[FoxNews] Judge John deGravelles freed four illegal immigrants despite final deportation orders dating back decades
A federal judge in Louisiana has released four illegal immigrants with lengthy rap sheets that include convictions for murder and child sex crimes from law enforcement custody earlier this month.
On Feb. 6, Judge John deGravelles, an Obama appointee who sits on the bench for the Middle District Court of Louisiana, granted the four defendants release from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, the Department of Homeland Security said.
"The ramifications will only be the continued rape, murder, assault, and robbery of more American victims," said Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. "Releasing these monsters is inexcusably reckless. President Trump and Secretary Noem are now enforcing the law and arresting illegal aliens who have no right to be in our country."
"We are applying the law as written," she added. "If an immigration judge finds an illegal alien has no right to be in this country, we are going to remove them. Period."
The four defendants include Ibrahim Ali Mohammed, an Ethiopian citizen convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor. An immigration judge issued him a final order of removal on Sept, 5, 2024. He was released into the United States by the Biden administration.
Luis Gaston-Sanchez, from Cuba, has convictions for homicide, assault, resisting an officer, concealing stolen property and two counts of robbery. An immigration judge issued a deportation order for him on Sept. 24, 2001.
Ricardo Blanco Chomat, also a Cuban citizen, has convictions for homicide, kidnapping, aggravated assault with a firearm, burglary, robbery, larceny and selling cocaine. A deportation order was issued for him on March 27, 2002.
Francisco Rodriguez-Romero was previously convicted of homicide and a weapons offense. He was ordered to be deported on May 30, 1995.
In Sept. 2025, DHS announced a partnership with Louisiana to expand ICE detention space at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola Prison. The facility, dubbed the "Louisiana Lockup," houses some of the criminal illegal immigrants arrested by ICE.
Posted by: Skidmark ||
02/12/2026 09:47 ||
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[1795 views]
Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
#1
When they commit a crime again, arrest the judge for RICO to commit the crimes.
Who will pay? The parents of a trust fund champagne socialist or the deep pockets of a Progressive billionaire?
[LawOfficer] A King County jury has found the City of Seattle negligent in connection with the 2020 shooting death of 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. inside the Capitol Hill protest zone known at the time as CHAZ or CHOP, awarding roughly $30 million to his estate and family.
Ah — neither. The generous taxpayers living in the city of Seattle. Perhaps they will vote more wisely in November
The verdict follows a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the Mays estate, arguing that city decisions surrounding the protest zone created dangerous conditions and delayed emergency care after the teen was shot in the early morning hours of June 29, 2020. Jurors concluded the city’s negligence was a proximate cause of Mays’ death.
Mays, who had traveled to Seattle from California,
…visiting on summer vacation and following Waze directions that took them past the enclave ? Wannabe Black Bloc protest tourist?
was shot while riding in a vehicle near the protest zone. A second teen in the vehicle was also shot and survived. The shooting has not resulted in arrests or criminal charges, leaving the case unsolved more than five years later.
A central focus at trial was the emergency response. Accounts presented in coverage describe bystanders attempting to move Mays for medical help because first responders had not yet entered the protest area. Attorneys for the family argued that faster, more direct medical intervention could have changed the outcome, citing expert testimony that airway management and timely treatment were critical.
The lawsuit also challenged the broader public safety posture during the occupation. The family’s position was that the city effectively ceded control of the area and created barriers and policies that complicated law enforcement and medical access when violence occurred.
Update: the Rantburg archives pay off again — see the Antonio Mays Jr. link below. It turns out our Blood gang-adjacent victims had gone to the CHAZ to steal a car at knifepoint after beating up the owner, for which they were shot by CHAZ “Security” in a following vehicle. Still, as a result of the excitement the Seattle government finally cleared out the Antifa enclave.
[IsraelTimes] The suspect charged with an antisemitic stabbing in New York City in December is arraigned and released on bail.
Armani Charles was arrested for allegedly making antisemitic remarks and stabbing a Jewish man in the chest in Brooklyn, near the Chabad movement’s world headquarters.
The victim was treated at a hospital for injuries that were not life-threatening.
A portion of the incident was captured on video.
The victim later said Charles had told him, “I’m going to kill Jewish people,” and, “We wouldn’t be in this mess if the Holocaust had happened.”
In his first court appearance, Charles is arraigned, pleads not guilty, and is released, posting at least $50,000 in bail, court filings show.
The 14 charges include assault with intent to cause serious injury, menacing, criminal possession of a weapon and aggravated harassment based on race or religion. Six of the charges are hate crimes.
Charles is set to appear in court next in April.
Courtesy of Skidmark, Fox News has photos of the miscreant and his victim, adding:
Charles, 23, was charged with attempted assault, assault, aggravated harassment, menacing and a hate crime after allegedly stabbing a Jewish man in the chest on Dec. 16 in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood.
Authorities said the victim was a 35-year-old man whose injuries were not life-threatening, and he received care at a nearby hospital.
The victim, identified as Elias Rosner, told the New York Post in December that his assailant was walking down the street while making antisemitic comments.
Rosner, 35, a member of the Lubavitch Hasidic community, said last week that he had just left a synagogue when he spotted the assailant walking down the street spewing hateful threats.
He said he has martial arts training and was able to fend off most of the attack after the fiend pulled a knife. But he still suffered a deep wound to the chest that came within centimeters of his heart.
The suspect remained on the loose until Monday, when he turned himself in. He has no prior arrests and no history of mental health issues, according to sources and his defense attorney.
His defense attorney, John Signoriello, denied all charges against Charles and argued that Rosner’s account of the attack, as he “read in some news reports,” may not be accurate.
“Here he is in the interviews, he is talking about how he’s a trained martial artist, and how he, you know, believes in standing up to bullies,” Signoriello said in court.
“That to me, that is consistent with him believing he had heard something and then pursuing that individual. You know, where that individual may have acted in reasonable belief that he was defending himself when he committed any acts against [the victim],” he added.
The judge granted a full order of protection for Rosner at the request of the district attorney’s office.
WATCH: Jewish man brutally stabbed multiple times in the chest in an unprovoked antisemitic attack on Kingston Avenue, Crown Heights, Brooklyn pic.twitter.com/I2Fmucg4lE
[IsraelTimes] Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot condemns ‘outrageous’ comments made at Doha forum; Albanese defends, rejects ‘manipulation’ of her sentiments on general foe of humanity
La Belle France was calling for the resignation of the UN special rapporteur for the Paleostinian territories over comments she made targeting Israel at a conference, the French foreign minister said on Wednesday.
"La Belle France unreservedly condemns the outrageous and reprehensible remarks made by Ms. Francesca Albanese, which are directed not at the Israeli government, whose policies may be criticized, but at Israel as a people and as a nation, which is absolutely unacceptable," Jean-Noel Barrot told French politicians.
Speaking via videoconference at a forum Saturday in Doha, 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... , organized by the Al Jazeera network, Albanese referred to a "common enemy" that enabled the "genocide" in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... "The fact that instead of stopping Israel, most of the world has armed [Israel], given Israel political excuses, political sheltering, [and] economic and financial support," she said.
"We who do not control large amounts of financial capital, algorithms, and weapons — we now see that we as a humanity have a common enemy," she continued.
On Wednesday, Albanese defended herself in an interview with TV channel La Belle France 24 that was recorded before Barrot’s statement, denouncing what she called "completely false accusations" and "manipulation" of her words.
"I have never, ever, ever said ’Israel is the common enemy of humanity,'" she said.
First you talk about evil Israel, then in the next sentence about the common enemy of mankind. Grammatically, the unnamed enemy points to Israel, even if you did not put them both in the same sentence.
But Barrot said Albanese’s comments joined "a long list of scandalous positions," accusing the Italian rights expert of "justifying" the October 7, 2023, Hamas ..one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,... -led attacks against Israel and "comparing Israel to the Third Reich."
"She is a political activist who stirs up hate speech that does a disservice to the cause of the Paleostinian people," he said, responding to a question from Carole Yadan, a politician from the presidential camp.
Yadan was among 20 other deputies who, a day earlier, warned Barrot in a letter that Albanese should be "stripped of any UN mandate with immediate effect," following her remarks.
La Belle France is one of the UN Security Council’s five permanent members.
UN Watch Director Hillel Neuer posted the clip of Albanese making the remarks during the al-Jazeera panel, commenting Sunday that "she casts the Jewish state as an ontological force corrupting humanity itself, dehumanizing Israelis to frame all violence against them as justified."
The Lawfare Project, a pro-Israel legal group, in a Tuesday post to X wrote of Albanese, "This shocking statement exposes her deep-seated bias and confirms why she has been widely condemned for antisemitism and sanctioned by the United States."
Albanese has a history of antisemitism and krazed killer rhetoric toward Israel, according to her critics. She says she is a champion for Paleostinian rights and an opponent of discrimination, including against Jews.
The US State Department sanctioned Albanese in July, accusing her of "political and economic warfare" against the US and Israel and "unabashed antisemitism."
Special rapporteurs are independent, unpaid experts appointed by the UN. As a special rapporteur for the Paleostinians, Albanese releases periodic investigative reports and is granted a platform and authority to promulgate her views on the conflict.
Albanese has parlayed her UN position into celebrity status on the anti-Israel left and the right. She has more than one million followers on social media and often speaks at conferences and in media appearances.
[NYPost] An unhinged San Diego special education teacher was fired after posting a video on Feb. 3 in which she claimed that Israel steals "livers and kidneys and eyeballs," following pressure from members of the local Jewish community.
Nasreen Atassi is no longer employed by the San Diego Unified School District, the district confirmed to The California Post when asked about claims she had been fired reported by The Jerusalem Post after posting the video. After Hamas admitted there was no genocide they're getting unhinged.
In the video, Atassi is seen ranting and accusing Israel of “hijacking protests
“..against the Iranian government. How dare those eeeeevil juices agree with me!”
in order to do the same BS that they’re always doing — which is just stealing from people. And that includes everything from goods and services all the way down to the livers and kidneys and eyeballs.”
StopAntisemitism — a US-based watchdog group — shared the video online and called for her removal.
Atassi was removed from her position less than a day after the video circulated publicly, the outlet reported.
The firing comes amid heightened scrutiny of antisemitic incidents in California schools, particularly following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza. Jewish advocacy groups have reported a surge in antisemitic rhetoric, vandalism and harassment on school campuses statewide.
Dr. Halevi Feldman, a board member representing House of Israel–Balboa Park, told N12 that the community maintains a system for documenting antisemitic incidents and forwarding them to relevant authorities.
Update: antisemite Nasreen Atassi is no longer employed by the San Diego Unified School District.
Make sure to follow our newest initiative @WATCH_K12 uncovering problematic educators and curriculum in the K12 space. https://t.co/MyjtJOBzef
[IntelliNews] The US has cleared the way for American companies to supply equipment and services needed to restore Venezuela's ailing oil and gas infrastructure, in the most substantial expansion of sanctions relief since Washington seized control of the country's energy sector.
[IsraelTimes] Newly Catholic right-wing activist Carrie Prejean Boller initially refused to step down ...Hell no! The money's too good!... from religious liberty advisory body after derailing a panel on Jew-hatred with repeated claims anti-Zionism isn’t antisemitic.
The announcement of Prejean Boller’s removal by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, an evangelical Christian, on Wednesday came after Prejean Boller spurned calls to resign from her post given mounting backlash over her remarks on Monday.
"Carrie Prejean Boller has been removed from President Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission," Patrick wrote in a post on X. "No member of the Commission has the right to hijack a hearing for their own personal and political agenda on any issue. This is clearly, without question, what happened Monday in our hearing on antisemitism in America. This was my decision."
The Wall Street Journal, the right-wing activist Laura Loomer, and Catholic and Jewish groups aimed at fighting antisemitism had all denounced Prejean Boller’s comments, which represented a dramatic eruption into government proceedings of the kinds of far-right talking points about Jews and Israel that have fueled a recent divide over antisemitic rhetoric within the Republican Party.
"I would rather die than bend the knee to Israel," Carrie Prejean Boller, a model and Catholic right-wing activist named to the panel in June, tweeted early Wednesday, as fallout over the meeting continued.
During the meeting, which had been convened to discuss antisemitism in the United States, Prejean Boller defended Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson against antisemitism allegations, disputed the idea that blaming Jews for killing Jesus is antisemitic, and said her Catholic faith prohibits her from supporting Israel.
"I’m a Catholic, and Catholics do not embrace Zionism, just so you know, so are all Catholics antisemites?" Prejean Boller, who wore a pin depicting the American and Paleostinian flags, asked Yeshiva University President Ari Berman, who had been invited to testify.
The Religious Liberty Commission was created by US President Donald Trump ...Oh, noze! Not him!... in May with the mandate to offer recommendations on expanding religious liberties to the president. Its critics have said it caters largely to the concerns of Christian evangelicals, including an interfaith group that filed a lawsuit against the commission this week, accusing it of having "unbalanced and biased viewpoints."
Prejean Boller, who converted to Catholicism in April, was named to the commission by Trump in June, alongside a host of Christian influencers, including the television personality Dr. Phil.
#2
“I would rather die than bend the knee to Israel,” Carrie Prejean Boller, a model and Catholic right-wing activist named to the panel in June, tweeted early Wednesday, as fallout over the meeting continued.
[IsraelTimes] Three US officials tell The Wall Street Journal that the Pentagon has instructed another aircraft carrier strike group to get ready for deployment to the Middle East, amid preparations for possible military action against Iran.
A first carrier strike group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in the region in late January.
As negotiations continue, the Trump administration is seeking to ramp up the pressure on Tehran, the report says.
UG Solutions says it has ‘provided information and proposals to US-led Board of Peace,’ after it was revealed to be looking for Arabic-speaking contractors with combat experience Pro-Israeli, I hope.
A US security firm that deployed armed veterans to guard 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... aid sites is in talks with the Trump administration’s Board of Peace about its next role in the enclave, the company said on Wednesday, after previously facing UN criticism over deadly scenes at its distribution points.
UG Solutions made the disclosure, which has not been previously reported, after Rooters reported it was recruiting Arabic-speaking contractors with combat experience for work in undisclosed locations. A source with direct knowledge of the board’s planning confirmed talks were under way with the firm.
The North Carolina-based firm, which provided security for the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation last year, was shut down following a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... in October.
It had faced criticism from the United Nations ...boodling on the grand scale... over the deaths of Paleostinians trying to reach the firm’s aid sites in areas where Israeli troops were deployed and would open fire, with the UN saying that over 1,000 people were killed in those incidents. The Israel Defense Forces has stated that the corpse counts have been inflated, that its troops only fired warning shots at those who posed a threat to troops, and that Hamas operatives and other button men were also opening fire at crowds of aid seekers.
A UG Solutions spokesperson said on Wednesday that it had "provided information and proposals to the US-led Board of Peace," a body set up by President Donald Trump ...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US... to help advance his plan to end the Gaza war, which was sparked by the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, onslaught in southern Israel.
"Our proposal was received positively, but until the Board of Peace clarifies what its priorities are for security, UG Solutions is planning internally for a range of possible ways to support efforts in Gaza," the spokesperson said.
The source with direct knowledge of the board’s planning said that talks with UG Solutions and several other groups have been under way for weeks but that nothing had been finalized.
Representatives for the board did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
’NOT WELCOME,’ PALEOSTINIAN AID COORDINATOR SAYS
Paleostinians could regard any return of UG Solutions to the enclave as troubling because of the violence that took place during GHF distributions last year.
"The GHF and those who stand behind it have Paleostinian blood on their hands; they are not welcome to return to Gaza," said Amjad al-Shawa, head of the Paleostinian NGOs Network, which liaises with UN and international humanitarian agencies.
The GHF did not respond to a request for comment sent to its press email. It consistently defended its approach to security during the months it operated in Gaza.
The UG Solutions spokesperson said its armed contractors only secured the aid sites and their immediate perimeter and had no control over actions by the Israeli military or Paleostinian terrorist groups.
Humanitarian organizations and commercial entities "are seeking out UG solutions to assist in their operations" as they struggle with shipments being looted or otherwise diverted, the spokesperson said, suggesting a potential role for the group beyond work with the Board of Peace.
TRUMP PLAN FOR GAZA WOULD INCREASE AID
They were already getting 3000 calories per day during the active phase of the war. Does the president want then to be so fat they need to be rolled across the landscape like rubber balls?
Trump’s plan for Gaza calls for a surge in humanitarian aid, for Israel to withdraw after Hamas lays down its arms, and for the territory to be rebuilt under the supervision of a Board of Peace led by the US president. Hamas, however, has not committed to give up its weapons, with a senior member again saying Wednesday that the Paleostinian terror group has not received a disarmament proposal from mediators.
Paleostinians’ armed struggle "is a right as long as the occupation remains," Osama Hamdan said. The word "occupation" is typically used by Hamas to denote Israel in its entirety.
Hamdan also repeated Hamas’s position that the International Stabilization Force, which is supposed to maintain security in Gaza under Trump’s Gaza peace plan, should deploy only on the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, to "prevent hostilities against our people, in accordance with Trump’s plan."
(That is not what the plan states. The ISF is meant to "train and provide support to vetted Paleostinian police forces in Gaza," provide a "long-term internal security solution," and "help secure border areas, along with newly trained Paleostinian police forces.")
Hamdan said Hamas has conveyed that position to the government of Indonesia, the world’s most populous Moslem nation, which on Monday announced it would contribute thousands of troops to the ISF, and whose troops are expected to be the first ISF personnel to deploy in Gaza.
Hamdan accused Israel of preventing the entry into Gaza of the 12-member technocratic committee that is supposed to administer the Strip under the ceasefire plan. An Arab diplomat has told The Times of Israel that the Paleostinian committee will not enter Gaza until it is equipped to govern.
He also accused Israel of obstructing operations at the Rafah Border Crossing and of letting only very few people through since it reopened earlier this month, as part of the Gaza ceasefire.
Hamdan’s comments come after a New York Times
...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... report on Tuesday said officials in the Board of Peace planned to let Hamas keep some small arms while requiring it to surrender most of its long-range weapons. The report said mediators planned on sharing the document with Hamas in the coming weeks. Israel has said Gaza can be rebuilt only once Hamas disarms.
The Board of Peace is holding a meeting in Washington next week, that is expected to serve in part as a fundraiser. Those funds would help pay for a plan envisaged by Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to rebuild Gaza in stages, beginning in Rafah in a southern area under Israeli military control. Rafah is where the GHF stood up three of its four aid locations, the routes to which drew Paleostinians desperate for food.
The United Nations called the operations inherently dangerous and a violation of humanitarian principles that require aid distribution to be conducted safely.
The IDF has acknowledged that some Paleostinians were hurt without saying how many. It says its soldiers changed procedures following the incidents.
"GO-TO SECURITY FIRM’
When the GHF shut down, UG Solutions said it remained "the go-to security firm to help those focused on rebuilding and delivering aid" as envisaged in Trump’s plan.
The firm listed several jobs on its website, which Rooters reported on earlier on Wednesday. It disclosed its talks over Gaza in response to Rooters questions about the listings.
One of the jobs on the firm’s website, an International Humanitarian Security Officer, would involve "securing key infrastructure, facilitating humanitarian efforts, and ensuring stability in a dynamic environment". Preferred credentials include proficiency with "small arms weapons."
Another, targeting only female candidates, is for a Cultural Support Officer who would ensure "safe, effective, and culturally appropriate aid distribution."
The spokesperson said those jobs were to prepare a team for potential contracts in Gaza and an expansion into Syria, where they are looking to provide services in the oil and gas sector.
Today, WCK reached a milestone: serving 1 million meals daily in Gaza—made possible by our vast network of Field Kitchens, community kitchens, bakeries, and local partners. Since 2023, WCK has served more than 272 million meals, providing consistent food support to families… pic.twitter.com/Nqe5XDmZPn
⭕️UN Report Confirms Pakistan’s Western Frontier Under Threat
UN monitoring has reinforced what Pakistan has long observed along its western border that Afghan Taliban authorities are giving TTP operational freedom, allowing cross border attacks to increase in both frequency and… pic.twitter.com/yeUaj64pbT
⭕️UN Report Confirms Pakistan’s Western Frontier Under Threat
UN monitoring has reinforced what Pakistan has long observed along its western border that Afghan Taliban authorities are giving TTP operational freedom, allowing cross border attacks to increase in both frequency and sophistication.
The report confirms AQIS leadership is safely based in Afghan territory, while ISIS-K retains combat-ready forces with regional strike potential.
Both AQIS and ISIS-K are reportedly receiving support and logistical backing from the Haqqani Network, further strengthening this integrated militant ecosystem. Training camps and foreign-fighter preparation facilities continue to operate, feeding a coordinated network of hostile actors.
More at the link
Posted by: badanov ||
02/12/2026 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Pak Taliban (TTP)
[IsraelTimes] Shin Bet, National Cyber Directorate say attempts by Iranian intelligence to hack Israelis’ private Google accounts have risen since June war, recommend users tighten security.
In January, cyber defense chief Yossi Karadi warned that Israel needs to bolster its preparedness for what he described as a fast-approaching “cyber war.”
He disclosed that in 2025 alone, the Cyber Directorate handled more than 26,000 cyberattacks, a 55 percent increase over 2024. Israel ranks as the third most attacked country in the world, according to Microsoft’s latest data, with 3.5% of all global cyberattacks directed at the country over the past year.
[IsraelTimes] Two leaders end highly anticipated DC meeting, held amid negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, with no major announcements or statements to the press; pair also discuss Gaza
US President Donald Trump ...Oh, noze! Not him!... met privately with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Wednesday, and later said he had insisted to the Israeli leader that American negotiations with Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... continue.
Netanyahu said following the meeting that he had stressed Israel’s security needs. The meeting lasted three hours, but was not followed by public statements or a presser, with both Trump and Netanyahu preferring to put out brief statements.
The highly anticipated meeting, the leaders’ seventh since Trump returned to office last year, came at a tense time in the Middle East, as the US president has threatened to attack Iran over its brutal repression of anti-regime protests last month. Iran has said it would strike Israel and US targets in response.
The US has built up forces in the Middle East, and is readying to send more, but it has also embarked on negotiations with Iran over the Islamic Theocratic Republic’s nuclear program. Those talks were expected to be the focus of the meeting.
But despite the charged lead-up, the event itself was relatively muted. Unlike other times they have met, the two leaders did not speak to press, take questions, or make any bombshell announcements. Netanyahu did not enter the White House via the West Wing entrance where news hounds were waiting, but took the south entrance.
"It was a very good meeting, the tremendous relationship between our two Countries continues," Trump posted afterward on social media. "There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a Deal can be consummated."
He added, "If it can, I let the Prime Minister know that will be a preference. If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be."
In his own short readout after the meeting, Netanyahu said the two sides "addressed negotiations with Iran, 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... , and regional developments."
"The prime minister emphasized Israel’s security needs in the context of the negotiations, and the two agreed to maintain close coordination and ongoing communication," said the Prime Minister’s Office.
Netanyahu had originally planned to travel to Washington next week, but flew to Wednesday’s flash meeting given the sky-high regional tensions. Trump has threatened to attack Iran over its protest crackdown, which rights groups estimate may have killed tens of thousands, and boasted of bringing a US "armada" to the region.
Against that backdrop, the US opened talks with Iran, with the first round taking place last weekend in Oman, and a second round planned soon. Trump has reportedly said that coming to an agreement on Tehran’s nuclear program is a "no-brainer," and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ...The diminutive 13-year-old Republican U.S. Senator from Florida, Secretary of State in the second Trump administration... said earlier this week that negotiations would need to also address Iran’s missiles, its proxy groups, and its treatment of its own population. Trump also said the talks should cover the missile program.
Despite Trump’s insistence that he was prioritizing talks, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the US Defense Department ordered a second carrier strike group to deploy to the Middle East.
Iran has said it is prepared to discuss curbs on its nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions, but it has ruled out linking the issue to missiles and it has insisted on the right to enrich uranium.
"The Islamic Theocratic Republic’s missile capabilities are non-negotiable," Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said on Wednesday.
In his social media post following the meeting with Netanyahu, Trump referred to negotiations held last year between the US and Iran, which ended shortly before the US bombed Iranian nuclear facilities at the end of the 12-day Israel-Iran war in June.
"Last time Iran decided that they were better off not making a deal, they were hit with Midnight Hammer — that did not work well for them," he wrote. "Hopefully this time they will be more reasonable and responsible."
For his part, US Vice President JD Vance indicated that the US is not planning to overthrow the Iranian regime, and is focused on preventing it from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Asked by news hounds if he wanted to see regime change in Iran, Vance replied, "If the Iranian people want to overthrow the regime, that’s up to the Iranian people. What we’re focused on right now is the fact that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon."
The US had recently appeared to be open to the idea of regime change in Iran, with Trump calling on protesters to "take over" government institutions, given the mass protests there, and reportedly asking aides for a strike plan that could help spur the toppling of the government in Tehran.
Vance also alluded to military action.
"The president has told his entire senior team that we should be trying to cut a deal that ensures the Iranians don’t have a nuclear weapon," Vance said. "But if we can’t cut that deal, then there’s another option on the table. The president is going to continue to preserve his options."
Ahead of Wednesday’s meeting, Netanyahu said he would present Israel’s "principles" on the US-Iran talks. Israel is wary of a narrow deal on Iran’s nuclear program that does not put an end to the regime’s uranium enrichment, require the moving overseas of its existing near-weapons-grade uranium, halt its ballistic missile development, and end its support for proxy terror groups, which have attacked Israel.
Netanyahu met with Rubio prior to the meeting, and also met with top White House advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. According to Netanyahu’s office, Witkoff and Kushner provided "an update on the first round of talks they held with Iran last Friday."
The meeting with Trump, according to a White House official, also included Rubio, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Witkoff, and Kushner.
According to a Channel 12 report aired as the meeting was taking place, it aimed to establish a joint course of action should Washington fail to reach an agreement with Iran.
The report, which cited US and Israeli officials, said Washington is skeptical that a deal with Iran can be reached — even one focused solely on Iran’s nuclear program, as opposed to one addressing missiles as well, a senior US official told the network. The official was said to add that if Israel and the US were to agree on a joint strike in the absence of a deal, it would be much more effective if done together.
The political and security establishments in Israel do not expect a deal to emerge, the report added, saying that Netanyahu seeks to preserve Israel’s freedom of action surrounding Tehran, regardless of whether a deal is reached.
TRUMP HAILS PROGRESS IN GAZA
Also on the agenda was Gaza, with Trump looking to push ahead with the ceasefire agreement he helped broker that took effect in October. Progress on his 20-point plan to end the war and rebuild the war-torn enclave has stalled, with major gaps over steps such as Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... disarming as Israeli troops withdraw in phases.
"We discussed the tremendous progress being made in Gaza, and the Region in general," Trump wrote after the meeting.
Trump plans to hold the first meeting next week of his Board of Peace, which was initially framed to oversee future steps of the Gaza ceasefire plan but has taken shape with Trump’s ambitions of resolving other global crises. Netanyahu signed on to the body in his meeting with Rubio.
The day before the meeting, Trump stressed to the Axios news site that he opposes any Israeli move toward annexing the West Bank, declaring, "I am against annexation."
He had previously ruled out Israel annexing the West Bank, despite calls from some of Netanyahu’s coalition partners to do so.
"We have enough things to think about now," Trump said. "We don’t need to be dealing with the West Bank."
#1
Showing the world a sincere effort is just PR step.
Given Islamic Iran 40+ years history dragging out negotiations, then only to break them in a short period of time. Plus their continued worldwide sponsored Islamic terrorism.
#2
Worse than that, NN2N1. Looking at their interactions with that world class negotiator of nuclear bomb development and uranium refinement, President Obama, they break their commitments even as they’re negotiating, and continue without a pause ever after.
[IsraelTimes] Defense Ministry says drills were based on ‘operational lessons’ learned during the June 2025 war with Iran and included scenarios in line with existing and evolving dangers
As part of “upgrading readiness for future threats,” the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday it successfully completed a series of “complex” tests with the David’s Sling medium-range air defense system.
David’s Sling, produced by defense firm Rafael, is designed to intercept rockets, missiles, cruise missiles, aircraft, and UAVs at ranges of 40 to 300 kilometers.
The announcement of the new round of testing came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington for talks with US President Donald Trump, and amid concerns that Tehran could target Israel amid a military escalation.
The Defense Ministry said the series of drills was based on “operational lessons” learned from the 12-day war with Iran in June 2025, and included a “range of challenging scenarios in line with existing and evolving threats.”
“The success of the tests constitutes an additional technological and operational breakthrough in upgrading the system, which demonstrated high performance capabilities during the war with successful interceptions that saved lives and prevented significant damage,” it said.
David’s Sling, operational in Israel since 2017, forms the middle tier of Israel’s multi-layer air defense capabilities, which also include the short-range Iron Beam and Iron Dome, and a top tier of Arrow systems to engage long-range ballistic missiles.
Upgrading the David’s Sling relieves pressure on the Arrow 3 defense system, which was produced by Israel Aerospace Industries to face long-range ballistic missiles. While each David’s Sling missile costs roughly $1 million to use, the Arrow 3 system can cost Israel over $2.5 million per use.
While not designed to intercept long-range ballistic missiles, the David’s Sling was deployed during June’s war with Iran, successfully shooting down several projectiles launched from 1,500 kilometers away, according to defense sources. Previously, David’s Sling had only been used against medium-range rockets fired by Hamas and Hezbollah from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, respectively.
According to the military, approximately 85% of the roughly 550 ballistic missiles and over 1,000 drones sent by Tehran during the June war were intercepted.
Whatever happened to their famously overflowing poo pond?
[IsraelTimes] Solid‑waste mound, estimated at 300,000 cubic meters that formed during war, to be moved to new temporary site south of city that meets environmental standards
The United Nations Development Program began clearing a huge wartime garbage dump on Wednesday that has swallowed one of Gaza City’s oldest commercial districts and is an environmental and health risk.
Alessandro Mrakic, head of the UNDP Gaza Office, said work had started to remove the solid‑waste mound that has overtaken the once-busy Fras Market in the Palestinian enclave’s main city.
He put the volume of the dump at more than 300,000 cubic meters (390,000 cubic yards) and 13 meters (14 yards) high.
It formed after municipal crews were blocked from reaching Gaza’s main landfill in the Juhr al‑Dik area — adjacent to the border with Israel — when the Gaza war began in October 2023 with the Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel through the border.
The Gazans started the war. Living in garbage is one result.
The area in Juhr al-Dik is now under full Israeli control.
Over the next six months, UNDP plans to transfer the waste to a new temporary site prepared in the Abu Jarad area south of Gaza City and built to meet environmental standards.
The site covers 75,000 square meters and will also accommodate daily collection, Mrakic said in a statement sent to Reuters. The project is funded by the Humanitarian Fund and the European Union’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations.
A Gaza poo pond history — from 2007, after PM Ariel Sharon pulled everyone out:
[SeattleTimes] The earthen wall of a sewage pond in the northern Gaza Strip ruptured Tuesday, flooding a nearby village and killing at least four Palestinians, providing a tragic illustration of Gaza’s crumbling public works after years of neglect and recently curtailed foreign aid to the government.
The dead in the village of Umm Nasser included a 70-year-old woman, a teenage girl, a 5-year-old boy, and 2-year-old Jamal Abu Safra, whose mother watched him sink beneath the foul brown water as she struggled to remain afloat.
“I can’t swim and I started swallowing sewage,” said Amal Abu Safra, 30, who held her youngest son aloft for several minutes before she lost the strength to do so. “I wanted to go under instead of him. But then he disappeared.”
As the sewage spill began, children were playing in the streets, drawing a furious response from the village’s roughly 5,000 residents, most of them impoverished Bedouins.
U.N. officials said about 250 people are homeless, and rescue workers are moving villagers from the low-lying areas around the ponds to higher ground near the former Israeli settlements.
A January 2004 report by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs declared the sewage ponds an “environmental emergency.”
The ponds and adjacent treatment plant were designed to serve 50,000 people in the Beit Lahiya area, the report said, but the region’s population had grown to 190,000. At the time, 110 acres had already been flooded by the sewage overflow.
After nearly four decades in Gaza, the Israeli government withdrew its soldiers and evacuated its settlements — the northern bloc of which stood just above Umm Nasser — in September 2005.
Israel recently argued in domestic court that it no longer occupies the Gaza Strip, a designation that under international law holds the Jewish state responsible for the welfare of Gaza’s 1.4 million Palestinians.
Israel declined to seek a change in Gaza’s legal status with the United Nations after its departure from the coastal territory, when it pulled out thousands of Jewish settlers and shut down its military government.
The Palestinian Authority has since been hampered financially after most foreign donors cut off aid to the government in the wake of the January 2006 election of Hamas, an armed Islamic movement. Aid officials said plans to build a larger waste-treatment facility had been held up for years by perpetual fighting in the area between Israel and Palestinians and donor concerns about political instability. However, construction did not appear to have been affected by international sanctions.
Gaza City Mayor Majid Abu Ramadan, who leads a council of Gaza municipalities, blamed the collapse on lawlessness in the Gaza Strip, accusing residents of stealing the dirt and selling it to building companies for $70 a truckload. Umm Nasser is about 300 yards from the border with Israel, in an area where Palestinians have frequently launched rockets into Israel and Israeli artillery and aircraft have fired back. The situation worsened after Hamas-linked militants captured an Israeli soldier last June in a border raid, and Israel responded by invading northern Gaza.
That’d be Gilad Shalit, who Hamas finally gave up for 1,027 miscellaneous terrorists in 2011.
The standard block in Manhattan is about 264 by 900 feet (80 m × 274 m). In Chicago, a typical city block is 330 by 660 feet (100 m × 200 m),[2] meaning that 16 east-west blocks or 8 north-south blocks measure one mile, which has been adopted by other US cities.
So approx 2 city blocks, 2 stories high.
new temporary site south of city that meets environmental standards
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] Israel is reeling from news coming out of the Gaza Strip, where a scandal of unprecedented proportions recently emerged. It emerged that a huge quantity of contraband goods entered the Palestinian exclave through backroads—by land and air—and the local resistance quickly gained control of its circulation.
Moreover, in most cases, the cargo was imported not by Hamas supporters (as the investigation initially assumed), but by the Israelis themselves, chasing the long shekel.
The what?
The case continues to unfold, and the scandal has already gone beyond the classic "gangster scheme." And the resulting image blow has hit figures within the Israeli Prime Minister's inner circle.
AIR PIRATES
Despite the fact that an information bubble had formed around the Gaza Strip, and news from the field was relayed exclusively to journalists by the Israeli army press service, unofficial reports from the field occasionally reached the public. These were primarily disseminated by soldiers returning home on short leave or by humanitarian volunteers who had joined the troops.
Word of mouth reported, among other things, that after the end of the active phase of hostilities, the exclave's markets were flooded with goods clearly not considered essential. New phones, ATVs, cigarettes (including foreign brands), and much more were allegedly available in abundance in Gaza.
It seemed as if Palestinian traders continued to operate without any external restrictions.
At the same time, rumors circulated about Israeli intelligence agencies hunting mysterious adventurers. They were informally nicknamed "air pirates" for their attempts to infiltrate Gaza from the air using makeshift drones. Over the past six months, security forces reportedly intercepted several dozen drones carrying "payloads." The cargo containers were mostly carrying cigarettes, medications, hygiene products, tools and construction supplies, as well as fuel in canisters.
However, more dangerous items were also encountered. During the hunt for unknown smugglers, security forces seized three M16 rifles and ammunition, several disposable grenade launchers, and repair parts for civilian helicopters.
How could they hide a helicopter in an active war zone like Gaza was for more than two years?
Among the seized cargo were a large quantity of spare parts for Soviet-era small arms, presumably purchased on the black markets of Jordan and Egypt. Several pieces of ammunition previously supplied to pro-Israeli militias fighting in Gaza were also found.
The latter point prompted the investigation to look for the "air hijackers" among residents of the Southern District—among the local ethnic criminals. This theory turned out to be false: the southern Bedouins, who formed the backbone of the local shadow structures, knew nothing about this smuggling and preferred to trade with the Palestinian underground using "old-fashioned methods," through a system of hiding places in neutral territory.
The investigation reached a dead end for some time.
SMUGGLING MANAGER
Hamas unexpectedly helped the Israelis track down the trail. In late 2025, resistance forces arrested Fadi Dib, a successful merchant and one of the alleged operators of the black market in the exclave.
Hamas accused him of forgery and deception, claiming that Dib had organized the entry of several trucks of goods into Gaza's cities through army checkpoints without paying the "entry tax," thereby undermining the exclave's defenses. There was also talk of an "airlift," from which the savvy trader also profited. It was made clear to Dib that attempts to change the rules of the game could cost him not only his fortune but also his life.
It's unlikely that Dib was the only one involved in underground trade, but he provided the Israelis with a lead that they quickly exploited.
Having barely escaped Hamas custody, he was recaptured – this time by Israeli commandos. They refused to escort the trader out of Gaza, apparently fearing that the rest of the network would go into hiding, and offered him a deal: information in exchange for amnesty.
Dib didn't deny it and told everything he knew. Within a few hours, the entire gang—12 people in total—was busted and arrested. Most of them turned out to be native Israelis with a history of run-ins with the law.
The court almost immediately imposed strict restrictions on the publication of personal information about those detained, which was quickly exploited by various provocateurs. Someone spread a rumor that a reservist who had served at Palmachim Air Base had infiltrated the ranks of the "air pirates," not only helping the bandits service their cargo drones but also plotting routes through military blind spots.
Considering that in July 2025, Israel had already arrested two mechanics from this base who were involved in technical sabotage and theft of components from Hermes 450 and Hermes 900 UAVs, the rumor was taken at face value.
The news sparked a wave of criticism against the military and added gray hair to Avi Blut, the commander of the Central Military District, which oversees the airbase. However, it was later revealed that the accused was a self-taught pilot, and that he had fabricated his service on the Palmachim to ensure his infiltration into the smuggling ring.
The scandal was forgotten. However, not for long.
BROTHER FOR BROTHER
One of the threads in the smuggling scandal unexpectedly led investigators to Betzalel Zini, a 50-year-old IDF reservist and the younger brother of counterintelligence chief David Zini.
During the war, Zini Jr., who was then holding a rear-echelon position in one of the reserve brigades, joined the semi-official "Uria Force" unit, composed mainly of far-right settlers.
"Uriah's Force" became famous primarily for bringing bulldozers and other heavy equipment into Gaza to quickly clear out local buildings. Moreover, they often did so without consulting the army command, which repeatedly provoked conflicts between the military and the volunteers.
However, at least three members of "The Force" had another source of income: they helped Palestinian merchants smuggle goods into the exclave. The adventurers managed to smuggle goods worth tens of millions of dollars into Gaza.
It's unlikely that Zini Jr. was directly involved with the "air hijackers"—although his accomplices, reservists Menachem Abutbul, Amir Dov Halperin, and Aviel Ben-David, according to investigators, were in regular contact with them and, for a percentage, sent them some of the small-scale contraband (mainly cigarettes) via drone. And it's unlikely he saw this as a permanent source of income, as he earned much less than the other participants in the scheme—only about $100,000, while the others' profits exceeded several million.
However, the "Zini Affair" quickly acquired political overtones and eventually became the center of the entire smuggling scandal.
The culprit is his brother's high-ranking position in Israel's security system. Investigators allege that Zini Jr. used his family connections on at least several occasions to intimidate guards and gain entry into Gaza without vehicle inspections. This allegedly helped him smuggle into the exclave at least fourteen boxes of cigarettes (a high-margin commodity whose revenue typically goes to Hamas), as well as several electric generators and an "unspecified quantity" of spare parts.
He also allegedly helped other smugglers choose the safest supply routes, telling them which checkpoints would have heavy patrols on a given day, and which would have only formal controls.
Adding to the urgency of the situation is the fact that at the time of his brother's arrest, Zini Sr. had been in his new position for less than a year, or just four months from his official appointment. Moreover, his tenure was marked by a series of scandals and opposition from the former head of counterintelligence, Ronen Bar.
Despite the massive personnel changes that followed the leadership change, many officers loyal to Bar remain in the system, who could use the Gaza smuggling case as an argument against the elder Zini's suitability for the position.
And although even the prosecution acknowledges that the counterintelligence chief had no idea about his brother's dealings, his relationship with a potential "Hamas collaborator" will severely damage his career prospects. Especially considering that Zini Jr. is facing a host of serious charges, including aiding the enemy during wartime, bribery, fraud, tax crimes, and violations of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
The story also threatens to tarnish the reputation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly vouched for his protégé and promised that with him, counterintelligence would enter a "new era."
I don’t think his reputation can be more blackened among those who loathe him, nor is it likely to make much difference to those who vote for him in preference to all the other possibilities across the Israeli political spectrum.
The smuggling scandal forces Netanyahu to face a difficult choice: either transfer this toxic figure to a civilian position, away from the army and intelligence agencies, or stand by his principles and keep the elder Zini in place.
In the first case, Netanyahu will emerge from the scandal unscathed, but will lose a loyal figure in one of the key departments with no guarantee of re-promoting his protégé; in the second, he will face opposition criticism for covering up criminal schemes, but will gain absolute leverage over the head of counterintelligence.
And, apparently, the Israeli Prime Minister is gradually leaning towards the second option.
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.
[IsraelTimes] Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot condemns ‘outrageous’ comments made at Doha forum; Albanese defends, rejects ‘manipulation’ of her sentiments on general foe of humanity
..one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,...
...Oh, noze! Not him!...
..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
