[IsraelTimes] The documentary chronicles the Hamas massacre at the desert rave, using footage taken by festival attendees and by the terrorists themselves.
For information, in case you would like to know more, dear Reader. It sounds like considerably more reality than I can handle, so I won’t watch it.
I rented it and it's rather tame, I've seen horror films with more gore in them.
All the dead bodies are blurred out, some so blurred one couldn't be sure there's a body there.
The film started with a butch of people dancing then at the 7 minute 40 seconds mark, the film shows the Hamas driving/riding/flying in. then the missiles stared hitting, etc.. most of the rest is people running and seeking shelders and recording last statements on their phones to their parents.
There is a couple scenes where the terrorists threw grenades into a bomb shelter and shooting at a guy running away, although the film didn't show any actual deaths.
The focus apparently is the Nova music festival Nova music festival and not the other locations That the terrorists invaded.
This Wikipedia link gives a way better description of the evens as well as a couple videos that shows the gory details.
So TW, I don't think there's anything in this video to keep you awake at night, if anything, the struggle is to keep myself from dying of sheer boredom!
The times, they are a-changing. This is the fastest and most effective way to ensure people understand — both the universities and visa holders and those interested in getting visas for whatever reason.
[IsraelTimes] At least 790 students at over 120 schools have had visas canceled or legal status terminated in recent weeks, according to review; advocacy groups say hundreds more could be caught up
I saw a claim of over 1,000 yesterday, but there was no corroboration.
At first, the bar association for immigration attorneys began receiving inquiries from a couple students a day. These were foreigners studying in the US, and they’d discovered in early April their legal status had been terminated with little notice. To their knowledge, none of the students had committed a deportable offense.
In recent days, the calls have begun flooding in. Hundreds of students have been calling to say they have lost legal status, seeking advice on what to do next.
"We thought it was going to be something that was unusual," said Matthew Maiona, a Boston-based immigration attorney who is getting about six calls a day from panicked international students. "But it seems now like it’s coming pretty fast and furious."
The speed and scope of the federal government’s efforts to terminate the legal status of international students have stunned colleges across the country. Few corners of higher education have been untouched, as schools ranging from prestigious private universities, large public research institutions and tiny liberal arts colleges discover status terminations one after another among their students.
At least 790 students at more than 120 colleges and universities have had their visas revoked or their legal status terminated in recent weeks, according to an News Agency that Dare Not be Named review of university statements and correspondence with school officials. Advocacy groups collecting reports from colleges say hundreds more students could be caught up in the crackdown.
STUDENTS APPARENTLY TARGETED OVER MINOR INFRACTIONS
Around 1.1 million international students were in the United States last year — a source of essential revenue for tuition-driven colleges. International students are not eligible for federal financial aid, and their ability to pay tuition often factors into whether they will be admitted to American schools. Often, they pay full price.
Many of the students losing their legal status are from India and China, which together account for more than half the international students at American colleges. But the terminations have not been limited to those from any one part of the world, lawyers said.
Four students from two Michigan universities are suing Trump administration officials after their F-1 student status was terminated last week. Their attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, Ramis Wadood, said the students never received a clear reason why.
"We don’t know, and that’s the scary part," he said.
The students were informed of the status terminations by their universities via email, which came as a shock, Wadood said. The reason given was that there was a "criminal records check and/or that their visa was revoked," Wadood said, but none of them were charged or convicted of crimes. Some had either speeding or parking tickets, but one didn’t have any, he said. Only one of the students had known their entry visa was revoked, Wadood said.
Last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio ...The diminutive 13-year-old Republican U.S. Senator from Florida, Secretary of State in the second Trump administration... said the State Department was revoking visas held by visitors who were acting counter to national interests, including some who participated in anti-Israel protests and those who face criminal charges.
But many students say they don’t fall under those categories. Students have filed lawsuits in several states, arguing they were denied due process.
In New Hampshire, a federal judge last week granted a temporary restraining order to restore the status of a Ph.D. student at Dartmouth College, Xiaotian Liu. On Tuesday, a federal judge in Wisconsin issued a similar order, ruling the government could not take steps to detain or revoke the visa of a University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate student.
IN A BREAK FROM PAST, FEDS CANCEL STUDENTS’ STATUS DIRECTLY
At many colleges, officials learned the legal immigration status of some international students had been terminated when staff checked a database managed by the Department of Homeland Security. In the past, college officials say, legal statuses typically were updated after colleges told the government the students were no longer studying at the school.
The system to track enrollment and movements of international students came under the control of Immigration and Customs Enforcement after 9/11, said Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA, an association of international educators. She said recent developments have left students fearful of how quickly they can be on the wrong side of enforcement.
"You don’t need more than a small number to create fear," Aw said. "There’s no clarity of what are the reasons and how far the reach of this is."
Her group says as many as 1,300 students have lost visas or had their status terminated, based on reports from colleges.
The Department of Homeland Security and State Department did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Foreigners who are subject to removal proceedings are usually sent a notice to appear in immigration court on a certain date, but lawyers say affected students have not received any notices, leaving them unsure of next steps to take.
Some schools have told students to leave the country to avoid the risk of being detained or deported. But some students have appealed the terminations and stayed in the United States while those are processed.
Still others caught in legal limbo aren’t students at all. They had remained in the US post-graduation on "optional practical training," a one-year period — or up to three for science and technology graduates — that allows employment in the US after completing an academic degree. During that time, a graduate works in their field and waits to receive their H-1B or other employment visas if they wish to keep working in the US.
Around 242,000 foreigners in the US are employed through this "optional practical training." About 500,000 are pursuing graduate degrees, and another 342,000 are undergraduate students.
Among the students who have filed lawsuits is a Georgia Tech Ph.D. student who is supposed to graduate on May 5, with a job offer to join the faculty. His attorney Charles Kuck said the student was likely targeted for termination because of an unpaid traffic fine from when the student lent his car to a friend. Ultimately, the violation was dismissed.
"We have case after case after case exactly like that, where there is no underlying crime," said Kuck, who is representing 17 students in the federal lawsuit. He said his law firm has heard from hundreds of students.
"These are kids who now, under the Trump administration, realize their position is fragile," he said. "They’ve preyed on a very vulnerable population. These kids aren’t hiding. They’re in school."
Some international students have been adapting their daily routines.
A Ph.D. student from China at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill said she has begun carrying around her passport and immigration paperwork at the advice of the university’s international student office. The student, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being targeted by authorities, said she has been distressed to see the terminations even for students like her without criminal records.
"That is the most scary part because you don’t know whether you’re going to be the next person," she said.
#1
So, do these "academics" enroll in US schools not so much for a degree as Naturalization?
A four-year (may be six) college commitment (read "$$$$" or "$$$$$$") completes the bingo card without the long-term "implications" of marrying a US citizen?
[HodhodYemenNews] Satellite imagery have shown that the United Arab Emirates has deployed advanced Israeli multi-mission radar systems, the ELM-2084 3D AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array), Radar to northeastern Somalia, specifically to the Puntland ...a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Puntland and the equally autonomous Somaliland seem to have avoided the clan rivalries and warlordism that have typified the rest of Somalia, which puts both places high on the list for Islamic subversion... Maritime Headquarters adjacent to the UAE-operated Bosaso Air Base.
The emergence of the satellite imagery comes amid accusations that the UAE has been conducting suspicious military flights to Somaliland ...Republic of Somaliland is an unrecognised sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, recognised internationally as a de jure part of Somalia. It is located in the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden with approximately 5.7 million residents as of 2021. The capital and largest city is Hargeisa. The government regards itself as the successor state to British Somaliland, which united from 1960 to 1991 with the Trust Territory of Somaliland (the former Italian Somaliland) to form the Somali Republic. Under the Siad Barre regime, Somaliadestroyed ninety percent of Hargeisa Per international law, once you're in, you gotta stay in, no matter how bad it smells.... in recent months.
The UAE aims to use these Israeli radars for early warning and surveillance, to track ballistic missiles and drones launched by 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... i forces toward Israel and Israeli ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
These attacks are part of Yemen’s support and backing operations in solidarity with the people of 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 UAE has taken responsibility for establishing a military base for the Zionist entity and for deploying its defensive military technology in Somaliland in mid-2024, in an effort to reduce Yemeni military operations against Israel.
It is worth noting that the "ELM-2084" system is produced by the Israeli company "Elta," a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), and is widely used in air defense systems, including the Iron Dome system.
In recent years, Abu Dhabi has succeeded in persuading local authorities in Somaliland of the need to establish an Israeli military base in exchange for Israel working toward official recognition of the so-called "Republic of Somaliland," to secure an Israeli military presence overlooking the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden.
The revelation of the deployment of Israeli radar systems in Somaliland coincides with new claims made by US President Donald Trump ...The tack in the backside of the Democratic Party... on Saturday, in which he "warned of the 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... infiltration" into Somalia.
He indicated that he had granted US forces the freedom to act in response to threats in Somalia — a statement that signals a possible American inclination to expand the scope of military confrontations in the Horn of Africa.
[HodhodYemen ...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... News] Abu Omar Riyad al-Nahdi, a former leader in al-Qaeda and a prominent associate of the head of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else ...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State... (HTS) in Iraq, has officially launched a new political movement called "Current of Change and Liberation" in the city of Seiyun, Hadhramaut Valley, well-informed sources reported.
The sources confirmed that al-Nahdi, who defected from the takfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who most be killed... organization in 2018, was previously known by "Rafiq al-Shar’a" due to his close ties with Ahmed al-Shar’a (Abu Mohammed al-Julani), the leader of HTS—a The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... -backed faction that later declared itself the governing authority in Syria after Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Scourge of Qusayr... ’s departure from power.
The new movement has reportedly gained significant traction in the valley’s districts, coinciding with humanitarian activities carried out by the Ottoman TurkishRed Islamic Thingy (Hilal al-Ahmar al-Turki) in recent years, facilitated by leaders of al-Islah Party (Yemen’s Moslem Brüderbund affiliate).
Notably, al-Nahdi previously fought with al-Qaeda in Iraq before announcing his defection and undergoing political training, raising questions about his true objectives, regional affiliations, and activities under a political cover in Hadhramaut’s oil-rich areas. These regions are controlled by factions of the First Military District, which is loyal to Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, a leading figure in al-Islah.
Observers view the announcement of this movement in Seiyun as a clear message from al-Islah to curb the ambitions of the UAE-backed Southern Translation Council (STC), which has failed since August 2022 to fully control Hadhramaut Valley after declaring "Operation Arrows of the East."
Saudi-led forces blocked the STC’s military advances after the factions seized al-Islah’s camps in Shabwa and Abyan ...a governorate of Yemen. The region was a base to the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army terrorist group until it dropped the name and joined al-Qaeda. Its capital is Zinjibar. In March 2011, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula declared the governate an Islamic Emirate after seizing control of the region. The New York Times fastidiously reported that those in control, while Islamic hard boyz, are not in fact al-Qaeda, but something else that looks, tastes, smells, and acts the same. Yemeni government forces launched an effort to re-establish control of the region when President-for-Life Saleh was tossed and the carnage continues... .
This comes at a time when Hadhramaut Governorate is witnessing intense political conflicts between the UAE and 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... , carried out through local proxies such as the STC, the Hadhramaut Tribes Alliance, and al-Jami’, the latter two being headed by tribal sheikh Amr bin Habrish al-Ali, who is aligned with Saudi Arabia. His armed forces took control of the oil fields in July of last year and are now moving to encircle the coastal districts controlled by UAE-backed factions, including al-Rayyan Airport and the al-Dhaba oil terminal, which have been under Emirati control since 2016.
They only care because he’s in the Scotland Yard hate crimes unit, not because they think he’s done anything really wrong. No-one would blink at it were he a village policeman somewhere.
[IsraelTimes] One of the images showed Hitler morphing into Netanyahu amid other ‘antisemitic and grossly offensive’ posts to Instagram in the wake of Hamas onslaught
A London police officer has been sacked for posting “antisemitic and grossly offensive” messages on Instagram in the wake of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, police announced Friday.
One of DC Ibrahim Khan’s posts contained an image of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler morphing into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the text “the irony of becoming what you once hated.”
In the summary of his hearing, police said the probe into Khan centered on messages the officer posted on an Instagram account to around 250 people between 17-23 October, 2023.
“Individually and collectively, these messages are antisemitic and grossly offensive, and in reposting them, DC Khan’s actions amount to gross misconduct,” police said.
Other images posted by Khan included a photo of a mass grave from 1945 next to what purported to be a mass grave in Gaza, while a third post contained the text “Gazans have none of this. It’s a concentration camp.” Multiple other images were cited in the police statement, including one in which Khan had added the text: “Every day they invent some new bullshit lie to try gain Western sympathy” and “fuck them.”
The officer in charge of the investigation said that the posts “all draw explicit comparisons between contemporary Israeli policy and the Nazis,” and were therefore in violation of the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
The officer additionally said that other posts “suggest that the events of 7 October 2023, in which over a thousand people were killed by Hamas, were a fabrication. I find that this assertion, made in the days after the attack, to be grossly offensive.”
The report concluded that while Khan was not responsible for the offensive comments posted to his account, his “conduct was deliberate and sustained over a number of days, over a number of separate posts. In one case, he took the opportunity to add further offensive comments to the image, which he re-posted.”
Khan worked in Scotland Yard’s Community Safety Unit, which, according to The Standard, has a remit that includes the investigation of hate crimes, including those motivated by race and faith.
The investigation into his conduct cited Khan’s work in that unit, saying it was therefore “inconceivable… that he did not consider that these posts could be antisemitic or highly offensive.”
The October 7 assault — in which thousands of terrorists invaded southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, amid acts of brutality and sexual assault — sparked immediate demonstrations worldwide, even before Israel’s response.
London’s Metropolitan Police service has come under criticism for its policing of pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protests in the British capital.
Officers have been accused of turning a blind eye to antisemitic chants and posters at the demonstrations, while the routes of some marches have disrupted Shabbat services at central London synagogues.
The London police force has struggled to manage tensions sparked by the Israel-Hamas war, with Jewish residents saying they feel threatened by repeated pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel marches.
Not just Brussels or Belgium, but all of Moslem-colonized Europe. Not to mention all the non-Moslem historical facts these colonists refuse to allow to be taught, often with violence or the threat thereof, to terrorize the conquered.
[IsraelTimes] Educators struggle to teach about genocide of six million Jews, feel helpless against pushback; some students avoid showing up for trips to Jewish museum, synagogues
A few months ago in Brussels, Arthur Langerman was telling high school pupils about losing family members in the Holocaust and escaping a Nazi raid himself, when he was cut short by two Moslem teens wanting to talk about 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... "It’s a genocide, and it’s been happening for 75 years," interjected one of the young women, triggering a heated back-and-forth about the Israeli-Paleostinian conflict.
For their history teacher, Olivier Blairon, the scene sums up how hard it is to teach the genocide of six million Jews during World War II since the devastating Hamas ..always the voice of sweet reason... -led invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 2023, that triggered the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
Blairon works in a large high school in the Brussels district of Koekelberg, home to a large community of Moroccan descent, where he said many students "identify with the violence suffered by Gazooks."
"I have heard antisemitic remarks," Blairon said. "Some of my students mix things up" by equating all Jews with Israel, he said. Some are also deliberately "provocative."
"So I take the time to unpick their preconceptions," he said.
Blairon’s students made up the lion’s share of youths present at the encounter with the 82-year-old Langerman, which AFP attended at the Belgian capital’s secular Jewish community center, the CCLJ.
"The October 7 attacks highlighted how hard it has become to talk about the Holocaust," said the center’s co-director, Nicolas Zomersztajn.
"It’s more complicated in the current context," said Zomersztajn, who laments how the Jewish community is constantly being asked to take a stance on the war in Gaza.
At the Brussels Jewish Museum, where four people were killed in a jihadist attack in 2014, a handful of school outings were canceled in the immediate aftermath of October 7.
Some students report sick on the day of a visit or find a way to avoid going on to see a nearby synagogue, said Frieda Van Camp, who works in the museum’s education department.
HATE MESSAGES
Antisemitism has been surging worldwide on a scale unseen in recent memory since the war in Gaza was sparked by the Hamas attack that killed some 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians. Over 5,000 Death Eaters burst across the border in a murderous rampage in which they also kidnapped 251 as hostages to Gaza, where 59 are still held captive.
Israel responded with a military campaign to destroy Hamas, remove it from power in Gaza, and secure the release of the hostages.
The Belgian anti-discrimination body Unia recorded 91 antisemitic incidents between October 7 and December 7, 2023 — compared to 57 for the whole of the previous year.
Most involved online hate messages directed at the Jewish community, which numbers around 30,000.
A May 2024 poll found that around one in seven Belgians felt "antipathy" toward Jews.
Antisemitic prejudice was disproportionate among people on the far left, far right, and in Moslem communities, the poll of 1,000 adults found.
When it comes to talking about Jews and the Holocaust in Brussels schools, "you can feel people tense up," said Ina Van Looy, who is in charge of a project combating discrimination at the CCLJ.
"For some teachers, it has become difficult to take their students to any kind of Jewish site," she said.
"Some teachers are completely overwhelmed by the way students get their information and how they talk about the conflict" between Israel and the Paleostinians, she said. "Many of them feel helpless."
During the talk with Langerman, it was Van Looy who stepped in to calm things down after the discussion turned to Gaza.
Afterward, it was agreed that she would visit the Koekelberg school to talk about the notion of genocide.
"These young people are hurt, they are angry. We have to listen to them," she told AFP.
NOT BEING ’SILENCED’
In Belgium, all students are formally taught about the Nazi’s systematic slaughter of Europe’s Jews by the end of high school.
Schools organize trips from primary upwards to Holocaust memorial sites, such as Fort Breendonk near Antwerp or the Kazerne Dossin transit camp in Mechelen, where the country’s Jews were rounded up for deportation.
And pupils in Brussels regularly take part in inaugurating new "stolpersteine" or "stumbling stones" on the city’s sidewalks, in memory of Jews murdered in the Nazi death camps.
Between 1942 and 1944, some 25,000 Jews were deported from Belgium to the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp in Poland. Fewer than 2,000 survived.
But in the past few months, two primary school headteachers from Anderlecht, another Brussels district with a large Moslem population, decided their students would not take part in unveiling new stones.
They thought "it was not fair to impose that on students and parents" at the height of the Gaza conflict, said Bella Swiatlowski, of the Belgian association for the memory of the Holocaust.
Neither head teacher wanted to discuss the issue when contacted by AFP.
Finally, the mayor of Anderlecht stepped in and found a way for the two schools to be represented at the inauguration ceremony in January.
That same month, dozens of primary and secondary schoolchildren took part in another "stumbling stone" inauguration marking 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz, laying a white rose on the ground in a solemn and moving ceremony.
Faouzia Hariche,
…A Moslem moved to Belgium with her family at the age of seven, she embraced the opportunities available to a girl in Western Europe, getting a masters degree in Romance Linguistics and entering local politics quickly thereafter in 1994. She is what people think of when they talk about moderate Moslems…
the Algerian-born deputy mayor of Brussels in charge of public education, paid tribute to the “courage” of teachers who refuse to “be silenced” on teaching the Holocaust.
“A small minority of teachers are fearful of tackling the subject,” she said. “We need to give them the tools to do so.”
[ZERO] Following the release of his new book, The Dark Sides of Migration, Swiss forensic psychiatrist Frank Urbaniok has called for European asylum policy to finally take migrant crime statistics into account, claiming that certain migrant groups are "disproportionately criminal" due to cultural factors.
Urbaniok, one of Switzerland’s most prominent forensic experts with over three decades of experience analyzing violent offenders, suggests that cultural influences from countries such as Afghanistan, Morocco, and Tunisia contribute significantly to higher crime rates among migrants from these regions.
"Afghans are reported more than five times, Moroccans more than eight times, and Tunisians more than nine times more often than Swiss nationals for serious violent crimes," Urbaniok stated in an interview with Swiss newspaper Neue Zurcher Zeitung, citing his analysis of crime data from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
"The disproportionate crime rate has a lot to do with cultural influences. It is about how violence is dealt with, the image of women, or the role of the rule of law in these countries. I have been dealing with criminals for 33 years and have seen thousands of cases at close range. That’s why I know how strong and relevant these imprints can be. Sometimes, they persist for generations," he said.
The cover of his book has drawn some criticism for prominently featuring a knife, which he insists is a "good symbol" as it "reflects the growing sense of insecurity in public spaces."
[TaskAndPurpose] Leg day: Army cuts down on number of paid parachutists
The Army is reclassifying 20,000 paid parachutist positions to prioritize limited airborne resources for soldiers who would be the first to jump into combat.
Since World War II, the number of soldiers the Army has trained to be able to jump into combat has more than doubled. But as the service prepares for a future war, it worries there are too many soldiers who need to maintain their jump status, especially those who would not actually be jumping directly into combat.
The Army is reclassifying around 20,000 paid parachutist positions to manage limited resources and prioritize airborne training for soldiers who would be the first ones on the ground, officials said. Paid parachute positions include paratroopers in airborne units as well as soldiers in other staff units.
Those soldiers who are coded as paid parachutist positions will still receive jump pay and need to maintain their jump status, according to Army officials. All soldiers are still able to go to airborne school. The change was first reported by Army Times.
“It’s not about the money, per se. It’s literally about — for the forces that will jump in the alpha echelon and fight off a potentially contested drop zone. We want them at the highest level of readiness,” Commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps Lt. Gen. Greg Anderson said on an episode of the From the Green Notebook podcast on Wednesday. “Three jumps, most of those currency jumps, is not going to get us the readiness we need.”
Soldiers are required to jump once every three months to maintain their status.
Anderson said that maintaining “collective proficiency” across the airborne force under current conditions is “unsustainable” due to “dwindling resources.” Those resources range from a limited number of aircraft, to riggers who pack and inspect chutes for all jumps and the need to maintain highly proficient jump masters.
“All these things are contributing to a decline in the collective proficiency of our forces,” Anderson said. “For the last three fiscal years, the 82nd Airborne per capita is jumping less than four times — somewhere in the two-and-a-half to three jumps per paratrooper. That doesn’t even meet airborne currency, let alone airborne proficiency.”
The changes will go into effect Oct. 1, said Col. Mary Ricks, a spokesperson for the XVIII Airborne Corps.
After the Army realized that hundreds of soldiers were not able to meet the requirement to jump four times a year, the Pentagon amended its policy in 2018 for commanders to waive one jump per year in certain cases, such as a lack of available jump equipment or aircraft, bad weather or a soldier’s need to attend a military education course. Because of the lack of resources, in fiscal year 2016, some 780 service members were forced to pay back more than half a million dollars for not meeting the requirement, according to the Army.
The service has more than 56,000 paid parachutist positions, a number that’s grown by over 13,000 since fiscal year 2002 without an increased demand for airborne assault, according to the Army. To put that in perspective, in 1945 during World War II, the U.S. military had nearly 24,700 parachutists across five airborne divisions.
“We have tens of thousands of soldiers who are on airborne status and getting paid to be on airborne status that’s ballooned over time and not realistic to combat,” said Col. Dave Butler, a spokesperson for the Army. “Admin personnel at a division level, even in an airborne division, probably aren’t going to jump into combat.”
However, all soldiers can still go to airborne school.
“You’re in a parachutist position, you just won’t jump and you won’t get paid jumping because you’re not jumping,” Anderson said. “At some point, you may be transferred to an alpha or bravo battery or back and forth, and so you can come in and out of there. That’s just simply an administrative task of going to basic airborne refresher, and then you’re back on jump status.”
The changes were decided after an analysis by 25 organizations across the Army and Air Force which looked at adjustments to the service’s airborne force in order to meet the readiness requirements over the next five to 20 years. U.S. military wargames suggest that the Army would need its airborne forces to be ready to deploy without notice and early on in the event of a crisis, according to the Army.
Officials are looking at increasing jump pay for paid parachutists, which is currently an extra $150 per month although it has not been finalized, according to the Army.
The Army is also looking at new “proficiency” pay for jump masters in order to retain their experience in airborne formations for longer periods of time. Jump masters are experienced paratroopers who help plan the jumps, handle personnel inspections of soldiers’ equipment and the aircraft itself, and make sure everything goes smoothly up until the moment a soldier jumps out of the aircraft.
The reclassifications could include soldiers from the following commands, however Army officials said the numbers are not final: 3,500 from Forces Command; 9,000 from Special Operations Command; 1,000 from Army Pacific; 850 from Army Europe-Africa; 3,600 from the Army National Guard; And 1,900 from the Army Reserve.
#3
Army Times: As a result, assets used to maintain the jump status of the more than 56,000 positions has come at the expense of keeping the assault force — the combat troops in immediate response missions — at a high level of readiness, the three-star said.
“We started to assume risk with the high-end forces that have to be ready to go tonight,” Anderson said. “This is not about saving money; it’s about getting readiness to where we need it.”
#4
The Government shall not have a large standing military in peace time.
Hence why the 2nd amendment exists and reads....
“A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
With that said, I am sure it never envisioned an enemy with airplanes and missiles traveling at 400+ MPH. Something that would taken weeks to do at 7 to 10 miles a day back in 1776
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] The State Department budget may be cut by almost 50%
As reported by The Washington Post, citing an internal document, the Donald Trump administration plans to cut the State Department budget by 48% (relative to the department's budget for 2025).
The cuts will affect peacekeeping programs, international health initiatives, and the Agency for International Development (USAID).
“Y’all want to vaccinate your kids or to celebrate local drag queens, spend some of your own money. Uncle Sugar is closed for business.”
It is proposed to cut funding for international organizations by 90%. As journalists write, citing documents: "funding for the UN, NATO, and 20 other organizations will be terminated." The cuts will also affect international peacekeeping operations.
In addition, it is reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to present a plan to fire "tens of thousands" of State Department employees. The cuts include closing consulates and other diplomatic missions, as well as merging or eliminating some departments. All educational programs under the State Department, including the famous Fulbright, may also be suspended.
Funding may be retained for the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program for Israel and Egypt, and the PEPFAR health program and initiatives related to the fight against AIDS. Funding for the IAEA and the International Civil Aviation Organization is also retained.
A few important details:
1) So far, these are only tentative proposals that will change at each subsequent stage, especially when it comes to congressional committees;
2) Not even all Republicans will be ready to vote for this, which practically guarantees amendments.
3) Based on the above, we can assume that Trump is ready to bargain with congressmen. The logic is familiar to him: raise the demands so that there is a basis for bargaining and achieving real goals.
4) You shouldn't be too happy about the wording about the end of NATO funding by the State Department, because:
a) this will still be negotiated in Congress;
b) the main flows of American funds to NATO go through the Pentagon. And the deductions from the State Department are literally a drop in the ocean
c) the State Department's spending on NATO is more related to everyday and organizational issues than to military-strategic ones.
Will there be consequences, or is Mr. Boehler all talk?
[IsraelTimes] US President Donald Trump’s hostage envoy Adam Boehler says he is “very disappointed” in Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani for failing to advance the release of Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was kidnapped in Iraq two years ago.
“Iraq is a tough country to run,” he writes on X. “That said, I am very disappointed in the Prime Minister who, so far, seems more interested in words than actions. I hope this changes IMMEDIATELY and we can bring Princeton Student Elizabeth Tsurkov home from the hands of Kata’ib Hezbollah.”
Last month, three sources familiar with the matter said Boehler had traveled to Iraq to push for Tsurkov’s release.
“The Trump Administration has done more in just a few weeks than the previous administration did in almost two years,” Emma Tsurkov, Elizabeth’s sister, told Reuters in March.
[Rudaw] The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced on Tuesday that they have rescued a Yazidi man who was kidnapped by the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) around 11 years ago, when he was just eight years old. The individual was taken along with his family during ISIS’s brutal assault on the predominantly Yazidi district of Shingal (Sinjar) in the summer of 2014.
In a statement, the SDF said that its military operations units carried out a "special security operation" on March 12, 2025 to free the kidnapped Yazidi individual.
For privacy reasons, Rudaw has identified the young man only by his initials, O.K.
According to the SDF, the Yazidi man "is originally from the village of al-Wardiya in the Sinjar region, which witnessed large-scale massacres committed by ISIS, and where thousands of men, youth, and elders were killed, and more than 7,000 women and girls were kidnapped." O.K. "was one of the victims of that massacre."
Now 19, O.K. was quoted by the SDF statement as sharing the harrowing story of his abduction by ISIS.
"I was born in 2006, and I was just a child when ISIS kidnapped me in 2014. ISIS captured me and my family, but separated me and my brother."
He said that he was held in the northern Iraqi city of djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... , which ISIS in 2014 declared as the capital of its proclaimed caliphate in Syria and Iraq. He remained in Mosul for three months before being separated from his brother and transferred, along with 60 other Yazidi children, to the city of Albu Kamal in eastern Syria.
"After arriving in al-Bukamal, ISIS subjected us to a three-year religious indoctrination course. I was given the name ’Osama al-Sinjari.’ Then we were moved to the Syrian desert for another three years of military training," he recounted.
Following that, he was sent to the Homs desert in western Syria, where he served as an ISIS fighter for four years. During this time, he sustained a landmine injury to his right leg.
O.K. noted that near the end of 2024 and "while I was getting treatment at one of the ISIS hideouts in the Homs desert, the hideout was struck by an intense Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... from the [US-led] Global Coalition [to Defeat ISIS], which resulted in the death of 20 terrorists, including high-ranking commanders."
"I miraculously survived the bombing," he said, expressing his relief and gratitude toward the SDF for "liberating him and thousands of other Yazidis, particularly women, from the grip of ISIS."
During its 2014 assault on Shingal, ISIS kidnapped 6,417 Yazidi women and kiddies, many of whom were subjected to sexual slavery and forced labor. Although the group was territorially defeated in Iraq by 2017 and in Syria by 2019, it continues to pose a security threat in the region.
As of now, 2,590 Yazidis remain missing, according to the Office of Rescuing Abducted Yazidis, which is affiliated with the Kurdistan Region Presidency.
[Rudaw] Roughly 40 percent of landmine-contaminated areas in the Kurdistan Region remain uncleared, a mine clearance official said on Monday, warning that vast stretches of the Region’s land remain dangerous for civilians, particularly in Erbil province.
Speaking to Rudaw’s Hiwa Jamal, the director of the Kurdistan Region’s Mine Actions Agency (IKMAA) in Erbil stated that “around 40 percent of areas littered with mines in the Kurdistan Region are yet to be cleared.”
Ali Abdulrahman added that the contaminated area spans nearly 250 million square meters, with 47 percent of it located in Erbil province.
Since the beginning of 2025, several civilians have been killed or injured in landmine explosions in Erbil province.
"Mines remain a significant threat to the citizens of Kurdistan. In previous years, approximately 14,000 people have died or been injured due to mines,” Abdulrahman said.
The Kurdistan Region’s rugged, mountainous terrain still harbors landmines dating back to the eight-year war between Iran and Iraq (1980-1988).
More recent conflicts, specifically between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) along the Kurdistan Region’s borders, have also left behind explosive remnants, with some minefields located just a few hundred meters from villages.
In late March, the head of IKMAA’s media department in Erbil, Rabar Anwar, cautioned people living near mountainous areas “to stay away from dangerous areas riddled with mines.”
He emphasized that landmines continue to hinder “the advancement of the economic, agricultural, tourism, and village reconstruction sectors.
Anwar added that the Kurdistan Region has “many shortcomings in terms of human resources,” noting, “We have nine manual demining teams in Erbil; we need more teams.”
IKMAA’s media representative further pointed out that the agency lacks adequate vehicles as most of its fleet is nearly 30 years old and no longer meet modern safety standards.
Last year, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) rented 48 vehicles for IKMAA, 12 of which were allocated to its Erbil branch, Adularahman detailed.
The Iraqi Directorate for Mine Action (DMA) and IKMAA have been cooperating under a memorandum of understanding signed in 2024, outlining their mutual technical support until 2028.
Iraq and the Kurdistan Region continue to grapple with the legacy of landmines and unexploded ordnance left behind by decades of conflict, including the Iran-Iraq War, the 1991 Gulf War, the 2003 US-led invasion, and the Islamic State’s (ISIS) brutal reign over large parts of the country’s north and west between 2014 and 2017.
Normalizing the Jewish presence, especially important during one of the three ancient, Biblical holidays of pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem to celebrate the harvests: Passover (barley), Shavuot (wheat) and Sukkot (fruit).
[IsraelTimes] Police today allowed a group of some 180 Jews to ascend the Temple Mount, a first, Haaretz reports. Groups are usually smaller, around 30 at a time.
The newspaper notes that the move joins a broader departure from the traditional status quo at the Temple Mount in recent years, which has seen authorities allow previously forbidden Jewish worship at the site.
Police tell Haaretz that they “secured visits to the Temple Mount as usual, in accordance with visitation rules and the number of visitors. The number of people allowed in each group is determined based on various circumstances, including the overall number of visitors at the site and, in particular, police’s ability to secure and maintain public order for the group.”
As reported by the New York Times of Israel, so it might be true. Or it might not. So read with a large grain of salt, dear Reader.
Facing growing protests from reservists calling for an end to the war, the military is quietly reducing its reliance on reserve forces in Gaza, Haaretz reports.
The newspaper cites unnamed military sources, who say the IDF has begun limiting the number of call-up orders issued as well as withdrawing some reservists from active combat zones.
It says senior officers are warning that morale issues and a lack of faith in the mission among reservists could jeopardize key military operations.
Haaretz says the army’s decision to remove Air Force reservists who signed a protest letter demanding an end to the war was meant to deter further such cases but seems to have had the opposite effect, with a growing number of reservists throughout the military joining similar protests.
The report says there is mounting pressure within the military to brief the security cabinet on the full scope of the crisis. Sources say the decision to discipline the airmen came under political pressure and that the situation is more serious than what has been publicly acknowledged.
[IsraelTimes] IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir met with troops in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood earlier today, telling them that the military will not allow political arguments within its ranks, amid mounting letters signed by reservists and veterans calling for a hostage deal with Hamas even if such a deal comes at the cost of ending the war.
“The IDF will continue to operate in a dignified manner and will not allow disputes to penetrate its ranks. Reserve soldiers have a right to express opinions when not in active reserve service, as civilians, on any subject, and in a democratic manner,” Zamir says to reservists of the Jerusalem Brigade.
“There are enough methods and places for civilian protests. Attempting to drag in the IDF, including speaking as a group in the name of a military unit, is unacceptable, and we will not allow it,” he says.
“The IDF appreciates the reserve personnel. The IDF is made up of a variety of people and opinions that work together to achieve the mission and security. The mission is carried out together,” Zamir continues.
“The goal of the fighting in Gaza is first and foremost the defense of the country, returning the hostages, and defeating Hamas,” Zamir adds.
During an assessment with Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor and the commander of the 252nd Division, Brig. Gen. Yehuda Vach, in Shejaiya, Zamir approved operational plans, the military says.
[IsraelTimes] Social media pioneers have circulated a picture of a Ottoman Turkish missile used by the Israeli occupation 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 photo showed the words "MADE BY TURKEY — 2004,"
…back when Israel and Turkey were still pals. Bet nothing like that has been found date-stamped in the last five years…
which sparked shock among activists, considering that The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... , despite its declaration of solidarity with Gaza, is actually participating by supplying weapons to Israel due to military and trade relations.
Comments criticizing Turkey’s contradiction in its support for Gaza poured in on social media.
The "Gaza Now" platform published the photo, criticizing the positions of Turkey, which declares its support for Gaza while supplying Israel with missiles used against the people of Gaza.
As seen on Twitchy.
Eyal Yakoby
@EYakoby
BREAKING: Hamas has instructed its men to run to crowds of civilians when they hear drones flying over Gaza.
This is the definition of using human shields and a war crime. Hamas is a death cult.
Cole
@cole_is_greene
Why would they do this if “Israel indiscriminately bombs civilians”? If I am to believe the claims of “genocide”, this tactic would make no difference.
8:13 AM · Apr 13, 2025
·
“Pay attention to MEEEEE!!!!!” It is interesting though, that while the list of letters gets longer, only a tiny percentage of each category is signing on, or of the approximately 575,000 of those total currently wearing the uniform.
[IsraelTimes] Petitions signed by thousands pan ongoing fighting for allegedly serving political interests, straying from war goals; warn operation endangers lives of hostages, Gaza civilians
A wave of public petitions calling for the return of hostages 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... even if it means an immediate end to the war continued on Monday, representing several more sectors of Israeli society, with thousands signing on to back the call originally made by Israeli Air Force reservists last week.
Separate letters were published Monday in the name of some 3,500 higher education academics, 3,000 education officials, 1,500 armored corps soldiers, 1,000 parents, dozens of former Foreign Ministry officials, and IDF Spokesperson’s Unit reservists.
As quoted by the Haaretz daily, academics signed on to a demand for the return of hostages without delay, "even at the cost of ending the war immediately."
"The war serves mainly personal political interests," the petition charged. "Continuing the war will bring death upon hostages, IDF soldiers, and innocent civilians and will wear out reservists. As has been proved in the past, only an agreement can bring hostages back to Israel safely."
In a separate letter, education officials emphasized their belief that "only a diplomatic agreement can save lives, and that every passing moment without one" endangers the hostages.
It asserted that "this is not a call for refusal" to show up for military duties, but "a call to save lives."
However, when war erupted in Gaza with the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks and massacres, nearly 300,000 reservists showed up for duty, marking the largest-ever call-up of reservists in Israel’s history.
Critics of the petitions signed by military reservists, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of the government, have characterized them as calls to refuse to serve, although the letters have not issued a threat to ignore calls to duty over the hostage talks impasse.
Around 1,000 parents also published a letter in which they said they refused to agree to an "eternal war" and refused to "shut our eyes at the killing of children," as quoted by Haaretz.
"We will not cooperate with this dangerous concept that there are no innocents in Gaza. We will not allow the hostages to be abandoned, and we will not accept dehumanization."
Armored Corps reservists and retirees, including former prime minister and IDF chief of staff Ehud Barak, signed on to a petition charging the fighting "no longer serves the war goals defined by the IDF," demanding the immediate return of the hostages.
Additionally, dozens of former Foreign Ministry employees, including former director generals and ambassadors, signed onto a letter backing previous petitions, calling for the immediate return of hostages.
"The recent return to hostilities has not resulted in the release of a single hostage. We therefore demand immediate action to release the hostages, in one phase, even at the cost of ending the war," they wrote.
IDF Spokesperson’s Unit reservists and retirees signed onto a letter similarly demanding the return of hostages at the price of ending the war, charging that the war no longer served security interests. It was not immediately clear how many signed onto that petition.
"As proved in the past, only a deal will return the hostages safely, while military pressure leads mainly to the killing of hostages and endangering their lives," they said.
The latest petitions came after some 1,000 veterans of the Israeli Air Force published a letter last week demanding the return of the hostages in Gaza, even if it comes at the cost of ending the war against Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... entirely. The military has moved to dismiss every active duty reservist who signed it, saying soldiers cannot use the "Israeli Air Force brand" to protest political matters.
"The continuation of the war doesn’t advance any of the declared goals of the war, and will bring about the deaths of the hostages, of IDF soldiers and innocent civilians," read the original air force letter, which was published as an ad in several Israeli newspapers.
"As has been proven in the past, only an agreement [with the Hamas terror group] can return hostages safely, while military pressure mainly leads to the killing of hostages and the endangerment of our soldiers," it added. "We call on all citizens of Israel to mobilize for action."
After the IDF moved to dismiss all active Air Force reservists who signed the letter last week, Netanyahu expressed support for the decision in a statement, in which he argued that even if it wasn’t explicit, they had in practice threatened to refuse to serve.
"Refusal to serve is refusal to serve, even if it’s only hinted at in whitewashed language," he said. "Statements that weaken the IDF and strengthen our enemies in a time of war are unforgivable."
The military said that only 60 of those who signed that letter were active reservists. Among those, only a handful were competent pilots, while the rest have been serving in headquarters roles, according to an IDF examination of the signatories.
The military recently dismissed at least two reservist officers for refusing to serve, including Air Force combat navigator Alon Gur, who said he told his superiors that "a line was crossed" and the government was "again abandoning its citizens in broad daylight."
According to reports, those incidents were seen by the IDF as isolated cases, but a number of senior IDF officials were reportedly concerned that refusal to serve could become a larger phenomenon among reservists.
At the height of the 2023 protests against the judicial overhaul, hundreds of IDF reservists signed declarations saying they would no longer show up for reserve duty to protest the government advancing its plans to curtail the judiciary.
However,
there is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened... when war erupted in Gaza with the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks and massacres, nearly 300,000 reservists showed up for duty, marking the largest-ever call-up of reservists in Israel’s history.
The only vote that counts — all the rest is empty wind.
More attention-seeking by goldfish swallowing faddists.
[IsraelTimes] One thousand seven hundred artists and cultural figures have signed a statement calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza and the return of the hostages. The signatories included Keren Mor, Rivka Michaeli, Rona Kenan, Achinoam Nini, Dana Berger, Assaf Amdursky and others.
The petition states that the war serves a political interest and is not contributing to any of its stated goals, while and endangering soldiers and the hostages, with ongoing daily loss of human life, thousands of victims, months of upheaval and human suffering on both sides of the border.
“We, as creators who act, study, and explore the human soul, look on with pain and concern at the severe erosion of people and values, and cry out, for the sake of Israeli society and in the name of the human spirit, to break the cycle of horror, to immediately return the hostages, and to stop the war.”
In addition, 600 architects, engineers and urban planners signed another petition, demanding the return of the hostages without delay, even at the cost of an immediate cessation of hostilities.
[IsraelTimes] BBC says offer requires terror group lay down arms, includes no Israeli commitment to end war; Hamas claims it ‘lost contact’ with hostage Edan Alexander’s handlers after IDF strike
Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... has turned down an Israeli offer for a ceasefire in 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 under which the terror group would have been required to disarm, according to a Tuesday report.
Ok. No truce, then.
According to the BBC, Israel is demanding the release of half of the remaining living hostages in exchange for a six-week truce and Hamas’s disarmament.
"The Israeli proposal relayed to the movement through Egypt explicitly called for the disarmament of Hamas without any Israeli commitment to end the war or withdraw from Gaza. Hamas therefore rejected the offer in its entirety," an official in the terror group was quoted as saying.
Israel has repeatedly demanded that Hamas relinquish civilian and security control of Gaza, while the terror group insists that any ceasefire deal must end the war and achieve a full Israeli pull-out from the enclave.
Hamas has long rejected talk of disarmament, though its officials have expressed willingness to give up control of the Strip to a transitional body of independent technocrats, such as the one envisioned in the Egyptian plan for the post-war reconstruction of Gaza that was unveiled last month.
Responding to recent reports of progress in ceasefire talks, an official from one of the Arab mediating countries told The Times of Israel on Monday that no breakthrough was currently on the horizon and that "the same elements that have prevented a deal until now are still in place."
"Hamas is not going to agree to a complete surrender, but that is still what Israel is demanding," the Arab official said, echoing an earlier statement from senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri ...a senior spokesman for Hamas. Zuhri gained notoriety in 2006 when he dropped his money belt containing somewhere between 640,000 and 900,000 euros, which was confiscated by Paleostinian security and customs officials at a routine border crossing from Egypt to Gaza. The news brought competing Hamas and Fatah forces to the crossing checkpoint for an epic face-making and hollering contest... "Handing over the resistance’s weapons is a million red lines and is not subject to consideration, let alone discussion," Abu Zuhri said.
However,
man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them... he insisted that Hamas is "ready to hand over the hostages in one batch" in exchange for the end of the war and the withdrawal of the Israeli military from Gaza, confirming what a senior Hamas official told The Times of Israel earlier this month.
Israel and Hamas signed onto a phased ceasefire deal in January that fell apart after its first stage. Hamas wanted to transition to the second phase as stipulated in the agreement, but Israel sought to rework the terms to free additional hostages without committing to a permanent end to the war, as envisioned in the second phase. After Hamas refused, Israel resumed its offensive in Gaza on March 18.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long refused to end the war before Hamas’s military and governing capabilities have been dismantled. He is backed by many of his hardline coalition partners who have threatened to collapse his government if he agrees to end the war, which was sparked by Hamas’s October 7 onslaught.
HAMAS: WE LOST CONTACT WITH EDAN ALEXANDER’S HANDLERS
They’ve tried that before but eventually the “lost” hostages were “found”. Hopefully this time they’ll be smart enought to stop playing stupid games more quickly.
Hamas, meanwhile, claimed on Tuesday to have lost contact with the bandidosLions of Islam holding Israeli-American hostage soldier Edan Alexander in Gaza.
"We announce that we have lost contact with the team guarding soldier Edan Alexander following a direct Israeli bombardment targeting their location. We are still trying to reach them," said Hudhaifa Kahlout — known by the nom de guerre Abu Obeida — the front man for Hamas’s military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades.
"It seems that the occupation army is deliberately trying to kill him and hence relieve themselves from the pressure caused by the dual-citizen prisoners in order to continue its genocide against our people," Abu Obeida said.
The IDF has said that it does not carry out strikes in areas where it suspects hostages may be held by Hamas. Military officials have repeatedly said that every strike and ground operation in Gaza is carefully planned out not to endanger Israeli hostages. However,
man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them... the IDF has admitted in the past that the deaths of some hostages may have been linked to nearby Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s.
Alexander, a dual US-Israeli citizen, was stationed near the Gaza Strip on the morning of October 7, when he was taken captive by Hamas terrorists.
As the last remaining US citizen held hostage in Gaza, Alexander has been a key focus of the US-mediated ceasefire negotiations, with US President Donald Trump ...So far he's been unkillable, and they've tried.... ’s special envoy Steve Witkoff saying last month that gaining his release was a "top priority for us."
Last month, Hamas claimed it was willing to release Alexander along with the bodies of four other dual US-Israeli citizens, an offer that Israel slammed as "manipulation and psychological warfare" and said it would not agree to a deal that only saw Americans freed.
Hamas has published two propaganda videos of Alexander, the latest on Saturday, in which the captive, visibly gaunt, said that he heard the terror group was ready to release him three weeks ago and that the government and Netanyahu "refused and left me here." The statement was almost certainly dictated by his captors.
PM VISITS GAZA, VOWS HAMAS WILL SUFFER ’MORE AND MORE BLOWS’
On Tuesday, Netanyahu visited soldiers stationed in the northern Gaza Strip, where he told them that the terror group will suffer "more and more blows" by the IDF.
"We insist that it release our hostages, and we insist on achieving all our war aims," Netanyahu told assembled soldiers as drones flew overhead.
Holding a printout of a post by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...> , Netanyahu said that he was again calling for Israel’s destruction.
"He is doing this during negotiations with the Americans," Netanyahu said, referring to the ongoing Iran-US talks over Tehran’s nuclear program, a process of which Israel is extremely wary.
Standing alongside Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel will never allow Hamas "to threaten our communities and our citizens, and therefore, the operation that is currently taking place is pressuring Hamas to first release the hostages."
"The more it persists in its refusal," Katz continued, "the more we will intensify the blows it will suffer until it is defeated and all the hostages are returned."
[AnNahar] President Joseph Aoun has said that "2025 will be the year of limiting arms to the hands of the state," reassuring that "Hezbollah will not be dragged into a new war."
Speaking to Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... ’s al-Arabi al-Jadeed news portal ahead of a visit to Doha, Aoun explained his vision for integrating Hezbollah’s fighters into the army in the future.
Aoun stressed that "the experience of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces will not be repeated in Leb ...The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. Only one of those statements is an exaggeration.... " and that "no independent unit of Hezbollah fighters will be introduced to the Lebanese Army."
He added that "only the members who enjoy certain qualifications, possess academic certificates and succeed in admission tests will be integrated" into the military institution.
As for the U.S. pressure on Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah, the president said he informed U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus of his keenness "not to jeopardize civil peace and risk a civil war," revealing that he called on the U.S. to press Israel to halt its attacks on Lebanon and to leave the issue of resolving the file of Hezbollah’s arms to the Lebanese state.
"The decision of limiting arms to the hands of the state has been taken and implementation will take place through dialogue," Aoun added, noting that the fall of the Assad regime and Iran’s advanced stances regarding 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... ’s 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... s and Iraq’s al-Hashed al-Shaabi can contribute to the success of the dialogue with Hezbollah.
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 diminutive 13-year-old Republican U.S. Senator from Florida, Secretary of State in the second Trump administration...
...Republic of Somaliland is an unrecognised sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, recognised internationally as a de jure part of Somalia. It is located in the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden with approximately 5.7 million residents as of 2021. The capital and largest city is Hargeisa. The government regards itself as the successor state to British Somaliland, which united from 1960 to 1991 with the Trust Territory of Somaliland (the former Italian Somaliland) to form the Somali Republic. Under the Siad Barre regime, Somaliadestroyed ninety percent of Hargeisa Per international law, once you're in, you gotta stay in, no matter how bad it smells....
...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who most be killed...
...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...
..always the voice of sweet reason...
...
...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor...
..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
...The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. Only one of those statements is an exaggeration....
