分类： politics

On Monday, a fresh wave of diplomatic and military upheaval roiled the Middle East, as Iran paused indirect negotiations with the United States in response to Israel’s intensifying military campaign in Lebanon – just hours before former President Donald Trump announced unexpected claims of a de-escalation between Israeli forces and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

The escalation traces back to joint military strikes launched by Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against Iran in late February. Since that offensive began, Iranian officials and independent global analysts have repeatedly charged that Israeli leadership is intentionally working to sabotage any diplomatic path toward a lasting regional ceasefire.

Iran’s state-owned Tasnim News Agency, which has close ties to the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), confirmed the suspension of mediated talks on Monday. In its official announcement, the outlet noted that a full ceasefire across all fronts, including Lebanon, had been a core precondition for continuing negotiations. With Israeli attacks ongoing across Lebanese territory, that precondition had been fully violated, prompting Tehran’s negotiating team to pause all talks and draft exchanges through third-party intermediaries.

In an official statement published by the IRGC-affiliated outlet, the corps warned that any crossing of Iran’s red lines in Lebanon and Gaza constitutes a direct act of war that threatens Iranian national security and the broader Islamic Resistance movement. In response to ongoing violations, the statement confirmed Iran would carry out defensive operations via unconventional tactics, open new military fronts, and maintain its current leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical global chokepoints for energy trade.

Tehran has already leveraged this leverage in response to the US-Israeli offensive, restricting commercial vessel traffic through the strait – a key transit route for global fossil fuel and fertilizer shipments. As international oil prices have spiked sharply in response to the supply chain disruption, Trump imposed a US naval blockade of Iran, a measure he has continued to uphold even after a tentative April ceasefire agreement that Israel initially argued did not apply to military operations in Lebanon.

Shortly after news of Iran’s negotiation suspension broke, Trump spoke to NBC News, saying he had not received official notification of Tehran’s decision, but downplayed the development, saying “I think it’s fine if they’re done talking.” He added that “they’re better negotiators than they are fighters, but they haven’t informed us of that,” and stressed that the US would not immediately launch a new round of widespread bombing.

Trump’s comments came just days after his administration launched new targeted strikes against Iranian assets over the weekend, which were followed by Iranian retaliatory attacks on US military installations across the Middle East. The president reaffirmed that the US naval blockade would remain in place, adding: “If they don’t want to talk, that’s OK with me. I think it’s fine. I don’t particularly want to talk either. We talk too much.”

Less than a day after those remarks, however, Trump posted a correction and new announcement on his Truth Social platform, stating he had held what he called a “very productive call” with Netanyahu. In the post, he claimed “there will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back.” He added that he had also held indirect talks with Hezbollah representatives through a third party, and that the group had agreed to a full ceasefire: “That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel.” Within 15 minutes of that post, Trump added a follow-up note confirming that talks with the Islamic Republic of Iran were “continuing, at a rapid pace.”

While Iran’s top leadership had not formally confirmed the suspension of talks as of Monday evening, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi issued a clear warning on social media, stating that the existing ceasefire between Iran and the US unequivocally applies to all fronts, including Lebanon. “Its violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts,” he wrote, adding that the US and Israel bear full responsibility for any consequences that stem from the breach.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator and Parliament Speaker, echoed that stance, arguing that the ongoing US naval blockade and the escalation of what he called “war crimes” in Lebanon by the “genocidal Zionist regime” are clear proof the US has failed to uphold its ceasefire commitments. “Every choice has a price, and the bill comes due. It will all fall into place,” he said.

Independent regional analysts have framed Iran’s actions as a clear response to Israel’s escalating campaign, with a consistent red line linking Lebanese security to the future of broader diplomacy. “The Iranian message is increasingly clear: no Lebanon ceasefire, no broader framework, and potentially no talks at all,” explained Sina Toossi, senior nonresident fellow at the Washington-based Center for International Policy. Toossi noted that negotiations have fallen into a damaging cycle: “progress, escalation, backtracking.” Many Iranian leadership suspect Trump is intentionally seeking to push down global oil prices ahead of potential further military expansion, while Israel is working to completely derail diplomacy by turning southern Lebanon into a second Gaza, he added.

The tactics Israel is deploying in Lebanon mirror the “Gaza playbook,” Toossi argued, including widespread scorched-earth operations, mass forced displacement of civilian populations, and what he characterized as ethnic cleansing of the small neighboring country.

Other analysts have echoed this comparison, pointing to the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where Israel faces widespread global accusations of perpetrating genocide against the besieged Palestinian population. Assal Rad, a fellow at the Arab Center Washington DC, criticized mainstream media coverage of Israel’s Lebanon escalation, noting that just as the phrase “targeting Hamas” is used to justify widespread destruction in Gaza, labeling areas “Hezbollah-controlled” is used to justify flattening entire civilian neighborhoods in Lebanon. “This isn’t journalism, it’s stenography,” she said, sharing publicly available satellite imagery that shows widespread destruction of residential infrastructure across southern Lebanon. “This is what Israel’s total destruction of southern Lebanon looks like, deliberately destroying people’s homes so they have nothing to return to.”

Mohamad Safa, who resigned earlier this year as a United Nations representative for the nongovernmental organization Patriotic Vision Association, issued a blunt accusation Monday: “Israel is committing another genocide in real time in Lebanon with complete impunity.”

Former US Department of Defense advisor Jasmine El-Gamal, who now leads global consulting firm Averos Strategies, noted that the current crisis in Lebanon highlights a long-building conflict of interest between the US and Israel. “Early in the Iran war, I warned that US and Israeli interests would inevitably diverge and that President Trump would have to make a choice: to actually put America first, or to continue to allow Netanyahu to threaten our interests,” El-Gamal said early Monday. “Lebanon is the epitome of this choice.”

TORONTO – In a stark and urgent address delivered at Toronto’s Holy Blossom Temple on Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has sounded the alarm that Canada’s social contract is failing Jewish Canadians, who are facing increasingly brutal, targeted attacks driven by rampant antisemitism across the country.

Carney emphasized that current levels of anti-Jewish hate have not been witnessed at any point since the end of World War II, painting a grim picture of the state of religious tolerance in the nation. Data shared by the prime minister underscores the severity of the crisis: while Jewish Canadians make up just 1% of the country’s total population, more than two-thirds of all religion-motivated hate crimes committed in Canada last year were directed at members of this community.

“The horror and shame are global. Our actions must be local. They start with clearly admitting that Canada’s civic compact is failing Jewish Canadians,” Carney stated during the address.

The prime minister detailed the escalating and violent nature of antisemitic attacks occurring across Canadian regions. Perpetrators have carried out brazen acts including firing bullets at Jewish educational institutions, throwing firebombs at Jewish synagogues, and launching assaults on Jewish community centers. Beyond physical violence, Carney noted that antisemitic harassment has pushed Jewish business owners to face targeted boycotts and attacks on their livelihoods, and has driven Jewish students away from shared public spaces on Canadian university campuses.

While Carney acknowledged that rising antisemitism is a shared crisis plaguing other Western nations including the United States, Europe and Australia, he stressed that the situation in Canada carries unique characteristics, is exceptionally severe, and requires tailored, targeted policy intervention. Global monitoring organizations have recorded a dramatic spike in antisemitic incidents worldwide since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, a surge that has impacted Canada as heavily as many other nations.

In response to the growing threat, Carney outlined concrete steps his administration has already taken and plans to implement in the coming months. Over the past year, the federal government has introduced new legislation designed to crack down on antisemitism and all other forms of targeted hatred. The prime minister also confirmed a $75 million Canadian dollar investment – equivalent to approximately $54 million U.S. dollars – that will go toward upgrading security infrastructure and hiring additional security personnel at faith-based institutions across the country, with a focus on protecting Jewish community sites.

“It pains me that we had to commit $75 million to this, any dollar to this,” Carney said, expressing regret that public funds need to be diverted to protect communities from targeted hate.

To build a long-term, evidence-based strategy to counter antisemitism, Carney announced the launch of a new Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion. This special body will be tasked with conducting a comprehensive review to map the nature, full scale and root causes of antisemitism in Canada. Following the council’s assessment, targeted investments in public education, hate prevention and community safety initiatives will be rolled out, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.

Carney took the opportunity to clarify the scope of upcoming policy measures, emphasizing that new interventions will not infringe on fundamental Canadian rights. “I want to be clear about what these potential measures are, and what they are not. They are not curtailments of freedom of expression. They are not constraints on legitimate criticism of any government on any subject anywhere,” he said.

Instead, the prime minister framed the actions as a defense of fundamental public values: “They are the basic standards we owe one another, in our shared public institutions, to ensure that no Canadian community is driven from those institutions by hatred.”

Ahead of Carney’s address, Noah Shack, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, reiterated that the Canadian federal government needs to go further to reinforce Jewish community security and systematically root out systemic hate, a call that the new policy package directly answers.

In a primary election result that underscores shifting currents within U.S. Democratic politics, Egyptian-American combat surgeon Adam Hamawy has secured a decisive victory in New Jersey’s 12th District Democratic primary, all but guaranteeing him a seat in the U.S. Congress next year.

With over 93% of ballots counted by 10 a.m. local time Wednesday, Hamawy captured more than 28% of the vote, outpacing his closest competitor by a substantial margin. The 12th District, home to the prestigious Princeton University, has been a reliably Democratic stronghold for at least 15 years, leaving little doubt that Hamawy will defeat his Republican challenger in the November general election. If he wins as expected, he will make history as the first Muslim to represent New Jersey in Congress; the candidate grew up in the state and still resides there today.

Hamawy’s political profile weaves together a rare combination of military service, frontline medical experience, and high-profile progressive and centrist endorsements. A veteran combat surgeon, Hamawy’s path to politics first intersected with current U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth in 2004, when he treated the then-soldier for life-threatening injuries in Baghdad that required a double leg amputation. Duckworth has long credited Hamawy with saving her life, and she repaid that debt 20 years later by supporting his campaign from its launch, marking a rare centrist endorsement for an candidate aligned with the modern progressive Democratic movement.

Hamawy catapulted to national attention earlier this year for his harrowing 2024 medical mission to Gaza, where he was deployed to the European Hospital in Khan Younis as part of a delegation organized by the Palestinian American Medical Association. When Israel closed the Rafah Crossing into Egypt, Hamawy and 19 other U.S. healthcare workers were trapped inside the besieged enclave. After the Biden administration negotiated safe passage for the 17 delegation members who held U.S. citizenship, Hamawy refused to evacuate until every member of his team was guaranteed exit. He eventually reached Jordan in late May 2024, and upon returning to the U.S., he repeatedly pressed congressional leaders to address the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza.

ideologically, Hamawy runs on a progressive platform aligned with the wave of new left Democrats who have found electoral success across the U.S. in recent months, prioritizing cost of living affordability and universal equitable access to healthcare. His campaign earned early and widespread support from leading progressives, including the full Congressional Progressive Caucus, Senator Bernie Sanders, Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib. He also secured backing from climate advocacy groups, the national nurses union, and multiple veterans organizations. He entered the primary as the clear frontrunner in both polling and fundraising, with his campaign reporting a total haul of $1.4 million ahead of election day.

Democratic Party leaders welcomed Hamawy’s primary win. “Democratic voters throughout New Jersey have once again demonstrated that they understand the stakes of this moment,” Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a statement Tuesday night. “As a veteran, combat surgeon, and small business owner, Adam Hamawy has continually served his community and our country. He is a proven fighter for working families. We look forward to welcoming him to Congress.”

Progressive and pro-Palestinian advocacy groups framed Hamawy’s victory as a watershed moment for the Palestinian cause in U.S. electoral politics, noting that the crisis in Gaza has become a defining issue for young Democratic voters in 2024. “Voters were drawn to Dr Hamawy’s candidacy because he knows firsthand the reality of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza like few do – having worked to save the lives of Palestinian children under bombardment and unimaginable conditions. His experience is necessary in Congress now more than ever, as too many of the people meant to represent us continue to look the other way while our tax dollars fund injustices here and abroad,” the IMEU Policy Project and Justice Democrats said in a statement Tuesday night.

Jewish Voice for Peace linked Hamawy’s win to a growing global movement that is reshaping domestic U.S. politics. “Last night, Palestine was on the ballot – and won,” the group wrote. “We are on our way to solidifying Palestine as part of popular politics that is intertwined with the fight for working people across the country.”

Hamawy’s path to the primary win was not without conflict, as he faced sustained attacks from pro-Israel and right-wing political actors ahead of the vote. When asked ahead of the election about the criticism he faced, Hamawy downplayed the attacks, noting he had endured far greater adversity during his medical and military career. “I have done harder things than mount a political campaign,” Hamawy told Middle East Eye on the eve of the election. “What’s the worst thing they’re going to do? Call me some names, attack me? I have seen much worse.”

Last month, The Wall Street Journal published an op-ed that drew a false equivalence between Hamawy’s values and those of Omar Abdel Rahman, the convicted “Blind Sheikh” who was found guilty of plotting terrorist attacks in the 1990s and died in U.S. prison in 2017. Notably, Hamawy himself testified as a witness in Rahman’s 1995 trial, the largest terrorism trial in U.S. history at the time, where he told the jury that while the cleric expressed anti-American views, he never explicitly outlined plans for a murder plot. Later, Jewish Insider published an article tying Hamawy to al-Qaeda, citing his 1994 volunteer medical mission to Bosnia with the Benevolence International Foundation, a Saudi charity that was not blacklisted by the U.S. or United Nations until 2002, eight years after Hamawy’s work with the group.

The attacks drew national condemnation from progressives, and even reached the Senate floor, where Montana Republican Senator Tim Sheehy, who drew international attention earlier this year for breaking the arm of a pro-Palestinian activist who disrupted a Senate hearing, tweeted, “Democrats are now running actual terrorists for Congress. Surprising? No. Disappointing? Yes.”

Escalating cross-border hostilities between the United States and Iran have sparked a sharp diplomatic rebuke from Tehran, which on Monday slammed the European Union for what it calls a blatant display of biased moral judgment in the group’s response to recent Iranian strikes against US military sites in the Middle East. The condemnation comes as the Trump administration carried out new offensive operations against Iran over the weekend, leaving tentative peace negotiations deadlocked.