Iran

“The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.” 

~Antonio Gramsci

How do you sort through lies in the fog of a regional war that is likely going to lead to a global war? More importantly how do you get crucial information that helps you act to stop the madness devastating people and our environment. The cost of this war to the environment and people (lives and livelihoods) is far more than even some "experts" predict. Pollution from sunk ships. Tens of thousands of bombs and rockets fired (in the 2.5 years more bomb explosive power than WWI and WWII combined including Hiroshima and Nagasaki). More journalists killed in these 2.5 years than in the wars before combined over 110 year. War greenhouse gas emissions, depleted uranium, white phosphorous, fires etc. have also ravaged our planet (yet to be calculated). There is also the devastating impact on human life. Infrastructure devastated including schools and hospitals (repeating the mantra still ongoing in Gaza and Lebanon and Yemen). US War Secretary Hegseth (see below about this guy) stated it is not going to be a "fair fight" and indeed not. The US even under the current president attacked 8 countries and in its 250-year short history (Iran is 5000 years) attacked over 50 countries (only 20 years of its history not in war) and Israel in its even shorter 78-year old regime attacked dozens of countries including also eight in the past year. Israel ethnically cleansed most of Palestine; now 8.5 million Palestinian refugees or displaced people recently including Gaza. It also ethnically cleansed people from the occupied areas of South Syria, and is now ethnically cleansing south Lebanon to create "greater Israel". But where to get information in the fog of war and propaganda? Ignorance makes people commit atrocities.

Before I answer this question, please sped time to learn a bit about the country your and my tax money (US, EU, Australia, Israel etc.) is bombing and destroying (it is important to know Iran even if you consider it an enemy). 3/4 of US citizens could not even point to it on a map!! So here are three links
is videos of the beautiful country: Wikipedia on Iran-must read 

Video on Iran and another

guess if the image is from Iran, Palestine, Lebanon or Yemen

Genocide is a commonality in such colonial systems whether native Americans during colonization of that country or this country (Palestine). And government always lies. The reasons for all the dozens of wars started by the US in the past 80 years were all lies and the outcomes are destructions that merely benefit elites and props up arms manufacturers' profits. The media run by Zionists stooges now are more in line with governments than ever before. So the best advise I give: do not believe anything the so called mainstream media and government officials tell you. The amount of economic and people damage all around is covered up while this psychological war/PR is blazing. Smart people don't buy it especially the young generation in the West. This is a war to save pedophiles from exposure by Zionists and to advance what they think is Zionist interests. It won't work: it is suicidal to the apartheid genocidal Israeli regime as it is to our planet. U.S. Commanders are telling troops that this is religious war and it will enhance the arrival of Jesus (Link to Video). War Secretary Hegseth is a Zionist racist crusader- check his tattoos (Link to Video).  Hegseth reminds me of another war criminal who dubbed himself a "Christian Zionist" and articulated his hope Zionism will help bring "armagedden" (BTW you cannot be Christian and Zionist at the same time). Orde Wingate, who committed war crimes before his death in 1944. See this wiki article. These officials and "mainstream media" lied about previous wars and they lie about the current one but this is far more dangerous. So where to get information? Unfortunately not easy. You have to read many individual sources but look for those who are not profiting from war: independent analysts: not paid by governments or "intelligence" agencies or working for mainstream media). Also look for those who compile information such as ElectronicIntifada DemocracyNow Middle East Monitor, Middle East Eye, and IMEMCNews. It takes time but you can always skim the information to get the big picture and why it matters (a danger to all of us and our planet). More importantly to act. I have shared analysis and data sources weekly during the accelerated genocide in Palestine sometimes with action ideas (for more action ideas see What you Can Do link with 74 actions). Here are some more compilation for today wit insights you won't find in mainstream media:

Israeli agents are sending drones to attack oil fields and storage depots in the UAE and "Saudi" Arabia to start a bigger regional war. The impact of this on the environment like he complete destruction of tree cover in the Gaza strip or pollution in the seas or emitting millions of tons of greenhouse gases from Jets. Happening: Link to Video and another Video

We would not be surprised if Zionists bomb the area of the Al-Aqsa mosque and blame it on Iranian missiles. Some Zionists are already saying so (Link to Video).

International Union of Scientists condemns Israel/USA military aggression on Iran (Link).
The Palestinians and Jewish Unity organization statement (Link).

(Coutercurrents independent media) Crusade Against Iran and Conquest of the Arab World (Link)
Tucker Carlson (Link to Video) 
A US Marine at the White House in protest -broke his arm (Link to Video)

Phil Giraldi (Link to Video)
Scott Ritter (Link to Video)
Mel Gibson tried to warn us (Link to Video)
Marouf (Link to Video)
Professor Jiang WIII (Link to Video)
Ali Khamenei’s assassination will likely backfire- here is why (Link to Article)
Catching on on Facebook (among millions of similar posts) (Link) .
More on the Ecocide caused by Apartheid Genocidal Israel (Link)
and on voice of Hind Rajab (Link) BBC World Service Life and Death in Gaza (Link).

Israel violates international law by destroying a UN headquarter in occupied Jerusalem (Link to Video).
"Flagrant War Crime": Investigation Recreates 2025 Israeli Massacre, Cover-Up of 15 Gaza Aid Workers (Link to Video).

"No Traces of Life" by Forensic Architecture (Link).

"Ecocide in Gaza: A War Waged on Farmland and Ecosystems" (Link to Video)

What happened in 1948 is becoming more exposed and is the main reason for the mess we are in. Link

7 countries in 5 years

As a Palestinian I have witnessed the daily toll of murder of our children (21,000 children, thousands of them toddlers just in the past 2.5 years). But this only increased my horror at seeing other Children killed by the Zionist (US/Israel joint at the hip regime) in Lebanon, Yemen, Sudan and elsewhere. But I was especially struck by the lack of western coverage of the bombing Saturday of an elementary school in Iran that killed over 100 girls. The sight of a father going trough the bloodied backpack of his daughter made me cry so much. Till when are we going to put up with this genocidal maniac regime that had a lock on the world (via blackmail mostly ala Epsteingate, tip of the iceberg). When will we have a global uprising. Zahra Golpayegani, the 14-month-old granddaughter of Sayyed Ali Khamenei among many other civilians was also martyred with other innocent civilians in the US-Israeli illegal aggression against the Leader’s residence. This is the same leader who made a religious Fatwa that forbids development of a nuclear weapon even though he and all Iranian leaders knew that they would have been safer with nuclear weapons (ala North Korean leader who Trump befriended since he had nuclear weapon and ballistic missiles!).

Trump made his choice: he had to chose between joining in Israeli expansionist empire building wars or have the rest of the videos and documents released that will get him impeached and jailed. He made his choice and bombed seven countries in one year - the last is Iran (but tis is not going to help him). He had to secure Venezuela's oil before destabilizing our region. But could it be that after the war (if it ever ends) Trump will still face the legal consequences of rape of children? The extent of propaganda against Iran is amazing. Now that Iran is attacked illegally and unprovoked and for the second time by the US/Israel (Epstein) regime, the regional war already started. Surprises and mistakes happen daily now. Three US F-15 Jets costing $360 million were downed over Kuwait. The offices of ICC-wanted war criminal Netanyahu was bombed. US embassies from India to Pakistan to Iraq to Lebanon are besieged by the masses. Evacuations of foreign militaries happening throughout the region (e.g. the foci of imperial extensions in Cyprus and UAE). Oil and gas prices are going way up (10% in the first two days). Inflation is skyrocketing. The world economy is going into a downward spin and the global war is a matter of days or weeks ahead with no winners except cockroaches as they resist nuclear radiation. Those who were not paying attention to our (Palestine) wake-up calls or those Jews who were tricked to think that might makes right ("we rather be feared than loved") miscalculate badly to their and our detriment. The genocide and ethnic cleansing in Palestine has provided a global wake-up to the stark choice: Zionism (total destruction, genocidal/suicidal game) OR peace. Will it be too late to end this nightmare?

Reminder Gaza genocide still going on.

US General Wesley Clark (former NATO supreme commander) in 2007: US/Israel plan to take down 7 countries in 5 years - I guess they updated the schedule since because of their difficulties in the other countries. But this Iran thing may spell the end of Zionism stranglehold on the US!
https://rumble.com/v104ppz-2007-general-wesley-clark-the-us-plans-to-attack-7-countries-in-5-years.html

We have a global war to try vainly to erase this: What happened in 1948
https://archive.md/M12kJ

Israeli soldiers watch someone they shot bleed to death, take photos, and ten kidnap his body
https://www.facebook.com/910224/videos/pcb.10113888169932930/1647534029731564

Addameer issues a detailed report on Israeli camps of torture, rape, and death
https://www.addameer.ps/sites/default/files/publications/in%20the%20Context%20of%20Crimes%20Committed%20Against%20Palestinian%20Prisoner.pdf

Demand DNC publicly release internal report showing Biden/Harris catastrophic support of Gaza genocide led to their loss
https://support.adc.org/a/dnc-release-election-report

Green Party-USA statement on state of the union
https://www.gp.org/greens_say_the_current_state_of_the_union_is_appalling

Norway Nobel Prize compromised (Epstein again?) https://youtu.be/oxy88Z3lNg4

Endorse the Gaza flotilla
https://mailchi.mp/f99e2a34dcf4/us-boats-to-gaza-sailing-to-break-the-blockade-3003487

Scholars supporting Francesca Albanese
https://voelkerrechtsblog.org/open-letter-unsr-albanese/

Ethnic Cleansing in the West Bank: It's Even Worse Than You Think: Invitation to an Online Film Salon Sunday March15, 2026, 3 pm ET/ 12 noon PT. Watch the curated videos included in the registration confirmation email at your convenience ahead of the discussion. Join the Q&A discussion with: Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man: Director for Israel-Palestine at DAWN; former Editor-in-Chief, +972 Magazine; Mazin Qumsiyeh: Director, Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability; author; activist; Mai Shahin: Specialist, nonviolent communication & trauma therapy; Co-founder, Satyam Homeland Peace Center; Ken Dorph (Moderator): Developmental economist specializing in the Arab world; writer and speaker. Register at: Tinyurl.com/VFHL-March2026 Watch the Trailer: Tinyurl.com/VFHL-March2026Trailer

Worthwhile analytical reads
Ali Abunimah: An enormous crime against Iran
https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/enormous-crime-against-iran
Prof. Zarni https://open.substack.com/pub/maungzarni/p/three-crucial-facts-on-the-savage
Prof. Jeffrey Sachs https://youtu.be/OvuXahWSVzc
https://youtu.be/nPo8lxyjkCY
Lowkey https://youtu.be/NxdjzsuAQMg
Charles Eisenstein on Iran war: power and blowback
https://charleseisenstein.substack.com/p/the-iran-war-power-and-blowback
Mearsheimer https://www.facebook.com/reel/1461121452037252
Prof. Marandi https://youtu.be/j19w0ur90jA
https://glenndiesen.substack.com/p/seyed-m-marandi-israel-and-us-launch
Scott Ritter https://scottritter.substack.com/p/ritters-rant-078-rumors-of-war

What we are facing in Palestine is not Israel but a global conspiracy with Western and Arab leaders - subservient disgusting and blackmailed.
https://johnmenadue.com/post/2026/02/globalisation-of-occupation-when-genocide-becomes-an-international-project/
Why this non-Muslim supports the Islamic Republic of Iran
https://english.almayadeen.net/articles/opinion/why-this-non-muslim-supports-the-islamic-republic-of-iran

Stay Humane, act, and keep hope and Palestine alive
Mazin Qumsiyeh
A Bedouin in cyberspace, a villager at home
Professor, Founder, and (volunteer) Director
Palestine Museum of Natural History
Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability
Bethlehem University
Occupied Palestine
http://qumsiyeh.org
http://palestinenature.org
Facebook pages
Personal https://www.facebook.com/mazin.qumsiyeh.9
Institute https://www.facebook.com/PIBS.PMNH

Davos

Marx once quipped "History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce" and Hegel stated that “what we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history.” I am no Marxist and I am no fan of Hegel's philosophy but was thinking that each reflects on their time (in the case of Marx he was thinking about the rise of Napoleon III as the French empire declined) or makes sweeping generalizations. I will try to avoid this as I make a few comments on the rise of Trump and his new "board of Peace" signed at this gathering that happens annually in the WEF at Davos: see my own contribution to irritating Davos attendees here: http://qumsiyeh.org/theworldeconomicsforumcontroversy/

I found myself rereading older literature from Franz Fannon, Howard Zinn, Edward Said, and others to make sense of what is happening and migt be coming down soon. I actually listened to Trump’s speech given at Davos. It was so full of lies as all his other speeches. For example, the US did not have a 'phenomenal' growth under him. The GDP growth for 2025 is in line with previous several years averages at 2.5% (China's average for past 5 years is 5.34%). More importantly, the US National Debt rose significantly and now stands at a staggering $38 TRILLION (that is $125,000 per every single person living in the USA). This is not counting corporate and personal debts which are also astronomical. All are projected to get worse as interest payments grow, US dollar continues to decline (inflation to continue to go up), and military spending from one to $1.5 trillion annually starting in 2027.

The tyrannical egomaniac running the USA is setting the earth on fire and the US public is being distracted with anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric and actions (the usual divide and conquer). But for him and his billionaire friends, they merely got richer (Trump got $1.5 billion richer in one year of the presidency per NY Times). This will be studied by historians after the next global war with comparisons drawn to the likes of Hitler, Musolini, Niron, or Genkiz Khan. But what is more interesting is how world leaders and business leaders bend their knee to this buffoon even when they know he is not going to spare them once they become the vassal rulers of provinces of the empire. [Governor Newsom of California and Canada’s prime minister said so openly]. But what about the so-called 'Board of Peace' created to replace the UN and for which its charter appointed Trump as its head with veto power FOR LIFE (unless he decides to step aside and appoint a replacement to his liking). Craig Mokhiber sarcastically wrote: “Mussolini has announced that he is establishing a ‘Board of Peace’ to rule over the survivors of the holocaust and to take over their property, and he has invited Hitler to be a member of the board. The plan has been endorsed by the League of Nations”! And notice the now signed charter clearly has a mission that will extend globally (not merely Gaza). That is why many western countries did not join us. But vassals like the UAE government and Hungary’s neo-Nazi President signed on. Netanyahu enthusiastically will join (he avoided going to Davos because there is an arrest warrant for him from the International Court of Justice).

Reminder 1:  "Master's Tool will not dismantle the Master's House" The late black feminist poet, writer and activist Audre Lorde

Reminder 2: This is day 838 since the invasion of Gaza and acceleration of the (still ongoing) genocide to finish off the work started in 1948 of ethnic cleansing. Three more journalists were murdered in Gaza over the weekend (now over 255 journalists murdered by the apartheid regime)

Reminder 3:Keep pushing to release all the Epstein files including links to Mossad, videos used to blackmail the likes of Trump and Clinton and find all the other lurking Epsteins.

More good people writing logic
1) Robert Reich https://www.facebook.com/reel/504783866018406
2) Maung Zarni about Davos and changing world order https://maungzarni.substack.com/p/at-davos-the-canadian-pm-former-banker
3) Benjamin Fogel: Sopranoes/Monroe
https://jacobin.com/2026/01/trump-sopranos-venezuela-monroe-doctrine
4) Alastaire Crooke: Trump aims for Venezuela, Cuba & Latin America
https://strategic-culture.su/news/2025/12/17/trumps-geo-politics-correcting-the-imperial-model-shaping-the-incoming-economic-architecture/
5) John Kiriakou (ex CIA) on Israeli role in fomenting anti-Iran and anti-Islam hatred  https://x.com/Partisan_12/status/2011362104402751649
6) US Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson on same issue
https://x.com/SprinterPress/status/2012164631926596023
7) Canada's PM Carney on end of US empire https://youtu.be/dTvFnC-oFGw
8) Chris Hedges on the last elections https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/the-last-election
9) Sani P. Meo founder of the best color magazine in Palestine (and I venture to say globally): This Week in Palestine, This month's theme is “Jerusalem: The Heartbeat and Unbroken Spirit of Palestine” now accessible online at www.thisweekinpalestine.com

An astonishingly strong documentary on the French-German broadcaster ARTE about the systematic torture in Israeli jails. The systematic dehumanization being orchestrated f.i. by dogs & rape Palestinian prisoners L'enfer des prisons israéliennes | ARTE https://youtu.be/PHizfeozVws

Amnesty on why this is genocide
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/12/amnesty-international-concludes-israel-is-committing-genocide-against-palestinians-in-gaza/
and on why Israel is apartheid
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/02/israels-apartheid-against-palestinians-a-cruel-system-of-domination-and-a-crime-against-humanity/
BTselem on why Israel is a racist apartheid state
https://www.btselem.org/publications/fulltext/202101_this_is_apartheid
and HRW https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/04/27/threshold-crossed/israeli-authorities-and-crimes-apartheid-and-persecution

Stay Humane, act, and keep hope and Palestine alive

War and Oil: Connecting the dots

 By Mazin B. Qumsiyeh

(and why everyone should boycott Chevron) [footnotes below]

The U.S. and Israel have a special arrangement since 1979 under which the United States would supply oil to Israel if Israel could not secure enough oil on its own due to shortage or supply disruption [1]. This pact is unique: No other country receives a similar guaranteed emergency oil supply from the U.S. and the agreement has been extended routinely with the last a extension for ten years! [2]. The US sent refined fuel to Israel to bomb Gaza in 2008/2009 even when gas prices at the pump got higher for US citizens [3].  In 2023, 60% of the crude oil imported by Israel (totals imports $3.23 billion) came from Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan to Turkish ports through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (in which Chevron has the largest stakeholder- Chevron is also to be the main beneficiary of the attack on Venezuela). The percentage rose to 70% of crude supply through that pipeline between late 2023 and late 2025 [4]. Refined imports of $1.35 billion worth came mostly from Russia, Egypt, Turkey, and Romania. The U.S. is the sole documented supplier of military-grade jet fuel (JP-8) under aid programs during the war [4] of course paid for by US taxpayers to decimate Gaza and dramatically increasing greenhouse gases.

In 2020 Chevron completed a major acquisition of U.S.–based Noble Energy, which had been the lead developer of Israel’s largest offshore natural gas fields. This deal brought Chevron’s operations directly into Israel’s energy sector [5]. Chevron integrated into its global portfolio the "Tamar and Leviathan" offshore gas fields (Most portions of these belong to Palestine based on UN partition lines) and at least part of the ownership of the current Gaza strip [6]. In 2025, Egypt signed a deal to import $35 billion in gas from the Chevron operated gas fields (and a new "Nitzana" pipeline) off the coast of Gaza benefitting the apartheid state and the rich Chevron. Hence the ethnic cleansing and genocide on Gaza continues to empty it and allow for money to continue flowing. Here are the biggest institutional shareholders of Chevron (and people should write to them to divest): The Vanguard Group, Inc.; State Street Corporation; Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.; BlackRock Inc. And ofcourse boycott Chevron stations [See 7].

Venezuelan people and most of the world are fully aware that 1) Trump consulted with his partners in crime (Chevron CEO and Netanyahu) but not Congress when he decided to bomb for oil (and rare minerals), 2) The market bumbed up Chevron stock price upon hearing the news [8], 3) They are merely a stepping stone for taking over other countries (Panama, Canada, Greenland, Cuba)... But the imperial power WILL fail. I leave that to another analysis. But in the meantime do continue to act and we all need to work harder to stop the lunatics pushing us to WWIII.

[1] https://www.energy.senate.gov/services/files/894BE546-C7E6-4BC4-A3F0-9E352549109B
[2] https://www.israelnationalnews.com/flashes/323545
[3] https://wespac.org/2009/01/16/us-taxpayers-spending-over-one-billion/
[4] https://oilchange.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Israel-Gaza-Fuel-Data-v2.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com
[5] https://israel.chevron.com/en/about
[6] https://www.timesofisrael.com/chevron-seals-acquisition-of-noble-energy-which-operates-in-israel-gas-fields/
[7] https://bdsmovement.net/chevron https://afsc.org/BoycottChevron
[8] https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/05/market-sees-chevron-the-big-venezuela-winner-but-oil-majors-face-a-long-road.html

2026

كما في الأعوام السابقة، شهد عام ٢٠٢٥ أحداثًا جيدة وأخرى سيئة، لكن ما يميزه حقًا هو شدة كليهما. وبينما أرغب في إلقاء نظرة سريعة على الماضي والتطلع إلى المستقبل، فإن عامي الجديد سيكون بمثابة بذل جهد أكبر للعيش في الحاضر. يُقال إن الماضي قد انتهى، والمستقبل سلسلة من الهدايا (عملنا). كلمة "Present" في اللغة الإنجليزية تعني الحاضر وأيضا الهدية. والكلمات ذات المعاني المتعددة تحمل حكمة الأجيال. في اللغة العربية، ترتبط كلمة الحاضر بالزمن وأيضا بالحضور الذهني بالانغماس في الموقف وبوعي عميق، وهو ما شاع استخدامه أيضًا على يد الراهب البوذي ثيت نات هان. الكلمة الصينية للأزمة 危机 (wēijī)، تجمع بين "الخطر" (危، wēi) و"الفرصة" (机، jī). مفهوم شائع خاصة في الثقافة الغربية بعد أن استخدمه جون كنيدي، مما يعكس وجهة نظر فلسفية مفادها أن التحديات في الأزمات تُتيح فرصًا للتغيير الإيجابي أو لحظات محورية. في حين أن الحرف wēi يعني بوضوح الخطر، فإن jī (أو 機) كان يعني في الأصل "نقطة حاسمة" أو "لحظة فارقة"، وليس بالضرورة "فرصة" بمعزل عن غيره، ولكن استخدامه في 机会 (jīhuì، بمعنى فرصة) تتفق لتفسيرات متعددة، مؤكدةً أن الأزمة نقطة تحول تحمل في طياتها إمكانية التهديد والفائدة. لذا بينما أستعرض أحداث عام ٢٠٢٥ وأتطلع إلى عام ٢٠٢٦ أرجو ملاحظة أنني أحافظ على هذا الوعي الحاضر. كما أعتقد بتواضع أن هذا إلى جانب وجود الناس من حولي والاهتمام بهم، هو أفضل هدية يمكننا تقديمها لأنفسنا. هذان الجانبان هما ما يجعلان الحياة جديرة بالعيش حتى في أصعب الظروف. كما قالها جدي (1908-1999) أن سر الحياةأ تكون كدا وودا.  في هذا الاستعراض للأحداث، أتناول الجوانب الإيجابية والسلبية، وفي النهاية أقدم توقعاتي لعام ٢٠٢٦.

عام ٢٠٢٥ في فلسطين والعالم

 

وفقًا للإحصاءات الرسمية (التي صدرت بشأنها شهادات وفاة)، قُتل ٢٢٩٠٠ فلسطيني في عام ٢٠٢٥ (٧٠٣٥٥ منذ ٧ أكتوبر ٢٠٢٣). وأُصيب ٥٧٨٠٠ في عام ٢٠٢٥ (١٧١٠٦٤ منذ ٧ أكتوبر ٢٠٢٣). لكن البيانات الديموغرافية المنشورة في مجلات مرموقة تشير إلى أن الأعداد أكبر بمرتين إلى ثلاث مرات بسبب إلى تدمير أنظمة الرعاية الصحية والوفيات المبكرة بسبب الأمراض والمجاعة الناجمة عن الحصار الإسرائيلي ومنع دخول المساعدات الإنسانية. 70% من الضحايا من الأطفال والنساء. كاد النظام الطبي في غزة أن ينهار تمامًا بسبب تضرر المرافق ونقص الإمدادات والهجمات على البنية التحتية للرعاية الصحية، مما أدى إلى تفاقم أزمة الصحة العامة، مع تفشي الأمراض المعدية وعودة ظهور فيروس شلل الأطفال. دُمر أكثر من 95% من المباني والبنية التحتية الأخرى في قطاع غزة. ما يقرب من مليوني شخص بلا مأوى. أصدرت محكمة العدل الدولية رأيًا يفيد بأن وجود إسرائيل في الأراضي الفلسطينية المحتلة غير قانوني وينتهك حظر التمييز العنصري والأبارتهايد، وأكدت حكمها بإمكانية وقوع إبادة جماعية جارية، وأنه يجب على إسرائيل السماح بدخول المساعدات الإنسانية. انتهكت إسرائيل جميع اتفاقيات وقف إطلاق النار التي أبرمتها، ليس فقط في عام 2025، بل في تاريخها الاستعماري القصير منذ عام 1948. منذ إعلانها وقف إطلاق النار الأخير مع حركة المقاومة في غزة (خطة ترامب/نتنياهو)، انتهكتها إسرائيل مئات المرات. قُتل أكثر من 1045 مدنياً فلسطينياً على يد قوات نظام الفصل العنصري هنا في الضفة الغربية. وأُصيب أكثر من 2500 شخص، وتشرّد أكثر من 65000 في الضفة الغربية (نتيجة لتدمير منازلهم في عمليات التطهير العرقي). يُعدّ الجيش الإسرائيلي أكبر منظمة إرهابية على وجه الأرض. تسارعت تداعيات الإبادة الجماعية عالمياً. سقطت الأقنعة عن وجوه الكثيرين. استيقظ الملايين، وعندما تُفتح أعيننا على الاستعمار والإبادة الجماعية والتطهير العرقي، ونرى أن الحكومات الغربية تدعم ذلك لأن السياسيين يتلقون رشاوى أو يتعرضون للابتزاز، لا يمكننا تجاهل الحقيقة. لذا، تسارع العمل من أجل السلام والعدالة عالمياً وباتت قضية فلسطين نقطة ضعف النفاق الغربي وستساعد في تفكيك الإمبريالية والاستعمار في عصرنا.

في معهد فلسطين للتنوع الحيوي والاستدامة - جامعة بيت لحم، ورغم عدم الاستقرار السياسي والاقتصادي، وبفضل جهود المتطوعين والداعمين من جميع أنحاء العالم، حققنا عامًا مثمرًا للغاية. عملنا هو من أشكال المقاومة بما في ذلك التصدي للإبادة الجماعية والتدمير البيئي. ستتلقون تقريرنا السنوي خلال أسابيع قليلة، ولكن باختصار، فقد قمنا بما يلي: 1) تنظيم أكثر من 25 رحلة ميدانية في أنحاء الضفة الغربية رغم الإغلاقات، 2) تنظيم وتوسيع مجموعاتنا العلمية، 3) نشر 20 ورقة بحثية (والمساهمة في 7 أخرى)، مع التركيز بشكل خاص على الآثار البيئية والاجتماعية للإبادة البيئية، وإبادة الجامعات، وإبادة الصحة في غزة، 4) الوصول إلى آلاف الشباب من خلال متحفنا المتنقل والثابت وحدائقنا وورش العمل التفاعلية، 5) تنظيم محاضرات وندوات لأكثر من 11000 بالغ حول العالم حول العدالة البيئية وحقوق الإنسان، 6) تقديم الدعم المادي والاستراتيجي للمجتمعات في الضفة الغربية وقطاع غزة لسد الفجوة بين العلم والبقاء، 7) العمل على سد الفجوات بين العلم والسياسة فيما يتعلق بالقدرة على التكيف مع تغير المناخ والاستخدام المستدام للموارد الطبيعية, 8) تمثيل المصالح البيئية الفلسطينية في مؤتمرات إقليمية ودولية رئيسية (خمس دول)، 9) الانتهاء من بناء المتحف الجديد والتحضير للافتتاح الكبير عام ٢٠٢٦، ١٠) أُطلقت مشاريع من بينها هيكلة الحما في منطقة العرقوب (بدعم من ناشيونال جيوغرافيك) وبنك بذور وطني، ١١) الترشِح لجائزة نوبل للسلام مُسلطةً الضوء على الأهمية العالمية للمقاومة البيئية.

لا تزال أمامنا مخاطر جمة عام ٢٠٢٦: ١) صراعات إقليمية وعالمية أشعلتها جشع القوى الإمبريالية والاستعمارية، من فنزويلا إلى فلسطين وكشمير وتايوان (وخطر تبادل نووي كبير)، ٢) مخاطر تغير المناخ والتلوث والاستغلال المفرط للموارد الطبيعية، ٣) العنصرية والحركة ضد المهاجرين والشعوب الأصلية ومحاولات تجريدنا من إنسانيتا وتدميرنا، ٤) الديكتاتوريات والفساد (خاصة هنا في فلسطين) والحركات اليمينية والفاشية عالميا... وغير ذلك الكثير. لكن هناك انتفاضة عالمية ستتسارع وتيرتها بسبب انتشار الوعي وفقدان الوظائف لا سيما للشباب. إن هذا التحول ليس سهلاً، ولكنه حتمي. وهذا يُعيدني إلى التأمل وما يقوله البوذيون: المشاركة ببهجة في أحزان هذا العالم. لذا قمت أنا وجيسي و7 متطوعون آخرون بجولة في الحديقة اليوم وسنزرع بعض النباتات ونزيل الأعشاب الضارة ونعتني بجراح الأرض (الجراح التي ألحقها بها البشر). إذا رغبتم بالانضمام إلينا أي وقت راسلونا عبر البريد الإلكتروني info@palestinenature.org

نتمنى لكم ولأحبائكم عامًا جديدًا سعيدًا وسالما وآمنا.

New Year Message

As in other years, there is the good and the bad that happened in 2025 but the intensity of both is what is rather unusual.  And while I do wan to briefly look back and look ahead, my own new year will be to push even harder to live the present. The past it is said is done, the future is a succession of presents (our work). The word 'present' in the English language refers to a gift. Words with dual meaning sometimes carry wisdom of the ages. In Arabic the world Al-'hader (the present in the sense of time) is rooted in the immersion in the situation (not a mere presence but a deep mindfulness (popularized also by Buddhist monk Thích Nhất Hạnh).  AI tells me that "The idea that the Chinese word for "crisis," 危机 (wēijī), combines "danger" (危, wēi) and "opportunity" (机, jī) is a popular concept, especially in Western culture after being used by John F. Kennedy, reflecting a philosophical view that challenges in crises present chances for positive change or pivotal moments. While the character wēi clearly means danger, jī (or 機) originally meant "crucial point" or "incipient moment," not necessarily "opportunity" in isolation, but its use in 机会 (jīhuì, meaning opportunity) makes the combined interpretation resonate, highlighting that a crisis is a turning point with potential for both threat and benefit". So while I will recap 2025 and look forward to 2026, please note I keep this mindfulness (present, alhader). I also humbly think that this combined with having people around and caring for people is the best gift (present) we can give ourselves. The two aspects are what makes life worth living even in very difficult circumstances.  In this recap of what happened I cover both good and bad issues and at the end give predictions for 2026.

2025 in Palestine and globally

According to official statistics (those issued death certificates) 22,900 Palestinians were killed in 2025 (70,355 since 7 October 2023). 57,800 were injured in 2025 (171,064 since 7 October 2023). But demographic data published in respectable journals suggest the numbers are two to three folds more (due to destruction of health care systems and premature deaths due to diseases and starvation resulting from the Israeli blockade and denial of entry of humanitarian aid. 70% of the casualties are children and women. Gaza's medical system neared complete collapse due to damaged facilities, supply shortages, and attacks on healthcare infrastructure resulting in severe public health crisis escalated, with outbreaks of infectious diseases and the re-emergence of poliovirus type 2 after being eradicated for 25 years. >95% of buildings and other infrastructure were destroyed in the Gaza Strip. Almost 2 million people are homeless. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an opinions finding Israel's presence in the occupied Palestinian territory to be unlawful and in breach of the prohibition on racial discrimination and apartheid and emphasizing its ruling of plausibility of genocide ongoing and that Israel must allow humanitarian aid. Israel broke every ceasefire it had done not just in 2025 but in its short colonial history since 1948. Just since declaring the last ceasefire with the resistance movement in Gaza (the Trump/Netanyahu “peace plan”), Israel violated it hundreds of time. Over 1045 Palestinian civilians were murdered by the apartheid regime forces here in THE WEST BANK. Over 2500 were injured and over 65,000 were made homeless in the West Bank (ethnic cleansing homes destroyed).  The Israeli army is the largest terror organization on earth. The fallout from the genocide accelerated globally. Masks fell from many people. Millions became awake and once you open your eyes to colonialism, genocide, ethnic cleansing and see that the western governments support this because politicians are bribed and/or blackmailed. You cannot unsee it. So the work for peace and justice globally accelerated leveraging Palestine as it provided the Achilles heel of western hypocrisy and will help undo imperialism and colonialism in our time.  

In our Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability (PIBS) at Bethlehem University and despite the political and economic instability: with the help of volunteers and supporters around the world, we had a very productive year. Our work is a form of resistance including in challenging the genocide and ecocide. In a few weeks you will receive our annual report but briefly we: 1) Conducted over 25 field trips across the West Bank despite closures, 2) Curated and expanded our collections, 3) Published 20 research papers (and assisted in 7 others), with a specific focus on the environmental and social impacts of ecocide, scholasticide, and medicide in Gaza, 4) Reached thousands of youth through our Mobile Museum, on-site gardens, and interactive workshops, 5) Facilitated lectures and seminars for over 11,000 adults worldwide on environmental justice and human rights, 6) Provided material and strategic support to communities in the West Bank and Gaza, bridging the gap between science and survival, 7) Worked to bridge science-policy gaps regarding climate resilience and the sustainable use of natural resources in a conflict zone, 8) Represented Palestinian environmental interests at major regional and international conferences on biodiversity and climate action, 9) Finalized construction for the new museum and are preparing for a grand opening in 2026, 10) Launched projects including the Hima structure (supported by National Geographic) and a national Seed Bank, 11) nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, highlighting the global importance of environmental resistance.

As we look to 2026, we still face many dangers: 1) Regional and global conflicts created by greed of imperialists and colonizers ranging from Venezuela to Palestine to Kashmir to Taiwan (the threat of a nuclear exchange is significant), 2) threats of climate change, pollution and overexploitation of natural resources, 3) Racism and dehumanization of immigrants and indigenous people, 4) Dictatorships, right wing and fascist movements... and much more. But there is a global uprising (intifada) which will accelerate due to loss of jobs especially for young people. The transition is not easy but is inevitable. This brings me back to mindfulness and what the Buddhists say: to have joyful participation in the sorrows of this world. Thus, Jessie and I and the other volunteers will take a walk around the garden today and maybe do some planting and weeding and tending to the wounds of mother earth (wounds inflicted by fellow human beings). If you like to join us in the present today or tomorrow do email us at info@palestinenature.org

Happy and peaceful new year 2026 to you and yours.

Love

Mazin & team
Palestine Museum of Natural History
Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability
Bethlehem University
Occupied Palestine
http://qumsiyeh.org
http://palestinenature.org
facebook pages
Personal https://www.facebook.com/mazin.qumsiyeh.9
Institute https://www.facebook.com/PIBS.PMNH

Three Messages missed

December 17 2025

“But the angel reassured them [the Shepherd]. 'Don’t be afraid!' he said. 'I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Saviour—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!' Luke 2:10–11

Next week I will send you a newsletter about our institutional work (palestinenature.org) since there were a lot of developments. But for now, this week's newsletter (on day 802 of the ongoing genocide in Gaza) focuses on human rights. Again open the links only if they intrigue you

Everyone now with minimal education knows there is a propaganda onslaught to bury the truth of genocide, ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and crimes of aggression. Most people though now instinctively and based on data now know the level of "fog" and obfuscation issues when it comes to Israel and Zionism and its hold on western "democracies". But everyone also now knows that the Zionist narrative is collapsing (see West in panic as Israel loses narrative war https://youtu.be/m5CR42Yht8Q ). The mazing work for Palestine done in thousands of new organizations created in the past two years to not only respond to the genocide and ecocide and medicide and veriticide but also build a new global system away from wars and oppression. This global system is for sustainabiity of human and natural communities (enriching human and biological diversity. This is inherently decolonial global effort. I give now on average one to two talks every day. I also stay connected and attend events and activities with many of these organizations that occasionally I speak to like the Elders (for peace), Palestinian Social Fund, Saeel, Kairos Palestine, Rebuilding Alliance, Forensic Architecture, Buld Palestine and hundreds more. We only wish there were more than 48 hours in a day to get caught up!.

The new Zionist colony in my peaceful village of Beit Sahour, the Shepherds' field
https://mondoweiss.net/2025/12/new-israeli-settlement-in-west-bank-town-near-bethlehem-threatens-the-christian-presence-in-palestine/

Palestinian Civil Society Organisations Expose Israel’s Systematic Torture of Palestinians before the UN Committee against Torture https://www.alhaq.org/advocacy/27057.html

Is peace a pipe dream https://johnhorgan.org/cross-check/is-peace-a-pipe-dream
[based on an excellent talk I attended and plan to give a followup on this with a talk to the same group]

Australians Being Massacred Shouldn't Bother Us More Than Palestinians Being Massacred
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/australians-being-massacred-shouldnt
Questioning the simplified version of the attack https://youtu.be/f42ocurgm7U

The theft of archeology-- another form of ethnic cleansing  
https://youtu.be/WsstYNQ1T24
https://truthout.org/articles/this-palestinian-town-holds-5000-years-of-history-israel-is-about-to-seize-it/
https://israelpalestinenews.org/israel-preparing-largest-ever-act-of-archeological-cleansing-in-west-bank/

This is the oldest temple in Lebanon…once a synagogue, then a church, and then a mosque. IsHell bombed and destroyed it after the ceasefire.
https://youtu.be/gdzuMn_mGMQ

This is what they do…steal everything Pali so as to fake that they’re from the land.  Excellent short report!  https://youtu.be/K-RLNgzYzf4

Tucker Carlson explains things well
https://x.com/tuckercarlson/status/1998949704772759672?s=51

Zionism is pure evil. We MUST eradicate it.  https://youtu.be/naP1JAEXCTs

Hundreds of Santas march into the British Parliament to end the genocide and for Palestine https://x.com/SuppressedNws1/status/2000018085781393543

The Trump-UN Gaza plan is no path to peace. Here’s a better way.
https://thehill.com/opinion/international/5640894-gaza-conflict-trump-plan/amp/

Non-Eurocentric Non-Orientalist Interdisciplinary Knowledge is Crucial to Liberation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koi5ZQFnkJc

London conference on attacks and killings of Journalists (what is becoming an epidemic of silencing) https://www.londonfreelance.org/fl/2512un-day.html

They're driving Europe crazy for a reason
https://youtu.be/yVZkf3-NxxU

LULLABY - TOGETHER FOR PALESTINE
https://youtu.be/G957oaAZwhc

Finally a short poem "Purpose"
We can help without interfering
In the fate unfolding
Not to fashion a destiny
neither to act in enmity
But to enjoy and aid
nature's evolving cascade
not to breach
neither to beseech
to act without destroying
to build without obstructing
Looking inward is key
to future living free
aid the natural blooming
of life's miracles growing
and planting a better future

for every living creature
from Qumsiyeh, Mazin 2025. “Purpose” pp 199-200 in International Bilingual Poetry: Poems and Bengali translations of contemporary 147 English poets from 62 countries. Edited and Translated by Md Ejaj Ahamed Published by Nasrin Sultana, Dream Raft Publication Mahendrapur, Suti, Murshidabad, West Bengal, India.

======================

December 24

We received many messages in response to our (Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability or PIBS) holiday greeting. We are grateful to all especially those who did a year end donation (pallestinenature.org/donations ). Greetings of holidays for all religions is important for us at PIBS because the institute believes in preserving and enriching human diversity and biological diversity (connected and there are threats to both driven by greed and militarism). Our motto is respect: for ourselves, for other human beings (regardless of background, and for nature/mother earth.

Think of Others by Mahmoud Darwish Translated by Mohammed Shaheen
As you prepare your breakfast, think of others - do not forget the pigeon’s food
As you conduct your wars, think of others - do not forget those who seek peace
As you pay your water bill, think of others - those who are nursed by clouds
As you return home, to your home, think of others - do not forget the people of the camps.
As you sleep and count the stars, think of others - those who have nowhere to sleep
As you liberate yourself in metaphor, think of others - those who have lost the right to speak.
As you think of others far away, think of yourself say: “If only I were a candle in the dark”

“You give but little when you give of your possessions; it is when you give of yourself that you truly give. For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may need them tomorrow?  And what is fear of need but need itself.” Kahlil Gibran, “The Prophet” 1923

We had our staff and volunteer gathering yesterday (see pictures at https://www.facebook.com/PIBS.PMNH ) and while we enjoyed good company and good food, we did think of others and will work harder to serve.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently boasted that Israel is the guardian of Christianity in the Middle East. To test this claim Peter Oborne travelled to Bethlehem to learn how Palestinians are surviving this Christmas in the birthplace of Christ.
https://youtu.be/iajob-0fLDA
here is Sabeel's statement: https://sabeel.org/category/wave-of-prayers/
and Kairos Palestine: https://www.kairospalestine.ps/index.php/resources/statements

I was honored to be a speaker in this (great conversations): "Land and Resistance: Cooperativism from Palestine to Turtle Island" https://youtu.be/xfrqgHyAdbI
and at this Elders for disarmament and the cultures of peace meeting 15 12 25. Recording here: https://youtu.be/OzVTJ4Kk6lA

My latest book readings in the past two weeks
1) Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (echos of our own experience with indigenous knowledge and nature)
https://www.joycerain.com/uploads/2/3/2/0/23207256/braiding_sweetgrass_1.pdf
2) Warsaw 1944 : A city raised to the ground Alexandra Richie (Echos of what is happening in Gaza Strip- remarkable similarity but Gaza was worse in degree)
Review: http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~sarmatia/115/115cienciala.pdf
[I could not locate an online PDF to share- I have the paper book itself , 738 pages]

Have a peaceful week and keep hope alive

==========================

December 30 2025

 With my wife and three volunteers we went to watch the film "The voice of Hind Rajab" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voice_of_Hind_Rajab

The docudrama opened deep wounds and the packed audience all cried. I cried more and could not sleep receiving messages from friends in Gaza about their desperate situation. My friend Hiam tells me that time has run out, that we cannot expect her to keep her patience and resilience after 26 months of horrors. She even contemplates suicide. Cold, starvation, slow death everywhere. But also killings continue while the world normalized genocide; two criminals (Trump and Netanyahu) meet to plot inflicting more suffering.  Sleep is hard to come by.

Greta Thunberg arrested under the Terrorism Act for holding a sign which says "I support Palestine Action prisoners. I oppose genocide.' Supporting prisoners on hunger strike unjustly held for months is a crime in the land of Lord Balfour!

How long can Starmer ignore the Palestine Action hunger strike?
https://www.youtube.com/live/ZnoSPgU5eTc

Christian treatments by the Jewish state https://www.instagram.com/reels/DSr5mpPgoFu/

A  Holiday Circle For the Love, Protection and Freedom of the Palestinian People with Music, Poetry, Prayers, Praise and Messages for Liberation and Courage! https://youtu.be/qqtqZw7Yah0    
Message from Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh & Meditation by Stephen Fulder
https://youtu.be/fJFkpZBHjrs

A new year's message and concert https://youtu.be/D-z-5BRY9HY

"And I’ve come to a stage where I feel humiliated to have to discuss it, because what is there to discuss? What is there to discuss when you’re murdering children, destroying hospitals, destroying universities, murdering journalists, and boasting about it, boasting about it? And everybody’s sort of ambiguous — I mean, what we are witnessing also is, I think, there are surveys that say that almost 90% of the population of the world wants this to stop, but there is no connection between democratically elected governments and the will of the people. It’s ended. So, the whole charade of Western liberal democracy is as much of a corpse under the rubble as the tens of thousands of Palestinians.“ Arundhati Roy

Rev. Munther Isaac: Christmas is not a Western story – it is a Palestinian one
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2025/12/24/christmas-is-not-a-western-story-it-is-a-palestinian-one

1,115 European financial institutions involved in financing 104 companies contributing to the illegal occupation and crime of genocide https://cihrs.org/1115-european-financial-institutions-involved-in-financing-104-companies-contributing-to-the-illegal-occupation-and-crime-of-genocide/

Our friend Muhammad Bakri died age 73. Here is a link to his documentary film Jenin, Jenin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkul4uv84sa
And here, thanks to zochrot, is the documentary by Bakri entitled Nakba 1948 https://www.zochrot.org/videos/view/56338/en

What the Zionist managed western media ignores: Epstein and Israel https://mondoweiss.net/2025/12/the-new-york-times-ignores-an-essential-part-of-the-jeffrey-epstein-story-israel/

Behind the zionist think tank curtain – The Hidden Influence of U S & European Policy Groups https://youtu.be/bjsy2h2jnr0

Tucker Carlson https://youtu.be/yPggL9uarjg

Julian Assange files Criminal Complaint over Nobel prize endorsing
war against Venezuela
https://the307.substack.com/p/julian-assange-launches-criminal
https://file.wikileaks.org/files/2025/machado29-dist.pdf

Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire (who nominated me for the prize) supported his action: “I fully support this great action of Julian Assange which speaks truth to power. Indeed Alfred Nobel’s will is NOT for warmaking but peacemaking and the Nobel Committee is actually acting illegally by ignoring Nobel’s wishes”.

false flag? Https://youtu.be/f42ocurgm7u
The result is clear: NSW passes protest ban (you cannot oppose genocide), Premier ducks questions on armed CSG on Sydney streets https://michaelwest.com.au/nsw-passes-protest-ban-premier-ducks-questions-on-armed-idf-on-sydney-streets/
Petition from Jewish Council of Australia to the Australian government
https://jewishcouncil.good.do/unity/

Deal with the devil that Saved Zionism from Bankruptcy
https://youtu.be/ZyTjJZsJihI

This brilliant woman looked into the rumors that the "ballroom" Trump says he is building to replace the East Wing of the White House isn’t really a ballroom, and what she finds out, with evidence, is shocking. Seems they’ve hired an IsHell “architectural” firm to build an underground data center and bunker. She even proves the donors are fake. It starts at minute 1.19. https://youtu.be/VbJ4ilDvGyc
Watch soon, because her TikTok video had over 8 million views when they shut it down. They might do the same on YouTube.