A ship carrying desperately needed humanitarian aid is expected to set sail this weekend, bound for Gaza. The Spanish vessel, Open Arms, is scheduled to depart from Cyprus – the closest EU country to Gaza – and hopes to use a newly opened shipping route. With no functioning port and shallow waters, it is still unclear where the ship will dock when it reaches Gaza.
The ship, expected to reach Gaza in the next few days, belongs to the Spanish charity of the same name, Open Arms. It will tow a barge loaded with 200 tonnes of food provided by US charity World Central Kitchen, Open Arms founder Oscar Camps told the Associated Press. The ship is expected to depart Cyprus’ Larnaca port this weekend, and will take around two to three days to reach an undisclosed location off the coast of Gaza, Mr Camps told the news agency. He added that the final mile of the journey – which is about 216 nautical miles in total – would be “the most complicated operation”, but added that he was not “concerned at all about security”.
At the destination point, a team from the World Central Kitchen has been building a pier to receive the aid, he said. The group has 60 kitchens throughout Gaza, where it will be able to distribute the food. “What initially appeared as an insurmountable challenge is now on the verge of realization,” read a post on Open Arms’ X account. “Our tugboat stands prepared to embark at a moment’s notice, laden with tons of food, water, and vital supplies for Palestinian civilians.”
World Central Kitchen said it had been preparing for the aid trip for weeks, waiting for the shipping route to open. The maritime corridor was announced by European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Friday, while she was in Cyprus. That came a day after President Joe Biden announced that the US plans to build a temporary floating port to Gaza’s shoreline. The Pentagon later said it would take up to 60 days to complete and need about 1,000 troops to build – none of whom would go ashore. The port will be able to receive large ships carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelters, US officials said. Initial shipments will arrive via Cyprus, where Israeli security inspections will take place. A Pentagon spokesman said the pier could help to deliver up to 2 million meals every day.
It is unclear whether, or how, the US’ temporary pier and the EU’s sea corridor will work together, as neither Mr Biden nor Ms Von der Leyen mentioned the other’s plans.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68518918
Comment: The man is operating 60 kitchens in Gaza and is building a pier to receive food and supplies. This is in addition to all the work he’s doing in hotspots throughout the world. I wonder what the gross tonnage is for Chef José Andrés’ balls?
TTG
P.S. Another article with more details, although I’d really like to see the pier Chef Andrés is cooking up.
https://baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2024/03/09/a-ship-with-aid-prepares-for-trip-from-cyprus-to-gaza
60 days for a make work project so Biden can show the bleeding heart wing of his party he is “doing something”. 60 more days for Israel to starve and kill the Palestinians with impunity. What a perfect solution all round.
What is it with Biden and borders? He could have trucks full of aid crossing into Gaza from Egypt tomorrow if he actually had any influence whatsoever over the Israeli government. The whole pier thing is yet another opportunity for Bibi to demonstrate to the world who is the boss of who. The Israeli leadership must be laughing their socks off.
That approach will work just fine until the US stops supporting Israel in the UN, and stops letting them buy arms from American suppliers. I think we’re much closer to that than Netanyahu thinks.
I hope the boat doesn’t end up like the Mavi Mamara. This is all so unnecessary all genocide Joe has to do is tell Israel no more arms shipments no more aid till there is a ceasefire and let the aid trucks in.
Well, Netanyahu has told Biden that he doesn’t give a damn about Biden’s half-assed so called red lines against Israeli operations. Notwithstanding the fact that US still gives Israel ammunition to kill civilians with impunity.
Doesn’t Egypt border on Gaza? Shhh better not mention that.
Congrats to the Ursala “Slava Ukraine” Von der whatever for showing just how united the EU is in opening a second front. Sorry, I mean the Red Sea, er. what’s the new thing now?
How is the UAE doing in helping get Saudi Arabia (what are they doing about the Gazans who attacked you know who on October 7th; nevermind) to stop that war against Yemen?
https://turcopolier.com/the-biden-doctrine-in-action-part-1/
Fred, Egypt acknowledges that Israel is the occupying power in the Gaza Strip. It has done so since 1967, and continued to do so even after Sharon’s pretend “disengagement”.
So if Israel (“the occupying power”) orders that no humanitarian aid can go through the Rafah border crossing then Egypt can not allow humanitarian aid to cross via the Rafah border.
Why is that so hard to understand?
International Humanitarian Law says that an occupying power has “authority” over an occupied territory. If Egypt wants to dispute the IDF’s authority then it can do so, but doing so means war with Israel.
Egypt doesn’t want war with Israel.
Again, what part of that are you having difficulty understanding?
YR,
Pathetic excuse making for Egypt.
Even if anyone really cared about the silly “rules” you mention with regards to humanitarian relief, Egypt could let the “starving” Gazans into Egypt and then let this chef and others feed them there. But Egypt won’t.
It’s not just ‘silly rules’. Sending in trucks without IDF approval invites bombing. This is not just a theoretical possibility, Israel demands to inspect everything that goes into the Gaza strip. The IDF has bombed refugee camps in Gaza and leveled entire city blocks of apartments. After all, everything is a ‘human shield’.
CJC,
There’s a reason for the inspections. The Jihadis are known to smuggle all kind of weapons into Gaza. I know that ordnance destined to kill Israelis appeals to your sensitivities, but try to place yourself in Israeli shoes for a minute.
That said, the silly rules have been violated often.
Eric, the OP said that Egypt was delaying aid to Gaza. Yeah and I pointed out that Israel controls the borders of Gaza, not Egypt. You then demanded that Egypt accept 2M refugees from.
Israel is denying food transport into Gaza. Israel was able to inspect it before but Netanyahu immediately declared ‘no food’. It had nothing to do with ‘inspections’. It was for collective punishment.
I take offense that you project a desire on my to kill Israelis.
Join the club, Chris.
Both Eric and Fred always assume that they ate surrounded by jihadis because,you know, if you have a contrary opion the you must be a jihad.
What other explanation can there be?
It does get tiresome at times.
YR,
That and the open, crude racism and sectarianism. It is over the top. Too much to expect that people express opinions in a manner that doesnt drip with racial and religious hatred I guess.
Exactly why I used to suggest this site in my rounds in DC, meetings with US and foreign government members, but no longer do.
Freedom of speech is one thing, open, crude and consistent racism and religious hatred is another thing. It is boring and brings down the discourse here drastically.
@Stefan
“Freedom of speech is one thing, open, crude and consistent racism and religious hatred is another thing.”
No, just NO, because… what/who is the authority in charge of enforcing the limits?
It has to have legitimacy/consensus and then you are back to square one!
This is the leftists delusion that “good” can be defined and (of course) they know it better than you.
This has (and will…) brought about unimaginable horrors.
Silly rules?
How astonishingly naive of you Eric.
Between 1949 and 1967 Egypt was the occupying power in the Gaza Strip, and even Israel acknowledged that fact.
During that time the Israelis did NOT claim the ability to just go into the Gaza Strip because it said it had a pathetic excuse to do so.
Because – and this may shock you, Eric, so perhaps you should sit down before reading on – if the Israelis had done so then it would have been war.
War did eventually come in 1967 – biff! bash! kerpowee! – and when the smoke settled it was Israel that was now the occupying power in the Gaza Strip.
Same thing, in reverse. The Egyptians couldn’t just go into Gaza for whatever pathetic excuse it wanted to come up with because doing so meant war with Israel.
Eric: …. “the silly “rules” you mention”….
Ger’ f**k’s sake. There is one silly, pathetic shill in this thread, and it ain’t me. The rules are crystal-clear: you cross an occupying power and That Means War.
And Egypt isn’t willing to go to war with Israel.
Not sure why they are unwilling, because everything we’ve seen tells us that the IDF is a bunch of fluffy girls blouses, but there ya’ go. Sisi is obviously not made of stern stuff.
Eric: ….”Egypt could let the “starving” Gazans into Egypt”…
As could Israel, Eric. As. Could. Israel.
You really are uber-transparent.
Of course if Egypt did, as suggested here, and war ensued, the narrative would be “Look at those blood thirsty Muslims who cannot control themselves and started another war”.
What find amazing, having read widely on WW2 for the last 40 years, and more than few trips to the Holocaust Museum here in DC, is just how similar anti-Semites and Islamophobes are. The same tropes, the same conspiracy theories. Heck, look at the Nazi propaganda at the Holocaust Museum, change the Star of David for a crescent moon and even the pictures are the same. The skull caps, the large hooked noose, the nasty Jews (Muslims) wanting to debouch your women, controlling the world, behind ever war, sub-human, weird religion that demands control of the world, ect. Comparing them to rats and animals, ect.
It is an irony the Islamophobes cannot understand. Anti Semitism and Islamophobia are different sides of the same coin. Of course this is where the Islamophobes step in and say they have VERY perfect reasons to hate Islam and Muslims, but the Nazis did the same exact thing.
YR,
And Israel would let in a gazillion and a half jihadis that want to kill them?
You do like moving the goalposts, Eric.
When did you suggest that the EGYPTIANS should let in “gazillion and a half jihadis” (now) in order to “feed them there” (then)?
Answer: Never. You were suggesting that the EGYPTIANS could let in the “starving” Gazans, not let in the “jihadis”.
Well, back at’cha, Eric. ISRAEL could do the same: ISRAEL could let in the “starving” Gazans to feed them while continuing to go hammer-and-tongs on the “jihadis”.
Correct?
After all, it **is** ISRAEL that is responsible for the plight of those Palestinians, not EGYPT.
Yeah, Right,
What is so hard to understand about the number of times Egypt attacked Israel? And getting their asses handed to them every time; nothing. Which should not be confuse with the number of times Egypt and the international left actually helped “Gaza”.
“International Humanitarian Law says” rape and kidnapping is okay if it is your own citizens crossing the border and brining the victims back? Or is that not covered?
Fred: “What is so hard to understand about the number of times Egypt attacked Israel?”
Educate me, Fred. How many times did Egypt attack Israel?
Start here:
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/arab-israeli-war#
Sorry, Fred, but Israel and Egypt fighting over territory that is not the territory of either country is not “Egypt attacked Israel”.
Ask yourself a simple question, Fred: where WAS the Hagenah when the Egyptian Army intervened in that war?
Answer: Not. In. Israel.
Indeed, as far as I am aware the Egyptian Army did not set foot anywhere inside the territory of the Israeli state at any time during that war.
But, please, do try again.
Perhaps the 1956 Suez Crisis…. oh, yeah, sorry, Egypt didn’t attack Israel.
Maybe the 1967 Six Day War… oh, yeah, sorry, I forgot who attacked whom.
Surely the 1973 Yom Kippur War… oh, yeah, sorry, I just looked up the map and it was fought entirely on Israeli-occupied Egyptian territory.
So, once more, educate me, Fred. Tell me when it was Egypt that attacked ISRAEL, rather than Egypt attempting (and, sure, more often than not failing) to repel ISRAELI military adventurism.
Yeah, Right,
As you say it is “oh so tiring”, to talk to sophists.
YR,
What he meant was he has no answer to your questions.
It’s a simple question, Fred, and oh-so easily verified: how many times has an Egyptian soldier ever set foot inside Israeli territory?
Indeed, I’d even ask this: how many times has an Egyptian soldier ever been ORDERED to set foot inside Israeli territory?
I’m going to say – again – that the answer to both questions is: not once, not ever.
Prove. Me. Wrong.
Take your time, I’ll wait.
Tidal height is extremely limited in the Med. But maybe they can push the barge in close enough for people to get to it from the beach. Will Nutsandyahoo let them get close is the bigger question.
Andres is a world treasure. Hope it works. I’d patronize his restaurants if there was one closer, but for sure if I can wangle a trip to Vegas.
Interesting fact
מַיִם is the hebrew word for water.The etymology of Beeri ( Hebrew: בְּאֵרִי, Bə’êrî) is given as “belonging to a fountain”
The water remembers and from that comes justice
leith,
They can push the barge on to the beach at high tide and leave it. Ideally it would be anchors would be deployed on each side of the stern. Should be good to 6-8ft water depth, from which ramps can be built. Then tow another and moor it to the aft end of that one, repeat as necessary, and before you know it you got a pier. Barges are cheap. Not storm worthy, but beggars can’t be choosers.
This was briefly considered in Operation Restore Hope, btw, but there were no barges handy at the time. It was deemed entirely likely we could take over the docks before they could be destroyed anyway. Landing craft? MEUs have actually very few landing craft these days and we only keep one in the Med at a time.
The main thing is the Israelis can’t stop it. Not enough to feed a couple million people is going to be able to flow through one ad-hoc pier, but it’s better than nothing.
Very slick thinking – expulsion dressed up as “Humanitarian Aid”; I couldn’t have done it better myself. Those boats will be back loaded with Palestinian women, children and old people. They will find “relief camps” waiting for them in Cyprus; they don’t realise they will never see Gaza again.
With the Israelis pushing and killing at the North end of Gaza and American aid pulling them at the South end, Gaza will be cleared. What’s not to like? A great humanitarian win for team Biden – saving the Palestinians and Israels Gaza problem solved.
Establish the logistics corridor, wait a week or two and then Israel sez “Palestinians get on the boats or die”. Why we might even get a photo of an aircraft carrierd eck covered with tents and refugees. How great we are!
Walrus,
Finally someone figures it out – you. I’m jealous.
It’s incredible isn’t it? Staggering. Genocide Joe is even worse than I suspected. Who was it who transported the Jews and Gypsies to the Nazi camps – Adolf Eichmann, right? Yes, Eichmann was an Adolph. Adoph Hitler, Adolph Eichmann, Joe “Adolph” Biden.
Did I leave someone out? Yes – Adolph Netanyahu. Did Kamala arrange this with Benny “Adolph” Gantz at their recent meeting? Kamala “Eva Braun” Harris!
walrus,
They’ll be flown to Michigan and NY and elsewhere to ensure a few million more loyal Democrats. Especially as blacks and hispanics are finding out just who is getting replaced with all these millions of illegal immigrants.
I’m confused. Gaza has Beaches. The US Navy’s 6th Fleet has Marines.
Correct?
I was under the impression that the US Marines did not need port facilities to land men and material. All it needs are (a) landing craft and (b) beaches.
And (again, correct me if I am wrong here) the US 6th Fleet has landing craft and Gaza has beaches.
So I’m struggling to understand why Genocide Joe Biden insists that a port has to be built before humanitarian aid can be delivered by sea.
No, it doesn’t. Load the aid onto US Navy landing craft and then deliver that aid via Gaza’s beaches.
Yeah, Right,
The whole point of building a pier is to be able to still say the “no boots on the ground” mantra. Beyond that purely political motive, even WCK is building a pier for more efficient movement ashore of aid. It’s probably much more efficient than using a lot of landing craft.
So when the Mohamed Farrah Aidid style crowd shows up to demand aid and gets the color revolution treatment Biden will load up how many immigrants, ah “refugees!”, to ship to Michigan to ensure the elections of the future? (And the required govt. income stream for all those do-gooder groups.)
I thought the issue of ports was more substantive. I don’t recall any functional ports in Gaza as everything was first shipped to Israel. I know this was for inspections but the point is that I have never heard of a functioning port in Gaza.
Getting marines to land on shallow beaches is much easier than supplying them afterward. At Normandy there was a rush to capture Cherbourg to get a functioning deep water port, correct? Prior to that there were makeshift barges, not conceptually different from the Biden port proposal.
TTG: “The whole point of building a pier is to be able to still say the “no boots on the ground” mantra”
You are joking, right? I thought you were a military man.
TTG: “It’s probably much more efficient than using a lot of landing craft.”
Laughable. The reason for “building a pier” and constructing a “temporary port” is that it TAKES LONGER TO ACHIEVE, not that it is “more efficient”.
Genocide Joe doesn’t want to build that pier. He doesn’t want to do ANYTHING for the Palestinians because, honestly, he doesn’t care about them one iota.
But the optics require him to address this genocide, so he’s going with the one option that sounds good when he announces it but will take far, far too long to actually achieve anything.
YR,
You have forgotten events like Mogadishu where the US military was trying to ensure a bunch of Muslim third worlders got enough to eat. It didn’t go well, but we got a good movie out of it “Black Hawk Down”. You have also somehow overlooked Beirut 1983. You are naive in the extreme if you think that Hamas wouldn’t be there shooting at US Marines and aren’t going to try to take control of this chef’s deliveries.
Nah you’re not naive. You just like to propagate the meme of US as genocidal colonists. Since the meme isn’t true, you have to twist and omit.
Eric, baby, who is going to secure that “temporary port” that Genocide Joe Biden has just announced?
Because if you say “nobody” then I have a bridge to sell you.
YR,
Why don’t your “mostly peaceful” (2020 riots reference for non-Americans) Palestinians secure their own temporary port?
Are you suggesting that there is a problem trusting the Palestinians to manage their own society? That they need western “colonizer” intervention? How are they going to have their own state when they can’t manage to feed themselves from a free food barge?
Eric: “Why don’t your “mostly peaceful” (2020 riots reference for non-Americans) Palestinians secure their own temporary port?”
Because the IDF would bomb them with big bombs supplied gratis by Genocide Joe himself.
That’s why.
“Are you suggesting that there is a problem trusting the Palestinians to manage their own society?”
They are under a military occupation, Eric.
Look it up. It has a real meaning. A real definition.
It is not, as you so glibly handwave away, a “silly rule” .
TTG would have been taught the definition of a belligerent occupation. He would know what it entails. Perhaps ask him, because you surely won’t listen to me.
But I’ll say it anyway: It is impossible to claim that the occupied are to be blamed for not “managing their own” affairs when the AUTHORITY (gain, a real legal term) resides with Someone Else With Big F**king Bombs And Big F**king Guns who is utterly and completely determined that no so “management” is going to be allowed except under their very, very restrictive terms.
You really are shameless.
YR,
You are becoming more unhinged than usual. A real accomplishment. Take a bow.
There is nothing to suggest the IDF would bomb humanitarian food deliveries. You are as rabidly paranoid as you are antisemitic.
Gazans have something of a partial free market economy among themselves, normally. It’s a nation of shop keepers and welfare recipients. Israel doesn’t feed them, but they do receive aid from all over the world – whatever Hamas allows to trickle down, that is. oh ouch that fact has to burn an Israel/US hater like you. Your heroes – the enemy of your enemy – are villains and everyone knows it.
My point is that Gazans should be able to organize the security and distribution of food themselves, like they normally do – you’re just exceptionally torqued because you know they are not capable because Hamas and other jihadi groups would seize control, just like they seize control of international aid money, lots of it, that the west pours into Gaza. Which is why I’m messing with you by suggesting that Gaza take care food themselves. I know they can’t just like you do and that has nothing to do with Israel. Your cognitive dissonance or pay master (or both) cause you to say is Israel. You just can’t allow yourself to admit that Hamas and other jihadi groups are the real problem here. You are the one lacking shame. It’s funny to watch you attempt to rationalize that which cannot be rationalized.
You also know that Marines would get into a fight with Hamas and other jihadi groups because that is what always happens. That burns you too. You want to wish away that reality and you can’t, which makes your arguments further devolve into nuttiness.
Your bizarre fantasy that US Marines would end up shooting at IDF is risible. You really have no idea how these things work. Do you even understand that Marines have ROEs and would have to be cleared to open fire on the IDF and would not be? That’s if the IDF gave them a reason to request to be cleared to shoot, which the IDF wouldn’t in the real world, which you don’t occupy.
My idea that Marines would end up shooting at Jihadis is very realistic and based on similar historic situations. I don’t know why I’m wasting my time interacting with a lunatic. I think I’ll stop now. Have fun with the voices in your head.
Moving the goalposts again, I see, Mr Newhill.
Eric (then): “Why don’t your “mostly peaceful” (2020 riots reference for non-Americans) Palestinians secure their own temporary port?”
Eric (now): “There is nothing to suggest the IDF would bomb humanitarian food deliveries.”
Ahem. They are not the same thing. You ASKED why the Palestinians can’t secure their own PORTS, and I answered (correctly) that question.
And I am, indeed, correct in my original answer: the Palestinians did indeed attempt to secure their own port facilities following Sharon’s “disengagement”, and the IDF did indeed bomb that port to smithereens.
Which is why – in fact, easily verified – why Genocide Joe has to order the US Military to build a “temporary port”.
He has to, because the “port” that the Palestinians used to have was blown to smithereens by the IDF.
I can even give you the date, would you like it for your cross-checking?
You really are a shameless shill, and your partisanship is matched only by your ignorance.
Here ya’ go, Eric, because I know for a fact that you are both too lazy and too blinkered to do any research of your own.
You asked this question: “Why don’t your “mostly peaceful” (2020 riots reference for non-Americans) Palestinians secure their own temporary port?”
Your answer will be found here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Gaza
Some choice items:
“Since 2007, the Port of Gaza has been under an Israeli-imposed naval blockade as part of a blockade of the Gaza Strip, and activities at the port have been restricted to small-scale fishing.”
Attempt to anything bigger than that and the IDF bombs you.
“Formerly the Gaza strip had a small airport located at Rafah, but the airport was destroyed in 2001 by Israel”
“In 2002, Israeli forces attacked the Palestinian Naval Police facilities in the port”
“In 2005, Israel approved Palestinian plans to rebuild and complete the construction of a port a few miles south of Gaza City, which had begun before the outbreak of the Second Intifada in September 2000.”
Oh, OK, my mistake. Clearly the IDF got a touch of the warm and fuzzies…..
“The building was destroyed by Israeli forces together with Gaza’s existing airport near Rafah following the outbreak of the Second Intifada.”
Or…. no, sorry, my mistake.
The Palestinians attempt to “secure their port” and….. the IDF drops bombs on them.
Which does rather answer your question, does it not?
YR,
He is a self proclaimed Middle Easterner, so by his own statements, he cannot be trusted. Self hate is a terrible thing.
Our very own neighborhood Jihadist trying to be clever again.
A year from now President Trump will order ICE to throw a net over you and deport you.
Eric: “Our very own neighborhood Jihadist trying to be clever again.”
I’m actually (slightly) curious to hear what your definition of a “Jihadist” is, Eric.
Because from what I have seen you do seem to be using that word as the linguistic equivalent of a loose-bowel movement.
Landing craft will get your initial assault force on the beach. For follow-on force and sustainment you need much more capacity. For that you need JLOTS. In the USN it’s a reserve mission, HQ is Naval Expeditionary Logistics Support Group. USN does have one active Cargo Handling Battalion. USN also has two Underwater Construction Teams, though probably not needed for this mission. Probably more important is US Army 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary).
scott, I’m not suggesting that the Marines are going to invade and occupy the Gaza Strip.
You send in the Marines in the first wave to secure the beach and any surrounding high ground. The subsequent waves of landing craft bring in the mountain of humanitarian supplies onto that beach. The Marines ensure that this happens without incident.
Then the Marines…. get back into those landing craft and leave, with the full knowledge that they’ve done the job they were assigned.
Why is that so outrageous?
Why is that any LESS plausible than this nonsense about building a “temporary port” because – let’s face it – that “temporary port” will also need to be secured by…. well… who, exactly?
Because I’m gonna say “the Marines”.
Anyone care to dispute that?
YR,
I can already hear you and Hamas squealing bloody murder when US Marines have to light up some Palestinian bad actors.
No. And most probably…. no.
Mind you, if the IDF attempted to interfere and the Marines showed them what a real fighting force can do then I would think that the squealing will be heard all the way in Washington.
LOL, Bless your heart. You’re such a smart young man. You go right on enjoying your fantasy of US Marines shooting up the IDF. Nighty night.
Eric, I am neither young nor particularly bright.
But I have been around long enough and learnt enough to know that this current generation of IDF conscripts are nothing more that a rabble.
An ill-trained bunch of Thugs With Guns.
The US Marines would make utter mincemeat of them, and not even raise a sweat doing it.
You appear to think otherwise, and good for you.
But you’d be wrong.
YR,
It wouldnt be the first time Israelis have attacked and killed members of the US military. But I guess it is okay when Israelis do it.
Off topic. Two links to articles on reputed threats of tactical nuke use in Ukraine during Oct 2022. I wonder if Seymour Hersh knows anything about the subject.
Biden’s Armageddon Moment: When Nuclear Detonation Seemed Possible in Ukraine.
For a few weeks in October 2022, the White House was consumed in a crisis whose depths were not publicly acknowledged at the time. It was a glimpse of what seemed like a terrifying new era.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/09/politics/us-prepared-rigorously-potential-russian-nuclear-strike-ukraine/index.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/09/us/politics/biden-nuclear-russia-ukraine.html
The flood of ‘Putin preparing nuclear strike’ stories always comes after Russian victories. One would think that Russia would be more inclined to plan something drastic only after suffering big losses; not after victories. It’s a hackish way of managing MSM headlines. Note this was leaked from [unnamed] senior Administration officials.
A quote attributed to Noam Chomsky, ‘Any dictator would admire the uniformity and obedience of the U.S. media’
Christian J Chuba,
If Putin and others didn’t make veiled and not so veiled threats of using nuclear weapons so often, the Western fears of Russian use of those weapons would indeed ring hollow. Fortunately, I’m fairly certain neither side is in any hurry to resort to first use.
erata – should be “aren’t also state controlled zombies”
These were leaks from ‘senior Administration officials’, not quotes from Putin. It was designed to control the headlines. It was a decoy.
Christian J Chuba,
Both Putin and Medvedev threatened to use nuclear weapons repeatedly. There’s video evidence, plenty of it.
TTG
Medvedev the Mad is a cartoonish figure wheeled out to spout fire and brimstone periodically and point at silly maps. The act is all the more ludicrous given his newfound passion for Russian defiance of the West dates precisely from February 2022 – like many other patriots-of-convenience in Russia’s ruling class. The pro-Z crowd have persuaded themselves that the huge numbers of pro-Western globalists who remain in Russia’s corridors of power have transformed overnight into rabid Russian nationalists. That just ain’t so.
I don’t take Medvedev at all seriously, although the Medvedev Show could be taken as evidence supporting the Z-doomers’ argument. These are the folk who think the whole war is, at best, an inter oligarchic spat and at worst, entirely orchestrated theater – as cover for Russia being fully complicit in the impending Great Reset.
Barbara Ann,
He’s cartoonish and often drunk, but he’s also the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, a high level official in Putin’s government. Now Solovyov and Simonyan are bonafide clowns spouting plenty of trash to keep their listeners riled and their Kremlin bosses pleased.
We (the U.S.) will run out of artillery shells long before Russia considers using nuclear weapons.
TTG, nothing is original:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madman_theory
CJC,
Just because the US media is collectively a state controlled zombie doesn’t mean that the other countries, like Russia and [especially] China are also autocratic zombies – and to larger degree.
People need to not be so utterly dualistic in their thinking.
Fox News is part of the borg? Who would have thunk it?
Fox News? Rupert tells it to jump in whatever direction best suits his money-making interests, at which exact moment every Fox newsreader jumps in unison.
Stefan, there is a difference between “state owned” and “state controlled”, and in the case of Fox News Rupert Murdoch is a fully-fledged member of the of the Borg.
The right-wing faction of the Borg, to be sure, but he is as blobby as it gets.
Trouble is, this nonsense put out by CNN will continue to be put out until by sheer force of repetition we’ll all believe it! Most of us do already. Pure fiction, all this:-
“Russians surrounded
“Late summer 2022 was proving a devastating period for Russian forces in Ukraine. Ukrainian forces were advancing on Russian-occupied Kherson in the south. The city had been Russia’s biggest prize since the invasion. Now, it was in danger of being lost to the Ukrainian counteroffensive. Crucially, as Ukrainian forces advanced, entire Russian units were in danger of being surrounded. The view inside the administration was that such a catastrophic loss could be a “potential trigger” for the use of nuclear weapons.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/09/politics/us-prepared-rigorously-potential-russian-nuclear-strike-ukraine/index.html
That’s an incorrect account of that period, but that goes without saying.
The “nuclear threat”? I recollect it from the time. Also pure fiction. The US administration knew very well that there was no need for the Russians to use tactical nuclear and therefore that they had no intention of doing so. They pretended otherwise, Used back channels to “warn” the Russians against doing what the Russians weren’t going to do anyway, and then made a song and dance about having “warned” the Russians off. PR theatre. Also made the Russians very distrustful of back channels when back channels are abused for such purposes.
But it’s the story most of us in the West believe. It’ll probably end up as the “historical record”, You don’t shift myths like that in a hurry.
Same with the Baltic nonsense. Macron’s foreign minister is up there at the moment, trying to persuade the Balts to send “peacekeeping forces” into Ukraine. Quite irresponsible – if the Balts tangle with the Russians there’s no NATO positioned to stop the Balts getting hammered. The Balts, and the EU, are also doing what they can to make life difficult for the Russians living in the Baltic states. Plus the usual chest beating about Kaliningrad.
I could well be wrong – who knows what’s going on in the Europoodles’ heads? I don’t – but this all looks like Macron’s Hail Mary. Poke the Bear this way and that and hope the Bear’ll do something that’ll bring the US in in force. But the US is blowing cold on the Ukraine venture and wants to move on to China, so if that is Macron’s hope it’s probably a vain one. About time President Biden reined his Europoodles in.
Nevertheless, the myths put out by our information warriors are now our rock solid truths and that’s how it’ll stay. I saw Scholz recently claiming that the Russians had been cutting of supplies – and that after he’d himself imposed the sanctions – and we in the West will dutifully swallow that nonsense too. As we swallowed the Bucha nonsense. As we swallowed all the rest of it. Information war works. On us.
Which is why this conflict will likely go the distance, F&L. The politicians can’t put the brakes on for fear of losing face. The Europoodles will have to find out about FAFO the hard way. In the meantime a few hundred thousand more of our proxies will be killed or maimed. How it is.
EO
France just signed a bilateral security treaty with Moldova. It looks very much like that’s where it’ll kick off next. Odessa is the strategic key to the whole Black Sea region now and an excuse to deploy NATO forces there will need to be found. Everything is moving towards a Donbas 2.0 with the 200,000 Russian citizens in Transnistria. Bhadrakumar’s latest is on this topic:
https://www.indianpunchline.com/novorossiya-rising-from-ashes-like-phoenix
Barbara Ann,
“Bilateral “. Does that mean FA and make America come to their rescue? I would rather they “found out” than have us in yet another foreign entanglement that Europe is desperate to saddle us with. The Italians don’t appear to keen on France making agreements on NATO’s behalf either.
Whatever deals Macron stitches up and whatever foreign military adventurism France may decide, neither can trigger Chapter 5 of the NATO charter.
Foreign military adventurism is nowhere mentioned in that charter, so if Macron decides to take on the Russians (and, yeah, he may) and then gets his butt kicked (which is certain) then that is about as powerful an incentive for NATO intervention as, say, the USA losing in any of its oh-so-many overseas howlers.
All these security agreements. Sounds like they want a repeat of WW1. Like I said, the Euros love to slaughter themselves and they’re over-due.
The Revolutionary War in the US was as much of a civil war as it was a revolution against the British. The US Civil War. So basically two civil wars in 250 years. Seems the US loves a good war and chance to slaughter each other. Now with the far right calling for civil war these days, maybe we will have our 3rd civil war.
Barbara Ann –
Ukraine has never asked for NATO troops nor French troops.
Regarding Transnistria, ethnic Russians are only ~29% out of a total population of 365 thousand. Which means the number is half of the 200 thousand figure you mentioned. And that is not Russians citizens, just those who have some ethnic link to Russia however diluted their bloodline is. Meanwhile what of the 260 thousand Moldovans, Ukrainians, Bulgarians, Belarusians & other nationalities in Transnistria? They have rights also. Should that pretend country be chopped up into little ethnic enclaves and each declare their own independence? No, but neither should Moldova & Ukraine be chopped up because of irredentist dreaming by Putin. It wasn’t right in the 20th century when Hitler did it in the Sudetenland and elsewhere, it shouldn’t be repeated in the 21st century.
leith
” It wasn’t right in the 20th century when Hitler did it in the Sudetenland and elsewhere…”
And yet it was somehow right when the US did it to Serbia in ’99.
Bombed it into submission and then fulfilled the Albanian irredentist dreams and declared that Kosovo is no longer a part of Serbia but an independent country.
leith
You are probably right on the numbers, the (220k actually) figure came from the Transnistrian Deputies’ formal petition to Russia and may well be exaggerated. The fact is though that that enclave is looking more like a strategic liability for Russia given its geographic location – hence my speculation that it’ll be a point of pressure NATO will seek to exploit. It is hard to think what Russia could do about any threat to the pseudo statelet if Moldova or anyone else were to move against it.
The history of the Pridnestrovian Moldovan Republic is somewhat unique. I think a comparison with Kaliningrad, or somewhere in the Balkans – maybe Kosovo – might be more apt. Of course even Russia hasn’t recognized it as a state yet.
Wiz –
Those airstrikes on Serbia 25 years ago were conducted by France, Italy, the UK, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Turkey, Spain & Canada in addition to the US.
Wrong as that was, we did not claim that Kosovo was part of the US like Putin has done in Ukraine. And we did not set up a puppet government in Kosovo subservient to Washington DC as Putin has done in Transnistria.
Kosovo did not declare to be an independent nation until 2008, and she did it on her own dime, not at our urging. The US is just one of 104 UN members that recognize her independence. Serbia does not, but in 2013 Serbia’s government normalized relations with Kosovo’s government as a result of the Brussels Agreement. Putin did not object to that Belgrade/Pristina handshake. He was too busy at the time trying to shut down trade and grain deals between Ukraine and the EU, and bolstering up Yanukovych.
EO,
“I could well be wrong”
That is the most honest statement I’ve seen on the internet in a long time. You, sir, are of exemplary character.
Everyone offers their opinions, which are almost universally, to some degree, based on propaganda, as if they are facts. And they get really angry if yo don’t bow before their great knowledge and wisdom; not to mention sense of injustice.
We have no idea what the Russians have actually said, in seriousness, or what intelligence shows them to be preparing. Same same the Euro-poodles. It is quite possible that both parties are making crazy talk about nuclear exchanges. We don’t know know what is really occurring in Gaza, or anywhere else, etc, etc.
Unleash the more better bots!
Eric – Trump is said to have told Orban – can’t do better than “is said”, I’m afraid – that if he becomes US President there will be no more support for Ukraine.
If that’s so then we’re straight back to 2015. At that time it was looking more and more possible that Trump might win. We then unleashed the Russiagate scandal on him. We in this case being us in the UK, the Dutch and the Estonians.
After President Trump was elected there was a concerted political attack and press campaign against him throughout Europe. I don’t think Mrs Merkel took much trouble to hold back her dislike of Trump at that time. Sir Richard Dearlove who, with Steele, had been involved in the “Russiagate” scandal remarked – accurately it turned out – that at the worst Trump would only be there for four years.
Trump’s foreign policy is capricious and opportunistic. But in as far as it had a set course it was against war with Russia. The panic one sees right now among those I term the “Europoodles”, and I regret HMG is foremost among them, must partly be due, as in 2015, to the fear that if Trump is elected he will not support them in their anti-Russian crusade.
Mind you, the reason I was so enthusiastic about Trump back then was more to do with the “draining the swamp” side of his programme. That also would have caused panic among the European leaders because they are the swamp over here, and there was a danger swamp draining might become popular with us European deplorables as it was with the US deplorables.
But I think that fear of the US failing to back Europe in its attack on Russia would also have been one of their fears back then, as it so obviously is nine years later.
It’s fair to term the Euros “poodles”, and somewhat neglected and woebegone right now at that, but they are Biden’s poodles, not Trump’s.
EO,
I’m not a huge fan of Trump as a person, but I do like his policies and will vote for him; vote for him, that is, if he is still alive in November.
I do not believe the deep state will allow him to be President again. They will kill him and his entire family before that can happen. That is what Bolsheviks, the CCP and fascists do to maintain control – and that is what the deep state is comprised of. Or they will rig the election, again, and it will be so obvious this time around that the US will plunge into civil unrest of a magnitude that prevents us from focussing on the rest of the world.
Schumer today explicitly called for the ouster of Smotrich and Ben-Gvir and Israeli elections. An Israeli assault on Rafah at this point seems out of the question, as it would cause a catastrophic loss of face (and votes) for the Democrats.
Here is what the ex Israeli PM, Naftali Bennett tweeted in response to Schumer’s speech: “With the threat of terrorism on its way to the West, it would be best if the international community would assist Israel in its just war, thereby also protecting their countries.“. I had to read that several times.
Barbara Ann,
“With the threat of terrorism on its way to the West…”
What bubble has this guy been living in? I especially liked his “we strongly oppose external political intervention in Israel’s internal affairs.” They sure haven’t minded interfering in ours.
Fred
The FBI’s Miami field office wants to know if you see this guy:
https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/terrorinfo/majid-dastjani-farahani
Kill Trump and kick off the long desired war with Iran b/c an Iranian did the deed. A deep state dual purpose operation.
Barbara Ann,
I don’t think those confidential human sources that ‘foiled’ the “Whitmer kidnapping” are going to be able to help out with this one. He doesn’t look Haitian to me either, but the FBI does need something to gin up an excuse to take potshots at Trump’s team. (A conspiracy theorist would say. Because Biden (Obama) sure wouldn’t stop the Iranians)
Fred,
The “potshots” are going to be literal shots, IMO.
Crazy religion of peace adherents are probably really here and really going after team Trump. They attempted to murder Salman Rushdie in the US after hating on him for many years. So yeah, SOP for Muslims. Also, SOP for the FBI to not arrest and deport the B*st*rds lest Stefan types go screaming to some civil liberties Marxist group about it.
Eric,
It’s the home grown left that worries me. Iran is just the fall guy.
Eric, so the US Bolsheviks&Maoists/also know and US Democratic Party or Deep State… (see follow-up below):
I do not believe the deep state will allow him to be President again. They will kill him and his entire family before that can happen. That is what Bolsheviks, the CCP and fascists do to maintain control – and that is what the deep state is comprised of.
(continuing) … have conspired with the Iranian Ayatollah or the Iranian (military?) intelligence to get rid of Trump?
Hmm, that surely is interesting. It seems that Trump doesn’t seem to be their top target, curiously enough. Or is the Miami Herald part of the above Deep State, somewhat leaning towards the US Bolsheviks? And that is why they don’t list the Cherry-blossom-king?
Farahani was sanctioned in December by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control along with fellow intelligence officer Mohammad Mahdi Khanpour Ardestani for the violent repression of peaceful dissidents and for plotting actions against foreign officials. “Farahani and Ardestani also recruited individuals for surveillance activities focused on religious sites, businesses, and other facilities in the United States,” a Treasury press release in December said.
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article286270660.html#storylink=cpy
Where is Babak Makkinejad when we need him to interpret this strange alliance?
LeaNder,
The Miami Herald, once a regional news powerhouse (to include most of Latin America). Now with a daily circulation less than the seating capacity of the University of Florida’s football stadium.
“Treasury press release in December said.”
From the piece you quoted. That’s a stenographer needing no interpretation. Pravda on the Miami (river).
Fred,
50% agree. Maybe Iranians would do it, but the FBI/leftists would turn a blind eye. Or maybe the leftists will do it and just blame Iran. Leftists, Iranians, whatever. Same snot from the same America hating nose. They can unite in their common goal and turn on each other later.
Btw, I see that Israel/IDF, as expected, is providing security for the food deliveries to Gaza. The IDF equivalent of Seabees (or engineers?) is building out a harbor for the ships.
Leftists are so stupid and crazy – and racist against Jews and whites.
Eric Newhill,
It’s not IDF Seabees building the jetty. It’s WCK organizing locals using local materials. The IDF is securing the beach as they should. They certainly can’t cede it to Hamas. I read somewhere yesterday that Israel will create and run “islands” within Gaza to receive refugees. This includes providing food, shelter and medical care. I’m pretty sure this plan was developed due to international and US, in particular, pressure. No matter what the reason, it’s a good move.
That’s a stenographer needing no interpretation. Pravda on the Miami (river).
I actually like how you put it, Fred. Pleased, I guessed correctly, they are part of the political enemy camp. 😉
Stenographer was a coinage used by David Habakkuk concerning some of his colleagues in the news trade. Not sure if it is helpful in this case. Not for me anyway.
It feels this information maybe helpful for whoever it concerns. Not me, that’s true. Possibly not you either but Eric? Maybe?
So these two Iranians got on the FBI’s top terrorist list with six Hamas related suspects following last December:
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 242 / Tuesday, December 19, 2023 / Notices
This seems to trigger a series of US government actions I am not sure if I fully understand.
a) the treasury seems to ask for help if these names surface anywhere in tax related matters related to:
Form 706-NA, United States Estate (and Generation-Skipping Transfer) Tax Return
tax liability for nonresident alien decedents.
They are collecting information about the eight listed sanctioned individuals. Probably to then freeze and/or seize their assets.
b) The data collection seems connected to the
Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 & IMARA (Insurance Marketplace Aggregate Retention Amount). Which may matter to US Re-Insurance companies, mainly. Maybe Insurance companies, too??? Eric might know.
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2023-12-19/pdf/2023-27814.pdf
The collected data seemingly serves to prove that this law still makes sense. In spite of the paucity of acts of terrorism on American soil.
Moody looking into the Act, shortly before it was extended:
https://www.rms.com/blog/2019/10/15/re-evaluating-tria