Trending News: ‘Its as Bad as Ever in Gaza’ – UN WorkersThank You AnnieGaza Cracks Trump’s Image as ‘Peacemaker’How Israel Uses Its Legal System For GenocideThis is GazaThe Middle East OctopusGaza: Back to The Killing FieldsHouthi Missiles, Trump and The Israeli depth‘All Attempts at Displacing Gazans Failed’ – A Historical OutlineCanadians Say No to Arms Sales to IsraelUS Launches War on Yemen With 15 Airstrikes‘No One in Lebanon Wants to Normalize with Israel,’ says PM Nawaf SalamIsrael Kills Children as World Looks onIsrael Sentences Dr Abu SafiyaCartoon Made 13 Years AgoThis is Not Hiroshima, This is GazaAl-Duwairi: Houthi Missiles on Tel Aviv Confirms Failure of US Airstrikes on YemenIsrael’s Top Court Says No to NetanyahuIsrael: Displacement Versus Regional ExpansionGaza Massacres ContinueS. African Ambassador Gets Huge Welcome After Expulsion by TrumpSaudis Say No to Israeli Displacement AgencyGaza Deaths Top 50,000 as Israeli Army Continues Bloody OnslaughtIsrael Kills Two Journalists in Gaza Spiking their Number to 208Netanyahu’s Trap!Israel Destroys Turkish-Palestinian Friendship HospitalGenocidal Maniac From The Start!Israel’s Intensifies Displacement Campaign in GazaIsrael Kills 200 Children in GazaIn a Psychedelic Arab WorldIsrael Kills 130 Children in Gaza in a Single-Day – UNICEFIsrael, Trump and the Latest Bombing of GazaIsrael Kills One of Its Prisoners, Injures Two in Latest Gaza Attack – Hamas OfficialWhite House Complicity: Bloody Days Return to GazaTop Pakistani Architect Says No To Israeli PrizeIsraeli Raids: 326 Killed in Gaza in Five HoursIsrael Re-Launches Its War on GazaRachel Corrie RememberedWar in The Red Sea EscalatesIreland Stands TallHow Do You Deal With a ‘Political Earthquake’?Trump Orders US-Israeli Airstrikes on YemenRamadan Iftar Among The RubbleIsrael Kills 3 Palestinians Every 24 Hours in GazaTrump: Arrest of Mahmoud Khalil is The First of Many’Indonesia to Rebuild 100 Mosques in Gaza18,000 Bombs Delivered to IsraelThe A, B, C to Rebuilding GazaTrump: ‘Nobody is Expelling Any Palestinians,’ From GazaRebuilding Gaza: The Arab Plan V. Trump’s DisplacementPezeshkian: Iran Will Not be Bullied, Tells Trump to ‘Go to Hell’‘Godmother’ of Illegal SettlementsUS-Hamas Talks: Netanyahu’s Double-WoundTrump’s Envoy Boehler: Hamas Leaders Are “Actually Pretty Nice Guys, Guys Like US”On Hamas Talks: ‘The US Has its Own Interests’ Says Adam BoehlerShut!Israel Did This!Copenhagen’s Palestine SquareDark Days in Gaza ReconfirmedDevastating Loss!Israeli Settlers Want a Deal!Talking to Hamas: What is Trump up to?Litmus Test: Israel-USA Ties Dive as Trump Officials Talk to HamasStranger Than Fiction: Hamas in Trump’s WorldIsrael’s Forgotten Story: Palestinian Women PrisonersIsrael Kills 24 Women Journalists in Gaza‘You Have No Rights’Free Dr. Hussam Abu SafiyaAfter ‘Muzzling Out’ Trump Now Wants a Nuclear Deal With IranHouthis Give Israel Four Days to Allow Aid Into GazaIsraeli Violates The CeasefireIsrael Attacks Southern LebanonRemember Hind RajabJerusalem: 90,000 Perform Prayers Despite Israeli RestrictionsSocial Media Lash Out at BBC For Gaza FilmFirst Act of News Israeli Army Chief: Sack Daniel HagariGermany Backs Egypt’s Gaza Reconstruction PlanFrench Nurse: Women Are Center of Life in GazaAl Jazeera English Wins Top Award in London…‘This is How Israel is Moving The US Along’Bloomberg: Gaza is a Story of ResilienceDeliberate GenocideTaraweeh in Al Aqsa MosqueIts Free PalestineHow do You Stop Israel’s New War?‘The Only Right The Israelis Have is Pack Their Bags and Leave Palestine’Bombing Kids is Not Self-DefenceDouble-standardCARE Calls on Israel to Lift Aid Blockage Into GazaIsrael Rejects Egypt’s Plan to Rebuild GazaIsrael Returns to ‘Total’ Starvation of GazaIsraeli Prisons: Places of TortureSaudi FM: KSA Rejects Displacement, Calls For Ceasefire GuaranteesKing Abdullah: Jordan Supports Rebuilding Gaza, Rejects DisplacementCairo Unveils Plan to Rebuild Gaza Without DisplacementMasafer Yatta – A Travesty of JusticeBahrain Revives Its Pearling LegacyGlasgow Cinema Boycotts Coca-Cola61 Palestinians Killed in Israeli JailsIsrael Starves Gaza For Politics
Mon. Mar 31st, 2025 5:45:07 PM
Trending News: ‘Its as Bad as Ever in Gaza’ – UN WorkersThank You AnnieGaza Cracks Trump’s Image as ‘Peacemaker’How Israel Uses Its Legal System For GenocideThis is GazaThe Middle East OctopusGaza: Back to The Killing FieldsHouthi Missiles, Trump and The Israeli depth‘All Attempts at Displacing Gazans Failed’ – A Historical OutlineCanadians Say No to Arms Sales to IsraelUS Launches War on Yemen With 15 Airstrikes‘No One in Lebanon Wants to Normalize with Israel,’ says PM Nawaf SalamIsrael Kills Children as World Looks onIsrael Sentences Dr Abu SafiyaCartoon Made 13 Years AgoThis is Not Hiroshima, This is GazaAl-Duwairi: Houthi Missiles on Tel Aviv Confirms Failure of US Airstrikes on YemenIsrael’s Top Court Says No to NetanyahuIsrael: Displacement Versus Regional ExpansionGaza Massacres ContinueS. African Ambassador Gets Huge Welcome After Expulsion by TrumpSaudis Say No to Israeli Displacement AgencyGaza Deaths Top 50,000 as Israeli Army Continues Bloody OnslaughtIsrael Kills Two Journalists in Gaza Spiking their Number to 208Netanyahu’s Trap!Israel Destroys Turkish-Palestinian Friendship HospitalGenocidal Maniac From The Start!Israel’s Intensifies Displacement Campaign in GazaIsrael Kills 200 Children in GazaIn a Psychedelic Arab WorldIsrael Kills 130 Children in Gaza in a Single-Day – UNICEFIsrael, Trump and the Latest Bombing of GazaIsrael Kills One of Its Prisoners, Injures Two in Latest Gaza Attack – Hamas OfficialWhite House Complicity: Bloody Days Return to GazaTop Pakistani Architect Says No To Israeli PrizeIsraeli Raids: 326 Killed in Gaza in Five HoursIsrael Re-Launches Its War on GazaRachel Corrie RememberedWar in The Red Sea EscalatesIreland Stands TallHow Do You Deal With a ‘Political Earthquake’?Trump Orders US-Israeli Airstrikes on YemenRamadan Iftar Among The RubbleIsrael Kills 3 Palestinians Every 24 Hours in GazaTrump: Arrest of Mahmoud Khalil is The First of Many’Indonesia to Rebuild 100 Mosques in Gaza18,000 Bombs Delivered to IsraelThe A, B, C to Rebuilding GazaTrump: ‘Nobody is Expelling Any Palestinians,’ From GazaRebuilding Gaza: The Arab Plan V. Trump’s DisplacementPezeshkian: Iran Will Not be Bullied, Tells Trump to ‘Go to Hell’‘Godmother’ of Illegal SettlementsUS-Hamas Talks: Netanyahu’s Double-WoundTrump’s Envoy Boehler: Hamas Leaders Are “Actually Pretty Nice Guys, Guys Like US”On Hamas Talks: ‘The US Has its Own Interests’ Says Adam BoehlerShut!Israel Did This!Copenhagen’s Palestine SquareDark Days in Gaza ReconfirmedDevastating Loss!Israeli Settlers Want a Deal!Talking to Hamas: What is Trump up to?Litmus Test: Israel-USA Ties Dive as Trump Officials Talk to HamasStranger Than Fiction: Hamas in Trump’s WorldIsrael’s Forgotten Story: Palestinian Women PrisonersIsrael Kills 24 Women Journalists in Gaza‘You Have No Rights’Free Dr. Hussam Abu SafiyaAfter ‘Muzzling Out’ Trump Now Wants a Nuclear Deal With IranHouthis Give Israel Four Days to Allow Aid Into GazaIsraeli Violates The CeasefireIsrael Attacks Southern LebanonRemember Hind RajabJerusalem: 90,000 Perform Prayers Despite Israeli RestrictionsSocial Media Lash Out at BBC For Gaza FilmFirst Act of News Israeli Army Chief: Sack Daniel HagariGermany Backs Egypt’s Gaza Reconstruction PlanFrench Nurse: Women Are Center of Life in GazaAl Jazeera English Wins Top Award in London…‘This is How Israel is Moving The US Along’Bloomberg: Gaza is a Story of ResilienceDeliberate GenocideTaraweeh in Al Aqsa MosqueIts Free PalestineHow do You Stop Israel’s New War?‘The Only Right The Israelis Have is Pack Their Bags and Leave Palestine’Bombing Kids is Not Self-DefenceDouble-standardCARE Calls on Israel to Lift Aid Blockage Into GazaIsrael Rejects Egypt’s Plan to Rebuild GazaIsrael Returns to ‘Total’ Starvation of GazaIsraeli Prisons: Places of TortureSaudi FM: KSA Rejects Displacement, Calls For Ceasefire GuaranteesKing Abdullah: Jordan Supports Rebuilding Gaza, Rejects DisplacementCairo Unveils Plan to Rebuild Gaza Without DisplacementMasafer Yatta – A Travesty of JusticeBahrain Revives Its Pearling LegacyGlasgow Cinema Boycotts Coca-Cola61 Palestinians Killed in Israeli JailsIsrael Starves Gaza For Politics
Mon. Mar 31st, 2025 5:45:07 PM

Seismic Shift Across The Atlantic

By Dr Khairi Janbek

Even before Trump’s coming of age, which is a long way away, or  more accurately so, coming to power, one often wondered about the status of the European Union (EU) in the world of changing circumstances and the existential meaning of its presence on the world power map among the increasing differences among its member states.

Although and frankly, differences always existed within the Union, the Russian invasion of Ukraine made those differences more acute, sharper and penchant materializing between those Europeans fearing being next on the Russian menu, those who want an assertive position against Moscow, those reluctant either way, and those who are out rightly pro-Russia.

Evidently, having unity among the 27 European countries which are not necessarily different in their political structures, yet having necessarily different strategic interests end up with infighting, recriminations and threats.

As well what makes things near-impossible, is that the EU does not have a mechanism to expel a fellow-member from the Union, so one is always beleiving that there is hope that an obtrusive member of the Union would walk out voluntarily in the manner made by the British Brexit.

Now it is more complicated. Not only the EU is having to deal with a possible Russian threat, but also a looming trade war with the US that is compounded with the distinct possibility that America may be withdrawing its protection umbrella from Europe.

Of course, this legitimately raises the question about the future of NATO; a question which was raised before especially after the demise of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. This ultimately means a new form of a military alliance will be required for the EU.

Ideally, one would have thought a smaller EU entity, leaner and meaner, with incorporation of Britain in it, would the best option, while the rest of Europe, from its center to its eastern side, hitched by accords with Russia and the USA.

This would be far better instead of the current large European crippled Levathian with Britain running like a headless chicken proposing to be the bridge between the USA and EU, a link both sides of the Atlantic believe it’s too far a gap for any meaningful effect.

Having said all that, there is a window of opportunity now with the new government in Germany, showing more courageous initiatives in wanting to see a reset of the Atlantic relationship, which falls well with President Macron of France, the other core member of the EU which has the idea of creating a single European army to protect the EU and its interests.

When it comes to transnational trade, the absurdity of the war of tariffs will hurt all including the American economy, though European companies whose main market is in the USA will go and invest in America, but those US companies whose main market is Europe, will invest in the EU.

Essentially, the seismic shift in relations across the Atlantic is set to commence with most probably less profits but more fairness.

Dr Khairi Janbek is a Jordanian writer based in Paris, France

CrossFireArabia

CrossFireArabia

Dr. Marwan Asmar holds a PhD from Leeds University and is a freelance writer specializing on the Middle East. He has worked as a journalist since the early 1990s in Jordan and the Gulf countries, and been widely published, including at Albawaba, Gulf News, Al Ghad, World Press Review and others.

Related Posts

Opinion
Gaza Cracks Trump’s Image as ‘Peacemaker’
Gaza Cracks Trump’s Image as ‘Peacemaker’

By Giorgio Cafiero

The Gaza ceasefire had been extremely fragile ever since its implementation on Jan. 19. Many analysts doubted that phase two would begin, and the main question was about when, not if, the ceasefire would fall apart. It came as no surprise when Israel completely ended the ceasefire on March 18 and resumed its genocidal war on Gaza, killing roughly 600 [1] Palestinians within the first four days after the truce collapsed.

It is beyond disturbing to think about what will come next for the 2.2 million people in Gaza, especially given that Israeli authorities imposed [2] a blockade on all humanitarian aid on March 2. While briefing the UN Security Council on the day Israel resumed its war, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said [3] “food is rotting and medicines are expiring.” The Israelis quickly undid all humanitarian progress achieved by international actors during the 42-day ceasefire. “Essential survival resources needed are now being rationed,” warned [4] Fletcher.

For all the misleading and outright inaccurate reporting in the Western media, it is clear that Hamas wanted phase two to begin, which was supposed to take place on March 1. However, Israel wanted phase one extended and was against moving into phase two. Had the second phase begun, Hamas would have handed over all the remaining Israeli captives. Now, amid this intense warfare, Hamas claims it is considering US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff’s “Bridge Proposal,” which aims to extend the collapsed ceasefire into next month, beyond Ramadan and Passover, to permit negotiations for a permanent ceasefire to end this war.

It is not difficult to understand why this genocide resumed on March 18. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies in the government were crystal clear that they did not support the ceasefire and wanted Israeli military operations against Gaza to resume. It was only pressure from the incoming Donald Trump administration during the final days of Joe Biden’s presidency that led Tel Aviv to agree to the tenuous ceasefire. Now that the Trump administration removed that pressure on Israel and the American president went all-out with his rhetoric about “hell” in Gaza, Netanyahu received the green light from the White House to continue the genocide.


Trump’s desires and reality

What US President Donald Trump realistically sought to achieve with his obscene rhetoric about a “clean out” [6] of Gaza and outlandish talk of transforming the war-ravaged enclave into the “Riviera of the Middle East” [7] is a question for another article. Nonetheless, it is easy to conclude that such language emboldened the most right-wing and aggressive Israeli elements, including those in the government. These extremists have spent decades fantasizing about a second Nakba and establishing a Palestinian state outside Palestine.

Put simply, for Netanyahu and those around him to champion this plan of mass ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of millions of Palestinians into Egypt, Jordan, and perhaps also some Gulf Arab countries, continuing the war on Gaza is a necessary part of this process. After all, human history has shown that people don’t volunteer to leave their ancestral homeland but typically only do as a result of massive bloodshed.

The Israeli leadership understands this about the Palestinians and their quest to remain on their land. So much was on display with the leaflets [8] that Israel’s military recently dropped on Gaza, which threatened to make Trump’s plan for a “clean out” of Gaza the new reality.

To be sure, Israel’s domestic politics and Netanyahu’s own legal situation were relevant factors too. By restarting the war on Gaza, Netanyahu was able to secure stability within his own coalition. Now, not only is there no reason for him to fear more cabinet members quitting the coalition, but former Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir who left in January because of the ceasefire has returned [9] due to the genocide’s resumption.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s testimony in his corruption trial, set for the day that the war on Gaza recommenced, was postponed, [10] highlighting how “security developments” [11] shield him from legal consequences for his alleged [12] breach of trust, bribery, and fraud.

A key question is, where does this all leave Trump? After all, he campaigned on being a “peacemaker” president. While delivering his inaugural address just over two months ago, Trump declared, [13] “We will measure our success not only by the battles we win but also by the wars that we end — and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into.”

At this point, Trump might find himself trapped in Gaza, preventing him from reducing the US military footprint in the Middle East. Trump is escalating conflicts in the region—from Gaza to Yemen and possibly soon Iran—that could keep the US bogged down in this part of the world, which is the opposite of his promises regarding US foreign policy if elected to a second term. It remains to be seen how Trump’s support for Israel’s actions in Gaza and his escalation in Yemen—closely tied to Palestine—will impact his standing among his MAGA base.

The author is the CEO of Gulf States Analytics

[1] https://www.euronews.com/2025/03/22/israel-orders-idf-troops-to-advance-deeper-into-gaza-as-renewed-operation-expands

[2] https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/02/middleeast/israel-halts-gaza-humanitarian-aid-intl-hnk/index.html

[3, 4] https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/03/1161246

[5] https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-intensifying-gaza-strikes-press-hamas-into-freeing-hostages-defence-2025-03-21/

[6] https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/27/middleeast/trump-clean-out-gaza-middle-east-intl/index.html

[7] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/trumps-gaza-israel-plans-riviera-rcna190748

[8] https://www.newarab.com/news/israel-drops-leaflets-saying-no-one-will-care-if-gazans-vanish

[9] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/18/israels-ben-gvir-to-rejoin-netanyahus-government

[10,11,12] https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/report-netanyahus-testimony-corruption-trial-postponed-due-gaza-war

[13] https://www.whitehouse.gov/remarks/2025/01/the-inaugural-address/

Continue reading
Opinion
The Middle East Octopus
The Middle East Octopus

By Dr Khairi Janbek

When we think of contemporary Iran, one always believes that the Arab Middle East had always been dominated by three Non-Arab American allies: Iran of the Shah, Turkey and Israel. One thinks that those “neighborhood police stations” were the guarantors of stability through their convergence, and at times contradictions in the age of Cold War and oil. However, the Shah of Iran was deposed and the anti-communist Cold War ended, but that didn’t mean that oil stopped becoming important nor that both Russia and China were no longer threats.

One would say, that the rehabilitation of Iran and possibly turning it into a negotiations partner aims at keeping the third angle of the police stations triangle going, because non of the Arab countries, no matter how much they tried, could never replace Iran, because no “Arab police station” is permitted to emerge as a third angle.

Having said that, it would be beyond naive to think that the expansion of Iran’s power and influence happened by stealth or escaped the notice of the US and NATO. After all, Iran grew to become a Red Sea country through its influence on the Houthis in Yemen, a Mediterranean country through its influence in Syria as well Lebanon through Hezbollah, and the major Gulf country through its supporters in Iraq. In fact this Iranian domination of space is what has created a common space between all its long arm organizations in the region.

Essentially, if we compare Iran to an octopus, all those various groups are its tentacles, and they all serve the purpose of Iran’s strategic interests, albeit not through a push-button approach, but through not taking any action which would not please their master Iran. Of course, this puts Iran in a strong position to be a major player in the region and an inescapable negotiations partner for the US, which is also convenient for the Americans, in order to remind their Arab allies who is their protector in a region policed by Turkey, Israel and Iran.

Of course, this takes us to the point of saying that, for all intents and purposes, for the Americans a trusted adversary is more important than distrusted friends, and that it would be absurd to think that all those long arms of Iran in the Arab world can be amputated by military means; they certainly can be weakened, but without the consent of Iran and without the right price, so long as it remains behind them, nothing much can change.

At this point, from what one can only see, is that no one in their right mind or otherwise, will permit a war to emerge in which Israel is pitted against Iran and the US as well as NATO putting all their weight behind Israel and forcing the Arabs to choose their camp. That would be the scenario of the end of the world as we know it , or with major civil wars in the Arab countries controlled by the tentacles of Iran, and no one wants that.

Dr Janbek is a Jordanian writer based in Paris

Continue reading

You Missed

News

‘Its as Bad as Ever in Gaza’ – UN Workers

‘Its as Bad as Ever in Gaza’ – UN Workers
Culture

Thank You Annie

Thank You Annie
Opinion

Gaza Cracks Trump’s Image as ‘Peacemaker’

Gaza Cracks Trump’s Image as ‘Peacemaker’
Analyses

How Israel Uses Its Legal System For Genocide

How Israel Uses Its Legal System For Genocide