Mark Kersten || @markkersten.bsky.social

To understand genocide in Gaza & elsewhere, we need to talk about it as a process not an event. Perhaps the most important op-ed I've written for @globeandmail: theglobeandmail.com/opinion/articl… Thanks to @AlexNeve24 for comments on a draft & @itsmarkmedley & team for running it!

Would love to see Carney on a jog with Sánchez 🇨🇦 🇪🇸

23 years ago tonight, in an Oval Office address, George W. Bush announced the start of the Iraq War. 4,492 American service members were killed in the years that followed. 32,292 were wounded. At least 200,000 Iraqi civilians died. The humanitarian impact was immense. America wasted 9 years and 3 trillion dollars on a war that never should have happened—a war predicated on a lie, pushed by warmongering neocon politicians, and paid for by everyday people. Imagine what that $3 trillion could have bought here at home. Imagine the decade we could have spent focusing on America, our people, our place in the world. Imagine the lives our service members, stolen from us, would have lived. But instead, the president took us to war. Yet another costly quagmire in the Middle East. I voted against the Iraq War. I knew the White House would lie to Members of Congress and voters alike to manufacture the pretext for a conflict—and they did. Now, Iran is shaping up to be Iraq 2.0—new lies, new bloodthirsty politicians, still paid for by American families. Yesterday, we learned that Trump wants another $200 billion for his war. That's after Congress already gave the Pentagon more money than it even asked for in the budget. Enough is enough. It is not too late to learn from the past. Stop this madness. Bring our troops home. End this war.

Bernie Sanders: “To give another 20K bombs to a country which committed genocide in Gaza happens to be among many other things, forget the moral issue, happens to be in violation of American law. You don’t sell arms to countries that violate international law and human rights. Clearly Israel has done that. Why anybody in their right minds would want to continue funding Israel is beyond me”

One day this will be mainstream politics.

Once a civilian building is abandoned—it is no longer being used for military action, and there is no intent (purpose) to use it again—it is no longer a military objective. Strikes like these are best understood as punitive acts, like home demolitions in the West Bank.

Canadians, especially those with loved ones in Lebanon, are in despair as the Netanyahu government deploys its Gaza strategy in Lebanon: Infrastructure destroyed. Residential homes bombed. Hospitals hit. Over a million people forcibly displaced. (1/7)

@AaronGBurnett (Last last point: thanks for the interesting and respectful conversation, Aaron. Reminds me of the best of Twitter days: disagreement with respect and a good back and forth that's challenging and thoughtful).

@AaronGBurnett So, even it was saying it, Poilievre has been dominated on the topic of defending Canada by better and stronger messaging despite the Liberals having less resources to message with. That's in part because he didn't want to speak to some key media & lost contact w many Canadians.

Interesting choice from Poilievre not to stand in front of any of the 1,000+ places in New York City with a Canadian flag, rather than three GIANT American ones.

@AaronGBurnett And the benefit is also to Poilievre: playing down the petty partisanship plays into the demand of part of his party that he learn to appear more like a statesman. I do still think it is going to be very hard for him to bridge the Trump element of his party.

@AaronGBurnett I also appreciate that he’s dropped the whole “Carney is just a new Trudeau” bit &, at least periodically, appears to put Canada above partisanship. Opposition parties can hold governments to account (this govt needs that!) while also working together for the national interest.

@AaronGBurnett And I'll admit, his weakness on threats to Canadian sovereignty to date (including and especially during and after the 2025 election) worry me. If he's finally changing his tune, good. Our sovereignty and territorial integrity shouldn't be a partisan question.

@AaronGBurnett I need to watch to highlights at least; I haven't yet. But that's very good to hear. Who knows, maybe showing the American flags was a way to get Trump supporters' attention. I simply found the imagery curious, for a political leader that is obsessive about that kind of imagery.

ROGAN: There's talk about Alberta separating POILIEVRE: That won't happen … at the end of the day, Canada’s going to be united

@AaronGBurnett I don't think it's just bc he's in the U.S. The Conservative Party is exceedingly strict with political messaging & imagery, and 50% of his party supports the Trump administration. The place & flags wouldn't be an oversight. In his subsequent speech he was in front of both flags.

@MarkKersten Probably because he’s visiting the US. Interesting how this is what you picked up on given the interview he just gave and it’s very Team Canada vibes.

Recall that in February, a group of Palestinian footballers, clubs and advocacy groups referred the heads of FIFA and UEFA to the #ICC for “aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity (specifically, apartheid): aljazeera.com/opinions/2026/…

Palestinians can't watch soccer/football matches in #WestBank illegal settlements, let alone play on those teams. Through its policies, #FIFA risks entrenching Israel's illegal occupation, apartheid in the West Bank, & Israel's ultimate goal of annexing the territory.

EXCLUSIVE: Slovenia’s PM Robert Golob has urged European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to investigate accusations that Israeli spy firm Black Cube interfered in the country’s election campaign, according to a letter we obtained. politico.eu/article/robert…