https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/abu-obeida:-israeli-claims-of-military-points-among-civilian

Abu Obeida: Israeli claims of military points among civilians "lies"

Abu Obeida, the Spokesperson for Al-Qassam Brigades - the military wing of Hamas - said the Israeli occupation's claims regarding the existence of military points among civilians are "pure lies and misinformation."

"The enemy's allegations and the positions and coordinates it circulated are a miserable attempt to cover up its inability and failure in the face of the Resistance."

In his statement, he stressed that "the criminal enemy does not need a justification for targeting civilians, as its history is full of massacres based on lies."

Furthermore, he stressed that "the resistance is faithful to the blood of the Palestinians and is keen on their safety and security."

Abu Obeida pointed out that the enemy's "systematic and incessant policy of spreading lies will not compromise the reality of the resistance." He warned that the enemy will "pay dearly for any idiocy against our people."

Palestinian injured while responding to IOF incursions in Ramallah

On Thursday, Israeli occupation forces shot a Palestinian youth as Palestinians were standing up against Israeli incursions in the Jalazone refugee camp, north of Ramallah.

Resistance fighters managed to target the "Dotan" military checkpoint near Jenin with an improvised explosive device (IED).

The IOF arrested freed prisoner Mahmoud Safi after raiding his house in the camp and launched a campaign of arrests after storming several towns in Ramallah and occupied Al-Quds.

In a similar context, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs warned that the IOF are following systematic and abusive policies while arresting Palestinians.

>>16933620

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israel-demands-un-investigators-to-quit-citing-anti-semitism

'Israel' demands UN investigators to quit, citing 'anti-Semitism'

On Friday, "Israel" accused members of a UN commission investigating Israeli crimes, massacres, and assaults against Palestinians of making and defending anti-Semitic remarks, clearly using the Israeli weapon of choice to open fire on anyone who dares think to hold the Israeli occupation accountable for its endless crimes.

After using the "anti-Semitism" card, "Israel" demanded that the members resign and the commission be disbanded, knowing that the commission is set to look into Israeli war crimes against Palestinians.

It is worth noting that only a few hours earlier, a Palestinian teenager was shot dead on Friday by Israeli occupation forces live bullets in the village of Al-Mughayer, close to Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli ambassador to the UN, Meirav Eilon Shahr, wrote in a letter, "It is time to disband this commission," arguing there is "no possible way" for the 3 members of the commission to "carry out their roles in an effective manner."

"As such, (I) call on all three of them to resign immediately," she said.

Miloon Kothari, one of the commissioners, had alluded to a "Jewish lobby" questioning whether "Israel" even deserves a UN membership, reigniting claims that the council is biased against "Israel".

"We are very disheartened by the social media that is controlled largely by, whether it is the Jewish lobby or it is specific NGOs, a lot of money is being thrown into trying to discredit us," Kothari said.

Ambassadors from Britain and the United States also tweeted their outrage at Kothari's remarks.

“Israel” won't cooperate with UN rights team

In February, “Israel” claimed that the head of a UN investigation into practices by the Israeli occupation forces in Palestinian territories is "biased", thus refusing to cooperate with the inquiry.

Navi Pillay, a former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, was appointed last July to head a high-level investigation into "all underlying root causes" of the ongoing Israeli massacres in the region.

In a letter addressed to Pillay, “Israel” accused her of "championing an anti-Israel agenda and for numerous anti-Israel pronouncements.”

Because Commissioner Pillay was digging too deep into the Israeli doings and refuting their story, the Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lior Haiat told reporters "the fact that she was appointed to this commission is actually a disgrace.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry refused to cooperate in the investigation, declaring, "We will not be cooperating with this commission.”

>>16933664

Kek of the day

>>16933673

Qpost 6. It also fits with the No Name comes from today.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/ukraine-claim-of-stealing-wheat-to-send-it-to-lebanon-syria

Ukraine claim of stealing wheat to send it to Lebanon, Syria refuted

Today, an official at a Turkey-based grains trading company denied Ukrainian claims that the cargo of barley and flour aboard a ship that docked at a Lebanon port was stolen from Ukraine, contending that the source was Russia.

The official, who works for Loyal Agro Co LTD, told Reuters that the company had sought to bring 5,000 tons of flour to Lebanon to sell to private customers, and not to the Lebanese government.

Lebanese government officials were inaccessible for comment.

On Thursday, the Ukrainian Embassy in Lebanon told Reuters that a Syrian ship, sanctioned by the US, docked in Tripoli port “carrying 5,000 tonnes of barley and 5,000 tonnes of flour that we suspect was taken from Ukrainian stores.”

The Russian Embassy in Beirut, in response, said it had "no information regarding the Syrian vessel or a cargo brought to Lebanon by a private company."

The unidentified company official said the cargo had not been offloaded and that Lebanese customs have not yet handed an import license as Lebanese customs were in the process of investigating Ukrainian allegations that the flour was stolen by Russia from Ukraine.

The official provided Lebanese customs with documentation legitimizing the source of the cargo.

On Thursday, a customs official and shipping source said Tripoli port had not offloaded the ship due to claims it was carrying stolen goods.

The cargo, according to the company official, carried some 8,000 tonnes of flour and 1,700 tonnes of barley in total. It was initially destined for Syria, but the company decided to offload 5,000 tonnes of flour in Lebanon to ameliorate the bread crisis. Thus, the remainder of the cargo will be sent off to Syria.

Furthermore, the official revealed that the flour could be sold anywhere between $620 to $650 per ton in Lebanon, whereas in Syria it would cost $600 per ton.

The majority of wheat in Lebanon was imported from Ukraine before the war started, but the imports were halted upon the start of the conflict.

Legal imports of Ukrainian wheat resumed in mid-July.

Read next: Lebanon approves $150 million World Bank wheat loan

On Wednesday, it was announced that 49,000 tons of wheat are in the process of being expedited to Lebanon and will be received by the end of the week, according to Economy Minister Amin Salam.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/russia-warns-us-against-provocative-moves-toward-china:-lavr

Russia warns US against 'provocative' moves toward China: Lavrov

After meeting with foreign ministers from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan's capital Tashkent, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, on Friday, that Moscow hopes for no provocations against Beijing on the Taiwan issue, urging the US to remain committed to the One China policy.

Beijing's Foreign Ministry has reiterated on numerous occasions that the one-China principle was a political foundation of US-Sino relations, explaining that the US violated its own obligations and has been jeopardizing bilateral cooperation, as well as peace and stability in the region.

Earlier this month, media reported that Pelosi was planning a trip to Taiwan in August, prompting a harsh response from Beijing.

Lavrov added, “For us, this question is absolutely clear. Our position on the existence of only one China remains unchanged. The US periodically reiterates this position in words, but in practice, as you know, deeds do not always match words. We have no problem with asserting the principle of China's sovereignty, and we assume that no irritants, no provocations that might aggravate this situation will be undertaken.”

US President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping held their fifth phone call, on Thursday, speaking for more than two hours, as concerns mounted over US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's possible visit to Taiwan.

During the long phone call, Chinese leader Xi Jinping told US President Joe Biden that “the United States should abide by the 'one China' principle with regard to Taiwan and ensure that its actions are consistent with its words," as per the Chinese state media.

The Chinese President added that "those who play with fire will only get burnt," expressing hope that the US side can see this clearly.

On his part, President Joe Biden told China's Xi Jinping that the US policy on Taiwan remains unchanged and that Washington strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, according to a statement by the White House.

The end of US Dollar?

Elsewhere in his remarks, the top Russian diplomat announced that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) leaders will meet to discuss ways to increase settlements in national currencies.

"Today we agreed to submit a proposal for specific actions for the transition to settlements in national currencies for consideration by the leaders," Lavrov told reporters.

"Each SCO country should decide for itself how at ease it is when relying on the dollar, given that it is an utterly unreliable currency," he added.

Russia has been promoting the establishment of an independent and efficient financial system based on the use of national currencies in transactions following draconian sanctions by the West against it.

No phone call with Blinken today

Lavrov also stressed that “Moscow and Washington are now coordinating the time of a contact conversation with US State Secretary Antony Blinken."

The phone call between Blinken and Lavrov is sought by the US as the State Department Spokesperson Ned Price confirmed yesterday.

However, Lavrov noted that the talks are unlikely to happen today.

He stated that his Ministry had inquired about the topics that Blinken wished to discuss during their phone conversations. The Russian diplomat stated that he wanted to discuss Russia's grain deal with Ukraine.

Furthermore, Lavrov accused the US of using sanctions to restrict Russian maritime exports, disrupt global financial flows, and raise Russia's transportation insurance costs.

"The UN secretary general promised to deal with these problems that stand in the way of ending the global economic crisis, as they call it. We shall see," Lavrov concluded.

What is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization?

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an economic, political, and security alliance founded in 2001 and currently has nine members: China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, and Pakistan. They collectively account for 40% of the world's population and 28% of its GDP (GDP). Afghanistan, Belarus, and Mongolia are among the observer countries.

The SCO summit in Dushanbe last September began the procedure of Iran's accession, as well as granting SCO partner status to Qatar, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.

The SCO's geographical responsibility will expand with Iran's entry and will pave the way for new cross-regional initiatives.

>>16933749

Biden has covid. Only God knows what will happen to Harris. Pelosi gets a firecracker. Who's next in line?

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/man-whose-hands-are-covered-in-blood:-macron-slammed-for-mbs

"Man whose hands are covered in blood": Macron slammed for MBS visit

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) on Friday thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for his "warm reception" during talks in Paris that have outraged rights groups.

The 36-year-old Crown Prince became a pariah in the West following the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents inside Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

Macron's office made no official statement on the talks overnight which were expected to focus on securing extra oil and gas supplies from the Middle East's biggest producer.

Bin Salman's visit to Frane comes as Western leaders urgently seek fresh sources of fossil fuels to replace lost Russian production.

"Man whose hands are covered in blood"

Earlier this month, US President Joe Biden traveled to Riyadh, drawing similar criticism to that faced by Macron at home.

While Biden fist-bumped bin Salman in a gesture that was seized on by critics, Macron shook hands on the steps of the Elysee Palace as he welcomed the Saudi Crown Prince.

"He's shaking the hand for a long time of man whose hands are covered in blood," senior leftwing MP Alexis Corbiere told BFM television on Friday.

"A mistake to not speak"

Some analysts believe Saudi Arabia is one of few countries worldwide with the capacity to increase its oil production.

Public Services Minister Stanislas Guerini, a close ally of Macron, said that "There are partners, countries that do not all share the same democratic values as France."

"But I believe it would be a mistake to not speak, to not try to make things happen," he told Europe 1 radio on Friday.

The role of the president was "to protect the French people," he claimed.

Guerini added that "French values, the voice of France, human rights, were carried last night, as always, by the president."

"Extrajudicial killing"

The head of Amnesty International, Agnes Callamard, told AFP that she felt "profoundly troubled" by bin Salman's visit.

The murder of Khashoggi was described by a UN probe as an "extrajudicial killing for which Saudi Arabia is responsible."

US intelligence agencies said that MBS had "approved" the operation that led to Khashoggi's murder. Riyadh denies this, blaming rogue operatives.

On her part, Khashoggi's fiancee Hatice Cengiz told AFP on Thursday that "I am scandalised and outraged that Emmanuel Macron is receiving with all the honours the executioner of my fiance."