Hamas delegation in Egypt to discuss new humanitarian pause. // Diplomat Alex Saab back to Venezuela after 3+ years of unjust incarceration. // France: new immigration law unleashes government crisis. teleSUR
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00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 Diplomat Alex Zab returned to Venezuela
00:11 after being unjustly detained for more than 1,286 days
00:15 by US authorities.
00:16 Palestinian resistance movement Hamas
00:22 confirmed that a delegation headed
00:23 by the leader of the political committee, Ismail Haniyef,
00:26 is in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, for ceasefire talks.
00:32 The French National Assembly approved a restrictive
00:34 immigration law, leashing a political crisis
00:36 in the government of President Emmanuel Macron.
00:38 Hello, welcome to From the South.
00:50 I'm Luis Alberto Matos from the Lesotho Studios in Havana,
00:53 Cuba.
00:54 We begin with the news, diplomat Alex Zab
00:56 returned to Venezuela after being
00:58 detained for more than 1,286 days by US authorities.
01:02 Zab arrived at Maiketia International Airport,
01:05 where he was received by his family
01:07 and top Venezuelan officials.
01:08 Alex Zab was detained by the government of the United States
01:11 since 2021, after being held a year earlier in Cape Verde
01:14 while on his way to a humanitarian operation
01:17 and having suffered degrading and inhumane treatment,
01:20 violating his human rights and diplomatic immunity.
01:23 Previously, the Venezuelan government
01:24 expressed through a statement that his freedom is
01:27 another victory of the Bolivarian diplomacy of peace
01:29 in the face of interfering actions of the United States.
01:32 Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro
01:40 received diplomat Alex Zab on Wednesday
01:42 at the Miraflores Palace, hours after being released
01:44 in the United States, where he had
01:46 been in jail under charges of alleged conspiracy to money
01:49 laundering.
01:50 The president thanked those who led
01:51 the process of Zab's release and rescue,
01:54 in conditions of integrity and ratio
01:55 that the diplomat was unjustly kidnapped in Cape Verde,
02:00 where his only crime of trying to go around the criminal
02:02 blockade imposed by the US on Venezuela
02:04 and look for medicines in times of the COVID-19 pandemic.
02:08 The Venezuelan president also thanked the solidarity movement
02:10 Free Alex Zab, which was made up of people
02:13 from various nations, including Venezuela and the United
02:15 States, and highlighted Zab's resistance and courage
02:18 during his more than three years of unjust incarceration.
02:21 Proud patriots who resisted 1,280 days, 14 months,
02:39 the conditions more adverse, most painful of kidnapping,
02:47 incarceration, torture, physical torture,
02:51 psychological torture, threats, lies, and later,
02:57 of 1,280 days, the truth has won.
03:05 Justice has won.
03:08 President Nicolás Maduro also condemned the fact
03:11 that the evidence presented by the government of Venezuela
03:13 is not valid in Miami or Bogota.
03:15 How he had to face lies, not even one of the proofs
03:30 that were given from Miami and Bogota were true.
03:36 The only true of a brave man, of an entrepreneur,
03:43 nationalized in Venezuela, whose only fault
03:50 was to seek to overcome the sanctions,
03:55 the criminal sanctions against Venezuela,
03:59 to look for medicines during the pandemic.
04:01 He was captured then and kidnapped.
04:12 Diplomat Alex Zab dedicated a few words of thanks
04:14 to the people of Venezuela, its president and his family,
04:17 for not giving up and not leaving him behind.
04:20 Thank you, Venezuelan people.
04:23 I feel proud to serve the Venezuelan people
04:29 and serve this government, a government, a loyal government
04:36 that don't left anyone behind, a government that
04:42 never gives up like me, and a people that will never give up.
04:48 Thank you, Mr. President.
04:50 Let's now go deeper on the analysis of today's Paramount
04:56 Day.
04:57 We welcome Danny Shull, professor
04:59 of Latin American and Caribbean studies
05:01 at the City University of New York.
05:02 Welcome, Danny.
05:03 Danny, can you hear us?
05:09 Yes.
05:10 It seems we're having difficulties
05:19 to establish contact with Professor Danny Shull
05:22 to analyze deeper on the importance of today, what
05:25 happened, the return to the homeland of Alex Zab
05:29 to Venezuela.
05:30 Let's continue with other news, and we'll
05:32 try later to make contact with Professor Danny Shull.
05:36 We continue in the US.
05:38 A court in that North American nation
05:40 sentenced former Haitian Senator Joseph Joel
05:42 John to life imprisonment for the assassination
05:45 of Haitian President Jovenel Moise in July 2021.
05:48 Joel John, before the judge of the Miami court,
05:51 asked for clemency after recognizing his implication
05:54 in the facts, but clarified that his intention
05:56 was to kidnap the president and bring him to justice.
05:59 However, he declared that his accomplices decided
06:01 to assassinate him, and he could not
06:03 refuse because he feared for his life.
06:06 The condemned man conspired, planned, and financed
06:08 part of the operation and became together
06:10 with the Chilean Haitian businessman Rodolfo Yarjar
06:13 and the former Colombian army officer, German Rivera,
06:16 the third person convicted in the United States
06:18 for the assassination.
06:19 Let's now take a short break, but remember
06:26 you can join us on TikTok @TedesulEnglish,
06:28 where you'll find news in different formats, news
06:31 updates, and much more.
06:34 Other stories coming up.
06:35 Stay with us.
06:36 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:39 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:43 Welcome back from the South.
07:09 Palestinian resistance movement Hamas
07:10 confirmed that the delegation headed
07:12 by the head of the political committee, Ismail Haniyef,
07:15 is already in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, for ceasefire talks.
07:18 This visit is estimated to follow a meeting between Iran
07:21 and Qatar on Tuesday, and is likely to lay
07:23 the groundwork for talks on a new humanitarian truce
07:26 and the release of Israeli hostages
07:28 and Palestinian hostages.
07:29 Egypt has confirmed a first meeting on Wednesday
07:31 between the Palestinian delegation
07:33 and its intelligence chief, General Abbas Kamel.
07:36 This meeting is aimed at reviewing obstacles
07:38 and conditions for requesting the new pause.
07:40 In Palestine, while most of the member states of the United
07:49 Nations are trying to reach a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza,
07:52 the Zionist army intensified its aggressions
07:54 against the population of the Gaza Strip.
07:57 On the 75th day of the Israeli genocidal operation,
07:59 the health authorities in the Palestinian enclave
08:02 confirmed 19,650 dead, 70% of them women and children,
08:07 the number of wounded is close to 53,000.
08:10 In turn, the authorities in Gaza warned
08:12 that these numbers could increase considerably
08:14 in the coming hours, considering that the occupation has
08:17 bombed the center, south, and north of the Strip
08:20 in the last hours.
08:21 The Malaysian government decided to ban immediately
08:29 the entry of Israeli ships into the country in solidarity
08:32 with the Palestinian cause.
08:33 The prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim,
08:35 assured that the measure responds to the fact
08:37 that Israel is committing massacres and brutality
08:39 against the Palestinian people.
08:41 The Malaysian executive decision also
08:43 implies the prohibition for any ship en route to Israel
08:46 to load goods at Malaysian ports.
08:48 The restrictions come into force immediately.
08:51 The Southeast Asian nation thus joins the list of countries
08:54 imposing economic sanctions on Benjamin Netanyahu's government
08:58 for crimes against humanity.
09:01 [MUSIC PLAYING]
09:04 The US Senate closes 2023, warns no more aid for Ukraine
09:18 for now.
09:19 The president, Joseph Biden, had guaranteed the resources
09:21 to his counterpart, Boris Zelensky,
09:23 during his most recent visit to Washington.
09:25 Democratic and Republican leaders of the US Senate
09:27 confirmed the decision on Tuesday
09:29 that Washington will not be able to approve new aid to Ukraine
09:32 before the end of the year, as the two sides continue
09:34 to search for a compromise.
09:36 They say they will continue to work in good faith
09:38 to finalize their agreement.
09:40 Both Chuck Schumer, leader of the Democrats,
09:42 and Mitch McConnell, leader of the Republicans,
09:44 agreed that there are priority domestic commitments.
09:47 Since October, many warned that this pick-up for Kiev
09:50 was going to be turned off.
09:51 OMB Director Shalanda Young said,
09:56 there's no magic pot of money here.
09:58 I mean, that's why we need this supplemental.
10:00 That's why we need this funding to support Ukraine going
10:02 forward.
10:03 And like I said, we've got one more crack at this
10:05 here before the end of the year, before that replenishment
10:07 authority runs out.
10:10 Russian President Biden reported and assured
10:12 that his country is the sole guarantor of the sovereignty
10:15 and integrity of Ukraine.
10:16 The head of state made these statements
10:17 during his speech at an enlarged meeting
10:19 of the board of directors of the nation's defense ministry.
10:22 The Russian leader emphasized that the West
10:24 saw that it was impossible to achieve its goals by legal
10:27 means, since Russia was working with the Southeast.
10:30 So it decided to stay Jakutia.
10:32 The president pointed out that after the separation
10:34 from the Soviet Union, it was only Moscow
10:36 that defended the integrity of the Ukrainian territory.
10:38 However, he stressed that if they do not
10:41 want to receive Russian help, he will
10:42 respect the decision of Kiev.
10:44 Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday
10:51 inspected modern weapons at an exhibition in Moscow
10:53 and awarded medals to soldiers taking part
10:55 in the special military operation in Ukraine.
10:57 Russian Defense Chief Sergei Shogun
10:59 and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov
11:02 guided Putin through the display at the defense ministry,
11:04 showcasing the state-of-the-art weapons of the Russian Army,
11:07 including drones armed with explosives and various rifles
11:10 and military vehicles.
11:12 Putin also awarded soldiers with a Golden Star medals,
11:15 praising their courage.
11:16 Putin stated, "I know your attitude
11:18 and the attitude of all our soldiers and commanders.
11:21 And therefore, I'm confident that we
11:22 will achieve our goal, securely protect our people,
11:25 the sovereignty and security of our homeland."
11:28 We have a second short break coming up.
11:34 But before we invite you to join our WhatsApp community
11:36 for our English-speaking audience,
11:37 you can scan the QR code on screen to join directly
11:40 and share the link to reach more people.
11:42 Constant news coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean,
11:45 as well as the rest of the world.
11:46 Stay connected and informed with Telesur.
11:49 Final short break.
11:50 Don't go away.
11:51 [MUSIC PLAYING]
11:54 Welcome back.
12:01 We make contact once more with Danny Shaw,
12:03 professor of Latin American and Caribbean studies
12:05 at the City University of New York.
12:07 Welcome to From the South, Danny.
12:09 Thank you, Luis.
12:10 Good to be here.
12:11 It's always our pleasure.
12:12 Danny, how can we describe what has happened today
12:14 for Venezuelan peoples of the world
12:17 that for three years have fought without rest
12:18 for the freedom of Alex Saab?
12:21 Yeah, for the first time in 75 or 76 days,
12:25 anti-imperialist people, freedom-loving people
12:28 in the world can have at least a small smile on their face
12:31 that Alex Saab, a political prisoner of empire
12:34 for over four years, is finally free.
12:38 The US government under Obama, under Trump, under Biden
12:42 has done everything, the US government,
12:44 to undermine Venezuela and its sovereignty
12:47 and to kidnap one of its diplomats in Cape Verde.
12:51 Then the long, arduous journey.
12:54 Alex Saab was a prisoner in Miami
12:57 and one of the epicenters of reactionary,
12:59 anti-Venezuelan, anti-Cuban, anti-Sandinista thought.
13:04 And to have Alex back home, where
13:06 he should be with the Noche Buena, with Christmas
13:09 right around the corner, this is a beautiful thing.
13:11 Of course, our hearts are still deeply
13:13 hurt on the 75th day of a genocide
13:15 against the Palestinian people.
13:17 But as I said, at least there's some sense of justice,
13:20 some sense of joy.
13:23 The global class struggle pushes forth.
13:25 But we have one of our deeply beloved brothers
13:28 back home, where he should be, with his wife,
13:31 with his family in Caracas.
13:34 Professor, how can we analyze this victory of Venezuela's
13:36 diplomacy of peace with a government that has tried,
13:39 as you were saying just a moment ago, by all means
13:41 to destroy Venezuela in the last chapter that
13:43 tried to discredit Venezuela?
13:45 You could say through a political trial
13:46 against one of his diplomats, violating
13:48 international conventions because Saab
13:50 was fulfilling diplomatic function
13:52 at the time of his arrest.
13:54 Perseverance, persistence.
13:57 How many people with his wife Camila, and his whole team,
14:02 and Roy, and everybody fought and fought and fought
14:06 around the world, and understood that Alex Saab's cause was
14:10 the cause of humanity, of the one third of the world's people
14:14 who wake up every day under US sanctions, the Iranian people,
14:19 and the people of Zimbabwe, and Cuba, and Venezuela,
14:23 and China, and Russia.
14:25 Alex's freedom is emblematic of this multipolar world
14:30 that we're all fighting for, even though the unipolar,
14:33 hegemonic US model, with its military extension Israel,
14:37 is dominating the situation, carrying out
14:41 this Holocaust against the people of Gaza.
14:45 This was really a victory because of the persistence.
14:49 How many marches across the world?
14:52 It was an informational war.
14:54 It's really David versus Goliath,
14:56 where we do our best to get the word out,
14:58 but all the censorship on Twitter,
15:01 all the censorship in the mainstream media,
15:03 they did everything to vilify, or as they say in Spanish,
15:06 Satanizar, to Satanize Alex Saab.
15:10 But it's good to have enemies, because when
15:12 they attack us like that, it means
15:14 that they feel the impact of Alex's diplomatic work.
15:19 And what was his crime?
15:20 His crime was trying to beat a criminal unilateral blockade
15:24 that the United Nations, that no international organism has ever
15:28 approved of.
15:29 So finally, after four long years,
15:32 justice has been served.
15:34 Can we see this victory of Venezuelan diplomacy
15:37 as a show of strength and unity of Venezuelans
15:39 in the face of the unending sanctions
15:41 and blockade policies of the US that you were just
15:43 referring to?
15:46 Well, US imperialism, even though they
15:49 have received two of their mercenaries,
15:52 two of their terrorists who invaded Caracas,
15:55 they invaded Venezuela, they were true criminals.
15:59 They were true mercenaries sent by empire.
16:02 So the prisoner exchange is very interesting
16:04 from that perspective.
16:05 Alex Saab was not a criminal.
16:08 He was a diplomat.
16:09 But hey, if this was the way that the canje, or the prisoner
16:12 exchange, had to go down, we'll take it.
16:16 The Bolivarian leadership was extremely
16:18 persistent and strategic.
16:20 Now, the US government is not going to give up.
16:22 We have to continue to monitor very closely the US Southern
16:25 Command that is trying to weaponize Guyanese nationalism.
16:31 They're trying to tap into the psychology of the Guyanese
16:34 people and tell them that Venezuela is their enemy.
16:37 We hope that cooler heads, cooler anti-imperialist heads
16:41 continue to prevail so that the Venezuelan leadership
16:44 and the Guyanese leadership can figure this out on their own
16:48 as two sovereign countries.
16:49 They don't need Laura Richardson from the Southern Command.
16:52 They don't need Exxon Mobil to be
16:54 in the middle of their business.
16:56 And that's the spirit of Alex Saab,
16:58 and that's the spirit of people's diplomacy.
17:01 Danny, you were referring to different geopolitical
17:03 situations that are happening right now in the world.
17:06 You were referring to the situation in Palestine,
17:09 the Israeli genocide.
17:10 In terms of geopolitics, how does this move
17:12 impact the region and the world?
17:16 Well, there's many different connections.
17:19 Of course, the world's people stand with Palestine.
17:23 But here in the belly of the beast,
17:25 it's an informational war.
17:26 It's an Islamophobic, what Professor Edward
17:30 Saeed called Orientalism.
17:32 The anti-Arab racism is very thick.
17:35 All of the headlines here are anti-Palestinian.
17:38 They try to accuse every Palestinian,
17:40 including the 1.1 million children of Gaza, many of whom
17:44 can no longer breathe.
17:46 It's a starvation campaign.
17:48 It's a dehydration campaign.
17:50 So it's very clear where the world's people stand.
17:53 But the US, through the Secretary of Defense Lloyd
17:57 Austin and Joe Biden, they continue
18:00 with their genocidal diplomacy, giving the green light
18:03 to the Israelis.
18:05 It's really only the world's people
18:07 that can stop this, because the US and their military extension
18:11 in the Middle East, Israel, are not going to stop.
18:13 This has been-- this is the 75th day
18:16 of the 75th year of a Holocaust against Palestinian nationhood
18:21 that has consumed how many lives?
18:23 This is one of the greatest crimes
18:25 we've seen of this century, of the past century.
18:30 And all the Palestinians are asking for is self-determination,
18:33 like all peoples in the world.
18:35 But we see that when we persevere,
18:38 we can usher in justice.
18:40 And this was a victory today for the anti-imperialist people
18:43 of the world.
18:46 As always, Professor, thank you for your time
18:48 here and from the South.
18:50 Thank you, Luis.
18:51 It was always our pleasure.
18:53 Well, like this, we have come to the end of this news brief.
18:56 You can find this and many other stories on our website
18:58 at telesreenglish.net.
19:00 And you can also join us on social media, Facebook, X,
19:03 Instagram, Telegram, and TikTok.
19:06 For "Telesreenglish," I'm Luis Alberto Matos.
19:08 Thank you for watching.
19:10 (electronic music)