From Hubris to Humiliation: Israel is Shocked Beyond Belief!!

All right, hello everybody and welcome to Geopolitical Trends. So excited to be with you today. Uh, we got a very complicated, sensitive, uh, topic I'm going to be addressing today. And the reason I wanted to address this, not only my familiarity with it, in addition to my publications— I wrote extensively about the Arab-Israeli conflict throughout the years for a while. So, uh, one, one part in, in one of my books, I devoted an entire chapter just to that. It's very complicated, but I'm here to provide you, uh, what's the word I'm looking for, analysis, but also an assessment of how to see the new developments that just took place with the Hamas operation there, Al-Aqsa flood the operation. So, uh, like I said, we're— like we did for the Kashmir topic, guys, let's re— let's reserve our judgments here and all that. We're gonna talk in general terms because objectivity is what matters. So we don't want to get the hypes of the emotional aspects. Yes, there are some issues with the whole situation, especially when it comes down to fairness and justice, you know, and I intend to address that. The shortcomings on our end, uh, American, as playing the role of a mediator, which we never were honest about it. Let's just say it straightforward. You know, I have Jewish friends, those are close friends of mine. I'm very familiar with the Jewish culture and so forth. So I, I, I can understand both sides of the arguments. But this is what I'm going to be talking to you about today and also providing you my own analysis about. You really have to truly understand this within the bigger picture. There are more parts at play into what just took place in the last 48 hours. So, so anyway, this is what I'm gonna be talking about today. First of all, let me just extend my sincere thanks to you all for your continued support. I truly appreciate it. And I just want to address one issue— not an issue, but rather some— so many comments. Some of you wanted to support the channel by becoming either a channel, a channel member or a supporter, and some have a hard time. All you need to do is you go to the channel, when you go to it, and right next to my picture where it shows, uh, uh, the button join, uh, this is where you click on that and it gives you the option to join the channel either as a supporters or as a member. So I'm gonna just show you guys the screen briefly here. I share it with you uh, because some of you have been asking, uh, they wanted to support the channel. So here's the screen, I'm sharing it with you guys. And, uh, let me show right there. So if you notice on this right, right small, uh, button that says Join, that's where you click. It's just next to my name, that's where it says Join. That's for the membership, so you can, you can join it that way. So So, uh, the other thing I want to share with you is, which I'm gonna put for you in the banner here, is the link to my book, the Saudi book. Why? I did address the Arab-Israeli conflict in it. So, uh, and I will post all this for you in the, in the description. So don't worry about if you don't get it right now, but, um, because I, I tackled this. And the reason I'm mentioning this, because you might want to consider again what just happened within the context of what the Saudis did 2 months ago or 3 months ago when they alerted their citizens in Lebanon. Okay, when you think about Saudi Arabia in a big picture, so, and the changes in the Middle East, this is why I'm saying, uh, let's not jump to conclusions, but we're going to have to think objectively. And I'm going to just provide some, uh, uh, uh, concept or key points for you to put this in perspective. So, well, we have to understand it, uh, uh, from a historical perspective first. So, but like before I always do, we'll start with the 3 questions. And the questions that anybody in a right mind will be asking is, did Israel— when I say Israel, I'm referring to the intelligence apparatus and the military apparatus— did they knew about the, uh, the, the operation? Sort of, in other words, did they let it happen? And if they did, why? You know, because don't tell me, for those whom I know how Israel is structured and so forth, when it comes down to security— I used to work in Washington, we had dealings with Israel, some of us trained with the Israeli forces, the IDF, and other entities, without going into details here, uh, there is no way with all the cameras that exist, the surveillance that exists, even they have sensors underground for the tunnels. So this is just a question worth asking. Again, this is my own thinking here, and I'm just thinking outside the box here. So, and all this is nothing but speculations for now, because you're gonna need more days before information comes up. And usually with something like this, you will never know the exactly what happened. So second, the question we need to ask is how shocked is or was Israel by this? You know, I saw the images of the Israelis fleeing, uh, not the scene but rather the airport, wanted to get out knowing that this is going to escalate to a level where it will become very, very concerning. You know, there are those who saying, well, the Israelis will use the nuke. No, no, they won't. No, That would be suicide for them, so they won't do it. Third question is, was the attack justified? Yeah, because we're gonna have to address— I know it's sensitive. I know someone said, oh no, you can't— like, for example, what, uh, Peter, uh, what's his name, Jordan Peterson. Now he's getting this massive backlash. Of course, what he said, well, wasn't even appropriate when he said or a little long when he said, well, uh, the kind of in support of what Israel is about to do. Well, Mr. Peterson, that's not your place to judge here. So I respect the knowledge of Mr. Peterson, but sometimes when you do not know the ins and outs of certain— there is no need to speak as though you know about the issue. Let's be realistic here. And I respect people Till they give me a reason not to. So, and that doesn't mean I don't, I still respect Dr. Peterson here, but his argument was weak, you know, because there are those who are saying the idea of like the candidate, presidential candidate who's saying now, what's her name? Nikki Haley. She's saying, well, finish them off. The optics of that. And we want to vote for this to become a president. Forget about it. Usually I don't vote for those individuals. I don't vote anymore because it's, it's sad to see what has become of American system, the corruption that exists. So, so for her to say something like this, that tells you right there where people do not have an in-depth understanding. This leads us to the fourth question: US role into all this. Yeah, because we play the role. We've been playing a role for the last 50 years. This is why nothing has been done, nothing have— has been accomplished, because our role was not well balanced. So, and I'll get into that. So, so the whole idea of this, uh, uh, let me just share pictures with you as we— as I speak here. Uh, this is the picture of the Prime Minister, who's by the way one of the most disliked If you think about the last 48 hours, one of the most disliked prime ministers in Israel history, and you all know why, the divisions, and you know, they don't like this guy, Netanyahu. So, and I am even thinking, and again, I'm just putting my geopolitical analyst hat and thinking outside the box. Could all this be nothing but a distraction from what's going on inside Israel? No, I'll let you judge on this. This is one of the images of response from the Israeli forces. So, and again, let's not jump conclusions. We know image is horrible and so forth, but we're not going to be emotional about this because we're going to think objectively. This is the key of why I decided to do it, because I need to provide you an assessment to understand it. Then you reach your own conclusion. So, so Many arguments now across the Western media, of course they're going to be saying that the Israeli authorities have been caught off guard by these operations called the al-Aqsa Flood, which was carried out by Hamas, the military wing of the Hamas organization, which is part of the Palestinian organization as well. So besides launching rocket fire, the Palestinian faction, Hamas that is, sent its fighter from Gaza Strip into southern Israel. So this is where the attacks took place. And they, of course, they are now holding dozens of hostages. There are some Americans who passed away. Americans usually, they are dual citizens, Israelis and Americans. So, so, and, uh, uh, now some Western media categorize this as— and I put this in quotes because it's their word— 'colossal failure,' end of quote, of the Israeli military and intelligence apparatus. And this is where I put a question mark. Knowing what I know, I worked in Washington, I was involved, you know, we understand how the intelligence services work, you know, at least for me, for me, and this is my personal opinion, there is no way I would be convinced that the Israelis didn't know. Because if they didn't know, that means two things. That means Hamas has sort of now been sophisticated in its operations, which means what? That means they have been training. And if they are receiving this upscale training, who's training them? Okay? And this is where you have to take this into within context. You know, and I give you two examples, not examples, but two events that took place. One happened few months ago before the death of, uh, Yevgeny Prigozhin. You all remember who he was, right? The head of the, the, uh, uh, uh, the Russian group Wagner. You know, Yevgeny, uh, Prigozhin was in Egypt. Okay. During the same time, leaders from Hamas traveled to Saudi Arabia to meet with the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. This is what I'm saying. Don't jump to conclusions yet. And when the media is saying, oh, this is a colossal failure, well, I, I, I'm, I'm just, I can't buy that argument. I know how the Mossad are trained. I know how sophisticated they are. I know how the technology— because if we are to call this a colossal failure, then we're going to call it a technological failure as well. Well, there are those who might say yes, it is the case, because you look at, for example, the, the Israeli Iron Dome, which has failed many times. But again, I still can't buy this, that it was a failure on part of the Israeli intelligence. So, so, and this is what most of, uh, uh, Western— some, of course, they using the term, the common term that is used and now is— and I put it in quotes because it's not my word— it's called unprovoked. Well, hold on a second. Let's just see where the facts are on the ground. And this is what I meant by saying, you know, there are those who will say, well, it was unprovoked, but there are other camp who will be arguing that, well, wait a minute, what happened to the right to defend oneself? And why am I saying this one? Is because it was a charter in the UN itself, okay, in the UN, that has advocated for, uh, sort of, uh, uh, uh, any entity, whatever it might be, uh, that it can defend itself. Now, uh, to what degree will, will the military operations be part of that? That depends again. So, and this is where I see that the, the, the changes into how the argument has been made. And, and there is no, uh, it, it's, it's hard to tell at this point because there are other complexities surrounding this particular issue. And I'm trying to locate, and I'll have all the links for you guys to see, all this one here. So, so here is what it is, and this is based on UN Charter. So international law— just listen carefully— international, and I'm quoting here, international law prohibits states from, put this in quotes, any military occupation, however temporary, end of quote. United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3743 also reaffirm that people struggling for independence and liberation from colonial rule have the right to do so using, I put this in quote, "all available means including armed struggle." In another word, or in other words, Operation Al-Aqsa Flood is part of the armed Palestinian struggle provoked by the Israeli occupation and colonialism. This is what the UN is saying. And why am I saying this? Because this is explain to you why there's always tensions between the UN and Israel. You know, this is why also the US support any or block any, uh, uh, uh, resolution at the UN Security Council when it comes down to Israel. So, and that's— we'll get into all that as I move forward. So, so this is what I'm saying. Let's first put this into the— its historical context for us to understand how did we get here to begin with. Yeah, well, there are a lot of writing out there, academia or academic, or rather so many wrote about, uh, me myself included. But I'm not gonna touch what I wrote. I'm gonna talk about just to give you an example. There are so many researchers there that— oh, there's one that I'm familiar with is by the name Martin Siff. You know, and who did the research about this, which is exactly most scholars agree as far as the history of, uh, uh, uh, the Arab-Israeli conflict. What I liked about his argument is that the Arab-Israeli conflict is not about just borders. You know, I was never— I was borders to begin with. It was about the struggle for existence. That's what it is. So, and this is where you get into the history of the origin of the conflict indeed lies back in World War I that was taking place in the region. And this, of course, has to do with the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire. And this— so you fast forward, this is why this conceptions, or, or there is this riddle of, of myth and misconceptions about why is the borders, is this and that. It's beyond that, it's beyond that. So, and, and because many, many today, especially in contemporary time, many uh, strive to begin the extraordinary sort of go back to the 1967 War, which by the way was just on October 6th, 1973. Uh, that's one. Then of course the, the, uh, uh, uh, Israel conquest of Gaza Strip, and that was during that time, the Six-Day War of 1967. So it was the, the, uh, the conquest of Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Eastern Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. So it was the only difference had to do when Egypt reached the deal with, uh, with Israel. Israel returned some occupied land back to Egypt. Now you understand, guys, why the US has been giving aid to Egypt. It wasn't about the aid for Egypt, it was about maintaining peace between Israel and Egypt. So we were giving money to Egypt to maintain the peace. That's what it is. As a matter of fact, I am here to tell you based on my own sources that Egyptians knew about something coming up. And here is the thing, they did— Egyptian, they did alert Israelis to it. This is why I'm saying uh, what the media saying versus the reality of how it is. So, so before I go deeper, let me jump to, uh, geography because you need to also have an understanding of where things are. So, so let's start with this map here. Okay, there are certain maps that have different, uh, uh, uh, some will say even State of Palestine. Well, there is no State of Palestine independent because it's not recognized in the UN, even though they do have a representation in the UN. So, so let's start with the Palestine geography. And this is geography, not a— and that is for geography, for geographical purposes. It's not a political map, FYI. So, so the West Bank and the Gaza Strip differ greatly geographically because the Gaza Strip is on the coastal area near the water. With beaches and sand dunes and so forth, which is— this one is parallel to the coast, which is nothing but a strip of fertile land makes a way for a sandstone mountains ridge. This is why, for example, Palestine is not for having, uh, good olives. Why? Well, because they have good trees, because they're arable soil for that. So About halfway, the Gaza Strip is intersected with the what's called Wadi al-Ghaza or Gaza River, which is only replenished with water during the rainy season. So, so this is on, on the Gaza part. So the West Bank, on the other hand, is part of geological formation that stretches from East Africa via the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Wadi Araba, or Araba Valley, that is, all the way to Lebanon and Syria. Why is this important for you to understand? Now you understand the link between why Syria and Lebanon both are also having issues with Israel because of the location geographically. So when you look at, like, you see the map here, so you look at where Syria is and Lebanon is, that is why it's important. Let me show another map here, guys, that might have a different outlook. There we go. That's another, that's the Golan Heights, which was very, very sort of a war fought over that. So So this is what's made up of the, uh, uh, the, uh, part of where, uh, uh, Palestine and, uh, the West Bank— I'm sorry, not Palestine, but the West Bank. That is, this is where, uh, the area is. Now let's move to the geography of Israel. The geography of Israel is very diverse also, with desert conditions in the south and snow-capped mountains in the north. Israel is located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea in West Asia. It is bounded by— to the north by Lebanon, to the northeast by Syria, to the east by Jordan, and to the West Bank— uh, sorry, to the east by Jordan and West Bank, and to the southwest by Egypt. To the west of Israel is the Mediterranean Sea, which makes up the majority of Israel, 170-mile coastline, and the Gaza Strip. So basically, Israel has a small coastline on the Red Sea in the south. This is what's very, very important to understand. Let me show another map here. I looked at some maps just for you to have a— because understanding the complex— this is why Middle East is so complicated. And of course, who do we have to thank for all this? The Brits. The Brits didn't understand the religions, the ethnic makeup of the region, and they kind of just divided or partitioned the Middle East as they wished at that time. Of course, the fall of the Ottoman Empire contributed to all this. Most of the lines, the borderlines in the Middle East, as one who wrote extensively in the Middle East, they are divided within sectarian lines, religious and ethnic. So this is what's important about, you know, understanding part of where Palestine and Middle East or, or Israel rather. So, so before delving into the Arab-Israeli conflict, it is imperative for us to understand the, the, the conflict's history and its development over the years in the Middle East. And why the Middle East? Of course, Middle East is known for turmoil and predictability and mayhem, which is part of its fabric. This is why We always failed in our foreign policy in the Middle East because we couldn't understand it. The last example I can give you is the invasion of Iraq. And again, I argued against it because of the complexity of that part of the world. And all of us said, "Well, it will be easy walk. We'll just liberate Baghdad." You guys have no idea what are you getting into. 1,000-plus years of history, you want to untangle it in a matter of 3 days by going in with your special ops? That just doesn't make any sense. And this is part of the shortcomings that falls for our foreign policy. We don't understand the complexities of the Middle East, which is part of that. This is why this lack of understanding is creating a problem for us to have a better acquire a right strategy. That is so. While it is important to highlight the early historical stages of the Jewish state, starting with the first Zionist Congress, and this goes back to 1897— yeah, there are those who say, well, that started after 1947. No, it goes way back. This is why there is an argument right now That's some— and those are all speculations at the moment. There is nothing concrete, you know. What I'm sharing with you guys, it's just me thinking outside the box because I can't confirm all this yet. And then, as I said, it's very hard to confirm something of this magnitude, especially if the intelligence services, the Mossad or the CIA or any other entity that collaborates with this uh, there is no way they're going to confirm all this. All I'm saying is, is to understand. And, and one of the other speculations that is sort of made me think is, could it be that this is another way of revival of the Zionism? Because the ideology is kind of waning down, you know. That's like, no idea, no different than what when we look at the history of wars. You know, our wars, conflicts, you know, who's behind it and why. You know, most Americans, you ask them, what are we getting involved in conflicts? They wouldn't even know. Oh, freedom and rule of law, which have nothing to do with the reality. Because the reality is, which this may shock you, it has to do with bankers. Bankers are the one pushing for the conflicts to keep going. So they are the same. Could it be this that will now raise again the sentiments of the Zionism? I don't see that, but there is the possibility. And it doesn't, you know, uh, no, no idea is a stupid idea. It's an idea. It can be accepted, it can be rejected. Of course, it will have to be confirmed if it is to be accepted. So So the first Congress, or, uh, Zionist Congress in 1897. So, and again, and this one, you fast forward to 1917. What happened in 1917 is the Balfour Declaration, which is what— what was— can anybody guys type in, in the chat box what was the Balfour Declaration all about? Let me just see, uh, uh, not to test your knowledge here, but it just— we are having a conversation. So, so if you can tell me what was the Balfour Declaration of 1917, what was at the heart of it. I know you can Google it and all that stuff, but it doesn't matter. So, so if you can just type in that one, uh, uh, as part of us having this conversation here. Uh-oh, my video froze. Can you guys see me? Maybe the government doesn't want me to talk. Okay, that mean, uh, Nikki Universe answered. You're absolutely correct. That means my, my, my screen is not frozen. So you're absolutely correct. That was what was built for Frozen. Is it, is it still frozen? Oh, that's not good. Okay, I'm assuming it's working. So, and what, what was it? Was the declaration that promised the creation of a Jewish state in the ancient land of Israel. That's how it was. Now, and, and as a matter of fact, I looked at the statements of it, and I'll put the link for you and all that stuff. And it says, and I quote, His Majesty's government view with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievements of this objective. It being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country. End of quote. So once again, guys, put the historical timeframe to all this to understand it. So, so, but again, what was happening during this time in the Middle East? Well, in the era, during the history of the Middle East at this time, especially after World War I, rather, that debate within the League of Nations, that also was another debate that led to the division of the Ottoman Empire. And with it comes what? Taking over the land that's been conquered. So this division consisted of the British taking over a land comprising of modern-day Israel, the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Jordan. So of course this act had— it's like a chain reaction One act will lead to the next. This act paved the way to 1922 for the Jews to escape prosecution in Europe that preceded the Holocaust. Yeah, I have a picture here and I want to— I'll share it with you right here, guys. This is me at Auschwitz. Uh, it was a somber day. I will never forget it. So, but I had to go there physically to to see with my own eyes. And of course, there were some idiots over there. When it says, if you ever visit there, it says, please do not take picture. And some idiots were taking pictures. I almost— because I was so quiet and I didn't want to lash out at them because it was disrespectful. It couldn't even respect the sign says, please don't take pictures. But anyway, it was a somber, uh, what I saw there, and So, but I had to go, I had to go physically to see it. So this is a picture that I, I took it outside, of course, not inside. What I meant, picture inside. So that's what happened. So the Jews escaped persecution, and this is where that idea of, like I mentioned to you, what the UN was saying, because you get back then, this is the, the Polish Jew that you were trying to survive at that time. Because you either live in dignity or die, can't have both. It's, it's, it's not easy. It's not easy. And, and I always say to myself, why not live and let live? You know, if only people— but not people, is the damn politicians, greed. Why not live and let live? Everybody lives in peace, you know. You look at it like in Kashmir when we talked about, you look at it in, in Catalonia in Spain, you look at it in Scotland, you know. Why Scotland, you know, if they want their own independence, you know, put it to people, let the people decide, not the government, you know. This is why it's very, very complicated. So, so the idea of that, the prosecutions, that's where the Jews were escaping this. So, and, uh, uh, and this is where the Jewish, uh, communities were formed. So over time, so then you move to the era between 1933 and 1945, which shaped the history of the Middle East. Why is this? Because that's what paved the way for the Arab-Israeli conflict to emerge forcefully at a later date, of course. And that's the, the Holocaust, which, which the Nazi Germans persecuted the Jews. You all know that history there, so I'm not going to be repeating this. Fast forward to 1973. Why 1973? That's the war in which Egypt, Syria attacked Israel, marked a fundamental change and, and shaped the Arab-Israeli conflict for eternity. 'Cause if it weren't for the involvements of the US, you know, the Israel would've— the outcome would've been different, would've been seen a different outcome today. So, so, and that's what marks now the difference. So then October War of 1973, known also in Israel as Yom Kippur, introduced the new dynamics in the region that we still see until today. So, and those dynamics are geopolitical of nature. Because here is one thing that, uh, as an analyst, I think of it in terms— besides being an analyst, you think about it based on why, for example, we want to ensure that Israel is militarily superior to any country in the region. Because peace in the Middle East will not be in favor of Israel. Yeah, but also What some hawks here in Washington do not understand is that if they keep pushing too much, it's going to sort of get out of control. And this is why all you hear about this rhetoric about what the US is going to attack Iran or Israel is going to attack Iran, it's nothing but hype because the outcome won't be pretty. Yeah. This leads me to— mentioned the idea of that. Some are saying, well, Iran is behind this through Hamas, you know. Secretary of State Tony Blinken, which I don't— the guy is not equipped for that position, even though he's saying, well, Iran is not involved and all that. That tweet was deleted, you know, because establishment didn't want him to say that. Well, of course we didn't want to antagonize the Iranians now, which we just reached a deal about the exchange of American prisoners. So you can just see it's a very complicated— this is what I'm saying, let's not jump to conclusions. Western media is gonna pave the narrative for you to lead you one way or another. All I'm saying to you is think outside the box. And when I say think outside the box, think about the geopolitical dynamics of all this. That is what I'm referring to. So, and the idea of it is that Like I said, you think about Brigogine, the late Brigogine's visit to Egypt. You think about the RSO forces in Sudan. You think about Blackwater with the Saudi Arabian United Arab Emirates. You think about Hamas's visit to Saudi Arabia. You think about the, uh, Saudi prince getting closer to Iran, which we don't like. But also you think about in terms of what are we pushing politically for Saudi Arabia to, uh, establish, uh, uh, to normalize relations with, uh, Israel. The way I see it, Saudis might do it, they might not, but even if they do it, they're going to request one thing. It's not about the two-state solution. They're going to request the halt of Israel's complete operations in Gaza. Because Gaza in itself, it's a small— it's a very— one of the most dense parts in the world. In that tiny place, you got about 2 million people living there. So, and this is why I'm saying, this is why we never liked the rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran. And when China brokered that deal, we were kind of, uh, shocked and surprised How the heck was China able to do this? Because we never wanted it to be. We always wanted to maintain that division, uh, uh, in the Middle East because that's how you maintain that, uh, uh, dominance per se. So this is what I'm saying. You think about the big picture of all this. So, so history once again proved that the outcome of this war, which which is the 1973, proved the decisive victory of Israel in this time and global humiliation and chaotic for the Arab coalition. So this is why you see in some countries wanted to normalize relations with Israel, but others said no, you know. And this is why Anwar Sadat, the previous president of Egypt, went ahead. It was— I remember that one at that time. I was I was a kid, I still remember. It was Menachem Begin and in Camp David with Jimmy Carter and Yasser Arafat at that time reached the peace treaty. And in return, we were giving money to Egypt. Actually, we still giving money to both. We used to give $4 billion a year to Israel and we used to give $3.7 billion to Egypt. We reduced that to $2.1 And I think for Israel it's about 2.5%. Don't quote me on that because I don't remember the last number. So, uh, most taxpayers here in the US have no clue. And this is not about aid for, uh, uh, uh, the Egyptian part. It's because we want them to maintain peace. The other arguments that will be made, oh, okay, hypothetically, if Israel didn't know about this attack despite the sophistication in technology and so forth, then what happened to the money that we've been sending all those years? And, uh, so 1979, it's the Camp David Accord that's agreed on, and but nothing came out of it. Fast forward to, uh, uh, 2003, I believe, in Oslo, uh, and I had a conversation, by the way, with the former ambassador I had a personal conversation with Dennis Ross, who was the US representative in the— and I did ask him this question personally. I said, why the deal wasn't reached? He said, you know what, Arafat was going back and forth. And I kind of understood what he was referring to, what he, Dennis Ross, was referring to. Basically, because here's the thing, we got to be objective and I don't shy away from speaking the truth. You know, I don't care if some Arabs gets upset or whatever. I, I, I don't give a damn about that kind of stuff, you know, and I don't care what Israelis get mad or not. Same thing, because what's fair is fair. And for me to spend this time with you, I better give you something objective. Then you reach your own conclusion. What am I referring to here? I'm referring to that at that time when Yasser Arafat was alive, there were a lot of donations from around the Muslim world. For the Arab world going in into the PLO, the Palestinian Liberation Organization. So, and that money was supposed to be for the people to support and all that stuff. Well, here is what happened. And when I was doing the research for my book, right after his death, Yasser Arafat, when he died, the next day it was $10.2 million was transferred from a bank in Switzerland to Paris. Why Paris, you may ask? Because that's where Yasser Arafat's wife was living. She wasn't living in Palestine, she was living in Paris. So, and I have the documentation, I have the sources, I have everything, uh, or the reference rather. So, so to me it was like, you know, who the heck, you know, you reach a deal that everybody can live in peace, but to Arafat was At that time it was, no, no, no, if I do this, that means the cutoff for aid will stop. Now that was the thinking. So, and this is why you have to understand the idea of why the, the, uh, uh, because at that time when I asked Ambassador Dennis Ross, he told me that this was the best deal the, the Palestinians could ever ask for, you know. Where the problem Israel made, because Israel made the problem also, and the problem we were aware of it, but we couldn't control it, is the settlements. That's where the issue was, because de Koloof reached a sort of an agreement by which two-state solutions, Israel exists, Palestine exists as an entities. You know, there is a border, of course, the respect of the sovereignty of each state. You know, there becomes the question that the, the, the most complicated question of all this, then what will happen to the status of Jerusalem? You know, I remember when I was doing my graduate studies, we did a role play regarding international conflicts because I was doing international security as part of my academic background. And this issue of the Arab-Israeli conflict came on, and we played the role— I played the role of Europe at that time, not the US, because we had a group. And my suggestion was at that time, in a role play, I said, why not make Jerusalem as an international city, the equivalency of the Vatican? Which means what? That means you have Jerusalem here Okay, and each year each party will take a rotation as far as the leadership of it. One year is Israel, the next one is Palestine, and so forth. International city, you know. Where the mistake was, automatically we were the first to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. That's, in my opinion, was another big, big big problem and big mistake that intensified the tensions. You move the embassy from Tel Aviv into Jerusalem. So, and that's where most other— so it would be fair to say at this junction, uh, the lack of finding a solution to the conflict might be linked to the political landscape of, uh, regionally in the Middle East but also global. Now that the geopolitical landscape is shifting. What do I mean by this? The US role in the Middle East is waning. You know, you look at just, uh, uh, the, the US, uh, Speaker of the Senate, uh, Majority Leader, I'm sorry, Chuck Schumer, went to China. You know what was his first word? To ask China to state publicly that it condemned Hamas attack on Israel. Well, wait a minute, are you going to visit China or Or are you going to dictate to China what to say? Because that's an insult to the Chinese. What— China is a sovereign state. You don't tell the states what to say. You know, that's— to me it was like, you know, what is this, arrogance or what? Or stupidity? I won't think of it arrogance, it's stupidity. You go to another country, which by the way, which I don't know I don't know if he was invited or not. Second thing, I don't know why President Xi granted Schumer an audience. There are some of you who put a comment for it saying that's part of the culture. Yeah, I, I mean, I can see that. If I were to advise, no, no, you don't grant an audience for that because in international relations context matter, that picture of Chuck Schumer with President Xi. You got the idea. So, so to go back to this Arab-Israeli, this is why the conflict has all— was always in, in, in constant, uh, recycling. So, uh, I, I just don't see, I don't see, because, uh, for us, the United States, we have never played an honest broker. When you play an honest broker, you can't favor one over the other. You'll be objective. But again, if we are to be objective, it will not serve our strategic interest in the Middle East. And what is the main aspects of our strategic interest in the Middle East? Can anybody type in the answer? Our main strategic aspect in the Middle East. A reason for why I believe we never played an honest broker. Let me see, I hope the screen is not— oil resources, Hongwan, you got it, you got it. It's all about— this is why now we are— believe it or not, you will never hear it, you will never read about it. That's why we're freaking out about the changes that's taking place. You look at just now with BRICS, excepting the three main oil producers: Iran, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates. Soon it will be Iraq. You're starting to see this, uh, idea of dumping the dollar, even though the US said, well, we want to control the illegal activities of the dollar. No, no, no, no, no, no, has nothing to do with that. It has to do with the fear that most of the transactions coming down the road will be conducted in another currency beside the US dollar. This is why the examples of both countries, Iraq and Libya— it wasn't about, uh, whatever. It was about preventing the process from moving forward to use, to use the, uh, the— what's the word— the US dollar in transactions. Oh, somebody put— oh, they froze the screen. That's not right. Oh man, that's not right. Anyway, so as long as you can hear me, guys. So, so it's, it's, it's become the norm for us with these issues of censorship and all that stuff. And that's just part of it. So this is where I see. And the thing for us, for the United States, I would argue that the Arab-Israeli conflict should not only depend on the political climate of the region, but also on the determination by both parties to work out their differences. To achieve this lasting peace. No, but evidently for us, the Americans who played the role of a mediator for so long, you know, it hinged on our ability to systematically understand both parties' fundamental issues and security concerns, which we have failed. We understood Israel part, But we fail to understand the Palestinian side. A lot, a lot of people— not a people, rather a lot of diplomats are mentioning from different parts of the world. There are those who will be saying it quietly. Some argue that what just happened is the outcome of how long those needs, security needs for the Palestinians, were ignored. There are those who will argue these aspects of it. So, so, and now the next, uh, the next question, uh, it become, uh, it become whether now a peace can be achieved. I don't see that. I don't see that. There are those who say, well, maybe, maybe China will succeed. It won't work. This has nothing to do with China. It's the complexities of it. Let alone we will not, we will not let it happen for a reason. It's because, as I said, if there is peace in Middle East, that's not good for Israel. On the other hand, so on the other hand, don't get me wrong, Israel Israel has the right to exist and live in peace as a sovereign state. Palestine is also entitled to the same right. So, so this is what's risky for us. When I say us, US government diplomatically and politically, is that we perceive that our role in establishing peace between the two parties It is viewed in some Arab and Western capitals as unbalanced. That's what I wrote in my book, because it's unbalanced. You know, I take back the— not, uh, I take back— I'll go to the example of China brokered the deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Why? The animosity between these two rivals, which didn't start 50 years ago, That goes back over 1,400 years ago. It remained, it intensified after the 1979 Revolution, and yet China was able to broker a deal. What is the secret to that? It's simple. China was standing in the middle, balancing both forces regardless of religious ethnicities, ideology and so forth. What he looked at is whether you guys, you, the two rivalries can come to the table in a fair way. And they did. And the peace was achieved. Our role in the Arab-Israeli conflict was never that way. And that goes back even though we have, who do we have to thank for that? Of course, Henry Kissinger. You know, he's still kicking around, by the way. He can walk, he can whatever. So funny, one journalist asked him about Cambodia 50 years later. And why, why is this the problem for the United States about this role that is unbalanced? Is because we appear— and it's not appear, we are— we lean towards favoring the Israeli side through concessions and other means. Which means what? The United States is delineating itself from the Muslim world and putting its strategic, uh, interest and citizens in jeopardy. This is why we go back to 1973. What happened with energy in 1973? Can anybody type it? Can anybody type in what took place in 1973 with energy? And that one, by the way, whatever took place back then, it was a reaction to the US approach that was not fair and balanced. Oil embargo. You're absolutely correct, oil embargo. And all it took for Saudi Arabia to turn the spigot off The lines at the gas stations were a mile long. So that's how we kind of learned our lessons, but still we are not— to me, when you play a role on a global stage, you become a role model. To be a role model, you have to act like it. You can't be saying one thing and doing another. That's kind of diminish your credibility. And this is something our politicians in Washington— because we got amateurs, we don't have people who understand the depth of the geopolitical issues and understand how to address and deal with other countries. We're not talking about protocol and— no, no, I'm talking about fundamental understanding of how to deal with other countries and something we don't because here is what became perceived on the global stage as I wrote it down back then, and I still hold that, that, uh, that, uh, statement. So is that one policy, because one thing we had, we were known, uh, in around the world, especially in the Middle East, we were known because we, uh, uh, we were known in Middle East as being two-faced. We have one policy manifests favoritism and unconditional support, and we have another policy appears to be condemnation and marginalization. So, and many Muslims around the world, uh, do not view, or did not and still do not today, view US democratic values or people negatively. Don't get me wrong, but nonetheless do not trust the US policies in the region. This is why China was able to succeed in brokering a deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran. And this is what I want you guys to understand, that this particular— let me see if I have— now we are involved, and how we are involved, by the way, We are sending, we are sending our biggest aircraft carrier, Gerald Ford. We're sending it to the region. There is another problem that's going to emerge from this, and this one has to do because, uh, the largest aircraft carrier on its way to the Eastern Mediterranean to support Israel. Why is this very very problematic. Can anybody think of the answer for this, in your opinion? Why do you think it is problematic for us to be sending the largest US aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean Sea, Eastern Mediterranean, in support— this says the Pentagon said in support of Israel. Why is this problematic? Let me see if anybody can just think. Oh, uh, World War III. Uh, no. Tripwire. Okay, I'm just want to see if anybody can just, just think big picture why we sending the largest aircraft carrier. I'm, I'm gonna put another picture for you guys, uh, right here. This is Gerald Ford. Uh, challenge to Iran, to a degree, to a degree. But it's— there is much Russia. You're absolutely right, Jack. You're absolutely correct. This has to do with Russia now in Syria, because in Syria Russia has a naval base in Tartus. But also Russia will be concerned that who's to say some of the fleet from this carrier group might end up in the Black Sea. You know, you know, for Iran, oh, Iran now at least has emerged as far as having, uh, missile capabilities, and the US will think twice. This is why you all hear the rhetoric about, oh, Israel is going to attack Iran. Israel cannot attack Iran because Israel understands what the consequences will be. You know, we're talking about missiles showering Tel Aviv. All majority of the missiles, even though Israel— Iran rather developed long range, but majority of its missiles, Shahed-3 if I'm not mistaken, those are within reach, within reach rather to Israel. Then you got two other elements. You got now, uh, uh, uh, uh, Brigade, and you got Hezbollah. Well, both of them just went to Russia in the summer. This is what I'm saying. If we go with the arguments that, uh, uh, Al-Aqsa Brigade was able to conduct this, that means their training has been sophisticated, have been uplifted. And if it is, how that happened? Did they— members of the Al-Aqsa Brigade left their location and went overseas and trained, and if so, where? Or you had elements, foreign elements, coming into the— into Gaza Strip and training them there. So, and if it is all this, then that's another failure for the intelligence, both Mossad and the CIA. Uh, here's another image of what that aircraft carrier group has. It has the F-35s, and as you may know, Israel is the only country, uh, and some Europeans, but usually Israel is the first one to get any, any updated, uh, which has some problems, by the way. The F-35 is not working. Uh, this is a map of— clear map for the location. This is where the sensitivity of geography plays a role. So, and a problem there will expand. Mike, my word on it. So, so it will expand. So, so this is where I see, uh, these challenges here. So once again, you guys, just— you're gonna be hearing a lot, you're gonna be reading a lot. Just, just take step back and think about, you know, the possibilities for something like this to happen, you know. That, that's just that. So, so here's my conclusion for you, you know, and it was the same arguments that I've made because— so funny, I wrote about it back then and still holds today, uh, that my argument is this, is simple. Pardon me. The era of American leadership or dominance, that is, and the global leadership, not only in the Middle East but around the world, is seemingly on the wane. You know, we should expect, as we move forward now, we should expect changes in the geopolitical calculations when it comes to the Middle East. Yeah, and it's time also for the United States government to accept the reality that it's no longer the leader in the region it once was and the champion of so-called democracy. Well, I can't even use the term because I feel like hypocrites. I'm saying this, but I mean, I can see it as an individual, but to reflect that on my own country that says, well, we promote democracy when we couldn't promote it here at home. That's to me, it's no. No. So ironically is that US administrations, one after another, wants to expand its presence in the Middle East and elsewhere. Now we're looking, of course, what's going on in Asia, you know. And while at home, some of us will be questioning the judgments and wisdom of that decision because that's what I will do. It's not about the authority. Is about the judgment and the wisdom of it. So this is what I see coming up. So, uh, by the way, before I forget, I know some of you asked me to do a live stream about the recent trip of, uh, Chuck Schumer to China. You guys want me to do that as a live stream, not as a video? So, because if it is, then I'll go prepare for it and, uh, and, and, and do a live stream for for it. So be on the lookout for a video. By the way, thank you guys for your support for the video I released this morning. Uh, that was, uh, one company reached out to me about doing analysis, and I do those analysis for those companies. They ask me to do it, uh, uh, and I do it for them. It's, it's a dedicated video, so I do appreciate your support in that. I know sometimes it can be long, but I have to provide an arguments for for all that. So I thank you for all that. So, uh, uh, the, the video that you're going to be looking at is about the Maldives, so be on the lookout for that. So, so, and I will do the video for you guys. I'll prepare some information and, and we'll do that. So as always, guys, I appreciate your support and thank you for being here. And as always, remember, geopolitics Impacts your daily life in more ways than one. Till next time, bye-bye.