United States President Donald Trump has signed an executive order, rife with Islamophobic phrases, which conflates being pro-Palestinian with terrorism, targeting the visa eligibility of foreign students and faculty who have participated in pro-Gaza protests.

The executive order does not directly cancel visas, but it pushes schools to monitor and report any protest activity by foreign students and staff in order to possibly investigate and deport them.

At this previously planned demonstration against NATO and for Palestine, many were only just learning about the latest controversial, seemingly unconstitutional, and clearly human rights denying, executive order from Trump.

The first step for any academic institution is to protect freedom of speech and to report on students, to inform and collaborate with federal agencies is a way to destroy that entirely, and that's what they want.

They want to repress pro-Palestinian viewpoints.

They want to repress and remove Muslim and Arab communities from this campus, so for faculty to do that would destroy the integrity of this as an academic institution, as well as just be morally awful. I really hope that that's not the case, but we have seen the way that faculty have attacked students in the past.

We've seen at Columbia how faculty have [sic] participated in doxing students.Student Protestor

This executive order is the latest shockingly pro-Israeli move by Washington which effectively tries to make visas contingent on pleasing the Trump administration's political views and would deny legal immigrants the national rights to free speech and free assembly, and it ignores previous court decisions that have upheld these rights.

presstv website 

United States President Donald Trump laid out his initial agenda in his first speech to Congress since being re-elected, and it's unlike any agenda in the nation's post-war era.

While he didn't directly mention all of these topics in his speech, Trump plans to revive tariffs, breaking with the Western liberal consensus. He has also declared a pause to all military aid to Ukraine, upending the NATO consensus. Additionally, Trump has announced that the US will occupy Gaza, aims to implement the largest deportation scheme in American history, and is planning more tax cuts for the wealthy.

Six weeks ago, I stood beneath the dome of this Capitol and proclaimed the dawn of the golden age of America.

From that moment on it has been nothing but swift and unrelenting action to usher in the greatest and most successful era in the history of our country.

US President, Donald Trump

The Democratic Party's response was delivered by Elissa Slotkin, an ardently pro Zionist, long time CIA agent, turned senator.

Starting trade wars, claiming to want to end actual wars, a war on illegal immigration, continuing his war against the Democratic Party in parts of the Deep State; Trump's first address to Congress appears to mark the start of a very different era in American politics.

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The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs has voiced deep concern regarding the unfolding security developments in neighboring Syria, stressing that escalating violence in the Arab nation may severely impact regional security and stability.

In a statement released on Saturday, the ministry stressed the need “to protect civilians and spare them the scourge of the conflict.”

It also emphasized the importance of self-restraint from all parties, calling for adopting the language of dialogue and peaceful solutions instead of military escalation.

The Iraqi foreign ministry went on to categorically reject the targeting of innocent civilians in Syria.

It warned that the continuation of violence will exacerbate the crisis and deepen the state of instability in the West Asia region, which will subsequently hinder efforts to restore security and peace.

This comes as local sources have reported fierce clashes between militants aligned with the ruling Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham administration and armed opposition groups loyal to the previous government in the vicinity of the al-Watani Hospital in Syria’s southwestern city of As-Suwayda.

The heavy fighting was followed by a massive explosion. There were no immediate reports about the cause of the blast, possible casualties or the extent of damage caused.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Friday that at least 237 people have been killed in Syria’s coastal region since the latest military escalation began on Thursday.

The Britain-based war monitor reported that militants, opposition fighters, and civilians were among those killed as HTS forces continued their crackdown on remnants of the former Syrian military in the provinces of Latakia, Tartus, and Hama.

The Observatory underlined that the death toll included 142 non-combatants, noting that additional reinforcements and heavy weaponry have been deployed to key flashpoints as fighting remains ongoing in rural Latakia and Tartus.

The SOHR said the clashes marked the deadliest escalation since the fall of the previous government last December.

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By Alireza Akbari

'No Other Land', directed by Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham, won the 'Best Documentary Feature' award on Sunday at the 97th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

After the presenter opened the envelope and announced the film as the winner, Adra, Abraham, photographer Hamdan Ballal, and cinematographer Rachel Szor triumphantly appeared on the stage.

Standing before the audience, Adra, a Palestinian native of Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank, took a deep breath before speaking. Addressing the crowd, he dedicated his words to his newborn daughter, expressing hope that she would not have to live the life like him under Israeli occupation.

"About two months ago, I became a father, and I hope my daughter will not have to live the same life I'm living now—always feeling the violence of settlers and witnessing home demolitions," he said.

The film sheds light on the struggles of Palestinian communities in Masafer Yatta as they resist forced displacement by Israeli occupation forces and settlers, offering a portrayal of their daily reality.

The documentary follows Adra, a young Palestinian activist who has been resisting the forced displacement of his people since childhood.

Through his lens, 'No Other Land' captures the gradual ethnic cleansing of villages in his homeland, where Israeli occupation forces demolish homes and expel Palestinian residents under the pretext of establishing a military training zone.

The film starkly contrasts Adra’s life -- marked by relentless oppression and violence -- with that of his Israeli collaborator, Abraham, who enjoys security and freedom.

By weaving personal narratives with broader socio-political commentary, the documentary film offers an intimate glimpse into the resilience of the Bedouin community in Masafer Yatta, shedding light on their unwavering determination to remain on their ancestral land despite attempts to displace them.

One of the film’s most poignant moments unfolds as Adra documents the demolition of his own home by Israeli apartheid forces. Standing amidst the rubble, the camera captures his raw emotions, a stark testament to the personal toll of Israeli genocidal aggression.

These moments underscore Adra’s deep commitment to his community and his relentless dedication to documenting their struggle, offering a powerful, unfiltered account of life under occupation.

The film premiered on February 16, 2024, at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), where it was featured in the prestigious Panorama section.

Adra’s acceptance speech at the Oscars struck a particularly powerful chord on social media, where many hailed him as a symbol of Palestinian resilience in the occupied West Bank.

His words, reflecting the lived reality of displacement and struggle, were widely shared as a testament to the endurance of his people in the face of Israeli aggression.

However, when Abraham took the microphone, his remarks ignited a debate on social media, with activists questioning his framing of the Palestinian struggle as a battle for "peace" and "co-existence."

When Abraham referred to Operation Al-Aqsa Flood as a “crime” and called for the release of “Israeli hostages”, without acknowledging the thousands of Palestinian abductees held in Israeli prisons, it became clear which side he was playing while pretending to be a sympathiser of Palestinians.

His appeal for a “political solution with national rights for both peoples” further drew anger and outrage, with many seeing it as an implicit endorsement of the "two-state solution."

Some activists argued that the Israeli filmmaker's stance aligns with the Tel Aviv regime's bid to normalize its illegal presence on the Palestinian land rather than addressing the core issues of occupation, apartheid and ethnic cleansing of native Palestinians.

Beyond individual critiques, a broader discussion emerged among film analysts on social media, where many argued that the film, celebrated as a victory for the Palestinian cause in world cinema, actually promoted a narrative of normalization with the occupation through the character of its Israeli director.

As some argued, while Abraham presented himself as a supporter of Palestinian rights, he remains “part of the colonial system” that produced the Nakba and the subsequent displacement, occupation, and settler colonization of Palestine.

Many said the film’s Oscar win was largely facilitated by the involvement of an Israeli director, rather than its Palestinian narrative. “If the film were purely Palestinian, it would not have made it to the Oscars so easily,” one of them stated.

According to activists, a closer examination of Abraham's statements reveals a narrative that frames the occupation through a colonizer’s lens—one that seeks to portray both the oppressor and the oppressed as equal partners in peace.

In some of his tweets on April 7, 2024, the Israeli filmmaker railed against the Gaza-based resistance for "unjustifiably holding" Israeli captives and went on to claim that women taken captive on October 7, 2023, were "likely facing rape, abuse, torture," claims that were eventually debunked by captives.

He did not discuss the issue of Palestinians held in Gaza or occupied West Bank on trumped-up charges or women and children butchered in hospitals, schools and refugee camps across Gaza.

Abraham was one of the leading proponents of the "Hamas rape" theory that was also amplified by Western media outlets such as the New York Times. In one of his tweets on May 26, 2024, he called Palestinians "propagandists" for questioning the unsubstantiated claims of Hamas committing rape.

His statements coupled with his liberal Zionist stance sparked outcry after he used the Palestinian cause to win an Oscar, especially since he attempted to equate the coloniser with the colonized. 

Associate professor Shabana Mir, from the Art Institute of Chicago, weighed in on the controversy, taking to X to express her frustration following months of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

“Yuval Abraham’s Oscar acceptance speech was annoying as f**. After 16 months of genocide. I’ve had it with Zionist-centric talk re Palestinians,” he wrote.

Journalist and social media influencer Sana Saeed also pointed out how Abraham’s remarks contributed to the erasure of power dynamics between the occupied and the occupier.

“Yuval Abraham’s speech blurring the lines between occupied and occupier, and the experience of violence, gets to the heart of how Palestinians are dehumanized by the ‘savior’ occupier—who can acknowledge their humanity only insofar as it doesn’t indict the broader colonial project,” she wrote.

Kylie Cheung, a staff writer at Jezebel, echoed similar concerns, highlighting the frustration over Israeli voices being positioned as necessary to narrate Palestinian stories.

“But to be clear, the insinuation that Israeli voices are necessary to help tell Palestinian stories is just very frustrating and relatedly I think this is a really important read,” she wrote.

Meanwhile, an X user Shabana Al-Dalou also criticized Abraham’s framing of the October 2023 events, particularly his call for coexistence between the occupied and the occupier.

“Yuval Abraham somehow said Palestinians can coexist with these people because ‘no other land.’ Also, don’t forget your daily October 7 condemnation, folks, cause Yuval still believes the rape lies story,” the user posted.

An X user under the name Zei-squirrel highlighted Abraham’s statements regarding Hamas.

“Yuval Abraham repeatedly spread the genocidal atrocity propaganda rape hoax, said Hamas must be destroyed—which is a call for genociding Gaza—lied about Hamas being responsible for the lack of peace, and called them ‘Islamist supremacists,” the user wrote.

The user also pointed to Abraham’s work for +972 Magazine, an Israeli magazine, describing it as a platform aligned with liberal Zionist perspectives.

“And he works for the liberal Zionist +972 Magazine, which was co-founded by Lisa Goldman, who lied that she personally saw non-existent photos of beheaded babies to mainstream that genocidal lie among Western liberals and progressives,” the user wrote.

Zei-squirrel further noted that Abraham’s Oscar win was politically motivated.

“That’s why they gave him the Oscar, in case you were wondering. And that’s why he hijacked the moment to whine about the Israeli rape-soldier prisoners in Gaza, grotesquely equating them with the countless Palestinian hostages.”

Another X user, Omar, expressed regret for initially celebrating the film’s Academy Award win.

“I apologize for celebrating this Oscars win prematurely. Turns out Yuval Abraham is an ‘Israeli’ that has peddled debunked narratives such as ‘r**, abuse, and torture.’ His rhetoric is also anti-resistance, which crosses all my red lines,” the user wrote.

Ronald D. Mexicuh II, a Washington correspondent for the news podcast Socraddicts, cited Abraham's April 7, 2024, post in which he reflected on the October 7 events.

“Today, six months ago, Hamas murdered three people I knew—two peace activists and a guy I went to school with—committing horrific massacres, kidnapping Israelis, many of them civilians, with 133 still unjustifiably held by Hamas in Gaza," he quoted Abraham as saying in the post.

Prominent Palestinian-American scientist, writer, and activist Susan Abulhawa also weighed in, underscoring Adra’s central role in the documentary.

“No Other Land could have easily been produced by Basel Adra alone. It was his life, after all, and his footage. His family. His land. His story,” she wrote in a post on X.

Abulhawa also criticized Abraham’s speech at the Oscars and his stance on Israel’s war on Gaza.

“So the liberal Zionist co-agent comes along to ‘give voice to the voiceless,’ as liberals like to say. The liberal Zionist, who peddled the rape hoax for months, who couldn’t say the word genocide, then equates the wholesale slaughter of half a million Palestinians with Hamas’ singular military operation to capture Israelis to get their own hostages back."

She further slammed Abraham for capitalizing on Palestinian suffering for personal gain, stating that he “hops on the back of Palestinian pain and rides that wave as he makes a name for himself, and money.”

Veteran journalist and Electronic Intifada director Ali Abunimah also praised Adra but noted that the politics surrounding the film deserve more scrutiny beyond “cheering and adulation.”

Abunimah, who was recently arrested in Switzerland for his pro-Palestine work, specifically pointed to the funding source of No Other Land.

“It’s significant to me that the film was funded by the EU, bitter enemies of the rights of the Palestinian people, fanatical supporters of Zionism, and avid enablers of the genocide in Gaza," he stated.

He argued that the EU’s willingness to back a film portraying Palestinians in the occupied West Bank as victims—while simultaneously portraying some Israelis as aggressors and others as saviors—aligns with its broader political agenda.

“The reason the EU is, however, willing to fund a film that portrays Palestinians in the occupied West Bank as victims, and (some) Israelis as aggressors and others as saviors, is solely because that suits the EU agenda of racial and ethnic segregation through the so-called ‘two-state solution,’” he wrote.

Well-known Israeli writer and activist Alon Mizrahi discussed the political motivations that may have contributed to the documentary's Oscar win.

Mizrahi noted that the Israeli regime, through both overt and covert means, seeks to promote its image as a so-called vibrant democracy. 

He also described No Other Land as a "hasbara asset" serving the regime's propaganda efforts.

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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has reaffirmed Tehran’s rejection of the two-state solution as a means to securing Palestinian rights, emphasizing that Iran’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause remains steadfast under all circumstances.

Speaking on Friday at an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) foreign ministers, convened to address Israeli aggression and crimes against the Palestinian people in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Araghchi underscored Iran’s firm stance on Palestine and described Tehran’s support as “indisputable.”

“The uncompromising support of the government and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the cause of Palestine is indisputable and our steadfast commitment will not wither away under any circumstances,” he said.

He also dismissed the “two-state solution,” advocating instead for a “one democratic state” as the only viable resolution.

“With due respect to the views of some brotherly countries on the two-state solution, the Islamic Republic of Iran maintains its view that this solution will not lead to the realization of the right of the Palestinian people,” Araghchi stated.

He also emphasized Iran’s position in favor of a single democratic state representing all original inhabitants of Palestine and distanced Tehran from any references to the two-state framework in the meeting.

The Iranian foreign minister also highlighted the “unspeakable pain and suffering” endured by the people of Gaza during 16 months of Israel’s genocidal war, where the death toll has surpassed 48,446, with the majority of victims being women and children.

“ The situation in Palestine, particularly in the Gaza Strip, is a matter of profound concern. This crisis is not only a humanitarian disaster but also a grave injustice to a nation that has been systematically deprived of its fundamental rights and human dignity for over seven decades, subjected to relentless aggression and occupation,” he noted.

The top diplomat also condemned the “unwavering and unconditional support” of the US and its Western allies for Israel in its war on Gaza.

Citing Washington’s military, financial, and diplomatic backing of Tel Aviv, Araghchi asserted that developments in Gaza clearly demonstrate US complicity in the crimes committed by the Israeli regime.

“The United States has once again chosen to turn a blind eye to the root causes of the crisis, prioritizing its strategic alliance with the Israeli regime over the fundamental principles of justice and human rights,” he stated.

He further noted that Israel, emboldened by this unwavering support, has carried out “unimaginable atrocities that mark all major international crimes including war crimes, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, racial discrimination, and genocide.”

However, he noted that despite the war crimes committed in Gaza, the Tel Aviv regime continues to evade accountability, enjoying impunity for its blatant violations of international law.

Araghchi also strongly rejected the US administration’s bids “to forcibly relocate the population of Gaza,” calling it a “clear violation of international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention.”

He stressed that any attempt to alter the “demographic and cultural fabric of the occupied Palestine” is inadmissible and contrary to the principles of justice and international law.

“Iran also expresses its deep concern over the political and humanitarian implications of such actions for the region and the world. It simply adds insult to the injuries of the present generation, while guarantees an ever-lasting grief for generations to come,” he warned.

Elsewhere in his speech, the Iranian diplomat reaffirmed the “inherent” right of Palestinians to defend themselves against Israeli occupation and aggression.

He emphasized that “this right is enshrined in international law and does not require the approval of any external power.”

He criticized Western states for justifying Israeli crimes under the pretext of “self-defense” while simultaneously denying Palestinian resistance groups the same right.

Araghchi urged the international community to reject these “misleading narratives” and recognize Palestinian resistance groups—established to fight occupation, apartheid, and aggression—as legitimate actors under international law.

The Iranian diplomat also called for “collective sanctions against Israel” and all corporations and entities that directly or indirectly support and sustain the Israeli occupation and its crimes.

He urged at least the member states of the OIC to implement such measures as a way to pressure the Zionist regime into halting its crimes against the people of Gaza and other nations in the region.

Highlighting Israel’s nearly week-long reblockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza, Araghchi stressed the urgency of delivering relief to alleviate Palestinian suffering.

He proposed that this effort be accompanied by the creation of an OIC-led international campaign to finance the reconstruction of homes, hospitals, and essential infrastructure in the besieged strip.

He also called for Israel’s expulsion from the United Nations, citing its repeated violations of the UN Charter, its designation of the UN Secretary-General as persona non grata, the obstruction of UNRWA’s humanitarian operations, and the unprecedented killing of hundreds of UN staff in Palestine.

Araghchi proposed the establishment of an International Gaza Victims' Remembrance Day to serve as a lasting tribute to the suffering endured by the people of Gaza, ensuring that their struggle against Israeli crimes is not forgotten.

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he military wing of the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement says it is prepared for “all possibilities” and remains on “high alert”, stressing that Israel’s threats to resume war on the besieged Gaza Strip will not secure the release of Israeli captives.

Abu Ubaida, the spokesman for al-Qassam Brigades, made the remarks in a videotaped speech on Thursday, stressing that what the occupying entity has failed to achieve through “weapons and war” can never be attained through “threats and deception.”

His comments came just a day after US President Donald Trump threatened that the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and Hamas fighters would be killed if they do not immediately release the remaining Israeli captives held in the besieged territory.

“Despite the enemy's violations and betrayals, we remain committed to the prisoner exchange agreement in all its details before the world and the mediators. We have decided — and still wish — to uphold this agreement to prevent the shedding of our people’s blood, remove any excuses, and honor the commitments made to mediators,” Abu Ubaida added.

Israel accepted Hamas’s longstanding negotiation terms under a three-phase Gaza ceasefire, which began on January 19.

In phase one, which ended on Saturday, a total of 33 Israeli captives, including eight bodies, were released in exchange for almost 2,000 Palestinian abductees held in the regime’s jails.

However, Israel refused to move forward to the second stage of the truce, which would lead to a permanent end to the war, a full withdrawal of the occupation troops from Gaza, and the release of all captives.

“The Israeli enemy has evaded many of its commitments, which are the basic rights of our people, resorting instead to bullying, stalling, and arrogance,” Abu Ubaida said.

"The enemy's leaders are trying to bypass the agreement so that their prime minister and ministers can prioritize their party interests over the lives of their captives and secure American support for any form of aggression."

Abu Ubaida said the international community has witnessed how the enemy has “exploited Palestinian prisoners”, who have given “horrifying testimonies” about the regime’s “criminal treatment.”

After the expiry of the first phase of the ceasefire, Israel blocked the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza in flagrant breach of international law. The blocking has also been condemned as a crime against humanity. 

“The Islamic Ummah will not experience peace or stability, nor will it hold a respectable place among nations, until this holy land (Palestine) is cleansed of the Zionist occupiers,” Abu Ubaida emphasized.

He also stressed that the shortest path to stability and peace in this region is to "restrain the Zionist regime" and force it to honor its signed commitments.

“The enemy’s threat to return to war will only push us back into the battlefield to shatter whatever remains of their credibility,” he said, stressing that the enemy's threats only reflect “weakness and humiliation.”

The Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman said “any escalation of aggression will most likely result in the killing of some of the enemy’s captives.”

Israel launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, after Hamas carried out a historic operation against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

The Tel Aviv regime failed to achieve its declared objectives of freeing captives and eliminating Hamas despite killing at least 48,440 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza.

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Try your best to help others. 

Imam Ali says about helping others: “وَ أَمْسِكُوا رَمَقَ الضَّعِيفِ بِجَاهِكُمْ وَ بِالْمَعُونَةِ لَهُ إِنْ عَجَزْتُمْ عَمَّا رَجَاهُ عِنْدَكُمْ؛

And hold the honor of the weak in your sight and with your help for them if you are unable to fulfill their expectations; it means we should use our honor and authority to the extent of our ability and support them in the face of difficulties.”

Forget about trivial matters.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) says:

«وَ عَظِّمُوا أَقْدَارَكُمْ بِالتَّغَافُلِ عَنِ الدَّنِيِّ مِنَ الْأُمُورِ؛

 "And by ignoring lowly matters and trivial issues, increase your dignity and worth."

Do not be too strict with people

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) says:

“وَ لَا تُدَاقُّوا النَّاسَ وَزْناً بِوَزْنٍ

”(And do not be too strict with people in financial matters and do not be too strict with them).

Although a person should be intelligent, precise and narrow in financial matters and personal interests, if a person is too strict with others in material matters and holds them accountable, his life will be bitter and his friends will scatter from around him.

Imam Ali (AS) says:

Be self-sacrificing

“ وَ اصْبِرُوا عَلَى الْإِيثَارِ عَلَى أَنْفُسِكُمْ فِيمَا تُجْمِدُونَ [تُحْمَدُونَ‏] عَنْهُ

And be patient in sacrificing for yourselves in that which you are grateful for; in things that are dear to you (such as food).”

Sometimes a person must give up things that are dear to him or things that he needs and give them to others. Allah says about the Ansar: “And they give preference to themselves, even if they were in dire need of it” [Hashr 3]; They prefer the emigrants over themselves, even though they themselves were in dire need of it.”