Ben Levy

@ggreenwald Why does the Islamic Republic seek to destroy Israel? It appears to be a combination of theology (amongst elements of leadership) and the need for an external enemy. It is an immoral objective + they have destroyed Syria + Lebanon in pursuit of it.

Vance says it's bizarre that Iran would want the war to continue over its desire to protect a foreign country (Lebanon) "that has nothing to do with them." Meanwhile, official bipartisan US policy for decades has been, and still is, that the US will go to war to protect Israel.

@academic_la Why is this a blow to Israel? Why shouldn't Iran give u the fantasy of destroying Israel? Wouldn't that be part of a cessation of regional hostilities?

The US has accepted the Iranian ten points as a basis for talks. Which is somewhat surprising. Here are the points: 1) Security Guarantees: A binding guarantee that Iran will not be attacked again in the future. 2) Permanent Peace: A transition to a permanent end to the war, rather than a series of temporary ceasefires. 3) End to Strikes in Lebanon: An immediate halt to Israeli military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon. 4) Sanctions Relief: The lifting of all U.S. and international sanctions imposed on Iran. 5) Cessation of Regional Hostilities: A broader agreement to end all regional fighting against Iranian allies. 6) Opening the Strait of Hormuz: In exchange for the above, Iran agrees to lift its de facto blockade and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 7) Transit Fees: The introduction of a protocol for safe passage that includes a $2 million fee per ship transiting the waterway. 8) Revenue Sharing: Iran proposes splitting these transit fees with Oman, which sits across the strait. 9) Reconstruction Funding: Iran will use its share of the fees to rebuild infrastructure destroyed by U.S. and Israeli strikes, rather than demanding direct financial reparations. 10) Nuclear Enrichment Rights: Recognition of Iran's right to enrich uranium under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). While this does not mean that Trump has accepted these points, just agreeing to talk about it is a MAJOR victory for Iran. Notice Iran removed their demand for America to remove its bases. The most encouraging thing here is the possibility of moving towards a permanent peace. A real blow for Israel, that is for sure.

@ryangrim @jeremyscahill I can understand why the Islamic Republic wants a permanent end to th war. One irony is they spent two plus decades engineering a low intensity never-ending conflict with Israel via their proxies that they thought they could turn on and off at will, until Israel was destroyed.

🚨Big news here from @jeremyscahill: Iran is not interested in a temporary ceasefire that leads quickly back to war, but insists an agreement to end the war must be permanent. dropsitenews.com/p/iran-trump-w…

@Real_Eathic @AsadFromNYC Why?

@3111Leviathan @AsadFromNYC He endorsed before, and she'll likely be forced into pushing for it

“Mamdani has almost 15 million followers, and his base remains deeply devoted. They’re ready for a fight. What happens when the messaging apparatus that helped unravel Cuomo is aimed at someone else? Hochul and Menin may find out sooner rather than later.” nymag.com/intelligencer/…

@Real_Eathic @AsadFromNYC She told Mayor Mamdani (and everyone else) she won't raise taxes and he endorsed her anyway so sounds like a great plan. Be well.

@3111Leviathan @AsadFromNYC It doesn't need to be this cycle + she isn't exactly a strong individual. Shes pretty explicitly has no actual beliefs and will go along with whatever she's told to.

@Real_Eathic @AsadFromNYC How exactly? There is no Democrat running against her and the Mayor already endorsed her.

@3111Leviathan @AsadFromNYC He can run her out of office.

@shadihamid @NadavPollak Trump's views on Iran have been consistently hawkish, going back to the early 1980's if not earlier. It would be helpful if those who constantly say "Israel made Trump act against Iran" at least acknowledged his longstanding views on the topic.

@NadavPollak Do you realize how tired it is to call anyone who disagrees with you an anti-semite?

“The Israel Lobby” Someone took the antisemitic pill

@noahgendas @thematthewcooke Israel returned the Sinai to Egypt for peace. It has a peaceful border w/ Jordan. Iran turned Syria + Lebanon into army bases against Israel -- how did that work out? Israel exited Gaza 20 years ago and was rewarded with ongoing violence. Facts are stubborn things. Be well.

@3111Leviathan @thematthewcooke LOL. No state more hated on the planet and no state involved in more ongoing and continuous violence. "zionism won"

Nathan Birnbaum, who coined the term "Zionism" eventually renounced it. He concluded that ethnic-nationalism was incompatible with authentic Jewish life. Albert Einstein also opposed ethnic nationalism. For him, Jewishness was inseparable from cosmopolitanism.

@notchrisvolpe The City Coucil doesn't control whether Governor Hochul will raise taxes and give more money to NYC.

If city council thinks hiding behind decorum is going to absolve them from the accountability voters are calling for, it won’t work. NYers are at our breaking points. If this city council wants respect, it starts with them respecting what voters chose when we elected Mamdani.

@ethankagwa1 @AsadFromNYC That's fine but only the state legislature can approve higher taxes so the focus on Speaker Menin seems misplaced.

@3111Leviathan @AsadFromNYC I’ll keep it sweet for you. New Yorker overwhelmingly prefer Taxing the Rich abit (2%) to pay for essential services and so does the Mayor. Julie menin, a multimillionaire prefers saving/cutting services to do that. NYS supports the TTR btw 🤷🏿‍♂️

The budget will not be decided by social media, but public opinion will be. Gone are the days where budget feuds are the esoteric purview of political functionaries and insiders. Your boss Menin will face judgment from New Yorkers—and the Mayor will make sure of it. Good luck.

@MaxBlumenthal They will be deported I believe. We all know the Islamic Republic has a long history of hostage taking. This is a complete PR embarassment for the Islamic Republic.

The US regime has taken hostage the niece of Qassem Soleimani and her daughter after revoking their lawful permanent residency The action follows the regime’s kidnapping of Venezuela’s lawful President, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, who are now being held hostage in New York

@ryangrim It is lousy PR for the Islamic Republic -- an obvious point you ignore.

Whatever you think of Trump trying to deport these two Iranian women (how will he even get them there?) we can all agree this is not the behavior of a confident man. A military that feels good about its war effort does not need to turn its attention to the random (supposed) grand niece of a guy they assassinated in a drone strike 6 years ago. This is the behavior of losers and cowards and that’s an objective observation, not a judgment.

@ryangrim Doesn't it strike you as odd that some of the most privileged young Iranian citizens -- with money and connections -- choose to live in the United States? An embarassment for the regime, and presumably that is part of the benefit to the government for announcing this so publicly.

Isn’t she an oncologist or something? Are we losing so badly we need to arrest the distant relatives of long-since-dead Iranian commanders?

@is_lestrange @_ZachFoster @AnnelleSheline They were expelled and had their properties, businesses and assets confiscated. They aren't going back or getting compensated so you are just fantasizing. And that is fine, but that's all your screed is -- a fantasy. Be well.

@3111Leviathan @_ZachFoster @AnnelleSheline personally id rather have big ass native jewish communities in Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Morocco, Iraq as pre 1948 than have this zionist malignant cancer but that is just me

A friendly reminder that, in late Ottoman Palestine, Jews, Muslims & Christians celebrated each other's holidays together: 1. Jews & Muslims celebrated Orthodox Easter w/Christians. 2. Muslims & Christians dressed up and partied for the Jewish holiday of Purim. 3. Jews & Christians joined Muslim pilgrimages & holidays It was a world before Zionism contaminated relations between Jews, Muslims & Christians in Palestine. palestine-studies.org/en/node/78121 I dive deeper into this history here: palestinenexus.com/courses

@is_lestrange @_ZachFoster @AnnelleSheline I disagree but you are entitled to your view. Remind me, how many Jewish citizens are there in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, the territory ruled by Hamas in Gaza or the territory ruled by the Palestinian Authority?

@3111Leviathan @_ZachFoster @AnnelleSheline While not entirely true, let us pretend it is. I will feel to correct this for you assuming your premise is true. Of course, the Ottoman Empire no longer exists and Zionism won, and Christians and Muslims are second class citizens, a reality you simply ignore. cancer

@ggreenwald I'm curious -- is your post supposed to be journalism?

The White House Press Corps gave one of its little "journalism" prizes to this Israeli operative who runs around writing down what the US and Israeli governments tell him to say, and then mindlessly publishes it, because that's what the WH Press Corps thinks journalism is.