Borrell:
Israel's evacuation orders to civilians in Rafah portend the worst: more war and famine. It is unacceptable. Israel must renounce to a ground offensive and implement UNSCR 2728. The EU, with the International Community, can and must act to prevent such scenario.

[RT]

The Emirati Embassy in Israel expresses its sadness and sympathy on the occasion of Holocaust Memorial Day and confirms:

We will not forget the horrors of the past

[A.k]

Al Mayadeen:

"Israel's" ambitions to become the central transportation hub in the Middle East have been thwarted by the ongoing maritime and land blockade aimed at halting the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza.

The "Israel"-centric India Middle East Europe Economic Corridors project (IMEC) seeks to link Asia and Europe through a network of railways and ports traversing India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, "Israel", and Greece. It is encountering a significant challenge to its existence.

The IMEC project suffered a significant setback last week when the UAE entered a Memorandum of Understanding with Turkey, Iraq, and Qatar to support the rival Development Road Project. This initiative proposes alternative railway and highway routes for trade between Asia and Europe via Iraq, aiming to enhance local, regional, and global commerce.

In May 2023, Iraq initiated the Development Road Project, aiming to connect the Grand Faw Port in its oil-rich southern region to Turkey through a network of railways and roads. The project's goal is to elevate Iraq into a pivotal transportation center in the region, with ambitions to reduce travel time between Asia and Europe, presenting a competitive alternative to the Suez Canal.

Just three months after the May 2023 announcement of the Development Road Project, "Israel" introduced the IMEC as a competitor, proposing it as a fresh regional transportation center in partnership with its strategic Gulf ally, the UAE, under the framework of the normalization deals with "Israel".

This initiative was positioned as a linchpin of a "New Middle East" in the context of potential normalization between "Israel" and various Arab Gulf nations, including Saudi Arabia, as per the analysis.

In response to the atrocities in Gaza, Yemen's Ansar Allah enforced a maritime blockade on Israeli vessels in the Red Sea. Simultaneously, protests erupted in Jordan aimed at obstructing land transportation from the Gulf to "Israel". Additionally, the Iraqi Islamic Resistance initiated a partial blockade in the Mediterranean Sea.

The implementation of these blockades has raised concerns among global stakeholders about the feasibility of the IMEC and this skepticism has been fueled by the growing perception of "Israel as a rogue state".

Consequently, nations and investors are increasingly considering the Development Road as a viable alternative to the IMEC. Whether indicative of a strategic shift or merely a precautionary measure, this recent development underscores a form of hedging by various state actors.

Turkey and the UAE, both parties to the Abraham Accords, along with Iraq and Qatar — who are not part of the Accords but maintain strategic ties with the U.S. — are now all collaborating on the Development Road Project.

The analysis concluded by stressing that the Israeli entity is experiencing strategic setbacks despite short-term gains, and, consequently, Arab nations involved in the normalization deals are now reassessing their economic partnerships.

Note how Israel always copies someone else’s idea and Turkey’s and the UAE’s greed can be exploited for good given the current situation.

[RT]

The Ayatollah on his X/Twitter English account:

Today, Palestine needs support. Iran has not and will not wait for others in this case. But if the strong hands of the Muslim nations and govts participate in this endeavor, it will have a much greater impact. This is a duty.

[RT]

The Cradle:

A weapons analysis by the Guardian published on 6 May confirmed the arms used in an Israeli attack on a medical center in southern Lebanon were US-made.

“The Guardian examined the remnants of a 500lb Israeli MPR bomb and a US-manufactured Joint Direction Attack Munition (JDAM) recovered by first responders from the scene of the attack,” the report read, adding that the pictures of shrapnel were verified by Human Rights Watch (HRW) and an independent expert.

Israel attacked the Islamic Medical Association center in the Lebanese village of Al-Habbariyah in late March, leading to the death of seven volunteer paramedics, all aged 18 to 25.

JDAMs, produced by the US Boeing company, are guidance kits that turn the 225–900-kilogram “dumb bombs” that Israel has been using into GPS-guided precision missiles. These are some of Tel Aviv’s most requested munitions from the US.

“Israel’s assurances that it is using US weapons lawfully are not credible. As Israel’s conduct in Gaza and Lebanon continues to violate international law, the Biden administration should immediately suspend arms sales to Israel,” Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher for HRW, said following the rights group’s investigation.

Amnesty International also said that the US should halt its weapons sales to Israel due to the chance that the latter’s use of these munitions is in “violation of international law.”

Highlighting civilian casualties that came as a result of Israel’s use of US-made JDAMs and Small Diameter Bombs (SDB), Amnesty International says Israel is intentionally using these arms to carry out unjust attacks and kill civilians.

The rights group said civilian casualty incidents “underscore the overall pattern of unlawful attacks by Israeli forces and the extremely high risk that US-made weapons and other materials and services provided to the Israeli government are being used in violation of international law.”

As of December, Israel’s use of “dumb bombs” covers roughly half of the munitions dropped on the Gaza Strip, and even when turned “smart” through the use of JDAMs, Israel has targeted residential buildings under the auspices of them being “power targets.”

“The United States government must immediately suspend the transfer of all weapons and other articles to the Israeli government so long as compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law is not demonstrated,” the report continued.

Note: Boeing whistleblowers keep dying like flies, in mysterious circumstances.

[RT]