[Breitbart] The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced an enforcement operation along the southwest border targeting more than 100 money service businesses (MSBs). The effort is the latest operation aimed at cutting off financial tools used by drug cartels.
Treasury officials revealed that MSBs are entities that are not banks but provide money transfer, wire, exchange, and other cash-based services; a type of business that, since it primarily deals with cash, provides a certain anonymity for cartels to move or launder funds.
As part of their operations, officials reviewed more than one million Currency Transaction Reports and 87,000 suspicious activity reports, all of which financial businesses are required by law to report. For the operation, Treasury and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN) used a series of high-tech tools to sort through large volumes of data and identify leads for law enforcement.
In targeting those businesses, Treasury officials issued six notices of investigation, dozens of examination referrals to the IRS (Internal Revenue Service), and more than 50 compliance letters to address vulnerabilities to money laundering. The Department of the Treasury claimed it was targeting businesses that appeared to be violating the Bank Secrecy Act.
“At President Trump’s direction, the Treasury Department is utilizing all tools to stop terrorist cartels, drug traffickers, and human smugglers,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent in a prepared statement provided to Breitbart Texas. “This sweeping operation will help root out potential cartel-related money laundering from the U.S. financial system.”
BREAKING NEWS!🚨 Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, stated that the recent arrest of a senior ISIS member in Pakistan by Turkish intelligence forces was a direct result of intelligence provided by the Islamic Emirate.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, stated that the recent arrest of a senior ISIS member in Pakistan by Turkish intelligence forces was a direct result of intelligence provided by the Islamic Emirate.
He added that the Emirate has long been aware of ISIS's presence in Pakistan & has been monitoring their activities closely.
This comes at a time when Pakistan’s military regime is reportedly facilitating extensive safe havens for ISIS in the Mastung region of Balochistan, using them to destabilize both the region & beyond.
[Aletaeia] The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora rejoices in confirming the safe release of the second batch of children abducted from St. Mary's Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools
In late November, 303 students and 12 staff members were kidnapped from St. Mary’s Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Niger State, in Nigeria.
The jihadis kidnapped about half the total student body that day: boys for child soldiers, girls for wives to worthy turbans, and the excess of both to be sold on the world market.
A first group of about 100 was released in early December. Now, just before Christmas, the rest have been released.
In a message to Vatican News, Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna expressed immense relief, attributing the pre-Christmas development to prayers offered by the faithful in the Diocese and around the world.
"I am deeply grateful to God for his providence and protection during this extremely difficult period," he said. He also thanked the government at federal and state levels for "decisive and coordinated efforts."
"The authorities took comprehensive measures to ensure their safe release, including psychological support, trauma examination, and medical care for all the children," he added.
Emmanuel Ibrahim, a social studies teacher at St. Mary’s School in Papiri is one of several hundred students and teachers who were abducted from the school, in Niger State, in an early morning attack in November https://t.co/mnfXcDDRhY
In the courtyard of his family home in Azakabosso, Emmanuel Ibrahim is welcomed by family members after spending a month being held hostage by kidnappers.
Ibrahim, 29, is a social studies teacher at St. Mary’s School in Papiri.
He is one of several hundred students and teachers who were abducted from the school, in Nigeria’s Niger State, in an early morning attack in November.
He described harrowing conditions with kidnappers, who he referred to as “terrorists”, and he said there were “more women and children than men” in the camp where the hostages were staying in the bush.
No group has claimed responsibility, but residents blamed armed gangs that target schools and travelers in kidnappings for ransom across Nigeria’s conflict-battered north.
“The children, many of them are in a very bad condition. There’s one of these child(ren), that lost his life over there due to the weather and even the feeding, they are not feeding (them) well. So one fateful day like that, we just woke up and discovered that the child was no longer alive.”
But Ibrahim smiled when he spoke about being home in time for Christmas.
“Actually I’m so, so happy, because in my expectations, I was not expecting (that) I would have the opportunity to celebrate Christmas with my family,” he said.
Ibrahim is among the 130 students and teachers who were released Sunday, the last of the group that remained in captivity after 100 were released earlier this month.
Anthony Chieme spoke to The Associated Press when his son was released at that time. But he still had a daughter in captivity, who was released with the group this past weekend.
As both of his children sat beside him in front of the family home Wednesday, he said he thanked God that he now has them both back, but worried about his daughter.
“My daughter Onyishe is not the same girl that came back. The government gave her water (saline) and blood transfusion, but she is still not feeling well. But I trust God will take care of her,” he said.
School kidnappings have come to define insecurity in Africa’s most populous country.
Officials did not say whether a ransom — common in such abductions — had been paid. No group has claimed responsibility, but residents blamed armed gangs that target schools and travelers in kidnappings for ransom across Nigeria’s conflict-battered north.
Most of those seized in the attack were aged between 10 and 17, the school said.
[IsraelTimes] Turtle Island Liberation Front members, accused of planning mass terror attack in California, repeatedly discussed violence toward Israel, court documents show
Far-left activists who were arrested while allegedly plotting a mass bombing campaign in Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, repeatedly discussed violence toward Israel and identified with the Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... terrorist group, according to a Tuesday indictment.
Earlier this month, US federal authorities announced the foiled plot by an activist group called the Turtle Island Liberation Front.
Turtle Island is a term used by some indigenous groups to describe North America.
The group is a far-left, anti-Israel, anti-government and anti-capitalist network that participated in a vitriolic protest against a Los Angeles synagogue earlier this month, while some of its members were allegedly planning their bombing campaign.
Four activists have been charged in the bombing plot — Audrey Illeene Carroll, Zachary Aaron Page, Dante Gaffield and Tina Lai. They range in age from 24 to 41.
The indictment, filed on Tuesday in a federal court in California, said the four were part of a radical faction of the Turtle Island Liberation Front, called Order of the Black Lotus.
Carroll created a document, titled "Operation Midnight Sun," that outlined a mass bombing campaign across Southern California on New Year’s Eve, the indictment said.
The goal of the plot was to "pulverize" targets, such as the offices of technology and logistics companies, and to kill federal immigration agents.
Carroll drafted the other alleged conspirators into the plot and the group began acquiring materials to make bombs, the indictment said.
While they were planning the attacks and assembling the explosives last month and this month, the group repeatedly made statements about violence toward Israel.
Page, using an encrypted messaging application, messaged the other alleged conspirators, saying, "death to israel death to the usa death to colonizers death to settler-coloniasm [sic.]."
In response, Carroll wrote back, "Death to them all, burn it all down," followed by three emojis of a burning heart.
Days later, ringleader Carroll wrote to the group, "I identify as a terrorist," and, "I am a Hamas fangirl."
Later that day, Gaffield wrote to the group, "I am here to destroy Zionism by any means necessary."
"Real Activism = Destroying Zionism By Any Means, even if it’s risky. If you aren’t willing to die for or lose your freedom, then you’re just another toy in the machine," he wrote.
Carroll responded, "Glory to the deaders and death to Israel."
Carroll also said that it was time for America to fall and that America falling will make Israel fall, the indictment said.
Prosecutors released photos of posters found in Carroll’s home. Several were marked with inverted red triangles, a pro-Hamas symbol, and one said, "Death to America, long live Turtle Island and Paleostine."
The same week the group exchanged the messages and planned the bombs, the Turtle Island Liberation Front appeared to join a protest against a Los Angeles synagogue. During the protest, some demonstrators made it inside the synagogue to disrupt a private event.
The Turtle Island Liberation Front had advertised the protest on social media, calling the congregants "genocidal monsters."
"These genocidal war criminals have no place in our city, and no place in Paleostine. Never let them live in peace," the post said.
The group bought bombmaking materials, such as PVC pipes, potassium nitrate, sulfur powder, gasoline, electronics and pistol primers. They traveled to a remote campsite in the desert with the material to test the explosives, but were arrested by the FBI before assembling the bombs.
Prosecutors released photos from the scene showing signs that said "Free Paleostine" on a table with the bomb materials.
Charges against the group include providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists; possession of unregistered firearms; and conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction.
Carroll and Page face a maximum sentence of life in prison. Gaffield and Lai face up to 25 years in prison.
A series of surveys has found that further left and younger Americans are increasingly open to political violence.
[IsraelTimes] As Netanyahu hints Israel will prevent Ankara from acquiring F-35s, Turkish FM Hakan Fidan discusses Gaza ceasefire and humanitarian aid amid rising tensions
Ottoman Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met on Wednesday with Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... political bureau officials in Ankara to discuss the ceasefire 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... and advancing to the second phase of the agreement, a Ottoman Turkish foreign ministry source said.
The source said Hamas officials told Fidan they had fulfilled their requirements as part of the ceasefire deal, but that Israel’s continued "targeting" of Gaza aimed to prevent the agreement from moving to the next phase. Since the start of the ceasefire, Israel has targeted numerous individuals it said were terror operatives who crossed into Israel-controlled territory.
The Hamas members also said humanitarian aid entering Gaza was not sufficient, and that goods like medication, equipment for housing and fuel were needed, the source added.
Fidan’s meeting with Hamas officials underscored Ankara’s continued engagement with the terror group. Since the outbreak of the war on October 7, 2023, The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...a NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... member, but not the most reliable... has positioned itself as one of Hamas’s most vocal supporters on the international stage.
Erdogan has repeatedly praised Hamas as a "resistance movement," accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and severed key economic and diplomatic ties with Jerusalem, including suspending trade and restricting Israeli access to Ottoman Turkish airspace.
Wednesday’s revelation came as Ottoman Turkish pro-government media sharply escalated its rhetoric against Israel, portraying it as a primary strategic threat to Ankara.
The daily Yeni Safak, a newspaper closely aligned with Erdogan, declared on its front page on Wednesday that "Israel is now the number one threat," claiming that Ottoman Turkish state institutions now view Israel as their main security concern. The paper reported that Turkey’s defense ministry, foreign ministry and MIT intelligence service had all elevated Israel to the top of their agendas.
The report also linked Israel to recent festivities in northern Syria, alleging — without evidence — that Jerusalem had encouraged Kurdish forces affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to escalate fighting in Aleppo in order to embarrass Turkey. Ankara classifies the SDF as a terrorist organization due to its ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
According to the paper, the timing of the escalation was significant, as it coincided with a trilateral summit between Israel, Greece and Cyprus, which Ankara has portrayed as an offensive move against its interests in the eastern Mediterranean.
The summit also took place on the same day that Fidan, Ottoman Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler and Turkey’s MIT chief Ibrahim Kalin were on a working visit to Damascus — timing Yeni Safak described as suspicious.
On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hosted Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides in Jerusalem, where the three leaders agreed to deepen security cooperation. During the meeting, Netanyahu issued what was widely interpreted as a pointed message aimed at Erdogan, warning that "those who fantasize they can reestablish their empires and their dominion over our lands" should "forget it."
Netanyahu delivered another pointed message toward Ankara on Wednesday, saying in a speech at an Israeli Air Force pilots’ graduation ceremony that Israel would continue to provide its pilots with "the best instruments" and would "prevent whoever must be prevented from receiving these instruments" — a thinly veiled reference to Turkey’s quest to receive the F-35 fighter jet from the United States.
During US President Donald Trump ...His ancestors didn't own any slaves... ’s first term, the US removed Turkey, a NATO ally, from its flagship F-35 fighter jet program, after Ankara purchased the S-400 surface-to-air missile system from Russia. Anxious to bolster its air power, Turkey has proposed to European partners and the US ways it could swiftly obtain the fighter jets as it seeks to make up ground versus regional rivals such as Israel.
The US has continued to press Israel to agree to Ottoman Turkish involvement in postwar arrangements in Gaza, including participation in an international stabilization force — an idea Israel has firmly rejected. An Israeli political source said to Ynet that "it is clear to everyone that Turkey will not be part of any international force" operating in Gaza.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Kamran Gasanov
[REGNUM] A visit to Syria by a high-ranking Turkish delegation (comprising the heads of the Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry, and intelligence chief) would seem unsurprising. After "Erdogan took over Syria" (as Donald Trump famously described the situation ), the countries became communicating vessels. But the current visit by Hakan Fidan and Co. is anything but ordinary.
Several factors give particular significance to Turkish emissaries: the inability of the Syrian interim authorities to establish full control over the northeast of the country, the fuss surrounding the political future of the Turkish minister himself, and Israel's activity.
Each of these scenarios is closely interconnected, and they all pose a problem for Erdoğan: the Kurdish issue, the transition of power, and the geopolitical standoff in the Eastern Mediterranean. And all these factors are tied into a tight Syrian knot.
REBELLIOUS KURDS
The arrival of the delegation led by Fidan was timed to coincide with the anniversary of Bashar al-Assad's overthrow. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan must and wants to show who's boss.
The two countries have many issues to discuss: continued support for the development of the armed forces and defense capability, economic exchange, and the reconstruction of Syria. Not everything depends on Turkey in these matters, although Fidan speaks of investment opportunities and the interest of Turkish textile manufacturers in the Syrian market.
Ankara is helping Damascus emerge from international isolation. In this regard, Fidan didn't forget to praise Donald Trump : "The repeal of the Caesar Act is a major contribution to regional stability."
However, the most important and nerve-wracking issue is the Kurds.
The People's Protection Units (YPG), which forms the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), have never been integrated into the new Syrian army.
Ankara accuses both structures of violating the March 10 agreement. On that day, Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi signed a document integrating Kurdish military and civilian structures into state institutions.
"Unfortunately, we are not seeing any progress in implementing the agreement. We see that the SDF has no intention of implementing it," the Turkish Foreign Minister said indignantly during a meeting with his Syrian counterpart, Asaad al-Shibani.
Previously, Turkey independently carried out operations against the YPG and SDF, risking periodic conflict with the United States, which has bases in northeastern Syria and considers the Kurds its allies against ISIS (banned in Russia).
But since Assad left and pro-Turkish forces took power, Ankara has been trying to resolve the Kurdish issue through al-Sharaa. Damascus hasn't been successful so far, and so the Erdogan government is pushing its Syrian client to accelerate the dismantling of the YPG and SDF.
It's no coincidence that clashes between Kurds and transitional government forces broke out in Aleppo on the day of the Turkish visit. Ankara is pushing certain Syrian army units to escalate the situation.
CAMPAIGN AGAINST FIDAN
No one in Erdoğan's team and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) doubts that the YPG must be dealt with. But the Foreign Minister is taking a much tougher stance than the others. Four days before his trip to Damascus, he said the following: "They must fulfill the terms of the deal. It's not that we prefer the use of military force, but the patience of both sides is running out."
Had this been stated between 2016 (Turkey's first operation in Syria) and December 7, 2024 (the day before Assad's overthrow), no one would have been surprised. However, now that Erdoğan has ordered the disarmament and integration of the al-Shara'a Kurds, and Turkey itself has opted for diplomatic means to disarm and disorganize the Kurdistan Workers' Party (KWP) (a relative of the YPG), both the AKP and the opposition have taken notice.
Here's what AKP MP Galip Ensarioğlu said : "In our system, the president's will is decisive. Anyone who goes against that will either resigns or is fired."
Recently arrested popular journalist Levant Gültekin interpreted the MP's statement as part of a campaign to undermine Fidan's influence.
Rumors have been circulating in Turkey since around October that Erdoğan chose his son Bilal, rather than the experienced Fidan, as his successor. And now they need reasons to clear the way for him to ascend to the top.
Gültekin, cited by the Telegram channel "Turkey's Agenda," cites other facts supporting the hypothesis of "tension around Fidan." For example, the Anadolu News Agency received an order not to cover news about the minister's activities. A pro-Fidan journalist was fired from the agency.
Gültekin also recalls the minister's accusations against the United States over the lack of engines for the Turkish KAAN fighter jet, which irritated Dolmabahçe.
It's too early to say how accurate the journalist's hypothesis is that Fidan is being pushed aside. After all, the statement of one of the 266 MPs, even from the ruling party, cannot be a gauge of Erdoğan's sentiments. Especially since Ensarioğlu is of Kurdish descent.
The party leadership, through AKP Speaker Ömer Çelik, denied allegations of disagreement between Erdoğan and cabinet members over foreign policy. However, Bilal's rise to power is also an open secret.
NETANYAHU'S COUNTERMOVE
Turkey's modern foreign policy rarely goes without attacks on Israel, especially since 2023. In any speeches addressed to an international audience, Erdoğan and his subordinates never forget to hurl a stone at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
This was not without its implications during the Damascus negotiations. Moreover, Fidan combined the Israeli and Kurdish factors.
"The fact that the SDF is coordinating certain actions with Israel is currently a serious obstacle to the ongoing negotiations with Damascus," he said.
The Kurdish-Israeli alliance has long been known. Tel Aviv supplied the YPG with more than just humanitarian aid. Netanyahu has long defended the Syrian Kurds. He accused Erdoğan of genocide against them in both 2018 and 2024.
The only difference is that now, after the events in Gaza and Syria, the confrontation between Turkey and Israel has intensified. Netanyahu is using any means necessary to stop Erdogan in the Middle East.
While the Turkish delegation was rushing to Damascus, the Israeli prime minister convened the Triple Alliance in Jerusalem, inviting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides. In their presence, he declared that "those who fantasize about restoring empires and establishing dominion over our lands should forget it." Everyone understood to whom he was referring.
Greece and Cyprus also harbor a grudge against Turkey. Nicosia is unhappy with Ankara's continued support for Turkish separatism in Cyprus, while Athens remains undecided about the division of the Aegean islands with the Turks.
Israel, Cyprus, and Greece are concerned about Turkey's activities in the Mediterranean. Ankara is unilaterally signing maritime delimitation agreements with Libya and Syria, developing oil and gas fields off Cyprus, and obstructing the construction of a gas pipeline from Israel to Europe.
Cyprus, Israel, and Greece need each other. Israel supplies weapons to the Greeks and builds bases in Cyprus, and in gratitude and as EU member states, the Greeks are holding back Turkey's integration into the SAFE arms program.
Posted by: badanov ||
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[X] "We will see by the end of the year how much this meeting will affect the SDF integration process, which is being mediated by the US. Türkiye's clear objective is to work to prevent an agreement and to organize an attack at the end of the year, saying 'the SDF did not do what was necessary"
--Dogan Cihan
On March 10, in Damascus, the capital of Syria, a significant eight-point agreement was signed between the Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Shara and the Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazlum Abdi. Essentially, this agreement reflected the shared will of the two Syrian leaders. Following 14 years of war, it was a historic step demonstrating the Syrians' determination to live together.
On December 8, HTS leader Ahmed al-Shara was brought to Damascus and established his power. Then, at the Victory Conference held on January 29, he declared himself the Interim President of Syria; he dissolved the army, parliament, and the 2012 Constitution. At this conference, Shara called on all groups in Syria to pledge allegiance.
HTS, the Syrian National Army (SNA), and some radical, Salafist, and jihadist groups dissolved themselves and began restructuring as "Divisions" within the Syrian Ministry of Defense. However, a truly independent army has not yet been established in Syria. Outside of the areas under Shara's influence – excluding Southern Syria (Suweida) and the Democratic Autonomous Regions of Northern and Eastern Syria – whichever group is strongest in a particular area is given control of that area under the name of the Syrian Ministry of Defense. Thus, although the groups are referred to as "Divisions," they effectively act independently, continuing to implement their own agendas on the ground.
The integration of the SDF into Syria, which came up within the framework of the March 10 Agreement, is often misrepresented. In reality, this agreement was signed between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the SDF. The two forces established a dialogue mechanism to secure constitutional rights and create a joint New Syrian Army while preserving Syria's diversity. Both sides were Syrian and on equal footing; therefore, neither side could join the other, as there was no army yet.
The aim was to begin structuring the new army by negotiating on equal terms regarding Syria's future. The March 10 Agreement was based on reciprocal steps and the implementation of eight points. However, the process did not proceed as expected. The sole reason for the failure to implement this plan was Turkey.
More at the link
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Personnel is policy, proving again exactly who they are.
[IsraelTimes] New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani names several prominent anti-Israel activists to his inaugural committee.
Mamdani will be inaugurated on January 1 and hold an Inauguration Block Party the same day in downtown Manhattan.
His inaugural committee includes Ms. Rachel, a children’s star on YouTube who has made pro-Palestinian advocacy central to her online platform.
Critics say her talking points, such as her constant focus on Palestinians and accusations of genocide against Israel, veer into antisemitism.
The inaugural committee also includes Beth Miller, the political director for the fringe, anti-Zionist Jewish Voice for Peace,
… neither Jewish nor for peace, it was founded by Hamas BDS activist Hatem Bazian, while its social media managers live in Lebanon and a large chunk of its funding comes from the Soros Open Society Foundations. But some of its useful idiots identify as “Jewish”…
and Cynthia Nixon, a far-left, anti-Israel former actress.
The committee also includes Phylisa Wisdom, the head of the progressive political group the New York Jewish Agenda.
…far left, New York City, at the J Street end of the spectrum…
The exact role of the committee and its members is unclear.
“I’m honored to be joined by some of the most creative and experienced minds in the city as we build an inauguration that is truly by and for New Yorkers,” Mamdani says in a statement.
[IsraelTimes] In his Christmas Eve greeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims that Israel is “the only country in the Middle East where the Christian community is thriving.”
“Israel is the only country in the Middle East where Christians can practice their faith with full rights and in total freedom,” he continues in a video released by his office, “where Christian pilgrims are embraced with open arms and so deeply appreciated.”
Netanyahu stresses that the Jerusalem municipality distributes Christian trees, whereas “in the Palestinian town of Jenin, Palestinians burnt a Christmas tree in the Holy Redeemer Church.”
Palestinian Authority police said today that officers arrested three suspects in the arson attack that targeted a Christmas tree and a nativity scene in the church early Monday.
“Israel stands up for Christians across the region, wherever they face widespread intimidation and persecution,” says Netanyahu. He notes that Israel’s Christian population is growing, while those of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey and the Palestinian Authority are shrinking.
Netanyahu also condemns attacks against Christians in Nigeria, something US President Donald Trump has also highlighted.
“Know that Israel will always stand with you,” Netanyahu says to Christians around the world.
[IsraelTimes] Border Police are reportedly pressing the West Bank settlement of Givat Ze’ev to tighten its security provisions regarding Palestinian workers, two weeks after police nabbed seven guards suspected of helping smuggle laborers into the town.
In a letter obtained by the Ynet news outlet, Chief Supt. Eliyahu Touboul informs the chairman of the local council that law enforcement has received a flurry of complaints reporting violations of the security arrangements meant to monitor Palestinians in the town’s employ.
The senior policeman notes that since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks, the government has barred Palestinian laborers from entering Israeli towns with the exception of a select few workers, who must first clear a round of background checks and remain under constant surveillance by armed guards while on the clock.
But Givat Ze’ev, a settlement just north of Jerusalem that contracts a private security firm to perform these duties, has been excessively lax regarding the matter, Touboul claims.
According to his letter, one of the entrances to the settlement was ordered closed by the Zion Region police commander due to technical issues with the gate.
Jewish residents also filed police complaints about Palestinian workers resting near schools and synagogues, as well as riding buses in the settlement, acts that go against the police’s restrictions, the letter adds.
In a statement to Ynet, the local council insists that the “claims raised in the letter stand in complete contradiction to the understandings and work procedures that were approved and coordinated directly with the regional [police] commander.”
The council adds that it “does not compromise on the issue,” noting that its chairman, Yossi Assaraf, transferred information to the police that led to the arrest of the seven security guards who facilitated the illegal entry of Palestinian workers in exchange for bribes.
In the wake of October 7, Israel all but shut its doors to Palestinians seeking work in Israel, severely limiting work permits for West Bank residents and categorically barring Gazans from the Israeli labor market.
As of this past summer, the number of Palestinian workers in Israel stood at just 11% of the pre-October 7 figure.
[IsraelTimes] Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar again accuses Palestinian 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....> of lying about internal reforms regarding payments to terrorists and their families.
“Instead of ending all payments, he’s disguising many of them as payments to pensioners and salaries of the PA Security Services,” he writes on X, pointing to a statement by Abbas today that “loyalty to the sacrifices of our righteous martyrs, our steadfast prisoners, our wounded, and their resilient families is a deeply rooted national and moral obligation.”
He has accused the PA of lying about the policy in the past.
Last week, the Palestinian Authority’s new welfare agency reiterated that Ramallah would pay stipends to prisoners in Israeli jails based on economic need rather than time served, sparking protests across the West Bank.
Israel says that the reforms are superficial and that the “pay-for-slay” policy continues.
[IsraelTimes] Defense Minister Israel Katz says the defense establishment is “closely monitoring” the developments in Iran, amid reports that Israel is increasingly concerned that Tehran is rebuilding and expanding its ballistic missile production.
“I read the reports about Iran, which we struck heavily, together with our American partners, during Operation Rising Lion,” Katz says at a pilots’ graduation ceremony, referring to June’s 12-day war.
“The defense establishment is closely monitoring developments, and naturally, I cannot elaborate beyond that. But on one principle there is no dispute: what was before October 7 will not be again. We will not allow threats of annihilation against the State of Israel,” Katz adds.
[IsraelTimes] Premier says Israel will build an independent munitions industry over the next decade, ‘reduce dependence on all players’ after threat of arms embargoes, boycotts during Gaza war
Israel is working to gain as much independence as possible in its weapons production, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Wednesday, in a development he said was the result of the lessons learned during the past two years of war on multiple fronts.
"I approved, along with the defense minister and finance minister, a sum of NIS 350 billion [$108 billion] over the next decade to build an independent Israeli munitions industry," Netanyahu said in an address at a graduation ceremony for Israeli Air Force pilots.
The move, he said, stemmed from a desire to "reduce our dependence on all players, including friends," after allies including the US, UK, and Germany all imposed various restrictions on weapons sales to Israel since the October 7, 2023, Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... attack.
Still, he noted, many countries around the world, including Germany, "want to buy from us more and more systems."
The premier has long been calling for Israel to develop its own self-reliant military industry, and in January 2024 announced that the government would invest in a "multi-year plan to free Israel from dependence on external purchases."
The matter returned to the public eye earlier this year as Jerusalem’s European allies began to grow impatient with Israel’s conduct in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... , with some calling for arms embargoes and sanctions.
In that light, Netanyahu briefly caused an uproar in September when he admitted that Israel was facing increased isolation on the world stage and that, to combat that, it would have to become a more self-reliant "super-Sparta" in the years to come.
The remarks sparked outrage and spooked the markets, forcing him to clarify them in a follow-up presser the next day, when he insisted that he had been referring only to the defense ministry rather than the overall Israeli economy.
In his speech on Wednesday, Netanyahu also addressed Israel’s aerial superiority, in what appeared to be a thinly veiled reference to The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... ’s quest to receive F-35 fighter jets from the US.
Israel will "prevent whoever must be prevented from receiving these instruments," the premier promised, adding that the Jewish state’s "aerial superiority in the Middle East is a cornerstone of our national security."
Maintaining this, he said, rests on Israel’s skilled pilots and "the best aircraft in the world."
Israel is currently the only country in the Middle East with F-35s in its arsenal, currently operating 45 of the aircraft with another 30 units on order.
During US President Donald Trump ...The cad! Twice caught beating wimmin!... ’s first term, Washington removed Turkey, a NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... ally, from its flagship F-35 fighter jet program, after Ankara purchased the S-400 surface-to-air missile system from Russia.
But now, anxious to bolster its air power, Turkey has proposed to European partners and the US ways it could swiftly obtain the fighter jets as it seeks to make up ground versus regional rivals such as Israel.
Turkey is one of the world’s most outspoken critics of Israel, with President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important... often accusing Israel of genocide over the past two years, and praising Hamas.
Further bolstering Israel’s fears, Trump recently announced the sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... , although US officials and defense experts told Rooters that the jets to be sold to the Saudis will be less advanced than those used by the IDF.
[IsraelTimes] Hundreds parade down Manger Square, thought to be Jesus’s birthplace, as bagpipes and drums return to West Bank city, which hosted subdued celebrations in recent years
Scouts marched under a clear blue sky in Bethlehem on Wednesday, as the Paleostinian city emerged from the shadow of the war 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... to celebrate its first festive Christmas in more than two years.
Throughout the war in Gaza, which began with Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... ’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, a somber tone had marked Christmas in the biblical birthplace of Jesus Christ.
But on Wednesday, celebrations were in full swing again in the West Bank city, as a fragile truce held in the Strip, where hundreds of thousands of people are facing the winter in makeshift tents.
In the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV was due to deliver his first Christmas Mass at Saint Peter’s Basilica, after he called for "24 hours of peace in the whole world."
In Bethlehem, the sound of drums and bagpipes playing renditions of popular Christmas carols filled the air, as Christians, young and old made their way to the city’s central Manger Square.
"Today is full of joy because we haven’t been able to celebrate because of the war," said Milagros Anstas, 17, dressed in the yellow and blue uniform of Bethlehem’s Salesian scout group.
Hundreds of people took part in the parade down Bethlehem’s narrow Star Street, while a dense crowd massed in the square.
A towering Christmas tree covered with red and gold baubles sparkled next to the Church of the Nativity.
The basilica dates back to the fourth Century and was built on top of a grotto where Christians believe Jesus was born more than 2,000 years ago.
Bethlehem residents hope the return of Christmas festivities will breathe life back into the city.
"We need to get the message to the whole world and this is the only way," said George Hanna, from the neighboring town of Beit Jala.
Bethlehem’s municipality toned down Christmas festivities while war raged in the region, but a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has halted full-scale fighting since October.
"This year we want a Christmas full of light because this is what we need after two years of darkness," said Jerusalem’s Latin Patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, before leading Midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity.
The senior holy man visited war-battered Gaza over the weekend, leading a Christmas Mass at the Holy Family Gay Pareeh in Gaza City on Sunday.
He told the crowd in Manger Square that he had witnessed "a disaster" in the Paleostinian territory, but also a spirit of resilience.
"The situation is really catastrophic. But I saw there also the desire of life, as here," he said.
"In the midst of nothing, they have been able to celebrate."
Carmelina Piedimonte, who travelled to Bethlehem from Italia as part of a Catholic group, said witnessing the Christmas celebrations in the occupied West Bank had filled her with hope.
"If in your heart you have love, then it’s possible to have a world without war," she said, as bells rang out behind her.
3 Deadlines to Determine the Levant’s Fate: Syria, Lebanon, Gaza
This year in the Middle East, the “by- year-end-or-else” comes in triplicate.
By alhurranews
Syria
The third deadline, also for year’s end, is to integrate the U.S.-backed Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, into the Syrian army. The deadline was set by the so-called March agreement, signed between President Ahmed al-Sharaa and the SDF, which mandated progress in unifying their forces by the end of 2025.
Media reports say the Syrian government recently sent a proposal to Kurdish leaders expressing openness to integrating about 50,000 fighters into three main divisions and smaller brigades under the Syrian Defense Ministry. In return, Damascus demanded that its forces enter areas currently controlled by the SDF.
The United States, through presidential envoy Tom Barrack, has been heavily involved in the talks after previously mediating the March agreement.
But the situation on the ground has deteriorated. Clashes erupted between the Syrian army and the SDF in Aleppo province on Dec. 22, resulting in injuries on both sides, according to Syrian media reports.
Here, too, time appears to be a critical factor — in Syria, as in Lebanon and Gaza. Whether the situation in the Levant escalates or stabilizes in 2026 depends on three deadlines, all expiring in mere days.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
...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....
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
