Kip Hale

Attorney - #atrocitycrimes @accountability; @TRPforJustice; fmr @GtownICJI @UN FFM Libya @ABAICCProject @KRTribunal @ICTYnews

[Kip Hale @kiphale]

Pleased to announce my new position as Director of Legal Affairs for @TRPforJustice! Under leadership of @janinedigi, TRP has done fantastic work. I look forward to working on TRP’s expanding portfolio of programs in several countries & helping enhance its investigative work too.

[Trita Parsi @tparsi]

So @Axios has an explosive report claiming that Trump had a tense call with Netanyahu today and told him: "You’re fucking crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.”

Trump also accused Netanyahu of ingratitude since Trump had helped keep Netanyahu out of jail. At the heart of the matter was Trump’s frustration with Netanyahu not caving to his demands to cease bombing Lebanon, as Israel’s aggression risked jeopardizing Trump’s diplomacy with Iran.

The story has understandably been met with considerable skepticism. After all, there is a long and well-documented pattern of American presidents privately expressing anger and frustration with Israeli prime ministers while publicly standing shoulder-to-shoulder with them and continuing to support their policies.

Take Joe Biden as an example. In late December 2023, Axios reported that Biden’s frustration with Benjamin Netanyahu had become so intense that he abruptly ended a phone call with the Israeli leader, reportedly concluding the exchange with the terse remark: “This conversation is over.” Yet in practice, Biden remained firmly aligned with Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza.

Two months later, NBC News reported that Biden had repeatedly referred to Netanyahu as an “asshole” in private conversations with aides and donors. But even as he vented his exasperation behind closed doors, Biden continued to arm Israel lavishly and shield it from mounting diplomatic and political pressure at the United Nations. The gap between private frustration and public policy could hardly have been more striking.

There are, however, a few important counterexamples—particularly from Trump’s second term—that suggest the Axios story is not entirely implausible. (Indeed, the report would have been far more difficult to believe had Axios claimed that Trump told Netanyahu, “Everybody loves you.”)

Read the full analysis on my Substack: https://t.co/SsS8s0gG6n

[Thomas Massie @RepThomasMassie]

If the provision in the NDAA to integrate/synchronize the U.S. and Israeli militaries (section 224) makes it out of committee, I’ll offer an amendment to strip it from the bill on the floor.

We are a sovereign country.
https://t.co/HwvSXXxKlW

[Zohran Kwame Mamdani @ZohranKMamdani]

“Why argue with an Arsenal fan when you can just wait?” We waited. We won. We are champions of England - and we are just one game away from being crowned champions of Europe. Read my piece on what Arsenal means to me here: https://t.co/J6cg388mRH

[Kip Hale @kiphale]

Netherlands MPs press cabinet over #Israel #ICC intimidation claims https://t.co/ZfJwuVgHxA

[Ed Whelan @EdWhelanEPPC]

Outrageous abuse of power.

[Kenneth Roth @KenRoth]

This is how it feels to be treated by Trump like a terrorist or war criminal (comprehensive financial sanctions) simply for having affirmed as an International Criminal Court judge the wholly valid and justified war-crime charges against Israel’s Netanyahu and Gallant.

[Danny Deraney @DannyDeraney]

Every year, I share this video of French caretakers who take sand from Omaha Beach in Normandy, and scrub them into the letters to give them the gold coloring.

They do this for all 9,386 US soldiers who died.

France also gave us this land as American soil. #MemorialDayWeekend

[Kip Hale @kiphale]

Evidence of intent to commit #atrocitycrimes below is stored and, by the way, it is *Kyiv.

[Dmitry Medvedev @MedvedevRussiaE]

The EU has said it will maintain its diplomatic presence in Kiev unchanged, despite Russia's warnings. Well, apparently they've got diplomats to spare and need to trim the headcount.

[Senator Chris Van Hollen @ChrisVanHollen]

Democrats have provided reflexive & unconditional support to Netanyahu & Israeli governments, even as they undermined the values we claimed to stand for.

It's time to end taxpayer-funded support & condition arms sales to end the occupation & salvage a 2-state solution.

https://t.co/u0670ATFRE

[George Barros @georgewbarros]

We’re calling it: The war in Ukraine has entered a new phase.

@KatStepanenko and I have authored a new special report studying how Ukraine is actively challenging the positional character of the war that has dominated the battlefield since 2023.

Data on Russia’s battlefield performance indicates that the character of the war is shifting in favor of Ukrainian forces – at least for now. Russian forces rates of advances are stagnating while Ukrainian forces are employing novel tactics and operational concepts in efforts to break out of positional warfare. Neither Russia nor Ukraine can conduct operational maneuvers yet, however.

The bottom line is that the war in Ukraine is competitive and far from stalemated. Ukrainian forces are out-innovating Russian forces in both military technologies and in applying these new technologies in effective operational concepts that can help Ukrainian forces break out of positional warfare. Ukraine is employing mechanized equipment in tactical maneuvers in ways that were impossible 12 months ago. Russia’s ability to conduct infiltration missions will likely continue to degrade as Ukraine’s intermediate-range strike campaign pushes Russia’s logistics and forward operating bases further away from the frontlines, reducing resourcing to sustain infantry tasked with infiltration missions. Ukraine may be able to scale these effects if they resourced properly by international partners.

Ukraine’s advantage in intermediate range strikes is notably not permanent, and Russia will very likely eventually develop countermeasures to mitigate Ukraine’s advantages. Ukraine’s international partners thus have a rare and temporary opportunity to help Ukraine exploit favorable battlefield dynamics while Ukraine has the upper hand.

Key Points of the report:

• Russia’s rate of advance is plummeting during the Russian Spring-Summer 2026 offensive.

• Russia is losing more soldiers to make fewer gains, with monthly Russian casualty rates reportedly outpacing monthly recruitment since December 2025.

• Ukraine is starting to regain more ground than it is losing for the first time since 2023.

• Ukraine’ recent counterattacks feature unique characteristics and deviate from key trends that defined the positional character of the war since 2023.

• Ukraine is conducting a pattern of more frequent mechanized counterattacks at the tactical level for the first time since 2023.

• The Ukrainian command’s operational planning is maturing.

• Ukraine’s early 2026 counterattacks in the south were successful likely due to better planning and preparation of the battlefield.

• Ukraine has been conducting a coherent campaign to suppress and destroy Russian air defenses since late 2025, in order to shape the battlefield as part of more sophisticated campaign planning.

• Ukraine significantly intensified its intermediate-range strike campaign against dynamic targets in Spring 2026 in order to degrade Russian logistics at operational depths ahead of planned Ukrainian maneuver.

• Ukrainian forces started actively disrupting Russian railway logistics in occupied Ukraine and Russian western regions in Spring 2026.

• Ukrainian intermediate-range strikes are already achieving notable operational effects, including degrading Russia's ability to use the key Russian highway connecting Russia to occupied Crimea and GLOCs around Donetsk City.

• Ukrainian forces decisively seized the initiative in intermediate-range strikes by fielding new technologies such as the US-made Hornet strike UAV, among other systems.

• Ukrainian forces are achieving temporary tactical drone overmatch in some frontline sectors, which is slowing Russian offensive operations by degrading the effectiveness of Russian shaping operations.

• Ukrainian forces likely achieved tactical drone overmatch in certain frontline sectors after degrading Russia’s drone capabilities in late 2025 to early 2026 - primarily by suppressing drone launch positions and increasingly intercepting Russian tactical UAVs.

• Ukraine’s degradation of Russian forces at operational depth combined with tactical-level drone overmatch likely is creating vulnerabilities in the Russian lines.

• Ukraine’s intermediate-range strike campaign is likely far from its zenith, assuming continued support from Ukraine’s partners, and will likely intensify over 2026 as Ukraine fields new weapons capable of striking Russian’s operational rear.

Link to full report: https://t.co/rCeWbYJNiB

[Yaroslav Trofimov @yarotrof]

Lavrov called Rubio, asking the U.S. to evacuate the American embassy and American citizens from Kyiv because Moscow intends to launch a campaign of systematic strikes on the Ukrainian capital.
Like they haven’t been doing it for more than four years now!

[Kenneth Roth @KenRoth]

For the first time, Israel has convicted Palestinian citizens for chanting slogans. A Haifa court found two men guilty of "indirect incitement to terrorism" after they joined an anti-war protest. Lawyers warn it sets a dangerous precedent. https://t.co/ERTrqJc4je

[Gabriel Martinelli @gabimartinelli]

After almost seven years at this club, it’s hard to put into words what this moment means to me.

I arrived at this club when I was 18 years old. Far from home, barely speaking the language, trying to adapt to a completely new culture, new life and chasing a dream that felt so big at the time.

I didn’t know exactly what the future would hold, but I knew I wanted to give everything for this club.

We didn’t just build a team, we built a family, an identity, and something the fans could believe in again. To see this club back where it belongs is one of the proudest moments of my career.

I want to thank my family, thank everyone at the club, the staff, my teammates, and every person working behind the scenes. Most importantly, thank you to the fans. Your support, patience and love throughout these years never went unnoticed. You stayed with us through the difficult moments, and this title belongs to you as much as anyone.

This club changed my life. I will always be grateful for the privilege of wearing this shirt.

PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS 🏆

[Ahmed Shihab-Eldin @aseisfree]

BREAKING: Trump administration is reinstating sanctions against UN Special Rapporteur @FranceskAlbs, the world's leading investigator of Israeli apartheid & genocide in Palestine.

A three-judge panel on the D.C. Circuit Court just issued an administrative stay, allowing the Justice Department to restart punishing Albanese while the courts deliberate.

Judge Richard Leon had correctly blocked the sanctions, recognizing that Albanese's First Amendment rights are protected because she owns property in the U.S. and her daughter is an American citizen.

But the Justice Department is arguing that foreign nationals abroad have no constitutional rights—a dangerous precedent that would gut free speech protections globally.

The Court of Appeals has scheduled key filings for May 28 and June 2.

This isn't just about Francesca. It's about whether America will uphold free speech or become complicit in Israel's crimes through censorship and intimidation.

[SC Procedure @SCProcedure]

GA RES ES-10/23 accords Palestine delegation members right "to be elected as officers in the plenary and the Main Committees of the General Assembly".
Israeli diplomats served as GA Vice Presidents 5 times: 1961, 2005, 2012, 2017, 2022
In 2016 Amb Danon chaired 6th (Legal) Cttee

[Drop Site @DropSiteNews]

Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and longtime State Dept. official Victoria Nuland debate international relations scholars Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer, co-authors of The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, on whether “Iran is a monster.”

[Tom Nichols @RadioFreeTom]

In other words, the war is over, we're stumbling toward some version of the JCPOA, America is out billions of dollars and lots of weapons that we didn't need to waste, and the United States is now weaker and Iran in a strategically stronger position.
And for what?

[Arsenal @Arsenal]

The famous Arsenal, champions of England.

Shot on Google Pixel 🤳

[Republicans against Trump @RpsAgainstTrump]

Megyn Kelly, who endorsed and campaigned for Trump in the 2024 election:

“I didn’t expect the corruption to be quite as widespread as it has been. The self-dealing, the lining of his and his family’s pockets. It’s shocking… You look across the board at the Trump family, I’ve never seen a family get so rich off the presidency.”

[Roman Sheremeta 🇺🇸🇺🇦 @rshereme]

The U.S. debt has just crossed $39 trillion. Trump alone is responsible for almost 30% of it.

So far, Trump has added roughly $12–13 trillion to the debt across his two terms in office. That is nearly 30% of ALL U.S. national debt accumulated since 1789.

Just think about this: over 250 years, 44 presidents accounted for 70% of the debt. In less than 6 years, Trump alone added 30%. That is about 18 times more than the average U.S. president in history.

He is truly the worst presidents in U.S. history, causing more harm to the country than anyone else. And we will be paying for his actions long after he is gone.