[Red State] The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has made a new ruling in the case involving the state of Texas defending itself against the illegal alien horde invited to storm the U.S.-Mexico border by the Biden administration over the past four years--and it's a win for Governor Greg Abbott.
In Wednesday's decision, the court states a few things. Not only does Texas have the right to protect its land at Eagle Pass, the CBP's argument that it needed to cut the razor wire in that area to fully do its job of deterring illegals from entering the country just didn't stand up to scrutiny or wasn't backed up by testimony.
Another part of the case, involving Texas taking over a border area known as Shelby Park, was considered by the court, and it dismissed the government's argument that Texas' actions led to two illegals drowning.
Finally, the ruling bars CBP from cutting/removing razor wire at Eagle Pass going forward.
Wednesday’s 2-1 decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals clears the way for Texas to pursue a lawsuit accusing the Biden administration of trespassing without having to remove the fencing.
It also reversed a federal judge's November 2023 refusal to grant a preliminary injunction to Texas as the state resisted federal efforts to remove fencing along the Rio Grande in the vicinity of Eagle Pass, Texas.
Circuit Judge Kyle Duncan, a Trump appointee during the president-elect's first term, wrote for Wednesday's majority that Texas was trying only to safeguard its own property, not "regulate" U.S. Border Patrol, and was likely to succeed in its trespass claims.
Duncan said the federal government waived its sovereign immunity and rejected its concerns that a ruling by Texas would impede the enforcement of immigration law and undermine the government's relationship with Mexico.
He said the public interest "supports clear protections for property rights from government intrusion and control" and ensuring that federal immigration law enforcement does not "unnecessarily intrude into the rights of countless property owners."
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/28/2024 08:24 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11127 views]
Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
[JustTheNews] The governor and Homan met with OLS officers in Eagle Pass and Edinburg, Texas.
On Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott and incoming border czar Tom Homan met and served meals to Texas Army and Air National Guard soldiers and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers (DPS) stationed along the border during Thanksgiving working through Abbott’s border security mission, Operation Lone Star.
The governor and Homan met with OLS officers in Eagle Pass and Edinburg, Texas. They were joined by National Border Patrol Council President Paul Perez, DPS Director Steve McCraw, Adjutant General Thomas Suelzer and Texas Border Czar Mike Banks.
At the event in Edinburg, Abbott said their deployment to the border “was truly unprecedented. Things that have happened in the last four years have never before happened in the history of the United States of America.” The troops were providing “an unprecedented response to an unprecedented threat,” referring to the greatest number of illegal border crossers reported in U.S. history under the Biden administration.
He described the violent crimes committed against Americans by illegal border crossers, including children being assaulted and murdered and the “countless others whose homes have been invaded, whose lives have been destroyed.”
The border crisis was unprecedented for all Americans, for “our own country [due to the loss] of our very own border,” he said.
Speaking to the troops, he said, “some of you have served in foreign lands across the entire world working to ensure American’s safety both now and as well as for our future.”Now, their service along the Texas border was critical “to preserve the safety and sovereignty and security of your very own states, your very own country, your very own border. You make Texas proud.”
However, OLS wasn’t on its own anymore, he said. “The good news is help is on the way, like nothing we’ve seen before. The calvary is coming,” referring to President-elect Donald Trump and his new border czar, Tom Homan.
“President Trump is going to be the greatest president we’ve ever had, and we’re coming back,” Homan said. “When Trump was in office, we had your six,” he told the troops. “This administration didn’t.” He also said South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who was nominated to be Trump’s secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, “gets it. She understands it. She has some good ideas” about border security he said, adding that he was looking forward to working with her and to her Senate confirmation.
He also reiterated that it was necessary to implement a mass deportation plan in response to a massive illegal immigration plan implemented by the Biden administration. “We’re going to have an interior deportation operation,” he continued, referring to a targeted removal plan he previously explained to The Center Square. It prioritizes removing violent criminals and those with existing removal orders and finding 300,000 unaccounted for unaccompanied minors who were brought into the country under the administration, he said.
“You can’t have millions of people illegally cross the border, which is a crime, make an asylum claim, be given due process and a judge says they must go home, and not send them home. You have to have a massive deportation process,” he said.
He also expressed alarm about the more than two million known gotaways, first reported by The Center Square. Gotaways is the official U.S. Customs and Border Protection term to describe those who illegally enter the country, don’t make asylum claims and intentionally evade capture.
“People who paid more to get away,” Homan said, referring to illegal border crossers paying coyotes to guide them into the country to circumvent Border Patrol checkpoints. “They didn’t claim asylum, they didn’t want to be vetted,” he said, “and we have no idea who or where they are. This is the biggest national security threat our country has faced since 9/11 and Trump is going to shut down the border.”
[ToloNews] Officials from the Ministry of Education have announced the printing of eight million textbooks to address the challenges faced by students in the country.
Habibullah Agha, acting Minister of Education, during a meeting with the head of education and tribal elders of Khost province ... across the border from Miranshah, within commuting distance of Haqqani hangouts such as Datta Khel and probably within sight of Mordor. Khost is populated by six different tribes of Pashtuns, the largest probably being the Khostwal, from which it takes its name... , stated that the Islamic Emirate is committed to the pursuit of modern sciences.
The acting Minister of Education said that some groups are spreading negative propaganda, claiming that the officials of the Islamic Emirate have neglected the education sector.
He further mentioned efforts to promote balanced education in the country and also spoke about changes to the curriculum.
Habibullah Agha said: "This is enemy propaganda; do not listen to or heed it. You can see for yourselves how we are focused on modern sciences. Modern sciences are essential for our lives."
Meanwhile,
...back at the revival hall, the SWAT team had finally arrived... some teachers say that to strengthen the curriculum, certain religious and modern science subjects should be added to the syllabus.
"Alongside the addition of religious topics, scientific subjects like biology and other fields have also been expanded, which makes us happy, and we support these efforts," said Homayoun Pazhman, a teacher. NO! Mo didn't have Modern Science and neither should you!
"If the Islamic Emirate takes responsibility in this regard and strengthens the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, it will help Afghanistan stand on its own feet in all aspects," Mohammad Naeem Sajid, a teacher, told TOLOnews.
Previously, some students from public schools had complained about a shortage of textbooks.
#3
"In an Ummah of Islamist kooks,
One kid's hardly hitting the books!
One lover of science
Has built an appliance...
To modernise Muslims!" [cue spooks]
Too much Tenet last might. And, boy, are my eyes well-rested.
[KhaamaPress] The United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reports that opium production in Afghanistan is still 93% lower than in 2022, but it has increased by about 30% in 2024.
In its latest report, published on Wednesday, November 27, the UNODC notes that the level of opium production in Afghanistan has remained low for the second consecutive year.
According to the report, opium production in Afghanistan dropped by 93% after the Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... imposed a ban on poppy cultivation. However,
a woman is only as old as she admits... production in 2024 has increased by 30% compared to 2023.
The UN report shows that opium production in 2024 reached 433 tons, marking a 30% increase in production volume. Additionally, 12,800 hectares of land were used for poppy cultivation this year, representing a 19% increase in the area cultivated compared to 2023.
The value of the opium produced in 2024 is estimated at $260 million, reflecting a 130% increase from the previous year.
Ghada Fathi Waly, Executive Director of the UNODC, stated that "international efforts must be coordinated to ensure that this reduction does not lead to the production of other dangerous drugs like methamphetamine within Afghanistan or the region."
She also emphasized the need to support rural communities dependent on poppy cultivation by investing in infrastructure, agricultural resources, and sustainable livelihoods to provide legal and economic alternatives.
The increase in opium production in 2024 is concerning, especially in the context of international efforts to combat drug trafficking and addiction. The rise in opium value also suggests that the country’s drug trade remains a major challenge.
To effectively reduce opium production, there must be long-term solutions that address both the economic needs of farmers and the broader regional impact of drug production. Investment in legal alternatives and infrastructure could help transition rural communities away from illicit crop cultivation.
To effectively reduce opium production in Afghanistan, the local Taliban must stop acting as enforcers for the drug barons, requiring the farmers to plant what they’re given. And that won’t happen as long as the Taliban need money, so…
But at the moment the response of the Taliban is, “Nuh uh — we aren’t either, and you’re all big poopyheads.”
[ToloNews] The Ministry of Interior has rejected the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report stating a 30% increase in opium cultivation in Afghanistan, calling it far from reality.
In response to the report, the ministry stated that the Islamic Emirate has made every effort to eradicate drugs.
Abdul Mateen Qani, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, said in a statement that combating this phenomenon is among the ministry's top priorities and that banning the cultivation and production of narcotics in Afghanistan is a fundamental policy of the Islamic Emirate.
The statement added that according to the ministry's assessments of drug cultivation and production in Afghanistan, a significant reduction has been observed over the past year compared to previous years.
"This message is based on political confrontation with Afghanistan's interim government. When governance is based on the implementation of Sharia, the cultivation and planting of narcotics are prohibited. I hope these confrontations are resolved through dialogue," said Mohammad Zalmay Afghanyar, a political analyst.
"Last year, the cultivation, planting, and trafficking of drugs significantly decreased because some UN offices were cooperating with the Islamic Emirate," said Jannat Faheem Chakari, another political analyst.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Interior Minister for Counter Narcotics rejected the report, stating that drug cultivation in Afghanistan has been eradicated.
Abdul Haq Akhund, Deputy Interior Minister for Counter Narcotics, said: "We strongly reject this report published by the United Nations. We have repeatedly held meetings with them and proven that opium cultivation does not exist anywhere in Afghanistan."
The leader of the Islamic Emirate issued a decree on the 14th of Hamal 1401 (April 2022) prohibiting poppy cultivation and narcotics production across the country.
[IsraelTimes] British Foreign Secretary David Lammy says he will continue to talk and meet with Benjamin Netanyahu after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against the Israeli prime minister for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Lammy tells parliament’s foreign affairs select committee he will comply with the ICC’s request to arrest Netanyahu if he enters Britain, insisting he has no choice to ignore the order.
But Lammy says he will continue to talk to Netanyahu and other senior Israeli government officials about issues such as seeking a ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza and the importance of getting aid into the Palestinian territory.
“I do believe they are important matters that require engagement from those of us in government,” Lammy says. “I can’t see circumstances under which I would not be speaking to the elected representatives of the Israeli government.”
#2
There's very little reason for a jew to travel to England these days. Then there's the whole Diplomatic Immunity issue, which is going to be a rock that they'll wish they hadn't turned over.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
11/28/2024 8:40 Comments ||
Top||
[ZERO] Did Trump solve the border crisis two months before even being sworn in as the 47th president?
Two days after surprising markets - and sending the peso plummeting - by announcing he would enact 25% import duties on Mexican goods if the country doesn't stop the flow of drugs and migrants across the border.
tariffs on Mexican goods in response to the flood of drugs across the porous southern border, best known for allowing millions of illegal immigrants to enter the US in the past four ears, Trump's unexpected gambit may have already paid off.
In a post on Truth Social network, Trump announced that after a "wonderful" conversation with Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum, she "agreed to stop Migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our Southern Border."
If confirmed, this would be the second time Trump has managed to convince Mexico to suspend migrants from crossing its territory to enter the US. Back in 2018, former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador - a charismatic, old-school politician - developed a chummy relationship with Trump. The two were eventually able to strike a bargain in which Mexico helped keep migrants away from the border - and received other countries' deported migrants - and Trump backed down on similar threats.
While Sheinbaum, who took office Oct. 1, has been seen as a stern leftist ideologue trained in radical student protest movements, and appeared less willing to pacify or mollify Trump, it seems she too has capitulated just 48 hours after Trump unveiled what was coming.
It will be interesting to see how much is actually accomplished — as opposed to promised in the hope that he’ll be distracted and forget — by the time he is finally sworn in to office in January.
Courtesy of Skidmark, the Daily Mail’s take on the story.
[IsraelTimes] US President-elect Donald Trump says Mexico’s leader had agreed to “stop” migration during a conversation between the pair, “effectively closing” the border between their countries.
Claudia Sheinbaum, who posted earlier on X about the call, said the pair had discussed Mexico’s migration “strategy” but made no reference to closing the border.
She worked quickly to respond to Trump’s claim, saying the country did not plan to close its border.
“Mexico’s position is not to close borders, but to build bridges between governments and communities,” the Mexican president writes on X.
Well then. Interesting times for all involved… possibly more interesting for Mexico than her president intended. But some need to pee on the electric fence. (Thanks for that image, Fred — not something I ever expected to hold in my brain.
#3
Trump's not going to be distracted. Will send in SF to deal with the Cartels if necessary.
Posted by: Regular joe ||
11/28/2024 12:12 Comments ||
Top||
#4
It's one thing if the cartels stay on their side of the border killing their own people. Not out problem.
When they cross the border and shoot at Border Patrol or local Law Enforcement, it's effectively an invasion by a non governmental military force and should be dealt accordingly.
[KhaamaPress] The Federation for Immigration Reform in the U.S. has reported a significant increase in the number of Afghan migrants colonists crossing a key immigration passage at the Panama-Colombia border in their attempt to reach the U.S.
According to the report, which was published on Tuesday, November 26, the number of Afghan migrants colonists has increased from 98 individuals between 2010 and 2020 to 8,294 individuals between 2021 and 2024.
This sharp increase in migration to the United States has occurred during the period of Taliban ...Arabic for students... rule in Afghanistan.
Following the return of the Taliban to power in August 2021, international reports indicate that over eight million people have fled Afghanistan. This unprecedented "mass migration" has been described as a major humanitarian crisis.
The Federation for Immigration Reform in the U.S. also highlighted the trend of increased migration through the Darien Gap over the past four years (2021-2024) compared to the previous decade (2010-2020).
The report particularly expressed concern about migrants colonists from Afghanistan and China. There has been increased concern about Afghan migrants colonists in the U.S. after American forces thwarted a terrorist attack by an Afghan national during the U.S. elections.
Some U.S. senators are worried that the Chinese government might be using migrants colonists as a means of espionage within the country.
The rise in Afghan migration can be seen as part of a broader trend of displacement caused by conflict, political instability, and economic hardship in many regions of the world. As the number of Afghan refugees continues to grow, the international community faces a pressing challenge in providing adequate support and ensuring that migrants colonists are treated with dignity and respect.
The issue also raises important questions about migration policies and security concerns, particularly in the U.S., where the increasing number of migrants colonists from countries like Afghanistan and China has prompted discussions about national security.
[IsraelTimes] Jerusalem will challenge court’s action against Israeli nationals as contravening the Oslo Accords; PMO announces Netanyahu met with US senator to discuss steps against ICC
[IsraelTimes] Speaker of Palestinian National Council briefly served as interim PA president after Yasser Arafat’s death
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....> declared Wednesday that if the presidency were to become vacant, he would be temporarily replaced by Rawhi Fattouh, the former speaker of the Paleostinian Legislative Council, who also served as interim PA chief following the death of Yasser Arafat, the administrative body announced.
A statement posted to the PA’s official Wafa news site said that in such an event, Fattouh will serve as interim president for no more than 90 days, during which presidential elections will be held. But if it is not possible to hold elections, the Paleostinian Central Council can grant a one-time extension to the interim president’s term.
The 89-year-old Abbas has served as PA president since 2005. Generally unpopular among Paleostinians, Abbas has long been criticized for his administration’s corruption and his refusal to hold elections.
Born in southern 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... ’s Rafah in 1950, Fattouh has spent his adult life as part of the Paleostinian national movement.
Following the 1967 Six Day War, Fattouh moved to Jordan to join "al-Asifah," the armed wing of Fatah, the main political party of the Paleostinian national movement at the time, and afterward received military training in Iraq, according to a profile by the European Council of Foreign Relations.
Since 1983, he has been a member of the Paleostinian National Council, the PA’s legislative body, and was elected as its speaker in 2020. He was appointed to the position of PA agriculture minister in 2003.
In 2008, he was caught trying to smuggle 3,000 cell phones into Israel from Jordan with the help of his Israeli-issued VIP pass.
In January 2023, then-defense minister Yoav Gallant revoked his entry permit along with those of two other PA officials because they visited a former Paleostinian prisoner who was released after serving a 40-year sentence for murdering an Israeli soldier.
[IsraelTimes] Hochstein says Israel can insist on buffer zone, but Lebanon will never agree to Israel occupying the country’s south, meaning Hezbollah cross-border attacks would resume
The US architect of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire on Wednesday dismissed as "fantasy" the notion that Jerusalem could have secured a better deal in which it would have been able to maintain a buffer zone inside Leb ...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... to better defend against potential attacks from the Iran-backed terror group.
During a round of interviews hours after the ceasefire came into place, US special envoy Amos Hochstein was presented with criticism voiced by former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who said the agreement’s lack of planned buffer zone in Lebanon will allow Hezbollah to rebuild homes along the border that the terror group can use as a staging point for a future invasion of Israel’s north and as launchpads for the many anti-tank missiles it still has in stock.
"Yes, there are fantasy deals that are utopia where you get a ceasefire agreement with a security zone, but those won’t ever happen," Hochstein responded to Channel 12.
The senior adviser to US President Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. Old, boring, a plagiarist, fond of hair sniffing and grabbing the protruding parts of women, and not whatcha call brilliant.... maintained that a buffer zone would require Israel to remain in Lebanon as an occupying force — something that no sovereign country would accept.
"If you choose to have a dead zone or a demilitarized zone, then you are there as an occupier, and you are not there in agreement; which means that while you may have two, three, four or five kilometers inside Lebanon, there won’t be an agreement to stop [Hezbollah from] shooting at Israel from longer ranges," Hochstein said.
Some supporters of the buffer zone idea have not said that the IDF need not occupy southern Lebanon in order for it to be upheld and that other forces could be tasked with doing so.
The deal brokered by the US managed to secure such a commitment from Hezbollah to stop its rocket fire while also empowering the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to prevent the terror group from rebuilding its infrastructure, the US envoy explained.
Skeptics of the deal have questioned whether the LAF will be capable of standing up to Hezbollah, given that it has been unable to do so to date, but US officials argue that Western and Arab allies have now agreed to boost the LAF financially while providing it with more equipment and training.
Hochstein has also touted the ceasefire deal’s boosting of an existing enforcement mechanism that was utterly ineffective in preventing Hezbollah’s rearmament after the 2006 Second Lebanon War. The US and La Belle France will be taking charge of the tripartite enforcement committee that previously only included Israel, Lebanon and the UNIFIL observer force.
From here on out, the committee will be able to respond in real-time to complaints of violations to UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which required Hezbollah to disarm and retreat beyond the Litani River, which is some 18 miles north of the Israel-Lebanon border.
Also new under the deal is the LAF’s agreement to immediately deploy across south Lebanon, gradually replacing Israeli troops over the next two months in order to ensure that Hezbollah is unable to refill the vacuum, as it did after the Second Lebanon War.
The international community will also be involved in rebuilding south Lebanon, rather than abandoning the country immediately after the war as it did in 2006 when Hezbollah was the only force offering to assist in the effort, allowing it to maintain its foothold in those border towns, Hochstein explained.
Asked by Channel 12 why he thought the deal came into fruition now, Hochstein credited the gains Israel has made on the battlefield over the past two months, which convinced Hezbollah to "delink" from the ongoing 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... war after refusing to do so for over a year.
After roughly a year of near-daily Hezbollah cross-border attacks, which began unprovoked hours after Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... ’s October 7 onslaught, Israel significantly intensified its retaliatory strikes in September, killing almost all of Hezbollah’s military and politicians before launching a ground invasion that dismantled much of the terror group’s infrastructure throughout southern Lebanon. The IDF attacks peaked with a mass detonation of Hezbollah communications devices that injured thousands of its operatives.
As for whether Israel should’ve continued in its efforts to continue degrading Hezbollah militarily while the terror group is at one of its weakest points ever, Hochstein told Channel 12, "At some point, you have to get to a deal itself."
During a briefing with Jewish American community leaders earlier in the day, Hochstein pointed out that Israel had never established a war aim of fully dismantling Hezbollah. Israel’s stated goal for the northern front was to allow the tens of thousands of residents to return to their homes near the Blue Line, which wouldn’t have been possible without a deal, he said.
Hochstein was pressed on reports that he had also given Israel an "It’s now or never" ultimatum that ultimately convinced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a deal.
He denied having made such comments but said he did acknowledge having told Netanyahu earlier this month that the window of opportunity to reach a deal was shutting and likely wouldn’t open until after the next administration gets settled into office in March or April of next year. Or January 20th, since everyone's been named
Hochstein was also asked in a subsequent Channel 13 interview about claims from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office that the US pressured Israel to agree to the deal with Lebanon by threatening not to veto a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire along the Blue Line and threatening to withhold weapons shipments from Israel.
"There were no demands by the United States related to weapons or a veto at the UN. There were no threats whatsoever... Those ideas never came up in discussions at any point," he said.
"I have known Prime Minister Netanyahu and the government of Israel for a very long time. I have never known them to cave into deals that they thought threatened the security of Israel," Hochstein maintained.
Earlier in the evening, Netanyahu’s office issued a statement criticizing Hochstein for comments made in another interview with CNBC in which he characterized the ceasefire in Lebanon as "permanent."
"Contrary to what was attributed to Hochstein, fighting can restart at any moment, as we saw today," said premier’s spokesperson hours after IDF troops fired warning shots at people trying to approach several southern Lebanon villages on the first day of the ceasefire Israel and Hezbollah.
"Israel will act firmly against any violation of the ceasefire, and is prepared militarily for any scenario," the Netanyahu aide added in a statement.
Hochstein’s characterization of the deal was the same as the one used by Biden when he announced the ceasefire on Tuesday.
Netanyahu’s office apparently preferred criticizing the Biden aide, rather than the president himself, as it seeks to contend with frustration over the deal from the premier’s hardline base, which polls suggest overwhelmingly oppose the ceasefire and want Israel to continue fighting against Hezbollah.
[IsraelTimes] Biden aides reject claims that transfer of JDAMs has anything to do with Israel agreeing to Lebanon ceasefire, adding that it is one of many sales that are regularly being advanced
The Biden administration is advancing a $680 million weapon package to Israel, a US official confirmed to The Times of Israel on Wednesday, while insisting that the arms sale was not tied to the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, which went into effect hours earlier.
Uh huh. Even I’m not that gullible.
The Financial Times broke the story on the sale of thousands of joint direct attack munition kits (JDAMs), just hours after Biden administration officials briefing news hounds on the ceasefire denied reports that Washington had agreed to transfer additional lethal weapons to Israel in exchange for Jerusalem signing onto the Leb ...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... deal.
The US official speaking to The Times of Israel on Wednesday stood by this assertion, explaining the JDAM sale has been in the works for several months and is just one of countless weapon shipments green-lit since Hamas ..always the voice of sweet reason... ’s October 7 onslaught, including ones in recent weeks before the Lebanon ceasefire was signed.
Lie better, guys.
"There are constantly packages being advanced through various stages. This has nothing to do with the ceasefire in Lebanon," the US official said.
"This case has been in the pipeline for some time now.
No doubt that is true.
Deliveries aren’t expected to start for at least a year, and this should be viewed in the context of long-term support for Israel’s defense and not tied to the ceasefire yesterday or any specific current activity," said another US official.
Slow walk, misfile the paperwork, await signatures of people — like President Biden — who are temporarily out of the office… lots of ways to keep things in the pipeline that should have squirted out long since, when the the party of the second part is feeling hostile.
The State Department declined to confirm the advancement of the JDAMs sale but did say that US support for Israel’s security against Iran-backed threats is "unwavering"
…yeah, yeah — y’all keep saying that with the conviction of an off-off-off-Broadway actor…
and that no country can be expected to tolerate the threats Israel is facing.
And yet you and your president expect Israel to do exactly that, with your demands that Israel sign truces and stop picking on those poor human shields behind which Hamas and Hezbollah hide.
The statement from the State Department said all weapon transfers are carried out in line with US law, which bars their use in the perpetration of war crimes or by countries that block the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians.
Neither of which can be ascribed to Israel, though you do so anyway. Unwaveringly.
"We have made clear that Israel must comply with international humanitarian law, has a moral obligation and strategic imperative to protect civilians, investigate allegations of any wrongdoing, and ensure accountability for any abuses or violations of international human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... law or international humanitarian law," the State Department says.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed yesterday that the US has been delaying weapon shipments to Israel — setbacks that would end soon, he said, not so subtly referencing the January 20 inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump ...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US... The Biden administration immediately denied Netanyahu’s claims, saying the only shipment that has been withheld is a package of 2,000-lb bombs that Washington is concerned would be used in densely populated areas.
Hebrew media reports in recent days quoted unnamed Netanyahu associates claiming that the Biden administration pledged to release withheld weapon shipments in exchange for Israel agreeing to a ceasefire in Lebanon. Other aides to the premier have highlighted that the return of Donald Trump to the White House would also ensure an end to the alleged delay of weapons shipments.
US special envoy Amos Hochstein, who was the chief mediator of the Lebanon ceasefire, said Wednesday that claims by Netanyahu’s office that the US had threatened to advance a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire if Israel rejected the US-brokered deal were also false.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] A truce has begun on the border between Lebanon and Israel. Some Lebanese residents have begun to return to their homes. According to the agreement, Israel must withdraw its troops from Lebanese territory, which in fact leads to a repeat of the results of Operation Cast Lead, about which the Nazis from the Netanyahu government were already bubbling yesterday.
Nazis?? Not even pretending a little bit, Mr. Rozhin.
Despite its losses, Hezbollah was not defeated and, up until the truce, was shelling Israel on a daily basis, although Israel declared it "defeated" back in September.
Iran also welcomed the concluded truce. Hezbollah will be able to restore its strength for the next rounds,
…it will be interesting to see what happens when they try…
and shelling of Israel will be able to continue from Iraq and Yemen.
Before leaving, the Biden administration will also try to achieve a truce in Gaza, where Hamas continues to resist.
More from Boris Rozhin: On the ceasefire in Lebanon
1. A declared truce for 60 days. If no new agreements are reached, then formally both sides may continue exchanging blows in late January-early February. In 2 months, Israel will receive new packages of ammunition and air defense missiles, and Hezbollah will receive new missiles and drones from Iran. Plus, it will recruit additional personnel in southern Lebanon. "Come and die for Tehran!"
2. It would be easy to break this agreement by accusing the other side of violating the agreement. The potential for this is more than great, especially given the general impotence of the Lebanese army. Plus, Israel can wait until Trump comes to the White House, who can stand up for Israel much more strongly, which is what the Netanyahu regime hopes for.
3. Of course, both the IDF and Hezbollah will lick their wounds and prepare for the next round of confrontation, just as Israel's failure in 2006 was just a lost battle in an endless war.
4. Both the Netanyahu regime and Hezbollah have been weakened by this round - Netanyahu's seat inside Israel continues to wobble, and he has already lost some of his external legitimacy. Hezbollah has lost some of its leaders and will need to strengthen its control inside Lebanon, where it is effectively an integrated structure within the Lebanese state. This control may be challenged. Overall, the round ended without a clear victory for either side, but Hezbollah won morally, having endured a very intense conflict with a much stronger adversary, backed by the United States.
5. Hamas has spoken out about the ceasefire in Lebanon.
"We highly appreciate the key role played by the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon in supporting the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Resistance, as well as the enormous sacrifices made by Hezbollah and its leadership, led by Secretary General Shahid Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah. We appreciate the steadfastness of the brotherly Lebanese people and their constant solidarity with the Palestinian people in the face of the occupation and its brutal aggression, and we pray to Almighty God to protect Lebanon and its people from all evil and harm.
The enemy's acceptance of the agreement with Lebanon without fulfilling its conditions is an important milestone in destroying Netanyahu's illusions about changing the map of the Middle East by force, as well as his illusions about defeating or disarming the Resistance forces.
We affirm that this agreement would not have been possible without the steadfastness of the Resistance and the rallying of popular support around it, and we are confident of the Resistance axis' constant support for our people and its support for its struggle by all possible means.
As we follow the implementation of this agreement in Lebanon, we pledge our commitment to cooperate with any efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and are interested in ending the aggression against our people within the parameters of ending the aggression against Gaza that we have agreed upon at the national level, namely: a ceasefire, the withdrawal of the occupying forces, the return of the displaced persons, and a real and complete agreement on the exchange of prisoners.
We praise and are proud of the epic of resilience and pride that our people in the Gaza Strip have demonstrated for more than a year, and we stand with them as they write with their blood and sacrifices bright pages in the history of our people’s ongoing struggle, and we stand with them as one in the trenches of defending our land and confronting the enemy’s plans, and we are loyal to them until the aggression ends.
We call upon the brotherly Arab and Islamic states and the forces of the free world to take serious and effective action against Washington and the Zionist occupation to stop its brutal aggression against our Palestinian people and to put an end to the ongoing war of annihilation in the Gaza Strip.
We reaffirm that our Palestinian people and their valiant resistance will remain true to their national principles and legitimate rights and will defend their land and sanctuaries until the occupation is defeated and eliminated and an independent Palestinian state is established with its capital in Al-Quds (Jerusalem)."
In short, attempts to drive a wedge between Hamas and Hezbollah over the ceasefire have failed. Hamas' demands for withdrawal have not changed, and the fighting in Gaza continues.
Y’all continue believing all that, do. It makes it so much more fun for us.
“Victory from God almighty was the ally of the righteous cause,” a statement from the Iran-backed group said, adding that its fighters “will remain in total readiness to deal with the Israeli enemy’s ambitions and its attacks.”
There is “full cooperation” with the Lebanese state over strengthening the army’s deployment in south Lebanon, Fadlallah tells AFP. He adds that the group has “no visible weapons or bases” there.
Fadlallah also dismisses the part of the ceasefire agreement requiring the Lebanese army to control access to southern Lebanon until Israeli troops withdraw, saying that “nobody can make residents leave their villages.”
#4
Sadat built an entire 6th of October City in Giza governorate, Greater Cairo, to commemorate Egypt’s great victory in the Yom Kippur War. Mr. Wife’s erstwhile employer has a factory there, but for some reason the city was never populated as intended. Which makes me wonder about the new city President el Sisi has been building for Cairo overflow population.
[IsraelTimes] A senior Hezbollah official who survived an apparent assassination attempt last month is seen in pictures shared by Lebanese media touring openly in public after the declaration of a ceasefire.
Hezbollah Liaison and Coordination Unit chief Wafiq Safa survived a rare strike in central Beirut on October 10, according to reports, though claims at the time described him as badly injured.
In pictures circulating today, Safa is seen without any visible ailments, smiling while standing with two others in a cemetery.
A minaret in the background appears to match one in the Ghobeiry section of Beirut.
Safa was sanctioned in 2019 by the US Treasury Department, which described him as Hezbollah’s interlocutor to the Lebanese security forces.
“As the head of Hezbollah’s security apparatus, which is directly linked to Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, Safa has exploited Lebanon’s ports and border crossings to smuggle contraband and facilitate travel on behalf of Hezbollah, undermining the security and safety of the Lebanese people, while also draining valuable import duties and revenue away from the Lebanese government,” the Treasury Department wrote at the time.
[KhaamaPress] Ahmad Masoumifar, the head of Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative office, has warned that by the end of this year, 2.5 million undocumented Afghan migrants will be expelled from Iran.
According to the state-run news agency IRNA, the reduction in the entry of illegal Afghan migrants into Iran has been significant.
He emphasized that the deportation of unauthorized nationals does not require an agreement with any country and that, based on decisions made within the Iranian system, Afghan nationals without legal documentation must leave Iran.
The Iranian official also stated, “If their return is voluntary, that is preferred; otherwise, the relevant authorities will take action.”
The report mentioned that the de facto administration also understands this situation and it is natural for them not to defend individuals who have entered Iran illegally and remained there.
In recent months, the process of expelling Afghan migrants from Iran has intensified.
According to statistics from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), currently, 4.5 million Afghan migrants, both with legal migration documents, long-term visas, or no legal documentation, are living in Iran.
The Iranian government’s decision to expel undocumented Afghan migrants has sparked significant concerns about the well-being of those affected. Many fear the hardship they will face upon their return to Afghanistan, which remains in a state of instability and economic difficulty.
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.
[Red State] The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has made a new ruling in the case involving the state of Texas defending itself against the illegal alien horde invited to storm the U.S.-Mexico border by the Biden administration over the past four years--and it's a win for Governor Greg Abbott.
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
...Arabic for 
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
..always the voice of sweet reason...
