Thursday, July 10, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Swedish PM: Israel’s attacks must be investigated

The escalation in the Middle East

Published 4 January 2025
– By Editorial Staff
2 minute read

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) is waiting to take a position on whether Sweden considers Israel’s reported hospital attacks to be compatible with international law, but emphasizes the importance of protecting civilians.

According to a report by the UN human rights body OHCHR, published in December 2024, Israel has carried out 136 attacks against 27 hospitals and 12 other health facilities in Gaza since October 2023. In several of these attacks, patients and health workers have been killed, and mass graves have been found with bodies showing clear signs of belonging to health care seekers.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson expressed serious concern about the situation in Gaza but avoided taking a position on whether Israel’s attacks on hospitals in the area are compatible with international law.

– We maintain our demands for both humanitarian access and the need for incredible caution where there are many civilians, Kristersson told TT.

The Israeli government claims that the hospitals are being used as terrorist hideouts, but the UN describes the evidence presented for this as vague. The Swedish government also states that it has not seen sufficient evidence to determine whether the attacks can be justified as proportionate under international law.

– I have not seen any evidence. Nor for the opposite, I should say, but these are things that will be examined very, very carefully, says Kristersson.

He also notes that a “united EU” criticizes Israel for lack of consideration for civilians, also taking into account the complicated situation in the densely populated Gaza.

– Nevertheless, the belligerent has a responsibility to protect civilians. Israel is constantly criticized for this, even by a united EU.

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Israel’s latest attack: Ground troops in Lebanon

The escalation in the Middle East

Published today 14:44
– By Editorial Staff
2 minute read

Israel has conducted almost daily attacks against targets in southern Lebanon and also against the capital Beirut since the ceasefire was concluded in November 2024 between Israel and Hezbollah. During the night, they have also deployed ground troops in the neighboring country.

As recently as Tuesday, Israel fired on a vehicle in the Lebanese city of Tripoli in an attack that killed three people and injured 13 according to Lebanon’s health ministry. According to Israel, a Hamas officer was killed in the attack.

During last night, Israel also deployed ground troops in the neighboring country in what is described as a “special operation”. The Israeli military IDF communicates this in a press release and a statement on Telegram as reported by, among others, the Qatari channel Al-Jazeera. They also show a video of soldiers in the operation.

 

 

Despite the agreed ceasefire, Israel has justified continued attacks in Lebanon by claiming that the paramilitary Shia Muslim political party Hezbollah, which is part of the country’s complex coalition government together with Christian, Druze and socialist politicians, continues to pose a threat and that the Lebanese state has not fulfilled its commitments under the agreement.

Lebanon has for its part condemned the attacks as flagrant violations of the ceasefire and has also requested help from the UN Security Council to get Israel to cease the attacks. Lebanese President Nawaf Salam has repeatedly also addressed the US and Israel directly to get the Netanyahu government to refrain from further attacks.

Iran’s president: “We have never wanted nuclear weapons”

The escalation in the Middle East

Published 7 July 2025
– By Editorial Staff
4 minute read

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian denies that the country is developing nuclear weapons and claims that Israel has tried to kill him, in a new interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson. The 70-year-old heart surgeon who leads the country says he is ready to resume diplomacy with the US, but accuses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of having destroyed the peace process.

The interview, which was published on Tucker Carlson’s X channel, was conducted through an interpreter following recent weeks of escalation between the US and Iran. Carlson explains the reason for the interview by saying that American citizens have the right to all information that affects them, especially when their country is involved in conflicts.

We did this interview because we were at war with Iran 10 days ago and maybe will be again, Carlson explains in his introduction. He emphasizes that the goal is not to reach “absolute truth” but to — contribute to the knowledge base from which Americans can form their own opinion.

Denies nuclear weapons ambitions

President Pezeshkian categorically denies that Iran is developing nuclear weapons and refers to religious prescriptions that prohibit this.

The truth is that we have never sought to develop a nuclear bomb, not before, not now, or in the future, because this is wrong and goes against the religious decree or fatwa that has been issued by his excellency, the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, says Pezeshkian.

He accuses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of having created “this false mentality that Iran is seeking a nuclear bomb” since 1984 and of having instilled this perception in every American president since then.

Criticizes IAEA after bombings

Regarding the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Pezeshkian explains that Iran was “somewhat pessimistically inclined” because they realized that Israel could obtain information from IAEA inspections. Despite this, Iran allowed full access for monitoring.

As a result of the US’s illegal attacks on our nuclear centers and installations, much of the equipment and facilities there have been seriously damaged. Therefore, we have no access to them. We cannot see, and if this access does not come back again, we must wait, says the president.

Claims Israel tried to kill him

When asked if Israel has tried to kill him, Pezeshkian responds affirmatively:

They tried, yes. And they acted accordingly, but they failed. As a true believer, I believe that it is in God the Almighty’s hands to decide when a person should die or not die.

He describes how he was at a meeting when Israel tried to bomb the area, but explains that he is not afraid to sacrifice his life for his country:

I am willing to give my life, to bleed for it. No one here, I mean, none of the government officials are afraid to lose their lives in the line of defense.

“Death to America” – explains the meaning

Regarding the expression “death to America” heard from Iranians, Pezeshkian explains that this is misunderstood:

When they say death to the US, it doesn’t mean death to – they don’t mean death to the people of the US or even to the officials of the US – they mean death to crime, death to killing and bloodshed, death to supporting the killing of others, death to insecurity and instability, he says.

The president emphasizes that Iran has never invaded another country in 200 years and asks rhetorically:

Have you ever heard of an Iranian killing an American? Have you ever heard that? Or a terrorist who was Iranian and he carried out a terrorist attack against Americans?

Ready for new negotiations – with conditions

Pezeshkian expresses that Iran is open to resuming negotiations with the US, but sets conditions following recent attacks:

We see no problems with resuming negotiations. But before that, I must remind you that due to the atrocities committed by the Zionist regime, by Israel, not only against my country but throughout the region, we now face a crisis.

He describes how Iranian commanders were killed when they were off duty at home with their families, which he claims are war crimes under international law. The president also poses the question of how Iran can trust the US again:

How can we trust the US again? We resume negotiations. How can we then know for sure that right in the middle of the talks, the Israeli regime won’t get permission again to attack us?

Economic cooperation possible

Despite tensions, Pezeshkian says there are no restrictions on American investments in Iran from Iran’s side:

His excellency emphasized that there is no limitation and there is nothing preventing American investors from coming to Iran and making investments in Iran even currently, he says, referring to the country’s supreme leader.

He adds that any restrictions are caused by American sanctions, not by Iran.

Sees Trump as key figure

Pezeshkian expresses hope that President Donald Trump can lead the region toward peace:

I believe that the US president can very well lead the region and the world to peace and calm or, on the other hand, lead it to eternal wars, he says.

He urges Trump not to let himself be drawn into “Netanyahu’s war” and describes the Israeli prime minister as someone with “an inhuman agenda” who wants “eternal wars, wars that continue and continue and continue”.

The interview concludes with Pezeshkian’s emphasis that Iran relies on itself:

We have always put our trust in God and on God we rely. And we are capable of defending ourselves and standing on our own feet to defend our country, our territorial integrity to the last drop of our blood.

Trump’s top diplomat compares Syria’s jihadist leader to George Washington

The escalation in the Middle East

Published 2 July 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Ahmed al-Sharaa and America's first president George Washington (1732-1799).
3 minute read

The US government is considering removing Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa – a former jihadist leader within the terrorist group al-Qaeda – from its global terrorist list. Meanwhile, American top diplomats are comparing him to America’s first president George Washington.

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order dismantling major parts of the comprehensive sanctions program against Syria. Simultaneously, he has ordered a review of the terrorist classification of Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the Islamist terrorist leader who now governs the country after Bashar al-Assad’s secular government was overthrown by Islamist groups.

According to the order, which was made public on Monday, broad financial restrictions against Syria are lifted, while targeted sanctions against Assad and his former government remain. HTS – Hayat Tahrir al-Sham – and other militant groups involved in Assad’s fall are not directly affected, but the order opens the door for changes.

Trump instructs Secretary of State Marco Rubio to review both HTS’s status as a foreign terrorist organization and al-Sharaa’s designation as a “specially designated global terrorist”. Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, implemented in 1979, will also be reconsidered.

Historical parallels

The decision comes in the wake of Trump’s notable meeting with Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh in May. The focus then was on Syria’s reconstruction and a possible normalization of relations with Israel. Trump described the new leadership in Damascus as deserving “a chance at greatness”.

To lead contacts with Damascus, Trump has appointed Thomas Barrack as Special Envoy for Syria. Barrack is a former ambassador to Turkey and longtime confidant of the president.

On Monday, Barrack commented to reporters about the “controversy here, of somebody who had been al-Nusrah and had been considered a bad guy who all of a sudden becomes the leader” – and drew a historical parallel between Syria’s political transformation and the early years of U.S. independence.

“And in thinking through it, if you remember, we had a revolutionary war that lasted 14 months.  And we had brutality.  We had the Battles of Concord, the Battle of Lexington.  And from 1776 when we declared independence, it was 12 years until we got a president.  And who was the president?  The president was a general.  Who was the general?  It was George Washington”.

The American Revolutionary War actually lasted over eight years, between 1775 and 1783.

“And in those 12 years, we were defining everything.  We were defining a constitution, we were defining the framework, we were defining a judiciary – trying to figure out where we’re going before we ever had the election”, Barrack continued.

Trump: “Young attractive guy”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has previously warned that Syria has become “a playground for jihadist groups, including ISIS and others”. He also admitted that the new leadership in Damascus “didn’t pass their background check with the FBI”, but emphasized that the US must still support the development to counter greater regional instability.

“The US is taking further actions to support a Syria that is stable, unified, and at peace with itself and its neighbors”, Rubio wrote in a post on X on Monday.

Donald Trump has previously caused some controversy when he described the Syrian Islamist leader and terrorist as a “young, attractive guy, very strong past” and a “fighter”.

The Nordic Times has in several previous articles highlighted al-Sharaa’s/al-Julani’s background as an Islamist terrorist and how, after Assad’s overthrow, he was suddenly being promoted by Western powers as a legitimate political leader.

Israeli settlers attacked their own military base

The escalation in the Middle East

Published 30 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The extreme settler movement advocates for ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and aims to take over the areas where they live.
3 minute read

A large number of extreme Jewish settlers attacked an Israeli military base in the occupied West Bank on Sunday evening. According to the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), vehicles were vandalized, property was set on fire, graffiti was sprayed, and soldiers were attacked.

The attack is described as one of the most serious incidents where settlers have turned against their own country’s security forces. The violence follows several similar attacks targeting Palestinian villages and communities, and growing anger over Israeli authorities arresting several of those responsible.

On Wednesday, over 100 settlers invaded the town of Kfar Malik, set fire to property and opened fire on Palestinians trying to defend their homes, according to Najeb Rostom, head of the local council. Three Palestinians were killed after Israeli military intervention. Five settlers were arrested in connection with the attacks.

– No civilized country can tolerate violent and anarchic acts of burning a military facility, damaging IDF property and attacking security personnel by citizens of the country, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Images in Israeli media show young, religious men associated with “hilltop youth”, a militant settler movement long accused of systematically attacking Palestinians and their property. The movement often establishes illegal outposts in the West Bank and has become a symbol of the most violent branch of the settler movement.

“Jewish extremists”

Security forces used stun grenades to disperse the crowd at the military base north of Ramallah, and the military published images of damaged infrastructure, which was reportedly used to prevent attacks and maintain security.

Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (Jewish Power party) – himself previously convicted of racist incitement and supporting terror groups – unusually condemned the attack:

– Attacking security forces, security facilities, and IDF soldiers who are our brothers, our protectors, is a red line, and must be dealt with in full severity. We are brothers, he wrote on X.

Opposition leader and centrist Yair Lapid was much more direct:

– These are Jewish terrorists, gangs of criminals, who feel backed by the (governing) coalition, he said on Israel Army Radio.

Settlers attack West Bank’s last Christian village

Ben-Gvir has long defended settler violence, and his influence has grown under Netanyahu’s leadership. Critics argue this has legitimized increasingly extreme violence – even directed at the country’s own authorities.

Defense Minister Israel Katz promised to crack down on the violence and urged settlers to immediately start respecting their own country’s soldiers.

Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem during the Six-Day War in 1967. Palestinians claim these areas for a future state. Today, about three million Palestinians and 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, but the international community considers the settlements illegal under international law.

Recently, The Nordic Times reported how residents in the last entirely Christian village in the West Bank warned about constant shooting from militant settlers. The newspaper has also highlighted how settlers openly advocate for complete ethnic cleansing in Gaza and consider even Palestinian children to be terrorists.

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