S Sebag Montefiore

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S Sebag Montefiore

S Sebag Montefiore

@simonmontefiore

Historian. Nxt: The Cauldron: Making of the Modern Middle East. Jerusalem. TheWorld. StalinRedTsar. YgStalin. Romanovs. CatherinetheGreat. Novels: MoscowTrilogy

london Katılım Mart 2012
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S Sebag Montefiore
S Sebag Montefiore@simonmontefiore·
Amidst the whirlwind of horrible scandals and atrocious wars that is our world today, here is a v small but troubling manifestation of our crazy times. A day ago, my attention was drawn to a photograph posted on X that showed a local bookstore in Oslo, Norway where the staff had organized a display entitled ‘Epstein Island Guest List.’ I was horrified to see that one of my books was included. I have never been to Jeffrey Epstein’s island, never flown on his planes, never visited any of his properties, and—most crucially—never even met him or communicated with him. When alerted, the Norli Bokhandel immediately removed my book before any action was required and apologized in person and online for the libel and defamatory display. I would have never known about this if it had not been posted on social media but because we live in a lawless arena, a wild and irresponsible digital vortex, the picture has been seen by many people. As the great Mark Twain supposedly wrote: ‘a lie travels round the world before the truth can even get its boots on’ and these days, it seems that a lie can circumnavigate the planet if not the galaxy many times before we even realize it. For a terrifying moment, I was lightly touched by the poisonous tentacles of Epstein, for a second I sensed the passing of that sinister shadow. The origin of the libel was that I was listed in Ghislaine Maxwell’s address-book she supposedly shared with Epstein because I knew her from England decades ago - though I never met or communicated with him. Over the last few years, the fact that I was listed in this address-book has been used maliciously against me by Stalinists and other political extremists, the former being infuriated for arcane reasons by my Stalin biographies. Of course I don’t for a minute compare my storm in a teacup to the suffering of the victims and survivors. But it is still a frightening Kafka-esque experience because a certain amount of damage is done even when things are taken down. It just shows how easy it is for innocent people to have their names traduced. Even though the bookshop has asked many people to take down the libel, very few bother to correct online lies and falsehoods. There is little practical remedy - except of course one can sue for a clear and very defamatory libel. No one is immune to this: I know many of the people who retweeted this defamation were not malicious and it makes me realize that I myself and all of us need to be careful: it is a real danger for individuals and our societies and as AI delivers better, and more uncanny and diabolical deepfakery, the peril is only going to get worse. A lesson I have drawn from the last two days is that I myself spend too much time on social media and now I should just get back to writing books – which I hope one day will appear on the shelves of a certain Oslo bookshop…. And if you are interested, here is the apology from the bookshop and its display - before and after
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Visegrád 24
Visegrád 24@visegrad24·
BREAKING: The Islamic regime hanged a Swedish citizen and anti-regime dissident in Iran today. Rest in Peace Kourosh Keyvani 💔
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D.Radka, #NAFO 🇨🇿🤝🇺🇦
Ukrainian defense forces have regained control of Kalinovskoe as well as a series of positions south of Verbove. Grest news🫡🙌
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D.Radka, #NAFO 🇨🇿🤝🇺🇦
"I've survived ten assassination attempts. I do my job well.' - Budanov 🇺🇦
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Ghoncheh Habibiazad | غنچه
The significance of the execution of three individuals in Iran today is that they are the first officially confirmed executions linked to the wave of protests that began in December 2025 and escalated in January, resulting in thousands of deaths. The timing is also significant.
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Muse
Muse@xmuse_·
This epic mountain necropolis houses the rock-cut tombs of Achaemenid giants like Darius the Great & Xerxes. Massive reliefs carved into the cliff and the oldest one dates back to c. 1,000 BC. Naqsh-e Rostam, Iran.
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World's Amazing Things
The Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro is considered one of the most important and richest of the world. Created in 1808 by D. João VI of Portugal.
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ShadowsOfConstantinople
ShadowsOfConstantinople@RomeInTheEast·
The imperial door of the Hagia Sophia, where the Emperor and his retinue would enter the Church. Above the door is the mosaic of Leo VI
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D.Radka, #NAFO 🇨🇿🤝🇺🇦
"The key battles are still ahead, but the initiative is already on Ukraine’s side... ..Russia is not as strong as it appears; its weaknesses are becoming increasingly visible.” - Kyrylo Budanov🇺🇦 Ukraine will never be defeated .. 🫡
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Elizabeth Tsurkov
Elizabeth Tsurkov@LizHurra·
Qatar arrested Saeed Ziad, a pro-Hamas commentator who is a regular on al-Jazeera, for his pro-Iran stance during the ongoing war. Ziad aroused massive anger among Gazans for consistently urging for continued "resistance," despite its futility in the face of Israel's merciless war machine. His statement that prompted the greatest outrage was "the Palestinian in Gaza has no choice but to keep steadfast and fight with his nails and even the flesh of his children." His rhetoric aligned with that of Hamas' external leadership, which described the immense losses suffered by Gazans as "tactical", while claiming that Hamas' achievements are "strategic" (a statement by Khalid Mashal). Or the statement by Osama Hamdan who said "we don't have white cloth to raise it in surrender, but we have fabric to bury our children and continue down the path [of resistance]." Recent Reuters report on public attitudes toward Hamas among Gazans reuters.com/world/middle-e… Palestinian reactions to Saeed Ziad's statements & calls for Gazans to resist as he's sitting in Qatar almwatin.com/%D9%85%D9%88%D… vt.tiktok.com/ZSuqn8UET/
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Rauda Altenaiji
Rauda Altenaiji@FormulaRauda·
Big win for the UAE. And a brutal exposure of Muslim Brotherhood apologists hiding behind “academia.” In Belfast, Dr. krieg was found guilty of pushing false claims against the UAE. Not surprising. He’s been one of the loudest voices laundering narratives for Brotherhood-linked Islamists in the West. Court didn’t buy it. His work is being pulled apart, his book facing destruction, and his credibility is done. This is what happens when propaganda meets facts. And let’s be honest. The same circles that scream “free speech” are the first to protect Islamist networks like Islamic Relief. Operating freely in the UK, while flagged by the UAE for channeling funds into extremist ecosystems across the region. They tried to make criticism costly. Instead, they exposed themselves. Good riddance @andreas_krieg 😂👋🏻
Paul Tweed@Paul_Tweed

My statement outside the High Court today:

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The Kyiv Independent
The Kyiv Independent@KyivIndependent·
Major Russian air defense factory in occupied Crimea reportedly hit in Ukrainian strike; Russian losses surge, Ukrainian commander claims hundreds of soldiers 'picked off' by drones; Ukraine’s negotiating team heads to US for planned meeting this weekend, Zelensky announces; and more. kyivindependent.com/ukraine-war-la…
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Arman Mahmoudian
Arman Mahmoudian@MahmoudianArman·
#Iran’s state television aired footage of Mojtaba #Khamenei for the first time a few minutes ago. The video appears to be archival, showing him teaching and delivering a lecture on Shia theology.
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Hassan I. Hassan
Hassan I. Hassan@hxhassan·
Iran learned a lot from its experience in Syria with Assad. Will the Iranian people likewise learn from the Syrian experience? If so, what is that? Time. newlinesmag.com/argument/what-…
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Open Source Intel
Open Source Intel@Osint613·
Lebanese Prime Minister, Najib Salam to President Trump: Help us put an end to the Lebanese conflict. We are ready to begin negotiations with Israel immediately.
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Alicia Hayes
Alicia Hayes@AliciaHayes1884·
@simonmontefiore @SCynic1 Where my great grandfather four generations ago was Rabbi David Aaron de Sola. Pictured with his grandson Fredrick de Sola Mendes outside Bevis Marks. My thanks to MI5 and MI6.
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S Sebag Montefiore
S Sebag Montefiore@simonmontefiore·
This focuses the mind: Iranian agents Charged With Spying and Planning Attack on Bevis Marks, Britain's Oldest Synagogue where my parents were married.... along with other targets that are essential parts of British Jewish life. Terrifying. We can only thank the British secret agencies, MI5 and M16 and anti-terrorism Police, for their wonderful work @MI5_Official @chiefMI6 @metpoliceuk nytimes.com/2026/03/19/wor…
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