Israel attacked Iran. Make sure you know who struck first.

Israel has already attacked Yemen, Lebanon and Syria. Israel has massacred the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. All of this was done under the guise of “Israel has a right to defend itself”.  We are told this over and over again. Here’s another one that’s been on repeat since 1995: Benjamin Netanyahu has told us that Iran is three to four years away from having nuclear war heads. I don’t know anything about Iran. I think that’s deliberate, so I took the trouble of googling it. Iran has never attacked any country, and unless you include their involvement with Iraq (the same war that Tony Blair apologised for), they’ve never attacked a single country. Did you know that? I didn’t. Then why are we so scared of them?

Iran has a nuclear program because they use nuclear energy. They are part of the NPT which makes them subject to regular (US-led) inspections for nuclear activity that might be considered unsuitable. They are not the only ones, there are many countries in the world that are no different to Iran when it comes to nuclear. You know who’s not part of the treaty but does actually have nukes, real nukes, like ninety of them: Israel. We consider Russia a formidable force, we consider Israel a formidable force and we consider the USA a formidable force. Why is there #SpecialTreatment for Israel? If they have nukes, they should be kept in check. Right?

I’m probably going to get banned because I read the news and add my opinion. I’ve already been shadow-banned on Meta and my last attempt at a YouTube video was removed with a stern warning. Perhaps I’m writing to the ether but if you do read this, and you get my drift, then I encourage you to subscribe to our newsletter via our website.

The things my timeline sees can never fit into a column, but I’m going to try. Let’s just scratch the surface of the biggest story in the world bar none.

Israel struck Iran and Iran has the right to defend itself which it did. It smashed the #IronDome with one particular missile. Granted it was a missile like we’ve never seen before, but in doing so, Iran shattered the false idea that Israel is infallible. It isn’t. Iran hit a hospital in an attack that it called “tactical” because of Israeli strategic targets near the hospital. I’ve heard that before, sounds a bit like “tunnels under hospitals” doesn’t it? Iran also said that Israel is using the civilians of Tel Aviv as human shields because sensitive organisations are strategically placed in the heart of the city where civilians could be harmed if caught in the crossfire. Bombing a hospital (even strategically) is a war crime. Well, it was two years ago. Today, not so much. Israel has bombed every single hospital in Gaza. Every one of them, imagine not having a single hospital in a time of war? Netanyahu doesn’t care about hospitals, but civilians do and so Bibi was quick to yank Trump into this war. A bit like that handshake-off Trump loves so much. Trump was bullied into putting 50,000 innocent Americans on the ground in Israel. Bibi pulled the Trump card, if one of those yanky soldiers is wounded, it’s bombs away.

I watched Israelis screaming in terror. I watched them try to leave their country, fast. And I felt sorry for them. They truly do not know. These people are brainwashed, like us white South Africans decades ago where we were taught, categorically, that black people were bad. But it’s 2025, we have social media, the world netizens are, for the most part, pro-Palestinian. We don’t like seeing babies killed in their tens of thousands or watching civilians burn in their tents or watching children’s heads being used for target practice or watching people starve or watching humans shoved into caged lines for food and then given five minutes to run for their bread and shot like #SquidGames. How could Israel think, in its heart of hearts, that this was sustainable? Thousands and thousands of people, civilians like you and me, made their way to Egypt to break the aid blockade in Rafah. The famine is rampant while Israel watches the trucks roll up they let them sit there to rot. If one hundred trucks a day do make it into a nation that was once 2,4 million but is now estimated to be 1,5 million, then it becomes target practice. The civilian “army” arrived unarmed, obviously, and were brutally pushed back by Egypt. Israel has its borders covered. The Muslim brethren in Jordan and Egypt made very sure that no food gets to their brothers.

So, when Iran defends itself and rises for Palestine, we should feel happy that someone is doing something. The rest of the world appears to be completely impotent, and it’s been almost two years of mass slaughter of Davids against Goliaths. But we don’t feel happy, we feel sick. It’s war dammit. Iran issued a warning that all citizens of Tel Aviv must leave, then Israel said, all citizens of Tehran must leave. And all that remains is chaos, just the terror, the horror experienced by humans who don’t sit at long negotiation tables. People like you and me.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, rejected Donald’s demand for Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” and he warned that U.S. military intervention would cause “irreparable damage.” He also said his nation would not yield to “imposed” peace or war and vowed to punish Israel for its airstrikes. He emphasised Iran’s military readiness and condemned Israel’s violation of Iranian airspace. He called Israel’s attack a “grave error” and he dismissed Donnie’s social posts as “absurd rhetoric.” He also said where others smell the fragrance of gun powder, Iranians smell paradise. And then Iran let rip with some missiles the world has never seen.

Putin called for peace, but also said Iran has a right to defend itself. Malaysian citizens are sailing a thousand yachts with aid for Gaza. China didn’t talk, they just sent planes to Iran, the cargo unknown. Kim Yong Un stood with Iran. It’s beginning to look a lot more balanced now isn’t it? If war is your thing. It’s not mine. #GivePeaceAChance

Now is the time to put down weapons Israel, now is the time to arrest Netanyahu and elect a new leader. Now is the time to go back to the borders of 1967 in Palestine. You’ve pushed your luck so far Bibi, us humans have had enough. Is the Ayatollah our good guy? I don’t know. I just know that everything should stop. This mad man should be arrested immediately and all of it must end. Let Gazans rebuild their land, allow food into Palestine. Two countries, not even two states. Nothing less will work.

I’m acutely aware of my bias to Palestinians, so I watched #TedCruz being interviewed by #TuckerCarlson. I loathe Tucker, he’s the same guy who interviewed #ErnstRoets when South Africa was accused of genocide. I suffered through it and watched them blowing smoke up each other’s behinds. And then something weird happened; Tucker asked some basic questions about the nation USA was about to enter into a war with. Cruz said Iranians were trying to assassinate Trump, and then Tucker almost fell off his chair, then “Why aren’t we attacking Iran?” Cruz mumbled something about the Iranians not being very good at these assassination attempts. Any journalist, even Tucker, will smell blood. He asked Cruz how many Iranians live in Iran, he didn’t know. There are 92 million, a pretty big number. He asked what the composition of the country’s people was, he couldn’t answer. He was enraged because Tucker pressed on about these assassination attempts and then the truth came out: Cruz said we are attacking Iran right now. And Tucker said that it was Israel attacking Iran and Cruz said “yes, through us”. And that was it. So, if you doubted who Israel’s army is, now you know for real for real. Israel and the USA are the same WhatsApp group. We are at that point where kids will look back and say, “Why didn’t anyone stop them?”.  That’s if there is a world left for these kids.

I’m probably going to get cancelled now, so let me return to SA soil to tell you that, as a country, we are also very much in this “fight”. #Lamola said the legal struggle to arrest Netanyahu and friends continues. But in other news the presidency is abroad, and we have Angie #ThirtyPercent Motshekga as our acting president. Please don’t ask her to calculate, articulate, or even make a sum; please don’t ask her to do anything, ok? Just leave her in her office and throw presents at her. Do not, I repeat, do not let her make any decisions.

And then there was a massive cheer up for me. #FloydShivambu. Oh, my word, did you laugh? I did! He was “redefloyed” last week, and this week, with a MK cap, he told us that he is MK for life – but is starting a new political party. Wait, wait, I’ve heard this one before, didn’t Zuma say he’s ANC for life while running #MKParty? Well, I mean if the cap fits, wear it. He didn’t hold back our #FlipFloppingFloyd, especially when he told us that the EFF was a cult and … that scary lady, #DuduzaneZuma, likes a bit of the white marching powder, which results in late night tweets that make no sense. He said MK crooks stole R7 million, what’s more, they thought he wanted to overthrow Zuma. Overthrow? That’s funny, don’t throw him anywhere guys, he’s madala now, a succession plan is not a coup. So here we have yet another party we will not vote for. #Ngeke #AvoidFloyd

We had a day of mourning for the ninety-two people who were killed in the #ECFloods, but we did not begin to build them housing or lay water pipes or even plan for them to move to safer areas. We left that community with a “day of mourning”, what was that? I find the ANC revolting. The Patriotic Alliance are now “friends of Israel” and there is “no genocide in Palestine” apparently. This story hit me in the gut. You took the money didn’t you? These are the guys I had actually decided to vote for come next term and now … dololo. How can you vote for anyone who thinks killing babies is okay. And speaking of babies, where is Joshlin Smith eintlik? Julius was banned from the UK, shame Juju, you’ll never see #BigBen or the dirty Thames. The colonialists don’t take kindly to your kind, dear.

It was #YouthDay and as we relived images of #HectorPetersen. There was a serial rapist who got six life sentences, that’s good. Joburg rates are going up, that’s bad. We’re having a dental check at the Meyiwa trial and apartheid assassin Eugene De Kock won his legal battle for funding in the case of the Cradock Four Inquest. Kelly Khumalo said that baby daddies should be called “uncles” because they are so absent. Ironic. The #ThaboBester saga continues as he said he can’t defend himself without a laptop. He said this wearing some serious shades. Dr Nandi looks washed out, no “on fleek edges” or manicured nails. They dropped the charges of the G4S employee Masukela or “accused number 5”. Is the story tired? We are. Why are we here?

And then your good news, finally, it’s Friday and the Proteas are truly on fire. A heroes welcome for the champions as they return to home soil. New sponsor Suzuki must be smiling from ear to ear. We are! There is so much more, and truly I don’t feel like I’ve done you justice on SA media. It’s these wars man, they keep taking airtime.

To close, I’m going to steal the words of John Lennon: “All we are saying, is give peace a chance.” #NoMoreWar. Sounds trite right? I got on a boat this week, on #YouthDay; there were ten of us on the boat, I knew only two of the divers. When I surfaced the other eight were immediately my friends. I wonder if everyone went scuba diving together, they might all come back to the surface like me, in awe, with friends I’d never met before.

I’m Tonya Khoury and thank you for scratching the surface with me and Acumen Media