Scott Burchill

U.S. missiles that hit Iran likely were fired from Gulf countries that have taken the brunt of Iranian drone and missile attacks—although none acknowledges allowing use of their land or airspace on.wsj.com/4rLLyvx

Still my favourite Greg Sheridan quote: In Indonesia under Suharto, "citizens are free to do anything they like, except for the things that are banned... ." The Australian, 4 March 1997

"There is no dispute that Israel and the US are guilty of the supreme international crime of aggression!" Norman Finkelstein argues that Iran has a right to defend itself under Article 51 of the UN Charter. 📺youtu.be/YNcyU4YSp3w @piersmorgan | @jconricus | @normfinkelstein

I think it will be worse than the early 1970s when a cartel flexed its muscle, possibly much worse

Utter nonsense which even US intelligence refutes, uncritically platformed by @australian

💢 Iran FM warns Americans of looming trillion-dollar “Israel First tax” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Americans that the Pentagon’s reported $200B request for the war on Iran is “just the tip of the iceberg,” arguing the true cost could reach into the trillions. “We’re only three weeks into this war of choice, imposed on both Iranians and Americans,” he wrote. “This $200b is the tip of the iceberg. Ordinary Americans can thank Benjamin Netanyahu and his lackeys in Congress for the trillion-dollar ‘Israel First tax’ that’s about to hit U.S. economy.”

There is a real division between the Deep State (Pentagon, intelligence community) and MAGA non-interventionists on the one hand and Israel-owned real estate spivs like Witkoff and Kushner, long time Iran hawks, neocons and Netanyahu on the other. The latter won the day 3 weeks ago but will be ultimately blamed for the catastrophe - which has now become a domestic problem as well. If I had to convince Trump to call it off I would tell him that he looks like Netanyahu’s lap dog, who has very different interests to his. And I would find him an off-ramp that can be spun as a victory to his base. Not easy to do, however the complaints from the family-owned petrol stations and tyrannies in the Gulf is now deafening. And the lack of support from allies and friends to help in the Strait of Hormuz is humiliating for Washington. The idea that Israel can defy the US, go it alone, and keep trashing the region against Trump's wishes is risible.

@JamesKennard She has been completely demolished and discredited in Norman Finkelstein's new book

@IRanalyst bbc.com/news/av/world-…

Claims of "mass rapes" by Hamas in 2023 were debunked, forcing the NYT and Washington Post to retract their stories about them. There may well have been acts of sexual violence perpetrated on 7 October. The problem is that investigators and prosecutors in Israel haven't been able to find sufficient evidence for courts and official inquiries. Ms Tame is correct to point out that the "mass rapes" claim was a hoax used for propaganda purposes. More accurately, it falls under the heading of atrocity fabrication. See this instagram.com/reel/DQks7Pakl… This is just another one of those jihads against women that @australian specialises in 👇🏻 theaustralian.com.au/nation/grace-t…

@JamesKennard What is it you think they are investigating exactly?

@IRanalyst Now you’ve shown how you misuse evidence. The ICJ (para 54) says that the Palestinians have a plausible right to be protected from genocide. It did not say that there’s a plausible genocide.

Nice try but you know the overwhelming majority of international organisations, human rights monitors (including Israeli NGOs) and independent genocide scholars are in agreement about what Israel has done, and continues to do, in Gaza: it's genocide. All that genocide deniers like you can cite is Israeli apologists and reflexive defenders. The list I provided is merely the tip of the iceberg. Even the @CIJ_ICJ believes the claims of genocide are plausible enough to warrant a full investigation.

@IRanalyst x.com/aizenberg55/st…

Iran war: Trump wants out of this costly war. The Iranian regime has him trapped theage.com.au/world/middle-e…

Lots of lazy people and organisations here. Perhaps they were all fooled by Hamas? Or are they all antisemites and bigots? "All the evidence to the contrary"? Sure! Notice this list doesn’t include the names of the increasing number of international lawyers who specialise in genocide studies and who have reached the same conclusion, Including Omar Bartov and an increasing number of Israeli scholars nytimes.com/2025/07/15/opi… United Nations Entities & Expert Bodies While the UN as a whole operates on the findings of international courts (like the ICJ), several of its specialised commissions and independent experts have formally used the term "genocide" in their reports: * UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry (CoI) on the OPT: In September 2025, this commission concluded that Israel is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza. * UN Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices: Reported in late 2024 that Israel’s warfare in Gaza is "consistent with the characteristics of genocide." * UN Special Rapporteur on the OPT (Francesca Albanese): Published the "Anatomy of a Genocide" report (March 2024) and the "Gaza Genocide: A Collective Crime" report (October 2025). * UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food (Michael Fakhri): Has repeatedly stated that Israel is using starvation as a genocidal tool. Human Rights Organisations Several of the world's most influential and independent human rights organisations have transitioned from calling the situation a "risk of genocide" to explicitly labelling it as such following extensive investigations: * Amnesty International: In late 2024/early 2025, Amnesty released a comprehensive report concluding that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. * Human Rights Watch (HRW): Concluded in late 2024 that Israeli authorities are committing acts of genocide, specifically citing the "extermination" of civilians and the deprivation of water. * International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH): Formally recognised the actions as genocide in December 2023. * Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor: One of the earliest organisations to document and label the offensive as genocidal. Israeli Human Rights Organisations In a significant development in July 2025, two of the most prominent Israeli-based human rights groups joined this consensus: * B’Tselem: Published a landmark report titled ‘Our Genocide’, concluding that Israel is committing genocide. * Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI): Released a medical-legal analysis documenting the systematic destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system as a genocidal act. Academic & Specialised Organisations * International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS): The world's largest professional body of genocide scholars passed a resolution in September 2025 stating that Israel is committing genocide. * Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention: Issued numerous alerts and statements since October 2023 characterising the offensive as genocidal. * Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR): Filed legal actions early in the conflict alleging US complicity in an "unfolding genocide." Humanitarian & Religious NGOs A coalition of over 37 major humanitarian organisations (including ActionAid, Christian Aid, and Islamic Relief) have signed collective statements calling on the international community to recognise the genocide and stop the supply of arms. Other individual groups include: * Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders): Reported in late 2024 that actions were consistent with genocide. * Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) * American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) It would a remarkable coincidence if all the above have it completely wrong. Israeli apologists seek to redefine the definition of genocide to exclude the Gaza slaughter or accuse anyone using the “g word” of being “antisemitic” or a “jew hater” but the consensus view is unavoidable and not going to go away.

@IRanalyst And who lazily refers to a genocide ignoring all the evidence to the contrary.

We seem to have reached that stage of the news cycle where an impending recession - a result of rising inflation and interest rates, supply chain choke-points, fuel shortages, price rises and declining global trade - appears as some inexplicable act of God. Apparently both our great and powerful friend across the Pacific and our dear friends in the Levant had nothing to do with any of it - and so their unprovoked aggression which triggered the crisis is not even worth mentioning. Who knew?

As you well know, exceptions can be made in criminal cases and swabs take only seconds to retrieve forensic evidence. Many non-observant Jews do not observe the religious requirement for immediate burial. As for "much evidence", it ranges from scant to non-existent - at least according to Israeli prosecutors who have been unable to launch cases given the absence of eye witnesses willing to come forward. Ad hominem attacks like yours are normally a sign that you have no evidence-based arguments to offer. My wife, who attended Mount Scopus, regards your accusation of bigotry as both risible and pathetic, though unsurprising given it comes to someone who defends a genocide committed by a foreign state.

@IRanalyst When there were 1200 bodies to be buried immediately, in accordance with Jewish law, the priority was not to apply rape kits. But there was much evidence that the victims had been sexually assaulted, and evidence from eye-witnesses and admissions by the terrorists.

There are good reasons why governments put so much effort into faking atrocities - this is a good place to start examining the issue claritypress.com/?s=Atrocity+Fa…

@JamesKennard You are saying that it is not possible to retrieve forensic evidence from the dead? This is going to come as a terrible shock to medical examiners everywhere.

@IRanalyst That’s because most if the victims are dead.

Blaming global events is easy because they - the unprovoked attack on Iran by the US and Israel - caused the problem. Or is she arguing that we should have anticipated this madness - even though as an ally we weren't consulted in advance - and taken measures to ameliorate the impact?

Fascinating investigation into Banksy reuters.com/investigates/s…

Don't agree with the Nazi comparison but I think the rest is pretty true

First, the Omani FM came out and revealed that there was a deal on the table that met Trump's demands, but that he instead chose war. And now, it is revealed that the British National Security Advisor was also part of the talks, and he too attests to the fact that A) there was no imminent threat from Iran, B) Trump could have gotten a surprisingly good deal if he stuck to diplomacy. But the perhaps most damning quote in the story comes at the end, attributed to an unnamed diplomat: “We regarded Witkoff and Kushner as Israeli assets that dragged a president into a war he wants to get out of.” theguardian.com/world/2026/mar…