For now, links three articles of commentary: from Informed Comment, via ScheerPost, and Consortium News and Middle East Eye; and to 17 reports: from the New Republic, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Middle East Eye, the Cradle, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, and Anadolu Agency; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (IRAN 6-12-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Netanyahu launches war on Iran to disrupt negotiations, by Juan Cole | Informed Comment / ScheerPost  ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The government led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday launched a war on Iran, bombing sites related to the latter’s civilian nuclear refinement program at Natanz and Fordow but also targeting Tehran apartment buildings where . . . READ MORE . . .

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Unprovoked, Israel risks major war in Middle East, by Joe Lauria | Special to Consortium News  Israel has opened the gates of hell in the Middle East. In a thoroughly unprovoked attack . . . READ MORE . . .

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Taco Trump: Iran strikes suggest U.S. president is not in control — or just plain mad, by Marco Carnelos | Middle East Eye  It is extremely difficult be a fan of U.S. President Donald Trump, whose erratic style of governance has sent shockwaves around the world, unless you are among those who blindly follow his jumble of loose ideologies and primal instincts. The plausible green light . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Trump tells the Post ‘I always knew the date’ for Israel attack on Iran, by Diana Glebova | The New York Post  The president continued during a brief phone call, “Because I know everything. I know everything. I know everything. I gave them 60 days and they didn’t meet it. Today’s 61, you know. Today’s day 61.” READ MORE . . .

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Trump knew of Israel’s planned attack on Iran all along, Israelis say. From the New Republic. In a call with Netanyahu Monday, Trump reportedly urged him to stop chatter about a potential strike on Iran. But Israeli officials told Axios that the call had really been about coordination ahead of the attack. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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U.S. shifts military resources in Mideast in response to Israel strikes and possible Iran attack, by Tara Copp | AP   WASHINGTON — The United States is shifting military resources, including ships, in the Middle East in response to Israel’s strikes on Iran and a possible retaliatory attack by Tehran, two U.S. officials said today. The Navy has . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel attacks Iran’s nuclear and missile sites, prompting Iranian drone-strike retaliation, by Jon Gambrell, Josef Federman and Julia Frankel | AP  DUBAI — Israel attacked Iran’s capital early Friday in strikes that targeted the country’s nuclear program and killed at least two top military officers, raising the potential for an all-out war between the two bitter Middle East adversaries. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from NPR.

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Who are the Iranian military chiefs and scientists killed by Israel? From Middle East Eye. Israel’s attack on Iran on early Friday morning, which saw dozens of sites bombed, has killed several top Iranian military officials and nuclear scientists. Here is a list so far: READ MORE . . .

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Six nuclear scientists killed in Israeli attacks, Tasnim news agency reports. From Middle East Eye. The Republican Guard-affiliated Tasnim news agency reported that six nuclear scientists were killed in Israel’s attack on Iran: “Abdolhamid Minouchehr, Ahmadreza Zolfaghari, Amirhossein Feqhi, Motalleblizadeh, Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, and Fereydoun Abbasi were the nuclear scientists martyred.”

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Israel bombs Tehran, declares ‘long’ war against Iran.  From the Cradle. Israeli warplanes bombed the Iranian capital, Tehran, early Friday, targeting residential areas as part of operation “Lion’s Courage,” which officials say targeted Iranian nuclear facilities and senior officials of Iran’s Armed Forces. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 12  Israel attacks Iran’s capital with explosions booming across Tehran, by Jon Gambrell and Josef Federman | AP  JERUSALEM — Israel attacked Iran’s capital early Friday, with explosions booming across Tehran as Israel said it targeted nuclear and military sites. The attack comes as tensions have reached new heights over . . . READ MORE . . .   Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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What Israel’s strikes on Iran mean for the region. Reported by James Hider and Steve Inskeep | NPR  Three top security chiefs were killed in Iran, including the military’s chief of staff. Also hit was Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility. What do Israel’s strikes on Iran mean for the stability of the region? Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Israel strikes on Iran defy Trump’s diplomacy efforts. Michel Martin of NPR asks a U.S.-Iranian relations expert Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, about the motivations behind Israeli airstrikes targeting the country’s nuclear sites. Click HERE later to listen and, still later, read.

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FROM JUNE 12  Senior U.S. Democrat condemns Israel’s ‘reckless escalation.’ From AFP. The top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, sharply criticized U.S. ally Israel on Thursday for its strikes on Iran, accusing it of putting the region and American forces at risk. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 12  U.S. says it was ‘not involved’ in Israeli strikes on Iran as region on knife-edge, by Michael Hernandez | Anadolu Agency  WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied Thursday that Washington had any involvement in Israel’s “unilateral” strikes on Iran and called on Tehran not to target American interests in the region amid speculation that the Islamic Republic would soon retaliate. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 11  Trump says ‘less confident’ on Iran deal as Tehran fires back at U.S. threats. From the Cradle. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he is ”less confident” about securing a nuclear agreement with Iran, citing what he described as Tehran’s shifting attitude, stalling tactics, and growing pressure from Israel. READ MORE . . .

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Timeline of tensions and hostilities between Israel and Iran. From AP. Israel and Iran opened a new chapter in their long history of conflict when Israel launched a major attack with strikes early today that set off explosions in the Iranian capital of Tehran. READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For today, links to six reports: from the Associated Press, the Cradle, Reuters, and the New York Times; others or just headlines of others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (IRAN 6-3-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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UN nuclear watchdog board censures Iran, which retaliates by announcing a new enrichment site, by Stephane Liechtenstein and Jon Gambrell | AP  VIENNA — The U.N. nuclear watchdog’s board of governors today formally found that Iran isn’t complying with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 years, a move that . . . READ MORE. . . .

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Sixth round of Iran-U.S. nuclear talks will be held this weekend, Oman foreign minister says, by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI — Iran and the United States will hold a sixth round of negotiations over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program this Sunday in Oman, the sultanate’s foreign minister said today, as regional tensions have spiked in recent days. READ MORE. . . .   Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

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U.S. to pull some personnel from the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran, by Daphne Psaledakis, Idrees Ali, Ahmed Rasheed and Jeff Mason | Reuters  WASHINGTON / BAGHDAD — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday U.S. personnel were being moved out of the Middle East because “it could be a dangerous place,” adding . . . READ MORE. . . .

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Israel appears ready to attack Iran, officials in U.S. and Europe say, by Michael Crowley, David E. Sanger, Farnaz Fassihi and Eric Schmitt | The New York Times  WASHINGTON — Israel appears to be preparing to launch an attack soon on Iran, according to officials in the United States and Europe, a step that . . . READ MORE. . . .

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FROM JUNE 11  Iran responds to threats from Washington. From the Cradle. Iran’s Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said on Wednesday that Tehran will strike U.S. military bases in the region if nuclear talks fail and Washington decides to launch an attack on the Islamic Republic. READ MORE. . . .

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For today, links to eleven reports: from Reuters, Anadolu Agency, the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 6-11-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  IRAN, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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UN General Assembly to vote on immediate Gaza ceasefire over U.S., Israel opposition. From Reuters. The United Nations General Assembly will vote today on a draft resolution that demands an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in the war in Gaza after the United States vetoed a similar effort in the Security Council last week. READ MORE . . .

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Over 40 Gazans killed by Israeli army fire, including many aid seekers, by Ramzi Mahmud and Mohammad Sio | Anadolu Agency  GAZA CITY, Palestine / ISTANBUL — More than 40 more Palestinians were killed in fresh Israeli attacks in Gaza today, including many civilians seeking to get aid in the besieged territory, medics said. A medical source said . . . READ MORE . . .

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Hamas says it killed 12 Israeli-backed fighters. Israeli-supported group says they were aid workers, by Samy Magdy and Kareem Chehayeb | AP  CAIRO — A unit of Gaza’s Hamas-run police force said it killed 12 members of an Israeli-backed militia after detaining them early today. Hours earlier, an Israel-supported aid group said Hamas attacked a bus carrying its Palestinian workers, killing at least eight of them. READ MORE . . .

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Humanitarian workers killed in Gaza bus ambush that Israel blames on Hamas, by Crispian Balmer and Nidal al-Mughrabi | Reuters  JERUSALEM / CAIRO — Israel accused Hamas militants of killing five Palestinians who worked for the U.S-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in an apparent effort to disrupt their food distribution operations. READ MORE . . .

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GHF contractor reveals ‘horrific’ details of U.S.-Israeli ‘aid traps.’ From the Cradle. An anonymous U.S. security contractor employed at one of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s aid sites in the Gaza Strip has slammed the entire initiative as “pure chaos,” calling it “absolutely horrific” while accusing Israeli forces of continuously firing at unarmed Palestinians. READ MORE . . .

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Internet, phone services completely cut off in Gaza after Israeli strikes, by Ramzi Mahmud and Mohammad Sio | Anadolu Agency  ISTANBUL — Internet and phone services collapsed across the Gaza Strip today following Israeli strikes on telecommunications infrastructure, the Palestinian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 11  Israeli airstrikes and gunfire kill 60 people in Gaza, many near aid sites, say medics. From Reuters. Local health officials reported that Israeli airstrikes and gunfire killed at least 60 Palestinians on Wednesday in Gaza, the majority of whom were near a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid site in the middle of the enclave. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for June 12 report from Middle East Eye.

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FROM JUNE 11  Convoy arrives in Libya en route to Gaza to challenge Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid, by Yousef Murad | AP  ZAWIYA, Libya — A convoy carrying hundreds of activists has arrived in Libya after driving from Algeria and crossing through Tunisia on its way to the Gaza Strip to challenge Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid on the territory. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 11  U.S. warns against attending UN conference on Israel-Palestinian two-state solution.  From Reuters. PARIS / WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is discouraging governments around the world from attending a U.S. conference next week on a possible two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, according to a U.S. cable seen by Reuters. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

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For now, links to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (SYRIA 6-11-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  IRAN, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Israel says it detained Hamas members during an operation in southern Syria. From AP. DAMASCUS — Israeli forces conducted an operation in southern Syria to detain several members of Hamas, the military said today. Click HERE for AP report including map, and HERE for report from Reuters.

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ISIS reactivating fighters, eying comeback in Syria and Iraq. From Reuters. DAMASCUS — Middle East leaders and their Western allies have been warning that ISIS could exploit the fall of the Assad regime to stage a comeback in Syria and neighbouring Iraq, where the extremist group once imposed a reign of terror over millions. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to four reports: from Kyiv Post, the Associated Press, and the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE 6-11-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  IRAN, GAZA and SYRIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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Overnight Ukrainian drones strike hits Russian military tech hub. From Kyiv Post. On the night of June 11 / 12, units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Unmanned Systems Forces, in coordination with other Defense Forces units, attacked one of the key facilities of Russia’s military-industrial complex. READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainian intel wipes out Russian telecom in massive cyberattack, by Kateryna Zakharchenko | Kyiv Post  Cyber specialists from Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate have disrupted the operations of one of the largest internet providers in Russia’s Siberia – Orion Telecom, sources say. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 11  Russian attacks kill 3 and wound 64 as drones hit Kharkiv and other parts of Ukraine, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV —  Russian forces launched a new drone assault across Ukraine overnight on Wednesday, killing three people and wounding 64 others, Ukrainian officials said. One of the hardest-hit areas was the city of Kharkiv . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 11  Ukrainian drones strike targets in Russia, including gunpowder plant, General Staff says, by Tim Zadorozhnyy | The Kyiv Independent  Ukrainian drones struck multiple military targets in Russia, including the Tambov Gunpowder Plant, overnight on Wednesday, according to the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces. One of Russia’s main manufacturers of . . . READ MORE . . .

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NOTE: This is only the fourth entry since June 8. Thanks to all returning visitors for your patience.

For today, just one link: to a report from the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (UKRAINE 6-8-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, COVID ETC. and SYRIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM JUNE 10  Russia launches another large-scale drone and missile attack on Ukraine, killing 3 and wounding 13, by Vasilisa Stepanenko and Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — Russia attacked two Ukrainian cities with waves of drones and missiles early Tuesday, killing three people and wounding at least 13 in what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called “one of the biggest” strikes on Ukraine’s capital in the 3-year-old war. READ MORE . . .

 

NOTE: This is only the third entry since June 8. Thanks to all returning visitors for your patience.

For today, links to two reports: from the Associated Press and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (GAZA 6-8-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  UKRAINE, COVID ETC. and SYRIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM JUNE 10  36 Palestinians killed trying to obtain desperately needed aid in Gaza, officials say, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Palestinians desperately trying to access aid in Gaza came under fire again on Tuesday. This time 36 people were killed and 207 wounded, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. Experts and humanitarian aid workers say . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 10  New Israeli-armed militia emerges in Gaza. Reported by Aya Batrawy | NPR  A new anti-Hamas militia, comprising looters and criminals in Gaza, has emerged in Gaza with arms from Israel. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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NOTE: This is only the second entry since June 8. Thanks to all returning visitors for your patience.

First, links to reports from National Public Radio and the Associated Press, and to a conversation from the Tucker Carlson Show; some others may be accessible by clicking on their names or initials  below. (COVID ETC., 2-14-25 is HERE; scrolling down for it would take awhile.  UKRAINE, GAZA and SYRIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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FROM JUNE 10  HHS head RFK Jr. is removing all members of a key CDC vaccine policy committee. Reported by Ailsa Chang, Mia Venkat and Jeanette Woods | NPR  Health and Human Services head, RFK Jr, is replacing all current members of CDC vaccine advisory committee. We discuss the potential impact on public health policy. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JUNE 9  RFK Jr. ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory committee, by Laura Ungar and Amanda Seitz | AP  Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday removed all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a scientific committee that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to use vaccines, and pledged to replace them with his own picks. Major physicians and public health groups criticized the move . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM LATE MAY  U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson on ‘Big Pharma,’ vaccines, and public health. Tucker Carlson of the Tucker Carlson Show and the Wisconsin Republican talk for about 30 minutes about vaccines, the pharmaceutical industry, and public health. Click HERE for video of interview, in which the segment specified in the headline begins a ways into a 115-minute show.

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NOTE: This is the first entry since June 8. Thanks to all returning visitors for your patience.

First, a link to commentary from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (SYRIA 6-5-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  UKRAINE, GAZA and COVID ETC. entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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FROM JUNE 4  More signs of Britain grooming Syria’s Al-Qaeda-rooted government. From the Cradle. The presence of a 32-year-old British-Syrian activist, Razan Saffour, in Syria’s new ruling circle highlights Britain’s outsized role bringing Al-Qaeda to power, whitewashing its leadership, and embedding UK operatives within its political infrastructure. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to seven reports: from Middle East Eye, the Associated Press, Reuters, Middle East Monitor, and Agence France-Presse: to commentary from Consortium News; and, via ScheerPost, to a conversation from DiEM25; others or at least headlines of others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials above and below. (GAZA 6-7-25 is HERE, or scroll down. UKRAINE, WEST BANK, LEBANON and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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NEWER  Death toll rises to at least 31 killed across Gaza. From Middle East Eye. At least 31 people have been killed by Israeli forces across the Gaza Strip today, according to medical sources at local hospitals — up from the 21 deaths reported earlier. At least 13 Palestinians were shot and killed near an aid distribution point . . . READ MORE . . .

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Palestinians say 5 killed by Israeli fire near aid sites. Israel says it fired warning shots, by Wafaa Shurafa and Kareem Chehayeb | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Palestinian health officials and witnesses say at least five people were killed and others were wounded by Israeli fire as they headed toward two aid distribution points in the Gaza Strip run by an Israeli and U.S.-backed group. Israel’s military said . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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Gaza-bound aid flotilla with 12 activists on board nears Gaza coast despite Israeli warning. From Middle East Monitor. The aid ship “Madleen” has entered Egyptian waters on its way to Gaza, despite Israeli warnings to prevent it from docking, the International Committee for Breaking the Siege on Gaza said today. READ MORE . . .

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Israel orders military to block aid boat from reaching Gaza. From AFP.  “I have instructed the military to prevent the Madleen flotilla from reaching Gaza,” Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said today. “To Greta the antisemite and her companions, Hamas propaganda mouthpieces, I say clearly: turn back because you will not reach Gaza.” READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from AP and Reuters.

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FROM JUNE 6  What happened to ‘Hamas is ISIS & ISIS is Hamas’? by Joe Lauria | Special to Consortium News   Nine years before Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu was already at it, comparing Hamas with ISIS.  He complained to the UN General Assembly in 2014 . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 6  What’s really happening in Palestine. Mehran Khalili and Yanis Varoufakis of DiEM25 and Mohammed El-Kurd, a Palestinian  organizer and writer, talk about events in Gaza and the West Bank, changing perceptions of them abroad, how to defeat Zionism as the world’s “last colonialist project.”  Click HERE for intro and video.

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