Israel pushes ahead with vast illegal settlement in heart of West Bank: Tender posted for construction of 3,401 homes in [ILLEGAL] settlement designed to ‘bury idea of a Palestinian state’... “We said there will be no Palestinian state, and indeed there will be no Palestinian state! This place is ours,” Netanyahu said.

The separation wall next to the Arab neighbourhood of al-Eizariya, near where the Israeli government says housing units will be built as part of the E1 settlement development project. Photograph: Ohad Zwigenberg/AP

Emma Graham-Harrison and Quique Kierszenbaum in Jerusalem

Tue 6 Jan 2026

Israel is moving to start construction on a vast illegal settlement in the heart of the West Bank, designed to “bury the idea of a Palestinian state”.

The Israel Land Authority in mid-December quietly posted a tender for construction of 3,401 homes in the “E1” project, which will effectively sever the north and south of the occupied West Bank for Palestinians, and further cut off East Jerusalem.

The tender, which has not been reported previously, lays out terms for companies to bid for part of the work, with a deadline for submissions in mid-March.

It “reflects an accelerated effort to advance construction in E1”, said Yonatan Mizrachi, a co-director of Settlement Watch with the advocacy group Peace Now, which found the document online.

“This timeline suggests bulldozers could start work in less than a year,” he added. The construction work would seal a land grab the British government has described as “a flagrant breach of international law”.

Building settlements in this area is a decades-old idea with cross-party backing in Israel, mooted initially in the 1990s by Yitzhak Rabin, the Labor prime minister and Nobel peace laureate who was assassinated in 1995 by a rightwing nationalist.

For years, construction was blocked by the US and the country’s European allies... READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/06/israel-vast-illegal-settlement-west-bank

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On this day in 1948, the Haganah zionist militia bombed the Semiramis Hotel in Jerusalem at 1 am, killing 26 people & injuring 60. The victims were mostly Palestinian Christians. Entire families were eliminated. The Spanish vice-consul was also among the dead... 77 years later, the pattern remains unchanged: terrorizing indigenous populations to clear land for settlement. From Qatamon in 1948 to Gaza today, zionism operates as what it has always been—a settler-colonial project built on displacement, dispossession, and destruction.

On this day in 1948, the Haganah zionist militia bombed the Semiramis Hotel in Jerusalem at 1 am, killing 26 people & injuring 60. The victims were mostly Palestinian Christians. Entire families were eliminated. The Spanish vice-consul was also among the dead.

Good Shepherd Collective

@Shepherds4Good

 

On this day in 1948, the Haganah zionist militia bombed the Semiramis Hotel in Jerusalem at 1 am, killing 26 people & injuring 60. The victims were mostly Palestinian Christians. Entire families were eliminated. The Spanish vice-consul was also among the dead.

The Semiramis Hotel bombing was part of a campaign to force Palestinians from the Qatamon neighbourhood. Despite British denial that the hotel was any kind of military target, Haganah operatives planted TNT at the building's foundation and detonated it while families slept. 

77 years later, the pattern remains unchanged: terrorizing indigenous populations to clear land for settlement. From Qatamon in 1948 to Gaza today, zionism operates as what it has always been—a settler-colonial project built on displacement, dispossession, and destruction.  

https://x.com/Shepherds4Good/status/2008264210443358590 

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Displaced children from Gaza express the scenes of war they have lived through in an artwork, under the supervision of artist Murad Al-Assar

Displaced children from Gaza express the scenes of war they have lived through in an artwork, under the supervision of artist Murad Al-Assar.

 

Displaced children from Gaza express the scenes of war they have lived through in an artwork, under the supervision of artist Murad Al-Assar.

Sameh Ahmed 𓂆

@PalPress24

 https://x.com/PalPress24/status/2008328560017059917/photo/1

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"This is where things get tricky: I’m not sure what I’m allowed to say about Palestine Action in this column without getting chucked in jail myself. Last July, you see, the British government took the extraordinary, and hugely criticized, step of terming the group a terrorist organization on the same level as the Islamic State militant group. This is despite the fact that Palestine Action has killed nobody; its efforts are focused on trying to shut down weapons manufacturers enabling the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Even the government’s own intelligence assessment, a declassified version of which was obtained by the New York Times, undercut its condemnations of the group, finding that most of their activities “would not be classified as terrorism” under Britain’s legal definition. Still, the British government has been very busy arresting thousands – many of whom are elderly activists – for the “crime” of peacefully holding up a sign saying: “I support Palestine Action.” "

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https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/06/greta-thunberg-palestine-action-arrest 

Greta Thunberg came to stay – and my kid may have inadvertently helped her get arrested

Arwa Mahdawi

 

The activist had held a sign written with my daughter’s crayon. Try explaining that to a four-year-old 

 

Tue 6 Jan 2026 05.00 EST

 

‘I’m back in the US now and I can’t quite fathom what Britain, under the leadership of a former human rights lawyer, has become.’  Photograph: Prisoners for Palestine/AP

 

It was 6am. London. A few days before Christmas. My four-year-old is singing at the top of her lungs and charging around my parents’ house on a hunt for the perfect crayon. There is nothing particularly unusual about this scene except for the fact that the crayon in question was for Greta Thunberg. The world’s most well-known activist needed a writing tool and my daughter, O, was on the case. (Remember this crayon: it’s going to be important later on.)

O, I should note, had absolutely no idea who Greta was. We’re not longtime chums or anything like that. Rather Greta was in London to support the Palestine Action-linked hunger strikers. She needed somewhere to stay and my dad, who is a Palestinian refugee, and appreciative of anyone speaking up about the place where he was born but can’t return to live in, keeps an open house for activists who need a bed or a meal. When the visit had been hastily arranged by a friend of a friend of my sister a couple days earlier, we’d tried to explain to O that Greta was a famous activist who tried to help people and the environment.

“Does famous mean beautiful?” my princess-obsessed child asked. Oh dear, I thought, I have failed as a parent and a feminist.

“No, it doesn’t. And remember being beautiful is not important – what’s important is being kind,” I said, trying to redeem some feminist points.

“How dare you!” O replied. This has been her favourite catchphrase for a while now. I have no idea where she picked it up; probably from a kid’s show. I had thought nothing of it until the surprise Greta visit.

“Please don’t say that while Greta is here,” I told O. I didn’t want her to think we were making fun of her memorable rebuke. But once again, I failed at parenting: everyone knows that the best way to get a kid to keep doing something is to suggest they stop doing it.

While Greta may be famous, the hunger strikers she was coming to support are definitely not; they have had very little mainstream media attention. Indeed, if you are reading this in the US, you may not have heard about them at all. So, in brief, eight activists awaiting trials for alleged offences relating to Palestine Action have been on hunger strike since 2 November, the anniversary of the Balfour declaration.

This is where things get tricky...  READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/06/greta-thunberg-palestine-action-arrest

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Military Industrial Complex Infographics

 

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https://designaction.org/project/military-industrial-complex-infographics/

American University Department of Anthropology

• Military Industrial Complex Infographics
• April 2024

• Project Type:

  • Data Visualization
  • Illustration
  • Social Media Graphics

David Vine, Professor of Anthropology at American University, worked with Design Action Collective to create a series of infographics that illustrate how the Military Industrial Complex functions —showing its impacts on communities within the United States and around the world. As the U.S. war machine continues to enable genocide on a global scale and violent policing in our cities, these graphics are important political education tools for our communities to understand our conditions, and find points of intervention for anti-war campaigns.

Military spending worldwide hits record $2.7 trillion in 2024 amid intensifying wars and rising geopolitical tensions worldwide... “The world is spending far more on waging war than in building peace,”

“When people’s lives improve, when they have access to education, healthcare, economic opportunities and when they can live lives of dignity and self determination, we will have more peaceful societies and a more peaceful world.” 

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https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/09/1165809 

Military spending worldwide hits record $2.7 trillion

Unsplash/Andre Klimke

An attack helicopter flies in Afghanistan. (file)

By Ileana Exaras

9 September 2025 Peace and Security

Global military spending reached an unprecedented $2.7 trillion in 2024 amid intensifying wars and rising geopolitical tensions worldwide. 

“The world is spending far more on waging war than in building peace,” the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said at a press briefing for his new report on the threat posed by the steady rise in military expenditure.

Spending on security needs increased across all five global regions during 2024, marking the steepest year-on-year rise for at least the last three decades. Compared to the $2.7 trillion directed to military budgets, the world could eliminate extreme poverty for just under $300 billion.

“A more secure world begins by investing at least as much in fighting poverty as we do in fighting wars,” said Mr. Guterres.

A choice between aid or arms

The alarming amount spent on arms-related costs last year alone is 750 times the 2024 UN regular budget. It also equates to almost 13 times the development assistance provided by the OECD’s development assistance committee in 2024, indicating a stark trade-off between military expenditure and sustainable development.

“Redirecting even a fraction of today’s military spending could close vital gaps – putting children in school, strengthening primary health care, expanding clean energy and resilient infrastructure, and protecting the most vulnerable,” said Mr. Guterres.

For a small portion of what was invested in militaries this past year – and the previous decade – the world could fund education for every student in low and lower middle-income countries, eliminate child malnutrition globally, fund climate change adaptation in the developing world, and bring the international community closer to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UN estimates.

“Rebalancing global priorities is not optional – it is an imperative for humanity’s survival,” said the UN disarmament chief Izumi Nakamitsu at the press briefing.

‘Sustainable development is in jeopardy’

With only one of the five of the SDG targets on track, Mr. Guterres stressed that “our shared promise of sustainable development is in jeopardy.”

While more is being spent on militaries, less is being spent for social investment, poverty reduction, education, health, environmental protection and infrastructure – hindering progress on nearly all the SDGs and undermining the UN Charter, the UN’s cornerstone document. 

“But we know that development is a driver of security and multilateral development cooperation works,” said UN Development Programme (UNDP) deputy chief Haoliang Xu.

“When people’s lives improve, when they have access to education, healthcare, economic opportunities and when they can live lives of dignity and self determination, we will have more peaceful societies and a more peaceful world.”

A new security approach

"Investing in people is investing in the first line of defense against violence in any society,” said Mr. Guterres.

The report calls for a more human-centered and multidimensional approach that prioritizes diplomacy, international cooperation, and paves the way for sustainable development.

In a vicious cycle, lack of economic opportunity, poverty, and underdevelopment breeds instability – fuelling violence and a rise in State expenditure on the military, the UN report contends.

Investing in development and sustainable security has the potential to stop today’s arms race and alleviate the need for military spending. 

“The evidence is clear: excessive military spending does not guarantee peace,” said Mr. Guterres. “It often undermines it – fuelling arms races, deepening mistrust, and diverting resources from the very foundations of stability.”

• disarmament

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https://news.un.org/en/tags/disarmament 

CTBTO

Nuclear weapons are ‘one-way road to annihilation’ warns Guterres

24 February 2025

Peace and Security

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday warned that the risk of nuclear conflict is rising – as global security arrangements unravel and military spending soars – urging governments to push for total disarmament.

1940s, Nazareth, Palestine 🇵🇸 Palestinian girl-scouts.

1940s, Nazareth, Palestine Palestinian girl-scouts.

January 2026's supermoon over the Nuseirat area of Gaza Photograph by Anadolu/Getty Images

Deir al-Balah, Gaza

The moon in the evening over the Nuseirat area of GazaPhotograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

 https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2026/jan/03/wolf-moon-supermoon-across-the-world-in-pictures

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Families are struggling to survive amid the devastation. Israel’s ban on international NGOs will worsen this disaster: The Guardian view on Gaza’s winter [ISRAEL'S WAR ON PALESTINIANS]... the world must take heed as Palestinian suffering deepens again

A child at al-Bureij refugee camp, Nusairat, Gaza Strip. Photograph: APAImages/Shutterstock

As Gaza enters the bleakest period of winter, children are dying of hypothermia, drowning in flooded camps and burning to death as their families try to cook in flimsy tents. Israel destroyed nine out of 10 homes over more than two years of war. Camped amid the ruins, Palestinians struggle against strong winds, heavy rain and freezing temperatures. Aid deliveries resumed following the ceasefire, staving off the famine that had taken hold in parts of the territory, but remain wholly insufficient: 1.6 million people face acute food insecurity. The sanitation infrastructure has collapsed.

The UK, Canada, Japan, France and six other nations have jointly warned that the situation is catastrophic. Yet Israel is now deepening one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. On Tuesday, it announced that it is deregistering 37 NGOs active in Gaza. They must cease all operations there by 1 March unless they meet its new “security and transparency standards” – including by disclosing the personal details of staff. Many of the listed groups are among the best-regarded in their field, including Oxfam, Médecins Sans Frontières and the Norwegian Refugee Council.

Volker Türk, the UN human rights chief, was right to describe this as outrageous – and as part of a pattern of unlawful restrictions on humanitarian access. Israeli NGOs have warned that it breaks the principles of independence and neutrality for humanitarian organisations.

Israel says that the measures are necessary to prevent NGOs employing staff with links to extremist groups. It has repeatedly claimed that Hamas has infiltrated aid organisations and exploited international aid, while providing little evidence. Given the many relief workers arbitrarily detained and killed since the war began, the demand for staff lists has prompted alarm. Israel has reportedly refused requests for meetings on the issue.

Meanwhile, as Israel bars life-saving supplies such as tent poles and generators from humanitarian shipments, claiming they could be exploited for military purposes, it allows traders to bring such items into the territory. While ordinary Palestinians suffer, players inside and outside the territory profit financially and politically. US officers in Israel have reportedly urged that key items, including tent poles, be removed from the blacklist – without success... READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/02/the-guardian-view-on-gazas-winter-the-world-must-take-heed-as-palestinian-suffering-deepens-again

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