[IsraelTimes] Course at Branham High School in San Jose included discussion of Israel as a ‘settler colonial state’ and ‘Genocide of Palestinians,’ without offering a pro-Israel perspective
A Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, school’s ethnic studies curriculum that included discussions of Israel as a "settler colonial state" was found to have discriminated against Jewish students.
The California Department of Education issued the ruling last Friday following an investigation into a September complaint by the Bay Area Jewish Coalition — Education and Advocacy, which is affiliated with the local Jewish federation.
The advocacy group said teachers at Branham High School, in San Jose, had presented "biased" content about the Israeli-Paleostinian conflict in a 12th-grade ethnic literature curriculum.
The investigation found that a lesson discussing whether Israel is a settler colonial state and a teacher’s response to a student presentation on the "Genocide of Paleostinians" had been discriminatory to Jewish students.
In the lesson, according to the state DOE ruling, the teacher showed students two videos about the Israeli-Paleostinian conflict, but didn’t offer students a pro-Israel perspective. After the first video, a Vox explainer called "The Israel-Paleostine conflict: a brief, simple history," the topic of whether Israel is a "settler colonial state" was discussed, according to the report.
"In this lesson, in order for the information to be unbiased, there would have needed to be a video that reflected a pro-Israel perspective," the ruling said. "This would have encouraged students to create authentic answers regarding the questions provided in the lesson."
In another instance, a student group presented a project with a slide titled "Genocide of Paleostinians." The investigation found that the teacher in that case did not respond adequately to the presentation to ensure the classroom wasn’t "hostile" to Jewish students.
"By [the teacher] not commenting on the slide regarding Paleostinian genocide, it could have been interpreted by the student audience as approval of the presented thesis," the report said.
The ruling is the latest development in the years-long fight over ethnic studies in California. The state requires that high schools teach the subject — an effort to reflect the experiences of minority communities — but a model curriculum draft in 2019 drew widespread outcry from Jewish groups.
Critics said the draft included antisemitic and anti-Israel statements, and that it neglected to include the Jewish experience. Subsequent drafts also splintered the Jewish community. Some praised the revisions for including material on local Jewish communities, while others criticized them for promoting a "narrow political ideology."
Since then, Jewish watchdogs have been on alert for schools opting to use the original model curriculum, or a version of it. One Orange County school district has stopped teaching the curriculum altogether following a lawsuit alleging the district concealed its development of the material. In a February settlement, the Santa Ana Unified School District was required to stop teaching ethnic studies courses until they underwent revision.
Last week, in response to critiques of California’s curriculum, the American Jewish University announced the launch of a free online course designed to fulfill the ethnic studies requirement.
To correct the discrimination found in the San Jose investigation, English language arts and social studies teachers at the school will be required to do a one-hour training before the next school year and to discuss instruction on "controversial topics" as part of their anti-bias training.
[Townhall] A Navy veteran who successfully proved CNN ...formerly the Cable News Network, now who know what it might stand for... defamed him in a highly publicized lawsuit is now taking legal action against the News Agency that Dare Not be Named, accusing the media outlet of falsely portraying him as a "smuggler." The veteran, whose reputation was damaged by misleading reports, claims that the AP's coverage echoed similar defamatory narratives, further tarnishing his name and career. This lawsuit underscores the growing concerns over media outlets spreading false and damaging information without accountability.
On Friday, U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young filed a defamation lawsuit against the AP for "an article that went even further than CNN’s falsehoods." CNN accused Young of illegally profiting by assisting individuals fleeing Afghanistan on the "black market" during the Biden administration's chaotic military withdrawal in 2021. However,
nothing needs reforming like other people's bad habits... in January, a jury ruled in Young's favor, finding the network guilty of defamation. As a result, CNN was ordered to pay Young $4 million in lost earnings and $1 million in personal damages, including pain and suffering.
Now, Young is going after the AP.
In January, while covering the CNN trial, AP news hound David Bauder wrote that "Young’s business helped smuggle people out of Afghanistan" and "worked exclusively with deep-pocketed outside sponsors like Bloomberg and Audible." The veteran’s lawyer said that the outlet has "blatantly accused Mr. Young of engaging in criminal human smuggling."
"Rather than restore Mr. Young's good name, the media coverage of his court victory created new libel," Daniel Lustig and Michael J. Pike, the attorneys representing Young, wrote in the complaint, adding that the AP "knew or recklessly disregarded the truth."
"Describing Mr. Young’s lifesaving evacuations as ’smuggling’ is not only grossly misleading, it charges Mr. Young with a serious crime. Human smuggling is a grave felony under U.S. law, and it is condemned as a serious crime under international law," the lawsuit added. "By accusing Mr. Young of human smuggling, AP effectively branded him a criminal."
The lawsuit alleges that the News Agency that Dare Not be Named has failed to issue a correction or retraction of the story, which they claim has damaged Young’s reputation and harmed his business. He seeks damages exceeding $50,000, excluding interest, costs, and attorney’s fees.
#1
It would help if you knew the difference between Guinea (Africa), which has ceased to be French in 1958, and French Guyana (South America) which very well prefers to be a French department.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
04/13/2025 8:33 Comments ||
Top||
#2
It would help if EUropeans focus on tending to their own business - instead of trying to run the World. Hint, the next Russian autocrat might not be a p*ssy like Putin.
[FoxNews] USS Stockdale to join at least 2 other Navy warships deployed to border in March
The Navy recently deployed another warship, which successfully repelled multiple Iranian-backed Houthi attacks, to secure the southern border.
USS Stockdale, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, left Naval Base San Diego on Friday to support U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) southern border operations, in accordance with President Donald Trump's recent executive orders.
The executive orders included a national emergency declaration and clarification of the military’s role in protecting the territorial integrity of the U.S.
"Stockdale’s departure reinforces the Navy’s role in the Department of Defense’s coordinated efforts to comply with the order," according to a statement from the Navy.
The ship will continue operations with an embarked U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment.
In February, Stockdale returned to San Diego after a seven-month independent deployment to the U.S. 3rd, 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operation.
It joined the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and remained in 5th Fleet following the departure of the ABECSG.
While in the 5th Fleet, Stockdale "successfully repelled multiple Iranian-backed Houthi attacks" during transits of the Bab el-Mandeb strait and escorted operations of U.S.-flagged vessels in the Gulf of Aden, according to the Navy.
It also engaged and defeated one-way attack uncrewed aerial-ship cruise missiles, according to officials.
Stockdale will join the USS Spruance and USS Gravely, two other Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, which were sent to the border in March, Fox News Digital previously reported.
"As the DoD’s lead for implementing border-related executive orders, USNORTHCOM continues to support critical Department of Homeland Security capabilities gaps, with Stockdale making a vital contribution to these efforts," the Navy said.
[KhaamaPress] The U.S. has denied reports of military presence at Bagram Air Base, rejecting claims of aircraft landing there.
In a recent report, the United States Department of Defense (Pentagon) has firmly denied rumors about a U.S. military plane landing at Bagram Airbase in Parwan province. A Pentagon official, who wished to remain anonymous, told AFP that the U.S. does not have any military presence at Bagram, dismissing these reports as baseless.
Earlier, the Taliban has reportedly handed over control of the strategic Bagram Air Base to the United States, signaling a shift in regional power dynamics. U.S. C-17 aircraft are said to have landed at Bagram, delivering military equipment, vehicles, and senior intelligence officials, including the Deputy Chief of the CIA.
Bagram, once the largest U.S. military hub during the Afghanistan war, was taken over by the Taliban after the 2021 U.S. withdrawal, marking a major geopolitical change.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesperson for the Taliban regime, also responded to these claims last week. He rejected the allegations, labeling them as “propaganda” aimed at “misleading the public.” According to Mujahid, Bagram Airbase remains fully under the control of the Taliban, and no foreign forces are allowed to operate there.
The rumors about U.S. activity at Bagram resurfaced after some media outlets, without credible evidence, claimed that a U.S. C-17 Globemaster had landed at the base. However, flight tracking data indicates that on April 5, a C-17 flew near the Afghan airspace over Tajikistan, but there was no evidence it landed in Bagram.
Before the U.S. military’s withdrawal in June 2021, Bagram Airbase served as the primary hub for NATO and U.S. military operations in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban regained control, the base has remained under their management. With its advanced infrastructure, including a 3.6-kilometer runway capable of supporting complex military operations, Bagram remains strategically important.
Despite these denials, the rumors about Bagram reflect ongoing tensions and uncertainties surrounding U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan. The area’s continued importance highlights the geopolitical challenges that both Afghanistan and the international community face.
In light of these developments, the international community remains cautious, particularly regarding the future role of foreign military forces in the region. Many are closely monitoring the situation to assess whether these rumors signal a shift in foreign policy or are merely a product of misinformation.
The resolution of the situation surrounding Bagram is critical for both Afghanistan and global security. With significant attention from international stakeholders, clarity on military operations and the role of foreign forces in the country will be essential to ensuring stability and peace in the region.
[Jpost] Yemen's government is reportedly preparing to launch a massive assault to recapture Hodeidah Port in western Yemen from the Houthis, according to a Friday report in Emirati state media.
Yemen's internationally recognized government is preparing to mass nearly 80,000 troops for what would be the largest offensive of the civil war, according to statements by Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, chairman of the Gulf Research Center based in Saudi Arabia, on Friday.
"To my best knowledge, there is a preparation of almost 80,000 soldiers from the legitimate Yemeni government in different locations in order to take over [Hodeidah]," Dr. Sager said.
80,000 soldiers would represent a majority of all non-Houthi forces in Yemen. This would constitute the largest offensive of the civil war and would also set the stage for an assault on the capital city Sana'a, which has been under Houthi control since 2014.
AIRSTRIKES PAVING THE WAY
Emirati state newspaper, The National, reported on Friday that renewed airstrikes on the Houthis generally, but in particular on Hodeidah, had helped pave the way for an upcoming assault, with reports indicating that strikes had killed several key Houthis.
Hodeidah is considered one of Yemen's key ports and was a major source of food imports before the war.
Dr. Sager pointed to the meeting between US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla and the Chief of Staff of the Yemeni Armed Forces Lt. Gen. Sagheer Hamoud Ahmed Aziz in Saudi Arabia last week. Kurilla visited several Middle Eastern countries in the first week of April, including Israel, Jordan, Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
He continued by saying that the US would be providing air cover and drone surveillance to the Yemeni government forces.
"I think we might be at the stage of counting down the end of the Houthis," Dr. Sager said. "They've had every chance for a political discussion and be a part of a government that would save Yemen from all this suffering."
He warned, however, that the assault on Hodeidah would face serious challenges in the form of international scrutiny.
UN INTERVENTION
The previous assault in 2018 involved a coalition of Yemeni, Saudi, and Emirati troops who encircled Hodeidah and began cutting off supplies to Houthi fighters trapped in the port city.
The UN and several states became concerned that this would lead to a deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Yemen, which would have led to a famine.
Significant pressure was applied to the coalition forces and the Houthis, leading to the signing of the 2018 Stockholm Agreement in which all military forces were to withdraw and allow for humanitarian corridors to be opened.
By at least 2019, the Houthis had violated this agreement with separatist troops present in Hodeidah; by 2021, they had retaken the entire city and expelled all non-Houthi forces.
Dr. Sager warned that any new assault on the port will be met with similar pressure and that due to the recent cuts to the American and British foreign aid budgets, it may be more difficult to prevent a humanitarian disaster.
#3
That’d be the puppet government supported by the Saudis, Mercutio. It’s not good for much, and I wouldn’t trust the 80,000 man army to number anything close to that, or be of much use even on the parade ground.
#5
I remember the Saudis used to be at war with the Houthis, but after years of the US trying to "help" the Saudis eventually wound up going with a truce brokered by China. The next year the war between Israel and Gaza broke out, and the Houthis started sinking random traffic going through the Bar-El-Mandeb if they thought the ships' noses were too big. Including some ships carrying Saudi traffic. But by then the operations by the Saudis had been wound down.
#6
As an old friend named Frank once said, "We're going to have a Frank and Earnest discussion. I'm going to be Frank and you're going to be very very Earnest..."
The Yemenis and their Inshallah targeting is a way for the Russians/Chinese/Iranians to turn anti-Israeli sentiment in the middle east into Anti-European-and-other-western shipping action. Yes, they're supposedly doing it for the people in Gaza, but all they seem to affect is European shipping for the most part. It's another way for Putin to put pressure on Europe to not support Ukraine, while his idiots say they're fighting Israel.
While they occasionally hit a Russian black-fleet tanker or Chinese ship, for the most part they're affecting Europe. (And Egypt, which is strangely OK with the damage to their economy.)
#7
The Saudis (and the UAE and Iraq and Kuwait, etc) _may_ be finally sick of their so-called truce where a lot of their seaborne traffic gets cut off.
Or maybe someone in the US government finally did something. Is anything different about the US since roughly January? I can't tell, I'm working nights, and I get tired of trying to keep up with what all you daywalkers do in the day.
[HodhodYemenNews] Major General Bakil Saleh Al-Wahbi, the commander of the Al-Wahbi Brigades, affiliated with Sana’a forces, warned mercenary factions and collaborators over their suspicious activity near Al-Bayda, asserting that these movements are under close surveillance and will be dealt with decisively when the time is right.
In a statement, Major General Al-Wahbi explained that these movements, backed by the UAE and Saudi Arabia, are part of an American-Israeli plot aimed at destabilizing the liberated provinces, noting that the response will be decisive and overwhelming.
He confirmed that for the past ten years, mercenaries and invaders have tried with all their might, equipment, and weapons to infiltrate Al-Bayda Governorate, but have achieved nothing but failure, disgrace, and shame.
“Today, Al-Bayda is stronger than ever thanks to God and the honorable men, who will stand ready against every aggressor, invader, and hypocrite,” he said.
Al-Wahbi added: “If the American and Israeli enemies and their local tools believe that time is on their side, the blood of the martyrs and the sacrifices of the righteous will always remind them how the heads of hypocrites and occupiers were crushed on the borders of Al-Bayda and other fronts.”
[IsraelTimes] A charity founded by Britannia’s Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, has halted donations to a Moslem woman’s group over anti-Israel comments made by its founder, NewsNation reports.
According to the report, the Archwell Foundation ceased its contributions to the Milwaukee Moslem Coalition on Thursday after NewsNation made it aware of a February 2024 op-ed written by founder Janan Najeeb, a known pro-Paleostinian activist.
"Israel’s 75-year occupation of Paleostine and the genocide in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... are a grave injustice. We demand a permanent ceasefire, an end to arming the apartheid state of Israel and the liberation of Paleostine. From the river to the sea, Paleostine will be free. From the sea to the river, Paleostine will live forever!" the piece for the Wisconsin Moslem Journal read, using a slogan many understand as calling for the elimination of Israel.
A source familiar with the situation tells NewsNation they were "not aware" of the post, and confirmed that they sent a letter to Janan that "the Archewell Foundation has zero tolerance for hate speech, and we let them know the foundation will no longer be making any further donations."
"As soon as the blog post was brought to our attention, we took immediate action and acted swiftly to remove MMWC from our network and communicate no additional grants would be made to MMWC."
"Janan, we’ve recently been notified of a blog post you wrote that goes against the values of the foundation. As a foundation, we celebrate different perspectives and backgrounds but we have zero tolerance for hateful words, actions or propaganda," the letter to Janan reads, as quoted by NewsNation.
"When we started the welcome project, we did so to support Afghan women in finding community, and we are proud of the work we have done to support women in Milwaukee. We remain committed to fostering partnerships that reflect and reinforce the values our foundation stands for."
"We will be removing MWC from our network effective as of today. At this time, the foundation will be making no additional grants to MMWC."
The report, citing the foundation’s 2023 tax returns, says it gave a $27,960 donation to the Moslem charity, adding that a similar contribution was given in 2024.
[GBnews] John Piekos spent three months tracking gangs in Bradford before threats
A former senior police officer has claimed that he was threatened with arrest after he presented a lengthy investigation into child sexual exploitation in Bradford.
John Piekos, a retired detective chief inspector, told GB News that a senior member of social services in the West Yorkshire town made the threat next to a uniformed officer.
Piekos started working for an anti-trafficking charity in 2008 after leaving Greater Manchester Police, where he had dealt with exploitation in Oldham.
In an exclusive interview with the people’s channel, he said that he staked out a children’s home with a colleague in Bradford for three months, where he recorded multiple incidents of grooming and children going missing.
"Sometimes these girls would just be gone for a few hours, but quite often they didn't come back that night or even the next morning," he said.
"We'd see police cars parked up, you know, at 1 and 2 in the morning, late at night, clearly taking reports of missing children."
GB news has spoken to his work partner from this period who reaffirmed Piekos’s testimony.
In an emotional exchange, Piekos explain how on one occasion, they followed a car after it had collected a girl from the children’s home late at night.
"We couldn't see the girl in the passenger seat of the vehicle. We thought that she had got out and walked down on the opposite side of the road. There were no shops, there was nowhere to go. Yet the girls wasn’t in the car.
"I walked straight past. And as I walked back, I saw her head pop up from the driver's side of the vehicle, her little head came up from his lap."
After regaining his composure, Piekos said: "I was really incensed because I'd missed something really obvious there."
Piekos said that his church-funded charity reached out to contacts in the area, including the Bishop of Bradford, to organise a meeting with charities and coppers where they could share their findings.
The Diocese of Leeds said it was unable to find out more details from anyone who worked for the then-bishop at the time.
The retired copper told GB News that the day after he attended a meeting with a senior member of town’s social services, where she was joined by a "uniformed Chief Inspector."
Describing him as a threat, Piekos claimed that she said: "If you continue to follow our children, I'm going to have you arrested."
The former DCI said: "I just couldn’t believe what was going on. I couldn’t believe that I was being told by this person, who’s supposed to be looking after the children... that she was going to arrest me."
A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: "We have searched our systems and can find no meeting or report of child sexual exploitation made by this person.
"Since the publication of the Jay report in 2014, West Yorkshire Police has taken a proactive stance in exploring previous incidents and disclosures relating to non-recent child sexual exploitation and abuse.
"This work has been underway over the past decade, resulting in hundreds of perpetrators now serving lengthy prison sentences totalling thousands of years. Many investigations are still underway, with trials scheduled throughout 2025 and 2026.
"Alongside our complex investigative work, we’ve shaped our policing response through working with survivors, charities, and safeguarding partners. We also work closely with the national Hydrant Programme to continually review and develop our approach, ensuring victims and survivors are at the forefront of everything we do. Protecting children is our primary focus."
Bradford Council was contacted for comment.
John Piekos’s bombshell interview comes amid a fierce political debate over the grooming abuse gangs scandal in Westminster.
Robbie Moore MP said: "These revelations are utterly sickening and demand an immediate response from the very top of government. No one, especially not a decorated former officer investigating the abuse of children, should ever be threatened with arrest for simply doing their job.
"The Home Secretary must act today. She has the statutory powers to order a full, independent inquiry under the Inquiries Act — and she must now use them. No more delay, no more excuses.
"I urge the Home Office to see through the culture of denial from big shots and authorities in Keighley and Bradford who cannot be allowed to block the truth any longer. We owe it to victims and survivors, past and present, to get to the bottom of what happened — and who tried to cover it up. The British public will not accept anything less."
There is a Twitter thread discussing the story here.
[HodhodYemenNews] The United States has moved its war on Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... from the battlefield to social media, attempting to compensate for its military failures.
The Trump administration has pressured X (formerly Twitter), owned by Elon Musk—a key ally of criminal Donald Trump ...They hit him with slander, they impeached him twice. Nancy Pelosi tore up his State of the Union address on national TV. They stole an election and put his adherents in jail. They vilified him. They couldn't crucify him, so they shot him. Still, they can't keep him down... —to suspend the accounts of several officials and military leaders from Sana’a’s government. This crackdown comes in response to their firm stance against Israeli massacres in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
YEMENI MILITARY SPOKESMAN’S ACCOUNT SUSPENDED
According to media sources, among the targeted accounts was the official X account of Brigadier General Yahya Sare’e, the front man for the Yemeni Armed Forces. The platform abruptly shut down his profile, falsely claiming it violated its policies.
However,
there's more than one way to skin a cat... Brig. Gen. Sare’e’s backup account remains active at:http:// https://x.com/army21yemen
The United States, a nation that loudly proclaims itself the global defender of "freedom of speech," has once again exposed its blatant hypocrisy—this time by strong-arming social media platforms to silence Yemeni voices that dare to challenge its oppressive policies.
The US launched an air campaign against Yemen, beginning on March 15, 2025, following Yemen’s decision to resume retaliatory attacks on Israel in response to Israel’s intensified operations in Gaza. Since the initiation of the Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s, US forces have targeted civilian infrastructure throughout Yemen, including communication networks, power plants, and water reservoirs, on an almost daily basis.
Washington justifies its airstrikes by claiming they are aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the waters around Yemen. However,
there's more than one way to skin a cat... Yemen has rejected these claims, stating that its military operations are specifically directed against Israeli-linked vessels and not international shipping.
[HodhodYemenNews] Denmark’s Eastern High Court on Friday rejected a lawsuit filed by several NGOs seeking to halt military exports to Israel, despite ongoing genocide in Gaza, reported Al Jazeera. The case focused on the role of Danish authorities in approving arms sales amid Israel’s genocide.
The court ruled that the organizations had no legal standing in the case. It claimed that they lacked a direct connection to the matter. Activists expect to appeal the decision to Denmark’s Supreme Court.
The lawsuit was filed in 2024 by four NGOs, including Amnesty International Denmark and the Palestinian rights group Al-Haq. They accused Denmark of violating international law by exporting military technology and F-35 jet components to Israel.
The rights groups warned that Danish-made parts could be used in attacks on Gaza civilians. They sued the foreign ministry and police, who are responsible for export licenses and policy decisions.
The Palestinian human rights association Al-Haq, Amnesty International, Oxfam, and Action Aid Denmark filed the lawsuit against the Danish Foreign Ministry and national police last year.
[CityJournal] Last month, a wave of more than 200 protests targeting Tesla properties erupted across the United States. The media portrayed this movement, officially branded the “Tesla Takedown,” as a spontaneous grassroots backlash against CEO Elon Musk’s role in dismantling waste and fraud in the U.S. federal bureaucracy. Each of these demonstrations appears to have been sparsely attended, but both the number of protest sites and the timeline of events suggest a coordinated effort.
On February 21, Rolling Stone published an article by activist-filmmaker Alex Winter describing the genesis of the Tesla Takedown protest campaign. Within two weeks of its publication, multiple Tesla properties were attacked with incendiary devices, and three men were arrested for separate attempts to firebomb Tesla locations in Salem, Oregon; Loveland, Colorado; and Charleston, South Carolina.
If the mainstream press accounts—as well as Winter’s own description—are to be believed, the fire-bombings and protests were unrelated. When mentioning the protests at all in the context of the violence, some outlets described them only as “dozens of peaceful protests at Tesla dealerships and factories.” Stories did not touch on how, more often than not, violent and nonviolent tactics reinforce one another and work toward the same ends.
A closer look suggests that Tesla is the latest target of an activist and organizing ecosystem that the Left has built over decades. That infrastructure manufactures, amplifies, and strategically uses protests and “direct actions” to force concessions or policy change. These direct actions range from nonviolent (sit-ins or flash mobs) to violent (arson, harassment, or even assassination), all meant to focus attention through the drama of real-world confrontation. The goal is to bypass the normal channels of democratic decision-making, obtaining desired ends through minoritarian pressure campaigns.
It would be impossible, however, to find a single person or entity directing both the protests and the violence. Rather, the two are linked by the concept of “diversity of tactics,” an activist doctrine that holds that a movement should welcome the use of coercion methods as part of the whole range of the radicalization spectrum—from conventional, nonviolent marches to riots, property destruction, and violence—within their strategic program.
Diversity of tactics encourages activists to take advantage of a clever ruse: the public-facing flank of the movement presents the image of nonviolent resistance, while the behind-the-scenes infrastructure supports and occasionally engages in violence. One creates strategic opportunities for the other, with any connection hidden behind a veil of plausible deniability.
#1
Diversity of tactics encourages activists to take advantage of a clever ruse: the public-facing flank of the movement presents the image of nonviolent resistance, while the behind-the-scenes infrastructure supports and occasionally engages in violence.
[IsraelTimes] Israel is “very optimistic” about deconfliction talks with Turkey, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
Jerusalem is even open to Turkey maintaining a “limited” military base in Syria, adds the official.
“The talks were held in good faith,” says the official, adding that there would be further discussions after the sides met this week in Azerbaijan.
A Turkish official offers a similar message of conciliation.
“Turkey’s concerns have always been the cross-border terrorist threat from Syria to Turkey,” the official tells The Times of Israel, pointing at ISIS and the Kurdish PKK
“Other than that, we do not want any conflict with any country.”
Posted by: trailing wife ||
04/13/2025 2025-04-13 03:14 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11134 views]
Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
Photos of the lady at the link. Note the tasteful cosmetics, pretty colours, and fitted but modest styles — nothing at all like the Moving Black Objects of Saudi Arabia and ISIS or the eyeless, faceless blue gauze sacks of the Taliban. She is a perfect match for her husband’s Smoothe Moderne version of the caliphate.
[KhaamaPress] Syria’s First Lady, Latifa al-Droubi, made her debut at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum,
…apparently a Turkish thing…
engaging in talks on women’s and children’s welfare.
Latifa al-Droubi, the wife of Syria’s interim president,
…that’s “interim” with scare quotes, because the only thing to follow will be more of exactly the same. But it serves to calm the frogs while the water is coming to a boil…
attended the 4th Antalya Diplomacy Forum in The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... on April 11-13, where she met with Turkey’s First Lady Emine Erdogan.
The event, which gathered bigwigs, diplomats, and political figures from various countries, served as an opportunity to strengthen regional cooperation and discuss global issues. However,
if you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning... Latifa al-Droubi’s notable presence at the conference drew significant attention from Arab media outlets.
Al-Droubi, who had previously maintained a low public profile and was often seen wearing long black traditional Arab attire, appeared at the Antalya Forum in a different style of dress, similar to that of her Ottoman Turkish counterpart.
That makes it sound like someone styled her for her new role, rather than displaying her own taste and style. But she suddenly has a job to do in support of her husband as head of state. If Mr. Wife suddenly became a head honcho, I’d hire a stylist to shop for me, too. I have clothes for ladies who lunch and mid-level supportive spouse, but I definitely don’t have a senior wife wardrobe, not having any need for it.
After meeting with Mrs. al-Droubi, Emine Erdogan shared on social media that they discussed joint projects aimed at improving the lives of Syrian women and kiddies, expressing hope that these steps would lead to lasting peace and stability in the region.
Arab media have reported that al-Droubi’s appearance at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum marks her first official presence at an international event since her husband, Ahmad al-Shara, assumed the role of Syria’s interim president.
Latifa al-Droubi, born in 1984 in Homs, Syria, and from the prominent Droubi family, holds a master’s degree in Arabic language and literature and is the mother of three sons. Her increasing visibility, particularly at international events, reflects a shift in her husband’s approach toward public relations.
This change is also reflected in Ahmad al-Shara’s efforts to present himself in a more moderate light, having previously been known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani and the leader of the al-Nusra ...formally Jabhat an-Nusrah li-Ahli al-Sham (Support Front for the People of the Levant), also known as al-Qaeda in the Levant. They aim to establish a pan-Arab caliphate. Not the same one as the Islamic State, though .. ... Front. By including his wife in official functions, he seeks to present a modern, balanced image of Syria’s transitional government.
Al-Droubi’s presence at international gatherings, wearing traditional yet more freely styled clothing, further solidifies al-Shara’s stance on not imposing compulsory veils or social restrictions on women, demonstrating his commitment to a more liberal approach.
While the Taliban ...the once and current oppressors of Afghanistan... , who once welcomed the victory of the al-Sham group led by Sharaa, have now excluded women and girls from all social spheres in Afghanistan.
This stark contrast in social policies, particularly regarding women’s rights, raises renewed questions about the Taliban’s international legitimacy and the contradictory positions of some regional Islamist factions.
Ooooohhhh, smack! from an Afghan news site left over from the pre-Taliban days.
[JustTheNews] Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., introduced the legislation, which has garnered bipartisan support. Lawmakers have emphasized the need to safeguard the U.S. telecommunications systems from potential foreign influence.
[ToloNews] The Afghanistan War Commission held a session in the US Senate to assess the presence of the United States and its allies in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2008.
In this session, General David Barno, the former commander of US forces in Afghanistan, criticized the lack of coordination between US political and military strategies during that period.
Barno said: "I arrived in Afghanistan in October 2003, almost six months after the invasion of Iraq. Afghanistan was governed at that time by an interim government under Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ...Mugshots/hamid_karzai_shh.jpg... , but very much still in the grip of warlord armies who controlled more tanks, more rockets, more artillery and more heavy weaponry than the central government."
Additionally, Henry A. Crumpton, former head of the CIA's mission in Afghanistan stated during the session that widespread corruption and failure to address fundamental reforms were the main causes of the US and NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... mission's failure in Afghanistan.
Crumpton said the US approach not only failed to develop Afghanistan but increased its dependency.
He stated: "The systemic corruption grew at rapid speed, and I’m sure you’ve read the Inspector General’s report, the SIGAR report 164-pages, was incredibly damning, where tens of billions of dollars the US government basically siphoned off. And it's not just about the money; it’s about creating dependency."
Andrew Natsios, former head of the US Agency for International Development, also noted that a large portion of Washington's financial aid to Afghanistan was spent on infrastructure and construction projects, but due to a lack of expertise and financial corruption, it had little impact.
Natsios added: "No more than 25 percent of the cabinet ministers were fit to be ministers in the cabinet. The other 75 percent were tribal leaders appointed as cabinet ministers to build political alliances and to keep an eye on them in Kabul."
US forces and their allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001 under the banner of fighting terrorism. After two decades, the last American soldier left the country on August 31, 2021.
#3
Some comments posted around the net by others that I collected during the O'BIDEN Hose over of Afghanistan.
The Senate would do well to extend the timeline of it review from start to finish.
a quick sample of various author comments follow:
#1 First, keep in mind all of our current political bull__t is because the Biden Administration really wants you to forget that they just caused the biggest military ______up in American history. There are still Americans trapped in Afghanistan because we ABANDONED them there. (something that would normally be inconceivable). Our friends are dead, or soon will be. America has never looked weaker. We have never looked like a worse ally. Nobody is going to be foolish enough to trust us again, all because of how badly this administration sucks.
#2 Note. I don’t even say how badly Joe Biden sucks, because he’s clearly a meat puppet they trot out to babble what he’s told, and then mute and rush offstage before he ____s his pants.
#3 There were hundreds of individual events/images during the Afghanistan ______ up, any of which would have dominated a month-long super outraged 24/7 news cycle if a Republican had been in charge. They impeached Trump for a phone call and bitched about shirtless buffalo hat guy for months, but images of people literally falling off of airplanes vanish from the news in the blink of an eye. Our evil news media and big tech is doing everything in its power to get America to focus on anything other than the fact Biden made our country look like weak, pathetic, inept, cowardly, losers.
#4 Leave no man behind was our thing. Abandoning people should be ______ing unconscionable. It is against the fundamental moral basis of who we are, but not to these ______ers. But they certainly can’t let the public focus on that.
[KhaamaPress] The U.S. has issued a 7-day deadline for thousands of Afghan refugees to leave, sparking concerns over their safety.
Reports indicate that the U.S. government has given Afghan refugees with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and others who entered the country through various programs a seven-day ultimatum to leave the United States.
Shawn VanDiver, President of AfghanEvac, an organization that supports the resettlement of Afghan citizens in the U.S., announced on Friday, April 11, via a post on X that this "warning" had been issued to Afghan migrants colonists residing in the U.S.
According to VanDiver, the notice has been delivered in writing to an unspecified number of Afghan refugees who arrived in the U.S. in recent years, particularly after the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.
The Temporary Protected Status (TPS) allowed certain Afghan migrants colonists to legally reside in the U.S. and protected them from deportation to a country facing unsafe conditions. However,
those who apply themselves too closely to little things often become incapable of great things... recent reports indicate that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has decided to terminate this program for about 14,600 Afghan refugees.
This decision follows the suspension of the refugee resettlement program under former President Donald Trump ...The tack in the backside of the Democratic Party... in January 2025, which led to around 1,660 Afghan refugees who had been approved for resettlement being removed from the flight lists.
VanDiver has described this move as "unacceptable" and warned that deporting these individuals to Afghanistan, where the Taliban ...Arabic for students... considers them "traitors," could result in their detention, torture, or even death.
REACTION AND CONCERNS OVER THE NEW U.S. DECISION
AfghanEvac, which has played a key role in relocating and resettling around 200,000 Afghans to the U.S. since the U.S. withdrawal in 2021, has strongly criticized the new decision. VanDiver emphasized that many of these refugees include the families of U.S. military personnel, judges, prosecutors, and female pilots from the former Afghan army, who are at risk of Taliban retribution due to their collaboration with the U.S.
He urged refugees to consult with immigration attorneys before taking any action and to avoid leaving the country, as doing so may jeopardize their chances of pursuing legal status.
Human rights organizations and some members of Congress have also condemned this move. The Democrats ...every time you hear the phrase white people, white supremacy,white anything but paint, you're listening to a Democrat. Ask him/her/it to reimagine something for you; they do that a lot, though not well. They can hear a dog whistle a mile or two away. They invented the spoils system and Tammany Hall, and inspired the addition of the word (Thomas) Nasty to the English language. They want to stop continental drift and repeal the law of unintended side effects... on the House Foreign Affairs Committee issued a statement calling the decision a "betrayal of Afghan allies" and labeled it "shameful."
Additionally, the U.S. Refugee Assistance Afghan Coalition has sent an open letter to the President and Congress, requesting the reversal of this decision and continued support for those who fought alongside U.S. forces.
According to The Washington Post, the termination of TPS for thousands of Afghan refugees and the seven-day deadline for departure has put the lives of these refugees, who were in the process of rebuilding their lives in the U.S., in serious jeopardy.
The media outlet also reported that many of these individuals had arrived in the U.S. after years of waiting and undergoing complex security vetting, hoping for safety and a better future. Returning to "Taliban-controlled Afghanistan" is nearly impossible, especially for women and those who collaborated with the previous government or U.S. forces, as the Taliban imposes severe restrictions on women and suppresses their opponents.
#2
Candidly actions like this will make it much more difficult to get local translators to help in the future. Guess that reliance on AI translation devices will be the option of choice. No need to provide protection for them after we withdraw / lose
[KhaamaPress] Nearly 45,000 Afghan refugees have returned from Pakistain in ten days amid a sharp rise in forced deportations, UNHCR reports.
Since the second phase of the forced deportation campaign began, the United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that 44,900 Afghan refugees have returned from Pakistain to Afghanistan in just ten days, from April 1 to April 11.
The report states that this figure marks a 31 percent increase compared to the first ten days of the original deportation wave in November 2023. Among the 44,900 returnees, 14,100 were forcibly expelled by Pak authorities, primarily through the Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossings.
The UNHCR expressed serious concern, highlighting that many of these refugees had originally fled to Pakistain due to economic collapse, insecurity, and human rights ...not to be confused with individual rights, mind you... restrictions in Afghanistan. Forced deportation, especially of women and kiddies, exposes them to heightened risks including poverty, homelessness, and lack of access to basic services.
International human rights groups and the UN have repeatedly urged Pakistain to halt mass deportations and uphold international refugee protections, particularly the principle of non-refoulement. Despite this, Pakistain defends its stance by citing economic strain and security concerns as the main justifications for the crackdown.
The report also noted that the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and other humanitarian partners have provided immediate assistance to 2,614 deportees. Nonetheless, challenges related to shelter and basic services for the large influx of returnees remain pressing.
A different judgement than the CIA? How very interesting.
[KhaamaPress] The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) warns that Iran’s nuclear program has reached an "extremely dangerous" stage.
The Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) has raised alarms about Iran’s nuclear program, labeling it as "extremely dangerous." The institute warns that Iran’s activities could swiftly transition to military applications at any moment.
In its report titled "The Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... Threat Geiger Counter: Extreme Danger Grows," released on April 12, 2025, ISIS highlights a significant escalation in the perceived threat level since February 2024. This assessment underscores the growing urgency surrounding Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
The report emphasizes Iran’s lack of transparent cooperation with the ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), particularly concerning the production of thousands of advanced centrifuges beyond IAEA oversight. This secrecy fuels suspicions about Iran’s intentions and capabilities.
Reflecting this heightened concern, ISIS has increased Iran’s nuclear threat rating from 151 to 157 out of a possible 180 points, indicating a state of "severe danger." This marks the second consecutive time the threat level has reached this elevated status.
The report uses the metaphor of a Geiger counter, a device measuring radioactive decay, to symbolize the escalating nuclear threat. Just as a Geiger counter’s alarm intensifies with increased radiation, the report suggests that the international community should respond with growing alarm to Iran’s nuclear developments.
[IsraelTimes] Syria’s finance minister, foreign minister and central bank chief are planning to attend the annual spring meetings held by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington, DC this month, four sources familiar with the plans say. "Give us money"
It will be the first visit to the meetings by a high-level Syrian government delegation in at least two decades and the first high-level visit by Syria’s new authorities to the US since former President Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December.
Two of the sources tell Reuters it is unclear whether Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, Finance Minister Mohammed Yosr Bernieh and Central Bank Governor Abdelkader Husrieh have yet received visas to the United States.
Spokespeople for the IMF, World Bank, Syrian foreign ministry, and Syrian presidency do not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The other two sources say a high-level meeting focused on reconstruction efforts for Syria could be held on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank meetings.
#1
The other two sources say a high-level meeting focused on reconstruction efforts for Syria could be held on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank meetings.
Its always a good idea to pour more money into a losing bet.
Report claims IDF ‘Devil’s Advocate’ intel unit, days before October 7, backed assessment that Hamas wanted continued calm
[IsraelTimes] Two weeks before Hamas’s October 7 invasion, the IDF’s Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman reportedly asked the Military Intelligence Directorate’s research division to question the widespread assumption that the Gaza-ruling terror group was deterred from attacking Israel and that the ongoing disturbances Hamas was organizing at the border fence were merely designed to attain improved terms for ongoing calm.
Channel 12 News reports tonight that a team was indeed set up in the division’s “Devil’s Advocate” (“Ifcha Mistabra”) unit, headed by a Col. S.
“Several days” before October 7, 2023, the team reported back with the conclusion that Hamas was indeed fueling disturbances at the fence solely in order to gain better terms for ongoing calm, an apparent reference to provisions for work permits in Israel, eased import restrictions and so on.
“There is no other scenario,” the check reportedly concluded. “Hamas is very interested in an arrangement,” rather than an escalation.
In short, the report says, the Devil’s Advocate team “accepted the stance” of all the other military and security echelons.
Channel 12 gives no source for the report. The IDF’s published probes surrounding the October 7 failures have made no mention of any such check of the catastrophically false assessment regarding Hamas’s intentions.
“A month and a half before the surprise war, the area was hot. The entire chain of command came to the brigade for tours, from the chief of the [Southern] Command to the defense minister. I recommended all of them, launch a proactive and aggressive operation. The clear message I received from all was ‘Hamas is deterred. This is its way of gaining civil benefits .. we don’t want another round’,” Cohen says at a handover ceremony.
Cohen announced his resignation last month for his failures on October 7, during which thousands of Hamas-led terrorists captured IDF bases and Israeli border communities under his responsibility.
On the morning of October 7, Cohen remained in his war room at the Gaza Division base near Re’im. His counterpart, Col. Asaf Hamami, the commander of the Southern Brigade, was killed fighting Hamas terrorists near Nirim, and his body was abducted to Gaza.
Cohen was not promoted by former chief of staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi. New IDF chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, on March 5, already appointed a replacement for Cohen, Col. Omri Mashiah, who entered the role today.
For those who prefer to listen to their news, the Israel Times has a podcast:
IDF Oct. 7 probes reveal heroism amid terror ToI’s military reporter goes deep into the investigations published recently into battles in Kibbutz Nirim, Sderot, Kibbutz Re’im, and the Nova music festival where 380 were killed
In today’s episode, military reporter Emanuel Fabian makes a guest appearance, stepping in for Berman.
We take a deep look into the IDF probes into the failures leading up to and on October 7, by first taking a step back and discussing the goals of the investigations and their overall general findings.
We then dive into a cluster of probes that were released in the past week, including the investigations into Kibbutz Nirim, the city of Sderot, Kibbutz Re’im and the Nova open-air music festival.
At the festival alone, some 380 out of 3,500 people attending the party were slaughtered by Hamas and another 44 were taken hostage to Gaza. On this second Passover since the onslaught, 17 of those taken from the rave party are still in captivity, including 11 living and six declared dead.
In a very tough, at times graphic conversation, Fabian guides us through a handful of the dozens of battles on October 7, 2023.
[IsraelTimes] Clip is second sign of life from lone soldier since he was taken captive on Oct. 7; his parents say Passover ‘not a holiday of freedom’ until he and the other captives come home
Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... on Saturday evening published a propaganda video showing signs of life from hostage soldier Edan Alexander, as Jews gathered in Israel and across the globe to mark the Passover holiday and its theme of freedom.
The three-minute-long video is not dated, though Alexander states that he has been held for 551 days, indicating it was filmed very recently.
Alexander, a 21-year-old US citizen, is a lone soldier who was stationed near the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip on the morning of October 7, 2023, when he was taken captive by Hamas bully boyz along with 250 other hostages. Hamas killed over 1,200 people, mostly civilians, during that attack, which sparked the ongoing war that the Israeli military is fighting against Hamas in Gaza.
It is the second video Hamas published of Alexander. In November, Hamas released the first video of the hostage soldier.
Hamas has previously issued similar videos of hostages it is holding, in what Israel says is deplorable psychological warfare.
Alexander’s family asked Israeli media not to share the latest video but authorized the publication of a still image.
"As we begin the holiday evening in the USA, our family in Israel is preparing to sit around the Seder table," Alexander’s relatives said in a statement released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. "Our Edan, a lone soldier who immigrated to Israel and enlisted in the Golani Brigade to defend the country and its citizens, is still being held captive by Hamas."
"So when you sit down to mark Passover, remember that this is not a holiday of freedom as long as Edan and the other 58 hostages are not home."
Born in Tel Aviv, Alexander grew up in Tenafly, New Jersey. He returned to Israel to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces after graduating from high school in 2022.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the premier phoned Alexander’s parents Yael and Adi after "the cruel propaganda video" of their son was published.
"The prime minister told the family he empathizes with their pain and updated that currently tremendous efforts are taking place to return Edan and the rest of the hostages," said a statement from Netanyahu’s office.
The release of the video came after a recent US push to secure Alexander’s release, including both unprecedented direct talks with Hamas and indirect negotiations by mediators, failed to bear fruit. Israel has since resumed fighting in Gaza, ending the de facto truce that prevailed after the end of the first phase of the ceasefire and hostage release deal that was signed in January.
The direct talks with Hamas angered Israel, and news of them was leaked the same day US President Donald Trump ...Oh, noze! Not him!... addressed a joint session of Congress. According to a report this week in The New York Times
...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... , the administration was hoping to reach a deal to free Alexander before Trump’s speech.
Beyond the problematic aspect of breaking with the established American policy of not dealing directly with Hamas, which the US proscribes as a terror group, the notion of hostages with a specific dual nationality receiving preferential treatment would be highly problematic in Israel.
Egypt, which along with Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... and the US is serving as a mediator, is now pushing a new proposal that would see eight living hostages released as part of a restored ceasefire.
Including Alexander, there are believed to be 24 living hostages still in Gaza, as well as 35 confirmed by Israel to be dead.
[HodhodYemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... News] Yemen’s maritime blockade on Israeli shipping continues to have a serious impact, with mounting losses at the port of Umm al-Rashrash (Eilat) due to its prolonged closure, a new report from the Hebrew-language economic newspaper Globes confirmed on Wednesday.
The report noted that the Eilat port has been out of operation for more than 16 months as a result of Yemen’s naval operations in the Red Sea. This has forced Israeli shipping companies to reroute vessels around the Cape of Good Hope in Africa to access ports in the Mediterranean, significantly increasing transportation time and costs.
The port’s closure has also triggered internal tensions between its management and the workers’ union, bringing the situation to the brink of crisis.
Eilat port, once a key hub for vehicle imports—handling nearly half of all cars entering Israel—as well as exports of fertilizers and minerals, has suffered substantial financial losses since the start of the conflict.
In March, the workers’ union reached an agreement with the Israeli government to place remaining employees on paid leave. However,
death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate... the port’s management ultimately proceeded with widespread layoffs.
Port CEO Gideon Golber stated, "We kept all employees on full pay for eight months, but when we sought cost-cutting measures, the union resisted, resulting in legal battles."
He said that the union misled management by asserting it was in talks with the Ministry of Finance to secure partial wage payments—a claim later dismissed in court.
The port’s administration has requested that the Israeli government mandate vehicle importers to use Eilat in an effort to revive operations. Additionally, it is seeking compensation for 40% of the extra costs incurred by ships rerouted through the Suez Canal. The port is reportedly losing more than $1 million per month in fixed costs.
The port director also mentioned, "I am not ashamed to offer my customers a ransom of $100,000 to the Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... s to allow ships through, and I will participate in paying it." He concluded, "I can’t sleep at night," indicating the frustration and despair caused by the ongoing maritime siege.
Yemenis have been hitting Israeli and American targets in support of Paleostinians in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... since the regime launched its devastating war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, and in response to the American-British aggression on their homeland.
The operations have effectively shut down the Eilat port south of the occupied territories, causing significant economic setbacks for the Israelis.
[IsraelTimes] Brief reply by Brett McGurk, who helped craft January hostage deal, indicates his rejection of efforts to scrutinize Israel’s Gaza offensive more than the Hamas attack that provoked it
"Don’t start a war with Israel."
That is the lesson of Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... ’s October 7 onslaught and the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... conflict that has ensued, according to former US president Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. The very model of probity.... ’s Mideast czar Brett McGurk.
McGurk gave the succinct response on the sidelines of a conference in Abu Dhabi when asked by The Times of Israel what historical lessons might be drawn from the past 18 months in Gaza.
"Don’t start a war with Israel. It won’t work out well for you. That’s the lesson," the former Middle East and North Africa Coordinator of the White House National Security Council asserted.
Clearly he was not one of the senior aides who held a key to President Biden’s auto-signature machine.
“Ask Sinwar, Nasrallah or Khamenei how they’re doing today compared to October 6,” he added, referring to the leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah who were killed by Israel last year, along with the supreme leader of Iran, which has sustained significant blows over the 18 months.
McGurk was one of the architects of the ceasefire and hostage release deal that was inked in January between Israel and Hamas. The agreement fell apart after two months, but US President Donald Trump — who helped finalize the accord before entering office — is working to revive it.
While only speaking briefly in between panels at the Middle East-America Dialogue (MEAD) summit, the senior Biden aide’s answer indicated his rejection of efforts to scrutinize Israel’s offensive in Gaza more than the attack that provoked it.
Roughly 1,200 people were killed and another 251 were taken hostage in the Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel. Over 50,000 Palestinians have been killed in the IDF counter-offensive,
…or at least that was a recently claimed but unverified number. No way of knowing what the real numbers are, given how many might be buried in the rubble or piled by Hamas in unmarked graves…
according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, whose figures have not been verified and don’t differentiate between civilians and combatants.
US President Joe Biden’s administration did at times break with Israel over the latter’s prosecution of the war in Gaza, speaking out over repeated dips in the amount of humanitarian aid entering the Strip and peaks in the number of civilian casualties.
However, Biden also dispatched aircraft carriers to the Middle East in order to deter Iran and its proxies; sent billions of dollars in military assistance to Israel; helped thwart a pair of Iranian missile attacks; blocked a host of anti-Israel resolutions at the United Nations; and refused to single out Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the main obstacle in the hostage talks, insisting that Hamas was the main source of blame amid months of stagnation.
McGurk was arguably the most important figure in shaping Biden’s policy in the war, which withstood pressure from US progressives who wanted to take a harder line against Israel.
He was also one of the main hostage negotiators on behalf of the US and joined forces with Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff after last November’s US presidential election in order to bring the January deal over the finish line.
After holding senior national security roles in successive administrations since former president George W. Bush — including a brief stint during Trump’s first term — McGurk left government in January, taking positions at Harvard’s Kennedy School and the Lux venture capital firm.
[IsraelTimes] Source close to terror group says it has withdrawn from 190 of 265 military positions ‘identified’ south of the Litani River
Most military sites belonging to Hezbollah in southern Leb ...home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade.... have been placed under Lebanese army control, a source close to the terror group said Saturday.
A November 27 ceasefire that ended more than a year of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, including two months of full-blown war, stipulated that only United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... peacekeepers and Lebanon’s army should be deployed in the country’s south.
The deal required the Iran-backed terror group to dismantle its remaining military infrastructure in the south and move its fighters north of the Litani River, which is about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Israeli border.
"Out of 265 Hezbollah military positions identified south of the Litani, the movement has ceded about 190 to the army," the source said on condition of anonymity.
The stipulation was also part of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War, but Hezbollah never adhered to the obligation and continued to build up its forces and positions to an unprecedented degree in recent years.
On October 8, 2023, Hezbollah began launching near-daily rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel in support of the Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... terror group, a day after its massive, deadly assault on southern Israel. Israel hit back with Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s, and by September 2024, the conflict escalated into open war, during which Israel decimated Hezbollah’s leadership and stockpiles. The war ended in a late November 2024 ceasefire, which has largely held despite mutual accusations of violations.
Under the agreement, Israeli forces were to withdraw from southern Lebanon while Hezbollah was to remove its military infrastructure from the area. Troops remain in five points deemed "strategic" by the Israeli military. Israel also maintains the right to strike targets that pose an imminent threat.
A source in the Iran-backed terror group told AFP Saturday that it has handed over most of its territory in southern Lebanon to the Lebanese military. Citing diplomatic sources, Channel 12 reported the Lebanese military is getting better and better under US oversight, but that it’s still too weak to take full responsibility of regional security, despite the backing of France.
Hezbollah has reportedly shown readiness in recent days to discuss disarmament with US-backed Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who has vowed to maintain a state monopoly on arms. However, the terror group has reportedly continued to smuggle arms from Iran.
#1
Hezbollah has reportedly shown readiness in recent days to discuss disarmament with US-backed Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who has vowed to maintain a state monopoly on arms. However, the terror group has reportedly continued to smuggle arms from Iran.
Ok, so Iran still seems to have money to burn. When do we stop that?
[IsraelTimes] Ex-chief of Lebanese intel agency says he helped negotiate return of remains of terrorist who killed 5 Israelis, Bulgarian bus driver in Burgas
The Lebanese-French national who was accused of detonating explosives in a 2012 attack in Bulgaria that killed five Israeli tourists was buried in a cemetery designated for fallen Hezbollah terrorists, said a former Lebanese security official who negotiated the return of his remains.
The bomber was identified as Mohammad Hassan El-Husseini, 23. On July 18, 2012, he struck a group of Israeli tourists at Burgas Airport in Bulgaria, killing five Israelis, a Bulgarian bus driver, and injuring nearly 40 others, authorities said.
The explosion occurred shortly after the tourists, arriving on a charter flight from Tel Aviv, boarded a bus en route to their hotel. Israeli and Bulgarian authorities blamed the Iranian-backed terror group Hezbollah.
El-Husseini was eventually identified through a DNA analysis by Bulgarian Sherlocks working with Israeli, US, and European intelligence agencies.
The former head of the Lebanese General Security intelligence agency, Abbas Ibrahim, told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named that he helped negotiate the return of the remains on Thursday on behalf of El-Husseini’s family, who hired a lawyer in Bulgaria to handle the legal proceedings. He was buried Friday, Ibrahim said.
El-Husseini had entered Bulgaria days before the bombing using a fake Michigan driver’s license. He was part of a three-man Hezbollah cell operating across Europe, according to Sherlocks. His alleged accomplices — Meliad Farah, an Australian-Lebanese, and Hassan El Hajj Hassan, a Canadian-Lebanese — were charged in absentia in 2016. Both remain on the lam despite international arrest warrants.
Investigators said the men traveled through Poland, Romania, and Germany, using fake identities to gather materials for the attack. Intelligence officials believe Hezbollah coordinated their training and logistics.
[IsraelTimes] White House calls meeting ‘a step forward in achieving a mutually beneficial outcome’; Iran’s top diplomat says US wants to reach a new agreement ASAP but ‘that will not be easy’
US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff met briefly with Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shortly after their two countries held their first round of talks on Tehran’s nuclear program in Oman and agreed to hold a second round next week.
The first known meeting between US and Iranian officials in years appeared to be a way for both sides to save face after US President Donald Trump ...dictatorial for repealing some (but not all) of the diktats of his predecessor, misogynistic because he likes pretty girls, homophobic because he doesn't think gender bending should be mandatory, truly a man for all seasons... announced at the beginning of the week that the talks would be direct, while Araghchi insisted that they would be indirect.
Regardless, both the over two-hour-long session mediated by Oman — with the US and Iran delegations in separate rooms — and the subsequent minutes-long conversation between Witkoff and Araghchi represented a potentially major tipping point in ties between the US and Iran.
Trump has warned that the failure of these talks could lead the US to strike Iran’s nuclear program. The US president said earlier this week that Israel would participate in such a strike, if not lead it.
Meanwhile,
...back at the shattered spaceship, Fffflirgoll the Arcturan slithered stealthily toward the control room, where the humans had barricaded themselves... Iranian officials increasingly warn that they could pursue a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.
But initial comments from Iran indicated that the sides were trending toward de-escalation. "After the end of more than 2-1/2 hours of indirect talks, the heads of the Iranian and American delegations spoke for a few minutes in the presence of the Omani foreign minister as they left the talks," Araghchi posted on his Telegram channel.
He said the talks — a first between Iran and the Trump administration, including his first term in 2017-21 — took place in a "productive and positive atmosphere."
Araghchi later told Iranian state TV that the next round of talks will take place on April 19. He added that the location of next weekend’s talks may not be in Oman, but will still take place under Omani intermediation.
"Neither we nor the other party want fruitless negotiations, discussions for discussions’ sake, time-wasting, or talks that drag on forever," Araghchi clarified.
He also said the US wants an agreement on a new nuclear deal "as soon as possible."
"That will not be easy and will require a willingness on both sides," he said.
American officials did not immediately acknowledge the Iranian reports, which Tehran likely sped out to its public ahead of a possible Trump post on social media. But declaring that the two sides spoke face-to-face — even if briefly — suggests the negotiations went well.
The White House later put out a statement that characterized the discussions as "very positive and constructive."
While noting the "very complicated" issues at hand, the White House said Witkoff’s "direct communication" with Araghchi "was a step forward in achieving a mutually beneficial outcome."
The White House statement also confirmed that the sides "agreed to meet again next Saturday" and thanked Oman for hosting the talks.
Witkoff told Araghchi "that he had instructions from President Trump to resolve our two nations’ differences through dialogue and diplomacy, if that is possible," according to the the White House statement.
Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, who mediated Saturday’s talks, tweeted they were held in a "friendly atmosphere" and launched a quest for a "fair and binding agreement."
Talks between Iran and the US were focused on de-escalating regional tensions, prisoner exchanges, and limited agreements to ease sanctions in exchange for controlling Iran’s nuclear program, an Omani source told Rooters.
The talks began at around 3:30 p.m. local time. The two sides spoke for over two hours at a location in the outskirts of Oman, ending the talks around 5:50 p.m. local time. A convoy believed to be carrying Witkoff returned to Muscat, the capital of Oman, before disappearing into traffic around a neighborhood that is home to the US Embassy.
AP journalists saw Witkoff’s convoy leave the Omani Foreign Ministry earlier Saturday afternoon, speeding off into the outskirts of Muscat where the indirect talks were held at an undisclosed compound. A few minutes later, Iranian Foreign Ministry front man Esmail Baghaei wrote on the social platform X that the "indirect talks" had begun.
"These talks will be held at a location planned by the Omani host, with representatives of the Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran and the United States seated in the halls and sides, conveying their points of view and positions to each other through the Omani Foreign Minister," Baghaei wrote before the meeting.
About an hour later, Baghaei appeared on Iranian state television ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
and acknowledged the talks had been going on all that time.
"The objective of the Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran is very clear — we have only one goal, and that is to safeguard Iran’s national interests," he said. "We are giving a genuine and honest opportunity to diplomacy, so that through dialogue, we can move forward on the nuclear issue on one hand, and more importantly for us, the lifting of sanctions."
Baghaei added: "Look, this is just a beginning. So it is natural that, at this stage, both sides will present their foundational positions through the Omani mediator. Therefore, we do not expect this round of negotiations to be lengthy."
Araghchi also spoke earlier to Iranian journalists.
"If there is sufficient will on both sides, we will decide on a timetable. But it is still too early to talk about that," Araghchi said in an audio clip published by IRNA. "What is clear now is that the negotiations are indirect, and in our view only on the nuclear issue, and will be conducted with the necessary will to reach an agreement that is on an equal footing and leads to securing the national interests of the Iranian people."
Trump and Witkoff both had described the talks as being "direct" in the days before the meeting..
"I think our position begins with dismantlement of your program. That is our position today," Witkoff told The Wall Street Journal before his trip. "That doesn’t mean, by the way, that at the margin we’re not going to find other ways to find compromise between the two countries."
He added: "Where our red line will be, there can’t be weaponization of your nuclear capability."
That red line indicated a degree of flexibility in the Trump administration’s position and a potential break with Israel, whose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asserted that he will only accept the full dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Iran "can’t have a nuclear weapon," Trump said ahead of high-stakes weekend talks over the state’s nuclear program.
"I want Iran to be a wonderful, great, happy country. But they can’t have a nuclear weapon," the US president told news hounds aboard Air Force One, hours before Witkoff’s meeting in Oman.
While the US side can offer sanctions relief for Iran’s beleaguered economy, it remains unclear just how much Iran will be willing to concede. Under the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran could only maintain a small stockpile of uranium enriched to 3.67%.
Today, Tehran’s stockpile could allow it to build multiple nuclear weapons if it so chooses, and it has some material enriched up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels. Judging from negotiations since Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the deal in 2018, Iran will likely ask to keep enriching uranium up to at least 20%.
One thing it won’t do is give up its program entirely. That seemingly makes Netanyahu’s proposal of a so-called Libyan solution — "you go in, blow up the facilities, dismantle all the equipment, under American supervision, American execution" — unworkable.
Iranians, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...> , have held up what ultimately happened to the late Libyan dictator Muammar Qadaffy ...a proud Arab institution for 42 years, now among the dear departed, though not the dearest...> , who was killed with his own gun by rebels in the country’s 2011 Arab Spring uprising, as a warning about what can happen when you trust the United States.
[Rudaw] Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria are in discussion with the new government in Damascus about control of Tishreen Dam, which has been under frequent attacks by militias for months, a senior dam official told Rudaw English on Saturday.
"There are discussions between the Autonomous Administration and the Damascus government, but there is nothing certain yet. What is certain is that the staff of the dam will continue their work," the Kurdish official said on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
He said talks are "ongoing regarding military forces" controlling the dam and denied reports that the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have agreed to hand over the control to Damascus.
He anticipated the talks, which began on Sunday, will continue for about a month until an agreement is reached.
Tishreen Dam, located in northern Syria on the Euphrates River, was constructed in 1999 and is one of Syria’s largest in terms of capacity and power generation.
The Sick Man of Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... and the Syrian militia groups it supports began a military campaign in November, seeking to seize control of the dam for easier access into other areas held by the SDF.
The surrounding area remains a hotspot of conflict, though the dam itself has not come under attack for the past two weeks. Workers have used the brief window of opportunity to repair damage caused by the conflict, a senior dam official told Rudaw on Monday.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...
...the once and current oppressors of Afghanistan...
...every time you hear the phrase 
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for 
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the 
..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for 
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire...
