there are simply no words to describe the grief of this happening on yom kippur.

All eyes on the Sumud Flotilla.

Morocco sees largest anti-government protests in years. A youth-led movement called Gen Z 2012 has spread through TikTok and Instagram to at least 11 cities, including Casablanca, Rabat, Marrakesh and Agadir.

First images of Tony Blair entering Gaza as head of the new temporary international administration

So google maps updated some satellite footage, here’s one single Ukrainian village. One out of thousands

In Israel, the Australia-Canada-UK recognition of Palestine is met with wall-to-wall condemnation, including all on the so-called liberal-Zionist left, and the Hostage Families Forum.

Good chance of Israel being suspended from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) this week. This move would have devastating implications for Israeli football, and would be the most significant move of cultural sanction against Israel in decades.

Here's this week's roundup of under-reported news from Palestine, Israel and MENA: ridaaburass.com/z_ridaaburas...

Maybe one day the Arab states will learn that if Palestine is not allowed to be sovereign then neither will any of the other states.

According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, the country is facing a worsening immigration deficit, with more Israelis leaving than returning / gaining citizenship. At least -28,000 this year, and -10,000 last year. Real numbers may be higher if you count people who left but maintain ties.

Several Western countries have announced they will recognize Palestine. But as @danaelkurd.bsky.social writes, at no point has any international actor considered what the Palestinian people want or even what they would accept.

Boy do I wish Bluesky had an edit feature. Pretty please, @bsky.app 🙏

Israeli authorities continue ethnically cleansing unrecognized Bedouin communities in the Negev, with 40 home demolitions in the village of al-Sir, today.

Israel delivered advanced air defense and surveillance system to Cyprus, capable of monitoring the Turkish-occupied north, as well as southern parts of the Turkish mainland, (further) stoking regional tensions. Excellent reporting from Middle East Eye 👇 www.middleeasteye.net/news/more-da...

Netanyahu, today: Israel is "supper-isolated"; it's going to have to become a "super-Sparta", adopting "autarkic characteristics". Muslim immigration to the West is to blame; migrants have forced their governments' hands. Western leaders "don't deny this in private". (my rough translation)

👇 www.972mag.com/israel-oppos...

Netanyahu, today: Israel is "supper-isolated"; it's going to have to become a "super-Sparta", adopting "autarkic characteristics". Muslim immigration to the West is to blame; migrants have forced their governments' hands. Western leaders "don't deny this in private". (my rough translation)

ex-IDF chief confirms Gaza casualties over 200,000 That’s 10% of the entire population of Gaza in 2 years www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

My latest roundup of under-reported news from Palestine, Israel and MENA. ridaaburass.com/z_ridaaburas...

In case you missed it (which I did): The mayor of Hebron, Tayseer Abu Sneineh, has been arrested by Israeli forces and placed in administrative detention for four months. www.maannews.net/news/2146717...

Reports that Israel assassinated the head of Hamas' negotiating team in Qatar - while discussing US ceasefire proposal

In Netanyahu's latest interview, he said Israel would open the Rafah crossing and "allow" Palestinians to "leave" to Egypt. "Half the population want to leave" he said. Another indication that the ethnic cleansing of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to Egypt is a completely realistic scenario.

Here's this week's roundup of under-reported news from Palestine, Israel and MENA. These roundups are, and will always be, free for all. No paywalls. ridaaburass.com/z_ridaaburas...

Israel expands its ethnic cleansing campaign in the Tulkarm area into the city itself, expelling families from the city's eastern neighborhoods. So far, Israeli forces have completely depopulated the neighboring camps, prevented residents from returning, and destroyed hundreds of homes.

This is so silly. We need to pivot away from, not "constantly engage with", the Trump administration. We need to invest in Canadian growth, and not in outlandish US military projects. www.thestar.com/politics/fed...

According to an Israeli estimate, between 70,000-80,000 Palestinians were displaced from Gaza City over the past 72 hours alone.

Great write‑up, @justinling.ca. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

No thank you. www.thestar.com/news/canada/...

Turkey ramps up the pressure on Israel - closes airspace, bars ships from docking in Israeli ports. gulfnews.com/world/mena/t...

Another banger. Thank you, @lindsayellis.bsky.social

Incitement to commit war crimes. Several Israeli "journalists" hail killing of Palestinian colleagues in Nasser Hospital www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

Major Israeli journalist welcomes the killing of journalists in Gaza. "These journalists shaped public opinion ... lending legitimacy to Hamas ... better late than never. It's good that Israel eliminated them. Too late, in my opinion".

Israeli forces: "we fired two tank shells on a camera that endangered us". A CAMERA THAT ENDANGERED US.

A very good episode of @empirepoduk.bsky.social on the forgotten links between India and the Gulf 👇 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2...

Disappointing turnout in Tel Aviv today; in the low thousands. Why? Fear, mostly. Not just of the police. 10,000 demonstrated in Nazareth last month in spite strong police presence.

My latest roundup of under-reported news from Palestine, Israel and MENA: ridaaburass.com/z_ridaaburas...

This is happening tomorrow. Worth following. Israel's Palestinian citizens are deeply intimidated and repressed. They have watched a genocide unfold, against their own people, from within. They are furious. But they also have a lot to lose.

I'll never understand how a well-informed, learned academic like Mearsheimer, can confuse IR realism - a theory that decently *explains* some facets of international relations - for a prescriptive, normative framework. Have some values.

There is growing regional unease over Israel's unrestrained military adventurism, including among its ostensible allies. www.middleeasteye.net/news/jordan-...

After a short break, my weekly roundups of under-reported news are back: ridaaburass.com/z_ridaaburas...

Thank you, @igd.bsky.social 👇 itsgoingdown.org/your-guide-o...

The High Follow-Up Committee - the largest umbrella organization for Palestinian citizens of Israel - is planning an anti-genocide demonstration in Tel Aviv on Saturday, August 23. So far, such Arab-led demonstrations were mostly held in Palestinian localities + Haifa.

So far, not a word on the killing of Anas al-Sharif in Israel's main news websites, including Haaretz.

Just returned from my first trip to Palestine since Oct 7. Lots of thoughts. Full write-up coming soon.

Didn’t want to believe this was true. It’s true.

73 MKs (out of 120) voted today to expel the leader of the Joint List, Ayman Odeh, from the Knesset because of a tweet of his they didn't like. 15 voted against. The law demands 90 MKs vote for expulsion, so Odeh remains in the Knesset. 1/