CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

Defeats in the Middle East, One Place at a Time

President Donald Trump hates to lose, but he is on a losing streak in the Middle East—not just in Iran, where his illegal, unprovoked war has been a strategic and diplomatic disaster, but also in Gaza, Lebanon, and the US Congress. Israel’s military is out of control in Gaza and Lebanon. Trump surely doesn’t mind that happening in Gaza, except that his prized Board of Peace is powerless to remake the strip into a showcase of peace and prosperity. In Lebanon, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu don’t see eye to eye on strategy, obstructing Trump’s desperate hope for an agreement with Iran that will take the war out of the public eye. And in the US Congress, Trump has just watched as Republican defectors have given the anti-Iran war members an unprecedented victory, putting further pressure on Trump to find an exit.

Humanitarian Disaster in Gaza

Netanyahu has ordered the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to seize control of 70 percent of the Gaza Strip, in violation of the US-brokered cease-fire agreement of last October that had already given Israel 53% control up to the demarcation line. With Hamas refusing to disarm, Netanyahu said in a televised broadcast: “We are currently squeezing Hamas. We now control 60% of the territory in the strip. You know, we were at 50, we moved to 60. My directive is to move to … 70%.” CNN reports that “Throughout the eight months of the ceasefire, Israeli forces have continued to open fire on Palestinians within range of the........

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