Far-right Israel fanatic Tammy Bruce’s ‘don’t believe your lying ears’ assault on Said Arikat for asking about Smotrich comments
Far-right State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce has bizarrely attacked Palestinian journalist Said Arikat as a conspiracy theorist for quoting and asking about comments by Israel’s self-described fascist finance minister Bezalel Smotrich that Donald Trump has given his blessing to Israel’s plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza of Palestinians.
Showing she has learned tactics from serially-lying and reality-denying president, the evasive Bruce essentially scolded Arikat for daring to believe his lying ears, said his behaviour was “unacceptable” and then cut him off and moved onto another journalist:
Source: HiddenPalestine.
The Israeli regime has not been shy or secretive about its genocidal and criminal intentions, but western politicians and media have for the most part simply ignored these confessions while secretly approving and assisting them – and not just in the US, but also the Starmer regime in the UK and the deeply compromised governments of a number of other western nations.
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An approach which we have seen is not limited to journalists not only in the UK but also the USA
https://theintercept.com/2025/07/23/feds-criminalize-protests-masked-ice/
“……. those accused of helping the anti-ICE movement are facing prosecution or investigation. Earlier this month, a federal grand jury indicted a man after he handed out face shields to people protesting ICE in Los Angeles two days after President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard…..
….an agent from the FBI made a claim similar to the one the ICE deputy would later make to Fox News — that it was assigning criminality to people based on assumptions, not on evidence.
The agent claimed in an affidavit that wearing such gear like the face shields, designed to protect against law enforcement using pepper spray or tear gas, “is not common amongst non-violent, peaceful protesters.” Instead, he argued, the face shield was “the kind of item used by violent agitators to enable them to resist law enforcement and to engage in violence and/or vandalism during a civil disorder….
….As part of expanding its definitions of criminal activity to include forms of protest responding to ICE, the government ramped up its efforts to investigate people suspected of providing identifying information about ICE agents.
On July 11, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem released a statement condemning “anarchists and rioters” in Portland who posted flyers with identifying information about ICE agents and said the department would prosecute “those who dox ICE agents to the fullest extent of the law.”
Last month, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., introduced a bill that would make identifying ICE officers a federal crime.”
This lawfare approach is spreading like a cancer all the way through every level across the West. With new ‘crimes’ being invented and created on a whim by the out of control death cult. With even criticism resulting in official harassment, punitive measures, extreme cancellation and effectively designating people as outlaws.
People risk not only their right to be heard for the ‘crime’ of basic honest journalism but removal of bank accounts, incarceration, employment, even the right to reside in the country of their birth (taking Farage’s recent press conference utterings) for having, never mind expressing, the “wrong” narrative.
In the case of the UK, all on the basis of the votes of only 20% of the eligible electorate.
Not the first time arikats been treated disgracefully IIRC. Wasn’t it him carted out of a previous press conference (blinken?)
Anyway, looks like Corbyn’s confirmed the new party. Let’s see what develops…
The answer given…The obfuscation, the evasion, the point-blank refusal to answer a pertinent question while claiming to have ‘shown respect’
…Reminded of anyone??
On the subject of reminders…………
https://www.moonofalabama.org/20i/auschwitzgaza.jpg
“This lawfare approach is spreading like a cancer all the way through every level across the West. With new ‘crimes’ being invented and created on a whim by the out of control death cult.”
Yes indeed Dave Hansell, I see Yvette Cooper is bringing in yet another criminal offence to cover the likes of the obviously damaged young man who carried out the murders in Southport. Is this really necessary I ask, there must be existing laws that could be used. Or perhaps it is just to give Cooper a bit of the thrill she obviously gets from criminalising people…
We saw fairly recently convicted criminals being released early because of the chronically overcrowded and dangerous prisons. Can we expect other early releases so that peaceful protesters or pesky journalists, etc., can be incarcerated instead…..
Listening yesterday to that hour or so Tuesday press conference of Farage /Reform on their campaign over the next six weeks in regard to ‘law and order’ engendered the conclusion that this does not bode well for the future.
Policies based on the Giuliano model (New York 1990’s) – zero tolerance, stop and search, fast track arrests, pop up fast track courts and incarceration facilities (‘Nightingale’ Prisons), ‘worst’ offenders sent overseas to places like Estonia or El Salvador (apparently an “extreme example”) because its cheaper and saves the country money, pulling out of the ECHR etc – may sound superficially attractive to some.
However, when letting loose polemics based on imposing life imprisonment for three convictions or scrapping mitigation guidelines all sorts of practical questions and issues are swept under the carpet.
What crimes are we talking about? If someone gets three convictions for shoplifting are we going to be sending them to Estonia or El Salvador to rot in prison for the rest of their lives?
In one breath they were talking about removing mitigating factors from the sentencing guidelines for magistrates – like ADHD for example – the next minute, during questions, they were introducing their own mitigating factors for political allies like Yaxley-Lennon and other individual examples cited by the media such as first offence, non-violent, only contempt of court, need for rehabilitation and so on.
And we have not yet even considered the definition of what is a crime or whether some crimes are considered more serious than others – like allegedly, based on the subjective feelings of the arresting constable, supporting a non-violent proscribed group designated as “terrorist”. A definition which seems to be morphing in real time to suit oligarchic convenience.
Not to mention the reality of mission creep and those running this Heath Robinson constructed set of fantasy wet dream dog whistle proposals, kicking the arse out of the leeway given by such a half-baked ill thought through system.
It begins by sending violent offenders to serve sentences overseas, and before you know it the mentally ill or peaceful non-violent protestors are fast tracked through the system in pop up courts and holding facilities and shipped off to Kaja Kallas Land or Central America for the rest of their lives.:
Taking back control in the UK (?) Right Wing Lumpen Neo-Liberals outsourcing our social issues to countries who offer cheap labour & cheap and probably abysmal provision + conditions when of course the real solution via JC/Zara’s new party (80,000 members in its first day) is we build a good society for all, end poverty, have decent homes, jobs etc & use Paulo Freire ideas to work with cycle of poverty families to empower them and work out with them who has the power?
The policies by the Lumpen Neo-Liberal Right are actually an admission that they “Haven’t a clue what to do.”
But we have to recognise the last 50 years of Neo-Liberal cheap labour capitalism have failed to make ALL citizens feel that they belong and want to be part of this society.
We value all and want to give a chance to all but the Right wash their hands of problems because they are out of their depth.
Off topic from Dorset Eye (with sign-up link at end):
Here We Go! Zarah and Jeremy Invite Us To Join New Party
https://dorseteye.com/here-we-go-zarah-and-jeremy-invite-us-to-join-new-party
More off topic from Richard J Murphy:
Macron reocgnises Palestine whilst Starmer prevaricates, as ever
As the FT reports:
President Emmanuel Macron has pledged that France will recognise Palestine as a state at the UN General Assembly in September, becoming the biggest and most influential EU country to do so as pressure grows on Israel to end its offensive in Gaza.
In a letter sent to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday, the French leader lauded promises that Abbas had made in their discussions and said France would make the long-awaited political move in return.
They added:
“In keeping with its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the state of Palestine,” Macron wrote in a post on X.
“It is urgent now that the war in Gaza stops and that the aid be brought to the population. Peace is possible.”
I have two obvious comments.
First, good, and about time.
Second, where is Starmer on this? Nowhere of course. Still sitting on the fence as people are killed in a genocide.
History is not going to be kind to him.
I rather hope The Hague won’t be either. His indecision is criminal.
https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/07/25/macron-reocgnises-palestine-whilst-starmer-prevaricates-as-ever
What is frustrating about Murphy, like Owen Jones and George Monbiot (to name but two others suffering this same malady), is that whilst he contributes a great deal in terms of his narrow speciality he is simply incapable of joining the dots with anything outside that narrow spectrum of his comfort zone. One of a number of perfect examples of the Gell-Mann Effect.
For sure, at a superficial level, it appears to be “progress” (of a sort) that Macron has taken this approach. However, as Jonathan Cook details here……
https://www.jonathan-cook.net/2025-07-21/israel-genocide-big-business/
………”The Financial Times revealed this month that a cabal of Israeli investors, one of the world’s top business consulting groups and a think-tank headed by former British prime minister Tony Blair had been secretly working on plans to exploit the ruins of Gaza as prime real estate.
The secret consortium appears to have been seeking practical ways to realise US President Donald Trump’s “vision” of Gaza as the “Riviera of the Middle East”: transforming the small coastal enclave into a playground for the rich and an enticing investment opportunity, once it can be ethnically cleansed of its Palestinian population.”
It is not exactly difficult to join the dots – which Murphy once again singularly fails to do here (at least outside the narrow confines of his speciality) – with the well documented facts available.
The writ of the “Palestinian Authority” of Abbas – a corrupt body long controlled by the West either directly or via one or more of its Arab State proxies in the region with little, if any, credibility outside of Western corporate controlled political and media circles – runs only to the West Bank. It has no presence or purchase in Gaza or with the populace of Gaza.
Given the well publicised fact that the line of the oligarch owned and controlled political and media class across the Collective West is that ‘Hamas can have no place in Gaza’s future’ it is hardly stretching the synapses to figure out that the kind of ‘Palestinian State’ envisaged by Western court jesters like Macron (among others) is one confined to the West Bank under the control of a comprador puppet regime in the form of the discredited ‘Palestinian Authority’ of Abbas with Gaza emptied of the remaining survivors of the Palestinian people – just as they were to Jordan in a previous iteration of this play book.
Leaving that prime real estate emptied of its native population – or what remains of it – for the carpetbaggers highlighted in the FT article Cook quotes in the link above to build their “Garden” playground for the Western elites whilst also grabbing the energy wealth of the ethnically purged populace of the “Jungle”.
It is not as though we have not seen this in previous historical examples of settler colonial states exterminating indigenous populations and their cultures to steal land and resources. The USA itself being a prime example, along with much of the America’s.
That Murphy sees this as some kind of progress when it is the opposite demonstrates that he should confine himself to commentary and analysis on matters within his specialised field, as he is very clearly out of his depth when straying outside his core subject matter.
Second, where is Starmer on this? Nowhere of course. Still sitting on the fence as people are killed in a genocide.
Ffs why even ask?
We KNOW where the zionist without qualifications (sic) is on this.
The ‘zionist’ part gives it away. The ‘without qualification’ part reinforces it.
Yes, Toffee. WE do know. But some on here obviously still need to have it spelled out.
Besides, I read many comments day after day on here saying pretty much the same things that we already know to be true, so what’s the difference? Some things need repeating.
I agree PW, but wasn’t it murphy asking the question?
If it was, then he should be reiterating the answer and spelling out why it’s the problem – not asking the question and leaving the uninformed either still uninformed or undecided.
And the only excuse for being uninformed and not knowing anything to do with keef or gaza these days is having just landed on earth.
200 MPs have just called for the recognition of a Palestinian state but the problem is via these lightweight mediocrities, from a thousand miles away, they think what the Palestinians may have is a two state solution.
How gracious of the top down mainly white politically ignorant elite!
Two states means Palestinians only get 20% of their country back & even that would be under the supervision of the Illegal Israeli Occupation Force so because of these lumpen the Genocidal Land Thieves win!
As they repeat the behaviour of the white arrogant Balfour Declaration 1917 elite who didn’t bother to consult the indigenous Palestinians!
I would argue we should stand with Palestinian intellectuals like the late Edward Said and now Olymar who support one multi-ethnic democratic state of Palestine from the rivers to the sea.
On top of all that Palestinians have had to endure for over 100 years they must be sick to death of the Western numbskulls deciding what’s best for them!
Really Free Palestine!
Yours in Peace!
Oh and importantly Olymar also calls for a new Palestinian grassroots approach.