[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Trump, in a landmark 33-page National Security Strategy published last month, redefined US foreign policy principles to assert that the Western Hemisphere is now America's exclusive domain free of the malign influences of China and Russia, while post-WWII allies are branded as unreliable spendthrifts overrun by immigrants.
#2
So it's audacious because it doesn't go along with the globalist plans?
Posted by: chris ||
01/08/2026 5:14 Comments ||
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#3
BUT!, Aside from all these Political necessary efforts and actions.
QUESTION:
Remember we still have a lot criminal issues that still need proper review and addressing.
Like when will we see indictments & arrests of the high level leadership & Elites, for:
* the Nationwide LIberal - DC Swamp, Democrat organized 2020 Voter Fraud,
* the Biden Admin Coup criminal activities,
* the Auto Pen abuse by unauthorized persons,
* Bio-Weapon Covid-19 Lab lies and staged release,
* the surprisingly quickly ready in 100's of millions of Vax-cident doses,
* $$$$$ exchanging hands by the Millions & Billions,
* Jan 6th DC Swamp implanted misleading, illegally directing persons,
* and a collection of strange deaths and murders which started in 2017 by the Liberals & Democrats?
#10
Not in favor of #5. Most of MN is deep red. If it weren't for Hennepin Co (Minneapolis) and the imported DFL voters, there wouldn't be a problem.
(OK maybe Duluth is also a problem. I don't know, but then nobody knows anything about Duluth, even in MN).
#11
Duluth has some very hairy hills, for such a wintry place, I know that. Also Duluth Trading make the best T Shirts, and no longer ship to Australia, the bastards.
For the rest, Minnesota minus Somalia would be a very different, better, proposition. Damn Obama for all time.
[IsraelTimes] An official in Somaliland tells Israeli media that ties with Jerusalem entail discussions on potentially setting up an Israeli military base in the African self-ruled territory.
Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia that Israel recently became the first country to recognize as a state, has previously denied Somali accusations that the relations include “the resettlement of Palestinians or the establishment of military bases in Somaliland.”
But Israel’s Channel 12 news cites Deqa Qasim, the director of the political department in Hargeisa’s Foreign Ministry, as saying in an interview that such a military base is on the table and being discussed, though whether it will be established depends on the content of an agreement between the sides after opening mutual embassies.
Qasim is further quoted as saying security cooperation with Israel will include fight against terror and involve the maritime arena.
Somaliland is strategically placed near the coast of Yemen, where the Iran-backed Houthis control much of the country and have fired dozens of ballistic missiles at Israel during the war against Hamas in Gaza.
In the interview, Qasim is also said to express openness to placing Somaliland’s embassy in Jerusalem, calling it natural for it to be established in the capital.
Following developments in Yemen, Saudi Arabia appears to be increasing its engagement in Sudan. A senior Saudi official told Basha Report that the Kingdom intends to increase support for Sudan’s internationally recognized government, signaling a broader regional push by Riyadh.
Meanwhile, conflicting accounts continue to emerge from Sudan’s Kordofan region as fighting intensifies and territorial control remains contested.
Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)–aligned narratives, supported by military-released videos, claim continued advances in North Kordofan and parts of South Kordofan. SAF statements assert that Rapid Support Forces (RSF) units—along with allied foreign fighters, including mercenaries from Colombia, Chad, and South Sudan allegedly backed by the United Arab Emirates—are retreating under sustained pressure. According to these accounts, SAF has targeted RSF positions using drones and conducted daily clearing operations across multiple fronts, supported by fixed-wing aircraft and one-way unmanned aerial vehicles.
SAF statements further claim that government forces have repelled failed attacks by RSF units and forces affiliated with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N), al-Hilu faction, along key routes, including the El Obeid–Dilling–Kadugli axis. These operations are described as ongoing despite what SAF characterizes as an RSF-imposed siege of El Obeid and Kadugli. Additional video circulating from El Obeid alleges that RSF shelling struck a residential home, killing 13 Sudanese civilians, including children, in North Kordofan State.
Wait! You can do that??
[SudaTribune] A Sudanese lawyer’s committee has revoked the licenses of 31 attorneys for allegedly supporting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), drawing sharp criticism from legal groups and political parties.
The committee, which is affiliated with a faction of the Sudanese Bar Association, issued the resolution on Monday. It targeted several prominent figures, including Taha Osman Ishaq, Hanan Hassan, and Rehab al-Mubarak, stating they had joined entities whose practices “contradict the ethics and honour of the legal profession.”
El Sadig Ali Hassan, acting head of the Darfur Bar Association’s Board of Trustees, told Sudan Tribune the decision was politically motivated and lacked legal necessity. He noted that since the lawyers in question do not recognize the committee’s authority and have joined the “Tasis” political alliance, they had not sought the annual license renewals the committee claims to have withdrawn.
More at the link
Posted by: badanov ||
01/08/2026 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1771 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan
[IsraelTimes] Saudi Arabia alleges that the United Arab Emirates has smuggled a separatist leader in Yemen wanted for treason out of the country and flown him to Abu Dhabi.
The UAE has no immediate reaction to the claim, which further escalates tensions between the neighboring nations on the Arabian Peninsula as their partnership in the years-long war in Yemen breaks down.
A Saudi military statement claims Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the leader of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), fled Yemen by boat to Somalia. Then, UAE officials flew al-Zubaidi to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Emirates, the statement says.
The statement from Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki includes him naming a major general in the UAE as being involved in al-Zubaidi’s alleged escape, along with identifying his nom de guerre — something highly unusual in the typical clubby world of Gulf Arab relations. It also suggests an Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft used in the operation was previously used in “conflict zones” like Ethiopia, Libya and Somalia — routes the Emirati military has been accused of funneling weapons through in the past.
The UAE has denied running guns into those areas. The Emirati Foreign Ministry does not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. The STC does not immediately acknowledge the allegation either, saying yesterday that al-Zubaidi has remained in Aden, where forces allied against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have congregated for years since the rebels seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.
The Saudi statement comes as part of what appears to be an organized media push over the incident by Saudi broadcasters and newspapers. The Saudi-owned satellite news channel Al Arabiya has aired what it describes as intercepted telephone calls highlighting al-Zubaidi’s alleged escape.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
01/08/2026 2026-01-08 02:42 ||
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Link ||
[1778 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Saudi Arabia
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] As befits the partner of a supposedly socialist Latin American dictator, Nicolas Maduro's wife Cilia Flores liked to depict herself as a woman of the people.
She preferred the revolutionary moniker First Combatant to First Lady and was fond of recalling her humble beginnings in a mud-brick shack.
But she'd come a long way since then. Thanks to their vast amounts of unexplained wealth – drug money, according to her critics – she and her husband amassed a huge property portfolio, a fleet of expensive cars and a wardrobe that would be the envy of the Queen Of Soles herself, Imelda Marcos, the former First Lady of the Philippines who was reputed to have owned 3,000 pairs of shoes.
When the US government announced last year it had seized $700million of the Maduros' assets, its haul included multiple luxury homes in Florida, a mansion in the Dominican Republic plus two private jets, nine vehicles and... seven tons of cocaine.
On the domestic front, Flores and Maduro reportedly owned an entire street of luxury homes in Venezuelan capital Caracas and – in a country where the average monthly wage is £160 – she has been photographed in expensive designer outfits from the likes of Dior, Stella McCartney and Dolce & Gabbana, including one Dior jacket that retails at £3,400.
She cut a very different figure when she was transported to a court appearance in New York this week.
Her slight frame hunched against the January chill, nursing a broken rib and with her face bandaged and showing signs of the bruises she reportedly sustained while resisting arrest, she looked a world away from the sleek, bespectacled mother of three who was often at her husband's side as he addressed rallies or hosted interminable state dinners.
At first glance, it might have seemed a puzzling decision by the US government to have their Delta Force commandos scoop her up along with her husband during their weekend raid on Caracas. However, while Nicolas is exactly the intimidating thug he appears to be, his wife is deceptively inoffensive.
Given grim nicknames such as The Scarlet Witch and Lady Macbeth by her luckless subjects, the 69-year-old was the widely feared power behind the throne in the brutal Maduro regime. Her husband – six years her junior – may have provided the brawn during their 30-year partnership but the devoted spouse he calls Cilita provided the brains.
A former Venezuelan intelligence chief described her as 'behind the curtain, pulling the strings', placing key allies – including at least 40 family members – into key government roles.
So it's entirely fitting, say prosecutors, that she now joins him in the dock – charged with offences ranging from narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation conspiracy, to possession of machine guns and destructive devices. Asked how she pleaded to the various counts, Flores responded: 'Not guilty – completely innocent.'
Her accusers beg to differ. They say that she exercised effective control of Venezuela's decrepit legal system, packing it with loyal judges as she took vast bribes from drug cartels to allow safe passage to their planes and ships loaded with cocaine.
US prosecutors claim that for more than a decade she and her husband trafficked cocaine and 'ordered kidnappings, beatings and murders' of those who opposed them or owed them drug money.
'She is a fundamental figure in corruption in Venezuela and especially in the structure of power,' said former Venezuelan prosecutor Zair Mundaray.
'Many people consider her far more astute and shrewd than Maduro himself.'
Although Flores raised no complaint when described by prosecutors as Venezuela's 'de facto First Lady', her preferrred title of First Combatant, better suited her public image as the self-sacrificing champion of the people.
In reality, she was as corrupt and hypocritical as her husband, living a life of astonishing luxury even as many Venezuelans – impoverished and oppressed by their incompetent and kleptocratic rule – struggled to feed themselves.
A shameless nepotist, she enriched dozens of family members and allies by awarding them plum government jobs, while her sons and two notorious nephews – jailed in the US for a huge 2015 cocaine smuggling operation – enjoyed a playboy lifestyle.
A former bodyguard said she would have known of the nephews' drugs ring involving 800kg of cocaine as 'Cilia knew everything'.
Asked about the nepotism allegations in 2013, Flores responded: 'My family got in based on their own merits... I am proud of them and I will defend their work as many times as necessary.'
Born into a working class family, Flores married her high school sweetheart Walter Gavidia and had three children while working her way up to serve as a top legal adviser to the ruling party, the Fifth Republic Movement (MVR), founded by Maduro's predecessor, Hugo Chavez.
She first attracted national attention in 1994 when she secured Chavez's release from prison after he had staged two failed coup attempts.
She met Maduro, then a trade union leader, in the early 1990s and, despite both being married with children, they began a relationship that finally led to marriage in 2013, the year Maduro took power.
She claims – most unconvincingly, given his rambling, inarticulate manner – she was initially attracted to his intelligence.
In 2006, she became the first woman to serve as President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, swiftly banning journalists from the chamber. She also went to great lengths over the years to soften her husband's hard-edged reputation and play down the regime's corruption.
After Maduro became President, she starred in her own cheesy TV show, With Cilia In The Family, which played up her family values and simple lifestyle, making homely national dishes in a basic kitchen that clearly wasn't hers.
The couple also frequently indulged their passion for salsa, dancing for the benefit of Venezuelan TV viewers.
Despite her posturing as an ordinary housewife, the truth occasionally slipped out. In 2018, while Venezuela was suffering hyperinflation, mass protests and severe food shortages, Mr and Mrs Maduro were filmed eating in the ultra-expensive Istanbul restaurant of celebrity chef Salt Bae, who became a global social media sensation for his £1,450 steaks covered in gold leaf.
As US interrogators ponder how to break Maduro who, like Flores, has denied the charges against him, perhaps his adoration of his wife might provide a key.
He exploded in fury in 2019 when she became one of the members of his inner circle to be sanctioned by the US.
'You don't mess with Cilia,' he roared. 'Don't be cowards! Her only crime [is] being my wife.'
It will be left to a New York court to decide just how true or false that claim is.
[IsraelTimes] An anti-Zionist activist group that has led vitriolic protests against synagogues cancels a rally against an Israel immigration event in New York City.
The protest drew alarm from New York City Jews and was seen as a potential challenge for Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The activist group, Pal-Awda, protested outside Manhattan’s Park East Synagogue in November against an event hosted by Nefesh B’nefesh, a group that facilitates immigration to Israel.
At the protest, attendees harassed and threatened attendees and other Jews, sparking an uproar.
Pal-Awda announced a protest for Wednesday evening against another Nefesh B’nefesh event, without announcing the location. The group says the protest was canceled less than hour before it was due to begin.
It wasn’t clear if the protest would have been at a synagogue, or if Pal-Awda was able to identify the location of the Nefesh B’nefesh event, which was not canceled.
“Because of our announced protest, settler agency Nefesh B’Nefesh has been forced into the shadows. Their extreme vetting of attendees has hampered their outreach and vastly limited their ability to recruit settlers,” Pal-Awda says in a statement. “Although NBN is still holding their event, their reach and attendance has been diminished.”
Pal-Awda has announced a separate protest on Thursday against an Israel real estate event in Queens, without providing the exact location.
A rifle behind every blade of grass — after 10/7 the entire country needed to be hardened.
[IsraelTimes] The Defense Ministry says it, alongside the IDF, has completed the distribution of thousands of Israeli-made Arad assault rifles to local emergency response teams across the country.
The rifles were supplied under a deal estimated at around NIS 100 million ($31 million) with the rifle’s manufacturer, Israel War Industries, as part of the Defense Ministry’s and IDF’s “Mashiv HaRuach” program, which was launched two months after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught to bolster community defenses.
In addition to the weapons, the agreement includes full maintenance of them for the next decade, including upkeep of M5 sights manufactured by Meprolight.
According to the Defense Ministry, the move will standardize emergency response teams’ equipment around Israeli-made weapons and optics, in line with efforts to strengthen domestic defense production based on lessons learned from the war.
#5
Cant believe the Israelis disarm their citizens.
Oct 7th would have had a different ending if jew civilians were armed. I would never live next to a Pali without an arsonal. Insane.
#6
The kibbutzes have community armories, I believe. The problem in an emergency like 10/7 is getting the person with the key to unlock it and hand out the weapons to trained users fast enough — especially if the key holder has been killed or kidnapped.
That’s why the Swiss have their reservists keep their weapons and an amount of ammunition at home. And why in the early days, here in America, reservists had to show up with their own gun and ammunition.
But guns are expensive, and in Israel the vast majority of the population arrived with little more than the clothes on their backs, fleeing Europe after the Holocaust and the Middle East pogroms into the 1950s. Whatsisname from KISS talks about living in a basement apartment with a dirt floor in Israel in the 1960s.
The current status. I understand why President Trump wants too maintain momentum, so the civilians have hope. But Hamas adamantly refuses to do the things they promised in exchange for israel stopping bouncing Gaza rubble, so why reinforce that behaviour?
[IsraelTimes] Trump plans to unveil Board of Peace and other bodies involved in Strip’s postwar management next week after monthlong delay, hopes to begin decommissioning program in coming weeks
US President Donald Trump ...His ancestors didn't own any slaves... ’s administration told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week that it is committed to both bringing back the final deceased hostage and disarming Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... but is not prepared to condition the commencement of phase two of its 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... peace plan on either, a US official and two sources familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel Wednesday.
Jerusalem has pushed back on proceeding with phase two — which envisions the establishment of mechanisms involved in the rebuilding and management of postwar Gaza — before Hamas returns the remains of Israel Police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili and hands over its weapons.
The US has been in talks with Mideast mediators Egypt, 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... and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... , which have assured Washington that Hamas will agree to a gradual disarmament plan that would begin with the terror group giving up its heavy weaponry and the launch of a "buy-back" program for lighter weapons, according to the US official and two Arab diplomats, who said the goal is to begin implementing the program in the coming weeks.
It was not clear whether this framework will be sufficient for Israel. Hamas officials have publicly asserted that the organization will only agree to give up its weapons in a negotiated process that results in the establishment of a Paleostinian state.
Still, the Trump administration is aiming to next week unveil the Board of Peace, along with an intermediate executive committee and a Paleostinian technocratic committee, the US official and two Arab diplomats said, confirming a report in the Axios news site. Washington had first planned to reveal the makeup of those bodies in mid-December but has been pushing off the announcement amid struggles to rally international support, as an October ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas has barely held.
Trump told Netanyahu during their meeting last week at the president’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida that he wants to quickly advance to the second phase of the ceasefire deal, the US official said, adding that the premier raised concerns but said Israel would cooperate with the effort.
FILLING THE BOARD OF PEACE
The US has informed interlocutors that it secured commitments from Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Italia and Germany to have their leaders join Trump on the Board of Peace, four officials familiar with the matter revealed to The Times of Israel last month.
Washington has since worked to get additional countries on board, albeit with little success, one of the Arab diplomats said on Wednesday, adding that the US is considering filling spots on the panel with the heads of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and World Economic Forum.
The US is hoping to announce the makeup of the Board of Peace next week so that some initial fundraising can be conducted before the first meeting of the panel is held the following week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... , the US official and two Arab diplomats said.
The US official clarified that the timeline is not set in stone, as other foreign policy issues such as Venezuela
...a country in Central America that sits on an enormous pool of oil. Formerly the most prospereous country in the region, it became infested with Commies sniffing almost unlimited wealth. It turned out the wealth wasn't unlimited, the economy collapsed under the clownish Hugo Chavez, the murder rate exceeded places like Honduras and El Salvador. A significant proportion of the populace refugeed to Colombia and points south... or Ukraine may take precedence.
Moreover, the US official said that the Trump administration wants the Board of Peace to be used to assist in the resolution of other conflicts around the globe.
PALESTINIAN TECHNOCRATIC COMMITTEE
Washington still plans to have an intermediate executive committee be more closely involved in oversight than the Board of Peace, with Trump’s top advisers Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff expected to participate along with former UK prime minister Tony Blair, while the UN’s former Mideast envoy Nickolay Mladenov will be responsible for liaising with the Paleostinian technocratic committee in Gaza. Axios reported that Mladenov will visit Israel next week for meetings with Netanyahu and other bigwigs.
Egypt has been leading efforts to establish the Paleostinian technocratic committee, while consulting with the US, Israel and the various Paleostinian factions. A list of 12 names of politically unaffiliated individuals was submitted to the Shin Bet security service, which went on to approve eight of them, the Arab diplomat said.
While the West Bank-based PA has pushed for one of its ministers to join or even head the committee, Israel vetoed this idea outright. Instead, one member of the technocratic committee is slated to be a former PA official, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
INTERNATIONAL STABILIZATION FORCE
It is not unclear whether next week’s planned announcement by the US will address the makeup of the ISF, which is tasked with phasing out Israeli forces in Gaza. The US has struggled to get countries to contribute troops.
Washington touted Indonesia and Azerbaijan as two countries it expects to join the multinational force, but the latter’s president ruled out that idea earlier this week.
The US had also planned to hold a follow-up conference in Washington to further clarify the ISF’s mandate to countries skittish about joining, though it has not yet been finalized, as the administration has prioritized other foreign policy issues.
The US official downplayed the apparent ISF recruitment woes, insisting that countries would agree to contribute troops once they realize that they will not be expected to send their soldiers into battle against Hamas, as the mandate will be more modest than Washington and Jerusalem initially envisioned.
RECONSTRUCTION Meanwhile,
...back at the bunker, his Excellency called the chief of staff and complained that the artillery was keeping him awake... efforts were moving ahead to establish a pilot residential compound straddling the Israeli side of the Yellow Line ceasefire demarcation on the ruins of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, the Arab diplomat said.
The IDF has been clearing rubble from the area and defusing unwent kaboom! ordinance for the quick construction of a neighborhood capable of housing some 20,000 Paleostinians, the diplomat added.
The US hopes to replicate the project throughout the Strip, though the diplomat acknowledged that much will depend on the success of the technocratic government and efforts to marginalize Hamas.
A UN aid official said that Gaza’s reconstruction will also hinge on Israel easing restrictions on the items it allows into the Strip, arguing that curbs on dual-use goods have been debilitating.
"If we can’t even get tents in now, imagine how hard building equipment will be," said the aid official, referring to curbs on materials that Israel says can be refashioned into weapons.
The general benchmark for what Israel allows into the Strip has been items deemed "life-saving," which has meant largely limiting the diet of Gazooks to dry food products while barring educational materials such as desks and notebooks, as aid organizations struggle to get children back into schools.
SEARCH FOR FINAL HOSTAGE’S BODY
As for Gvili’s remains, two Arab officials told The Times of Israel last month that Hamas and Paleostinian Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... ’s search for his body had slowed amid Israeli strikes in Gaza. An IDF strike on December 13 killed senior Hamas commander Raed Saad, in what Washington privately recognized was a violation of the ceasefire, a US official said at the time.
On Wednesday, search efforts picked back up for the first time in nearly a month.
The October ceasefire agreement required Hamas to return all hostages within 72 hours but appeared to recognize that finding the remains of every slain captive may take longer.
Mediators have stated that an unpublished annex to the ceasefire agreement also mandated the reopening of the Rafah Border Crossing between Gaza and Egypt. A US official told The Times of Israel last week that Netanyahu indicated during his Mar-a-Lago meetings that Israel would reopen the crossing in the coming days, but he reportedly told his cabinet that he will not do so until Gvili’s body is returned.
#2
But Hamas adamantly refuses to do the things they promised in exchange for israel stopping bouncing Gaza rubble, so why reinforce that behaviour?
Stopping the process gives Hamas veto power. It has been a given from the start that Hamas would try and screw up the deal at some point. I'm utterly surprised the whole thing has gotten this far, especially the part about getting all the living hostages back. Stopping now means we only kicked the can a little further down the road.
In the Trumpian world of deals, there are penalties for non-compliance. The carrot and the stick. Trump and Netanyahu seem ok with playing Good Cop/Bad Cop, so expect more of that. "Yes, it is a humanitarian crisis that the IDF is bombing your evil asses to hell and gone, but you made a deal. I'll talk to Bibi, but you know how stubborn he is. Disarm now and maybe I can persuade him not to kill you all. In the meantime, let's clean up some of this rubble."
tl;dr: Let not the perfect be the enemy of the good
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] Protests are raging in Israel, with thousands of disgruntled ultra-Orthodox Jews (the so-called "Haredi") going on strike.
The reason for their unrest has remained unchanged for over a year: the authorities are trying to close a legal loophole that allows conservative believers to avoid military conscription, which categorically displeases the Haredim and the political circles that support them.
However, despite the seemingly "typical" problems, the stakes at these January protests turned out to be much higher than usual. It's no wonder there was bloodshed.
DISSATISFIED ORTHODOX
Changes to the Military Service Law, lobbied for by Benjamin Netanyahu's government, strike at a key legal loophole: the right to exemption from military service for students of higher religious institutions (yeshivas).
The "spiritual path" option has existed in Israeli law since the country's founding and is intended to ensure the continuity and preservation of Jewish traditions as one of the pillars of Israeli statehood.
Haredim were able to extend their deferment annually throughout their studies, allowing them to avoid military service for decades by changing educational institutions and raising their level of education.
Moreover, since 2012, the Israeli Defense Ministry has placed a premium on the voluntary recruitment of conservatives, citing, among other things, the fact that the Israeli army has created the necessary conditions for the service of ultra-Orthodox individuals.
A special infantry battalion, "Netzach Yehuda," was created in 2002 to serve the Haredim, allowing recruits to serve without violating religious law. Furthermore, the Orthodox retain the option of completing the "chesder" program, which combines religious and military disciplines, thereby reducing their actual military service time.
However, this format does not suit everyone. Within the Conservative Jewish movement, groups of activists (mostly marginalized) have formed who are fighting for the complete exemption of Orthodox Jews from military service.
Their friction with official Tel Aviv intensified significantly after the start of the military operation in the Gaza Strip: the authorities needed to increase their mobilization reserves, and decided to do so, in part, at the expense of 1.3 million Haredim. Therefore, the Netanyahu cabinet initiated a major reform aimed at closing a loophole well known to draft dodgers.
Pressure from official Tel Aviv forced conservatives to "close ranks." The fusion of various social and religious groups resulted in the formation of a full-fledged protest movement, which mobilized in early 2026.
At rallies in Jerusalem, organized by prominent Haredi spiritual authorities (among whom, for example, the head of the Porat Yosef Yeshiva, Moshe Tzadak, one of the main opponents of the Orthodox conscription), contradictory slogans were heard.
Controversial rabbis compared compulsory military service to the Holocaust, and army recruiters to Adolf Hitler. They also claimed that the attempt to force the Orthodox into arms was aimed at the "mass extermination of the Jewish people."
THERE ARE VICTIMS
According to preliminary estimates, more than 10,000 people—that is, one in every 130 Israeli Orthodox—took part in the Jerusalem protests that began in early January.
Although the January protests were far from the record-breaking 2025 protests, when up to 150,000 protesters could be on the streets at any one time, the demonstrators acted more cohesively and systematically: they blocked roads, disrupted public transportation, fought with local security forces, and threatened random onlookers.
There were also tragedies. During the unrest on Bar-Ilan Street, a panicked bus driver drove into a crowd of protesters, seriously injuring several.
One of the victims, 14-year-old Josef Eisenthal, later died in the hospital. Eisenthal became the first confirmed victim since the anti-war protests began.
Israeli political forces reacted to the incident in varying ways. The conservative Shas party was one of the first to issue a statement. Its leaders demanded a thorough investigation into the incident, emphasizing that "Haredi blood is not cheap."
Later, their statement was supported by representatives of the ultra-conservative Otzma Yahudit and Yahadut HaTorah.
Despite the fact that religious parties are within the orbit of Netanyahu’s cabinet (with the exception of Yahadut HaTorah, which continues to drift into the opposition camp), since the onset of the “Haredi crisis,” they have been de facto in opposition to him, siding with the protesters.
Although both parties have relatively little influence in the government (less than 25 seats combined), they jointly exert leverage over the prime minister's Likud party (32 seats), threatening to undermine the ruling coalition's legitimacy or, conversely, help the opposition camp increase its pressure.
OPPOSITION BLOW
For now, the disputes surrounding the Haredim are primarily taking place within the ruling bloc. The main fault line runs between Netanyahu and the generals loyal to him, on the one hand, and the ultra-Orthodox wing of the government (the Shas, Otzma Yahudit, and other parties). The current prime minister's opponents are less involved in the conflict.
However, the Orthodox also have no reason to expect mercy from the parliamentary opposition if it wins the upcoming elections.
Thus, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett recently presented to the public the "Soldiers' Law," which he plans to pass if he wins.
Bennett plans to take away all existing benefits for draft dodgers (for example, allowances for students in religious schools) and redistribute them to the social needs of reservists and conscripts.
Therefore, if the Bennett Act is enacted, Haredim will not only lose their right to military deferment but also suffer serious financial losses. This is far more serious than what Netanyahu's inner circle is lobbying for.
However, the final word has not yet been spoken. With parliamentary elections approaching in October, the loyalty of the Orthodox could well become a bargaining chip.
And the Haredi protesters understand this perfectly well, and therefore rush to squeeze maximum benefit from street protests, ignoring the loud promises of Israeli politicians.
[IsraelTimes] Pact reached on 2nd day of renewed talks; source in Damascus reportedly claims there are indications Israel may agree to regard violence in Druze area of Sweida as internal matter.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shibani is meeting Fidan in Paris to discuss “regional and international developments,” according to a Syrian readout.
Turkey is a leading backer of the new government in Damascus, and Syria, which sits between Turkey and Israel, is developing as a new area of tension between the regional heavyweights.
[IsraelTimes] The Lebanese army says it has achieved the goal of a state monopoly on arms in the country’s south in an “effective and tangible way,” but says there is more work to be done to clear unexploded ordnance and tunnels in the area.
Yeah….
The army had set a year-end deadline to clear non-state weaponry — code for arms belonging to Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah — from southern Lebanon, which borders Israel, before moving on to other areas of the country.
It says it has extended operational control over the south, except for a handful of areas still controlled by Israeli troops.
The statement does not mention Hezbollah, which fought a year-long war with Israel, which ended in a November 2024 ceasefire that stipulated that only Lebanon’s state security forces are allowed to carry arms.
The Lebanese army has been working to disarm Hezbollah, which has resisted these efforts.
Israel has repeatedly said the work to eliminate Hezbollah’s presence in southern Lebanon hasn’t been sufficient, and has continued to conduct frequent strikes on Hezbollah officials and targets that it says breach the ceasefire understandings.
In the original Arabic it is no doubt ‘Integration by Conquest,’ but do go on…
[NationalContext] After days of intermittent clashes and fire exchanges, the Syrian army today declared the SDF-controlled pocket in Aleppo a closed military zone and called on residents to leave. Damascus has vowed to take control of the pocket, which consists of the Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafieh neighborhoods, situated on elevated ground in northern Aleppo and considered among the city’s highest residential districts. Context: From 2012, the two neighborhoods gradually slipped out of the former regime’s control, with authority later consolidating under SDF-linked security structures, especially the Asayish (Internal Security Forces). Following the collapse of the Assad regime, a localized deal reached on 1 April (a 14-point agreement) stipulated that SDF-linked military forces would withdraw while Asayish would remain, with a later integration track. The agreement also included measures such as reopening roads, removing earth berms, prisoner exchanges, and reintegrating civil institutions into Aleppo’s provincial administration.
Implementation was partial: two convoys totaling over 900 SDF personnel reportedly left in April, with no additional convoys recorded afterward, and detainee swaps occurred in phases. The understandings remained fragile, repeatedly stress-tested by sniping, shelling, and road closures, followed by temporary de-escalations without a durable settlement.
Analysis: Sheikh Maqsood’s elevation gives it strategic weight: the district overlooks the Layramoun industrial zone and Castello Road to the north and west, functioning as an observation point capable of exerting visual and fire control over vital corridors linking Aleppo’s north to its west. Ashrafieh lies directly southwest, effectively Sheikh Maqsood’s closest urban extension. The northern edge of the SDF pocket runs along Castello Road, a highly strategic route that during the 2016 battle for Aleppo served as the city’s most important supply line, connecting it to the northern countryside and, indirectly, to the Turkish border.
The April agreement had two structural problems that kept resurfacing. First, the pocket’s special status is linked to the wider dispute over how and when the SDF integrates into the national army and state structures, a process repeatedly announced but repeatedly delayed. Second, the Aleppo file is entangled with regional pressure, especially Turkey’s hostility to the SDF, and with the fact that former Turkish-backed factions are now represented inside the new Syrian defense structure, making local frictions more combustible.
More at the link
Things are getting really dramatic in Aleppo as Syrian government orders the evacuation of civilians in Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood following the clashes with SDF there.
Damascus declared the whole SDF presence in the district as legitimate targets after the latter… pic.twitter.com/wiCXkl4hxu
Things are getting really dramatic in Aleppo as Syrian government orders the evacuation of civilians in Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood following the clashes with SDF there.
Damascus declared the whole SDF presence in the district as legitimate targets after the latter indiscriminately fired rounds in Aleppo city
More
🚨 #BreakingNews | Syrian government announced it will carry out a limited operation against YPG forces in Aleppo.
The Syrian Arab Army will launch a limited military operation in Aleppo in response to sustained attacks by the SDF on civilian neighborhoods major roads and… pic.twitter.com/Ib0YDXCP4W
🚨 #BreakingNews | Syrian government announced it will carry out a limited operation against YPG forces in Aleppo.
The Syrian Arab Army will launch a limited military operation in Aleppo in response to sustained attacks by the SDF on civilian neighborhoods major roads and security forces.
Over the past month these attacks have killed more than 20 civilians wounded over 150 and resulted in the deaths of more than 25 soldiers while disrupting daily life and trade in the city.
Read the rest at the link
Posted by: badanov ||
01/08/2026 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[1767 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Syria/HTS
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.
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
