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