Iraq Affected By Iran's Ayatollahs

 Nadene Goldfoot                                        

                       Can you see Israel in dark brown above Saudi Arabia?

Recent updates on Iraq focus on ongoing government formation following the 2025 elections, challenges in the energy sector, and persistent security concerns.

I always think of Iraq as the Mesopotamia that our Jewish religion was planted.  With Iran in the picture these days, one would not realize how Iran is affecting Iraq. Many significant biblical stories, including Abraham's origin in Ur, the prophecies and revival in Nineveh, the captivity and fiery furnace tales in Babylon, the potential site of the Tower of Babel, and even the Garden of Eden's Tigris River, occurred in the land of modern-day Iraq (ancient Mesopotamia). Key figures like Abraham, Jonah, Daniel, and the exiled Israelites were central to events in this region, which served as the heart of empires like Assyria and Babylonia. 

 Incidently, Iran and Iraq fought a bloody war in the 1980's against each other. The Iran-Iraq War, a devastating conflict often called the "First Gulf War," occurred from September 22, 1980, to August 20, 1988, when Iraq invaded Iran, leading to nearly eight years of brutal fighting over border disputes, religious tensions, and regional dominance, ending in a UN-brokered ceasefire with no decisive victor.  They fought in the end using teens as soldiers.

•  Iran has halted natural gas supplies to Iraq, causing significant power cuts and an electricity crisis. Protests have erupted in Kirkuk province over the electricity shortages.
  
  
  
• Water Crisis: The country continues to face a prolonged drought, similar to Iran, but with water flows in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers significantly reduced. This has major impacts on agriculture, though recent unprecedented rainfall has helped boost strategic water reserves. The UN ranks Iraq as one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change.Water Crisis in Iran comes from mismanagement;  a mix of climate change-induced droughts, severe mismanagement, unsustainable agricultural practices (like overuse for 90% of water use), excessive dam building, illegal well drilling, population growth, and poor governance, leading to drying rivers, shrinking aquifers, and intense water stress, as highlighted by issues in Tehran.                           
  
  
  

• Nationalization Plan: The Iraqi cabinet approved plans to nationalize operations at the major West Qurna 2 oilfield, currently run by Russia's Lukoil, to prevent disruptions from U.S. sanctions. Exxon Mobil has reportedly expressed interest in acquiring Lukoil's stake. Iran has cut the Internet for all Iranians, blacking out their attacks on their own people.  
• High Risk Travel Advisory: The U.S. Department of State and other foreign offices strongly advise against all travel to Iraq due to high risks of violence, kidnapping, and terrorist attacks by ISIS and others.
• ISIS Threat: Despite the Islamic State's (ISIS) territorial defeat in 2017, the group remains a threat, with remnants operating in the country and security forces launching joint operations to clear hideouts.
• Militia Activity: Anti-U.S. militias continue to pose a threat to U.S. citizens and international companies. Drone attacks have targeted oil and gas fields in the Kurdistan region, briefly halting production.
• . Major Incidents
• In July 2025, a fire tore through a newly opened shopping center in eastern Iraq, killing at least 61 people, including women and children.
• In a separate incident, twelve soldiers died from methane gas exposure while searching a mountain cave in northern Iraq. 
• Resource:
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• https://english.alarabiya.net/locations/iraq#:~:text=Recent%20News,Middle%20East%2004%20December%20%2C2025
• https://www.ireland.ie/en/dfa/overseas-travel/advice/iraq/#:~:text=The%20Department%20of%20Foreign%20Affairs,high%20threat%20of%20terrorist%20attacks.
• 
  

Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyiy's Right Hand Man Forced to Resign

 Nadene Goldfoot                                        

   Andriy Yermak (b: November 21, 1971) age 54, in Kyiv, Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union)  Yermak's Russian mother Maria met his Kyiv native Jewish father,  Borys on a school trip of a Leningrad school to Kyiv.  

• Andriy Yermak, a prominent Ukrainian official and former film producer, has a Jewish father and Jewish relatives in Israel, the US, and Belgium.  He sees a connection with Israel.  “[Ukraine] is a great nation in the center of Europe, and this is a great nation which wanted to be free, to be independent,” he continued. “And I’m sure that our history will be so great, as great as the history of Israel, and the relations between our countries, the relations between our people, will be stronger, and we can always say that we are real friends.”

A political earthquake in Ukraine has taken place as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Andrii Yermak, the country’s second-most-powerful person, was forced to resign amid a corruption scandal. This comes as Ukraine is enmeshed in negotiations with the Trump administration on a possible end to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Jack Hewson joins John Yang with the latest from Kyiv.

Andriy Borysovych Yermak (Ukrainian: Андрій Борисович Єрмак; born 21 November 1971) is a Ukrainian politician and former film producer who served as the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine from 2020 to 2025, after being appointed by Volodymyr Zelenskyy.  In 1995 he received his  master's degree in international private law.  In 1997, Yermak founded his own law firm and worked in the field of intellectual property and commercial law.

Yermak became acquainted with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2011, when Zelenskyy was the general producer of the TV channel Inter. The two became friends.  

      Yermak at a meeting of President Trump and President                   Zelenskyy in the White House on 18 August 2025

Yermak is also a member of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the highest command and control body for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He has been described as Volodymyr Zelenskyy's right-hand man and a "real power broker" in Ukraine. In 2023, Politico called him Kyiv's "Green Cardinal". In 2024, Time named Yermak to their annual list of 100 most influential people in the world.

 He just resigned  on 28 November 2025.  Yermak resigned from his position as the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine after his home was raided by anti-corruption agents.

He stated he is going to the front lines and has claimed his innocence.  In a text message to The Post, Yermak said he is going to the front lines and is prepared for any reprisals, calling himself an "honest and decent person". His statement was made in an impassioned message to the New York Post following anti-corruption raids on his home and office, where he maintained his innocence and expressed a desire to avoid creating political problems for President Zelenskyy. 

On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. The resultant conflict is the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, and a major escalation of the war between the two countries that began in 2014.  In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea and supported separatists in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region after Ukraine's pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych, was ousted in the Euromaidan protests. Russia's military seized control of Crimea in February 2014, followed by a disputed referendum in March that led to Russia's formal annexation of the peninsula. In April, fighting began in the Donbas between the Ukrainian military and Russian-backed separatists, initiating a conflict that would last for years. 

Will Zelensky be able to stand up to Russia now without Yermak?

As for the Front Lines, The "front lines" associated with the name "Yarmak" in Ukraine refer to the areas around the southeastern city of Huliaipole in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Mayor Serhii Yarmak serves as the mayor of Huliaipole, a city that has been subject to continuous Russian shelling and is considered a front-line town.  Due to the proximity of active combat and severe attacks, most residents have fled, leaving only a small fraction of the pre-war population. 

Another individual, Andriy Yarmak, an agricultural economist, is involved in discussions and analysis regarding the global food crisis stemming from the war, rather than military front lines. There is also mention of a Ukrainian rapper named Yarmak who has been on the front lines questioning a Russian prisoner of war. 

Resource:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOnoB4XlwGM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andriy_Yermak

https://www.ukrainer.net/en/peace-in-ukraine-analysis/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22474343723&gbraid=0AAAAADNJdlT_ReL6XgQLDXNBHm-ANLXCO&gclid=Cj0KCQiA0KrJBhCOARIsAGIy9wBdB9Rxt9302qxfzQ4S8iDeqcrkwaiJ2AhziiKvb4winifGEHKZiYoaA

https://www.timesofisrael.com/top-zelensky-advisor-opens-up-about-his-jewish-roots-urges-greater-israeli-support/#:~:text=Yermak%20added%20that%20his%20family,to%20stay%20on%20the%20sidelines.%E2%80%9D

War Crimes Of Past Ages In Present-Day Culture

 Nadene Goldfoot                                       

     The photo shows the frontline town of Liman in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. It is 2025. The city is being bombed every day. Traces of war are everywhere.

Zelensky, born January 25, 1978, 47 years old

 Do Jews live in Ukraine anymore?  We know Zelensky is Jewish.  Estimates for Ukraine's Jewish population vary, but recent figures suggest the "core" population (those who identify as Jewish) is around 43,000-45,000. However, other sources give higher numbers, with some estimates for the "enlarged" or "Law of Return" population—which includes relatives of Jewish people—reaching 140,000 to 200,000. The number of Jews in Ukraine is complicated to determine due to varying definitions, emigration, and the ongoing conflict. (Since when does Ukraine have a "Law of Return" for Jews?") Idon't think so !               

War crimes are serious violations of international humanitarian law committed during armed conflict, including acts like murder, torture, taking hostages, and intentionally targeting civilians, hospitals, or cultural sites. They also encompass other offenses such as pillaging, sexual violence, unlawful deportation, and wanton destruction of property. 

Common war crimes

• 1. Violence against civilians and non-combatants: This includes intentional murder, torture, and cruel treatment.
• 2. Hostage-taking: Taking individuals captive for leverage is a war crime.
• 3. Attacks on protected sites: Intentionally attacking hospitals, schools, religious buildings, or historical monuments is a war crime.
• 4. Pillage and plunder: Looting public or private property is a violation of the laws of war.
• 5. Sexual violence: Rape, sexual slavery, and forced pregnancy are considered war crimes.
• 6. Unlawful treatment of prisoners: Ill-treatment, torture, and murder of prisoners of war fall under this category.
• 7. Destruction of property: Wantonly destroying cities, towns, or villages not justified by military necessity is a war crime.
• 8. Child soldiers: Enlisting or using children in armed conflict is a war crime.
• 9. Collective punishment: Punishing an entire group of people for the actions of a few is a war crime.                                                       
• 
                                                
• Russia first bombed Ukraine in 2014 during the initial conflict that followed the annexation of Crimea and the escalation of fighting in the Donbas region. The most recent, full-scale invasion with widespread bombing began on February 24, 2022.  
• On the other hand, we have such ammunition as Atomic Weaponry to 
  threaten or use against others. Russia has been bombing the heck out
  of Ukraine in 2025. As of November 2025, Russia has launched tens of thousands of attacks on Ukraine this year, with figures showing over 40,000 guided glide bombs and over 34,000 drones and decoys launched in the first ten months. Russia conducts bombardments daily, intensifying its campaign against critical infrastructure, particularly ahead of winter.  

  

                        Gaza shooting at Israel
  
  
  Israel has been most careful in its Israel-Hamas terrorists war since
  Hamas does not play by any of these rules. Many Palestinians have been killed due to the acts of the Hamas terrorists
• They hide in hospitals they take over, in mosques, schools, homes, where-ever they can and shoot at the Israelis.  All are warned over and over in many ways to move out of the stage of the war before attacking.  They don't always wear uniforms.  They are children of terrorists.  
• # 1 happened on October 7th to Israelis were surprise attacked in small tows or kibbutzim along the border of Israel and Gaza.  The violence was shocking ! 
• # 5.  Rape and sexual violence of Israelis and bodily mutilation
•   #2 , They took hostages; In the wake of the October 7 attacks that sparked the Gaza war, Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups abducted 251 people from Israel to the Gaza Strip, including children, women, and elderly people. #6. Torture of hostages, unlawful treatment in tunnels, starvation, occur-red. 
• #7. Destroying their kibbutzim, homes      #8. The collective punishment of hostages for all Jews /Israelis.                                      

 

How Israel Views Trump's Peace Plan Between Russia and Ukraine?

 Nadene Goldfoot                                           

4 July 2025:  An elderly couple crossing a street as smoke rises in the background at a site of a strike following a mass Russian drone and missile attack on the Ukraine's capital Kyiv, July 4, 2025. (Handout / STATE EMERGENSY SERVICE OF UKRAINE / AFP)  Worse bombing has been happening.  23 hurt in Kyiv after Moscow launches largest aerial attack since start of war; Trump says he’s ‘not happy’ with war, doesn’t think Putin wants to stop.

• Diplomatic Position: Israel has consistently condemned the Russian invasion at the United Nations General Assembly as a violation of international order. However, it has generally avoided harsh public criticism of Vladimir Putin and has not imposed sanctions on Russia, aiming to maintain open diplomatic channels.
  
  Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Russia from 1999 to 2000 and again from 2008 to 2012. Wikipedia
  Born: October 7, 1952 (age 73 years), Saint Petersburg, Russia
• Strategic Considerations: The primary reason for Israel's cautious approach is its security coordination with Russia in Syria. Russia maintains a military presence there, and Israel needs Russian cooperation to continue its airstrikes against Iranian and Hezbollah targets that pose a direct threat to Israeli security. Antagonizing Russia could jeopardize this arrangement.

• Deteriorating Russia-Israel Relations: Russia's deepening military ties with Iran (including the use of Iranian drones in Ukraine) and its diplomatic support for groups like Hamas have significantly strained relations with Israel since October 2023. Despite this, both countries have reasons to maintain dialogue, and high-level talks between Netanyahu and Putin continue in 2025 to manage regional tensions. 

"Trump administration officials have proposed a 28-point peace plan designed to end the Russia-Ukraine war — a framework that would require Ukraine to give up its eastern Donbas region and Crimea, and swear off NATO membership, according to a draft shared publicly by a Ukrainian opposition politician and confirmed by a White House official.

The 28-point plan is the most recent working document offered by the administration, reflecting feedback from Russian and Ukrainian officials, the White House official said. It still remains unclear whether both sides will agree to it; diplomatic conversations are ongoing and further changes are being negotiated, according to multiple sources.

While some European governments were aware the U.S. was working on a proposal, they were not involved in drafting it, according to European officials contacted by CBS News."

• The widely leaked draft of President Donald Trump’s 28-point plan is a terrifying leap backwards for Kyiv. It was co-conceived by Russians who wanted to pretend they were engaging in peace, and circulated by Ukrainians and Europeans who felt it was so ridiculous it would surely die on first contact with oxygen. 
• HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP) — Lawmakers critical of President Donald Trump’s approach to ending the Russia-Ukraine war said Saturday they spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio who told them that the peace plan Trump is pushing Kyiv to accept is a “wish list” of the Russians and not the actual proposal offering Washington’s positions. 
  
       How is this a Peace Plan?  It is giving into all of Russia's demands.  It's a surrender plan.  
• This peace plan for Ukraine-Russia shows a defeat  for Britain with Ukraine.  They have been checking first with the USA before
• doing anything.  The USA has shared its intelligence and nuclear technology with Britain. What is going on?Our alliance of Britain and USA with Ukraine is left by this peace plan as just plain weak and in need of repair. Giving into Russia's demands means weakness for all.   
• The United States cares about how Russia acts towards Britain primarily due to their strong mutual defense obligations as NATO allies, the robust "special relationship" that involves deep intelligence and military cooperation, and the shared interest in maintaining global stability and deterring Russian aggression against Western democracies.            

                                         Dmitry Medvedev, age 60

Moscow's eternal enemy has been Britain, says Dmitry Medvedev.  Dmitry wants to sink the island of Anglo-Saxon dogs !  Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician and lawyer who has served as deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia since 2020. Medvedev was also President of Russia between 2008 and 2012 and Prime Minister of Russia between 2012 and 2020.

Dmitry Medvedev's recent interactions with Britain include threatening journalists at The Times after they published an article critical of Russia, prompting the UK government to call the remarks a "gangster threat". Historically, there have been other points of friction, such as a 2008 incident where he suggested the British Council was spying. Additionally, former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Medvedev have had numerous clashes, including during the 2022 G20 summit. 

Where does this hatred Medvedev bears come from? Putin !  Some say that Putin resents the way British special forces disposed of his allies in Syria; British special forces (UKSF) were primarily deployed in Syria as part of the international coalition's Operation Shader, which focused on counter-terrorism operations against the Islamic State (IS) group. Their operations have involved: Targeted Killings of Terrorists: UKSF have been involved in the direct killing of more than 4,000 IS terrorists in Syria and Iraq through ambushes, sniping, and coordinating air and drone strikes."IS terrorists" refers to members and sympathizers of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as the Islamic State (IS) or by its Arabic acronym Da'esh. This organization is a designated foreign terrorist group that uses violence to pursue political and religious goals.                                       

Others that Putin's  resentment is older, going back to his being checked by MI6 when he was a KGB agent in East Germany.  Vladimir Putin, Russia's current leader, served as a KGB foreign intelligence officer in Dresden, East Germany, from 1985 to 1990, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel. During this time, he worked in cooperation with the Stasi, East Germany's secret police. 

. Perhaps it has to do with the way in which London became the favoured exile of anti-Putin émigrés, who sought safety in one of the few places where neither police chiefs nor judges could be bribed. 

Or perhaps it goes back to the Anglo-Russian rivalry of the 19th century, and with which Putin, who seems to have spent the lockdown reading indifferent history books, is doubtless familiar.  The primary 19th-century rivalry between Russia and Britain was the "Great Game," a strategic struggle for influence and control in Central Asia. Britain sought to protect its prized colony, India, by creating buffer states, while Russia expanded its empire southwards. This rivalry played out through diplomatic maneuvering, espionage, and military conflict in regions like Afghanistan, Iran, and Tibet. Another major point of conflict was the Crimean War (1853–1856), where Britain, France, and the Ottoman Empire fought against Russia. 

                            

   Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill at the Atlantic 

Conference

A long time ago in August 1941 when WWII was at it, there was theATLANTIC CHARTER.  It said that borders should not be changed by force.  Democracy is preferable to dictatorship.  The rule of law should operate among people abroad as well as within states.  Why aren't we following it?  The problems came not from Germany and Japan but the allies that had empires and so resisted self-determination, especially the United Kingdom, France, the Soviet Union, and the Netherlands.

    1 Russian Ruble equals 0.013 United States Dollar    Putin is                        against Western powers.                    

Ukrainian and U.S. Officials Meet to Discuss Trump’s Plan to End War With Russia

President Trump lashed out at Ukraine while the talks were going on.  Ukraine continues to see high desertion rates and draft-avoidance, adding to its serious manpower issues and Kyiv’s drone advantage has been eroded by swift Russian learning and innovation. President Volodymyr Zelensky is also suffering a popularity nadir – facing the repercussions of an ongoing and intimately detailed corruption scandal that touches both his inner circle and the very thing Ukrainians must endure daily – energy outages.  The reason he had won elections was that there had been so much corruption going on in his previous government!  He made fun of it in his comedy routine on TV.  Ukrainians did not help Jews at all in  WW II., so I'm not surprised at their corruption now.  So Trump's peace plan is favoring Russia;  are we surprised?  No.

Resource:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/trump-is-behaving-precisely-as-he-would-if-he-were-a-russian-asset/ar-AA1QWVaR?ocid=socialshare

https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/21/europe/ukraine-russia-trump-peace-analysis-intl 

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/world/europe/ukraine-switzerland-russia-peace-talks.html

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-administration-proposed-28-point-russia-ukraine-peace-plan/