Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] Three Ukrainian cities have been included among potential targets for Iranian missile strikes in the event of further US attacks. A map of Europe depicting incoming missiles was shown on the Iranian television channel IRINN.
Specifically, Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa were identified as targets for a retaliatory strike against the US attacks in Iran. The Polish city of Rzeszow, located approximately 90 km from the Ukrainian border, was also marked on the map.
The graphics were accompanied by text promising to "destroy American imperialists and their allies."
MS NOW previously reported that the US could resume strikes on Iran as early as November 4. According to journalists, the US administration warned its Middle East allies to prepare for a short but intense series of attacks. Axios also reported that Washington and Israel are coordinating large-scale strikes on Iran after the US midterm congressional elections.
Amid reports of a possible escalation, Iranian MP Manouchehr Mottaki suggested that Tehran could attack American military bases in Europe in the event of further aggression.
Posted by: badanov ||
11/05/2026 00:00 ||
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[Jpost] The mobilization, called by trade unions including the left-wing CGT and backed by student groups, comes after demonstrations over living costs, public services, and education.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters are expected to march through French cities and public workers to strike on Thursday, in a fresh test for French President Emmanuel Macron after weeks of unrest that have rattled his government and dominated the agenda five months ahead of a presidential election.
The mobilization, called by trade unions including the left-wing CGT and backed by student groups, comes after demonstrations over living costs, public services, and education triggered the worst civil unrest La Belle France has seen in years.
Authorities have sought to lower tensions after riots and looting on October 17 caught security forces off guard, leaving damaged shops and public buildings across the country and fueling criticism of Macron's handling of the crisis.
"We are extremely vigilant because it is out of the question to relive October 17," government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon told a presser after Wednesday's cabinet meeting.
French authorities will deploy around 70,000 police nationwide, BFM TV reported. The domestic intelligence service expects between 500,000 and 700,000 people to join demonstrations outside Gay Paree, it said.
The Education Ministry said 17.5% of public primary school teachers were expected to strike, while unions warned of likely disruptions to rail and public transport services.
Among those expected to join Thursday's marches are students who say conditions in schools and growing uncertainty over their future remain major concerns.
"We're trying to keep mobilizing as much as possible. Some people aren't doing so because they're afraid. A lot of people are afraid of police violence," said Irma de Banville, a 19-year-old student in Gay Paree.
The French government has defended police tactics while saying any abuses would be investigated.
MACRON LOOKING AHEAD TO PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Macron convened a defense and security meeting on Wednesday ahead of the protests, underlining how a movement that began with student anger over deteriorating school conditions and concerns about opportunities for young people has evolved into a broader challenge to his government.
"The goal in the coming weeks is to get the river that overflowed back into its bed and to launch the presidential election in the calmest possible conditions," an official close to Macron said, pointing to the lower number of high schools blockaded this week compared with earlier in the crisis.
Nationwide protests last Saturday were generally peaceful, with some festivities on the fringes.
That could be true, if you squint really hard while covering both eyes and shrieking, “Lalala — I can’t hear you!”
Even so, the political atmosphere remains tense, with candidates maneuvering ahead of the election and opposition parties seeking to capitalize on public frustration over living standards and government policy.
French power unions are expected to join Thursday's strike, state-owned utility EDF said.
More union participation? Hopefully they won’t attack key bits of the French power grid as the mostly peaceful riots pass through.
A previous power sector strike in mid-September reduced electricity supply in the country and cut delivery capacity at La Belle France's biggest liquefied natural gas terminal, Dunkirk LNG.
[Jpost] Greens MP Lamya Kaddor asked the federal government last month what figures it has regarding antisemitic incidents in Muslim or Islamist contexts before and after October 7, 2023.
Islamist-motivated antisemitic crimes are on the rise in Germany, according to a newly published response by the German government to a parliamentary question, citing Federal Criminal Police Office data.
German authorities recorded 670 antisemitic offenses classified as Islamist in 2025, a 6% increase from the previous year.
Parliamentary State Secretary Christoph de Vries responded with data from the Criminal Police Reporting Service for Politically Motivated Crime (KPMD-PMK). This revealed 16 cases of Islamist-motivated antisemitic crimes in 2022 and 33 from January 1, 2023, to October 6, 2023. In the just three months following October 7, 2023, there were 331 incidents. This almost doubled to 631 in 2024, and now 670 in 2025.
Outlet WELT AM SONNTAG gained access to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) breakdown of incidents. It reported that almost half of them concerned the use of signs of banned ...the word banned seems to have a different meaning in Pakistain than it does in most other places. Or maybe it simply lacks any meaning at all...
organizations such as Hezbollah and the so-called Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... . In addition, the BKA registered numerous incidents of antisemitic graffiti, insults, and threats. The most serious was attempted homicide: a knife attack by a Syrian on a Spanish tourist at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... in Berlin in February 2025.
6,548 ANTISEMITIC OFFENSES REPORTED IN GERMANY ACROSS ALL IDEOLOGICAL CATEGORIES
On X/Twitter, Kaddor said: "Islamist antisemitism must be decisively combated, without placing Moslems under general suspicion."
"For this, effective prevention, reliable data, and cooperation with Moslem communities are needed, instead of cuts and generalizations," she added.
It is important to note that 670 is not the total number of antisemitic crimes in Germany in 2025. The nation recorded 6,548 antisemitic offenses across all ideological categories last year. Of these, 3,163 (48.3%) had an Israel-related connection. Right-wing extremism remained the largest ideological category.
Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews, told German media: "Today, Islamist-influenced hatred of Jews is being unleashed quite openly on the streets, at universities, and on the Internet."
GERMAN ISLAM CONFERENCE PUTS ANTISEMITISM AT FOREFRONT
In his response to Kaddor, however, De Vries said Germany is putting in efforts to prevent and combat antisemitism, noting that this has been a central aim of the German Islam Conference (DIK) since 2011.
The DIK is the central dialogue forum established by the German federal government to promote regular communication between state authorities (federal, regional, and local) and Moslems and their representatives in Germany.
De Vries said DIK’s focus has been on "empowering Moslem organizations and individuals in the fight against antisemitism and strengthening Jewish-Moslem dialogue" through workshops, special events, and conferences.
Following Hamas ..always the voice of sweet reason... ’s terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the DIK further intensified its examination and discussion of approaches to preventing antisemitism.
One project subsequently initiated under the DIK, run by the Anne Frank Educational Center, focuses on combating online antisemitism in the context of the Israeli-Paleostinian conflict. It also introduced new approaches aimed at strengthening Jewish-Moslem dialogue as a means of preventing antisemitism.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] The UCLA Police Department bought vast amounts of rubber bullets and three flying drones, according to the UCLA PD Annual Military Equipment report that was released last month.
The purchases totaled more than $200,000. The sources of funding were listed on the report simply as 'general (department) funds.'
UCLA's student population is no stranger to protests. Police are often called to keep the peace, especially in the wake of October 7 after pro-Palestine encampments were set up and clashing groups sparred on campus.
The college's police deparment requested even more equipment in the report, such as a 1,000 unit increase to their authorized amount of pepper powder projectiles, and up to six more drones to use for training and field purposes.
It listed three SkydioX10 drones which cost the department $216,543. In the report, the department requested two more for use, and up to four more for 'training purposes only,' the report stated.
The department also requested to authorize some new equipment, such as an increase in pepper powder projectiles to be used with a launcher.
UCLA PD is currently in possession of two different kinds of pepper ball projectiles: 1875 PepperBall Live-X PAVA round ball projectiles, and 1,000 PepperBall Live-X PAVA VXR projectiles.
The first type is a round ball which contains 5 percent PAVA powder, a powder that mimics the stinging, burning and irritation effect brought on by chili peppers. Its direct impact is listed as being 60 feet.
The projectiles combine kinetic force and the release of the irritant powder to incapacitate subjects, according to the PepperBall website.
The irritant powder also creates an airborne cloud which can affect bystanders.
People with respiratory conditions such as emphysema, asthma, or bronchitis are especially vulnerable to the effects of the powder.
The second type, the VXR, differs only in that it offers a larger area of impact, 'greater accuracy,' and speed compared to the first type, according to the PepperBall website.
The direct impact for the VXR is listed as 150 feet, more than double than its counterpart.
UCLA PD put in a request for 1,000 additional units of the more powerful option, according to the report.
A separate request included a type of projectile which the UCLA PD does not already have: two practice versions of each pepper bullet, without the active ingredient.
These types of projectiles, labeled 'Inert' and 'VXR Inert,' are filled with a powder which mimics the behavior of the pepper powder but does not cause the same inflammatory effects to the affected person and anyone in their vicinity.
This will allow UCLA PD to hurl these projectiles at students in enclosed spaces or 'sensitive locations,' where the outburst of powder from the pepper powder balls is 'not desired,' according to the report.
According to the report, 199 units of ammunition weren't used and are now expired: 141 units of the rubber bullet titled 'Def-Tec 40mm Direct Impact Munition Model #6320' and 58 units of the rubber bullet titled 'Def-Tec 40mm eXact Impact Munition Model #6325.'
Both come with the following warning: 'This product can expose you to chemicals including Lead Salts, Methylene Chloride and Hexavalent Chromium, which are known to the State of California to cause cancer, and Lead Salts, which are known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm.'
The expired rubber bullets will be allocated for training purposes, the report mentioned.
Although the items are marketed and used as 'non-lethal' alternatives, the risk of severe harm still exists.
PepperBall's safety manual for the FTC pepper projectile launcher, which UCLA PD possesses four units of, stated: 'Never aim or shoot at the head, face, eyes, ears, throat, groin or spine. Impact in these areas could result in unintended severe or permanent injury or death.'
'All additional equipment is necessary to support the department’s growth and expansion due to UCLA’s acquisition/construction of additional University-owned housing, medical, and administrative properties, as well as in preparation for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games,' the department wrote to justify these requests.
The UCLA campus will serve as the Olympic village, which will entail hosting visiting athletes in their residences.
[PowerlineBlog] In Philadelphia, liberals are celebrating the anniversary of Kristallnacht by attacking Jewish-owned businesses in an attempt to drive them out of the city:
The “Boycott Ride,” organized by Philly Bike On Your Left in collaboration with Philly Writers Against the War on Gaza, Boycott CookNSolo and Philly Solidarity Calendar, is scheduled for Nov. 8 at 11:30 a.m. at Rittenhouse Square in the heart of Center City. A flier promoting the event states, “No business for Zionists,” adding, “These Zionist establishments must go.”
The flier names several Philadelphia businesses, including Dizengoff, a modern Israeli restaurant; Huda, a sandwich shop; Schlesinger’s Restaurant and Delicatessen, a Jewish deli; Mac Mart, a macaroni-and-cheese kiosk; K’Far Cafe, an Israeli cafe; and Goldie, a kosher falafel shop.
The flyer refers to “Zionists,” but it says nothing about the political views of the owners, which are no doubt unknown to these present-day Nazis. Leftists have pretty much abandoned any pretense that “Zionist” means anything other than “Jew.”
So when the organizers refer to “disgusting humans,” they mean Jews.
[Jpost] The study argues that Ankara has increasingly prioritized pragmatic and diplomatic relations with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE over its ideological commitments to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Ankara has abandoned much of its former Islamist alliance while maintaining support for Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... and expanding its influence in Europe, a new study published by Austria's Documentation Center for Political Islam has found.
The 94-page report, titled 'The AKP and the Moslem Brüderbund: The Development and Failure of an Islamist Alliance in the Middle East and Europe,' examines how Ottoman Turkish President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important... 's government gradually abandoned its regional Islamist allies following their political defeats, while making an exception for Hamas after the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks on Israel.
The study argues that Ankara has increasingly prioritized pragmatic and diplomatic relations with Egypt, Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... , and the United Arab Emirates over its ideological commitments to the Moslem Brüderbund.
However,
we can't all be heroes. Somebody has to sit on the curb and applaud when they go by... its relationship with Hamas has taken a different path, with The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... becoming an "openly active patron and supporter of Hamas" as well as a supporter of Hamas's expanded networks in Europe.
TURKEY'S SUPPORT FOR HAMAS EXTENDS INTO EUROPE
The report identifies Turkey's continued relationship with Hamas as the most significant surviving element of its former alliance with Moslem Brüderbund-associated movements during the Arab Spring.
Hamas, which emerged from the Paleostinian branch of the Moslem Brüderbund, has maintained close political relations with Ankara despite Turkey's growing distance from other Brotherhood organizations.
According to the study, these ties have implications beyond the Middle East, particularly in Europe, where Hamas has established fundraising networks.
The report cites an October 2024 statement from the US Treasury Department identifying Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... as an important source of Hamas financing, including fundraising through charities operating under false pretenses.
Financial operations involving Italia, Germany, and Austria were identified as significant channels for transferring funds from Europe to Hamas. The Treasury statement, which the Austrian study uses to support its assessment, forms part of the report's broader argument that Turkey's relationship with Hamas has implications for European security.
The author also warns that Ottoman Turkish influence operations and media networks disseminate pro-Hamas and other Islamist narratives among diaspora communities in Europe.
The study says Ankara will likely maintain its openly pro-Hamas position, even as it continues improving relations with governments that oppose the Moslem Brüderbund, such as those in the Gulf.
HOW TURKEY'S ISLAMIST ALLIANCE COLLAPSED
The study writes that the relationship between Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Moslem Brüderbund developed over decades but became particularly significant during the Arab Spring uprisings beginning in 2010 and 2011.
Turkey and Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... emerged as the principal regional supporters of Brotherhood-linked political movements.
The election of Moslem Brüderbund candidate Mohammed Morsi as Egypt's president in 2012 represented a major victory for the alliance. According to the report, the Ottoman Turkish government viewed the rise of Islamist parties as an opportunity to expand its influence across the region, challenging the established political order supported by Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
However,
we can't all be heroes. Somebody has to sit on the curb and applaud when they go by... the alliance suffered a series of failures, most notably Egypt's military overthrow of Morsi in 2013 and subsequent repression of the Brotherhood.
Furthermore, defeats in countries including Tunisia weakened the movement's prospects of returning to government.
Turkey initially responded by "assuming a central role as a refuge for the exiled movement," in other words, Moslem Brüderbund members fleeing persecution. This turned Istanbul into one of the movement's principal international centers alongside London.
According to the study, approximately 8,000 Brotherhood exiles were estimated to be living in Turkey in 2020, rising to around 20,000 when family members were included.
Istanbul also became a center for Brotherhood-affiliated television stations. The report suggests that Turkey and Qatar likely provided financial support for some of these organizational and media activities.
However,
we can't all be heroes. Somebody has to sit on the curb and applaud when they go by... as the prospects of various Moslem Brüderbund organizations returning to power increasingly faded, the study says Turkey gradually withdrew from the alliance and pursued rapprochement with the Gulf monarchies, the newly established regimes in Egypt and Tunisia, and the governments in Jordan and Morocco, which had emerged from the Arab Spring "relatively unscathed."
This, the study adds, continues to the present day.
ISLAMIST NETWORKS AND FINANCIAL INFLUENCE IN EUROPE
The study also examines the activities of Ottoman Turkish Islamist organizations and Moslem Brüderbund-associated networks across Europe.
It identifies contacts involving the Ottoman Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB), which operates under Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs, and organizations associated with the Brotherhood.
Representatives of Ottoman Turkish religious institutions have participated in European Islamic bodies, including the European Council for Fatwa and Research, which the report associates with Brotherhood networks.
The Islamic Community Milli Görus (IGMG), a Ottoman Turkish Islamist movement with an extensive European presence, has also maintained connections with these institutions.
The report identifies personal relationships involving the Forum of European Moslem Youth and Student Organizations (FEMYSO), the Moslem Youth of Austria, and IGMG youth organizations.
However,
we can't all be heroes. Somebody has to sit on the curb and applaud when they go by... the study emphasizes that these contacts have not produced substantial evidence of deeper organizational cooperation or a unified Islamist structure in Europe.
Nevertheless, the study argues that Qatar's financial support for religious institutions and Islamist organizations has been more consequential.
Citing earlier investigative reporting, it describes Qatari funding for mosques, schools, Islamic associations, and religious activities across Europe, identifying Eid Charity and the Qatar Foundation as important institutions in these efforts.
The funding activities described extend beyond Brotherhood-associated organizations to include smaller Salafist groups.
COULD MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD LEADERS RELOCATE TO EUROPE?
The study raises the possibility that further Ottoman Turkish rapprochement with Egypt and Gulf states could eventually encourage Brotherhood leaders and activists to move their operations from Turkey to Europe.
However,
we can't all be heroes. Somebody has to sit on the curb and applaud when they go by... it explicitly states that there is currently no evidence of a major relocation taking place.
It concludes that extensive new partnerships between Ottoman Turkish Islamist organizations and Moslem Brüderbund-linked groups in Europe are unlikely, particularly as the Brotherhood's political influence across the Middle East continues to decline.
Nevertheless, the author identifies Ottoman Turkish government-linked media, religious organizations, and influence activities as continuing challenges for European governments.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
11/05/2026 2026-11-05 02:01 ||
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[Jpost] The United States District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that Arnold and Frimet Roth, the parents of 15-year-old Malka Roth, could serve Tamimi with legal papers through social media.
Ahlam Tamimi,
…sometimes Ahlam al-Tamimi, she and her cousin-husband Nazir al-Tamimi are members of the infamous al-Tamimi clan from the village of Nabi Salih near Ramallah in the West Bank that has for several generations waged war, both kinetic and propaganda as opportunity and individual temperament require, against Israel’s Jews. Dear Ahlam regularly worked as a scout and escape driver for Hamas, then moved in front of a TV camera to report on the exciting events she had just been involved in. Possibly Nizar is also a Hamasnik, but other relatives belong to Fatah or the PLO in general, so there are lots of possibilities. Nizar was deported to Qatar the last time Donald Trump was president…
the terrorist responsible for the Sbarro bombing in Jerusalem in 2001, was served with legal papers on X/Twitter on Tuesday in a case brought by the National Jewish Advocacy Center on behalf of the estate of Malka "Malki" Roth, according to the organization’s Rabbi Dr. Mark Goldfeder.
The US District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that Arnold and Frimet Roth, the parents of 15-year-old Malka Roth, could serve Tamimi with legal papers through social media on X/Twitter, because Tamimi continues to reside in Jordan at an unknown address.
Arnold Roth, speaking for the Roth family, said: "This lawsuit places Tamimi under legal pressure in an American court for the first time. We hope the case will also draw public attention to the fact that the US criminal prosecution has remained stalled for more than a decade.
"It’s incomprehensible and deeply troubling to us that in all these years, no US official has explained to us, as Malki’s family or to the public, how it is that Tamimi continues to enjoy a free life in Jordan, a US partner country. Justice for Malki and the other Sbarro victims, already thwarted for years, demands answers and accountability. We hope this lawsuit is only the beginning."
After efforts to locate Tamimi’s address proved unsuccessful, the plaintiffs were instructed to contact Jordan-based media outlet Etar, where she works as a columnist, email Jordanian attorney Mustafa Nasrallah, who represented Tamimi in her fight against extradition, and publish the summons online.
The court determined that these combined steps could be "reasonably calculated" to ensure Tamimi received notice of the summons.
Tamimi is wanted for her role as an accomplice in the August 9, 2001, suicide kaboom at the Sbarro restaurant in downtown Jerusalem, which killed 15 people, including seven children and a pregnant woman.
Tamimi, who was then a university student and part-time journalist, scouted the location and escorted the bomber to the restaurant before leaving the scene.
TAMIMI'S EXACT LOCATION IN JORDAN REMAINS UNKNOWN
Although Tamimi was sentenced to 16 life sentences, she was released in 2011 as part of the Gilad Schalit prisoner-exchange deal and relocated to Jordan. She remains wanted by the US for conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction against a US national outside the United States, resulting in death, and for aiding and abetting the attack.
In addition to Roth, two other American citizens were killed in the attack: Judith Shoshana Greenbaum, who was pregnant, and Chana Nachenberg.
Speaking to The Jerusalem Post about the case’s developments, Goldfeder said Tamimi had spent the past 25 years in Amman "boasting" about killing Roth, "confident that no American court could touch her."
"On Monday, a federal judge in Washington authorized us to serve her, and the Roth family’s case now proceeds whether she chooses to appear or not," he said. "The criminal charges against her have sat unexecuted since they were filed, because Jordan will not hand her over, and Arnold and Frimet Roth have spent those years asking Washington and Amman to act and watching neither do it."
Congress had created a civil "remedy" to ensure that justice would not depend on another government’s cooperation, Goldfeder said, adding that the court’s findings would follow Tamimi "wherever she goes."
"She was never hard to find," he said. "She was only hard to reach. That ended Monday. If and when, God willing, we win, the judgment is permanent and portable.
"An Anti-Terrorism Act judgment is treble damages plus fees, registrable in any federal district and renewable, so it never expires in practice. It attaches to anything she owns or is owed that ever touches the US financial system or any country that recognizes American judgments, which includes most of Europe, the UK, Canada, and Israel.
"Jordan will not enforce it. But the day she travels, inherits, is paid through a dollar-clearing bank, or has a publisher with a Western footprint, it bites."
GOLDFEDER HOPES CASE WILL PROMPT GREATER US SCRUTINY TOWARDS JORDAN
Goldfeder said he hopes the case would also have wider political implications, including prompting greater scrutiny of US assistance to Jordan.
"I hope it also changes the conversation on [Capitol] Hill about conditioning Jordan’s aid package... and strips the ’unratified treaty’ excuse of its respectability," he said.
Tamimi’s ability to live openly in Jordan had been sustained by the lack of consequences for the country in refusing to act against her, Goldfeder said.
"After judgment, every outlet that pays her is paying a US judgment debtor, every transfer to her is traceable, and anyone who helps her move assets around the judgment has a fraudulent-transfer problem of his own," he said.
[Rudaw] A French medical student who joined Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) stood trial in a Baghdad criminal court on Wednesday alongside five other Frenchies, including a father of four daughters, before a judge who adjourned the hearings over their lack of access to legal counsel. The court has recently sentenced 10 other Frenchies for their membership in the group.
The hearings come amid a series of ongoing prosecutions of foreign ISIS suspects in recent weeks following the transfer of around 5,704 detainees from facilities in neighboring Syria during a US-led coalition mission between January and February.
An Iraqi court in late October sentenced nine Frenchies to life imprisonment and another to 15 years in separate trials after convicting them of ISIS membership in the presence of their defense lawyers and representatives from the French Embassy in Iraq.
On Wednesday’s trial stood Sofiane Ahmed Issa, 32, in a yellow prison uniform.
"Your Honor, I was forced under torture [in Iraqi prison] to make those statements," Issa said during the hearing attended by French diplomats and journalists, including those from Rudaw.
Born in 1995 to an Algerian family in Lille, La Belle France, Issa studied general medicine before joining ISIS. He was part of the 47-member group of Frenchies who were handed over to Iraqi authorities in 2025.
The judge ruled that Issa would be allowed to write down his statement in his own hand during the second session.
The judge addressed the suspect and stated: "Sofiane, aside from your statements, numerous pieces of incriminating evidence have been recorded against you, including being wanted by Interpol and subject to an arrest warrant issued by a French court."
The evidence was then displayed on screen, showing that Issa held security and military roles within ISIS in Raqqa, the self-proclaimed capital of the caliphate. According to his confessions read out by the judge, his monthly salary was a meager $50.
As the evidence was presented, Issa stared at the screen. His Arabic was insufficient to fully understand the judge, prompting him to frequently request the interpreter beside him to translate the judge's remarks into French.
The judge ultimately postponed his trial to November 23.
’WHY HAVEN'T YOU SPOKEN TO THEM?’ JUDGE REBUKES DEFENSE LAWYERS
The second suspect brought before the judge in a yellow jumpsuit was Romain Garnier, a tall, lean man of French origin with a fair complexion.
When asked if he had spoken to his lawyer prior to the hearing, Garnier replied, "no." The judge turned angrily toward the court-appointed attorneys, rebuking them: "Why haven’t you spoken to him?"
The attorneys offered little defense, promising only to see him as soon as possible. Consequently, Garnier’s trial was also immediately postponed.
Following him, suspects Muhammad Salim, Sofiane Abdelhamid, and Thomas Jean-Marc were brought inside. After it was found that they had also been deprived of the opportunity to consult with their attorneys, the judge adjourned their hearings to November 23 to safeguard their right to a defense.
The final suspect brought before the judge — for whom the court also assigned legal counsel — was Ben Younes Yehiaoui, born in 1991. He is a father of four daughters and a son and is of Moroccan origin.
Like most of his co-defendants, Ben Younes was listed on Interpol’s wanted database. According to evidence presented in court, he joined ISIS in 2014, though he withdrew from combat for a period of time after 2015 to work as a regular employee at the Omar oil field in Deir ez-Zor province in Syria
Ben Younes later rejoined ISIS's military sector, becoming a member of the group’s "Islamic Police." According to his own testimony, his monthly salary was $150.
Another group from the 47-member cohort is scheduled to stand trial at Baghdad’s Karkh criminal court on the 18th of this month, while hearings for these six suspects are set to resume on the 23rd.
The same court sentenced three suspects to life imprisonment on October 29, only two days after it handed down the same ruling for another six Frenchies and an additional convict among them for 15 years in prison.
Approximately 5,704 suspects representing 67 nationalities were transferred from Syria to Iraq earlier in the year. Iraqi authorities said in early September that investigating the suspects had concluded and would be followed by judicial proceedings.
The detainees included 3,543 Syrians, 467 Iraqis, 710 nationals of other Arab countries and 983 foreigners from Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States.
Iraq prosecutes most ISIS suspects under Article 4 of its 2005 Anti-Terrorism Law, which provides for the death penalty or life imprisonment for those who commit, incite, plan, finance or assist terrorist acts.
However,
denial ain't just a river in Egypt... the proceedings have drawn scrutiny from international rights organizations.
In February, Human Rights Watch accused Iraqi authorities of conducting rushed trials of ISIS detainees, raising concerns about due process and alleging that some convictions relied on confessions obtained through torture. The organization also estimated that approximately 8,000 detainees were on death row.
La Belle France in late October acknowledged that Iraqi law provides for the sentences imposed on seven Frenchies convicted of membership in the Islamic State (ISIS), while emphasizing its respect for Iraq’s illusory sovereignty and judicial independence.
A diplomatic source from the French foreign ministry said in a written response to Rudaw that it does not comment on judicial decisions in other countries or interfere in ongoing legal proceedings.
"We note that the sentences handed down (life imprisonment and a 15-year prison sentence) are stipulated under Iraqi criminal law for the offenses of which these Frenchies are accused," the source said.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
11/05/2026 2026-11-05 00:50 ||
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[Rudaw] Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group Harakat al-Nujaba
…formed in 2013 as a gift from Iran to the Assad regime in Syria, unsuccessfully supporting its fight against the Sunni rebels who eventually became Hayat Tahrir al Sham…
on Wednesday rejected proposed parliamentary amendments to a draft law regulating the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), claiming the revisions aim to weaken the state-sanctioned paramilitary network as disputes widen between the armed faction and Baghdad.
The amendments target core articles in the draft legislation to place PMF brigades – which include Nujaba – under a unified military command, prevent the force from rivaling the Iraqi Army in armament and organization, and relocate its bases outside major cities.
The revisions also restrict the independent movement of PMF units, reduce the sweeping privileges of faction leaders and regiment commanders, enforce stricter retirement rules, and sever ties between armed factions and political parties.
"We affirm our steadfast position rejecting these suspicious amendments,” read a statement from Nujaba, adding “we will accept nothing less than a fair law that safeguards the rights of the sons of the PMF, places them on equal footing with their brothers in the security forces, and guarantees all their current and future rights.”
"We reject these amendments in their entirety. We call upon the honorable people who remain steadfast in their positions to take a proud and honorable stand and reject these amendments that weaken, fragment, and diminish the role of the PMF,” Nujaba said. More at the link
[Jpost] Prior to October 7, many still viewed Deif as more important and dangerous than Hamas’s Gaza Chief Yahya Sinwar.
There were many reasons why the air force and the IDF Southern Command each failed to prevent major aspects of Hamas ..always the voice of sweet reason... ’s October 7, 2023 invasion, but one reason that has emerged from the IDF’s probes, and was finally belatedly approved for publication, was the potential attempt(s) to assassinate Hamas Military Chief Mohammed Deif.
It turns out that in the early morning of October 7, while IDF chief of staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, IDF Southern Command Chief Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkleman, and others were trying to understand if Hamas was planning some kind of an attack (a small attack in between two to eight locations, not a massive penetration in 114 spots), Air Force Chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar spent hours probing if there was a chance to assassinate Deif.
In fact, Bar and the IDF had tracked Deif leaving his house and entering Hamas’s underground network on his way to the underground command center. The focus on assets to further such an liquidation plan might have been used to better understand Hamas’s intentions.
Finkleman was also investing significant resources into understanding where Deif was located, and how he and other top Hamas officials were working to figure out whether they were planning an invasion.
All of this may sound strange knowing, after-the-fact, that Israel was facing the most dangerous invasion in 50 years.
RESOURCES INVESTED IN TRACKING DEIF
But at the time, Bar, Finkleman, and essentially all of the other top Israeli security officials did not view a major surprise attack as even remotely likely.
In contrast, they had tried to assassinate Deif many times over a decade, twice even wounding him, but had always failed to finish him off.
Also, before October 7, many still viewed Deif as more important and dangerous than Hamas’s 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... Chief Yahya Sinwar.
On the morning of October 7, at 7:58 a.m., it was Deif who notified all of Gaza and the world about the invasion and called on all Gazooks and other members of the Iranian axis to join forces to try to overwhelm Israel.
SINWAR IDENTIFIED AS ARCHITECT OF INVASION LATER
Eventually, Sinwar was recognized as the ideological architect of a major invasion, even if Deif managed the military planning, and he became viewed as Israel’s top target.
Deif was finally killed in July 2024 and Sinwar in October 2024 after initially failing to catch or kill either of them in the invasions of northern Gaza, Khan Yunis, and Rafah.
It has also recently been approved for publication that an IDF drone observed Gazook holy warriors removing coverings from rockets aimed at Israel, which could have signaled greater readiness for a wider attack.
Despite this and other signs, no top IDF officer had the full picture of what was going on, and those who did believed the worst-case scenario was a small attempt to breach into one or two villages in Israel.
[Jpost] The main security concern is that the cement could be used to construct underground infrastructure similar to the extensive tunnel network built by Hamas in Gaza.
The inauguration of the first Paleostinian cement factory in Area A could pave the way for major industrial growth, but it may also carry security implications for Israel, a security expert warned The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.
Paleostinian Authority President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ...aka Abu Mazen, a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. While no Yasser Arafat, he has his own brand of evil, just a little more lowercase....> inaugurated the facility in Jericho on Monday. The factory was established through a partnership between the Paleostinian Investment Fund and the Issa Khoury Group for Mining and Construction Industries.
The 1994 Gay Paree Economic Protocol (PEP) has placed strict quotas on cement imports from neighboring Arab countries, including Jordan and Egypt, capping them at 400,000 metric tons. This has left Paleostinian buyers largely reliant on private Israeli companies for their cement supplies.
Under the PEP agreement, cement was classified as a List A1 commodity, subjecting its importation to specific restrictions.
The Jericho Cement Industry Company (JCIC), a joint venture between the Paleostinian Sanad Company and Jordanian Unifive Company, has boasted that it has a production capacity of 1.3 million tons annually and will employ 100 workers to start.
While the project has been presented as an opportunity to create jobs, reduce reliance on imports, and strengthen the Paleostinian construction industry, Lt.-Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch, director of the Initiative for Paleostinian Authority Accountability and Reform at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs and a senior legal analyst at Human Rights Voices, warned that unchecked and unmonitored cement production could pose a significant security risk to Israel.
FACTORY RAISES CONCERNS OVER CEMENT BEING USED FOR TUNNEL NETWORK
The main security concern is that the cement could be used to construct underground infrastructure similar to the extensive tunnel network built by Hamas ..one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,... 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... . The network posed significant challenges for the IDF during the recent wars, enabling the movement and concealment of hostages, terrorists, and weapons.
Such tunnels can also be difficult to locate, particularly when relying on aerial intelligence to identify underground infrastructure.
However,
a clean conscience makes a soft pillow... the factory’s location in Area A also raises questions about the extent of Israeli oversight. Prof. Arie Reich, a professor at Bar-Ilan University’s Faculty of Law and the university’s vice rector, told the Post that under the Oslo II Accord, civil jurisdiction over the area falls to the PA.
Given that the PA has issued the factory’s relevant permits, Reich said that "Israel has no say here as long as the cement does not pose a security risk."
He noted, however, that the situation would be different if the cement were destined for Gaza, where it is classified as a dual-use material and only limited quantities are permitted, or if there was evidence it could be used for terror.
"If Israel thinks, and has evidence, that even in Judea and Samaria the cement is used or going to be used for military purposes, by terrorists, aimed at harming Israel, the story is different. Because Oslo II Annex I, Article II requires both sides to cooperate in exchanging information and coordinating their activities against terrorism and violence," Reich said.
"It also requires each side to respond immediately and effectively to actual or anticipated acts and take preventive measures. If Israel had credible evidence linking particular Jericho cement shipments to an attack tunnel, for instance, it could invoke that duty to seek a Paleostinian investigation, identification of the buyers and end users, and action to stop further diversion.
"The clause gives Israel a basis to demand effective cooperation. In the absence of such, Israel is likely to take unilateral measures to prevent the security risk."
Despite the obligation to engage, a spokesperson from the Joint Economic Committee, a bilateral body established under Article 3 of the PEP to govern economic relations between Israel and the PA, confirmed that there had been no coordination.
PA FAILS TO MEET PREVIOUS OBLIGATIONS TO ISRAEL
Hirsch explained that the PA has regularly failed to meet its obligations in past agreements with Israel, referencing an article he published in July on its build-up of military forces and the substantial threat posed to Israel should the PA carry out an October 7-style attack.
"We have a limited amount of intelligence coverage and almost no supervisory jurisdiction. Paleostinians can essentially do whatever they want. Whether that constitutes a breach of the Oslo Accords is an entirely different question, because the Paleostinians do not see themselves as bound by those agreements," he warned.
"We are the ones who continue to play that game, predominantly among ourselves. They don’t care, and Israel won’t do anything about it."
"I do believe that the PA poses a constant threat to Israel," Hirsch continued. "I don’t think it has any peaceful intentions whatsoever, and I see very little chance of any positive change there. Anything that can improve its capabilities is therefore a source of concern," he said, adding that there were also concerns over who would stand to benefit from such an industry given corruption in the PA.
"The cement factory is one of these industries that fall under the category of dual-use: an ostensibly innocent industry that could be very profitable, but can also be used for very nefarious purposes. That always has to be the assumption with the PA," he continued.
Hirsch also expressed concern as to whether there were plans to export the cement, given that the large majority of West Bank exports are to Israel, arguing that Israeli purchases would not dissuade the PA from continuing to push the international community to sanction Israel.
[Jpost] "A fair number" meant around five indictments, The Jerusalem Post clarified with IDF sources.
IDF Military Advocate-General Maj.-Gen. Itay Offir revealed for the first time on Tuesday that the MAG Corps has filed "a fair number of indictments" against IDF soldiers relating to their conduct 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... The Jerusalem Post has clarified with IDF sources that "a fair number" meant around five indictments. Two of these indictments related to charges of theft from Paleostinians and three to charges of criminally beating Paleostinians.
In mid-October, the IDF disclosed for the first time that it has disciplined "dozens" of soldiers for their conduct in Gaza, but Offir’s statement at the Jerusalem conference of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists was the first public mention of multiple criminal indictments.
In addition, Offir revealed that the IDF has obtained convictions against 12 soldiers for criminal actions in the West Bank.
The Post has clarified that most of the convictions related to criminal violence against detainees at the time of their arrest or while bringing them to their detention cells.
For example, it is public record that the IDF has probed or indicted some soldiers for criminal violence against Paleostinians, but also against Western foreigners, including members of the media and foreign diplomats.
Offir said that the IDF is working very hard and has adapted new tools, such as prohibiting face coverings, using electronic ankle cuffs, and other means to try to get a handle on Jewish bully boy violence.
"We have not yet managed to stop this violence, and a great deal of work lies ahead, but we will work tirelessly to fulfill our responsibility," to protect both Jews and Paleostinians in the West Bank.
Next, Offir said several additional likely indictments against IDF soldiers were on the way, but they were still at the pre-indictment hearing stage (meaning post-investigation), giving soldiers a chance to talk the IDF prosecutor down from their case before a final decision is made.
Previously, Offir had said that the IDF Fact Finding Mechanism had completed a review of 150 incidents relating to the war, including the treatment of Paleostinian detainees, and transferred them to the IDF prosecution for deeper examination. Such referrals typically signal the higher chance of a criminal probe, given that the FFAM only refers a small number of cases to the IDF prosecution in the first place.
The Post has previously reported exclusively that there have been over 3,000 disciplinary probes and that dozens of cases relating to the war before 2025 have already been closed.
The IDF has not disclosed most of the cases that were closed out of concern that international judicial bodies will misuse the information against Israelis in biased war crimes cases.
However,
there's no worse danger than telling a mother her baby is ugly... on August 19, the IDF issued an extensive report on its handling of five high-profile cases, some of which have moved closer to potential indictments, while others were closed, with detailed explanations for each decision.
In the broader analysis of IDF military targeting and decision-making in Gaza, Offir said, "Directives were set before the war began. These governed attacks on military objectives near sensitive sites and formed the foundation of IDF operations, which are always subject to the confines of the law."
He said that Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... ’s strategy was "the greater protection to a place [such as civilian sites] the better to hide weapons or a tunnel shaft there. A command post in a hospital or a kindergarten was not a mistake; it was exploitation" of international law by Hamas.
"We knew Hamas had a huge underground network of tunnels whose sole purpose was the military needs of Hamas. But what our forces saw in Gaza was bewildering: an over 500-kilometer network in a land only 40 kilometers long and 12 km. wide," he said.
Next, he stated, "Their strategic offensive and defensive weapons against Israel run under mostly densely populated areas... I seriously doubt that in the modern history of warfare we have seen anything like this."
Moreover, he said that Israel "does not disavow errors and mistakes," and "there are tragic and very sad consequences to this war, but tragic consequences and legality are two different issues. What was lawful depends on facts: what was known, what was carried out, what reasonable precautions were taken, what effective warnings were given where circumstances necessitated and permitted."
'NAZA' DOCUMENTARY IS 'DIVORCED FROM REALITY,' OFFIR SAYS
Offir also addressed claims of genocide against Israel made by the NAZA documentary at the conference.
He said, "I can say this depiction is divorced from reality... The film inverts everything. NAZA is an acronym for collateral damage, the estimated harm to civilians. The whole point of making that estimate is to mitigate expected harm to civilians."
Moreover, he added that NAZA is an analytical tool "used by law-abiding militaries across the world: whether a strike is lawful, whether to change plans or cancel plans, as happened many times in this war. The film presents it as indifference. If the army were indifferent, it would not count [what the potential harm is to civilians]; it would just strike."
[Jpost] Abdelrazek, who converted from Islam, was arrested in July 2025 and has been detained by Egyptian authorities since then on undisclosed charges.
Egyptian prosecutors are pursuing the "maximum penalty," either execution or 25 years in prison, for Christian convert Said Mansour Rezk Abdelrazek, his lawyers announced in a statement on Tuesday following a hearing in his case.
Abdelrazek, who converted from Islam, was arrested in July 2025 and has been detained by Egyptian authorities since then on undisclosed charges. He was previously arrested in 2023 for allegedly posting videos depicting the desecration of the Koran, for which he served a year-long prison sentence.
Following his release, he fled to Russia, but was deported after his asylum application was rejected. He was detained again in 2024 and released shortly afterward. In April 2025, he was rearrested after beginning to publish social media content about his conversion and efforts to have his religious status legally changed.
PROSECUTED FOR HIS REFUSAL TO 'RENOUNCE JESUS'
According to the NGO Coptic Solidarity, Abdelrazek was charged with contempt for Islam, inciting public disorder, disseminating false information, and joining a banned terrorist organization, an accusation that carries the possibility of the death penalty .
Said Fayez’s office, which is representing Abdelrazek, alleged that he was being charged with running an organization that does not exist and was being prosecuted because he refused to "renounce Jesus." His legal representative also confirmed that the court adjourned the case until December 8, 2026, when the defense will be allowed to present its arguments.
Throughout his imprisonment, Fayez’s office has alleged that Abdelrazek has been tortured and subjected to medical negligence at the 10th of Ramadan Prison. It claimed he has been held in a crucifixion position and denied medical care despite having a heart stent.
The case has attracted international attention, with Lord David Alton confirming on Monday that he had discussed Abdelrazek’s case in the British Parliament. The US State Department raised concerns with Congress in June regarding the case.
[Jpost] “The sentiment is ‘If you are not 100% with 'us,' then you must be 100% with 'them,'’ Help The Persecuted CEO Joshua Youssef explained.
Leb ...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects.... ’s sectarian tensions have resurfaced following a series of incidents and claims that have reignited divisions between the country’s religious communities.
These include unsubstantiated allegations surrounding the murder of a Catholic priest, vandalism at a Maronite cemetery, and renewed circulation of claims about a 20,000-strong Christian force that could seek to disarm Hezbollah.
On Sunday, statues were smashed by person or persons unknown at the Saints Cemetery in the Harat al-Fouar area of the Zgharta District. MTV Lebanon reported that those responsible had been identified and arrested within 24 hours of the incident.
The attack follows several other incidents involving Christian religious sites in recent months. In August, L’Orient Today reported that unidentified individuals had broken into the historic Saint John Chrysostom Monastery in Koubba and vandalized its outdoor installations. In early May, the Saint Challita Shrine, located in a valley in North Lebanon’s Akkar district, was also vandalized.
The incidents have added to concerns among Christians about the treatment of their religious sites. Those concerns have been compounded by a separate controversy surrounding the murder of Catholic priest Samir Daou.
Anger has been directed at al-Mahatta, a Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese media outlet that presents itself as independent, following its publication of allegations about the circumstances of Daou’s death.
SITE ALLEGES DAOU KILLED BY SYRIAN SEX WORKER WITHOUT EVIDENCE
Described by the Washington, DC-based Center for the National Interest as "Hezbollah’s new digital mouthpiece," the site alleged, without providing evidence, that Daou had been killed by a Syrian national with whom he had paid to have sexual relations.
According to al-Mahatta, the Syrian national arrested in connection with Daou’s murder, identified in Lebanese media as Arkan Nadaf, claimed that the 62-year-old priest had attacked him and threatened to have him deported after he sought to end their relationship.
The outlet did not explain how it had obtained the alleged account, attributing it only to a source. No other Lebanese media outlets have reported the allegations.
The claims have been widely viewed as inflammatory given Daou’s religious background and Article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code, which criminalizes "any sexual intercourse contrary to the order of nature" and carries a potential prison sentence of up to one year. The provision has been used to prosecute same-sex relations.
AL-MAHATTA ACCUSED OF PROMOTING ANTI-CHRISTIAN SENTIMENT
Several voices have accused al-Mahatta of promoting anti-Christian sentiment and have called for the outlet to be investigated by the authorities.
The debate over the place of Christians in Lebanon has also intersected with the country’s wider political divisions over Hezbollah.
A clip from a 2024 al-Mashhad TV interview with Camille Dory Chamoun, a Lebanese member of parliament and grandson of former Lebanese president Camille Nimr Chamoun, has recently resurfaced and gone viral, with some presenting it as new information.
During the interview, Chamoun claimed that 20,000 Christians could be mobilized to disarm Hezbollah. He also asserted that 75% of the Lebanese public wanted to see the Iran-backed group disarmed.
Hezbollah’s disarmament is already a deeply divisive ...politicians call things divisive when when the other side sez something they don't like. Their own statements are never divisive, they're principled... issue in Lebanon. The group has refused to surrender its weapons despite demands from the Lebanese government and has repeatedly drawn the country into destructive conflicts with Israel. But tensions have also emerged around the ability of Christian communities to rebuild and manage their own affairs, particularly in areas close to the Israeli border.
Nagib Amil, the parish priest of Rmeish in southern Lebanon, has been repeatedly summoned in recent weeks following his attempt to defuse a dispute over what has been described as illegal construction in the village.
In a letter to a judge concerning the dispute, Amil suggested that, given Israel’s presence in the area, it would be better to postpone legal action. The judge reportedly interpreted the comment as a threat to involve Israel in the matter.
Prominent Lebanese academic Zena Mansour criticized the summons, describing it as "a moral transgression and a stab in the side of the resilience of the people of the south and the border villages."
The renewed attention to past commentaries and these incidents highlights the growing tensions in Lebanon centered on the question of Hezbollah’s weapons, and pressure is building against Lebanon’s Christians community, whom experts say are being labeled as Zionists and punished for siding with the state.
CHRISTIANS UNDER HEZBOLLAH FACE HOSTILITY, AGGRESSION
Help The Persecuted CEO Joshua Youssef told The Jerusalem Post that many Christians live within Hezbollah-controlled areas and "historically, the group has treated Christians on a spectrum of behavior that ranges from placating Christians to outright hostility and aggression."
"Christians have often found themselves caught between two fires: being labeled a Zionist for supporting Israel and being accused of dodging Israel’s response to Hezbollah’s aggression," he explained, adding that "simply by identifying as neutral in the Israeli/Lebanese conflict, there is an accusation of Zionism."
"The sentiment is ’If you are not 100% with us, then you must be 100% with them,’" he explained. "Reality is much more nuanced. Christians desire to live in peace. They are tired of war, especially those who lived in Lebanon during the Civil War. They want to do everything in their power to avoid repeating it."
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
..always the voice of sweet reason...
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
..always the voice of sweet reason...
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects....
