[IsraelTimes] The Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reports that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi informed other Arab leaders that he is willing to temporarily relocate half a million residents from Gaza to a designated city in the northern Sinai as part of the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
This step would require opening the border crossings between Sinai and Gaza for those who wish to leave.
According to the report, these statements were made during meetings held by Arab leaders in recent weeks in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
There is no confirmation of this report from any other source.
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] Former Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi arrived in Sana'a on Wednesday to participate in the third international conference titled ''Paleostine: The Central Issue of the Nation.''
That’s nice. Y’all amuse yourselves pretending your opinions matter even a little bit on the subject, while the grownups get on with bouncing Hamas rubble into ever deeper piles.
He was received by the head of the conference's preparatory committee, Dr. Abdul Rahim al-Hamran, as well as several ministers from the Sana'a government.
The third international conference is scheduled to begin in Sana'a on the 22nd of this month and continue for four days, with the participation of delegations from Arab and Islamic countries
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... front man Abdul Latif al-Qanou, confirmed on Thursday that negotiations with mediators are ongoing to halt the aggression against our people, ensure the occupation's commitment to the agreement, and force it to abandon its plans.
''We remain committed to the ceasefire agreement and are working with mediators to permanently spare our people from war and secure the occupation's withdrawal from 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... ,'' al-Qanou said in a statement.
''The siege, starvation, and genocide in Gaza demand urgent action from the Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to save our people from annihilation, prevent their starvation, and lift the blockade,'' he stressed.
On Wednesday, al-Qanou stated that any ''any proposal based on entering negotiations for the second phase and achieving a permanent ceasefire is welcome and open for discussion.''
He added, ''We are keen to stop the bloodshed and open to any efforts that lead to a permanent end to the war and the withdrawal from Gaza.''
Since Tuesday, the occupation authorities have launched a violent mostly peaceful and intensive assault, targeting civilian homes in the Gaza Strip, announcing the resumption of the war amid a suffocating blockade and a severe shortage of necessary medical equipment and supplies.
[IsraelTimes] Senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu tells Al-Jazeera that indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas to reach a renewed ceasefire have not stopped, and efforts to reach a point that would allow the deal to be put back into effect are ongoing.
According to al-Nunu, Hamas has shown sufficient flexibility to resume the agreement, but Israel has refused these attempts.
Translating into Arabic: No you have not.
Israel resumed fighting in Gaza earlier this week after talks for a temporary extension to the first phase of a multi-stage ceasefire and hostage release deal failed, with Hamas insisting it would not deviate from the agreed-upon second phase of the truce.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since declared that any further negotiations with Hamas will only take place “under fire.”
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2025 00:00 ||
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] There is no unity among Russian Muslims in their assessment of events in the Middle East, and many representatives of the clergy, unlike the mufti of the Volgograd region, prefer not to speak out on this matter, experts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" indicated.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot", the mufti of the Volgograd region Mohamad Bata Kivakh faced criticism from some of his fellow believers after he published an appeal in connection with the events in Syria. According to the mufti, he received "many insults from Muslims". A native of Syria studying in Volgograd recorded a video apologizing for his reaction to the mufti's words about the events in the Middle East.
"The address of the Mufti of the Volgograd Region on the genocide in Syria" was published on the Mufti's Telegram channel on March 13. It says that in the Syrian provinces of Latakia, Jabla and Tartus, "civilians, including Christians, became victims of a brutal genocide" organized by groups associated with terrorist organizations.
"Men, women, the elderly and children were mercilessly exterminated. According to sources, about 10 thousand people died as a result of these terrible events. All these crimes were committed under the banner of Islam, but those responsible for them have nothing to do with the true faith. They are real monsters and criminals," the Mufti wrote and called for "spreading calls for peace, as well as praying for the people of Syria."
The conflict that arose around the video address of Mufti Mohammad Bat Kivakh was commented on for the "Caucasian Knot" by international law expert Roman Melnichenko, human rights activist Alexander Verkhovsky, Islamic scholar Muslim Yunusov and his colleague, who wished to remain anonymous.
To accurately assess the situation surrounding the appeal of the Volgograd mufti, “it is necessary to leave the Christian paradigm, in which the majority of Russians find themselves in one way or another,” Melnichenko believes.
"In Muslim culture, there are no intermediaries between the faithful and God, and everyone is responsible for themselves, and therefore, for example, a mufti is a simple Muslim, equal to others, who simply performs certain functions that the Muslim community has endowed him with. Hence our surprise at the active expression by Muslims of various positions, including those different from the positions of the Muslim "leadership". But this should not be regarded as attacks against the authorities," he explained.
The form of expression of a Muslim's position on current issues, according to the expert, can be "quite harsh, but it rarely leads to any real irreparable steps." Transferring the conflict to the legal plane with the use of articles of the criminal code, such as the threat of murder or causing serious bodily harm, is unlikely here, according to Melnichenko's assumption, "since the criminal article is applied if there are grounds to fear the implementation of this threat."
"Comments, even very harsh ones, do not give grounds for such concerns. As for the public apology, this should also be looked at from the position of Muslims, where public speech has a very high value. A speech given by a real Muslim means exactly what it means, in this case, his repentance," said Roman Melnichenko .
Only investigators, prosecutors or judges in criminal cases, for example, under the article on threats to murder, can give a legal assessment of the threats to Mohamad Bata Kivah from anonymous commentators on his video message, believes Alexander Verkhovsky .
"It is not just experts who can find signs of extremism in such comments and threats to the mufti, but rather employees of investigative, supervisory and judicial bodies. But I doubt that such a criminal case will be opened, since identifying commentators is an extremely difficult task, and investigators do not need "cold cases". The same applies to signs of terrorist activity," said Alexander Verkhovsky.
As of 05:50 Moscow time on March 20, there were 3,521 comments under the publication with the appeal of the Volgograd mufti, however, among these comments there are no longer those that contain direct insults, threats or support for violence. The publication V1.ru wrote earlier that comments justifying violence and cruelty were deleted. The authors of some comments under the appeal of Mohamad Bat Kivah indicate that they have encountered such statements. "The first Muslim who condemned these murders. In the chats, many Muslims are either silent, or approve or justify," wrote messenger user Julia Lapulya on March 14.
There are several Muslim spiritual directorates in Russia, and all of them, including muftis, "refrain from commenting on the events in Syria," said an Islamic scholar who wished to remain anonymous.
"Only a few people spoke out. One from Stavropol, we know. And here - from Volgograd Oblast. In our Muslim community (in Russia) there is no unity on this issue," the expert admitted, pointing out the inadmissibility of violence against civilians, "no matter what faith people are." Violence against civilians is allowed by representatives of so-called radical Islamist groups, the Islamologist noted.
Deputy Mufti of Stavropol Krai Shahabuddin Guseinov, speaking at a video conference with journalist Maxim Shevchenko, referred to friends and colleagues from Syria, stating that hundreds of thousands of citizens are going out to demonstrate in support of the new government, and the killings of unarmed people are happening "naturally", but not by order of the authorities, but by the whim of "looters and bandits". On March 10, the Telegram channel of the DUM of Stavropol Krai reported that Guseinov was dismissed from his post back in February and "has nothing to do with the government". On March 12, the channel of the DUM of Stavropol Krai published a message about "deep condolences to the people of Syria in connection with the tragic death of innocent people". "One of the largest tragedies in the country's modern history has occurred on the western coast of Syria. Militants have carried out mass reprisals against civilians. Several thousand civilians, including women and children, have fallen victim to these attacks," the publication says.
Astrakhan Islamic scholar Muslim Yunusov noted that "there is practically no military conflict in the history of wars where civilians have not suffered." "We know that, unfortunately, it is mostly civilians who die in wars," he stated.
According to Yunusov, one should refrain from evaluative and critical judgments regarding the current situation in Syria, since such judgments will not help stabilize the situation.
"We are currently closely monitoring the processes that are taking place there. Now, those forces that came to power in long-suffering Syria are trying to find a consensus among themselves in order to finally establish peaceful life in the country. There is no need to make any harsh statements yet," Muslim Yunusov said.
On March 9, the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Russia published on its website an appeal to the forces that came to power in Syria to "find opportunities to establish an intra-national dialogue, establish mechanisms to take into account the opinions and interests of religious minorities." The events, which claimed "hundreds and thousands of civilians," were called "a real tragedy" in this publication, but the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Russia refrained from condemning them. "Sympathizing and empathizing with all the victims of the Syrian civil strife, we call on all parties to show the will to compromise, peace and harmony," the text says. On March 13, the Telegram channel of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Russia reported that the head of the directorate, Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin, speaking at a diplomatic iftar, "called on the Syrian authorities to show the best qualities of Muslims."
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] The cases of Salikh Osmanov, sentenced to nine years in prison for sabotage, and Kazbek Emkuzhev, accused of involvement in a terrorist organization, were falsified to improve the security forces’ reporting, the lawyer claims.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot", the examination on the basis of which the court found Kabardino-Balkaria resident Salikh Osmanov guilty of attempted sabotage was conducted with gross violations, according to the appeal against Osmanov's sentence. He accused the security forces of fabricating the case.
Osmanov was previously sentenced to nine years in prison for attempted sabotage. His defense filed an appeal against the decision of the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria. According to the prosecution, the security forces found evidence of the attempted sabotage in Osmanov's phone. On June 20, the defense stated that the witness who claims to have sold the phone to Osmanov is connected to the security forces. According to Osmanov, the phone was planted during the search.
On October 1, 2022, the North Caucasus Federal District Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that in the Prokhladnensky District, two suspects in involvement in particularly serious crimes opened fire on employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Russian National Guard near a railroad track and were killed in the shootout.
The security forces were not injured. Firearms and an object similar to an improvised explosive device were found at the scene, the police reported. The two killed in the Prokhladnensky District were terrorists preparing sabotage on the railroad, their accomplice was detained, the FSB reported.
Lawyer Ramzan Uzuyev, who defended Salikh Osmanov, a defendant in the case of attempted sabotage in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, called the case falsified – an “execution” legalized during investigative and operational actions, the “Word of Defense” project reported on March 20.
Two other defendants in the case, Yusup Kudayev and Asker Karmokov, were killed during the operation to prevent the alleged explosion. According to Uzuyev, the deaths of Kudayev and Karmokov were not investigated. He linked this to the practice of releasing the bodies of the deceased to relatives only after they renounce all claims.
During the trial, an independent expert for the defense established that the phone was first turned on only on August 31, and the files proving Osmanov's guilt were transferred there via Bluetooth much later than the time indicated in the case materials. The prosecution experts were unable to answer the defense's questions about the inconsistencies discovered, bypassing all the inconvenient points, Uzuyev said.
He noted that without the witness, who, as it turned out, was connected to the security forces, and the phone that this witness, according to him, sold to Osmanov, there would have been no case.
"When such cases are investigated, they are brought to the end, I am convinced that someone receives some medals, regalia, positions..."
Another prosecution witness, who was a secret witness in the case, told the defense that he was not pressured and was ready to testify in court, but the appellate court refused to call him for questioning. All these facts and inconsistencies, according to Uzuyev, directly indicate that the case was falsified. The lawyer assumes that this was done for the sake of statistics, to identify some saboteurs in the republic and receive rewards and promotions for their capture.
"The thing is that when such cases are investigated and brought to a conclusion, I am convinced that someone receives some medals, regalia, positions," he said in a video that the Memorial Human Rights Center published on its YouTube channel on March 20.
The defense intends to appeal the decision in cassation.
The second case Uzuyev is handling is that of 19-year-old Kazbek Emkuzhev from Nalchik, who is accused of participating in a terrorist organization. His case was initially handled by the same investigator as Osmanov's case. The lawyer believes that the case was also completely falsified.
On April 4, 2024, the father of one of the defendants, a former law enforcement officer who had religious conflicts with his son, began accusing him of extremism.
Ramzan Uzuyev believes that the authorities decided to take advantage of the opportunity to create another terrorism case. The defendant was detained with another defendant when they were returning from Dagestan, where they had gone to propose to a girl.
On April 8, a criminal case was opened, which is based on the testimony of two defendants - Aslan Makoyev and Ibragim Albogachiyev, who admitted that they took a bay'at (an oath of allegiance to the leader of Islam) and were going to attack someone.
In total, there are seven defendants in the case, three of whom are Kazbek Yemkuzhev, 19-year-old Tamirlan Chepchikov and 26-year-old Ratmir Murchayev, who were abducted by unknown persons, beaten and tortured with electric shock. Yemkuzhev reported that they were tortured together, but after a while they were separated, he was taken to an unknown location and held there until May 3, presumably to hide traces of violence.
According to him, Chepchikov and Murachaev were "liquidated" on April 12, there was no investigation into their deaths, Ramzan Uzuev suggests that their relatives were faced with the same choice as the relatives of Yusup Kudayev and Asker Karmokov in the case of Salikh Osmanov: the body will be released only if all claims are waived.
On April 11, 2024, during a counter-terrorism operation (CTO) in a gardening community in Nalchik, security forces killed two people . The dead were members of a cell of an international terrorist organization and were planning sabotage and terrorist attacks in Kabardino-Balkaria, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee said. The Investigative Committee reported that it had opened a criminal case on the attempt on the lives of security forces and the illegal circulation of weapons and explosives.
In his opinion, Emkuzhev was saved by the fact that his mother took the recording of his abduction to the police and reported her son missing. On May 3, Emkuzhev found himself in the investigator's office and was questioned as a suspect, and then as an accused, although there is no information in the case about his detention. Emkuzhev's father and lawyer sent a statement to the Prosecutor General's Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs demanding that the actions of the unknown employees of the agencies involved in the abduction and torture of the young man be investigated.
According to Uzuyev, Yemkuzhev's father received a report in January of this year about the discovery of signs of a crime, but most likely a criminal case will never be opened.
Uzuyev pointed out that the case includes convictions for six more people for failure to report a crime, who, according to the investigation and the court, knew about the impending attack, the publication says.
Security forces in Kabardino-Balkaria regularly report on cases under the article on failure to report a crime. Thus, in November 2024, a court in Nalchik fined a third-year student 40,000 rubles who, knowing that three of his acquaintances had joined a cell of a banned terrorist organization, did not report this to law enforcement officers.
He noted that all the defendants in the case are connected only by the fact that they lived in the same area and used to play computer games in the same club.
Uzuyev indicated that the investigation limited his time to familiarize himself with the 11 volumes of the case, while the prosecutor approved the indictment in one day, having “studied” all the volumes of the case, the publication says.
"As my client aptly put it: 'In modern Russia, the FSB is like the new oprichniks.' No matter what petition they file, no matter how absurd the criminal case initiated by this agency, everyone turns a blind eye to it," Uzuyev said in the video.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Those who attacked the Crocus City Hall concert hall also studied the possibility of a terrorist attack on Red Square and in a Moscow synagogue. This was reported on March 20 by the lawyer of the accused Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev Oleg Vlasov.
"In addition to Crocus, they were on Red Square, near the synagogue not far from the Chistye Prudy metro station, in MEGA Belaya Dacha, looking around, taking pictures. They were also in Crocus itself in advance, in civilian clothes, studying the situation," RIA Novosti quotes him as saying.
The lawyer also reported that the perpetrators of the terrorist attack admitted to the investigation that they planned to hide in Ukraine. However, he stated that it was unknown whether anyone was waiting for them there.
On Thursday, March 20, the Moscow City Court extended the arrest period until May 22 for Mirzoev and three other defendants.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, on March 22, 2024, terrorists broke into Crocus City Hall, opened fire on visitors and employees of the concert hall and started a fire. As a result of the terrorist attack, 144 people were killed and another 551 were injured. The Investigative Committee opened several criminal cases, including under Article 205 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Terrorist attack"). Four direct perpetrators, including Mirzoyev, were detained on March 23.
FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov stated that the Security Service of Ukraine was involved in the terrorist attack at Crocus. He advocated recognizing this agency as a terrorist organization.
In January 2025, the Investigative Committee reported that 27 people had been charged in the case of the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall.
On March 3, the Chairman of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, announced the completion of the investigation. He emphasized that the investigators completed their work in less than a year. The materials were handed over to the accused and their lawyers for review.
[IsraelTimes] Two purported mobsters have been convicted of plotting to assassinate Iranian American journalist Masih Alinejad at her home in New York City in a murder-for-hire scheme that prosecutors say was financed by Iran’s government.
The verdict was returned at a federal court in New York yesterday, ending a two-week trial that featured dramatic testimony from a hired gunman and Alinejad, an author, activist and contributor to Voice of America.
Alinejad, who was not in court, tells The Associated Press she cried when she learned of the verdict.
“I am relieved that after nearly three years, the men who plotted to kill me have been found guilty. But make no mistake, the real masterminds of this crime are still in power in Iran,” she says. “Right now I am bombarded with emotions. I have cried. I have laughed. I have even danced.”
Alinejad calls the verdict “a powerful gift from the American government” to the people of Iran because it shows that justice is beginning to be served.
Acting US Attorney Matthew Podolsky says in a statement that the verdicts send a message that “if you target US citizens, we will find you, no matter where you are, and bring you to justice.”
Leslie R. Backschies, who heads the FBI’s New York office, says the verdicts show that the “Iranian government’s shameless conduct and attempt to violate our laws and assassinate a critic of their human rights atrocities will not be tolerated.”
So when will the NY Legal System start doing the same to the PRO-HAMAS types, that are actually physically attacking Jewish American citizens walking the NYC streets?
[Twitchy] It's probably not a good idea to go on social media and brag about harassing a passenger just because they are Jewish.
Brother Rachid الأخ رشيد
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Fatima, an Algerian TSA officer at an airport in Ohio, shared on TikTok how she deliberately told an Israeli passenger, “Safe travels to Palestine.” When he corrected her, saying “It’s Israel,” she called her manager, falsely claimed he was harassing her—something she openly Show more something she openly admits in the video—and as a result, he was subjected to a second screening and missed his flight. She boasts about it as her own form of intifada against Jews.
@ICEgov
[IsraelTimes] Eli Sharabi speaks before the United Nations Security Council in New York, describing the horrors of his 491 days in Hamas captivity before his release last month, telling them how he was abandoned to his fate by international humanitarian organizations.
“Where was the UN? Where was the Red Cross? Where was the world?” Sharabi asks members of the Security Council at a special briefing on the hostage crisis.
“Every day [Hamas] told us: The world has abandoned you, no one is coming,” Sharabi continues.
He describes the psychological and physical torture he endured in Hamas captivity, including being held “50 meters underground” in “chains so tight they ripped my skin.”
According to Sharabi, hostages received “one bath a month” with a bucket of cold water, were fed “a piece of pita, maybe a sip of tea,” at best, and endured brutal beatings and ridicule at the hands of their captors.
He gives firsthand testimony of witnessing Hamas terrorists “eat many meals a day,” from stolen UN aid which they withheld from hostages and civilians.
Sharabi tells the Security Council that just before his release, Hamas terrorists showed him a picture of his older brother, Yossi, laughing as they told him that he had been murdered in captivity. “It was like they brought a massive hammer down on me,” says Sharabi.
Yossi’s body is still being held by Hamas in Gaza.
Holding up a picture of his family members’ graves, Sharabi describes the moment he discovered, after returning to Israel in February, that rather than waiting for him at home, his wife and two daughters had been murdered on October 7.
He recalls the day they were murdered, saying “As they dragged me out, I called out to my girls, I will be back. I had to believe that. But that was the last time I ever saw them. I didn’t know I should have said goodbye, forever.”
“I’m here today because I survived and I prevailed,” says Sharabi, “but that is not enough…not when 59 hostages are still there.”
“I am not a diplomat. I am a survivor,” he tells the UN, after the gruesome account.
“If you stand for humanity, prove it,” he concludes. “Bring them all home.”
[IsraelTimes] In his address to the United Nations Security Council, Eli Sharabi, a former hostage released by the Hamas terror group in Gaza last month, describes how Hamas terrorists stole UN aid and withheld it from Israeli hostages and Gazan civilians.
“Remember this,” says Sharabi, “Hamas eats like kings, while hostages starve.”
“I know you discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza very often,” Sharabi tells members of the Security Council, who held a meeting on the topic of aid entering Gaza on Tuesday, “but let me tell you as an eyewitness, I saw what happened to that aid: Hamas stole it.”
“I saw Hamas terrorists carrying boxes with the UN and UNWRA emblems on them into the tunnels, dozens and dozens of boxes, paid for by your government,” Sharabi continues.
“They would eat many meals a day from the UN aid in front of us, and we never received any of it,” continues Sharabi.
He calls for the UN to work tirelessly for the remaining 59 hostages in Gaza, who are being “chained, starved, beaten, and humiliated” in captivity.
“No more excuses, no more delays,” says Sharabi. “Bring them all home.”
...political head of the political arm of the Southern Branch of the Islamic Movement, the Muslim Brotherhood in Israel. Like Muslim Brotherhood parties elsewhere, they will ride the train down the iron rails of democratic politics and charity until the train reaches their station at the formation of the Caliphate, avoiding as much as possible all that messy bloodshed until afterward. It’s also important to check his public statements against what he says in private in Arabic, just in case taqqiya is involved...
presents to President Isaac Herzog his “Bridges of Reconciliation and Peace Initiative” for ending the war in Gaza and securing the release of all remaining hostages.
“This is the way to end the conflict and stop the bloodshed between the two peoples,” Abbas tweets after his meeting at the President’s Residence.
“This is a realistic, value-based path of mutual recognition of each side’s rights to self-determination, to live in security and peace in partnership and tolerance and with regional peace, together with bilateral Israeli-Palestinian peace and reconciliation,” adds the chair of the Islamist faction, which has long sought to build bridges between Jewish and Arab societies.
Abbas does not go into further detail about the plan, but earlier this month, he called on Arab leaders to adopt it ahead of their summit in Cairo where they adopted Egypt’s plan for the post-war management of Gaza. He has also presented the plan — which is based on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
[IsraelTimes] Turkey’s trade ban has had minimal impact on Israel’s economy and prices, the central bank says in a report, citing the flexibility of country’s open economy.
Turkey severed trade with Israel last year over its war in Gaza with Hamas and has remained an outspoken critic of Israel’s policies.
Prior to the war, which was triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed some 1,200 people and saw another 251 taken hostage, Turkish exports to Israel totaled $5.3 billion in 2023, 6.3% of Israel’s total imports, the Bank of Israel notes.
But Turkey was an important source of imports in construction products such as cement as well as iron and steel. Some 824,000 Israelis visited Turkey in 2022, the bank says citing official Turkish statistics.
Israeli exports to Turkey were $1.5 billion in 2023, 2.5% of Israel’s total exports.
“The Turkish embargo’s impact on imports and prices of imports to Israel was limited,” the Bank of Israel says in its analysis. “This illustrates the importance of functioning markets and liberal trade policies in creating economic security, as well as the difficulty of individual countries to use trade restrictions on tradable goods as a political tool.”
It added that Israel found substitutes for Turkish products that were halted, and that alternate sources of cement came without higher prices even though most cement exports came from Turkey before the ban, underscoring “the limited impact of the embargo.”
“Economic openness and the diversification of import sources — rather than isolation and domestic production — provided a solution to trade restrictions on tradable goods with a well-functioning international market,” the central bank said.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
03/21/2025 00:00 ||
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The current state of the Hamas "playing cards" leadership: Of the 54 top targets set in Ocotber 2023, 34 are dead, and 8 are being harboured in Qatar or Turkey. So, of the 45 who were in Gaza at the start of the war, only 12 are still alive (Haniyeh was killed in Iran). Not bad. pic.twitter.com/kEF6TfoalB
[IsraelTimes] The IDF and Shin Bet announce that another two top Hamas officials were killed in airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.
One is named by the military as Rashid Jahjouh, the head of Hamas’s “general security mechanism.” Jahjouh had replaced Sami Odeh, who was killed, along with other top Hamas officials, in an Israeli airstrike in July 2024.
Another top Hamas official killed in a recent airstrike in Gaza is named by the IDF as Amin Eslaiah, the head of the security mechanism in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis.
The security mechanism, according to the military, is a clandestine Hamas body responsible for uncovering “collaborators” with Israel; security for top Hamas officials and assets in Gaza and outside of the Strip; and oppression of opponents to Hamas’s rule.
The mechanism is also charged with building intelligence pictures for top Hamas officials on which they could make decisions, the IDF says.
Jahjouh, as part of his role, was also responsible for Hamas’s internal propaganda.
Separately, the military says that a strike killed a prominent Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative involved in smuggling weapons to the terror group.
Ismail Abd al-Alal, according to the IDF, “led most of the weapon smuggling efforts for the PIJ in recent years.”
What, the Abraham Accord countries, too? But then they’d not only lose out with Israel, but incur President Trump’s distinct displeasure, just when he is slinging tariffs in all directions. Timing, O Islamic countries, is everything…
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] Abu Obeida, the military spokesperson for Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... ' al-Qassam Brigades, called Thursday upon all the free people of the Ummah to join the battle in defense of al-Aqsa and to continue their support for 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... in order to shatter ''Israel's'' arrogance and force it to halt its ongoing aggression.
On his official channel on Telegram, Abu Obeida extended salutations ''to our sincere brothers in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... for their honorable stance and their direct support for their brethren in Gaza, despite the heavy price they pay for their loyalty to al-Aqsa and Paleostine.''
''Today, Yemen's missiles have intersected with those of Gaza in the skies over Tel Aviv, reaffirming that Gaza is not alone and that behind it stand free men of the Ummah who will never surrender it to its arrogant enemies,'' he said.
Earlier on Thursday, the al-Qassam Brigades announced that it had launched a rocket barrage of M90 Maqadma missiles at Tel Aviv in response to the massacres committed by the Israeli occupation against civilians in the Gaza Strip.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2025 00:00 ||
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#1
I would take this as a Hamas appeal to Iran to forgive them and help them as initially planned.
So many, many scare quotes in this one. Someone is just a tad overexcited…
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] The Zionist ''Knesset'' approved, on Wednesday, the return of ''Ben Gvir'' and his party ''Otzma Yehudit'' to the government of the occupation entity.
Earlier, a statement from ''Benjamin Netanyahu's'' office mentioned that the government had agreed to a proposal to reappoint ''Itamar Ben Gvir'' as Minister of National Security.
''Ben Gvir'' announced his return to ''Netanyahu's government'' after the resumption of the occupation forces' aggression on the 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... Strip, on the condition that the Zionist government adopts a project to displace the population of the Gaza Strip.
''Ben Gvir'' had withdrawn on January 23 from the government of the occupation entity due to disagreements over a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2025 00:00 ||
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[11134 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Leonid Tsukanov
Is this a big deal or is this just another case of the Israeli Deep State trying to take Bibi Netanyahu down by any means possible, as they’ve been twisting and turning to do since he became prime minister for the second time in 2009? With the various wars Israel is currently fighting — or war fronts, anyway — I’ve been ignoring this situation. Perhaps I should not have done so.
[REGNUM] The scandal over leaks of confidential data from the Israeli prime minister's office (known as the Feldstein affair) continues to gather momentum. Now it involves one of the powerful monarchies of the Persian Gulf.
Despite the fact that the case is hidden under the heading of “special investigation”, imposed by the special services at the initial stage, information about individual turns of the investigation periodically becomes public knowledge.
In particular, recently new major figures have become known – the investigation has involved not only the Israeli political class, but also the business community.
The Feldstein scandal has long gone beyond a simple investigation into abuse of office and has acquired the colorful name “Qatargate,” with a hint that the investigation could end with the resignation of the country’s top officials.
However, potential defendants in “Qatargate” are also in no hurry to give up without a fight.
THE CRUX OF THE MATTER
Israeli Prime Minister Eliezer Feldstein, a top aide, was arrested in November 2024. According to investigators, he was involved in the transfer of confidential documents to the foreign press, bypassing military censorship, and also organized “insider leaks” from high offices.
Allegedly, this was done with the permission of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself, who was thus “fighting fakes” about Israel’s foreign and domestic policies.
Later, the scope of the case expanded significantly - the number of defendants increased to five, and most of them turned out to be connected in one way or another with the prime minister's office.
It also turned out that Feldstein managed not only to pass on confidential documents, but also to consult (based on the same documents) the Qatari authorities, helping the monarchy become a key intermediary in the return of Israeli hostages.
Given the close ties between Doha and Hamas, this turn of events seriously shook the Israeli public and sparked speculation about the real extent of the damage to national security. However, as it turned out later, it was far from the last.
COMPLEX SCHEME
The new public figure is Israeli businessman Gil Birger, who works with the Gulf states. It was he who paid Feldstein fees for his work on improving Doha's image when he combined work for the prime minister's office and political consulting.
However, as Birger himself claims, he was only a link in a complex lobbying scheme. Thus, the main services to Qatar - including the development of a strategy for "whitewashing" the reputation - were provided by the American political consultant Jay Footlick, who officially worked for the Qatari government. He was also the initiator of hiring Feldstein.
However, due to the complexities of tax legislation and the organization of transfers from Qatar to Israel, the lobbyist asked Birger to act as an "accountant" for their mini-enterprise for some time. The parties cooperated in this manner for several months.
Despite the fact that Birger's testimony is largely indirectly confirmed by the testimony of witnesses, as well as by the materials of the intelligence services' own investigation, the businessman clearly downplayed his participation in "Qatargate".
In particular, he did not mention that he and Futlik are connected with the arrested Netanyahu supporters from the Likud party, including through cooperation in several election campaigns, as well as participation – albeit very indirectly – in the development of shadow channels of trade between Israel and the Arabian monarchies.
In addition, according to the testimony of individual witnesses, Futlik allegedly worked with representatives of Hamas, seeking (albeit, apparently, unsuccessfully) the release of Israeli hostages for generous profits to individual field commanders.
It would hardly have been possible to take such a risky step without the approval of higher-ups. And it would hardly have been possible for a lobbyist working in the interests of Qatar to do so at his own expense.
CONFLICT WITH COUNTERINTELLIGENCE
There are many among the Israeli elites who are trying to extract additional dividends from the Feldstein affair. Especially in the context of the scandal affecting the reputation of the “unsinkable” Netanyahu, whose role in the schemes of the arrested political strategists is still unclear.
Among those in favor of “shaking up” the prime minister’s office is the head of the General Security Service (Shabaq), Ronen Bar, who has been authorized by the authorities to investigate the high-profile case.
Bar's dissatisfaction is partly dictated by wounded professional pride. The Shin Bet chief was one of the leaders of the official negotiating team with Hamas for a year and a half. He regularly encountered criticism from the authorities because the dialogue had reached a dead end, and several times found himself on the verge of resignation because of this.
The information that the prime minister’s office was playing its own diplomatic game behind his back – not always taking into account national interests and even contradicting the statements of official negotiators – was an unpleasant discovery for him.
The Shin Bet chief was among the first to voice the term "Qatargate", transparently hinting at the real scale of the damage done to the country. Netanyahu's attempts to quickly remove Bar from his post under the pretext of incompetence only made things worse.
Many believed that the Israeli prime minister was trying to hinder the investigation and hush up Qatargate. The country was rocked by protests in support of the high-ranking counterintelligence officer.
PRIME MINISTER ASKS FOR AUDIT
As for Netanyahu himself, he is in no hurry to comment on the voiced accusations, apparently working out an escape route.
The prime minister does indeed have reason to be concerned - Feldstein's lawyers unanimously insist that their client was not aware of the real state of affairs and believed that he was acting on the prime minister's instructions, receiving fees from him - simply in the form of a "gray" salary.
He is echoed by businessman Birger, who stated that “Qatari money” allegedly went to pay salaries to office employees on Netanyahu’s orders, and none of those accused in “Qatargate” intentionally cooperated with the authorities of a foreign country.
This approach raises the risk of a broader audit of Netanyahu's office's financial flows over the past year - something the government may well decide to do under growing public pressure.
The risk that the "Qatargate" that has become public knowledge will in fact turn out to be only a small part of political schemes and multi-move schemes is not illusory. And Netanyahu himself will have to justify them.
Posted by: badanov ||
03/21/2025 00:00 ||
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[11132 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Qatar (MB)
[IsraelTimes] Some 70 sick and injured Gazook children, adult family members and dual citizens are set to take off this afternoon from Ramon International Airport for European countries, the IDF’s Coordinator of the Government Activities in the Territories tells The Times of Israel.
The Paleostinian civilians passed a background check, went through screening at the Kerem Shalom Crossing, and were bused to the airport north of Eilat, according to COGAT.
The evacuation is carried out in conjunction with the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... Romania is receiving 7 patients and 23 companions. According to a Romanian diplomat, this is the fifth medical evacuation flight from 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... that the country has received. Romania has taken in a total of 19 patients and 57 family members thus far.
Norway is taking 3 children, and 5 adult family members. La Belle France is accepting 3 patients and 6 adults companions.
Italia is also accepting patients from today’s flights.
COGAT, working with international partners, has arranged dozens of evacuation flights carrying 2,000 Gazooks abroad, according to the IDF.
[IsraelTimes] Malaysia says it will accept 15 Palestinians who were released from Israeli jails and exiled as part of the January ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan says in remarks published today in The Star newspaper that the move was a small contribution from Malaysia, a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause, to ensure peace in Gaza.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil tells local media that security agencies would strictly monitor the Palestinians’ movement once they arrive.
Many of those released were serving life sentences for terror attacks, including orchestrating suicide bombings.
Israel freed thousands of Palestinian in return for several hostages held by terror groups in Gaza, but insisted that some of the worst offenders be exiled outside of the West Bank or Gaza Strip
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
03/21/2025 11:32 Comments ||
Top||
#2
I imagine they’ll breed considerably less without UNRWA, etc. funding, Mullah Richard. So much less time for fun when one has to go to work every day.
[IsraelTimes] The new Syrian government wants to bring Syria’s breakaway Kurdish militias back under government control, but the details of their recent breakthrough agreement are still being worked out and negotiators will have overcome a decade of civil war.
Government officials meet in the northeastern province of Hassakeh with the commander of the main Kurdish-led group in the country, the Syrian Democratic Forces, which is backed by the US.
The meeting comes a week after Syria’s interim government signed a deal with the Kurdish-led authority that controls the country’s northeast, including a ceasefire and the merging of the SDF into the Syrian army.
The deal should be implemented by the end of the year. It would bring northeast Syria’s borders and lucrative oil fields under the central government’s control.
[BREITBART] Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...> wants protesters to rise up across the U.S. and Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... and challenge the renewed Israeli military campaign 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 Times of Israel reports Khamenei made his call for action in a speech designed to rally anti-Israel activists everywhere, ''to strongly oppose this treacherous, horrendous act.''
''Once again children are being killed, homes are being destroyed, and civilians are being displaced. The people must stop this tragedy,'' Khamenei says in a Nowruz address, according to an English transcript posted on his website.
His call echoes a long standing Iranian opposition to everything the U.S. is involved in with threats made on an almost monthly basis against both Washington's interests and Israel.
Khamenei adds that recent deadly U.S. strikes on the Tehran-backed Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... Lions of Islam in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... are a ''crime that must be stopped.''
The Iranian leader praises the country for sending aid to Leb ...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects.... , but makes only passing reference to Israeli actions that decapitated the Hezbollah terror group, an Iranian proxy.
''Various events took place in Tehran and later in Lebanon, resulting in the loss of valuable figures for both the land of the Medes and the Persians and the Islamic [world],'' he says. ''These were indeed bitter tragedies.''
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2025 00:00 ||
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[11131 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message to the head of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and in it supported efforts to quickly stabilize the situation in the country.
"Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message to the head of the Syrian state, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in which he supported efforts to quickly stabilize the situation in the country in the interests of ensuring its sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity," the Kremlin said in a statement published on its website.
Very noble of him. Very statesmanlike. Or possibly opportunistic — it’s not for me to say.
It is specified that the Russian leader also confirmed the Russian Federation’s continued readiness to develop practical cooperation with the Syrian authorities on all issues on the bilateral agenda to strengthen the traditionally friendly relations between Russia and Syria.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on March 6, clashes broke out in the Syrian province of Latakia between supporters of the former president of the republic, Bashar al-Assad, and the forces of the new authorities of the country. Clashes also began in the province of Tartus, after which the authorities sent troops there. Three days later, clashes began in the port city of Baniyas.
Later, on March 10, Ahmed al-Sharaa stated that the new Syrian authorities were interested in maintaining deep strategic relations with Russia. He noted that against this background, the new Syrian authorities were trying to prevent a split between the countries.
On March 11, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that Russia wants to see Syria stable, prosperous and friendly. The Kremlin spokesman also pointed to the need to ensure stability in the republic due to the general explosiveness of the Middle East, as instability in Syria could cause a chain reaction in neighboring countries in the region.
Posted by: badanov ||
03/21/2025 00:00 ||
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[11137 views]
Top|| File under: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (al-Nusra)
[Breitbart] On Wednesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Special Report,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated that when ports that harbored sanctioned Iranian tankers were targeted during the first Trump term, it significantly decreased Iranian oil experts and this “stopped significant money flowing to terrorists and saved a lot of lives around the world.” And that if the decision is made to bring that policy back in the second Trump term, “it can be executed swiftly.”
Is he the good cop here, or the bad cop?
Host Bret Baier asked, [relevant exchange begins around 8:30] “Last April, Congress passed a new Iran sanctions law called the SHIP Act targeting ports that harbor sanctioned Iranian tankers. Experts said it could bring a new level of maximum pressure against Iranian oil. But the Biden administration didn’t ever roll that out. Are you going to do that?”
Wright answered, “Trump, in his first administration, President Trump did exactly that. And Iranian exports dropped by 75%, huge financial squeeze on them, stopped significant money flowing to terrorists and saved a lot of lives around the world. Can that be done again? Absolutely. Absolutely that can be done. And if that foreign policy decision is made to do that, it can be executed swiftly.”
[IsraelTimes] Iranian authorities have released French citizen Olivier Grondeau, detained by the country since October 2022 on security charges, and he has returned to France, President Emmanuel Macron announces.
Grondeau, 34, “is free and with his loved ones”, Macron writes on X, adding that “our mobilization will not weaken” to ensure the release of French citizens Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who still detained by Iran.
Paris says it views the arrests as state hostage-taking.
Because it is.
Macron does not say what, if anything, France gave Iran in return for Grondeau’s release.
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 braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects....
