Site News and a Word on the Word 'Reports'

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Site news and a word from Bibi.

Thanks!

First, a note of thanks to the great many people who subscribed in the last few weeks. The numbers are through the roof. I’m humbled and grateful.

Welcome! There’s quite a lot here — see the top menu bar on the main page. I hope you’re with us for a very long time.

Netanyahu and His ‘Reports’

Second, a word about Bibi Netanyahu. There’s a kerfuffle about his saying this regarding the peace negotiations (video at the link; emphasis mine):

“I spoke yesterday with Vice President JD Vance, he called me from his plane on the way back from Islamabad.

“He reported to me in detail, as members of this administration do every day, on the development of the negotiations.

“He conveyed to me that Iran did not immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz after the ceasefire agreement, which the US did not accept. He also said that the central issue for Trump and the United States is the removal of all enriched material and ensuring that no further enrichment takes place for years to come, possibly even decades.”

This was said in Hebrew to his cabinet, so the above is a translation. On Tuesday’s Breaking Points show, Saagar Enjeti said the translation — “he reports to me” — comes from an auto-translation distributed by the Israeli press office.

Of course, people jumped on the wording. What? they ask. Our American vice-president, a minion of Israel’s man? Never!

Israel’s auto-translation was immediately changed, as you can see in this Middle East Eye video caption.

I don’t speak Israeli, but I know a bit about language. The Hebrew it sounds like he’s saying is הוא דיווח לי — which every translator I can find renders as “he reported to me” or “he reported back to me” as its first option.

The subtlety here is that “reported” doesn’t always mean subordination. It can also mean “he informed me.”

But the unsubtlety here is this — Vance gave a report “in detail, as members of this administration do every day.” Even if Netanyahu is just “briefed” every day — he’s briefed every day in detail. You don’t have to say “report” to know who’s in charge. The action speak for itself.

Vance on the Phone

Speaking of actions, Professor Seyed Marandi, who was part of the Iranian team in Islamabad, has said this about what he observed:

First of all, Vance, on both sides, was surrounded by two very well-known Zionists and Israel Firsters [Jared Kirshner and Steve Witkoff]. He was constantly making phone calls, and one of the people he was speaking to was Netanyahu.

Dr. Marandi expands on that here. With constant calls to Trump and Netanyahu, Vance was on quite a short leash. Negotiating, or just there for show?

Wilkerson Weighs In Again

Finally, I found this recent interview with Lawrence Wilkerson more than enlightening. The discussion is wide-ranging, and there are treats throughout. Some of them will surprise you.