Sunday, May 24, 2026

PAS wants to pave way for Hamzah to join PN, says analyst





PAS wants to pave way for Hamzah to join PN, says analyst


6 hours ago
Anne Muhammad


Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri says this is why the party is reassessing its ties with Bersatu


PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang has not ruled out his party contesting the next general election without Bersatu, as tensions between the two PN allies worsen.


PETALING JAYA: An analyst believes that PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s statement that his party is reassessing its relations with Bersatu is to pave the way for Hamzah Zainudin and his supporters to be admitted into Perikatan Nasional (PN).

Hadi did not rule out the possibility of PAS contesting the next general election (GE16) without Bersatu following what he termed as a series of “unsatisfactory” moves by the party, including how it blocked efforts to bring more Malay-Muslim parties into PN.

Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri of Global Asia Consulting said PAS likely believes that Hamzah would strengthen PN’s grassroots support, given his experience as a political strategist and in federal administration.

Not many Bersatu leaders can boast of having the same credentials, he said.


Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri.


“Hadi’s criticism is not a normal reprimand. It is apparent that he does not like the idea of Bersatu trying to control who joins PN.

“He wants to open the door for Hamzah’s bloc, who are perceived as having greater political strategy prowess, to be admitted into PN,” he told FMT.

Hamzah, the former opposition leader and Bersatu deputy president, was sacked by the party in February at the height of a leadership tussle with party president Muhyiddin Yassin.

Several leaders aligned with him have also either been sacked, suspended, or issued with warnings.

A number of parties have applied to join PN, including Mukhriz Mahathir’s Pejuang, Ibrahim Ali’s Putra, and Berjasa, which, according to rumours, will soon be taken over by Hamzah.

The PN Supreme Council meeting last weekend had been expected to admit new members, but the coalition later said it agreed to only form electoral pacts with external parties rather than add new components.

Berita Harian reported that Bersatu’s representatives on the council protested against admitting new members for fear that Hamzah might join one of the parties seeking membership.


‘Dissatisfaction and frustration growing’

Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said PAS has long harboured dissatisfaction and frustration with Bersatu, but Hadi’s latest statement shows that the issues are worsening.


Azmi Hassan.


He said the bigger problem is not Bersatu’s opposition to admitting new members in PN, but how its internal crisis is chipping away at voter confidence in the coalition.

“That is what PAS is really concerned about, because Bersatu’s issues also negatively affect PAS,” he said.

Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia does not dismiss the possibility of a new opposition front, with Hamzah and his allies replacing Bersatu as PAS’s main partner.


Mazlan Ali


“There has been a lot of tension and it’s reaching boiling point because of Bersatu’s opposition towards Hamzah, who has done so much for PN,” he said, citing Hamzah’s previous posts of opposition leader as well as PN deputy chairman and secretary-general.

Separately, Syaza Shukri of International Islamic University Malaysia said PAS has come to realise that it has been receiving the short end of the stick in partnering with Bersatu.


Syaza Shukri


She said PAS is being pragmatic and wants to keep its options for political alliances open, including with Umno.

“Bersatu, on the other hand, remains overconfident that the names sticking by Muhyiddin are enough to make the party a kingmaker, but their political calculations are off,” she said.

Another teacher probed for sexual misconduct, this time in Terengganu





Another teacher probed for sexual misconduct, this time in Terengganu


The education ministry’s integrity unit is investigating after allegations involving a teacher in Setiu surfaced on social media


The Terengganu state education department said it will not compromise on any sexual misconduct in educational institutions under its purview.


PETALING JAYA: A teacher at a school in Setiu, Terengganu, has been transferred to a district education office while authorities investigate allegations of sexual misconduct that recently went viral on social media.

The Terengganu education department said in a statement today that the education ministry’s integrity unit is handling the case.

“Members of the public with information on any sexual misconduct cases are urged to channel it to the department.


“The state education department will not compromise on any sexual misconduct reported in educational institutions under its purview,” it said, adding that firm action would be taken against anyone found guilty.

The incident follows a similar case in Johor, where a male teacher accused of sexual misconduct involving a 12-year-old pupil was arrested and remanded for six days after the victim’s mother lodged a police report.

In that case, police are investigating allegations that the teacher touched the child inappropriately for sexual purposes.


***


Could it be true that the 'shock-a-lingam' factor (hiau-ness) is directly proportionate to the intake of budu? 

😂😂😂


Will another third force be one to reckon with?





Will another third force be one to reckon with?


6 hours ago
Yeoh Guan Jin


Like many before it, Bersama has styled itself as an alternative to the big boys, but riding on Rafizi Ramli’s back to electoral success seems a little too ambitious





Until last week few, if any, would have heard of Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama).

The Penang-based party was founded in 2016 by businessman Tan Gin Theam to offer voters an alternative to the big boys, namely Barisan Nasional (BN), Pakatan Harapan (PH) and PAS.


The party contested in only one election — the 2018 polls.

Back then, it fielded candidates in five parliamentary and 20 state constituencies, all of which were in Penang. Tan himself stood in the Bukit Bendera parliamentary constituency and Air Putih state seat.


All Bersama candidates lost their deposits. It chose to skip the 2022 election. Once bitten twice shy perhaps.


Will the entry of Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad make a difference?

A look at the fortunes of other parties that have styled themselves as the “third force” may give us a clue.

For a start, even by their own reckoning, they are third rate at best.


The path to third force status is well-trodden, paved by parties that have little to nothing to show.

From Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) to Muda, the Malaysian political landscape is littered with parties that have sold themselves as alternatives to the ruling coalition or the opposition.

They had hoped to woo voters in the middle ground by adopting a multiracial and multi-religious approach, a change from those grounded on religious ideology, mainly PAS, or ethnic interests, like Umno for the Malays, MCA for the Chinese and MIC for the Indian community.


PSM, which was formed in 1998 but only registered 10 years later, won a parliamentary seat through Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj in Sungai Siput and a state seat through Nasir Hashim in Kota Damansara in the 2008 polls.


But both contested under the PH banner. The party has never won any election on its own steam.

Muda founding president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and acting president Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz won their Muar parliamentary seat and Puteri Wangsa state seat, respectively, under their own banner. Those seats, it turned out, would be the only electoral success the party had achieved without the help of others.

In 2016, PAS teamed up with Ikatan and Berjasa as yet another “third force” but never made any headway at the ballot box.

Even Pejuang, with two-time prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad behind it, failed to impress. Mahathir himself also lost his deposit when he contested in the polls under his party’s banner.

Will Bersama be any different? Going by the records, unlikely.

Some may argue that the party could ride on Rafizi’s “star power” to capture the voters’ imagination. His willingness to take on the powers-that-be has won him some plaudits, too.

On the other hand, his performance as economy minister and constant attacks on PKR, even while he was still in the party, have left many harbouring doubts about his abilities and intentions.

Many would even argue that his “star power” is more perceived than real.

Even Rafizi himself seems more defeated than upbeat. At the ceremony to announce his and Nik Nazmi’s entry into the party, he himself said Bersama may not win elections for now.

And when Nurul Izzah Anwar announced her decision to take him on for the PKR deputy president’s post, he asked his supporters to vote for her, on the excuse that her defeat would embarrass her father.

He probably knew then that he would lose.

In a landscape where parties styled as the third force have yet to make inroads, will Rafizi’s presence help Bersama rewrite the script?

It is hard to say, but chances are many will put their money on the party emerging third in a three-way fight.

Trump says Iran deal ‘largely negotiated’, dispute over strait reopening





Trump says Iran deal ‘largely negotiated’, dispute over strait reopening



Trump posted on social media that the emerging agreement would reopen the strait, the vital shipping passage whose closure upended global ‌energy markets after the conflict started in February when the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran. — Reuters pic

Sunday, 24 May 2026 10:23 AM MYT


WASHINGTON, May 24 — A “largely negotiated” memorandum of understanding on an Iran peace deal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, US President Donald Trump said yesterday, although the Iranian Fars news agency disputed that claim.


Trump posted on social media that the emerging agreement would reopen the strait, the vital shipping passage whose closure upended global ‌energy markets after the conflict started in February when the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran. He did not say what else would be included in an agreement.


“Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

But Fars reported early today that the agreement would allow Iran to manage the Strait of Hormuz and that Trump’s assertion on the strait was “inconsistent with reality.”😂😂😂


Iran had said yesterday that it was working toward a memorandum of understanding on ending the war after its top officials met with Asim Munir, the army chief of Pakistan.


The Pakistani army said the negotiations had resulted in “encouraging” progress. Two Pakistani sources involved in the talks said the deal being negotiated is “fairly comprehensive to terminate the war.”

A post on the X account of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised Trump for his “extraordinary efforts to pursue peace.”


Sources have told Reuters the proposed framework would unfold in three stages: formally ending the war, resolving the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz and launching ‌a 30-day window for negotiations on a broader agreement, which can be extended.

One of the Pakistani sources said that if the US accepts the memorandum, ⁠further talks could take place after the Eid holiday ends on Friday.

Trump speaks ⁠with Middle East leaders

The US president, whose approval ratings have been hit by the war’s impact on ⁠energy prices for US consumers, said on ⁠Friday he would not attend his son’s ⁠wedding this weekend, citing Iran among the reasons he planned to stay in Washington.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had a phone call yesterday with leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan. Axios reported that the leaders encouraged Trump to agree to the ⁠emerging framework.

A separate call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went “very well,” Trump wrote.

Pakistan has aimed to narrow differences between Iran and the US after weeks of war have left the vital Hormuz waterway closed to most shipping despite a nervous ceasefire.

Trump has repeatedly said that the US struck Iran to prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons. Iran has denied it is pursuing nuclear weapons and says it has a right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes.

“The trend this week has been towards a reduction in disputes, but there are still issues that need to be discussed through mediators. We will have ⁠to wait and see where the situation ends in the next three or four days,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei.

Iran has demanded supervision of the strait, an end to the US blockade on its ports and the lifting of sanctions on Iranian ⁠oil sales.

Baghaei said the issue of the US blockade on Iran’s shipping was important, but that its priority was ending the threat of new US attacks and ⁠the ongoing conflict ⁠in Lebanon, where Iran-allied Hezbollah militants are fighting Israeli troops who have moved into the south.

Pakistan’s army chief Munir left Tehran yesterday after talks with Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.

Qalibaf said Iran’s armed forces had rebuilt their capabilities during the ceasefire and that, if the US “foolishly restarts the war,” the consequences ‌would be “more forceful and bitter” than at the start of the conflict.

Despite weeks of conflict, Iran has preserved its stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium as well as missile, drone and proxy capabilities. — Reuters

Guan Eng urges Anwar to reverse 50pc Bumiputera equity rule for GLC, GLIC property acquisitions above RM20m






Guan Eng urges Anwar to reverse 50pc Bumiputera equity rule for GLC, GLIC property acquisitions above RM20m



Lim Guan Eng urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to reverse a new rule requiring buyers of GLC and GLIC properties worth RM20 million and above to have at least 50 per cent Bumiputera equity, saying it should return to the previous 30 per cent threshold. — Bernama pic

Sunday, 24 May 2026 10:13 AM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 — DAP veteran Lim Guan Eng today urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to roll back a new requirement for buyers of GLC and GLIC properties worth RM20 million and above to have at least 50 per cent Bumiputera equity.

In a press statement, Lim said the updated Ministry of Economy Properties Acquisition Guidelines (PAG), which came into effect on November 18 last year, should revert to the previous 30 per cent threshold.

“The increase in bumi equity ownership [requirement] from 30 per cent to 50 per cent by the current government has not only caused disillusionment amongst the PH base supporters but also raises concerns that this government may do the same for other policy instruments and administrative arrangements,” he said.

The Ministry of Economy reportedly said in March that the condition was intended to ensure that disposals of strategic assets by GLCs and GLICs were aligned with national socioeconomic objectives and the Bumiputera agenda.

Lim said the increase was “disappointing and contrary to PH’s approach of maintaining the status quo”, saying Pakatan Harapan’s position was to preserve the existing framework while providing equal opportunities for all Malaysians.

He said the issue was significant because the guidelines also apply to GLICs such as the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), which he described as “the premier statutory retirement fund of all Malaysians, from both bumi and non-bumi”.

Lim contrasted the issue with tycoon Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary’s recent acquisition of a 30.1 per cent stake in Eco World Development Group Bhd, saying Malaysian Chinese had accepted the transaction as a commercial deal between private parties.

Syed Mokhtar acquired the stake in EcoWorld last week from former deputy chairman Datuk Leong Kok Wah through a private vehicle, making him a substantial shareholder in the developer.

The transaction details were not disclosed, but the stakes in EcoWorld and EWI Capital Bhd were estimated to be worth more than RM2 billion combined based on May 15 closing prices.


***


Wait - shortly (perhaps almost immediately) there will be tsunami's of protests and outrage against Guanee for his (alleged) "anti-Malay" intentions, wakakaka.



Gunman killed by US Secret Service after opening fire near White House





Gunman killed by US Secret Service after opening fire near White House



Members of the National Guard stand near the White House after a gunman opened fire in Washington, DC, on May 23, 2026. — AFP pic

Sunday, 24 May 2026 9:41 AM MYT


WASHINGTON, May 24 — A gunman opened fire near the White House yesterday evening, with US Secret Service agents killing the assailant in a shoot-out during which a bystander was also struck, authorities said.

President Donald Trump was in the White House at the time -- on a day when he working to negotiate a deal with Iran -- but was not impacted by the incident, Secret Service communications chief Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.


The confrontation took place just after 6 pm (2200 GMT) when a man near the White House security perimeter "pulled a weapon from his bag and began firing."

"Secret Service Police returned fire striking the suspect who was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced deceased. During the shooting one bystander was also struck by gunfire," Guglielmi said, without giving details on the bystander's condition.


No Secret Service officers were hurt.


Police and security forces swarmed the scene, cordoning off access as National Guard troops blocked an AFP reporter from entering the area in downtown Washington.

"We heard probably 20 to 25 what sounded like fireworks, but they're gunshots, and then everyone started running," Canadian tourist Reid Adrian told AFP.


Journalists who were on the White House North Lawn at the time said they were ordered to run and shelter in the press briefing room.

ABC News correspondent Selina Wang had been recording a video for social media when the gunfire broke out, capturing the sounds of the shots as she dove to the ground.

"It sounded like dozens of gunshots," she said on X.


Trump assassination attempts

Trump, 79, has been the target of three alleged assassination attempts, the most recent of which took place on April 25 when an armed man stormed a security checkpoint in a hotel where Trump was attending a media gala.

The man never got close to Trump or the other guests attending the event.

In July 2024, Trump was targeted during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A gunman killed an audience member and lightly wounding the then-candidate in the ear.

A few months later, another armed man was arrested on a West Palm Beach golf course where Trump was playing a round.

"Thank God President Trump is safe," House Republicans said on X after the Saturday evening shooting.

"Endless gratitude to the Secret Service for their immediate, heroic response. Political violence has to stop."

Trump has cited security concerns as one of his reasons for building a ballroom at the White House, tearing down the East Wing after taking office again last year.

The US$400 million (RM1.6 billion) project currently under construction will feature, according to the New York real estate magnate, six floors below the highly secure "drone-proof" ballroom, including an underground military hospital. — AFP



***

Just a normal day in wankeeland



No restrictions yet on non‑Islamic houses of worship in commercial areas, says Selangor exco





No restrictions yet on non‑Islamic houses of worship in commercial areas, says Selangor exco



The Selangor State Government has not enforced nor implemented planning guidelines that bar non-Islamic houses of worship from being built in commercial areas, said State Executive Councillor for Investment, Trade and Mobility Ng Sze Han. — Picture by Hari Anggara

Sunday, 24 May 2026 9:54 AM MYT


SHAH ALAM, May 24 — The Selangor State Government has not enforced nor implemented planning guidelines that bar non-Islamic houses of worship from being built in commercial areas, said State Executive Councillor (Exco) for Investment, Trade and Mobility Ng Sze Han.

Ng, who is also the state Special Committee For Non-Islamic Affairs (LIMAS) Co-Chairman, said the review of said guidelines will be carried out by the state government in consultation with religious associations, with a meeting on the matter to be arranged early next month.

“The state government is dedicated to resolving this administrative and technical alignment through constructive dialogue, ensuring that Selangor remains a progressive, fair, and inclusive state for all,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Ng also said no enforcement action will take place while the review is ongoing.

The clarifications were made to address recent concerns regarding PLANMalaysia Selangor’s guidelines on non-Muslim places of worship, specifically concerning the approval of future applications for non-Muslim places of worship in commercial shoplots. — Bernama


***


I hope Ng Sze Han doesn't get frigg-ed like TP, Ronnie Liu and Wong Siew Ki




Saturday, May 23, 2026

Bersatu's conduct weakening PN, Tuan Ibrahim says










Bersatu's conduct weakening PN, Tuan Ibrahim says


Published: May 23, 2026 11:30 AM
Updated: 1:48 PM



Trailing PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s recent salvo against Bersatu, his deputy president, Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, also did not mince his words in his assessment of the actions of Perikatan Nasional component.

The New Straits Times reported him saying that Bersatu's actions appear to be weakening the opposition pact, resulting in purported disruptions in state administrations.

"Political cooperation must be built on trust and solidarity. Efforts should be made to strengthen them, not otherwise," Tuan Ibrahim (above), who is also PN's deputy chairperson, was reported saying.

He pointed to Bersatu's withdrawal of support for its allies in Perlis, its retraction of statutory declarations in Negeri Sembilan, as well as the sacking and suspension of state councillors and deputy speakers in Kelantan and Kedah, lamenting that these incidents do not help the coalition and have disappointed the people.

"I don't want to meddle in Bersatu's disciplinary affairs, but we should be working towards making fewer enemies and more allies," he added.

Tuan Ibrahim also concurred with Hadi's opinion on the need to reevaluate PAS's cooperation with Bersatu, adding that other PAS leaders also shared the same view.

"We do not want history to repeat itself, so we need to be cautious now with Bersatu," he added.


Reinforcing PN’s role

PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden also supported Hadi's remarks.


Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden


In a statement, he said that the current priority is to reinforce PN's role as the strongest check and balance against a government which it claims is increasingly failing to address various public issues, including the rising cost of living, economic pressure, and administrative instability.

He said that the focus of all party leadership and machinery should be collectively directed towards strengthening opposition cooperation and formulating strategies for upcoming political challenges, rather than allowing space for polemics that could weaken public confidence in the coalition.

Yesterday, Hadi stressed that his party remained patient with unilateral actions that he claimed Bersatu had taken.

“We are not disappointed… we are patient, (but) patience has its limits,” he told a press conference in Rusila, Terengganu.

The Marang MP said the unilateral actions include withdrawing support for state governments and perceived failures in maintaining internal party discipline.


Violation of camaraderie

Hadi said the first matter concerned two Negeri Sembilan Bersatu assemblypersons who withdrew their statutory declarations supporting the removal of Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun over the ongoing dispute between the state nobility.

Hadi described the move as a violation of the camaraderie between both parties, adding that PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan has sent a letter to Bersatu concerning the matter.


Abdul Hadi Awang


The second issue involved Bersatu’s actions in Perlis, where the party initiated a coup that led to PAS losing the state government.

“We (PAS) took disciplinary action against our assemblypersons, and Bersatu did nothing,” Hadi lamented, referring to the sacking of three PAS elected representatives who were involved.

“We were still patient then because we wanted to maintain PN unity,” he added.

Apart from that, Hadi said the coordination of the Kedah and Kelantan exco and deputy speakers’ posts was also unsatisfactory.

He said Bersatu had requested to sack and replace former party members from those posts, but PAS disagreed, as they had carried out their duties well.

Furthermore, Hadi said Bersatu blocked the expansion of PN because it disagreed with having more parties join the coalition.


Bersatu to review remarks

In a statement soon after, Bersatu said it would review Hadi's warning to the party.


Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz


Bersatu information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz said the party views the remarks seriously, adding that Bersatu will discuss them at its political bureau and supreme council meetings.

"Bersatu is of the view that every matter raised should be examined thoroughly in the spirit of comradeship, mutual understanding and shared responsibility to strengthen PN unity.

"Accordingly, Bersatu will study every matter raised and discuss them in depth at meetings of the political bureau and the supreme council in the near future," Faisal said.

After Hadi's and Bersatu's remarks, Takiyuddin later issued a gag order barring its leaders and members from commenting on developments between PAS and other groups, except with special permission from the party.

"All parties are requested to remain calm and leave such matters to the president and party leadership, who will manage it prudently in the near future,” he said.


Albanese joins coalition of nations calling for an end to Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank





Albanese joins coalition of nations calling for an end to Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank


Australia joins the UK, Italy, France, Germany, Canada, Norway, the Netherlands and New Zealand in condemning illegal settlements


Nino Bucci
Sat 23 May 2026 16.03 AEST


The Israeli government is undermining stability in the West Bank as settler violence reaches unprecedented levels, a coalition of western countries says, as its leaders call for an end to construction of Israeli settlements it says breach international law.

In a joint statement issued on Friday, Anthony Albanese and the leaders of the UK, Italy, France, Germany, Canada, Norway, the Netherlands and New Zealand said:

“Over the past few months, the situation in the West Bank has deteriorated significantly. Settler violence is at unprecedented levels.

“The policies and practices of the Israeli government, including a further entrenchment of Israeli control, are undermining stability and prospects for a two-state solution.

“International law is clear: Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal.”

The statement singled out the E1 Israeli settlement project, which would connect occupied territories in East Jerusalem with another Israeli settlement in the West Bank. According to a tender published by the Israel Land Authority in January and first reported by the Guardian, the project would contain 3,401 housing units.Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email

Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who is himself a settler, said when the project was approved in August last year that it would “bury” the idea of a sovereign Palestine.

“Those in the world trying to recognise a Palestinian state will get an answer from us on the ground,” he said at the time.

“Not through documents, not through decisions or declarations, but through facts. Facts of homes, neighbourhoods, roads and Jewish families building their lives.”

Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir were sanctioned last June by the governments of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom for inciting extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights.

In the statement the international leaders, including those of the nations known as the E4, said:

“The E1 settlement development would divide the West Bank in two and mark a serious breach of international law.

“Businesses should not bid for construction tenders for E1 or other settlement developments. They should be aware of legal and reputational consequences of participating in settlement construction including the risk of involving themselves in serious breaches of international law.

“We call on the Government of Israel to end its expansion of settlements and administrative powers, ensure accountability for settler violence and investigate allegations against Israeli forces, respect the Hashemite custodianship over Jerusalem’s Holy Sites and the historic status quo arrangements, and lift financial restrictions on the PA and the Palestinian economy.”


The leaders also spoke out against those who supported such settlements, but did not name any Israeli government figures.

“We strongly oppose those, including members of the Israeli government, who argue for annexation and forcible displacement of the Palestinian population,” the leaders said.

“We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on a negotiated two-state solution in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace and security within secure and recognised borders.”

Chris Bowen, the energy minister, told reporters on Saturday that the statement did not represent a new stance by the Albanese government.

“Look, we’ve been very clear about settlements in the West Bank,” he said.

“This is not a new position for Australia. We’ve joined other countries, sure, that is new, but that is a consistent position that the government has held.”

The Israeli government did not immediately comment on the statement.

In March, a coalition of Australian civil society organisations called for the Albanese government to block the E1 settlement.

Andrew Witheford, the international and crisis campaigner at Amnesty International Australia, said at the time: “We welcome that the Government, along with 20 other countries, last year condemned Israel’s moves to illegally annex the Occupied Palestinian Territory in the West Bank.”

“The time has come to act decisively, before that annexation becomes a brutal reality.”

–with Reuters

Unasked Questions About the War on Iran



Consortium News
Volume 31, Number 138 — Friday, May 22, 2026


Unasked Questions About the War on Iran


The media ignore the evidence as they regurgitate the official narrative that manufactures consent for U.S.-led wars, writes Alison Broinowski



Parts of Tehran under Israeli attack at dawn on Friday, June 13, 2025. (Mehr News Agency/Wikimedia Commons/ CC BY 4.0)


By Alison Broinowski
Declassified Australia



Most of the Western media refuse to join the dots and explain Israel’s decades-long obsession with defanging Tehran.

The war in Iran is what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has planned for four decades. He’s always wanted Israel to extend from Egypt to the Euphrates and in the process have the United States overthrow seven neighbouring countries, the last and latest being Iran.

That was also America’s plot, hatched by the neo-conservative authors at the Project for a New American Century (PNAC) in 2000. The list of targeted countries, confirmed by U.S. General Wesley Clark in 2007, was based on a proposal published in Israel in 1982.

Ambitious as they were, these long-held intentions have now culminated in the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, which seems sudden but was carefully planned, a former British ambassador claims. U.S. President Donald Trump was not “bounced into it” by Israel: it had been in gestation for months, says Craig Murray, Britain’s ambassador to Uzbekistan between 2002 and 2004.


General Wesley Clark on how he was told the US🇺🇸 was planning to take out 7 countries in 5 years after 9/11. The US' progress on this: -Iraq ✅ -Syria ✅ -Lebanon ✅ -Libya ✅ -Somalia ✅ -Sudan ✅ -Iran ⏳ The Presidents changed but the neocon agenda to establish Greater Israel and Tel Aviv’s hegemony over the Middle East rolled on uninterrupted. Vote red, vote blue, no matter who, US Presidents have openly acted in Israel’s interests since 9/11.
Quote
Going Underground
@GUnderground_TV
Former US🇺🇸 Treasury Official: 9/11 was the US’ new ‘Pearl Harbour’ moment to fight wars in the Middle East to establish GREATER ISRAEL over the last 25 years.’ ‘It was during the George W. Bush administration, that we were hearing about the need to destroy seven countries in x.com/gunderground_t…
0:03 / 3:03

Well in advance, Trump had weapons ordered for fast delivery from Lockheed Martin, naval ships and troops were moved to the Gulf, and C.I.A. and in several cities Mossad agitators reportedly stirred up Iranians already exasperated by their theocratic rulers and by U.S. sanctions.

If Murray is right, Trump and Netanyahu must have been planning this in their frequent meetings before and since the “12-day war” against Iran last year. Or for longer: Trump has reminded the world that as far back as 1987 he wanted the U.S. to take over some of Iran’s oil, and to go to war for it.

But Trump’s shambolic war shows that he regards everything as a “deal,” and while aggrandising himself, he fails to understand that Iranians don’t accept transactionalism about their country, whoever its leader is.

He appears not to remember that under the shah, Iran was on good terms with Israel and the U.S., until the uprising against the Pahlavis in 1979. He doesn’t mention the C.I.A.’s overthrow in 1953 of Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh, who merely wanted to nationalise Iran’s oil.

Instead of understanding Iran and its people, Trump claims to trust his “gut instinct” about the war, and he regularly gets it wrong.

The state of the president’s mental, cognitive and physical health has been raised again lately by his niece Mary Trump, a clinical psychologist. She observes symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease in Trump, and recalls that his father and her grandfather, Fred Trump Sr., died with dementia.

Other specialists detect signs of “malignant narcissism,” and note that the president’s repeated threats, exaggerations and reversals are more likely to be the results of incapacity than of intent.

Still, Trump’s erratic statements keep attention focussed on him, keeping the world guessing and confused, and his narcissistic self on centre stage.

For Trump, as for Netanyahu, the personal is paramount. Both of them face coming elections (Trump has to face the mid-terms in November while Netanyahu has a general election before the end of the year); both want to stay alive and out of jail; and the continuing war further enriches them, their families and friends.


Plans for War



Visitors on the viewing platform on the World Trade Center’s roof, looking north toward Midtown Manhattan in 1984. (TedQuackenbush / Wikimedia Commons/ CC BY-SA 3.0)


Netanyahu’s project ultimately derives from the 1982 Yinon Plan, named after its author, an Israeli diplomat, journalist, and former adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. It advocated for Israel to fragment surrounding Arab states along sectarian and ethnic lines (such as breaking up Syria, Iraq and Lebanon) so that Israel could achieve long-term dominance of the Middle East, essentially the Greater Israel Project. It was published in the Hebrew journal Kivunim (“Directions”) as “A Strategy for Israel in the 1980s.”

Some of those ideas were built on in a 1996 policy paper titled “A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm,” prepared for Netanyahu by American neoconservative strategists. The document argued that Israel should abandon land-for-peace diplomacy and instead pursue a strategy that would weaken or remove hostile regimes in the region, particularly Iraq and Syria. The goal was not mere military victory but a geopolitical restructuring of the Middle East in Israel’s favour.

In 1997 some of the same people involved with that report established the Project for the New American Century think tank, which produced several major reports, especially “Rebuilding America’s Defenses” in the year 2000. It argued for preserving U.S. military preeminence in the Middle East and two other theaters with a “revolution in military affairs” that might be accelerated by a “catastrophic and catalyzing event – like a new Pearl Harbor.”

Just a year later, such an event occurred — 9/11 — leading Congress to quickly pass the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists and the anti-terrorism PATRIOT Act.

Tracking the planning process forward to 2001, a former C.I.A. officer confirms what many conspiracy analysts have suspected for years: that Israel, together with Saudi Arabia, was potentially informed about conspirators in the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11 before they occurred.

John Kiriakou, a former chief of C.I.A. counter-terrorist operations in Pakistan, points to the involvement of the Saudi royal family in Al-Qaeda’s plan. As well, Kiriakou says that Mossad was thick on the ground on the U.S. east coast in 2001 and Israel knew what was to happen, but did nothing to stop it.

Kiriakou points to the furious response to Riyadh by U.S. agencies on learning of the Saudis’ dominant involvement in 9/11.

It produced three sudden deaths in a week in July 2002: Princes Ahmed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz (in hospital after an operation), Sultan bin Faisal bin Turki (in a car accident) and Fahd bin Turki bin Saud al-Kabir (of thirst in the desert). The latter two were both in their mid-20s, while Ahmed was 43.

Seven months later Mushaf Ali Mir, Pakistan’s air marshal, died in a plane crash in clear weather over the unruly North-West Frontier province, along with his wife and closest confidants.

9/11 researchers have found out a lot more about what two U.S. “allies,” Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, knew in advance of 9/11 and did in support of Al-Qaeda.

U.S. lawyer Gerald Posner’s account is based on Al-Qaeda operative Ali Zubaydah’s claims about his capture and interrogation, and his admissions about his work with Saudi and Pakistani officials. From Guantánamo Bay, where he has been held without charge for more than two decades, he told Posner that both Prince Ahmed and Mushaf Ali Mir, Pakistan’s air marshal, “knew that an attack was scheduled for American soil on that day.” Like Israelis, they did nothing to stop it.

The Report of the 9/11 Commission, which some said was “set up to fail,” read more as a call to arms against Al-Qaeda than a forensic criminal report.

The George W. Bush, Obama and Biden administrations prevented the U.S. Congress from accessing 28 pages from the Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities before and after 9/11.

Eventually released by Biden in June 2016, the pages identified Saudi Arabian diplomats, officials, and members of the ruling family as contributors to preparations for the attacks, but not Israelis.

Yet when U.S. President George W. Bush declared “war on terror” in response to 9/11, he realised Netanyahu’s aim for the U.S. to attack Israel’s neighbours. And war, says Israeli journalist Gideon Levy, “is always the first option, not the last one in Israel.”





In New York City’s Ground Zero, Bush pledges on Sept. 14, 2001, days after the attacks, that “the voices calling for justice from across the country will be heard.” Rescue workers chant, “U.S.A, U.S.A.” in response. (Bush Presidential Library/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain)

Heavy insider trading was recorded in New York in advance of Sept. 11, including put options on United Airlines, American Airlines and other related stocks.

A majority of those polled by The New York Times in the five years after the attacks on the Twin Towers and Washington thought the government was lying or was hiding something. Even some staff, investigators, and members of the 9/11 Commission knew that senior military officials and C.I.A. Director George Tenet had lied to them, while others’ evidence was suppressed. But their knowledge was excluded from the final report.


Terrorists, Neo-colonialists, Tyrants & War Criminals

This history reveals the need to be sceptical of Washington’s claims about terrorism from 9/11 to today’s war against Iran. “Terror” is repeatedly used as propaganda to manufacture consent for war and to demonise enemies of the West, while what the U.S. and Israel do is not terrorism.

—Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was a war crime, said NATO and its friends: yet the U.S. coalition’s long wars in Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, Somalia and Syria were not.

—Russia’s annexation of Crimea, its former territory, was an outrageous land grab: Israel’s annexations of Syria’s Golan and the Palestinians’ West Bank territory were not.

—Hamas’ breakout from Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, was terrorism; Israel’s recurrent attacks on Palestinians since 1948 and its ethnic cleansing of Gaza since 2023 were not.

—Hamas and Hezbollah’s retaliation and the Houthis’ attacks are terrorism: Israel’s bombing and occupation of Gaza and southern Lebanon are not.

—Iran’s leaders are murderous tyrants: Israel’s indicted war criminals Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant are not.

—Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran’s IRGC are designated terrorist organisations: the IDF, C.I.A. and Mossad are not.

The U.S. assaults on Venezuela and Iran, to be followed by Cuba, are claimed to be against terrorism or drugs: in fact they are about who controls oil and makes and unmakes governments.

It does not occur to most Americans and Israelis that their own activities are state terror. Instead, they claim a right to defend U.S. hegemony and all Jews’ right to Eretz Israel and greatness as “God’s chosen people.” Palestinians who resist have no such rights and are called subhuman terrorists, and under a new law, Arab Israelis will be executed for terrorism, while Jewish Israelis are not.

In the 1930s and 1940s, the Nazis made similar claims about the superiority of their civilisation to justify the Holocaust. No wonder some now detect a resurgence of fascism in the U.S., Israel, and elsewhere. Others observe the sudden rise of anti-Semitism since October 2023. A growing number expect the U.S. war to fail, leaving Israel to do its worst in Iran and Lebanon.

Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis have been added to Al-Qaeda on the list of designated terrorists. The wars that followed culminate in Iran, labelled by Trump a “terrorist regime.” Candidate Trump took Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s advice to “move fast and break things.” He has done it as president. What ends up broken is now the whole world’s concern.



Dr Alison Broinowski AM is an Australian former diplomat, academic and author. Her books and articles concern Australia’s interactions with the world. She is president of Australians for War Powers Reform.

This article is from Declassified Australia.