporter of Israel.

Call for Hate Crime Charges

The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling for federal hate crime charges in response to the attack.

“It is the alleged shooter’s reportedly bias-motivated actions, not the actual ethnicity of the victims, that should be the determining factor for charges in this disturbing case,” said Wilfredo Amr Ruiz, a CAIR representative, in a public statement.

Hate crimes can include attacks based on mistaken identity, which appears to be the case here.

Florida’s lax gun laws, which allow residents to carry concealed weapons without requiring training, background checks, or a permit, have also been cited as a contributing factor in the attack.

https://www.palestinechronicle.com/three-palestinian-students-shot-in-suspected-hate-crime-in-vermont/embed/#?secret=UVbXmVtq02#?secret=vWFkOV2Lwp

Broader Pattern of Anti-Palestinian Violence

This shooting comes amid rising anti-Palestinian racism and violence in the United States.

In November 2023, three Palestinian college students were shot in Vermont in what authorities are investigating as a hate crime.

https://twitter.com/RyanRozbiani/status/1891343880143937834

The students—wearing keffiyehs at the time—were attacked while walking in Burlington.

According to the US Department of Justice, hate crime reports in Florida surged by over 50 percent from 2022 to 2023, with the sharpest increase in cases targeting individuals based on ethnicity and religion.

(The Palestine Chronicle)