Al Mayadeen – August 29, 2024
670 Palestinians, 150 children killed in West Bank since Oct.7: CNN
Since October 7, "Israel's" escalating assaults on the occupied West Bank have resulted in the deaths of over 670 Palestinians, including 150 children, and the detention of more than 10,000 since October 7.
More than 670 Palestinians, including 150 children, have been killed in the West Bank and occupied al-Quds since October 7, according to CNN, which noted that this represents the highest death toll in 15 years.
In its latest extensive aggression against cities and towns in the northern occupied West Bank, the Israeli occupation targeted Jenin and Tulkarm. This assault resulted in the death of at least 17 Palestinians, according to an unofficial toll, and left dozens injured.
Israeli media, citing sources within the occupation army, reported that "the military operation in the West Bank is the largest in 22 years," involving extensive ground forces, supported by air strikes and raids from Israeli drones and helicopters.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called for “evacuating Palestinians from the cities and camps of the West Bank, similar to the evacuations taking place in the Gaza Strip," stressing that "This is a war on everything, and we must win it.”
Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth proposed the possibility of "evacuating Palestinian civilians based on anticipated combat zones" during the Israeli raid.
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, stressed that the Israeli offensive in the occupied West Bank "must not constitute the premises of a war extension from Gaza," including large-scale destruction.
In addition, the United Nations underscored that the Israeli offensive in the occupied West Bank "risks seriously deepening the already catastrophic situation" in the Palestinian territory.
Israeli forces detained 10,300 Palestinians in West Bank since Oct. 7
The PPS and the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs say the detainments were accompanied by assaults on detainees and their families, along with extensive vandalism and destruction of citizens' homes.
Israeli occupation forces detained 25 Palestinians, including freed prisoners, from across the occupied West Bank from Wednesday night through Thursday morning, announced the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) and the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs.
In a joint statement, the two bodies pointed out that the Israeli detainments that were carried out across the northern West Bank governorates were accompanied by assaults on detainees and their families, along with extensive vandalism and destruction of citizens' homes.
According to the statement, Israeli occupation forces have so far detained more than 10,300 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including al-Quds, since the start of the ongoing genocide and mass aggression against the Palestinian people on October 7, 2023.
The PPS and the Commission highlighted that the detention campaigns are among the most consistent and systematic policies employed by the Israeli occupation forces and are a major tool used in "Israel's" strategy of collective punishment, which is a central method used to target Palestinians.
The detention campaigns come in parallel with a largely condemned Israeli military offensive, the largest in 22 years, on several governorates in the northern occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military command said it had initiated a "wide-scale operation" in the governates of Tulkarm and Jenin, targeting Palestinian Resistance fighters. In detail, the aggression targets the Jenin, al-Far'a, and Nur Shams refugee camps, in Jenin, Tubas, and Tulkarm respectively.
In response, Palestinian Resistance factions have declared Operation Terror of the Camps as they confront the Israeli assault, continuing their operations and confrontations across northern West Bank areas.
Since the start of the offensive, the Israeli occupation forces have killed 17 Palestinians, including Mohammad Jaber, known as Abu Shujaa, the commander of the al-Quds Brigades - Tulkarm Brigade, along with several other Resistance fighters, following confrontations in Tulkarm.
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-forces-detained-10-300-palestinians-in-west-bank-sin
'We are witnessing total erasure of Palestine,' says former UK Labor leader
'And our government is shamefully complicit. End all arms sales to Israel, now,' says Jeremy Corbyn
Former UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on Thursday sharply criticized Israel's recent military actions in the occupied West Bank, accusing the nation of committing war crimes with impunity.
Corbyn's comments come as Israel undertakes its largest military operation in the occupied territory since 2002, a move that has sparked international concern and debate.In a statement on X, Corbyn expressed his deep alarm over the ongoing violence, framing it as part of a broader, systematic campaign to eronase Palestinian presence in the region.
"Israel knows it can commit war crimes with impunity. That is why it has launched its largest assault on the West Bankrbyn said.He further criticized the UK government, accusing it of being "shamefully complicit" in the conflict by continuing to supply arms to Israel.
"We are since 2002," Co witnessing the total erasure of Palestine - and our government is shamefully complicit. End all arms sales to Israel, now," he added.On Wednesday, the Israeli army launched a major military operation in the northern West Bank, the largest in two decades, killing 17 Palestinians, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
The onslaught has resulted in more than 40,600 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 93,800 injuries, according to local health authorities.
An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.
The West Bank: Israel’s other genocidal war in Palestine
Samer Jaber
On Wednesday, Israel launched a major military assault on the occupied West Bank. The Israeli army deployed hundreds of soldiers, armoured vehicles, bulldozers, drones and fighter jets to try to destroy the armed resistance in the regions of Jenin, Tulkarem and Tubas.
At least 18 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, and scores have been injured.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz has called on the Israeli army to force Palestinians to evacuate from the northern West Bank. The military has announced a “voluntary evacuation”.
This Israeli talk of forced expulsion masked under the humanitarian term “evacuation” is raising fears that the West Bank will follow the fate of Gaza in terms of massive destruction and displacement.
If this does take place, it would be a major escalation of the Israeli government’s strategy of gradual dispossession of Palestinians in the West Bank, which has been carried out directly through military means and settler attacks but also indirectly – through the purposeful degradation of all aspects of Palestinian life.
Over the past few years, the Israeli army has regularly carried out military raids in the West Bank, trying to destroy the rising armed resistance movement in the occupied territory, fuelled by popular anger against the Israeli occupation and especially the intensified Jewish settler activity and Israeli takeover of Palestinian properties in occupied East Jerusalem and elsewhere.
The Israeli army has used these raids not only to kill resistance fighters and civilians but also to bulldoze any infrastructure that the attacked Palestinian communities may have in an act of collective punishment. According to the United Nations, the Israeli military has killed more than 600 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7.
Violence is not carried out solely by the Israeli army. The Israeli government has empowered and encouraged Jewish settlers to attack Palestinian communities as well. This was the case before October 7, but since then, settler attacks have skyrocketed.
In the first 10 months of the war, the UN recorded 1,250 attacks by Jewish settlers; in 120 of them, Palestinians were killed or injured, and in 1,000 of them, Palestinian property was damaged. Settlers have also attacked Palestinian communities, expelling their residents from their own land and homes. More than 1,200 Palestinians have been forced out of their homes by Jewish settlers. More than 3,000 have been displaced by the Israeli army demolishing Palestinian homes.
But it is not just brutal force that Israel is using against the Palestinians in the West Bank. The Israeli authorities have weaponised all levers of colonial control they have over the occupied territory to make life impossible for the Palestinian population. On a recent trip to the West Bank, I witnessed firsthand these brutal realities of Israel’s settler colonialism.
The Israeli government has long restricted mobility for Palestinians within the occupied West Bank, building “Jewish only” roads, segregation walls and checkpoints across the territory. Since October 7, it has accelerated building infrastructure on Palestinian land. This is evident on Road 60 in the stretch connecting Jerusalem to Jewish settlements in Hebron, where new road lanes are being constructed, even in areas where lanes were added just a year ago.
Since October 7, the movement of Palestinians between villages and towns has been further restricted. The number of Israeli checkpoints, roadblocks and gates has increased from about 200 in October to more than 790 by early June. Some roads connecting communities are only open for limited hours while flying checkpoints and roadblocks are set up at the whim of soldiers, often without any legitimate security justification.
So while Jewish settlements throughout the West Bank are well connected with roads and infrastructure, the areas where the Palestinian population lives are transformed into Bantustans disconnected from each other.
This affects all aspects of Palestinians’ lives. Something as simple as going to university could be impeded. While visiting my friend Walid in a village on the outskirts of Nablus, I spoke to his two daughters who are students at a university in the city.
“We usually have to stop at the main checkpoint in Huwara. This stop can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours,” one of them told me while the other added: “But our main concern isn’t the checkpoints; it’s the settlers who throw stones at cars.”
Apart from the disruptive impact restricted mobility has on everyday Palestinian life, it is also severely damaging the already fragile Palestinian economy. Trucks carrying food, raw materials and other goods must pass through Israeli checkpoints, where they often get stuck for hours, increasing both the cost and time required for transport. As a result, food prices have risen significantly since October 7.
Self-sufficiency in food has been a matter of pride for Palestinians, who have a strong agricultural tradition. But that is also systematically undermined by the Israeli colonial authorities. Apart from expanding illegal Jewish settlements and military zones that restrict access to private Palestinian lands, Israel is systematically trying to prevent Palestinians from using their lands for agriculture. The most effective way to do that has been encouraging Jewish settlers’ attacks.
In Beit Jala, I met with my old classmate George, who owns a piece of land near Israeli colonial settlements. He told me he could not cultivate it because he feared being attacked by Jewish settlers, which had happened to other farmers. He explained he lost the income that he would normally get from selling olive oil from olive trees and fresh produce he would grow on that land.
Israel is also in full control of key resources in the West Bank, like water. It diverts water from Palestinian towns and villages to illegal Jewish settlements. As a result, there is a perpetual water crisis across the occupied territory, which the colonial authorities have purposefully made worse since October 7 by restricting even more the supply of water.
During my trip, I visited Mariam in one of the villages on the outskirts of Bethlehem. She told me they receive water from the municipality only once a month and only for a few hours. The rest of the time they use water that accumulates in a small well on their property and, when that runs out, they buy from tanker trucks. She added that they are considered lucky compared with other neighbourhoods, where water is supplied only every two or three months.
While destroying the local economy and agriculture, Israel has also intensified its efforts to eliminate the two other major sources of income for Palestinians: employment by the Palestinian Authority (PA) and by Israeli companies.
The PA-run public sector employs 21 percent of the Palestinian workforce, accounting for about 130,000 employees. Over the past few years, the PA has struggled to pay salaries in full due to Israel constantly withholding tax revenue it is supposed to transfer to the PA’s accounts. The situation has only gotten worse since October 7.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Finance, since October 7, Israel has kept about $500m of Palestinian tax revenue. Since 2019, it has withheld another $600m. Public employees have been receiving 40 to 60 percent of their salaries.
After October 7, the Israeli government also banned Palestinians from working for Israeli employers. As a result, more than 200,000 workers have lost their jobs. A few thousand still manage to smuggle themselves into Israeli sites for work. Tawhid, one such worker, told me he has an agreement with a local contractor who arranges transportation and work. He just has to go over the segregation wall. When I asked what would happen if he were caught, he replied: “They might beat me or imprison me, as has happened to many workers, but I have no other option to survive.”
The economic war Israel is waging has resulted in the poverty rate rising from 38.8 percent before October 7 to 60.7 percent, according to estimates from the UN Development Programme. This sharp increase means many families can no longer afford to pay for food and other necessities and are now dependent on assistance from aid agencies.
Israel’s war on the Palestinians in the West Bank does not stop at destroying their property and livelihoods. It also targets their mental wellbeing through constant surveillance, harassment and physical violence.
The Israeli colonial authorities watch over every aspect of the personal lives of Palestinians through vast networks of surveillance cameras, tapping of telecommunications, and control over the internet and various other technologies, including facial recognition.
Since October 7, this surveillance has only intensified, and Israeli security forces have made it a point to let people know they are being watched.
I met Ahmad who was imprisoned in an Israeli jail for more than five years. He shared with me that he was called recently by an Israeli intelligence officer who told him that if he wanted to stay out of prison, he should refrain from commenting on the situation in Palestine. When Ahmad responded that he wasn’t doing anything that would threaten Israel’s security, the officer replied: “We know, but I’m making you’re aware. We can see what you’re doing and saying at home, in the market and even in your car.”
Apart from the constant torment of pervasive surveillance, Palestinians also face nonstop physical harassment and violence. In areas that are close to illegal Jewish settlements, it is the settlers who are tasked with terrorising the Palestinian population. Elsewhere, it is the Israeli police and security forces.
While travelling on public transportation, I met a man and his teenage son. The boy’s arms were both in casts. The father explained that his son was walking home with friends when they were stopped at an Israeli military checkpoint. The soldiers searched them and their phones. When they discovered a video about the October 7 attacks on his son’s phone, they took the boy aside and beat him for two hours.
The boy’s friends had to carry him away because he was unable to walk. At the hospital, doctors found that both his arms were broken, his body was covered in bruises and he was severely traumatised. When I asked the father if he had filed a complaint, he replied: “How can we file a complaint against occupation soldiers who hold all the power? Doing so would only make us targets, and they might arrest my child.”
Indeed, the shocking number of violent attacks on Palestinians that the UN and human rights organisations have reported are an underestimate because the vast majority of them are not reported.
The goal of the constant harassment, surveillance, deprivation of livelihoods, degradation of living standards, physical violence and killings is to make Palestinians in the West Bank leave – just like the ultimate Israeli goal in Gaza is to expel the Palestinian population there. The pursuit of total elimination of the Palestinian population from historical Palestine will not cease even if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government were to collapse.
The lack of international action to stop the genocide in Gaza and the West Bank has shocked Palestinians but has not made them capitulate. If anything, the violent Israeli assault on the northern West Bank is a sign that the Palestinians have chosen resistance even in the face of overwhelming genocidal force.
Samer B Jaber is a PhD researcher specialising in political economy at Royal Holloway, University of London. He is also a fellow with the Council for At-Risk Academics (CARA). He focuses on the Arab world and the Middle East region.
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/8/29/the-west-bank-israels-other-genocidal-war-in-palestine
Timing of Yemeni retaliation 'will be a surprise': Sayyed al-Houthi
The Ansar Allah leader says the Yemeni naval forces carried out top-tier and major operations this week, including the "courageous and bold act" of storming the vessel Sounion.
The recent developments in Gaza, extending to the West Bank, clearly reveal the criminal nature of the Israeli occupation entity, indicated the leader of the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement, Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.
In his weekly speech on Thursday, Sayyed al-Houthi said that the aggression against Gaza and the West Bank, along with the assaults on al-Quds, illustrate "Israel's" true intention to reshape the scene in Palestine under American protection and support.
He stressed that "the continued Israeli crimes, with such brazenness, audacity, and genocidal actions, are a disgrace to humanity," denouncing the US for supplying "Israel" with the most lethal weapons to kill children, women, and civilians in Gaza.
The Yemeni leader also criticized the ongoing and severe starvation imposed on the Palestinian people in Gaza, while some regimes are striving to provide various food supplies to the Israeli occupation entity.
He said that "Israel" is targeting cities, camps, and hospitals, destroying mosques, and bulldozing streets and infrastructure in the northern West Bank.
The Ansar Allah leader condemned the desecration of the Quran by Israeli occupation soldiers, saying that "anyone who is not moved to respond lacks even a shred of faith."
"Those who neglect their sacred sites can compromise their honor, dignity, and homeland, which is a dangerous situation that Muslims must reassess," Sayyed al-Houthi warned.
In the same context, the Yemeni leader highlighted that the most dangerous development beyond the storming of theal-Aqsa Mosque is the statement by a "criminal Zionist about plans to build a Jewish synagogue within the mosque," referring to Israeli occupation Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. He underlined that the move to establish a synagogue within the al-Aqsa Mosque compound "should be met by Muslims with jihad, as their religious duty, rather than with silence and inaction."
Sayyed al-Houthi further added that remaining silent in the face of the desecration of the Quran and the threats to al-Aqsa will be seen by the Israelis as a sign of the Ummah's submission, cowardice, and abandonment of their faith, adding that shirking responsibility is a grave issue that significantly impacts the reality of nations and governments and emboldens the enemy.
Yemeni operations inflicted heavy losses on 'Israel'
Discussing the Yemeni front's support for the Resistance in Gaza, Sayyed al-Houthi revealed that the Yemeni naval forces carried out top-tier and major operations this week, including the "courageous and bold act" of storming the vessel Sounion.
He revealed that two teams from the Yemeni naval forces boarded the ship in two phases, rigged it with explosives, and detonated it, destroying its cargo. The Yemeni leader said that the bombing of the Sounion ship was thoroughly documented, showing that the Americans' claims of deterring Yemeni operations in support of Palestine are false.
Sayyed al-Houthi also noted that the Yemeni forces targeted another ship carrying bulk goods, adding that the enemies acknowledge the effectiveness of these operations.
He mentioned that the port of Umm al-Rashrash (known as Eilat in Hebrew) was completely shut down due to the Yemeni operations, inflicting significant losses on "Israel". According to the Ansar Allah leader, "40% or more of the maritime traffic in Umm al-Rashrash was halted due to the complete closure of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait against the enemy."
He affirmed that Yemeni operations continue to be effective, even though attacks on ships in the Red Sea have become rare due to the scarcity of enemy-affiliated vessels, asserting that the operations supporting Palestine are considered a sacred jihad, a religious, ethical, and humanitarian responsibility in every sense.
He also pointed out that some companies have now moved their operations far from the Indian Ocean, away from Africa, rather than closer to the Arabian Sea or Socotra.
YAF striving to enhance operational support for Palestine
Regarding the Yemeni response to the Israeli aggression that targeted Hodeidah, Sayyed al-Houthi confirmed that the preparations are ongoing and the timing of the response "will be a surprise."
"While we are focused on the response, our greater concern is to elevate the level of our operational support for Palestine," he said, asserting that no political ceiling or other considerations could limit the extent of the Yemeni operations in support of Gaza.
Regarding popular mobilization in Yemen in solidarity with Palestine, Sayyed al-Houthi explained that the public activity continues despite heavy rainfall, which is a testament to the loyalty, sincerity, steadfastness, and strong values of the Yemeni people.
He highlighted that 361 locations in Yemen saw rallies and events in support of Gaza, adding that even the wounded were taking part in these activities, with some moving in their wheelchairs through the floods and others using crutches to make their way.
"We aim to reach a level that allows us to be more effective and impactful in targeting the Israeli enemy and supporting Palestine," the Ansar Allah leader indicated.
Hezbollah dealt mighty blow to 'Israel'
Touching on the Lebanese front supporting the Resistance in Gaza, Sayyed al-Houthi said that Hezbollah carried out its retaliatory operation against the Israeli assassination of its commander martyr Fouad Shokor despite the immense pressure that was imposed on Lebanon and various attempts to contain the response.
He highlighted that the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon delivered a "strong blow" to "Israel", and the matter remains open for further evaluation, adding that Hezbollah's front in terms of daily support is active, with ongoing strikes inflicting losses on the enemy.
The Yemeni leader expressed deep regret that some Arab regimes have chosen to cooperate with the US in protecting "Israel".
On the Iraqi front, Sayyed al-Houthi said that the Islamic Resistance in Iraq carried out operations this week, some of which targeted Haifa and Umm al-Rashrash in the 1948 occupied Palestinian territories.
Regarding Iran, he recalled that the Israeli occupation is anticipating Iran's response to the assassination of Hamas political chief martyr Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Elsewhere, Sayyed al-Houthi concluded by stating that Iran has confirmed that its retaliation is inevitable, and the Americans are in a state of high alert, trying to contain the response.
The Middle East is on fire
BY MUHITTIN ATAMAN
Colonial divisions and interventions have kept the Middle East in perpetual conflict and instability
The Middle East region emerged after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the wake of the first imperialist war. The region was largely shaped by the traditional colonial powers, namely the United Kingdom and France. The colonial powers did not allow Sharif Hussein, a prominent Arab leader best known for leading the Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire during World War I, and his allies to establish a pan-Arabic state, which was promised by the colonial powers in return for Hussein’s support against the Ottoman Empire. Instead of establishing a pan-Arab state, the colonial powers divided the Arab world into many artificial states.
The colonial powers created a dependent Arab world and the region is still under direct or indirect control of the colonial powers. The colonial powers sowed the seeds of hostility between Arabs and Turks and successfully built a wall or barrier between the two most influential states in the region. Despite the effective support given by a group of Arabs to the colonial Western states, they did not allow Arabs to establish a pan-Arab state after World War I. They not only kept Arabs divided but also created many artificial political entities in the region. In other words, they kept the Arabs dependent on Western global powers.
Since then, they haven't allowed Arab people to unite their relatively small political entities. This can be seen in today’s regional system, which is still largely dependent on the West. As long as the Arab states remain dependent on the West, they will continue to remain passive in most regional issues. Therefore, there is no meaningful political Arab world today and the Arab states cannot react to the Israeli atrocities in Palestine. The Arab regimes put immense pressure on their respective populations not to resist the blatant oppression of the Palestinian people by Israel. Eventually, all these regimes left the region full of domestic and regional crises.
Second, Western colonial powers agreed to divide the territory of the region and to keep it dependent. Literally, the Sykes-Picot Agreement is a secret agreement signed by France and Britain in 1916 dividing the Ottoman Middle Eastern territories. In reality, it does represent the imperialist spirit of the division of the region by the traditional colonial powers. Similar to the spirit and trauma of the Treaty of Sevres, the Sykes-Picot Agreement has been haunting the regional people and states since then. Hence, many scholars coined the term “Sykes-Picot Version 2” to describe the further fragmentation of Middle Eastern states following the so-called Arab Spring. These already-divided territories experienced another wave of division.
Third, the process of creating the Israeli state in the Palestinian territories was initiated by the colonial powers after World War I. Historically, the Balfour Declaration was the first official document promising a “national home” for the Jewish people. In reality, it paved the way for the establishment of a Jewish state, which has been one of the main sources of regional conflicts. The declaration of the Israeli state and its aggressive and expansionist policies since then are among the main reasons for Middle Eastern insecurity and instability. With the unconditional support of Western colonial powers, Israel has been using violence against both the Arab states and the Palestinian people.
The region has been experiencing one of the most dramatic transition periods since Oct. 7. Representing the Gaza Strip, which has been under Israeli blockade since 2007, Hamas attacked Israeli targets and caused great damage on the Israeli side. It was an overall reaction to the continuous Israeli expansionism and the ongoing ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people living in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The Israeli response was, or is, the most brutal one in the modern history of the region. Backed by some of the most powerful global powers, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada and Australia, Israel has been indifferently targeting innocent Palestinians, killing children and women and destroying residential areas, hospitals and schools. So far, Israel, with the support of its complicit states, has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, most of whom are civilian non-combatants. Approximately 75% of those who are killed by Israel are children, women and the elderly. Most observers call the Israeli atrocities genocide.
Due to the longtime regional problems created by the colonial powers, the ongoing impact of Arab insurgencies and revolutions and the persistent use of violence by Israel, the Middle East is on fire again. As a matter of fact, the region has been on fire since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. That is why Sezai Karako￧, a respected Turkish poet, writer and thinker, described the modern/post-Ottoman Middle East as “a rooster whose head is plucked” and remains bloody.
Today, there is still no regional leader or political platform to provide regional security. Most regional countries experience certain difficulties in their domestic and foreign policies. Many regional states lack national unity, central authority, internal legitimacy or economic welfare. While some states are quite vulnerable, others are failed ones. In addition, as one of the most penetrated regions in the world, the Middle East is still open to the intensive intervention of global powers, and the fate of the regional nations is largely determined by the very same global powers.
Muhittin Ataman is a professor in the Department of International Relations at Social Sciences University of Ankara. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of Insight Turkey, published by SETA Foundation.
https://www.dailysabah.com/opinion/columns/the-middle-east-is-on-fire
God wants me to save the world – Trump
The US Republican presidential candidate has attributed his surviving last month’s assassination attempt to divine intervention
US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has said it was God who spared his life in last month’s assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The GOP firebrand claimed that he has a mission to save America, and perhaps the whole world.
Trump narrowly escaped death when 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire at him on July 13. The would-be assassin had taken position on a nearby rooftop that gave him an unobstructed view of his target. Crooks fired off several shots, one of which grazed the former president’s right ear. One rally attendee was killed and two others were seriously injured. The shooter was subsequently killed by return fire from the Secret Service.
In an interview on Tuesday with psychologist and TV host Phil McGraw, better known as Dr. Phil, Trump argued that “there had to be some great power” at play on that fateful day.
“The only thing I can think is that God loves our country and he thinks we’re gonna bring our country back,” Trump explained.
“It has to be God. I mean how can you say it’s luck when it’s, you know, twenty million to one?” he insisted.
Commenting on the Democrats replacing Joe Biden with Kamala Harris as their presidential nominee for the November 5 election, Trump lamented that he now had to face a “nice fresh opponent.”
The Republican went on to suggest that if he prevails, it would mean that “there’s some incredible power up there that wanted me to be involved in saving, and maybe it’s more than saving the nation, maybe it’s saving the world.”
Speaking of the Secret Service agents’ performance during the incident, Trump expressed gratitude and admiration for their bravery, but noted that there appeared to have been a lack of communication between them and local law enforcement.
The GOP nominee went on to allege that Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden are partly responsible for last month’s attempt on his life. He accused the top-ranking Democrats of “making it very difficult to have proper staffing in terms of Secret Service.”
According to the former president, Harris and Biden have also been routinely portraying him as a “threat to democracy,” which “can get assassins or potential assassins going.”
“Maybe that bullet is because of their rhetoric,” Trump suggested.
The former president doubled down on his claims about alleged voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, telling Dr. Phil that he had won in California.
“If Jesus came down and was the vote counter, I would win California,” Trump insisted.
https://www.rt.com/news/603248-trump-god-saved-me-assassination/
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