LARRY JOHNSON—I am always honored to be invited to appear on The Duran with Alex Christoforou and Alexander Mercouris. They were the first one I stumbled upon at the start of the SMO who talked intelligently about the political and military dynamics. I was fortunate to come to their attention and have appeared several times since March 2022. We discussed the situation in Ukraine and Israel/Palestine. With respect to Ukraine, I explain the significance of the 12 CIA bases that the New York Times claims are scattered throughout Ukraine.
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EDITOR—Failing to get concessions from China on what Janet Yellen called “China’s overcapacity” (curiously deemed unfair by Washington), Yellen threatened the introduction of protectionist policies. Needless to say, this is a complete reversal of Washington’s usual extremist free market posture. Yellen also had the gall to complain about China helping Russia in its Ukraine contest with the West, apparently assuming Beijing is incapable of figuring that America wants a free hand to subdue and neutralise Russia to then proceed to do the same to China. This and much much more.
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CAITLIN JOHNSTONE—I’m sick of hearing October 7 mentioned in the same breath as Israel’s incineration of Gaza as though they’re equal or even comparable. A thousand Israelis dying (probably hundreds by indiscriminate IDF fire) is not comparable to tens of thousands of Palestinians (probably more) being deliberately exterminated by high-tech war machinery, even if before you account for the fact that Israel was the aggressor and that the violence of the oppressed is not comparable to the violence of the oppressor in the first place.
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SCOTT RITTER—A centerpiece of Scott’s impassioned denunciation of Zionist perfidy is the murder of Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old. “Layan,” Mohammed Salem Hamada, the relative in Germany who placed the call later recounted, “told me that her father and my aunt—her mother is my aunt—were shot and they are all dead. She said the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers were shooting them and she also told me that the tanks are getting closer to them. Layan explained that she had been shot in the leg, as had 6-year-old Hind. Layan told Mohammed that “she didn’t know how bad the injury or injuries were because she was covered—all of them were covered—in blood.” Layan then handed the phone to Hind, who told Mohammed “Please help me. Please come and rescue us. Rescue me.” Mohammed broke down. “I was literally crying because I was unable to do anything, and I think all of my family were in the same situation.”
His wife took the phone away from the sobbing man. “Sweetheart,” she told Hind, “don’t be scared, God loves you and he will take care of you.”
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BRIAN BERLETIC—US policymakers have sought to use Israel as a proxy to provoke a full-scale war with Iran for years. While the US attempts to distance itself from Israeli provocations and atrocities including attacks on embassies and the killing of aid workers, the US is chief in enabling Israeli in continuing to carry out such attacks. – Just as the US created a large-scale conflict in Ukraine to reassert itself over Europe, it is attempting to use conflict to reassert itself in the Middle East and at a minimum prevent the region from uniting and moving out from under Western hegemony. – The window of opportunity for the US and proxies like Israel to fight and win a military conflict against Iran and its allies in the region is quickly closing, thus efforts are being made to provoke such a conflict sooner rather than later.
