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Today: 68 articles and 106 comments as of 9:53.
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Area: WoT Operations    Non-WoT    Opinion    Local News    Politix   
26 Palestinians killed, 70 others injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza in 24 hours
Today's Headlines
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Page 6: Politix
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-Short Attention Span Theater-
Check out Defense Secretary Hegseth’s new tattoo
[X]
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/30/2025 2025-03-30 03:17 || Comments || Link || [11135 views] Top|| File under:


Africa Horn
Somali Government Successfully Repatriates 145 Citizens from Libya
[ShabelleMedia] The Somali government has successfully repatriated 145 citizens who had endured significant hardships in Libya, continuing its efforts to support citizens facing difficulties abroad.

Of the returnees, 37 arrived at Hargeisa International Airport, while the remaining 108 landed at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu.

In the capital, they were greeted by Hon. Isak Mohamud Mursal, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, alongside other government officials.

The repatriation is part of Somalia’s ongoing efforts to assist nationals who have been exploited and mistreated in foreign countries, with a particular focus on Libya, where many have faced severe conditions.

This operation highlights the Somali government’s commitment to safeguarding the welfare of its citizens overseas and addressing the challenges confronting the Somali diaspora.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/30/2025 2025-03-30 01:32 || Comments || Link || [11136 views] Top|| File under: Moslem Colonists


Arabia
Saudi TV: Hamas gives mediators information on health status of hostage Edan Alexander
[IsrelTomes] Hamas has provided information to hostage-ceasefire deal mediators on the health situation of US-Israeli captive Edan Alexander, Egyptian sources tell the Saudi Al Arabiya network.

Alexander’s release has been put forth as a condition in proposals to renew the ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza.

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/30/2025 2025-03-30 00:31 || Comments || Link || [11160 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  ..nuff said.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 03/30/2025 9:56 Comments || Top||


Britain
In UK and Australia, lawmakers are trying to curb protests outside synagogues
[IsraelTimes] Bill would allow cops in England and Wales to control route and timing of protests near places of worship; similar restrictions in place in Australia’s New South Wales

The British government is pushing to let police block protests in front of places of worship, following a similar move earlier this year by Australian politicians.

The new measure in England, part of a policing bill currently moving through Parliament, would give police in England and Wales the ability to control the route and timing of protests that take place around places of worship, the Guardian reported.

The UK home secretary, Yvette Cooper, told a Jewish group on Wednesday that the provision is aimed at curbing protests outside synagogues. Pro-Paleostinian demonstrators have held regular rallies during the Israel-Hamas
..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
war that began in 2023, and some of the routes have passed synagogues on Shabbat.

"The right to protest must not undermine a person’s right to worship. And everybody has a right to live in freedom from fear," she said at the annual dinner of the Community Security Trust, a Jewish security organization.

The initiative comes after organizers of a pro-Paleostinian protest planned in January for a Saturday in London fought police orders to move away from a synagogue. Cooper’s proposed amendments to the UK’s crime and policing bill would grant the police powers to enforce such orders.

"I have strongly supported action taken by the Metropolitan Police in recent weeks and months to divert protest routes away from synagogues on Saturday mornings," Cooper said at the CST dinner. "But I know how hard the community has had to fight for those conditions — each and every time. And I have listened to your calls for change."

Another amendment to the policing bill would also add London’s forthcoming Holocaust memorial to a list of memorials that are protected from people climbing on them.

Similar restrictions also came to the state of New South Wales in Australia last month, with the passage of a suite of laws that, in part, criminalized protest outside places of worship.

Worshipers at a synagogue in Melbourne were ordered to evacuate by police amid concerns over a nearby pro-Paleostinian demonstration in 2023, in a dramatic incident that came amid a threefold increase in antisemitic incidents in the year since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war.

Reception to the New South Wales legislation was mixed, with some critics citing potential free speech concerns.

"I welcome the government’s commitment to addressing the terrible rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia
...the irrational fear that Moslems will act the way they usually do...
, but we should be careful not to erode civil rights or chill genuine protest in the process," the lord mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, told The Guardian in February.

In England, Jewish groups expressed cautious optimism about Cooper’s announcement.

"For too long, protests on Shabbat have disrupted communal life at multiple Central London synagogues," the Jewish Leadership Council, which oversees Jewish organizations, said in a statement. "We look forward to seeing the details of any forthcoming amendments in the hope that they will adequately re-establish the balance between the right to protest and the rights of our community to practice our religion without fear and intimidation."
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/30/2025 2025-03-30 03:08 || Comments || Link || [11183 views] Top|| File under:


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Muftiate of the North Caucasus named the date of Uraza-Bayram (Eid al-Fitr)
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] In Dagestan, Eid al-Fitr will begin on March 31. The other regions of the North Caucasus have named March 30 as the holiday, but the Muftiate of Karachay-Cherkessia has not announced the date of the holiday.

As the "Caucasian Knot" reported, this year in all the republics of the North Caucasus the month of Ramadan began on March 1. In Chechnya, the days from March 30 to April 1  have been declared non-working in connection with the holiday marking the end of the month of fasting.

The authorities of Dagestan reported that the holidays are March 31 and April 1, in total the republic will have four days off, including the weekend. The exact date will be announced by the Muftiate of Dagestan, the administration of the head of Dagestan reported.

During  Ramadan,  Muslims must abstain from food and drink during daylight hours.  Eid  al-Fitr is the holiday of breaking the fast after a month of fasting. On the occasion of the holiday, it is customary to receive guests, visit loved ones, and also the graves of relatives. The Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia announced on March 16 that Eid al-Fitr in 2025 will be held on March 30.

The Muftiate of the Republic of Dagestan announced on its official channels that the celebration of Eid al-Fitr will take place on March 31. 

The Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kabardino-Balkaria reported on its Telegram channel that due to the fact that they saw the new moon, March 30 is the holiday of "Uraza-Bayram". 

The same date was also mentioned by the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Chechnya, the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Stavropol Krai, and the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of North Ossetia in their Telegram channels.

"In Saudi Arabia, the new moon was visually recorded, therefore, following the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, tomorrow - March 30 - we will celebrate the holiday of Eid al-Fitr," said the Mufti of Chechnya, Salah Mezhiyev.

The end of Ramadan was announced today by the head of Ingushetia, Makhmud-Ali Kalimatov, on his Telegram channel.

The Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Karachay-Cherkessia did not announce the date of the holiday on its resources, but in the prayer calendar published on the muftiate's website, March 30 is indicated as the day of Ramadan. Earlier, the head of Karachay-Cherkessia Rashid Temrezov declared March 31 a non-working day in connection with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr.

"Kavkazsky Uzel" also wrote that during Ramadan the prices of eggs, meat, butter, dates and other products increased significantly. The authorities  are not taking measures to prevent the increase in prices before Eid al-Fitr, residents of Makhachkala indicated.

Residents of Kabardino-Balkaria also reported rising food prices. According to them, the price increase began before Ramadan.

In Chechnya, food prices have risen ahead of Eid al-Fitr. Residents are forced to buy food in neighboring regions, but fear that food will be confiscated at checkpoints under the pretext of supporting local entrepreneurs. The deputy mufti of Chechnya called on entrepreneurs not to raise food prices during Ramadan. These calls came too late, as prices have already risen significantly, the authors of comments on the social network indicated. They proposed introducing penalties for those who inflate prices. On March 17,  Ramzan Kadyrov  ordered raids to be stepped up, food with unjustified markups to be confiscated from sellers and distributed to those in need. The Grozny mayor's office then  reported on raids  in stores.

Kadyrov's threats to confiscate food from vendors come amid an existing practice: previously, they were confiscated from buyers of goods purchased before Eid al-Fitr outside the republic. Two residents of Chechnya spoke about the inspection of cars on the border with Dagestan before Eid al-Fitr in 2024 as part of the fight against violators of the "resolution on supporting local entrepreneurship," according to a  report published on March 13 by the "Caucasian Knot." The police said that "they had orders to confiscate in favor of children's institutions," but one of those interviewed, an elderly driver, managed to persuade the security forces. In another case, the security forces "pulled two boxes of chickens and one package of 30 eggs from the car." Residents of Chechnya  also spoke about similar inspections at the Gerzel post in 2023 . "They picked on the chickens, saying that we are not patriots of the republic, that in Chechnya they sell chickens everywhere, and you buy them in Dagestan. In short, they confiscated the chickens," a resident of Chechnya quoted her neighbor's story.


Continued on Page 47
Posted by: badanov || 03/30/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [11138 views] Top|| File under: Devout Moslems


Europe
Camp of the Saints Update - 4 in 10 French Citizens Fear Islamic Related Civil War Imminent
[Breitbart] Concerns over the breakdown of social cohesion, increasing violence, and the rise of Islamism have reached an “unprecedented level” in France, according to a survey which found over four in ten believe the country is heading towards civil war.

A survey from Ifop published in Le Figaro to coincide with the 120th anniversary of the passing of the Secularism Act of 1905 and the 10th anniversary of the Bataclan Islamist terror attacks in Paris in 2015, has found that the French public is increasingly sceptical of the multicultural project foisted upon the nation, with many fearing that their society may devolve into full-on chaos.

According to the poll, a record eight in ten people in France believe the country is at risk of experiencing a “social explosion” in the coming months.

While the “explosion” could come in the form of riots such as the ones experienced in 2023 following the police killing of an Algerian-heritage teen, or like the Yellow Vest or farmers’ protest movements, a staggering 42 per cent are concerned that it could come in the form of an outright civil war. The survey also found 39 per cent could envision an attack on the Élysée Palace (the residence of the French president) or the National Assembly.

In any event, the French public appears to be losing faith in their public institutions’ ability to withstand the growing turmoil, with six in ten expressing doubt over the government’s ability to maintain stability in the country. This comes as the National Assembly remains mired in a three-way split and in the wake of three governments collapsing since the start of last year.

One of the key drivers of the growing feeling of instability found by the survey was the spread of Islamist ideology throughout France. The poll found that 72 per cent were concerned about growing Islamism in working-class neighbourhoods, 70 per cent about it in prisons, 63 per cent in schools, 56 per cent in universities, and 52 per cent in sports clubs.

Islam in general was by far seen as the religion most likely to harbour radical positions at 63 per cent, compared to Judaism at 23 per cent and Catholicism at 16 per cent.

While the public was mostly tolerant towards some practices of the Muslim faith, such as praying five times a day and abstaining from alcohol, others, such as forcing young girls to wear veils or refusing to shake the hand of a person of the opposite sex, are seen as signs of radicalisation.

Other major factors seen as contributing to the breakdown in social cohesion surrounded issues of multiculturalism, with 88 per cent citing the “evolution of delinquency” on the streets of France, 82 per cent the “concentration of populations of the same culture or origin in neighbourhoods,” and 75 per cent pointing to the public spaces becoming “occupied by religions”. Outside of multiculturalism, only income inequality, at 77 per ent, was seen as playing a meaningful role in the cultural decay.

The growing concern over Islamism and multiculturalism appears to be having an impact on the political sphere. According to the survey, over eight in ten see the far-left La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) party of Jean-Luc Mélenchon as contributing to societal divisions.

Perhaps influencing this perception, supporters of the LFI, which has been an outspoken proponent of Gaza in the conflict with Israel, were the most likely to hold a positive perspective on radical Islam, with 36 per cent saying they would support Islamism.

Conversely, while the legacy media and the political establishment have long attempted to deride the National Rally as divisive and outside the bounds of acceptable politics, 39 percent of the public now sees Marine Le Pen’s anti-mass migration party as beneficial to France’s cohesion.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Clem+Elmish4239 || 03/30/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [11141 views] Top|| File under: Moslem Colonists

#1  And another 4 in 10 are pretending to not understand the question.

The other 2 in 10 are the enemy.
Posted by: Crusader || 03/30/2025 0:33 Comments || Top||


Fifth Column
An inside look at Jewish Onliner, the anonymous website that got a Yale scholar suspended
See also here for a facial recognition initiative that is also bearing fruit.
[IsraelTimes] A member of the faceless team using AI to expose ‘issues impacting the Jewish community’ answers questions about how the site picks its targets, why it’s not journalism, and how it’s funded

Earlier this month, a pro-Paleostinian activist named Helyeh Doutaghi was suspended from her job at Yale University and banned from campus over alleged links to a fundraising group that supports a Paleostinian terrorist organization.

The trigger, according to The New York Times

...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize...

, was a report in an ostensible news site called Jewish Onliner.

The name was new to us here at the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and to many others in Jewish journalism. And, as it turns out, the people behind the site don’t see themselves as journalists reporting the news, even if they are pleased to be making it.

That revelation came to us after following digital breadcrumbs to identify a person involved with Jewish Onliner, which was registered as a website on December 12.

The website’s registration shields the identity of its owner. And the site does not disclose its staff or have bylines on its articles, which it says uses AI to focus on "combating antisemitism, exposing anti-Israel movements, and dissecting the radical forces undermining the values of the Western world." But we tracked someone down.

The person affiliated with the site, who confirmed their involvement, is a recent immigrant to Israel from an English-speaking country with training and experience in open-source intelligence and counter-terrorism. The person said the team is multinational and not affiliated with the Israeli government.

And the person agreed to answer questions via email on condition of anonymity, citing the threat of antisemitism.

The subsequent exchange addresses questions about how Jewish Onliner picks its targets, the role artificial intelligence plays in its work, why its content should not be considered journalism, the cost of anonymity and how the initiative is funded. The person said they drafted their responses in consultation with the rest of team behind Jewish Onliner.

At a time when small groups are having an outsized impact on US policy — as Betar and the similarly anonymous Canary Mission have done when it comes to identifying pro-Paleostinian student protesters whom the Trump administration subsequently seeks to deport — the exchange offers unusual insight into how one of those groups says it operates. We are publishing it here, lightly edited for length and clarity.
I include key questions and answers. The rest can be read at the link.
Would you consider what you do journalism? I ask because journalists rarely conceal their identities while reporting on issues that could put them at risk. The theory is that anonymity would hurt the credibility of the reporting. What do you think about that?

That’s a fair and thought-provoking question you raised.

After discussing with the rest of the team, we agreed that what we do doesn’t align with traditional journalism, nor would we characterize the initiative as a media outlet. The team is intentionally trying to carve out a different lane altogether.

What feels unique about our model is that it isn’t structured like a typical newsroom — there are no rigid roles like reporters or editors. Instead, each person handles every part of a project: conducting OSINT [open source intelligence] research, analyzing the findings, and writing the piece. AI tools also play a significant role in enhancing and accelerating the work (we’re also constantly working to improve our technology and add new abilities).

The reports we’ve produced often don’t fit neatly into conventional journalism. They are almost entirely based on verifiable OSINT and include in-depth analyses as well. Much of the content connects directly to US-designated terrorist organizations, some of which continue to operate freely on American soil. Given that the same individuals who conduct the research also publish the findings, the team ultimately decided that anonymity was the best approach to mitigate the added risks.

We’re fully aware that anonymity may cause some to view our work with skepticism — that’s a tradeoff we’ve considered carefully.

Ultimately, the team felt the work should speak for itself. And for those willing to engage with it, we believe the value is clear.

What can you say about who runs and funds Jewish Onliner? The reason you cited for anonymity is the safety of the individuals involved — that doesn’t sound like a reason to keep the identity of any institution that may be behind the initiative anonymous.

It might surprise you to learn that JO is actually a pretty low-cost initiative, so saying that it has “funders” might be a stretch.

We’re a small group of tech-savvy OSINT experts who decided to take action for the Jewish community and broader Western values. The minimal support we’ve received comes from a few concerned individuals who wanted to help us get started, but they’re busy with their own lives, jobs, and families.

Also, for what it’s worth, since we’ve seen this silly rumor floating around: No, we are not affiliated with, connected to, or supported by any government.

I also want to challenge you on that. The rumors that you are supported by the Israeli government hardly seem “silly.” The Israeli government has publicly said that it is spending millions on online influence campaigns, which reportedly make use of AI technology. Jewish Onliner would seem to fit the bill. Do you really fault people for concluding that you might be a government outfit?

As for the Israeli government, we have no idea what they may or may not be doing with any technology — and frankly, we don’t much care.

Not every civilian-run initiative addressing antisemitism using AI is tied to the Israeli government. Sometimes, believe it or not, people just care about these issues and want to try and help.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/30/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [11142 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies


Private groups use facial recognition to unmask anti-Israel campus protesters for deportation
Government is those things we do together, the Democrats used to say. Defending the nation from violent jihadi invaders is what we do together, says MAGA.
See also here for a self-organized, volunteer Jewish Onliner team quietly using AI to pluck out the identities of dangerous — often terror-linked — Jew- and West-haters via open source analysis.
[IsraelTimes] Amid push by Trump administration to revoke visas from foreign students involved in violence, an array of private groups are working to identify and report them to authorities

When a protester was caught on video in January at a New York rally against Israel, only her eyes were visible between a mask and headscarf. But days later, photos of her entire face, along with her name and employer, were circulated online.

“Months of them hiding their faces went down the drain!” a fledgling technology company boasted in a social media post, claiming its facial-recognition tool had identified the woman despite the coverings.

She was anything but a lone target. The same software was also used to review images taken during months of pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel marches at US colleges.
…so much of it posted on social media by the activists themselves. Petard hoist…ENGAGE!
A right-wing Jewish group said some people identified with the tool were on a list of names it submitted to US President Donald Trump’s administration, urging that they be deported in accordance with his call for the expulsion of foreign students who participated in “pro-jihadist” protests.
Surely the FBI checked the information before acting on it. Their culture is much too not invented here for them to take it on faith.
Many of the protests saw open support for Hamas, the US-proscribed terror group that sparked the Gaza war with the October 7, 2023 onslaught in southern Israel that killed some 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and saw another 251 taken hostage into Gaza. Many of the protests have also veered into open antisemitism and seen Jewish students targeted on campuses.

Other pro-Israel groups have enlisted help from supporters on campuses, urging them to report foreign students who participated in the protests against the war in Gaza to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency.

The push to identify masked protesters using facial recognition and turn them in is blurring the line between public law enforcement and private groups. And the efforts have stirred anxiety among foreign students worried that activism could jeopardize their legal status.
Good. Both actions and elections have consequences, and you lot put yourselves at the intersection of that. Consider it a necessary learning experience for the next time you think about leaving home.
“It’s a very concerning practice. We don’t know who these individuals are or what they’re doing with this information,” said Abed Ayoub, national executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. “Essentially, the administration is outsourcing surveillance.”
This is a grassroots,self-organized effort. Had it not gone to the FBI, they would have posted it all over the internet, embarrassing you much more publicly.
It’s unclear whether names from outside groups have reached top government officials. But concern about the pursuit of activists has risen since the March 8 arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student of Palestinian descent who helped lead demonstrations against Israel’s conduct of the war.

Immigration officers also detained a Tufts University student from Turkey outside Boston this week, and Trump and other officials have said that more arrests of international students are coming.

“Now they’re using tools of the state to actually go after people,” said a Columbia graduate student from South Asia who has been active in protests and spoke on condition of anonymity because of concerns about losing her visa. “We suddenly feel like we’re being forced to think about our survival.”

UNCERTAINTY ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES
Ayoub said he is concerned, in part, that groups bent on exposing pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel activists will make mistakes and single out students who did nothing wrong.
No doubt. That’s why the FBI/ICE/whoever should be double checking the information they’re given, just like they do all other tips from civilians.
But groups pushing for deportations say their focus is on students whose actions go beyond marching in protests, to those taking over campus buildings and inciting violence against Jewish students.

“If you’re here, right, on a student visa causing civil unrest … assaulting people on the streets, chanting for people’s death, why the heck did you come to this country?” said Eliyahu Hawila, a software engineer who built the tool designed to identify masked protesters and outed the woman at the January rally.

He has forwarded protesters’ names to groups pressing for them to be deported, disciplined, fired or otherwise punished.

“If we want to argue that this is freedom of speech and they can say it, fine, they can say it,” Hawila said. “But that doesn’t mean that you will escape the consequences of society after you say it.”

Pro-Israel groups that circulated the protester’s photo claim that she was soon fired by her employer. An employee who answered the phone at the company confirmed that the woman had not worked there since early this year. In a brief phone conversation, the protester, who has not been charged with any wrongdoing, declined to comment on the advice of an attorney.

CALLS TO REPORT STUDENTS TO THE GOVERNMENT
The unearthing and spreading of personal information to harass opponents has become commonplace in the uproar over the war in Gaza. The practice, known as doxing, has been used to expose both activists in the US and Israeli soldiers who recorded video of themselves on the battlefield.

But the use of facial-recognition technology by private groups enters territory previously reserved largely for law enforcement, said attorney Sejal Zota, who represents a group of California activists in a lawsuit against facial recognition company ClearviewAI.

“We’re focused on government use of facial recognition because that’s who we think of as traditionally tracking and monitoring dissent,” Zota said. But “there are now all of these groups who are sort of complicit in that effort.”

The calls to report protesters to immigration authorities have raised the stakes.

“Please tell everyone you know who is at a university to file complaints about foreign students and faculty who support Hamas,” Elizabeth Rand, president of a group called Mothers Against Campus Antisemitism, said in a Jan. 21 post to more than 60,000 followers on Facebook. It included a link to an ICE tip line.
I joined the group a few weeks ago. Mostly they just want to know where their children should and shouldn’t apply to college, where they will or won’t be safe. But they also spread information.
Rand’s post was one of several publicized by New York University’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors. Rand did not respond to messages seeking comment. NYU has dismissed criticism that she had any influence with its administrators.
She doesn’t, as I recall — mostly because the administrators are deaf to logic.
In early February, messages from a different group were posted in an online chat group frequented by Israelis living in New York.

“Do you know students at Columbia or any other university who are here on a study visa and participated in demonstrations against Israel?” one message said in Hebrew. “If so, now is our time!”

An accompanying message in English by the group End Jew Hatred included a link to the ICE hotline. The group did not respond to requests for comment.

FACIAL RECOGNITION LOOMS OVER PROTESTS
Weeks before Khalil’s arrest, a spokesman for right-wing Jewish group Betar said the activist topped a list of foreign students and faculty from nine universities it submitted to officials, including then-incoming Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who made the decision to revoke Khalil’s visa.

Rubio was asked this week how the names of students targeted for visa revocation were reaching his desk and whether colleges or outside groups were providing information. He declined to answer.

“We’re not going to talk about the process by which we’re identifying it because obviously we’re looking for more people,” he told reporters late Thursday during the return flight from a diplomatic trip to Suriname.

In a one-sentence statement, the Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, said the immigration agency is not “working with” Betar, nor has it received any hotline tips from the group. But DHS declined to answer specific questions from The Associated Press about how it was treating reports from outside groups or the usage of facial recognition.

Betar spokesman Daniel Levy said that some people on its list were identified using the facial-recognition tool called NesherAI created by Hawila’s company, Stellar Technologies, which was launched from his Brooklyn apartment. The software takes its name from the Hebrew word for “eagle.”

Demonstrating the software for a reporter recently, Hawila paused repeatedly to tweak computer code to account for what he said was the just-completed ingestion of thousands of additional photos scraped from social media accounts.

After some delay, the software matched a screenshot of a fully masked protester — seen on video confronting Hawila at a recent march — with publicity photos of a woman who described herself online as a New York artist. He said he would report her to the police for assault.

Hawila, a native of Lebanon, is no stranger to controversy. He was the subject of news stories in 2021 when, after marrying an ultra-orthodox woman in New York, he was confronted with accusations that he lied about being Jewish. Religious authorities have since confirmed that his mother was Jewish and certified his faith, he said.
I’m glad to get the rest of the story — being Jewish seemed to mean so much to him at the time.
Hawila said he no longer works directly with Betar but continues to share protesters’ names with it and other pro-Israel groups and said he has discussed licensing his software to some of them. He showed an email exchange with one group that appeared to confirm such contact.

“Technology, when used in good ways, makes the world a better place,” he said.

TRUMP PROMISED TO CRACK DOWN DURING CAMPAIGN
As a candidate, Trump campaigned on a promise to crack down on campus antisemitism and threatened to deport activists with student visas that he called violent radicals.

Soon after the election, Betar claimed on social media that it was working to identify and report international student protesters to the incoming administration.

“Entire university departments have been corrupted by jihadis,” Levy said in a recent e-mail exchange with the AP.

Days before his arrest, Khalil said in an interview that he was aware of Betar’s call for his deportation and that it and other groups were trying to use him as a “scapegoat.”

Students protesting Israel’s conduct in Gaza have been unsure what to make of Betar, which the Anti-Defamation League recently added to its list of extremist groups. The ADL has also voiced support for revoking the visas of foreign student activists.

At the University of Pittsburgh, leaders of Students for Justice in Palestine said they spoke with police in November after an online message from Betar that said it would be visiting the school to “give you beepers” — an apparent reference to Israel’s detonation of thousands of electronic pagers last fall to kill and wound members of Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

Ross Glick, who was Betar’s executive director at the time, said that the message was “a tongue-in-cheek dark joke,” not a threat.

Both sides said police eventually decided no action was warranted. Months later, Betar said that Pitt students were among those on its deportation list.

STUDENTS DEPENDENT ON VISAS FEAR BEING TARGETED
When you act in public, those who see get to choose how they respond. Sort of a no plan survives first contact with the enemy thingy.
The efforts to target protesters have fueled anxiety among international students involved in campus activism.

“They’ve abducted someone on our campus, and that is a key source of our fear,” said the Columbia student from South Asia.
Oh no, dear heart, that was a plain vanilla police arrest…. unless it was the FBI or ICE, I don’t recall. But at any rate, it was a legal arrest rather than an illegal kidnapping. Which is why lawyers and judges and phone calls were involved instead of sequestering and ransom requests.
She recounted cancelling spring break plans to travel to Canada, where her husband lives, for fear she would not be allowed to reenter the US. She has also shut down her social media accounts to avoid drawing attention to pro-Palestinian posts.
The internet is forever, I’m told, and of course privacy does not really exist once something is posted somewhere. But doing better now is a very good idea as a general principle.
And, because her apartment is off campus, she said she offered accommodation to other international students who live in university housing and are wary of visits by immigration officers.
The government has been doing network tracing at least since the second Iraq war. Figuring out who your friends are and that they might be with you is child’s play to them.
Leaders of Students for Justice in Palestine chapters at George Washington University and Pittsburgh said some international students have asked to have their email addresses and names removed from membership lists to avoid scrutiny.
Too late. But again, doing better is always a good idea.
A Columbia graduate student from the United Kingdom said that when he joined a pro-Palestinian encampment last year, he never considered whether it might affect his immigration status.
No reason to — a year ago, when the Democrats were running things in PresidentJoe Biden’s name, Jew hate and violent protest were wildly fashionable. And their allies loudly assured everyone that he, and then VP Kamala Harris’ campaign, could not possibly fail. Foreigners generally believe the authorities.
Now he’s rethinking an incident in October, when someone scattered fliers in a campus lounge celebrating the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war. A classmate who supports Israel accused him and others in the room of being responsible for the fliers and snapped their photos, according to the student, who said he had nothing to do with the material distributed.

“My main worry … is that he shared those photos and identified us and shared it with a larger group of people,” the student said.

Other students have been dismayed by an atmosphere that encourages students to inform on their classmates.

“It really bothered me because this cultivates this environment of reporting on each other. It kind of gives memories of dictatorship and autocratic regimes,” said Sahar Bostock, who was among a group of Israeli students at Columbia who wrote an open letter criticizing efforts to report pro-Palestinian protesters.

“I had to say, ‘Do you think this is right?'”

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Posted by: trailing wife || 03/30/2025 2025-03-30 05:31 || Comments || Link || [11192 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies

#1  Eventually, the USAID money will run out and the protester pay will be hard to come by.
Posted by: Super Hose || 03/30/2025 16:47 Comments || Top||


Feds on alert for Tesla 'Global Day of Action' after nationwide violence leads to arrests
[FoxNews] Organizers are calling it the Tesla Takedown Global Day of Action, and plan to hold rallies at over 200 Tesla locations

As Americans flock to the streets to enjoy the spring weather this weekend, protesters across the world are set to participate in the pre-planned "Tesla Takedown's Global Day of Action" on Saturday.

The protesters’ goal, according to the organization's website, is to send a crystal clear message that they are against Tesla CEO Elon Musk. The group describes itself as a decentralized grassroots movement that will "protest Tesla for as long as Elon Musk continues to shred public services." Organizers plan to hold rallies at over 200 Tesla locations across the U.S.

Fox News Digital spoke with Joshua Schirard, the director of Byrna Law Enforcement and a former Galveston, Texas police and SWAT captain, on how everyday Americans, as well as owners of the electric vehicles, can stay on high alert.

"This weekend, when we have this Tesla Takedown day, have extra situational awareness and put in a little bit more effort into planning what you're going to do, some routes you're going to take this weekend," he said.

The organization's website notes that the Tesla Takedown is a "peaceful protest movement."

"We oppose violence, vandalism and destruction of property," they wrote. "This protest is a lawful exercise of our First Amendment right to peaceful assembly."

Despite the organization's casting the weekend protests as peaceful, past actions have placed the demonstrations in an illegal light. From Oregon to Massachusetts, Tesla cars and facilities have been vandalized in at least 10 locations this year.

What began as protests against Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have escalated into violent incidents against the Trump ally's company, including shots fired at a building, destroyed dealership windows and charging stations set on fire.

The rise in incidents has caused the FBI to launch a task force to crack down on Tesla crime, and the Justice Department to announce charges against arson suspects with Attorney General Pam Bondi labeling the attacks "domestic terrorism."

POLICE ON "HIGH ALERT"
Schirard said that he is confident that law enforcement authorities across the nation are discussing how to approach and combat Tesla violence.

"Most police departments now are very intel-driven. We're constantly looking at what that future threat could be. And we have a lot of talk on social media, on mainstream media and from local sources about this Tesla Takedown," he said.

"It's very likely that we're going to see some diverted resources in police departments just to make sure that some of those bigger Tesla dealerships are covered, and that more public and commercial spots have some extra coverage as well."

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Posted by: Skidmark || 03/30/2025 03:52 || Comments || Link || [11165 views] Top|| File under: Mob Rule


#2  xAI & X Merger Defuses Musk's Tesla Share Liquidation Risk

Tesla’s share price has been cut in half due to a confluence of factors [including] pressure from a coordinated NGO-driven color revolution known as “Tesla Takedown,” aimed at crashing the stock to trigger loan repayment obligations tied to Musk’s pledged equity.
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/30/2025 5:23 Comments || Top||

#3  At the Southlake Tesla dealership near DFW, all the demonstrators left precisely at noon. Cause they were paid to be there till noon.
Posted by: ed in texas || 03/30/2025 14:24 Comments || Top||


Tracing the links: Columbia students’ lawyers, street protest groups part of linked anti-Israel network
[IsraelTimes] Legal representatives for allegedly pro-Hamas students threatened with deportation have advised and mentored activists leading disruptive rallies around New York and on campuses

Earlier this month, after US federal authorities detained a Columbia University protest leader, student activists walked off campus to rally outside the university’s gates.

They joined demonstrators from Within Our Lifetime, a hardline anti-Israel protest group, to chant for the release of the Columbia organizer, Mahmoud Khalil.

Meanwhile,
...back at the pond, the enormous newt was trying to decide if Gloria was edible...
Khalil’s lawyers battled for his release in court, filing legal summonses to 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...
and Secretary of State Marco Rubio
...The diminutive 13-year-old Republican U.S. Senator from Florida, Secretary of State in the second Trump administration...
The activists and lawyers were not disparate players animated by shared outrage over Khalil’s detention, but are connected — part of an overlapping network that has developed over the years around anti-Israel activism on the streets, in the courts and on campuses.

Ramzi Kassem, a lawyer who has represented Khalil, is an example of the intersecting spheres: Kassem is an alum of Columbia who wrote anti-Israel articles for the campus newspaper while a student in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He is now a professor at the public City University of New York (CUNY) law school, a hotbed of anti-Israel activism.

Kassem also heads Creating Law Enforcement Accountability and Responsibility (CLEAR), a resident nonprofit and legal clinic at the CUNY Law School. Lawyers from the group represent Khalil and other student activists and advise protest groups.

CLEAR aims to represent and advise clients against "government policies and practices deployed under the guise of ’national security’ and ’counterterrorism,’" its website says.

Two of the CLEAR’s recent alumni are CUNY Law graduates Nerdeen Kiswani and Fatima Mohammed, who each gave inflammatory anti-Israel graduation speeches at CUNY Law graduation ceremonies in 2022 and 2023. Mohammed’s 2023 speech set off a national uproar and prompted the law school to remove student speakers from graduation events.

Kiswani and Mohammed are two leaders of Within Our Lifetime, the most prominent anti-Israel activist group on New York City streets. Within Our Lifetime often collaborates with the Columbia activists, including at the protest outside the university this month. Kiswani joined the protest encampment at Columbia last year and co-hosted an off-campus student talk that brought in speakers from the activist group Samidoun, who praised Hamas
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
during the event. Samidoun was designated as a terrorist entity by the US and Canada after the event.

Closing out the circle, CLEAR advises and supports Within Our Lifetime and the Columbia student activists. The day of the protest this month, the Columbia protest group posted an explainer from CLEAR that warned against cooperating with law enforcement. Within Our Lifetime and the Columbia protest coalition instruct followers to contact CLEAR if they run into trouble.

CLEAR is part of the nonprofit City University of New York School of Law Foundation. The group had revenue of $3.8 million between July 2022 and June 2023, the most recent period for which tax filings are available.

WORKSHOPS COACH HOW TO SKIRT THE LAW
In one of CLEAR’s workshops for student protesters last year, lawyers from the group advised activists against non-citizens advocating for terrorism, soliciting funds for terror groups, and membership in terrorist organizations. The lawyers warned that non-citizens were subject to deportation, and students to expulsion, for terror support.

"There are certain kinds of things that we want to make sure that you know will create risks for you if you’re not a citizen, so that’s inciting, advocating, or declaring public approval or support for terrorist activity," one of the lawyers said, according to video of the workshop shared by journalist Stu Smith.

Dallal and Naz Ahmad coached the students on how to avoid Customs and Border Protection making a copy of your phone data. Much stress was placed on how deleted group chats and photos could still be seen by these officers. pic.twitter.com/aB9QqzmMlH
— Stu (@thestustustudio) January 10, 2024

Khalil, a green card holder, was detained days after protesters at an event he attended distributed Hamas
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
propaganda. Since Khalil’s arrest, the legal team has argued that he is being persecuted for free speech.

During the workshop, the lawyers also coached the protesters on how to respond to questions about Hamas, what to do when re-entering the US from international travel, and how to avoid scrutiny of "sensitive materials" on digital devices when entering the US.

TIGHT ‘PROGRESSIVE’ NETWORK
The activist network has ties to the broader progressive movement. In 2022, Kassem was appointed as a senior policy adviser for immigration by the Biden administration. Recent donors to the CUNY Law foundation include MacKenzie Scott and the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Other legal groups also collaborate with the protesters. Within Our Lifetime urges followers to contact the National Lawyers Guild if they are arrested, and the two groups have collaborated on campaigns. Kiswani was a member of the guild while a student at CUNY Law, and the guild backed Mohammed after her 2023 commencement speech.

The guild’s New York City chapter dispatches "observers" to anti-Israel street protests, many of whom wear keffiyehs and anti-Israel apparel. The guild backed the October 7 attack on Israel the day after the onslaught.

In addition to CLEAR, lawyers representing Khalil have come from progressive legal groups that have engaged in anti-Israel activism, such as the Center for Constitutional Rights and the American Civil Liberties Union, whose New York branch has filed lawsuits against Columbia and CUNY Law on behalf of anti-Israel activists.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a free speech group that has both condoned and condemned Columbia protests, has also defended Khalil, saying his detention threatens free speech protections.
FIRE needs to figure out the difference between speech rights and violence wrongs… This is much more important than preening themselves on their open-mindedness for defending someone who would love to see them dead.
Lawyers from CLEAR are also representing another Columbia anti-Israel student activist, Yunseo Chung, who sued the Trump administration this week against her deportation.

PRO-ISRAEL MOVEMENT MORE FRACTURED THAN PRO-PALESTINIANS
The anti-Israel protest movement in New York is ideologically cohesive in its commitment to Israel’s destruction. There aren’t any non-Jewish pro-Palestinian protest groups in New York calling for peace and two states, and none condemn Hamas or October 7. Palestinian advocates who don’t toe the line are shouted down. Kiswani has openly endorsed Hamas and the Columbia protesters have said, “Violence is the only path.” The protests have disrupted life in the city, targeting cancer patients, museums, memorials, libraries, transportation hubs and holiday events. Outright support for US-designated terrorist groups is common.

The counterweight to the movement is the network of Zionist Jewish organizations, including legal groups such as the Brandeis Center, the Lawfare Project, and the National Jewish Advocacy Center.

The pro-Israel movement is well-funded and longstanding, but more fractured in its politics, approach and outlook, ranging from leftists sympathetic to the Palestinians to the more combative right-wing. The movement has also been eclipsed in some areas. Community leaders acknowledged that the movement had “lost the streets” even before October 7, despite events like New York’s massive, annual Celebrate Israel parade.

In the legal realm, Jewish groups are seeking to regain ground under the pressure of war and surging antisemitism. Pro-Israel legal groups only recently began coordinating lawsuits filed around the US, for example. The pro-Israel legal offensive is gaining steam and evolving, though, with lawsuits filed against universities, activists and nonprofits making their way through courts around the country. Some of the lawsuits are making novel use of civil rights protections, opening new fronts in the lawfare battle. A New York nonprofit that has handled funding for an array of activist groups, including Within Our Lifetime and Students for Justice in Palestine, is facing a potential collapse due to lawsuits. Universities like Columbia are being battered from both sides.

In the latest legal salvo, this week, pro-Israel lawyers filed a lawsuit against street protesters and Columbia activists, alleging that the groups function as Hamas’s “propaganda arm” in New York and on campus. Kiswani and Khalil are among the defendants.
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US judge halts deportation of Tufts Turkish student accused of anti-Israel activism
[IsraelTimes] A US federal judge in Massachusetts on Friday temporarily barred the deportation of a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University, who voiced support for Palestinians in Israel’s war in Gaza and was detained by US immigration officials this week.

Rumeysa Ozturk, 30, was taken into custody by US immigration authorities near her Massachusetts home on Tuesday, according to a video showing the arrest by masked federal agents. US officials revoked her visa.

The US Department of Homeland Security has accused Ozturk, without providing evidence, of “engaging in activities in support of Hamas,” a group which the US government categorizes as a “foreign terrorist organization.”

Her arrest came a year after Ozturk co-authored an opinion piece in Tufts’ student newspaper criticizing the university’s response to calls by students to divest from companies with ties to Israel and to “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide.”

A lawyer soon after sued to secure her release, and on Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union joined her legal defense team, filing a revised lawsuit saying her detention violates her rights to free speech and due process.

Despite a Tuesday night order requiring the PhD student and Fulbright Scholar not to be moved out of Massachusetts without 48 hours’ notice, she was now in Louisiana.

In Friday’s order, US District Judge Denise Casper in Boston said that to provide time to resolve whether her court retained jurisdiction over the case, she was barring Ozturk’s deportation temporarily.

She ordered the Trump administration to respond to Ozturk’s complaint by Tuesday.

Mahsa Khanbabai, a lawyer for Ozturk, called the decision “a first step in getting Rumeysa released and back home to Boston so she can continue her studies.”

The DHS had no immediate comment.

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Posted by: trailing wife || 03/30/2025 2025-03-30 03:05 || Comments || Link || [11165 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies

#1  Is she a US citizen?
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 03/30/2025 5:50 Comments || Top||

#2  [Iranian] Mahsa Khanbabai is founder of Khanbabai Immigration Law, a boutique firm focusing on health care workers, employment-based immigration and consular visa processing issues, her dedication for this work stemming from her own J2 to US citizen experience. She is an elected Director of AILA’s Board of Governors, serves on the AILA’s USCIS and Equity Belonging Committees. Mahsa has been a vocal national advocate on issues ranging from the Muslim/Africa Travel Ban, Deferred Action, the Afghan and Palestinian immigration crisis and consular delays. She continues to advocate for clients and reform by engaging with elected officials, agencies, and media sources.
Posted by: Muggsy Peacock6312 || 03/30/2025 7:53 Comments || Top||


U. Washington affirms commitment to ending antisemitism after Trump warning
[CollegeFix] But some pro-Israel individuals on campus still fear speaking out

The University of Washington, following a year-long surge of anti-Israel protests on campus, reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the Jewish community in response to a recent warning letter from the Trump administration.

The public university was one of 60 that received letters from the U.S. Department of Education this month, warning that the federal government could pull their funding if they “do not fulfill their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students on campus.”

Spokesperson Victor Balta told The College Fix the university “stands firmly against antisemitism.”

“The University of Washington … agreed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights earlier this year to five actions that will strengthen the UW’s commitment to timely and effective responses to complaints filed by students, faculty and staff,” he said.

According to the agreement, these actions include: reviewing and updating policies and procedures; reporting regularly to the Office of Civil Rights on its work; providing “regular training” to employees on “discrimination” and “harassment,” as well as anti-discrimination training for students and employees; and conducting a “climate assessment” to evaluate its progress.

Balta told The Fix the March 10 letter from the Office of Civil Rights has “no indication that a new investigation is underway or that the terms of the agreement we announced in January have changed.

When asked about antisemitism on campus, one student, Sophia, told The Fix she believes many “don’t understand that Zionism is simply the belief that Israel has the right to exist as a country.” She asked that her full name not be used due to concerns about discrimination.

“Given that, it seems like Jewish students who believe historically displaced Jews should have land to live on and the right to share religious sites are considered anti-Palestinian, even if they do not support Israeli government actions,” she said.

“This exacerbates antisemitic discourse on campus and promotes division where there is already a lack of understanding on both sides,” Sophia said.

The university recently received a “D” on the Anti-Defamation League’s campus report card. The report cited high levels of “hostile anti-Zionist student government activity,” “hostile anti-Zionist student groups,” and “hostile anti-Zionist staff and faculty activity.”

A Hillel spokesperson declined to comment, and noted that The Fix may struggle to find students willing to speak about the issue due to “fear of retaliation.”

Meanwhile, anti-Israel groups are active on campus. Students United for Palestinian Equality & Return organized two protests in February, where over 100 people gathered on campus in support of the Palestinian movement.

“Our fight was never about the ceasefire. The fight is for a single Palestinian state, from the river to the sea,” SUPER UW spokesperson Noah Weidht stated, according to The Daily, UW’s student newspaper.

When the Trump administration sent its warning letter, Education Secretary Linda McMahon expressed disappointment that many universities are doing too little to protect Jewish students.

“The Department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year. University leaders must do better,” McMahon stated in a news release.

“U.S. colleges and universities benefit from enormous public investments funded by U.S. taxpayers. That support is a privilege and it is contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal antidiscrimination laws,” she said.

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Yale terminates scholar’s contract for alleged ties to terrorist organization
[CollegeFix] Yale Law School has terminated the contract of research scholar Helyeh Doutaghi over alleged ties to a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, Samidoun.

The Buckley Beacon independent student newspaper reported Friday that the move comes after she was put on administrative leave March 5.

Alden Ferro, a spokesperson for Yale Law School, told the Beacon: “Over the last three weeks Yale has repeatedly requested to meet with Doutaghi and her attorney to obtain clarifying information and resolve this matter. Unfortunately, she has refused to meet to provide any responses to critical questions, including whether she has ever engaged in prohibited activity with organizations or individuals who were placed on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list (‘SDN list’).”

“As a result of her refusal to cooperate with this investigation, Ms. Doutaghi’s employment with Yale — which was set to expire this April — has been terminated effective immediately.”

The terror-ties allegations were first reported by the Jewish Onliner on March 2 and quickly picked up by the Beacon.

Doutaghi had been a deputy director of the Law and Political Economy Project at Yale Law School since Sep 2023. Her position was set to expire shortly.

The U.S. Treasury Department stated that Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network is a “sham charity that serves as an international fundraiser for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist organization” in a 2024 news release designating the group as a terror organization.

Doutaghi was identified by Samidoun itself as a “doctoral student of international law and a member of the international Samidoun network” in a July 2022 article.

On March 17, a petition was launched in Doutaghi’s defense, accusing Yale of unfairly railroading her based on anonymous, AI-researched allegations. It has more than 1,000 signatures thus far from professors in the U.S. and Canada.

“Dr. Doutaghi is an internationally recognized and published scholar of international law, political economy, and armed conflict. She completed her PhD in Legal Studies at Carleton University (Ottawa, Canada) in 2024,” the petition states.

“Her PhD Thesis examined the origin, mechanisms, and effects of US and international sanctions against Iran. Throughout her studies, she has always advocated for the rights and self-determination of oppressed people, including Palestinians,” it states.

“We call on Yale University, Yale Law School, and the Law and Political Economy Project to take accountability for the measures taken against Dr. Doutaghi, including restitution of damages and a public statement clearing Dr. Doutaghi’s name and restoring her reputation.”

The Jewish Onliner reported that Doutaghi participated in an April 2022 panel titled “Palestine and Iran – Changing the Global Balance of Power” with Khaled Barakat, designated as a PFLP terrorist by the U.S.

Masar Badil, the organization that hosted the panel, is also considered to be a PFLP front.

In April 2023, Doutaghi participated in the “Liberation Conference” in Ottawa hosted by Masar Badil and posed for a photo under a Samidoun flag. Other attendees included Charlotte Kates, a senior Samidoun member and the wife of Khaled Barakat.

Doutaghi was scheduled to speak at a postponed October 2024 panel she organized titled “The Resistance Front and the New Global Order-Making,” which was sponsored by Samidoun. Khaled Barakat was also listed as a scheduled speaker.

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Columbia University pro-Palestinian activist Khalil remains jailed while judge weighs case transfer
As the rest of American academia watches and worries about their own fates.
[IsraelTimes] Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil will remain behind bars in Louisiana at least until a US judge decides whether the Palestinian activist should challenge his imprisonment in a federal court there or in New Jersey.

US President Donald Trump’s administration argues that Khalil’s challenge should be heard in Louisiana where he is now detained and where any appeals would be heard by the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals, the most conservative in the country.

The Trump administration is defending the arrest of Khalil by immigration agents this month in a case that tests the government’s efforts to deport pro-Palestinian activists who have not been charged with any crime.

Khalil’s lawyers have asked Farbiarz to release him from jail in Louisiana while he challenges the government’s effort to deport him in a separate case in immigration court. They say Trump’s administration improperly targeted him for his political views and prominence in student protests.

They say Khalil, 30, should be with his wife Noor Abdalla, a US citizen who attended today’s hearing, for the birth of their first child in April. He spent several hours in a New Jersey detention facility after his arrest in neighboring Manhattan.

The government has asked the judge either to move the case to a federal court in Louisiana or to dismiss the proceeding so Khalil can challenge his arrest in Louisiana.

The Trump administration said it has revoked the visas of hundreds of foreign students it says took part in the protests that swept college campuses protesting the US government’s military support of Israel. The government says Khalil and other international students who take part are harming US foreign policy interests.

The government has accused Khalil of not disclosing in his application that he was what it called a “member” of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency known as UNRWA. UNRWA and his lawyers said Khalil completed an unpaid internship at UNRWA’s New York office as part of his Columbia master’s degree program, which was listed on his application.

The government also accused Khalil of failing to disclose what it described as his “continued employment” in the British embassy in Beirut “beyond 2022.”

Khalil’s lawyers say he correctly put on the application that he left the job when he left Beirut, and a spokesperson for Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said earlier this month that Khalil ended his employment with the embassy more than two years ago.
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Harvard suspends partnership with Palestinian university in West Bank amid GOP pressure
[IsraelTimes] The Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) has suspended its research partnership with Birzeit University in the West Bank, the school’s Crimson newspaper reports.

The partnership between HSPH’s François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights (FXB) and Birzeit expired in recent months. HSPH decided not to renew the partnership after conducting a review of FXB, an HSPH spokesperson tells The Crimson.

The spokesperson says HSPH will decide in the spring whether to permanently halt the partnership.

The HSPH spokesperson claims that the review into FXB was part of its standard review of its various centers. But the review only came after a letter from 28 Republican lawmakers demanding that Harvard sever ties with Birzeit University, citing ties between members of the latter school’s student government and several West Bank terror groups.
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The Grand Turk
PKK demands legal guarantees from Turkey to lay down arms
An offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on Tuesday said the group cannot lay down arms or dissolve unless political and legal reforms are made.

Bese Hozat, the co-chair of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), said the Turkish government has not taken any steps for the process to progress. "The fundamental requirement for the PKK to lay down its arms is the formation of a democratic political and legal dimension. Without this, the PKK cannot lay down its arms or dissolve itself,” she emphasized.

PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan issued a historic message in late February telling the group to convene a congress and “make the decision to integrate with the state and society; all groups should lay down their arms and the PKK should dissolve itself.”

The message was relayed through the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), which has been mediating peace efforts between Ankara and the PKK, including holding meetings with Ocalan.

In October, Devlet Bahceli, leader of Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), called on Abdullah Ocalan to address the Turkish parliament and announce the dissolution of the PKK. He also suggested that Ocalan should benefit from the “right to hope” law, which could pave the way for his release if certain conditions are met.

However, Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc has repeatedly stated that there is no legal basis for granting Ocalan any right to release under the "right to hope" regulation. The law concerns prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment who are otherwise ineligible for conditional release.

Ocalan, who founded the PKK in 1978 and launched a war against the Turkish state six years later, has been jailed on Imrali Island since 1999. The PKK leader’s message sparked hope for an end to the conflict that has taken 40,000 lives.

"You are starting such a serious process; of course, you will change the legislation. If you are serious and sincere, you will change that legislation," Hozat said, commenting on Tunc’s position.

Following Ocalan’s message, the PKK declared a unilateral ceasefire but set their leader’s release from prison as a precondition to laying down arms and disbanding. The group said it cannot make such decisions without the physical attendance of their leader at the congress he urged for.
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Turkey releases lawyer of jailed Istanbul mayor
[IsraelTimes] Turkish authorities release a lawyer for jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival, after detaining him overnight, an attorney for the lawyer says.

Imamoglu, from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), leads Erdogan in some polls. He was jailed pending trial over allegations of graft on Sunday, provoking the largest anti-government protests in more than a decade, which have led to mass arrests nationwide.

Mehmet Pehlivan, a lawyer who defended Imamoglu in the latest investigation, was detained “for fabricated reasons,” CHP lawmaker Turan Taskin Ozer says in a post on X, without giving details.

Pehlivan’s lawyer, Yigit Gokcehan Kocoglu, says on X that his client was detained “not for doing anything, but simply for being our Mayor Ekrem’s lawyer and for doing his advocacy job.” He says the detention was meant as a “warning.”

Kocoglu says Pehlivan had been asked during his questioning about a money transfer that Pehlivan had not carried out, as well as a donation to a charity. Pehlivan was barred from travelling abroad upon his release, his lawyer said, adding they would appeal.

The interior and justice ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Imamoglu, who was replaced by an interim mayor on Wednesday, had demanded the immediate release of his lawyer.

“As if the coup on democracy wasn’t enough, they can’t stand the victims of this coup defending themselves,” Imamoglu says on X.

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Great White North
Outrage over threat: 'I'm going to plant a bomb in every synagogue in Toronto'
[Jpost] “I know when I'm going to die because I'm going to plant a bomb in every synagogue in Toronto,” Waisuddin Akbari allegedly said.

Canadian Jewish groups and politicians expressed outrage last week over the threats made by a Toronto man who was convicted for threatening to plant bombs in every local synagogue and kill as many Jews as he could.

Afghanistan-born Shawarma restaurant owner Waisuddin Akbari confided in car salesman Cameron Ahmad about the plot last March, according to the November Ontario Court of Justice ruling. Ahmad notified the police about the threats, under the belief that Akbari was serious about the intention to commit a violent attack.
"No, no, it was just a joke. Do you recommend synthetic oil? Kill the Jews"
The 41-year-old Akbari had come to 26-year-old Ahmad's dealership for an oil change and inquired about the possibility of upgrading to a new vehicle. Akbari allegedly expressed concerns about financing a new vehicle because he believed interest payments would be funneled to the Israeli government to finance a supposed genocide against Palestinians.

Akbari told the court that it was Ahmad that raised the issue, and went further by claiming that it was not just Canadian finance that flowed to Israel, but that Israel controlled all global finance -- a claim that Ahmed denied.

Akbari said that he had only raised the concern as a means to end the advances of the salesman, which Justice Edward Prutsch found to be "utterly bizarre" to claim considering that Akbari had admitted to seeking to discuss a new car and there were better methods to end the conversation than veering into a conspiracy theory.

The two discussed the ongoing Israel-Hamas War, regarding which Ahmad told the court he was “on the side of the Palestinian state and the innocent civilians.”

He had intoned as much to Akbari, but Ahmad reportedly became uncomfortable as Akbari allegedly went on to say that in response to a supposed genocide against Palestinian people, the Israeli state and Jewish people should also be subjected to genocide.

Akbari allegedly shared his belief that the Israeli government controlled the world and was trying to exterminate non-Jews, enslave the world, and poison it. He further equated Israelis and Jews to roaches and insects who should be exterminated. Akbari claimed to the court that he could not pronounce the words "roaches" and "insects."
Ahmad was reportedly shocked and scared about how calm, clear, and concise he was when making his comments.

“Before I go, I want you to remember my name and remember my face because the next time you see it, I'll be on the news.” Akbari allegedly said before they parted ways. “I know when I'm going to die because I'm going to plant a bomb in every synagogue in Toronto and blow them up to kill as many Jews as possible.”

AKBARI REPORTEDLY PROMISED TO FILM THE ATTACK
The suspect claimed to the court that he had been misheard and joked to Ahmad that he would blow up a casino because he couldn't afford a new vehicle due to a gambling debt.

Ahmad said there was no doubt what Akbari said and didn't think the customer was joking based on his serious tone, and he consulted with a colleague who was a former police officer and his older brother was serving in the Canadian military.

A day after the exchange, Akbari was arrested and charged for uttering threats.

Akbari claimed to the court that he didn't know what Judaism was, and while he knew Jews existed, he didn't have knowledge about the religion and its connection to Israel. He also claimed to be unfamiliar with the word “synagogue.”

Prutsch found Akbari’s testimony disjointed and vague, and the man was inconsistent, evasive, and confusing. The judge also found it unlikely that Ahmad, who was sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, would manufacture detailed allegations about a mass murder threat against a customer who had been a complete stranger.

After a Global News report on the ruling, which hadn't received much coverage, York Centre MP Ya'ara Saks said that she was deeply disturbed by the antisemitic threats.

"It is unacceptable that Jewish communities continue to live in fear because of such hateful rhetoric and actions," Saks said in a Wednesday statement. "In recent months, we have seen an alarming rise in antisemitic incidents, from shooting and vandalized synagogues to online threats and violent plots. These are not isolated incidents -- they reflect a troubling increase in hate that we must confront together."

MP Kevin Vuong said on X/Twitter that it was important to stand with Jewish neighbors for the sake of all Canadians.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Skidmark || 03/30/2025 05:25 || Comments || Link || [11133 views] Top|| File under: Moslem Colonists


Home Front: Politix
They were poster children for Jewish Progressive opposition to Trump 8 years ago. Where are they now?
[IsraelTimes] The American-Israeli Zlotnitsky family is a case study in the conflict facing progressive US Jews as the people they’ve advocated for are some of their biggest adversaries after Oct. 7.
Some may not make it all the way over to our side, but the Democrats have driven them away as voters, donors, and activists. And some will join us. All the agony at the link.

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/30/2025 2025-03-30 03:22 || Comments || Link || [11150 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies

#1  I know people like Mr. Zlotnitsky.

It's hard to talk to such people because you don't want to come off as a bad person so I sort of pretend I don't remember their previous comments. Although sometimes I try to sneak the concept of suicidal empathy into the conversation.
Posted by: Lord Garth || 03/30/2025 11:59 Comments || Top||

#2  #1Empathy is the ability to emotionally understand what other people feel, see things from their point of view, and imagine yourself in their place. Essentially, it is putting yourself in someone else's position and feeling what they are feeling.

What you talking about is the opposite of empathy - projecting your feelings (and values) onto others.

Posted by: Grom the Affective || 03/30/2025 12:09 Comments || Top||

#3  well Zlotnitsky and his like did think they were putting themselves in the place of innocent Gazans

were they

certainly some non Hamas Gazans are as bloodthirsty as Hamas, some have conflicted feelings, some are just emotionally beaten up, some change between these points
Posted by: Lord Garth || 03/30/2025 16:02 Comments || Top||


NJ Gubernatorial Hopeful Defends Nation Of Islam After Video Surfaces of Him Applauding Violent Rhetoric by Louis Farrakhan
[WahingtonFreeBeacon] ‘The cracker hit you on your jaw, you break his neck. That’s the way we think,’ Farrakhan said, prompting applause from Baraka

New Jersey gubernatorial candidate and Newark mayor Ras Baraka (D.) defended the Nation of Islam and accused critics of trying to silence him after a video surfaced showing him applauding racist and violent mostly peaceful comments from Louis Farrakhan, the group’s notorious anti-Semitic leader.

While serving as Newark’s deputy mayor in 2004, Baraka hosted Farrakhan to celebrate the first day of Kwanzaa. The Nation of Islam minister encouraged the mostly black audience to "break his neck" if "the cracker hit you on the jaw," called white people "the devil," and praised Baraka’s father. Baraka, for his part, called Farrakhan a "role model" whose teachings helped him "become a man" as a college student.

"The cracker hit you on your jaw, you break his neck. That’s the way we think," Farrakhan said, prompting Baraka—in the front row—to stand and applaud, video footage posted by the Nation of Islam shows.

After the video resurfaced, Baraka provided a lengthy statement to Jewish Insider on Thursday, saying he would "not be bullied."

"I will not be bullied or silenced into walking away from the fight for justice. I will not be cowed into denouncing my lifelong work for peace, equality, and equity," Baraka said. "These latest accusations and insinuations aren’t just false—they’re a reflection of the fear my candidacy is provoking in the political establishment."

"The Nation of Islam holds deep respect in many parts of the Black community because of the work they’ve done to reduce violence and support self-determination in neighborhoods that have been ignored and abandoned for generations," Baraka added.

The Nation of Islam and its leader have long histories of anti-Semitism. Farrakhan, for example, has compared Jews to "termites" and has praised Adolf Hitler
...late Fuehrer of Germany, founder of the Third Reich, currently communing with his pals Himmler and Heydrich. He is reincarnated every few days, sometimes every few hour if it's an election year, as a politician somebody doesn't like...
as a "very great man." The Nation of Islam, meanwhile, sent a letter to several House 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...
defending its leader, telling them not to listen to "Satanic Jews" in 2018.

Baraka, the mayor of New Jersey’s largest city, is a leading candidate in the race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. He describes himself as an "underdog," even though he has the highest favorability among the six Democratic candidates jockeying for the governor’s mansion, according to a March 5 Fairleigh Dickinson University poll.

Farrakhan, during the 2004 speech, said the "cracker is the real devil" and praised Baraka’s father—another anti-Semite.

"You’re dealing with a devil, man. You’re not dealing with righteous people. This cracker is the real devil, and you better wake up and realize that," Farrakhan said.

"Ras Baraka came from a father that understood, ’You kill my cat, you lose your dog,’" he added.

Amiri Baraka, while serving as New Jersey’s poet laureate in 2002, wrote a poem suggesting that Jews had advance knowledge of the 9/11 attacks.

"Who knew the World Trade Center was gonna get bombed / Who told 4000 Israeli workers at the Twin Towers / To stay home that day / Why did Sharon stay away?" Amiri Baraka wrote in a poem titled, "Somebody Blew Up America."

Farrakhan, during the 2004 speech, said black people, not Jews, are the subject of biblical prophecies.

"You may think that’s talking about some Jews somewhere, but it’s talking about you," Farrakhan said to the predominantly black audience.

The younger Baraka, in his statement to Jewish Insider, denied any anti-Semitic accusations.

"I am not antisemitic. I have never been. And it’s offensive and irresponsible for anyone to suggest otherwise," he said. "Throughout my life, I’ve built bridges across communities, faiths, and backgrounds to stand for justice and peace."

"This is what happens when someone challenges a broken status quo that’s failed working people for decades," Baraka continued. "So let’s be clear, the people trying to twist my words and my record are the same ones who don’t show up for any community—not Black, not Jewish, not Latino, not South Asian, not working-class people from anywhere. These are people who rely on our collective division."

Baraka did, however, praise Farrakhan and his teachings during the 2004 event.

"It wasn’t until I heard the voice and the organization of the Nation of Islam and Minister Louis Farrakhan that I really began to try to stand up straight and get the courage that I needed to get to begin to organize in the community the way I should have," he said.

Baraka hosted Farrakhan again in 2017 while serving as Newark’s mayor to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the Million Man March.

"For all these years, the American taxpayers’ money has been given each year to Israel to maintain them on the land of the Paleostinians. So don’t you tell me that we have not earned by our sweat and blood—a land of our own and to obligate them," Farrakhan said. "Since we cannot get along with them in peace and equality after giving them 400 years of our sweat and blood and receiving in return some of the worst treatment human beings have ever experienced, we believe our contributions to this land and the suffering forced on us by white America justifies our demand for complete separation in a state or territory of our own."

Baraka, who did not return a request for comment, has not shied away from associating with anti-Israel groups while on the campaign trail. On March 11, he spoke at an anti-ICE rally that featured the Council on American-Islamic Relations
... the Moslem Brüderbund's American arm ...
New Jersey, an anti-Semitic group that characterized Hamas
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
's Oct. 7 attack on Israel as a prison break, calling it "inevitable" and "not unexpected."

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/30/2025 2025-03-30 03:17 || Comments || Link || [11184 views] Top|| File under: Devout Moslems

#1  In the D primary, Baraka is the most radical.
There are two 'moderates' running and two establishment candidates running.

Turnout for the Gov primaries has averaged about 15% in the past so if Baraka can turn out the nutzoids in full force he should get the nomination.
Posted by: Lord Garth || 03/30/2025 17:02 Comments || Top||


International-UN-NGOs
Netanyahu flight path to US was lengthened due to concerns over ICC warrant, health
[IsraelTimes] Israeli Ambassador to US Yechiel Leiter says journey to DC last month took 13.5 hours because prime minister flew over US military bases in case he required emergency landing

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s flight to Washington last month was lengthened due to concerns over both his health and an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court, Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter revealed on Thursday.

Netanyahu flew to Israel on February 2 to meet with US President Donald Trump
...So far he's been unkillable, and they've tried....
in the White House, less than six weeks after surgery to have his prostate removed. The trip also came after the ICC last year issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu on charges of war crimes, meaning that countries party to the Rome Statute would be obliged to take him into custody.

During a webinar on Thursday, Leiter said that the prime minister’s flight to the US was forced to take a longer path so that it was flying over US army bases in an event that it could be forced to land for medical reasons and would not land in a country that may arrest Netanyahu.

"When the prime minister came here last month, he had to fly 13 1/2 hours — a trip that should take 12 hours — people don’t know this, but the reason is because he couldn’t land anywhere in Europe," said Leiter.

"He had just had surgery, he came with two doctors, and they told him he may have to land for treatment," the ambassador added. "But if he were to land anywhere in Europe, he could be arrested as a war criminal. So he had to fly over American army bases — 13.5 hours."

The Israeli ambassador made the comments during a webinar for the One Israel Fund, a nonprofit that supports Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Leiter, who entered the role of ambassador in January, founded the One Israel Fund in 1994. His son, Maj. (res.) Moshe Leiter, was killed fighting 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...
on November 10, 2023.

The ICC announced arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu as well as former defense minister Yoav Gallant.

Neither Israel nor the United States are party to the court, and the warrant has no enforcement mechanism, with the ICC instead relying on cooperation from its member states. ICC member countries are required to act on the court’s arrest warrants but have not always done so.

In the wake of the warrants, a number of countries said they would not arrest Netanyahu were he to visit, including Hungary, Argentina
...a country located on the other side of the Deep South. It is covered with Pampers and inhabited by Grouchos, who dance the Tangle. They used to have some islands called the Malvinas located where the Falklands are now. They're not supposed to cry for Evita...
, the Czech Republic and Romania.

Poland said it would seek to shield him from arrest, while La Belle France and Italia said they believed he had immunity as a world leader from a state not party to the ICC.

Netanyahu is expected to fly to Hungary next week for a diplomatic visit.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/30/2025 2025-03-30 03:23 || Comments || Link || [11136 views] Top|| File under: Hamas


Iraq
Kurdistan Region sees decline in migration rates
[Rudaw] The Kurdistan Region Refugee Association says that migration rates have seen a decline with only 30,500 citizens migrating since 2023.

Head of the Kurdistan Region Refugee Association, Abubakir Ali, told Rudaw on Tuesday that "between 2023 and 2024, more than 21,000 people from across the Kurdistan Region migrated to European countries. Of this number, around 3,500 were from the Raparin area," northeast of the Region.

Ali further explained that between 2024 and 2025, nearly 8,000 people migrated from the Kurdistan Region, most of them young people. Of this number, 2,300 were from Raparin as well.

As for the migration recorded since the beginning of this year, the head of the Kurdistan Region Refugee Association said that "fortunately, the migration rate has significantly decreased this year."

Ali stated that according to preliminary and unofficial data, more than 1,500 people migrated from the Kurdistan Region during the first three months of this year.

He linked the decline in migration rates from the Kurdistan Region to a reduction in the attractiveness of European countries for migrants colonists, particularly due to their stricter policies to address illegal migration.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/30/2025 2025-03-30 01:32 || Comments || Link || [11133 views] Top|| File under: Migrants/Illegal Immigrants


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Israel confirms it received new Gaza truce proposal from mediators, made counteroffer
[IsraelTimes] Hamas said to agree to Egyptian proposal to free 5 living hostages for a 50-day ceasefire, which is reported to fall short of Jerusalem’s demands.
None of the details matter until the thing is signed and delivered. and then it will only matter until Hamas breaks it yet again.

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/30/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [11130 views] Top|| File under: Hamas


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Chemical weapons inspectors granted access to Assad-era sites in Syria, say sources
There would have been much more to find, I imagine, had the IAF not been so busy in Syrian skies since 2011.
[IsraelTimes] Chemical weapons inspectors have been taken by Syria’s caretaker authorities to previously unseen production and storage locations dating from the rule of Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled three months ago, sources say.

A team from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) visited Syria from March 12-21 to prepare for the task of locating and destroying remnants of Assad’s illegal stockpile. Five locations were visited by inspectors, some of which had been looted or bombed.

Among them were locations that had not been declared to the watchdog by the Assad government, they said. The team was given access to documents and detailed information about Assad’s chemical weapons program, the sources say, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential details.

“The Syrian caretaker authorities extended all possible support and cooperation at short notice,” the agency says in a summary of the visit posted online. The OPCW was provided with security escorts and had “unfettered access” to sites and people, it says. No additional details were made public.

The cooperation signals a dramatic improvement in relations from the past decade, during which Syrian officials under Assad stonewalled OPCW inspectors.

The visit illustrates that Syria’s interim authorities are making good on a promise to work with the international community to destroy Assad’s chemical weapons, said a diplomatic source briefed on the matter.

The destruction of any remaining chemical weapons was on a list of conditions the United States has provided to Syria if it wants to see sanctions relief, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

Three inquiries – by a joint UN-OPCW mechanism, the OPCW’s Investigation and Identification team, and a UN war crimes probe – concluded that Syrian government forces under Assad used the nerve agent sarin and chlorine barrel bombs in attacks during the civil war that killed or injured thousands.

Assad and his Russian military backers always denied using chemical weapons in the conflict, which began in 2011 and left hundreds of thousands dead.

Assad-led Syria joined the agency under a US-Russian deal following a 2013 sarin gas attack that killed hundreds. Around 1,300 metric tons of chemical weapons and precursors were destroyed.

Experts at the OPCW believe there are still undeclared stocks and want to visit more than 100 locations where they are believed to have been made or stockpiled by forces under Assad. The OPCW is preparing to open a field office in Syria, where a recent surge in violence has triggered heightened security concerns.

The OPCW, a treaty-based agency in The Hague with 193 member countries, is tasked with implementing the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention.

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/30/2025 2025-03-30 00:58 || Comments || Link || [11135 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


US issues fresh sanctions targeting Hezbollah finance team
[IsraelTimes] The United States has issued fresh sanctions aimed at Hezbollah that target five individuals and three entities.

The State Department says in a statement that the sanctions targeted Hezbollah’s finance team, “which oversees commercial projects and oil smuggling networks that generate revenue for” the group.

The sanctions’ targets included family members and close associates of prominent Hezbollah officials, the State Department says.
Not terribly informative — usually names are named.

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/30/2025 2025-03-30 00:53 || Comments || Link || [11135 views] Top|| File under: Hezbollah


Tehran warns it will strike US bases in region if Trump takes military action against Iran
[IsraelTimes] Tehran will strike US bases in the region if Washington follows through on its warning of military consequences for Iran in the absence of a new nuclear deal, the speaker of the Iranian parliament says.

US President Donald Trump said earlier this month that he had sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warning that “there are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal.”

“If the Americans attack the sanctity of Iran, the entire region will blow up like a spark in an ammunition dump,” Parliament Speaker Mohammad Qalibaf says.

“Their bases and those of their allies will not be safe,” Qalibaf says in a live speech at the annual Al-Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, that marks the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan.

Khamenei called Trump’s message deceptive, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday that talks would be impossible unless Washington changed its “maximum pressure” policy. Iran had thoroughly examined Trump’s letter and had sent “an appropriate response” through Oman, Araqchi said.

Earlier today, Araqchi was reported by state media as saying that while Trump’s letter contained threats, it also left the door open to diplomacy. He did not elaborate.

Western powers accuse Iran of having a clandestine agenda to develop nuclear weapons capability. Tehran insists its program is wholly for civilian energy purposes, although a UN nuclear watchdog report last month asserted that it is the only non-nuclear weapon state to produce such high quantities of nuclear materials.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/30/2025 2025-03-30 00:51 || Comments || Link || [11139 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1 

Suggestion, be sure to include the Ayatollah's location in the initial target strike?
Posted by: NN2N1 || 03/30/2025 4:22 Comments || Top||


With Palestinian flags and ‘Death to Israel’ signs, protesters join Quds Day march in Tehran
[IsraelTimes] Demonstrators take to the streets of Tehran to take part in an annual Quds Day protest as supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...>
urged the Iranian people to show support for Paleostinians and protest against "the enemies’ tricks."

Crowds wave Iranian and Paleostinian flags as well as those of the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah and 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...
’s 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...
rebels.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is in attendance, as well as Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani, Tehran Times reports.

Many hold placards demanding "Death to America" and "Death to Israel," and are chanting anti-US and anti-Israel slogans, an AFP journalist says.

"Your march on Quds Day will nullify all the enemies’ tricks and false words," Khamenei said in a video message yesterday.

Quds (Jerusalem) Day commemorations were launched in 1979 by the Islamic Theocratic Republic’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

The marches call for Jerusalem to be returned to the Paleostinians and are traditionally held on the last Friday of the Moslem holy month of Ramadan.

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/30/2025 2025-03-30 00:47 || Comments || Link || [11145 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  Khomeini's passing would change this.
Posted by: Crusader || 03/30/2025 3:21 Comments || Top||


Syria swears in new transitional government four months after ousting Assad
[IsraelTimes] Members of minority groups including a Christian woman, a Kurd, and and an Alawite given cabinet positions as Damascus aims to convince West to lift crippling sanctions

Syria’s new transitional government was sworn in Saturday, nearly four months after the Assad family was removed from power and as the new authorities in Damascus work to bring back stability to the war-torn country.

The 23-member Cabinet, which is religiously and ethnically mixed, is the first in the country’s five-year transitional period and replaces the interim government that was formed shortly after Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor. If he'd stuck with it he'd have had a good practice by now...
was removed from power in early December.

The Cabinet does not have a prime minister since, according to the temporary constitution signed by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa earlier this month, the government will have a secretary general.

The government includes new faces apart from the ministers of foreign affairs and defense, who have been kept in the posts they held in the interim government. Syria’s new Interior Minister Anas Khattab was until recently the head of the intelligence department.

"The formation of a new government today is a declaration of our joint will to build a new state," Sharaa said in a speech marking the formation of the government.

Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra said his main goal will be to build a professional army "from the people and for the people."

The government did not include members of the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces or the autonomous civil administration in northeast Syria. Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi signed a breakthrough deal earlier this month in Damascus on a nationwide ceasefire and the merging of the US-backed force into the Syrian army.

Among those whose names were announced late Saturday night was Hind Kabawat, who became the first woman appointed to the new government.

Kabawat, a Christian activist and vocal opponent of Assad since the start of the civil war in 2011, was named minister of minister of social affairs and labor.

Raed Saleh, who for years headed the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, was named minister for emergency disasters, and Damascus-based Syrian Kurd Mohammed Terko was named minister of education.

Mohammed al-Bashir, who has headed Syria’s interim government since Assad’s fall, was named minister of energy. He will mainly be tasked with restoring the electricity and oil sectors that were badly damaged during the 14-year civil war.

The new government’s main mission is to try and bring a decisive end to the war and bring stability to the country, which witnessed festivities and Dire Revenge killings earlier this month along the coastal region that is home to members of the minority Alawite sect, to which Assad belongs. The violence left more than 1,000 people, mostly Alawites, dead.

Most of Syria’s bad boy groups now running the country are Sunni Moslems, but the presence of members of minority sects including an Alawite, as well as a woman, is a message from Sharaa to Western countries that have been demanding that women and minorities be part of Syria’s political process.

The announcement of a religiously mixed government aims to try to convince Western countries to lift crippling economic sanctions that were imposed on Assad more than a decade ago. The UN says that 90% of Syrians are below the poverty line, while millions face cuts in food aid as a result of the war.

Hours before the government was announced, the US State Department cautioned US citizens of the increased possibility of attacks during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which it said could target embassies, international organizations and Syrian public institutions in Damascus. It added that methods of attack could include, but are not limited to, individual attackers, armed button men, or the use of bombs.
  • Anas Khattab - Minister of Interior,

  • Asaad al-Shaibani - Minister of Foreign Affairs,

  • Murhaf Abu Qasra - Minister of Defense,

  • Marwan al-Halabi - Minister of Higher Education,

  • Hind Kabawat - Minister of Social Affairs,

  • Mazhar al-Wais - Minister of Justice,

  • Mohammed al-Bashir - Minister of Energy.

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: trailing wife || 03/30/2025 2025-03-30 00:45 || Comments || Link || [11137 views] Top|| File under: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (al-Nusra)



Who's in the News
22[untagged]
8Govt of Iran Proxies
6Hamas
5Govt of Iran
4Moslem Colonists
3Sublime Porte
3Houthis
3Migrants/Illegal Immigrants
2Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (al-Nusra)
2Islamic State
2Commies
2Devout Moslems
1Govt of Syria
1Antifa/BLM
1Mob Rule
1Hezbollah
1PFLP
1Islamic Movement of Nigeria (Iran)

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Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
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Two weeks of WOT
Sun 2025-03-30
  26 Palestinians killed, 70 others injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza in 24 hours
Sat 2025-03-29
  IDF says it hit dozens of terror sites in Gaza as UN agency pans ‘disregard for life’
Fri 2025-03-28
  Yemeni forces strike Ben Gurion Airport, target US warships in Red Sea; Israel says missiles killed before reached Israel, probably ditto for Yankee ship; early a.m. wave of US airstrikes hit Sanaa
Thu 2025-03-27
  Security forces arrest 20 terror suspects in raids across West Bank
Wed 2025-03-26
  Hamas co-founder Mahmoud ''Warty Nose'' al-Zahar not toes up after all, dammit
Tue 2025-03-25
  Hamas co-founder Mahmoud ''Warty Nose'' al-Zahar toes up UPDATE: Never mind — false alarm.
Mon 2025-03-24
  Gaza death toll tops 50,000
Sun 2025-03-23
  Al-Shabaab briefly Seizes Sabiid Near Mogadishu, 80 Shaboobs toes up in counterattack
Sat 2025-03-22
  Houthis fire more ballistic missile barrage
Fri 2025-03-21
  ISIS suicide bomber detonates near army position in north Iraq
Thu 2025-03-20
  Hamas mourns number of governmental officers claimed by Israeli resumed aggression on Gaza
Wed 2025-03-19
  Somalia's President @HassanSMohamud survived an assassination attempt by Alshabaab in Mogadishu
Tue 2025-03-18
  US targets Houthi sites in Sana'a for third straight day of attacks
Mon 2025-03-17
  ''Extermination'' site found in Mexico, cremation ovens and remains
Sun 2025-03-16
  Residence of high ranking Houthi Hassan Sharaf al-Din hit in a US airstrike


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