Speaking during a visit on Monday to Palestinian villages in the West Bank alongside former senior Israeli officials including Matan Vilnai and Amram Mitzna, Pardo said the conditions he witnessed reminded him of historic persecution faced by Jews in Europe and left him feeling “ashamed to be Jewish,” according to remarks carried by Israel’s Channel 13.

Pardo said Israeli authorities were fully aware of settler attacks on Palestinian residents but had chosen not to intervene, describing the trend as a moral and strategic danger for the country.

He warned that confronting radical settlers, some of whom he said were armed and enjoyed political backing, could trigger internal instability and deepen divisions inside Israel.Pardo specifically pointed to the influence of far-right cabinet ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, both of whom have supported stronger Israeli control over the West Bank and expansion of settlements.

Violence across the occupied territory has intensified in recent months, with Palestinian communities reporting repeated attacks, destruction of homes and farmland, and forced displacement.The United Nations considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law and has repeatedly called for a halt to settlement expansion, a position Israel disputes.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said annexation of parts of the West Bank was not currently being pursued, citing opposition from U.S. President Donald Trump.However, Saar said Israel remained opposed to the establishment of a Palestinian state and would continue to strengthen its presence in the territory, a position that has further strained relations with the European Union and drawn criticism from rights groups and international partners.

The West Bank, captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, remains one of the central flashpoints in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with rising tensions fueling fears of broader regional instability.

We Christians in Syria are with the new state, with the heroes who expelled the criminal Bashar al-Assad. We are fine and everything written on social media is a lie

Amid ongoing conflict in Syria, contradictory narratives have emerged regarding the fate of Christian communities and the broader geopolitical landscape. Recent statements from analysts and insiders challenge widely circulated claims of sectarian massacres and ethnic cleansing, instead pointing to a complex web of military operations, disinformation campaigns, and geopolitical realignments.

Syrian Christians and the New State

Syrian Christian Dr. Laila recently dispelled claims of Christian persecution in the ongoing conflict, writing, “We Christians in Syria are with the new state, with the heroes who expelled the criminal Bashar al-Assad. We are fine and everything written on social media is a lie.” This counters allegations that Christians are being systematically targeted in the conflict.

Similarly, Washington-based Capitol Institute analyst Michael Arizanti stated, “There has been no slaughter of Christians—in fact, most Christian communities stand with Damascus against Assad loyalists.” This contradicts widely shared social media reports suggesting mass atrocities against Christian minorities.

Ex-MI6 Spy Aimen Dean’s Detailed Analysis of Syria’s Geopolitical Shifts

Aimen Dean has written a detailed analysis of the ongoing conflict in Syria. This is what he believes:

1. The Role of Ahmad al-Shar’a (Abu Muhammad al-Jolani)
   • Dean argues that al-Shar’a, despite his past ties to Al-Qaeda in Iraq, has since shifted alliances, distancing himself from ISIS and collaborating with Western and Turkish intelligence in countering jihadist threats.
   • Since 2018, intelligence reports indicate that al-Shar’a provided crucial intelligence to Western agencies, including those of France and the United States, to combat ISIS.
   • Dean draws parallels between his own transformation and that of al-Shar’a, emphasizing the latter’s trajectory towards governance rather than ideological extremism.
2. The New Syrian Government vs. Assad’s Regime
   • Dean asserts that al-Shar’a’s administration offers a more viable future for Syria compared to Assad’s stagnant, socialist Arab nationalist rule.
   • Economically, regions under the new government—Idlib, Jisr al-Shughur, and Sarmada—demonstrate progress, in contrast to the economic decline of Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, and Hama.
   • He dismisses claims of an orchestrated ethnic cleansing campaign on the Syrian coast, instead describing military operations aimed at neutralizing remnants of Assad’s security forces.
3. Disinformation and Propaganda in the Syrian War
   • Dean warns that Iranian and Hezbollah-backed Assad loyalists are engaging in a coordinated disinformation campaign to frame the conflict as a sectarian genocide.
   • Many widely circulated atrocity videos are either fabrications or recycled footage from past conflicts, repurposed to manipulate international perceptions.
   • He stresses that while war crimes have occurred, the situation is far more complex than social media portrayals suggest.

A Call for Rational Analysis Over Emotional Reactions

Dean underscores that the Syrian conflict should be analyzed through a geopolitical lens rather than a sectarian one. He argues that Western audiences must avoid falling into the trap of propaganda designed to push Syria further into the Iranian-Russian-Chinese sphere of influence.

Rejecting accusations of jihadist sympathies, Dean states, “How could someone who opposed both Hamas and Hezbollah—a Sunni and a Shia militant group—be labeled as a jihadist sympathizer? My approach is based purely on geopolitical logic, not religious bias.” He urges the global community to support efforts aimed at stabilizing Syria and integrating it into Mediterranean and Gulf economic frameworks rather than allowing it to remain a battleground for foreign powers.

The narratives emerging from experts and insiders like Aimen Dean challenge the dominant portrayal of a sectarian war, instead highlighting the intricate geopolitical maneuvering at play. Moving forward, objective analysis and evidence-based reporting will be crucial in shaping an accurate understanding of Syria’s future.