A prolonged IDF presence in southern Lebanon risks re-legitimizing Hezbollah’s resistance narrative and restoring its raison d’être, which in turn undermines Lebanese state efforts to establish a monopoly over arms.

He also pointed out that the Israeli athlete’s presence violates the IOC’s own terms as that man has both supported the genocide in Gaza and actively taken part in the Israeli army’s operations.

His novel was praised for giving a voice to the victims of Algeria’s brutal civil war. But one woman has accused Kamel Daoud of having stolen her story – and the ensuing legal battle has become about much more than literary ethics.

End of January #Israel illegally sprayed herbicide across its borders into #Syria and #Lebanon. Affected communities are concerned over the impacts on agriculture and health. We used satellite imagery to track the 55km long affected area. A thread 🧵1/x paxforpeace.nl/news/israel-...

Only the criminal can solve the crime. (The Least of All Possible Evils: Humanitarian Violence from Arendt to Gaza)

Every now and then, I have a friend who tries to tell me that I should be less upfront because else I might be seen as a hothead. The way I see it, is that I’d rather be clear than confusing. What you see is what you get. No beating around the bush.

Imagine being in a situation in which you are governed by a regime that behaves like a military junta whose main purpose is self-preservation through the use of violence. After you lost your loved ones, it isn’t unreasonable to believe that you think that the only way out is foreign intervention.

“There is barely a building left standing in the Gaza Strip, but the work is not yet completed.”

Years ago, I still believed in that naive thought that I would be able to contribute to “making the world a better place.” What a fool I was, don’t you think? Now I spin the globe on my desk round and round again, to convince myself that at least it’s better than doing nothing.

Recovery efforts continue for the remains of 67–71 people killed on 29 October 2024 at the Abu Nasr family home, Akre Street, Beit Lahia (31.544433, 34.496876). The aftermath of the Israeli airstrike was verified at the time by myself, as well as Abu Location. See follow-up.

Lovely little brick apartment block in Tehran, Iran Makes excellent use of a dense, compact site. Would love to see more of this everywhere! By Arsh [4D] Studio

Outside the camp’s gates, security officers from the interior ministry guarded the gates. Some took off running as their walkie-talkies squawked: “They escaped, they escaped!” Their supervising officer laughed as the men ran, joking that if it were up to him, he would just open the gates.

History has shown, as in the case of Jordan and Egypt, that normalization with Israel does not lead to peace in the region. People who still cling to that idea tend to romanticize Israel too much. Its true intentions are about maintaining military hegemony over the region.

I remember being hungover, sitting at a café near Sodeco Square waiting for my coffee. My head was already pounding when I heard that buzz again. “Man, that noise,” I told the owner. “Umm Kamel!? Where is it?” he asked, all excited. “When I can’t sleep, I put it on my phone.”

Geolocation of the mass grave in Am Dhair, south of Deir al-Balah, 31.394692, 34.328394. According to multiple news agencies, 53 unidentified Palestinians and dozens of organs and remains were buried here on 13 February 2026.

"All the while, people with an interest in the artifacts, like tour guide Samira Ezzo or archaeology master’s student Fadia Abu Saleh, whom I met at a town hall event on saving the Bachoura site, are left to guess what is still out there — and to protect what is found."

One of the saddest things I’ve heard from Syrian and Lebanese friends is how painful it felt when supporters of Palestinian liberation dismissed their own legitimate grievances under the so-called Axis of Resistance. As if Beirut and Damascus exist only as supply lines for that.

As one Palestinian-Syrian remarked to @uungor.bsky.social when criticizing performative solidarity: “Are people interested in Palestine because they love the victims, or because they hate the perpetrators? Where were they when Yarmouk was destroyed?”

Mohammad Ali Abtahi, who breaks many of the stereotypes people in the West may have about clerics, says in The Heartbeat of Iran: “Neither forgoing all religious values nor constraining people in the name of Islam will lead to a society’s success. We need balance and moderation.”

One of the newly established Israeli military outposts in the Sheikh Nasser neighborhood in southern Khan Younis, 31.326656, 34.305086. Satellite imagery from 17 January 2026 SkySat from Planet Labs.

Palestine Action have WON their judicial review in the High Court! A massive victory for free speech, freedom of association and the right to protest. A massive defeat for the draconian attempts by Keir Starmer's government to curtail our fundamental rights.

Instead of advancing bodies like the NCAG with doubtful legitimacy and reported Shin Bet interference, the international community should call for Marwan Barghouti’s release. He has broad Palestinian legitimacy to work towards a concrete resolution.

So a feat of mine is that I don’t make appointments with friends. Why? Because we’re not colleagues. I just come by spontaneously and see if you’re home. If yes, yay. If not, I’ll just continue with my day.

Smart move to just be open about it. That takes away all the power of Viktor Orbán’s blackmail. It’s not even a scandal or anything. He’s just having sex, which most people on this planet do. The only criminal is the person who made and released the footage.

As the regime imposes a forced forgetting of the massacres in January, it has begun targeting not only wounded protesters but medical workers, who have borne witness to some of the worst atrocities.

I love this.

Militias coordinating with Israeli forces are reported to have handcuffed, blindfolded and threatened returnees, with testimonies of stolen belongings. Using armed proxy groups with abuse allegations carries risks seen in other conflicts.

An article worth reading. It argues that Israeli policy is not merely reacting to 'ceasefire' fragility but is shaping conditions, as I’ve also noted earlier, that could make the Gaza 'ceasefire' arrangement fail or become nonviable, consistent with a divide-and-rule approach.

These ladies always kept an eye on me whenever I started acting up as the rebellious teenager I was.

It’s balloons for my old man today. After surviving the brutal effects of a colonial war, he came here as a refugee. We bumped heads a lot when I was younger, but in truth we are very alike. One photo shows him playing guitar. Another shows me wanting to play it too.

It is unfortunate when a major media outlet publishes technical claims as fact without first ensuring they are accurate. The piece has already gone viral, while many readers will likely not see the correction by @easybakeovensz.bsky.social.

IDF readying new Gaza offensive to disarm Hamas by force.

Brilliant investigation by @readelev.bsky.social : Ethiopia builds secret camp to train Sudan RSF fighters - www.reuters.com/investigatio...

Israeli drone strike on a motorcycle which killed at least two individuals, geolocated on Salah al-Din Road near Al Musaddar, 31.418527, 34.370240. (FYI: Source link to the footage is in the ALT-text of the image)

Geolocation of the targeted building/apartment by an Israeli airstrike in northern Rimal, Gaza City ~ 31.525170, 34.451680.

Worth noting that the Trump admin today reaffirmed its opposition to annexation of the occupied West Bank— and this should reaffirm to everyone who pays attention that words do not mean anything if actions are absent. Whether it's a Democrat or a Republican, de facto annexation has been occurring.

Politicians know exactly what is happening but refuse to say it plainly. While the current ruling coalition is among the most extreme, the color of the regime is not the core issue. The problem is the nature of the state itself, a settler-colonial one whose goal is elimination and replacement.

Sometimes I sit on public transport with earplugs in and no music playing, just to overhear people’s spicy weekend stories while they assume I don’t hear anything.

Recent @copernicusland.bsky.social Sentinel-2 imagery in False Colour now showing the degraged agricultural land in #Syria near Quneitra where Israel has been spraying herbicide. Images via @obretix.bsky.social

"I don’t believe it’s for me or anyone else to decide who gets to leave one home for another. All I can say for certain is that it is no small feat. And that, more than lines on a map, a home is made by those who live there: citizens and neighbors, holding each other’s sanctity hand-in-hand."

Try this as an ordinary taxpayer and see how fast enforcement shows up.

Israeli drone strike on a car, geolocated in the town of Yanouh, Tyre District, southern Lebanon, 33.260240, 35.303782.

Thanks to the spineless international community the Israeli colonization of the West Bank is taking a rapid pace. apnews.com/article/isra...

I can relate to this.

cohosted a podcast with the great Leila Shami. We spoke to Razan Rashidi from The Syria Campaign about a lot but particularly about how acts of justice build trust in the state and how without it a culture of impunity takes over that can spiral off into retaliatory violence and acts of vengeance.

Important investigative work by Palestinian journalist, Zareefa Abo Qoura for @arijnetwork.bsky.social, combining testimonies with open-source verification on when military tanks targeted the incubators of hope at the Al-Basma Medical Center.

I find @ajaltamimi.bsky.social's interviews always valuable, also glad to see that it now incl. Palestine. This group’s political and security positions closely follow Israeli official narratives on Hamas, civilian harm, and settlement issues, indicating strong sponsor alignment.

This week's Post layoffs hit a chord for me, so I wrote something personal, timed with the anniversary of my own layoff a year ago. "What is it that they say, again? Journalism is the thing you love that doesn’t love you back." mirandacgreen.substack.com/p/where-do-t...

"Objectivity is not the same as neutrality. If there is a liar & an honest person, a corrupt individual & an honourable one, then your task is to describe that clearly & forcefully. I’m sick of those who believe in reporting both sides’ versions, when you know that one side isn’t telling the truth."

I was reading a Dutch magazine report on medical evacuations from Gaza. It says the Netherlands accepted 5 sick children with a caregiver in October 2025, and none since. The government says patients should be treated in the region. If you want to see anti-Palestinian racism, look no further.