Ricardo Mir dFrancia

Periodista internacional. Corresponal en Washington durante 10 años y otros 6 en Jerusalén. International reporter, covering geopolitics and war. Opinions, mine

[Raul Gallego Abellan @raulgaab]

"Punt de no retorn", de 3Cat, estrena un capítol doble que analitza l'auge de l'extrema i la ultradreta entre els joves europeus https://t.co/hktmhSs3AF

[Tamer Nahed @Tamer_Alnoaizy]

A very dangerous new nightmare we are living in Gaza City, and no one in the world is paying attention to it.

Days ago, the Israeli army installed huge military cranes, each about 30 meters tall, on the eastern areas it controls. These cranes are equipped with machine guns and cameras, and they fire randomly and almost continuously at tents, streets, and exposed neighborhoods.

Gaza City is extremely narrow, only 10 kilometers wide. A single crane at that height is enough to expose the entire city from east to west. Every street, every square, every tent, every house has become completely exposed. There is no place to hide, and not a single moment of safety.

In just the past two days, three people were killed by fire from these cranes. One of them was sitting quietly with his father in a small café, trying to breathe for a few minutes. Hours later, a 5year old girl was killed while playing near her home.

These cranes have turned the entire city into an open field. The latest military technologies are directed at civilians. We have become an open testing ground for their new weapons. The horror is not just in the sound… it is the constant feeling of being an exposed target at all times, where even children cannot run in the street without fear.

[POLITICOEurope @POLITICOEurope]

Almost one in five Israeli-labeled food shipments entering the EU are actually from settlements in the occupied West Bank or from the Golan Heights, according to a new investigation.
https://t.co/UKU42D9b51

[Patricia Marins @pati_marins64]

Saudi Arabia diplomatic Masterstroke

While the UAE is in crisis, Saudi Arabia is masterfully riding the wave with calculated diplomatic skill.

The Emirates’ military alliance with Israel is not welcomed by the Saudis, as I wrote days ago. However, a resumption of war with Iran is also not viewed favorably by Riyadh, and the response is quite simple.

The Saudis were diplomatically skillful in weaving an agreement with the Houthis, transforming what was once a lethal threat into a shield for their facilities and vessels. This includes their ships transiting near the coast of Somalia, which used to be an area of immense risk for Saudi shipping.

On another front, the Saudis reached an agreement with Iran that safeguarded their pipeline to Yanbu. This ensures they can export over 50% of their output via the Red Sea; however, with rising oil prices, the Saudis have offset part of these losses by selling less, the masterstroke of Saudi strategy since the founding of OPEC.

The bet on the US and Israel provides the Emirates with military cover, but Saudi Arabia holds the strategic depth. The trend points toward a rift in the Gulf: a Saudi-led axis favoring regional diplomacy, and an Emirati-led axis betting on external military force. You don't need to be a geopolitical expert to see that Israeli troops in the Emirates will only deepen their isolation from their neighbors.

The Saudis are making a hidden and ambitious bet, that this rapprochement between the Emirates and Israel is temporary and will weaken both internal and external support for the UAE, eventually forcing MBZ to come and beg for Saudi assistance.

Riyadh has fulfilled its agreement to grant land and airspace to the Americans, kept most of its infrastructure intact by negotiating with Iran, struck an excellent deal with the Houthis, and is now betting against the Emirates without firing a single shot.

Full article:
https://t.co/daEqD6FeXw

[Zachary Foster @_ZachFoster]

This is insane

[Pablo Stefanoni @PabloAStefanoni]

Sigue

[Robert A. Pape @ProfessorPape]

Israel is holding talks with the Christian and Sunni leaders of the Lebanese government, talks opposed by Shia leaders. As map of sectarian divisions shows, this is more likely to lead to cleansing the Shia from the south and civil war than peace.

[Carlos E. Cué @carlosecue]

“Somos adversarios en esta sala pero representamos todos a Italia y no aceptaremos ataques o amenazas de extranjeros a nuestra presidenta. Somos un país libre y soberano”. La líder de la oposición italiana por los ataques de Trump a Meloni. ¿Se imaginan algo así en España?

[Angel Villarino @anvillarino]

Trump ha dado una entrevista exclusiva al Corriere della Sera para zurrar a Meloni.

La corresponsal en Nueva York del diario italiano, Viviana Mazza, recibe una llamada. Lo cuenta ella misma en su crónica:

"Incluso antes de darnos tiempo para hacer la primera pregunta, es el presidente de Estados Unidos quien nos la hace a nosotros, preguntándonos por la primera ministra Giorgia Meloni".

Pregunta Trump: "¿Les gusta a los italianos que su presidenta no nos esté dando ninguna ayuda para conseguir el petróleo? ¿Le gusta a la gente? No puedo imaginármelo. Estoy sorprendido con ella. Pensaba que era valiente, me equivocaba".

Y luego sigue así la conversación:

Corriere: ¿Le ha hablado de esto?
Trump: No. Simplemente dice que Italia no quiere involucrarse. Aunque Italia obtiene su petróleo de allí, aunque Estados Unidos es muy importante para Italia. Ella no cree que Italia deba involucrarse. Cree que Estados Unidos debería hacer el trabajo por ella.

Corriere: Sobre el Papa, Giorgia Meloni ha dicho que es inaceptable lo que usted ha dicho.
Trump: La inaceptable es ella, porque no le importa si Irán tiene un arma nuclear y haría saltar por los aires Italia en dos minutos si tuviera la posibilidad.

Corriere: ¿Pero han hablado de estas cosas? ¿No han hablado ni una sola vez en este mes?
Trump: No, no (hemos hablado) desde hace mucho tiempo.

Corriere: ¿Por qué?
Trump: Porque no quiere ayudarnos con la OTAN, no quiere ayudarnos a deshacernos del arma nuclear. Es alguien muy diferente de lo que pensaba".

[Antonello Guerrera @antoguerrera]

The only regime change the Trump administration has achieved so far.

[León Krauze @LeonKrauze]

El nuevo líder húngaro Magyar abre así su primera conferencia de prensa:
“Antes, las conferencias de prensa funcionaban de tal manera que los medios de propaganda hacían preguntas que les eran escritas por el gobierno… Ahora vamos a ceder la palabra a aquellos medios húngaros que todavía son independientes”.

[Robert A. Pape @ProfessorPape]

Within 10 days, parts of the global economy will start running short of critical goods
After 30 years studying economic sanctions and blockades, I don’t say this lightly:
--Not just higher prices
--Shortages.
Markets are not ready for this

[Argemino Barro @Argemino]

JD Vance, en Budapest:

"¿Os alzaréis contra los burócratas de Bruselas? ¿Defenderéis la civilización occidental? ¿Defenderéis la libertad, la verdad y al Dios de nuestros padres? Entonces, amigos míos, ¡acudid a las urnas y defended a Viktor Orbán!":

[Ben Rhodes @brhodes]

In the best case scenario, Trump struck a deal to reopen a Strait that was open before the pointless war he started, with the IRGC demonstrating its control over the Strait and potentially extracting fees plus sanctions relief. Thousands of innocents - including hundreds of children - dead in Lebanon and Iran for no reason. U.S. troops killed and wounded. U.S. embassies and bases in the Middle East badly damaged. U.S. standing in the world obliterated. U.S. munitions badly depleted. Hundreds of billions spent. Prices up everywhere. More global economic fallout to come. Putin strengthened and enriched. Just a catastrophic situation even in the best of circumstances. A profoundly shameful episode in American history no matter what happens next.

[William Dalrymple @DalrympleWill]

A two thousand year conflict? What on earth is he talking about? The historical ignorance of these people makes me so angry

[Ihab Hassan @IhabHassane]

INSANE: CCTV footage shows hundreds of Israeli settlers storming the village of Jalud in the West Bank before launching their pogrom, attacking Palestinian homes and setting them on fire in an attempt to burn people alive.

[Alan MacLeod @AlanRMacLeod]

Has anyone ever been proven so catastrophically wrong so quickly?

[Roman Sheremeta 🇺🇸🇺🇦 @rshereme]

A typical night for millions of Ukrainian children because the russian army came to “liberate” them.