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"So this is what insanity is. Not goofy behavior, but watching a sudden change in the world you used to know."

-- Toni Morrison

News and Opinion

Multiple Western Press Outlets Have Suddenly Pivoted Hard Against Israel

After a year and a half of genocidal atrocities, the editorial boards of numerous British press outlets have suddenly come out hard against Israel’s genocidal onslaught in Gaza.

The first drop of rain came last week from The Financial Times in a piece by the editorial board titled “The west’s shameful silence on Gaza,” which denounces the US and Europe for having “issued barely a word of condemnation” of their ally’s criminality, saying they “should be ashamed of their silence, and stop enabling Netanyahu to act with impunity.”

Then came The Economist with a piece titled “The war in Gaza must end,” which argues that Trump should pressure the Netanyahu regime for a ceasefire, saying that “The only people who benefit from continuing the war are Mr Netanyahu, who keeps his coalition intact, and his far-right allies, who dream of emptying Gaza and rebuilding Jewish settlements there.”

Opinion from the FT's Editorial Board: 'The US and European countries that tout Israel as an ally that shares their values have issued barely a word of condemnation. They should be ashamed of their silence, and stop enabling Netanyahu to act with impunity.'… pic.twitter.com/0REMlanpKz

— Financial Times (@FT) May 7, 2025

On Saturday came an editorial from The Independent titled “End the deafening silence on Gaza — it is time to speak up,” arguing that British PM Keir Starmer “should be ashamed that he said nothing, especially since Mr Netanyahu has now announced new plans to expand the already devastating bombardment of Gaza,” and saying that “It is time for the world to wake up to what is happening and to demand an end to the suffering of the Palestinians trapped in the enclave.”

On Sunday The Guardian editorial board joined in with a write-up titled “The Guardian view on Israel and Gaza: Trump can stop this horror. The alternative is unthinkable,” saying “The US president has the leverage to force through a ceasefire. If he does not, he will implicitly signal approval of what looks like a plan of total destruction.”

“What is this, if not genocidal?” The Guardian asks. “When will the US and its allies act to stop the horror, if not now?”

To be clear, these are editorials, not op-eds. This means that they are not the expression of one person’s opinion but the stated position of each outlet as a whole. We’ve been seeing the occasional op-ed which is critical of Israel’s actions throughout the Gaza holocaust in the mainstream western press, but to see the actual outlets come out aggressively denouncing Israel and its western backers all at once is a very new development.

The Guardian, 18 months late: "What is this, if not genocidal?"https://t.co/3mkMZ6bYdj

— Nimer Sultany (@NimerSultany) May 11, 2025

Some longtime Israel supporters have unexpectedly begun changing their tune as individuals as well.

Conservative MP Mark Pritchard said at the House of Commons last week that he had supported Israel “at all costs” for decades, but said “I got it wrong” and publicly withdrew that support over Israel’s actions in Gaza.

“For many years — I’ve been in this House twenty years — I have supported Israel pretty much at all costs, quite frankly,” Pritchard said. “But today, I want to say that I got it wrong and I condemn Israel for what it is doing to the Palestinian people in Gaza and indeed in the West Bank, and I’d like to withdraw my support right now for the actions of Israel, what they are doing right now in Gaza.”

“I’m really concerned that this is a moment in history when people look back, where we’ve got it wrong as a country,” Pritchard added.

Speaking in front of the House of Commons on Tuesday, Conservative MP Mark Pritchard condemned Israel for its actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
“I have supported Israel, pretty much at all costs,” said Pritchard. “But today, I want to say that I got it wrong,” he added. pic.twitter.com/xxIxwY2nOo

— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) May 6, 2025

Pro-Israel pundit Shaiel Ben-Ephraim, who had been aggressively denouncing campus protesters and accusing Israel’s critics of “blood libel” throughout the Gaza holocaust, has now come out and publicly admitted that Israel is committing a genocide which must be opposed.

“It took me a long time to get to this point, but it’s time to face it. Israel is committing genocide in Gaza,” Ephraim tweeted recently. “Between the indiscriminate bombing of hospitals, starvation of the population, plans for ethnic cleansing, slaughter of aid workers and cover ups, there is no escaping it. Israel is trying to eradicate the Palestinian people. We can’t stop it unless we admit it.”

It is odd that it has taken all these people a year and a half to get to this point. I myself have a much lower tolerance for genocide and the mass murder of children. If you’ve been riding the genocide train for nineteen months, it looks a bit weird to suddenly start screaming about how terrible it is and demanding to hit the brakes all of a sudden.

These people have not suddenly evolved a conscience, they’re just smelling what’s in the wind. Once the consensus shifts past a certain point there’s naturally going to be a mad rush to avoid being among the last to stand against it, because you know you’ll be wearing that mark for the rest of your life in public after history has had a clear look at what you did.

"Netanyahu was blindsided — and infuriated — this past week by Trump’s announcement that the U.S. was halting its military campaign against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen"https://t.co/ogltFUldW5 via @nbcnews

— Trita Parsi (@tparsi) May 12, 2025

This is after all coming at a time when the Trump administration is beginning to rub Netanyahu’s fur the wrong way, recently prompting the Israeli prime minister to say “I think we’ll have to detox from US security assistance” when Washington went over Tel Aviv’s head and negotiated directly with Hamas to secure the release of an American hostage. The US is reportedly leaving Israel out of more and more of its negotiations on international affairs in places like Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. Something is changing.

So if you’re still supporting Israel after all this time, my advice to you is to make a change while you still can. There’s still time to be the first among scoundrels in the mad rat race to avoid being the last to start acting like you always opposed the Gaza holocaust.

Prof. Jeffrey Sachs : Will Trump Dump Netanyahu?

Hamas frees last living US citizen held in Gaza in what Trump calls a ‘good faith step’

Hamas has freed the last living US citizen it held in Gaza, soldier Edan Alexander, in a unilateral move Donald Trump described as a “good faith step” towards ending the war and bringing home all remaining hostages. The release of 20-year-old Alexander, a dual national serving in the Israel Defense Forces who spent 584 days in captivity after he was seized from his base on 7 October 2023, was agreed with little Israeli involvement beyond practical coordination on the ground.

There was no ceasefire in Gaza for his return, although Israel paused fighting from midday for the handover, which came as UN-backed experts warned that half a million Palestinians face starvation in Gaza due to Israel’s weeks-long siege. He was dressed in civilian clothes when masked fighters handed him to a Red Cross official. He was driven to the border with Israel, where family who had flown over from the United States were waiting to meet him after initial check-ups.

He told Israeli soldiers after his release that he had been held handcuffed with other hostages, in a cage inside a tunnel, Israel’s Kan television reported.

Hamas said in a statement they had freed Alexander “following contacts with the US administration, to achieve a ceasefire, open crossings, and bring aid and relief to our people in Gaza. We urge President Trump’s administration to continue its efforts to end this brutal war,” the statement added. ...

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, thanked Trump for his role in Edan’s release but also claimed credit was due to Israeli forces and his own government’s military strategy. “This was achieved thanks to our military pressure and the diplomatic pressure applied by President Trump. This is a winning combination,” he said in a statement. The Israeli leader has insisted throughout the war that military pressure is the best way to ensure that the hostages return home, even as Trump stepped up calls for a deal to end the conflict.

COL. Douglas Macgregor : Is US Generous or Murderous?

Netanyahu must now work for support of US as Trump tires of Israel’s war in Gaza

Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff didn’t mince his words. In a meeting late on Sunday with former hostages and relatives of those still held in Gaza, he told them Israel is drawing out a war the US wants to end, local media reported. On the eve of the release of Edan Alexander, the last living American being held by Hamas, Witkoff spelt out the gulf between his boss and the government of Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We want to bring the hostages home, but Israel is not willing to end the war. Israel is prolonging it – despite the fact that we don’t see where else we can go and that an agreement must be reached,” Witkoff told the meeting, according to Channel 12 Television, quoting sources who were present.

It was the latest in a series of high-profile and high-stakes snubs from the White House which suggest that Israel’s most important ally is frustrated with its government – and possibly losing interest in its fortunes. “Trump’s not against Israel, but he doesn’t care about Israel,” said Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli diplomat. “As far as Trump is concerned, Netanyahu has become an irritant and an irritant that doesn’t contribute to the bank account.”

Trump may not have embarked on the open attacks that have characterised his relationship with other leaders fighting a war he wants to end, such as Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, but recent policy moves have undermined Israeli security, weakened its diplomatic standing and flown against Israeli defence policy, particularly over how to handle Iran.

"People Are Starving to Death": Oxfam Warns Israel's Blockade on Gaza Is Catastrophic

If I Stayed, I Would've Died: Journalist Abubaker Abed on "Agonizing" Decision to Leave Gaza

Food security experts warn Gaza at ‘critical risk of famine’ amid Israeli blockade

Gaza is at “critical risk of famine”, food security experts have warned, 10 weeks after Israel imposed a blockade on the devastated Palestinian territory, cutting off all supplies including food, medicine, shelter and fuel.

In its most recent report, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said on Monday there had been a “major deterioration” in the food security situation in Gaza since its last assessment in October 2024 and that Palestinians living there faced “a critical risk of famine”.

“Goods indispensable for people’s survival are either depleted or expected to run out in the coming weeks. The entire population is facing high levels of acute food insecurity, with half a million people – one in five – facing starvation,” said the IPC, a consortium of independent specialists tasked by the UN and international NGOs with assessing the risk of famine in crises worldwide.

Israel imposed its strict blockade in early March, after the end of the first phase of a supposed three-phase ceasefire. Just over two weeks later, a new wave of attacks by the Israeli military definitively ended the truce.

Aid workers in Gaza told the Guardian that prices for essentials had risen further in recent days, warehouses were empty and humanitarian teams treating malnourished children were being forced to divide rations designed for one between two patients to give both a chance of survival. “The stocks we brought in during the [two-month-long] ceasefire are running very low. We have treated more than 11,000 children since the beginning of the year … In coming weeks, we fear we will see more children dying,” said Jonathan Crickx, a spokesperson for Unicef speaking from southern Gaza.

UK/EU Furious As Trump Backs Istanbul Talks, Vow More Sanctions; Moscow Scorns Latest Zelensky Stunt

Setback for Europe after Trump insists Ukraine has ‘immediate’ peace talks with Russia

Donald Trump’s social media post insisting Ukraine must immediately start peace talks with Russia has set back, and possibly jeopardised, Europe’s carefully laid plans to persuade the US to impose sanctions on Moscow for refusing the US president’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, European diplomats have said. Volodymyr Zelenskyy had no choice but to accept Vladimir Putin’s invitation to talks in Istanbul on Thursday for fear of offending Trump, diplomats said. ...

The leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Poland had for the first time gone together to Kyiv at the weekend to underline the call for a 30-day ceasefire that they said should start on Monday. ... Foreign ministers had also been in Lviv on Friday in a bid to put pressure on Russia, including by saying plans existed to try Russian leaders for the crime of aggression in front of a special tribunal. The UK had announced further sanctions on the Russian shadow fleet. ...

On Sunday, Trump issued a statement on his Truth Social website blaming both Russia and Ukraine for his ceasefire plan not coming into being. He said Ukraine should agree to meet Russia immediately. “At least they will be able to determine whether or not a deal is possible,” Trump wrote. “If it is not, European leaders, and the US, will know where everything stands, and can proceed accordingly!” Trump said he was “starting to doubt that Ukraine will make a deal with Putin”.

European chiefs, meeting in London on Monday, are waiting to see if Putin will himself go to Istanbul to hold talks with Zelenskyy, a leader that he does not recognise as legitimate. In the previous round of talks in Turkey in 2022, the Russia foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, led the Russian delegation. Putin’s attendance might be a sign that he recognises he is under real pressure from Trump.

The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, on Monday did not directly answer questions on talks with Zelenskyy, saying instead the Kremlin was “focused on a serious search for ways to achieve a long-term peaceful settlement”. Peskov also criticised what he called EU “ultimatums” over Ukraine in a conference call with reporters. “The language of ultimatums is unacceptable to Russia, it is not appropriate. You cannot talk to Russia in such a language,” he said.

Trump claims ‘total reset’ of US-China ties as 90-day pause to trade war agreed

Donald Trump hailed a “total reset” in relations between China and the US after the countries agreed a 90-day pause to the deepening trade war that has threatened to upend the global economy, with tariffs to be lowered by 115 percentage points. “They’ve agreed to open up China,” the US president claimed at a press conference at the White House on Monday morning, having spent months escalating tensions with Beijing by ratcheting up tariffs on the country’s exports.

After talks in Geneva, the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said both sides had shown “great respect” in the negotiations. “The consensus from both delegations this weekend was neither side wants a decoupling,” he said. Wall Street rose sharply after the announcement, with the benchmark S&P 500 jumping 3.2%, the Dow Jones industrial average climbing 2.6% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gaining 4%. ...

China’s yuan jumped to a six-month high on the signal that the trade war would be paused. Up to 16m jobs were at risk in China, according to some estimates, while the US faced rising inflation and empty shelves thanks to dizzying tariffs on the biggest supplier of US goods.

Newsom calls on California cities to ban homeless encampments ‘without delay’

Gavin Newsom has called on California cities and counties to clear and effectively ban encampments “without delay” as the governor intensifies a crackdown on homelessness in the state.

Newsom on Monday announced a new model ordinance to address “persistent” camps, in hopes of reducing the most visible signs of a worsening crisis, as well as $3.3bn in voter-approved funding to increase housing and drug treatment programs.

“There’s nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets. Local leaders asked for resources – we delivered the largest state investment in history. They asked for legal clarity – the courts delivered,” Newsom said in a statement.

“Now, we’re giving them a model they can put to work immediately, with urgency and with humanity, to resolve encampments and connect people to shelter, housing, and care. The time for inaction is over. There are no more excuses.”

California has the largest population of unsheltered people in the US with more than 180,000 people in the state experiencing homelessness, including 123,000 people living outside, according to a 2023 count. The state – and local governments across California – have begun enacting harsher anti-camping policies following a US supreme court’s ruling last year that cities can criminalize unhoused people for sleeping outside – even if there are no available shelter spaces.

Josh Hawley warns against Medicaid cuts and says Republicans are in ‘identity crisis’

Josh Hawley, the influential US senator from Missouri, has warned that his Republican party is suffering from an “identity crisis” over whether it stands for working Americans or rich corporate executives, signaling a worsening split among Donald Trump’s congressional troops over the president’s plans for deep Medicaid cuts.

In an opinion piece in the New York Times published on Monday, Hawley warned his fellow Republicans it would be “politically suicidal” to concede to huge cuts in the federal program that provides health insurance to more than 70 million low-income Americans. He derided what he called the “Wall Street wing” of his own party that he said favoured corporate giveaways at the price of “slashing health insurance for the working poor”.

Hawley’s pointed attack on his Republican colleagues highlights the intensifying clash within his party over how to deliver Trump’s desire to extend his 2017 tax cuts. To pay for the extension, the House energy and commerce committee has been charged with finding $880bn in federal spending cuts over a decade – much of which is likely to come from Medicaid.

Late on Sunday, the committee released its latest iteration of its proposals. The plan would strip almost 9 million low-income Americans of their health insurance mainly by trimming Medicaid, according to the Congressional Budget Office. ...

In his Times op-ed, Hawley expresses his opposition to deep Medicaid cuts in existential terms. He suggests that the Republican party under Trump is facing a blunt choice – does it represent the majority of working Americans? Or, using a term referring to the top executives at companies, will it become a permanent minority party “speaking only for the C-suite”?

Episcopal church says it won’t help resettle white South Africans granted refugee status

The Episcopal church’s migration service is refusing a directive from the federal government to help resettle white South Africans granted refugee status, citing the church’s longstanding “commitment to racial justice and reconciliation”.

Presiding bishop Sean Rowe announced the step on Monday, shortly before 59 South Africans arrived at Dulles international airport outside Washington DC on a private charter plane and were greeted by a government delegation. Episcopal Migration Ministries instead will halt its decades-long partnership with the government, Rowe said.

Donald Trump opened a fast-tracked refugee status to white South Africans, accusing their government of discrimination, even as his administration abruptly shut down the overall US refugee program. The South Africans jumped ahead of thousands of would-be refugees overseas who had been undergoing years of vetting and processing. ...

“In light of our church’s steadfast commitment to racial justice and reconciliation and our historic ties with the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, we are not able to take this step,” Rowe said. “Accordingly, we have determined that, by the end of the federal fiscal year, we will conclude our refugee resettlement grant agreements with the US federal government.” ...

“It has been painful to watch one group of refugees, selected in a highly unusual manner, receive preferential treatment over many others who have been waiting in refugee camps or dangerous conditions for years,” Rowe said. “I am saddened and ashamed that many of the refugees who are being denied entrance to the United States are brave people who worked alongside our military in Iraq and Afghanistan and now face danger at home because of their service to our country.” He also said many refugees, including Christians, are victims of religious persecution and are now denied entry.

Climate crisis threatens the banana, the world’s most popular fruit

The climate crisis is threatening the future of the world’s most popular fruit, as almost two-thirds of banana-growing areas in Latin America and the Caribbean may no longer be suitable for growing the fruit by 2080, new research has found.

Rising temperatures, extreme weather and climate-related pests are pummeling banana-growing countries such as Guatemala, Costa Rica and Colombia, reducing yields and devastating rural communities across the region, according to Christian Aid’s new report, Going Bananas: How Climate Change Threatens the World’s Favourite Fruit.

Bananas are the world’s most consumed fruit – and the fourth most important food crop globally, after wheat, rice and maize. About 80% of bananas grown globally are for local consumption, and more than 400 million people rely on the fruit for 15% to 27% of their daily calories.

An estimated 80% of banana exports which supply supermarkets around the world come from Latin America and the Caribbean – one of the most vulnerable regions to extreme weather and slow-onset climate disasters.

And yet the crop is under threat from the human-made climate crisis, and threatens a vital food source and the livelihoods of communities that have contributed virtually nothing to the greenhouse gases driving global heating.

‘A horror movie’: sharks and octopuses among 200 species killed by toxic algae off South Australia

More than 200 marine species, including deepwater sharks, leafy sea dragons and octopuses, have been killed by a toxic algal bloom that has been affecting South Australia’s coastline since March.

Nearly half (47%) of the dead species were ray-finned fish and a quarter (26%) were sharks and rays, according to OzFish analysis of 1,400 citizen scientist reports. Cephalopods – such as squid, cuttlefish and octopuses – accounted for 7%, while decapods – crabs, lobsters and prawns – made up 6% of species reported dead or washed up on beaches.

The OzFish South Australian project manager, Brad Martin, said the harmful bloom – of Karenia mikimotoi algae – was like a toxic blanket that smothered marine life.

“It can suffocate fish from their gills, cause haemorrhaging by attacking their red blood cells, and act as a neurotoxin and attack the fish’s nervous system and brain, causing unusual behaviour,” he said. “This is why some fish and sharks are acting so strangely and why many of the dead have a red tinge – it is like a horror movie for fish.”

According to the state’s environment department, the algal bloom was being driven by an ongoing marine heatwave – with water temperatures 2.5C hotter than usual – as well as relatively calm marine conditions with little wind and small swells. While not toxic to humans, the algae could cause skin irritations and respiratory symptoms, and caused mass mortalities in marine life.

Also of Interest

Here are some articles of interest, some which defied fair-use abstraction.

Medhurst Case: Test of a Turning Tide on Gaza

Jonathan Cook: BBC Mystifies Starvation in Gaza

'Children Are Being Starved By Design': All of Gaza Faces Hunger Crisis Due to Israeli Siege

US Replaces B-2 Bombers at Diego Garcia Base With B-52s

An Immediate Peace Is The Best One Ukraine Can Ever Get

“Art of the Cave”: Trump Walks Back China Tariffs For 90 Days

Leftwing pundit Hasan Piker says US border agents stopped and questioned him on Trump and Gaza

Sanders, Democrats Call Trump's Bluff on Drug Price Executive Order

Americans putting life on hold amid economic anxiety under Trump, poll shows

Inside the world’s largest archeology museum - the Grand Egyptian Museum in pictures

Hasan Piker INTERROGATED At Airport Over Israel Criticism

Pharma Stocks SOAR After Trump FAKE PRICE CRACKDOWN

A Little Night Music

Roy Lee Johnson - Boogaloo No 3

Roy Lee Johnson - Mister Moonlight

Roy Lee Johnson - Busybody

Roy Lee Johnson - Plowing Playboy

Roy Lee Johnson - Take Me Back And Try Me

Roy Lee Johnson - Guitar Man

Roy Lee Johnson - Nobody Does Something For Nothing

Roy Lee Johnson – When A Guitar Plays The Blues

Roy Lee Johnson - Black Pepper Make You Sneeze