For today, links to 13 reports: from Reuters, AP, National Public Radio, Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, and Tass, and to commentary from Consortium News and Indian Punchline; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (UKRAINE 5-18-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  MEDIA and GAZA entries for this date are HERE and HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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Russia says Ukraine must decide if it will discuss peace accord memorandum, by Dmitry Antonov and Guy Faulconbridge | Reuters  MOSCOW — Russia said today that Ukraine had to decide whether or not it would cooperate in discussing a memorandum ahead of a potential future peace accord that Moscow has discussed with the United States. READ MORE . . .

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Slow progress and no major breakthroughs dampen hopes for Russia-Ukraine peace deal, by Illia Novikov and Yehor Konovalov | AP  KYIV — “It is obvious,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today, “that Russia is trying to buy time to continue the war and occupation” — this after Monday’s phone calls . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from NPR and Kyiv Post.

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EU, UK unveil fresh sanctions on Russia’s shadow fleet, banking firms, by Olena Hrazhdan | Kyiv Post  The EU has approved its 17th sanctions package against Russia, targeting nearly 200 shadow fleet vessels and “hybrid threats,” European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas announced. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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Putin confirms to Trump Russia’s focus on fair settlement in Ukraine — Lavrov.  From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed Moscow’s focus on a fair settlement of the conflict in Ukraine following a telephone conversation with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump, according to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who recalled Russia’s firm position “on a fair settlement of the Ukrainian crisis created by the West.” READ MORE . . .

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Russian troops liberate two communities in Ukraine operation over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops liberated two communities in the Sumy Region and the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY  19  Trump says Russia, Ukraine to start ceasefire talks ‘immediately,’ by Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge, Vladimir Soldatkin, Max Hunder, Tom Balmforth, Maxim Rodionov, Susan Heavey Rami Ayyub and David Brunstrom | Reuters  MOSCOW / KYIV / WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said on Monday that Russia and Ukraine “will immediately start negotiations” toward a ceasefire and an end to their three-year-old war, speaking after he held a call with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, and Putin said efforts to end the war . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from AP and NPR.

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FROM MAY  19  Zelensky responds to Putin’s call with Trump, by Tim Zadorozhnyy and Oleksiy Sorokin | The Kyiv Independent  President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday rejected Vladimir Putin’s demand to withdraw Ukrainian troops from four partially occupied regions, after the Russian president, after a call with U.S. President Donald Trump, once again failed to agree to a full ceasefire. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY  19  Moscow ready to work with Kiev on memorandum on potential peace treaty — Putin. From Tass. SIRIUS, Federal Territory, Russia —Russia is ready to work with Ukraine on a memorandum on a future peace agreement that may include ceasefire issues and principles of the conflict settlement, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. “Russia is ready and . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 19  Rooting out the root causes in Ukraine, by Joe Lauria | Special to Consortium News  It should be no mystery to Western leaders, media and the public what the root causes of the Russia-Unkraine war are. But the West appears too full of itself to bother . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 17  Russia, Ukraine prepare for peace by getting ready for war, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  May 16 will stand out as a turning point, for good or bad, in the Ukraine conflict. The main thing is . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, the Cradle, National Public Radio, and Middle East Eye; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 5-18-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Netanyahu says he’ll allow some aid into Gaza under pressure, but none appears to have entered, by Tia Godenberg, Samy Magdy and Wafaa Shurafa | AP   TEL AVIV — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today his decision to resume limited aid to the Gaza Strip after a two-and-a-half month blockade came after pressure from allies. None had entered by this afternoon. Meanwhile . . . READ MORE . . .

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Netanyahu says Israel will control Gaza as aid trucks prepare to enter. From Reuters.  JERUSALEM / CAIRO — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today Israel would control the whole of Gaza despite mounting international pressure that forced it to lift a blockade on aid supplies, and the Israeli military warned residents of the southern city of Khan Younis to evacuate to the coast immediately as it prepared “an unprecedented attack.” READ MORE . . .  Click HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from AP, the Cradle, NPR and Middle East Eye.

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Palestinian group says commander killed in Israeli raid in Khan Younis. From Middle East Eye. Ahmed Sarhan, a leader of the Al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, was killed in an Israeli special forces raid in Gaza today, the group said, according to Al Jazeera. READ MORE . . .

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Palestinian writer Yousri Alghoul describes life in north Gaza. Steve Inskeep of NPR speaks with Palestinian writer Yousri Alghoul about life in north Gaza where he lives with his wife and four children, as Israeli airstrikes continue and food remains scarce. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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For today, links to reports from Reuters and the Moscow Times; others or headlines of others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE 5-18-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA entry for this date is HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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Russian attacks kill elderly man and woman in Kherson, Ukraine says. From Reuters. KYIV — A man and a woman in their seventies were killed in separate Russian attacks on the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, police and regional officials said today. READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian drone strike kills woman in Belgorod Region. From the Moscow Times. A woman was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s southwestern Belgorod region, local officials said this morning. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to eleven reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, the Cradle, and the Sunday Times; others or headlines of others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 5-17-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Israel launches ‘extensive’ new ground operations in Gaza as airstrikes kill at least 103 people, by Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy and Tia Goldenberg | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel launched “extensive” new ground operations in the Gaza Strip while airstrikes in its new offensive killed at least 103 people, including dozens of children, overnight and into today, hospitals and medics said. The strikes forced northern Gaza’s main hospital to close. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters, Middle East Eye and Middle East Monitor.

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Israel kills five journalists, over 100 civilians in one night as ‘Gideon’s Chariots’ begins in Gaza. From the Cradle. At least five Palestinian journalists and scores of civilians were killed by Israel in Gaza overnight, as Tel Aviv has intensified airstrikes on tents housing displaced people and escalated attacks on hospitals. Journalists Abdul Rahman al-Abadilah, Aziz al-Hajjar, Ahmed al-Zainati, Khaled Abu Seif, and Nour Qandeel and members of their families were killed in Israeli airstrikes on various parts of the Gaza Strip. READ MORE . . .

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Leaked proposal reveals Israeli plan to trap civilians, divide Gaza into three isolated zones: report. From the Cradle. A leaked Israeli military proposal reveals plans to divide the Gaza Strip into three separate civilian zones, each cut off by military-occupied corridors, if ongoing ceasefire talks with Hamas do not go as planned. It outlines an extensive redesign of Gaza’s internal geography, consolidating Israeli control and heavily restricting Palestinian movement. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report, including map, from the Sunday Times.

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FROM MAY 17  Arab League pushes for Gaza ceasefire, reconstruction at Baghdad summit. From the Cradle.  Israel’s war in Gaza dominated the agenda Saturday at the 34th Arab League Summit, which  marked a unifiedArab stance against the forced displacement of Palestinians and featured calls for a lasting ceasefire and post-war reconstruction of Gaza. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from AP.

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FROM MAY 17  Israel launches a new military operation in Gaza. Netanyahu tells negotiating team to stay at talks, by Ibrahim Hazboun and Samy Magdy | AP  JERUSALEM — Israel said Saturday it launched a major military operation in the Gaza Strip to pressure Hamas to release remaining hostages, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a negotiating team to remain in Qatar for indirect talks with the militant group. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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For today, links to eight reports: from the Cradle, the Associated Press, Reuters, Anadolu Agency, Middle East Eye, and Middle East Monitor; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 5-16-25 is HERE, or scroll down,  WEST BANK, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Israel expands north Gaza invasion killing over 150 in under 24 hours. From the Cradle. Overnight on May 17, the Israeli military announced the start of “extensive strikes” and troop mobilizations in Gaza as part of a new military operation named “Gideon’s Chariots. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from AP. 

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Ceasefire talks resume as Israeli assault kills hundreds in 72 hours, by May Angel and Nidal al-Mughrabi | Reuters  JERUSALEM / CAIRO —  Israel and Hamas resumed ceasefire talks today in Qatar, both sides said, even as Israeli forces ramped up a bombing campaign that has killed hundreds of people over 72 hours, and mobilised for . . . READ MORE . . .

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Arab Summit in Baghdad calls for urgent aid delivery to Gaza, condemns Israeli attacks on Syria, by Rania R.a. Abushamala | Anadolu Agency  ISTANBUL — The 34th Arab League Summit today called for the “urgent and unhindered” delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and condemned Israel’s ongoing attacks in Syria. READ MORE . . .

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Gaza urges Arab summit to act against siege, stop Israeli genocide, by Ikrame Imane Kouachi | Anadolu Agency  GAZA CITY, Palestine / ANKARA — The Gaza government today issued an urgent call to Arab leaders attending the Arab League Summit in Baghdad, demanding immediate, practical steps to break Israel’s siege and halt its continuing war on the Palestinian enclave. READ MORE . . .

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Top genocide scholars unanimous that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza: Dutch investigation. From Middle East Eye. A growing number of the world’s leading genocide scholars believe that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide, according to an investigation by Dutch newspaper NRC. The paper interviewed . . . READ MORE . . .

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UN chief condemns reported Israeli plans for Gaza ground operation, by Gizem Nisa Cebi | Anadolu Agency  ISTANBUL — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern today over reports that Israel plans to expand its ground operations in Gaza. READ MORE . . .

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‘We will not stay silent,’ 7 European countries say in response to Israeli attacks on Gaza. From Middle East Monitor Facing a “man-made humanitarian catastrophe taking place before our eyes in Gaza,” Ireland, Iceland, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Malta, Spain and Norway on Friday called upon the Israeli government . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, a link to a report from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (WEST BANK 5-14-25 is HERE, or scroll down. GAZA, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for today are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Israeli army continues West Bank raid as settlers attack homes and burn vehicles, by Fayha Shalash | Middle East Eye  RAMALLAH, occupied Palestine  The Israeli army has continued to raid the town of Bruqin in the occupied West Bank in search of a gunman who killed a settler on Wednesday, even as other settlers carry out attacks in towns and cities across the territory. READ MORE . . .

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For today, a link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (SYRIA 5-14-25 is HERE, or scroll down. GAZA, WEST BANK and UKRAINE entries for today are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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FROM MAY 16  U.S. Secretary of State says Syria faces ‘two choices, transformation or brutal civil war.’ From the Cradle. “There are two routes here,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday after a meeting with his Syrian counterpart in Turkiye. “One will be success, and we will have a major transformation in the region, or you are going to have . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to nine reports: from the Associated Press, Kyiv Post, National Public Radio,, Tass, Reuters, and the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE 5-15-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, WEST BANK and SYRIA entries for today are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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A Russian drone strike in northeastern Ukraine kills 9 people, officials say, by Yehor Konovalov and Joanna Kozlowksa | AP  KYIV — A Russian drone hit a bus evacuating civilians from a front-line area in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region today, killing nine people, Ukrainian officials said. Seven people were also injured in the attack in a town around 10 kilometers from Russia’s border. READ MORE . . .

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SBU drone strike hits Russian ammo depot in occupied Crimea, killing troops, by Kateryna Zakharchenko | Kyiv Post  Drones operated by Ukraine’s Security Service on Friday struck an ammunition depot used by Russia’s 126th Separate Guards Coastal Defense Brigade near the village of Perevalne in occupied Crimea, sources in the security services said. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 16  Ukraine peace talks achieve little beyond prisoner swap pledge. Reported by Charles Maynes | NPR  Russian and Ukrainian negotiators agree to a prisoner swap but made no major breakthroughs in Istanbul ceasefire talks. Click HERE to listen and read.  Click HERE and HERE for report from AP and Tass. 

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FROM MAY 16  Ukraine calls on allies to keep pressure on Russia after talks yield no ceasefire, by Tom Balmforth, Can Sezer and Vladimir Soldatkin | Reuters  ISTANBUL — Ukraine rallied support from its Western allies on Friday after Kyiv and Moscow failed to agree to a ceasefire at their first direct talks in more than three years, with Russia presenting conditions that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia demanded Kyiv pull back troops before ceasefire, Ukrainian source says. From Reuters. ISTANBUL — Russian negotiators at peace talks in Istanbul demanded Ukraine pull its troops out of all the Ukrainian regions claimed by Moscow before they would agree to a ceasefire, a senior Ukrainian official familiar with the talks said. The Kremlin declined to comment . . . READ MORE . . .

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Putin-Zelensky meeting possible after ‘agreements’ reached. From Reuters. The Kremlin said on Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin could meet Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky in the future, but only if certain agreements were reached. READ MORE . . .

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Lavrov, Rubio discuss results of Istanbul peace talks, Russian media reports, by Anna Fratsyvir | The Kyiv Independent  Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone call allegedly at the initiative of the American side to discuss the future of bilateral contacts between Moscow and Washington and recent Istanbul peace talks, Russian state-controlled media reported today. READ MORE . . .

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There will be no other entries for today.

For this date, links to nine reports: from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, the Cradle, Reuters, and Middle East Monitor, and to commentary from Middle East Eye and via Facebook; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 5-15-25 is HERE, or scroll down. Also scroll down for previous dates’ entries for UKRAINE, IRAN, GAZA, 9/11 TRUTH, MEDIA, WEST BANK, YEMEN, LEBANON, and SYRIA.) — MCM

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Israeli strikes kill at least 93 people in Gaza as Trump wraps up his Middle East visit, by Wafaa Shurafa and Bassem Mroue | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — At least 93 people were killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza today. Strikes overnight hit across Gaza, including the outskirts of Deir al-Balah and the city of Khan Younis. Gaza’s health ministry said hundreds more were injured . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from NPR.

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Israeli tanks push deep into north Gaza as bombs drop ‘every four minutes.’ From the Cradle. Israeli tanks advanced near Gaza’s northern city of Beit Lahia today, as relentless bombardment has displaced dozens of families and killed scores more — raising fears that Tel Aviv’s plan to widen its assault against the strip will begin soon. READ MORE . . .

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Deadly Israeli strikes pound Gaza, Trump says ‘people are starving,‘ by Nidal al-Mughrabi and James Mackenzie | Reuters  CAIRO / JERUSALEM — Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed more than 250 people since Thursday morning, local health authorities said today, one of the deadliest phases of bombardment since a truce collapsed in March, with a new ground offensive expected soon. U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged Gaza’s growing hunger crisis and . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 15  The U.S. is working on a new plan to deliver aid in Gaza. Reported by Fatma Tanis | NPR  Israel has blocked the entry of aid for weeks, accusing Hamas of theft. The U.S. says its plan will address Israel’s concerns. Experts say it may change humanitarian responses in conflict zones. Click HERE to read and listen.  Click HERE for report from Middle East Monitor.

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FROM MAY 15  Trump revives his Gaza proposal on his Middle East trip. Reported by Franco Ordoñez | NPR  President Trump hasn’t talked about the war in Gaza much since landing in the Middle East. But on Thursday, he doubled down on his plan to develop it as a “freedom zone.” Click HERE to listen and read.

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Arab Gulf States Institute scholar discusses Trump’s Middle East trip. Michel Martin of NPR talks with Hussein Ibish of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, D.C., about President Trump’s Gulf trip. Click HERE to listen and, later, read, and HERE for May 8 commentary from the Arab Gulf States Institute.

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President of Arab Gulf States Institute on Trump’s Middle East trip. A Martínez of NPR talks with Doug Silliman, president of the Arab Gulf States Institute and former U.S. ambassador to Iraq, about President Trump’s Gulf trip and Iran’s offer to revive a nuclear deal. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Israel has already lost the Gaza war. It just doesn’t know it yet, by David Hearst | Middle East Eye  In a span of eight years, the U.S. dropped more than five million tons of bombs on Vietnam, making it the most bombed place on earth. By January of this year, Israel had dropped at least 100,000 tons of bombs on Gaza. Put another way, the U.S. dropped around 15 tonnes of explosives per square kilometre of Vietnam, while Israel has dropped 275 tons per square kilometre of Gaza. Click HERE for article and for related video described below.

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Arab trillions for Trump as Israel massacres children in Gaza. Soumaya Ghannoushi, an observer of politics in the Middle East, comments on U.S. President Donald Trump’s visits there in light of Israel’s genocide in Gaza — questioning the Gulf monarchs’ apparent failure to pressure him to halt the slaughter. Click HERE for article and video, both published by Middle East Eye, and HERE for video on Facebook.

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