The question is not simply how much we spend on defence, but what we understand defence and security to mean, says SIMON BRIGNELL
GREAT orators in history would not have been recognised as such if their words carried no value. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is neither a great orator, nor did his speech before a US joint Congressional session on July 24 have actual worth. It was an expression of his desperation, if not defeat, on all fronts.
This is not new. For years, Netanyahu has served the role of a social media meme. During his United Nations general assembly speech in September 2012, the Israeli leader displayed a bomb diagram to fan the flames for another Middle East war.
His equally bizarre map of the “New Middle East,” which he also carried during another general assembly speech on September 22 2023, also invited mockery.
While international attention focuses on ceasefire frameworks, Israel is openly advancing plans for a permanent expansion of its control over Gaza, writes RAMZY BAROUD
RAMZY BAROUD and ROMANA RUBEO analyse how the US has consistently negotiated in bad faith to secure the element of surprise in military attack
Spain has joined South Africa’s ICJ genocide case against Israel while imposing weapons bans and port restrictions, moves partly driven by trade unions — proving just how effectively civil society can reshape government policy, writes RAMZY BAROUD



