Image is of the King of Morocco meeting with John Kerry (a species of demon that plagued Hexbear in the misty past).

This preamble comes courtesy of @[email protected]:

Morocco (Al Maghrib), or more officially the Kingdom of Morocco (Al Mamlaka al Maghribiya), is a country located in the northwestern edge of the African continent. The name Morocco comes from the Spanish name Marruecos, which itself comes from the name of the city of Marrakesh. In Turkish for example, Morocco is known as Fas, mainly because Turks knew the land of Morocco through the city of Fes. Morocco is regarded as part of the Arab World and Arabic is the main language amongst the population, with French and Berber languages also widely spoken in the country.

Morocco was the home of mostly Berber tribes until the Muslim conquest and the subsequent Arab migrations in the 700s under the Umayyads drastically changed the character of the country. A Berber commander, Tariq ibn Ziyad, would later cross the Strait of Gibraltar (Jabal Tariq) from the northern shores of now-Morocco and conquer Andalusia, which remained under Muslim rule for nearly 800 years. The country emerged as a significant regional power during the Almoravid and Almohad dynasties in the medieval period, known for their contributions to architecture, philosophy, and trade across North Africa and southern Europe. The current ruling dynasty of Morocco, the Alaouite dynasty, came to power in the late 1600s. The Alaouites claim descent from the Prophet Muhammad through his grandson Hasan ibn Ali, giving them religious legitimacy and political authority in the region. Despite the Shia-coded claim to legitimacy, the Moroccan royal family and the population mostly follow the Maliki school of Sunni Islam.

In the early 20th century, the Treaty of Fez (1912) created the French Protectorate of Morocco, negotiated largely without input from the Moroccan people. Moroccan lands were completely divided under French and Spanish zones, with thousands of colonists pouring into the country. The royal family frequently collaborated with colonial powers, suppressing local resistance movements and prioritizing European interests. Prominent anti-colonial uprisings, like the Rif War (1921–1926), were met with brutal crackdowns, enabled by Western-backed forces. Post-independence in 1956, Morocco maintained close ties with its former colonizers, fostering economic dependence on France and Spain. The monarchy’s alignment with Western geopolitical interests often undermined Pan-African and Arab unity movements.

During the Cold War, Morocco positioned itself as a staunch ally of the West, marginalizing leftist and nationalist factions within the country. The Green March of 1975 was a Moroccan state-organized movement to assert control over Western Sahara, a territory decolonized from Spanish rule but still awaiting self-determination. This march, supported by Western powers, particularly the United States, is often criticized as a colonial expansion disguised as a popular movement. By settling Moroccans in the disputed territory, the march disregarded the Sahrawi people’s right to sovereignty. U.N. resolutions on Western Sahara have seen limited enforcement, largely due to Morocco’s Western alliances shielding it from accountability. Western-backed security and intelligence partnerships continue to be the cornerstone of Morocco’s repressive nature towards any anti-colonial and leftist movements. In 2021, Algeria again severed diplomatic ties with Morocco, citing hostile actions and concerns over Morocco’s ties with Israel, which Algeria views as a betrayal of pro-Palestinian solidarity. The two countries have mostly clashed over the issue of Western Sahara other than a short war in the 60s over a border dispute, with Algeria continuing to support the Sahrawi independence movement.

Morocco’s relations with Israel have historically been discreet but significant, rooted in the presence of a large Moroccan Jewish diaspora in Israel. Former King Hassan II played a significant behind-the-scenes role in fostering covert ties between Morocco and Israel during his reign. King Hassan II is reported to have allowed Israeli intelligence access to critical information from a meeting of Arab leaders in Casablanca in 1965, which may have helped Israel prepare for the Six-Day War in 1967. His government provided a platform for discreet diplomatic exchanges and intelligence-sharing, including Morocco’s facilitation of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s visit to Israel in the 1970s. In 2020, Morocco formally normalized ties with Israel through the Abraham Accords, brokered by the United States, in exchange for U.S. and Israeli recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. Diplomatic and trade relations have since deepened, with agreements in fields like defence, agriculture, and technology. Despite official ties, Moroccan public opinion remains largely sympathetic to Palestinians, but such opinions are rarely considered by the royal family.

Morocco’s future is split between ambitious global aspirations and permanent domestic issues. The country’s co-hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal is seen as a significant opportunity to showcase its shiny infrastructure and global presence. However, these achievements are often overshadowed by criticisms of its political culture, including the monarchy’s ceremonial practices, such as the humiliating tradition of publicly kissing the crown prince’s hand. Allegations surrounding King Mohammed VI’s personal behavior, including incidents of public drunkenness and alleged homosexuality continue to be a hot topic within opposition circles.

Please check out the HexAtlas!

The bulletins site is here!
The RSS feed is here.
Last week’s thread is here.

Israel-Palestine Conflict

If you have evidence of Israeli crimes and atrocities that you wish to preserve, there is a thread here in which to do so.

Sources on the fighting in Palestine against Israel. In general, CW for footage of battles, explosions, dead people, and so on:

UNRWA reports on Israel’s destruction and siege of Gaza and the West Bank.

English-language Palestinian Marxist-Leninist twitter account. Alt here.
English-language twitter account that collates news.
Arab-language twitter account with videos and images of fighting.
English-language (with some Arab retweets) Twitter account based in Lebanon. - Telegram is @IbnRiad.
English-language Palestinian Twitter account which reports on news from the Resistance Axis. - Telegram is @EyesOnSouth.
English-language Twitter account in the same group as the previous two. - Telegram here.

English-language PalestineResist telegram channel.
More telegram channels here for those interested.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict

Sources:

Defense Politics Asia’s youtube channel and their map. Their youtube channel has substantially diminished in quality but the map is still useful.
Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section.
Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war.
Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don’t want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it’s just the two of them if you want a little more analysis.
Simplicius, who publishes on Substack. Like others, his political analysis should be soundly ignored, but his knowledge of weaponry and military strategy is generally quite good.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists’ side.

Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.

Pro-Russian Telegram Channels:

Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.

https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR’s former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR’s forces. Russian language.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one.
https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts.
https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster’s telegram channel.
https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator.
https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps.
https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a ‘propaganda tax’, if you don’t believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses.
https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.

Pro-Ukraine Telegram Channels:

Almost every Western media outlet.
https://discord.gg/projectowl ~ Pro-Ukrainian OSINT Discord.
https://t.me/ice_inii ~ Alleged Ukrainian account with a rather cynical take on the entire thing.

  • Alaskaball [comrade/them]@hexbear.netMEnglish
    71·
    23 days ago

    Comment I made about more mods. Still looking for people.

    Edit: say hi to the, at the time of this edit, 4 new mods! Don’t forget to collapse this thread to make it easier for you to browse. I don’t know about how it looks on your end, but on my end this entire thread is expanded and takes a few solid scrolls to get through my bumbling recruitment drive

  • LargePenis [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    106·
    27 days ago

    Here’s what will happen in Lebanon in the next 24 hours or so according to what I’m hearing from resistance sources and family on the ground in Beirut:

    • Israel have bombed Beirut for possibly the final time

    • Hezbollah will bomb Tel Aviv and Haifa in the next hour or so, as a final middle finger and reminder to the Israeli public

    • Israeli forces are already retreating from their furthest advance.

    • A ceasefire will be announced tonight or tomorrow

    • Hezbollah will not withdraw from the South, this is just on paper so that the Israelis can save face

    • Gaza will be addressed very soon as well, the agreement is that the PA takes symbolic control of Gaza, but Hamas remains inofficially

    This is a major Israeli defeat, there’s no other way to look at this. They failed in disarming Hezbollah, failed in establishing a security zone along the border, failed in crippling Hezbollah’s capabilities, failed in reaching the Litani River and the act of war failed to return the settlers to the north, only this ceasefire will make it happen. May Allah have mercy on Sayyid Nasrallah and all the martyrs. One thing hurts though despite my happiness about the fact that we have defeated Israel for the 3rd time after 2000 and 2006, it feels like a small betrayal of Sayyid Nasrallah’s words about the complete rejection of any separation between the fronts in Gaza and Lebanon. The genocide in Gaza should’ve been stopped before we sign anything.

    Edit: Israel are bombing Dahiya south of Beirut now, expect a final retribution from Hezbollah soon

  • CthulhusIntern [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    100·
    28 days ago

    You know what would be the funniest thing the Onion could do with Infowars? Just straight-up, high quality reporting. Like, Pentagon Papers type shit.

  • miz [any, any]@hexbear.netEnglish
    98·
    27 days ago

    ‘Total Surrender’: Anger sweeps northern Israel over potential Lebanon ceasefire | The Cradle

    Shmuel described the situation of living under the fire of Hezbollah rockets since the war started.

    “It’s tough. There’s no life, we’ve had no life for a year now. You can’t plan anything, can’t go anywhere, can’t go out freely, not even to do something simple like exercise outside.”

    damn maybe if you thought Palestinians were people I would give a shit

  • LargePenis [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    95·
    24 days ago

    The situation in Aleppo is an absolute disaster, there’s no other away to describe it. I visited Aleppo last year, my aunt lives in Hayy Salah Al Deen near the big football stadium. I don’t know if it’s out on Twitter yet, but militants have entered her neighbourhood according to her messages in the family group chat and the local facebook groups. Corruption will fucking end the regime at this point, Assad honestly deserves this for not managing to control the corruption in the Army, and also for being an absolute incompetent shithead. Fucking hell man, life fucking sucks with all these disasters every single day. Disastrous situation on all levels, Aleppo was just starting to recover. I want to hit my head and sleep for an entire year to avoid reading this shit every single day.

  • Parzivus [any]@hexbear.netEnglish
    93·
    26 days ago

    Hamas statement on the Hezbollah ceasefire:

    In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
    On the Ceasefire Agreement Between Lebanon and the Zionist Enemy
    We commend the pivotal role played by the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon in supporting Gaza and the Palestinian resistance, as well as the immense sacrifices made by Hezbollah and its leadership, foremost among them the martyred Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. We value the steadfastness of the Lebanese people and their ongoing solidarity with the Palestinian people in facing the zionist occupation and its brutal aggression. We ask Allah to safeguard Lebanon and its people from all harm.
    The enemy’s acceptance of the agreement with Lebanon without achieving the conditions it had set represents a significant milestone in shattering Netanyahu’s illusions of reshaping the Middle East by force and his delusions of defeating the forces of resistance or disarming them.
    We affirm that this agreement would not have been possible without the steadfastness of the resistance and the popular cradle that surrounds it. We are confident in the continued support of the Axis of Resistance for our people and their struggle through all possible means.
    As we in Hamas closely follow the developments of this agreement in Lebanon, we express our commitment to cooperating with any efforts to establish a ceasefire in Gaza. We are keen to end the aggression against our people within the framework of the national terms agreed upon, which include a ceasefire, the withdrawal of occupation forces, the return of displaced persons, and the realization of a genuine and comprehensive prisoner exchange deal.
    We take pride in and salute the epic steadfastness and resilience of our steadfast people in Gaza, who, for over a year, have been writing with their blood and sacrifices shining pages in the continuous history of our people’s struggle. We stand with them as one body in the trenches of defending our land and confronting the enemy’s schemes, pledging loyalty to them until the aggression ends.
    We call on Arab and Islamic nations and the free forces of the world to launch serious and concerted efforts to pressure Washington and the zionist occupation to end its brutal aggression against our Palestinian people and halt the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
    We reaffirm that the Palestinian people and their valiant resistance will remain on the covenant, adhering to our national principles and legitimate rights, defending their land and sanctities until the occupation is defeated, removed, and the independent Palestinian state is established with Al-Quds as its capital.

    The Islamic Resistance Movement - Hamas Wednesday, 25 Jumada Al-Awwal 1446 AH Corresponding to November 27, 2024

  • Torenico [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    91·
    23 days ago

    Turkey fucking sucks. They are 100% responsible for the shit that is going on in Syria. Let’s not forget they pushed into syrian territory held by kurdish militias (and still gifted us with destroyed Leopards) and directly supports Al Qaeda remnants in Idlib. They are one big imperialist hellhole that acts in coordination with “israel” while being a long standing member of NATO (which grants them protection) to just fuck everyone up. Their shit militias stand idle while Gaza is being massacred too.

    May erdogan drown on his own blood.

  • parande@lemmy.mlEnglish
    90·
    22 days ago

    In the past 2 days, Israeli forces have:

    –Killed 3 World Central Kitchen aid workers

    –Killed a Save The Children staffer

    –Killed a Gaza Soup Kitchen chef

    –Killed an ICU director

    –Attacked & killed hundreds of displaced Palestinians

    –Shot a 10-year-old girl

    https://x.com/prem_thakker/status/1863362688966926556

    still atrocities going on every day in Gaza…

  • ThomasMuentzner [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
    90·
    27 days ago

    Liu Liange, former chairman of the Bank of China, was on Tuesday sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for bribe-taking and illegal issuing of loans. He was found to have accepted bribes worth over 121 million yuan (about $16.8 million), according to a court verdict.

  • SoyViking [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    88·
    26 days ago

    Some quick uneducated observations on the Lebanon ceasefire:

    • The Zionists were unable to achieve their military goals. In combination with the Al-Aqsa Flood this has effectively shattered the myth of the invincible high-tech master race. Zionists are incompetent loss-averse cowards. They can be beat.
    • The zionists have no inhibitions to terrorism and barring occasional good but largely impotent measures like the ICC warrants the west and their “rules-based international order” is not going to rein their zionist dogs in. Rather they will support them materially, politically and diplomatically.
    • Outside of settler society in occupied Palestine, zionism is an elite project. It has no popular support. Even in the imperial core where Islamophobia runs rampant and zionists are portrayed as humanised victims, most normal people sympathise with Palestine. The zionists are getting away with a lot but they have alienated a generation. Going forward they will have a harder time spreading their propaganda.
    • The zionists’ sense of security has been shattered. The Al-Aqsa Flood might have been stopped and Hezbollah might cease their operations but the sense of impunity is gone. Zionist installations and infrastructure is much more vulnerable to strikes from Iran, Hezbollah or even Yemen than before. Settlers can no longer expect war not to affect them personally.
    • The Nazification of settler society combined with the lack of physical security is making settler life a lot less attractive if you’re not a howling stormtrooper. Going forward the illegal zionist entity will find it harder to recruit new settlers and settlers who have viable options outside of occupied Palestine might choose them. It is a lot more fun being a a doctor in America than having your house bombed and your kid drafted to get blown up in a Merkava in occupied Palestine.
    • Zionism is now perceived as a lot less safe investment by capital than before and they will face long-term economic consequences.
    • Hezbollah failed to stop the genocide in Gaza. Without the Lebanese front to distract me the zionazis I am extremely worried about what they are going to do
    • There has been some talks about a Gaza ceasefire being in the works. I doubt it. Genocide is baked into the zionist entity and the external pressure to stop it just decreased significantly. It is very hard not to be a doomer about it.
  • Awoo [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
    87·
    24 days ago

    It is fucking wild watching soft-left types suddenly become wildly pro-assad as they learn how important Syria is as a weapons supply route to Gaza and Syria.

    They are becoming more pro-assad than I am and it’s because of Palestine. These are people that would’ve screamed the word tankie if you said you critically supported assad before this war.