Recent Appearances...

Warning: Undefined array key "rbname" in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 14
Hello !
Recent Appearances...

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Palestinian clans are looking to join Abraham Accords after Oct. 7.

2025-05-28

It began with a sentence that sounded less like the opening of a diplomatic talk and more like the opening pitch at an accelerator demo-day. Economy Minister Nir Barkat — whose résumé lists two tech exits before it lists "mayor of Jerusalem" — stepped onto the Jerusalem Post Conference stage in New York and said he was tired of hearing that the West Bank was unsolvable.

If a product fails, he told the room, you either ship a better one or the market walks. His "product" was the Paleostinian Authority; his better version was a Paleostinian chapter of the Abraham Accords. "One day — hopefully soon — Arabs in Judea and Samaria will decide they’ve had enough of the PA and ask to join the accords," he said.

"If they work with Israel, we’ll help them build Dubai. If they fight Israel, they’ll end up looking like 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...
."

Phones came up like periscopes. The routine chatter about 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...
’s eventual normalization vanished. Barkat was talking about Rawabi, Abu Dis, perhaps even Jenin, not Riyadh or Jakarta.

In his model, clusters of West Bank towns would bypass Ramallah, plug directly into Israeli security and Gulf capital, and trade under commercial annexes adapted from the UAE-Israel playbook. No midnight shuttle diplomacy, no flags raised over Rose Garden lawns — just container IDs, escrow instructions and profit-and-loss sheets.

Link

Home Front: Politix

Trump throws America's $44billion education business into chaos by halting ALL student visas

2025-05-27

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] The Trump Administration has ordered US embassies to halt all student visa applications as the president cracks down on America's higher education business. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has directed officials to stop scheduling appointments with student visa applicants as they prepare to implement a social media vetting process, according to a cable obtained by Politico.

'Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued septel, which we anticipate in the coming days,' the cable states.

The Institute of International Education Open Doors data report found that in 2023-2024 academic year, the United States hosted a record-breaking 1.1 million international students - including an estimated 10,000 British students. These students generated $43.8 billion through tuition, housing and living expenses, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators.

Donald Trump has waged war on elite universities, accusing them of antisemitism and blasting their 'woke' ideology.

At the beginning of his second term, Trump ordered the deportation of foreign students who took part in pro-Hamas protests on college campuses in the US.

Harvard has borne the brunt of Trump's fire but it is also fighting back just as hard and sued the administration. The Department of Homeland Security announced on Thursday its revocation of Harvard's ability to host and enroll students from other countries. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem published a letter she sent to the Ivy League university last week instructing the thousands of current students to either transfer to other schools or leave the country.

Trump has demanded to know all of the names and countries of origin of all nearly 7,000 foreign-born students attending Harvard University.

The president said it was unacceptable that 31 percent of the students who attend the famous Ivy League school are 'from foreign lands.'

Harvard filed on Friday a lawsuit against the Trump administration for revoking its right to host foreign students. The school said in a court filing Trump's action will have an 'immediate and devastating effect for Harvard and more than 7,000 visa holders.'

'With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard's student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission,' Harvard wrote. 'Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.'

Yes, the sneering hate for America and for Jews delivered by the spoilt offspring of some of the world’s richest and most aristocratic parents — without that, what has Harvard to offer?

Trump intends to cut the federal government's remaining contracts with Harvard University, worth about $100 million.

The announcement will be made via a letter from the General Services Administration to federal agencies, which was obtained by The New York Times.

The letter, being sent out later Tuesday, also tells the agencies: 'Going forward, we also encourage your agency to seek alternative vendors for future services where you had previously considered Harvard.'

Mic drop.

The administration has frozen about $3.2 billion in grants and contracts with Harvard, which sued the government in response.

Trump threatened on Monday to take $3 billion in funding away from the Ivy League university to distribute to trade schools instead.

He also used Truth Social to complain that Harvard hadn't released to the federal government a list of foreign students enrolled in the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based school.

'I am considering taking Three Billion Dollars of Grant Money away from a very antisemitic Harvard, and giving it to TRADE SCHOOLS all across our land,' Trump wrote Monday morning. 'What a great investment that would be for the USA, and so badly needed!!!'

The president and his Republican allies have claimed that Harvard is antisemitic for allowing pro-Palestinian protests to take place on campus amid the current Gaza war.

Not merely for the protests but for encouraging and celebrating the ongoing physical and verbal abuse of students and staff assumed to be Jewish, and of those who cling to the old-fashioned academic virtue of looking for the truth rather than fashionable totalitarian shibboleths for answers, the illegal masking — KKK-style — to protect the identities of the perpetrators, and of course the lies and double dealing. The shocking justifications and support for Hamas’s actions merely set the stage for Harvard blossoming into the spokes-school for this modern iteration of the Third Reich.

'We are still waiting for the Foreign Student Lists from Harvard so that we can determine, after a ridiculous expenditure of BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, how many radicalized lunatics, troublemakers all, should not be let back into our Country,' the president wrote in a second Truth Social post.

'Harvard is very slow in the presentation of these documents, and probably for good reason!' he continued. 'The best thing Harvard has going for it is that they have shopped around and found the absolute best Judge (for them!) - But have no fear, the Government will, in the end, WIN!'

Last week Judge Allison Burroughs, a 2014 Obama appointee, temporarily paused the Trump administration's move to cancel Harvard's student visa program.

Harvard might describe the situation as an executive bill of attainder. So the Trump administration went around her while making it general to the entire class of evil universities and the entire class of foreign students without trying to determine which have not come to our shores out of sheer love of learning in America.

Harvard said that canceling the program, which includes 7,000 visas and amounts to around a quarter of the Ivy's student body is a 'blatant violation of the First Amendment, the Due Process Clause, and the Administrative Procedure Act.'

Trump's Department of Homeland Security moved to cancel the program after the university failed to provide the government with extensive behavioral records of visa holders in the student body.

Notably, the president has several close associates who were international students educated in the US, including senior advisor Boris Epshteyn, who helped Trump put together his legal team for criminal cases. Epshteyn was born in Russia and emigrated to the United States, and met Eric Trump as a student at Georgetown University.

Link

Good Morning

2025-05-27

JB Pritzker is acting presidential
-- too bad his state is in shambles

Tuesday 05/27/2025

Gaza round-up: Over 200 Hamas positions were destroyed in the last 48 hours

lucille_ball_1800

Fifth Column Jailed Columbia Student Khalil Meets Newborn Son for First Time		Israel-Palestine-Jordan Second missile from Yemen shot down, no alerts activated
Israel-Palestine-Jordan New Gaza aid body starts operating, pans Hamas threats toward those cooperating with it, 170 trucks entered Gaza		Israel-Palestine-Jordan 3 arrested on suspicion of planning terror attacks in Israel for Islamic State
Fifth Column Slain Jewish Couple Were Practicing Christians		Down Under Australia fast-tracks machete ban after shopping centre attack

Jussie Smollett post bizarre Instagram screed touting innocence and cushy settlement in lawsuit with Chicago

Link

Europe

Israel warns Europe that Palestine recognition may be met with West Bank annexation

2025-05-27

[IsraelTimes] Reports say ministers tell UK, France and others that Israel is considering annexing Area C of West Bank and legalizing outposts; Sweden summons Israeli envoy over Gaza aid

Israeli government ministers have reportedly warned key European countries that any unilateral recognition of a Paleostinian state could prompt Israel to take unilateral measures as well, potentially including the annexation of parts of the West Bank, according to Monday reports.

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer personally warned French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy that Israel could respond to recognition of a Paleostinian state by annexing Area C of the West Bank and legalizing unauthorized outposts, the Haaretz outlet reported, citing a foreign diplomat familiar with the matter.

A separate report by Israel Hayom said Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar conveyed a similar message to counterparts in the UK, La Belle France, and other nations, warning that steps against Israel would be met with Israeli actions such as extending illusory sovereignty to West Bank settlements and parts of the Jordan Valley.

"Unilateral moves against Israel will be met with unilateral moves by Israel," Sa’ar reportedly said.

The warnings came ahead of a French- and Saudi-led summit set to take place in New York next month, where French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to promote coordinated recognition of Paleostinian statehood.

While the US has said it will not participate, other European countries are still deliberating.

Some, including Germany, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, have reportedly voiced opposition to unilateral recognition. Others, such as Spain — which recognized a Paleostinian state last year — and Malta — which has said it will do so at the summit — are expected to say they support countries announcing unilateral recognition.

After Macron said last month that La Belle France was considering recognition of Paleostinian statehood, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said such a move would be a "huge prize for terror."

La Belle France’s recognition of Paleostinian statehood would mark a major policy shift for Gay Paree and risk antagonizing Israel, which insists such moves by foreign states are premature.

La Belle France would be the most significant European power to recognize a Paleostinian state, a move the United States has also long resisted.

Israel has argued that unilateral recognition of a Paleostinian state now will be viewed as a reward for Hamas
Hamas

..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
’s October 7 onslaught. Israel’s military campaign to rid 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 of Hamas has sparked worldwide sympathy for Paleostinians and galvanized support for recognizing statehood in some capitals.

The threats come amid mounting European opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza.

On Monday, Sweden announced that it would summon the Israeli ambassador to protest against Israel’s refusal to freely allow aid into Gaza.

"We do not support what the Israeli government is currently doing by denying access to Gaza. Absolutely not," Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said, according to the TT news agency.

A spokesperson for Mr. Kristersson confirmed this summons to AFP.

"We have been very clear about this, both nationally and with many other European countries. The pressure is now increasing — there is no doubt about it. And for very good reasons," the Swedish leader added.

Israel’s block on aid since early March, which has caused severe shortages of food and medicine, was partially lifted last week in the face of mounting international indignation. Since the blockade was lifted, hundreds of aid trucks have entered the Strip, mostly containing food, but UN officials and local aid workers have said that Israel’s renewed military action in the Strip makes effective distribution near impossible.

Kristersson also said he was in favor of a reassessment of the association agreement between the European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
and Israel. The bloc has ordered a review of it to see if Israel is respecting human rights
...which often include carefully measured allowances of freedom at the convenience of the state...
and democratic principles.

"This requires a consensus, and we are not there yet. But many of us are working in that direction," he said. "The current actions of the Israeli government are pushing more EU countries to impose stricter demands on Israel."

According to French diplomats, 17 of the 27 EU member states have so far said they back a review of the agreement, with Germany being the most notable abstention.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

New Gaza aid body starts operating, pans Hamas threats toward those cooperating with it, 170 trucks entered Gaza

2025-05-27

[IsraelTimes] GHF doesn’t reveal how much aid so far delivered, but says amount will increase each day; group names new CEO after previous one resigns due to concerns over Israeli restrictions

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...
Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said it commenced operations in the Gaza Strip on Monday, delivering truckloads of food to newly established distribution sites, from which the supplies were then distributed to a number of Paleostinians.

The announcement followed Hebrew media reports claiming that the US- and Israel-backed GHF did not manage to begin operating in Gaza on Monday as initially planned.

The GHF statement did not specify how much aid was distributed, but it did include photos of a number of Gazooks picking up boxes of aid from a distribution site. It said more trucks will be delivered on Tuesday and that the flow of aid will increase each day.

The foundation made a point to condemn what it said have been Hamas
Hamas

..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
death threats against aid groups who have agreed to cooperate with GHF, as well as efforts to block Paleostinians from reaching distribution sites.

"It is clear that Hamas is threatened by this new operating model, and will do everything in its power to see it fail," GHF said.

GHF also announced that John Acree has been named its interim executive director, after its previous chief resigned on Sunday and indicated that Israeli restrictions were preventing the initiative from being able to adhere to humanitarian principles. Acree is a "senior humanitarian practitioner with more than two decades of global field experience in disaster response, stabilization programming, and civil-military coordination," GHF said.

While technically an American company, GHF was established earlier this year in close coordination with Israeli authorities who felt existing aid distribution mechanisms led by the UN and other international organizations were insufficient in preventing the diversion of aid by Hamas.

Israel wanted to create a small number of distribution sites where pre-selected familial representatives would be able to pick up a heavy box full of food for their families in a zone secured and operated by American private contractors.

GHF still needs support and cooperation from existing humanitarian organizations, as it seeks to gain credibility on the ground. That backing has yet to come, though, with the UN and many other international organizations in Gaza vowing not to cooperate with the GHF, arguing that its aid initiative violates humanitarian principles by requiring Gazooks to walk long distances in order to retrieve aid and limiting distribution to southern Gaza, in what would forcibly displace the Paleostinian population.

UN officials have also raised concerns that the organization could be used to "weaponize" aid by restricting who is eligible to receive it.

A small number of lesser-known organizations have agreed to cooperate with the GHF thus far, including the US-based aid group Rahma Worldwide, whose logo was seen in the photos of boxes being distributed to Gazooks on Monday.

GHF says it is made up of former humanitarian, government and military officials. It has said its distribution points — three in southern Gaza and one in central Gaza — will be guarded by private security firms and that its aid will reach a million Paleostinians — around half of Gaza’s population — by the end of the week.

Under pressure from allies, Israel began allowing a trickle of humanitarian aid

into Gaza last week after blocking all food, medicine, fuel or other goods from entering since March 2. Aid groups have warned of famine and say the aid that has come in is nowhere near enough to meet mounting needs.

Hamas warned Paleostinians on Monday not to cooperate with the new aid system, saying it is aimed at furthering those objectives.

Earlier Monday, Hamas executed four men it claimed had looted some of the aid trucks that have begun entering Gaza, according to sources familiar with the incident.

”How dare you try to cut in on our exclusive rights! Aiiiii — now you must DIE!!”

One source said the four were involved in an incident last week in which six security officials were allegedly killed by an Israeli ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
...KABOOM!...
as they were working to prevent gang members from hijacking aid trucks.

Aid groups have said that deliveries have been hampered by looting, claiming Israel is to blame for creating a situation in which hundreds of thousands of people have been driven to desperation by aid blockade. Israel has accused Hamas of stealing aid, and says aid needs to be tightly controlled to prevent it from helping the terror group.

Israel says 170 aid trucks entered Gaza today, containing food, medical equipment, drugs
[IsraelTimes] The Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announces that 170 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip today.

Israel resumed near-daily aid deliveries to Gaza last week, after a pause since March 2. Since then, 665 trucks of aid have entered the Strip.

COGAT says the aid delivery comes “following the recommendation of professional IDF officials and in accordance with the directive of the political echelon.”

Today’s trucks include food, medical equipment and pharmaceutical drugs, COGAT says.

The aid underwent an inspection by Israeli authorities before entering Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing.

COGAT does not comment on whether the trucks headed for the new aid distribution sites in Gaza, which according to reports, did not begin operations today as planned.

Lapid suggests Israel funding foreign ‘shell companies’ distributing Gaza aid; PM spokesperson denies
[IsraelTimes] Opposition Leader Yair Lapid accuses the government of secretly funding humanitarian aid for Gaza through two foreign “shell companies,” an assertion quickly denied by the Prime Minister’s Office.

He really is a vile little man. Are any in the opposition not?

“Our job is to ask the government tough questions, and with such a question I take the podium today: Is the State of Israel behind two shell companies established in Switzerland
...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell...
and the United States, GHF and SRS, to organize and finance humanitarian aid in Gazoo?" Lapid asks from the Knesset rostrum ahead of a no-confidence vote in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu’s office confirmed this morning that the distribution of assistance under the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) had begun, launching a system that Israel says is meant to keep aid from being diverted to the Hamas

..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
terror group.

While technically an American company, GHF was established in close coordination with Israeli authorities. Aid groups and the UN have refused to cooperate with the new initiative, saying it would create even more displacement of the Paleostinian population, fail to meet local needs, and violate humanitarian principles that prohibit a warring party from controlling humanitarian assistance.

GHF has published a 14-page document detailing its distribution plan, including the names of those leading the project. Two American companies, Safe Reach Solutions (SRS) and UG Solutions, were selected to serve as onsite contractors.

According to The New York Times

...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize...
, the project wasn’t simply built in coordination with Israel, but is "an Israeli brainchild" proposed during a 2023 meeting of "like-minded officials, military officers and business people with close ties to the Israeli government."

According to a separate Haaretz report published yesterday, SRS entered Gaza without security clearance from the Shin Bet, as is the procedure.

In a swift reaction, Netanyahu spokesperson Omer Dostri says: "Israel does not fund the humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip. Israel and the United States are working in full coordination and through various channels to cut off aid from reaching Hamas."

Link

Fifth Column

Slain Jewish Couple Were Practicing Christians

2025-05-27

They’re just as murdered for standing with Israel, but it’s interesting.

[RichardPollock] The Killer Didn't Care If They Were Christians - They Attended A Jewish Event

Last week, when alleged killer Elias Rodrigues

…the stereotypical Red Diaper Baby English major whose name is alternately spelt Elias Rodriguez…

bumped off Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim outside the Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., he thought he was killing Jews.

It was clearly a targeted liquidation of Jewish participants at an American Jewish Committee’s event for young professionals.

Tough guy Rodrigues fired 21 slugs into the unarmed a couple. A maimed Sarah reportedly tried to crawl away from him, but he continued to shoot her until she was lifeless.

As he was being led away from the museum, he proudly chanted, "Free, Free Paleostine."

But what Rodrigues didn’t know is that for most of last year, his targets were regular Sunday attendees at the Episcopal Church, Ascension and Saint Agnes Church in downtown Washington.

Before he came to the United States, Lischinsky also attended the Anglican Christ Church in Jerusalem.

And the "Jewish" event he targeted was an ecumenical meeting between young professionals who were interested in humanitarian solutions to the Middle East conflict.

Rodrigues didn’t realize it, but his hateful blindness serves as a warning: this unforgivable violence may begin with Jews, but their rage is directed toward all of Western Judeo-Christian civilization.

Many of the ugly, in-your-face anti-Israel protests we have witnessed since October 7 have been led by so-called pro-Paleostinian "anti-imperialists." They regard all of the West as their enemy. Since October 7, the pro-Paleostinian movement regularly dubbed President Biden "Genocide Joe."

There is an old saying that the Jewish people have always served as the canaries in the coal mines. They serve as a warning to others living in free societies that senseless hate is coming their way.

Washington Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde and the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, Dean of the Washington Cathedral understood that the murders of Yaron and Sarah were filled with "brutal irony" since the two were attending a multifaith gathering.

"We cannot ignore the brutal irony of where and when these murders occurred: Yaron and Sarah had just attended an event that brought together multifaith attendees to discuss humanitarian initiatives," the two religious leaders said in a statement they issued after the murders.

Of course, this "fact" didn’t matter to the killer.

The Episcopal leaders further wrote about the couple, "Their attraction to Christ seemed to have deepened their love for their Jewish sisters and brothers as well as their commitment to serve the people of Israel."

In their reporting about last week’s killing, much of the mass media, especially the New York Times

...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize...
, emphasized in their headlines that Yaron and Sarah worked at the Israeli Embassy. The "unstated" message was that they died because of the war in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
. The two young people simply were collateral damage to that war. End of story.

But life is more complicated and profound.

On Sunday, I attended the majestic Ascension and Saint Agnes Church where the local Rector movingly eulogized the couple as more than 100 perishioners looked on. The main sanctuary displayed a picture of the two with candles below and a cross of Jesus.

Although I’m Jewish and wore a yarmulka to the church, I was warmly welcomed by many congregants and by the clergy.

Father Dominque Peridans, in his remembrances for the two at the end of the liturgy, he observed that "Yaron, is a Hebrew name which means ’full of joy.’" Rather than a Jew, "He was dedicated to the Christ, Jesus. He worshipped with the community of Messianic Jews."

Messianic Jews combine Christian theology with select elements of Judaism. Its adherents consider themselves to be a form of Judaism, but it’s generally considered to be a form of Christianity. Messianic Jews are deep believers in Israel.

Father Peridans told the congregants that Yaron was respectful of all other religious faiths, "He actively participated in interfaith dialogue and was dedicated to bridging cultural and religious divides."

The same could be said of Sarah. Prior to joining the Israeli Embassy, she went to Israel for five weeks to work at Tech2Peace, an organization that brought together young Israelis and Paleostinians for joint projects.

The Jewish News Syndicate reported, "She focused on the experiences of 12 Israeli and Paleostinian participants in a seminar organized by Tech2Peace at Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam, a Jewish-Arab village halfway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, documenting their stories and the complexities of the Israeli-Paleostinian conflict.

She also worked at the United States Institute for Peace in Washington, D.C., a federal agency that studies peaceful resolution to conflicts around the world. Rodrigues never wanted to bother himself with such niceties.

Still, other American Leftwing krazed killer groups hailed the killer.

A group that describes itself as "anti-imperialist" called, "The Bronx Anti-War" posted that what Rodriguez "did is the highest expression of anti-Zionism" and "We need more Elias Rodriguez in this world" in a pair of social media posts Thursday.

And of course, the Iranians heralded the killing. Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor of the Iranian news outlet Kayhan predictably wrote, "Any news of our dear brother Elias Rodriguez, who sent two Zionist wild animals in Washington to hell with a bullet?"

Israel’s "Law of Return" never defined who is a Jew. But the State recognizes people in which one parent is Jewish. Both Yaron and Sarah had one parent who was Jewish.

Yaron’s parents live in Israel where he was buried just outside of Jerusalem. The Israeli Foreign Ministry accepted the body upon his return to the country.

Sarah was born into a family that is tied to reform Judaism. Her funeral will be held on Tuesday at Congregation Beth Torah in Overland Park, Kansas. The Israeli Ambassador to the United States is expected to attend.

Link

Down Under

Australia fast-tracks machete ban after shopping centre attack

2025-05-27

[BBC] A fight involving machetes at a Melbourne shopping centre has prompted an Australian state to fast-track the country's first-ever ban on the weapon's sale.

The ban - to start in Victoria this Wednesday, instead of September - comes after two gangs attacked each other at Northland shopping centre in Preston on Sunday afternoon. A man, 20, remains in hospital in a serious condition.

Sounds like immigrant gangs, what the Australians call “Lebanese”, which means any of a number of ethnic gangs from the Moslem Middle East — Lebanese, Syrians, Kurds, etc, and even some that are mixed. As I recall — it’s been a while since we looked at them — they make their money from international drug trafficking as well as the usual gang activities, and are tied in to the jihadi networks of Hezbollah, ISIS, and Al Qaeda as well.

Victoria's premier said the ban will "choke the supply", adding "the community shouldn't have to deal with these weapons in their shopping centres - neither should our police".

Sounds like the kind of thing the Australian authorities and news media said about guns — how did that work out for y’all? Did disarming the law-abiding result in any less criminal violence thereafter?

Two boys, aged 16 and 15, were on Sunday charged with affray, intentionally causing injury, and possession and use of a controlled weapon.

On Monday, police said two men, aged 20 and 18, had also been arrested and were being interviewed. All four people were known to police previously.

"This was a planned fight between two rival youth gangs with no innocent bystanders hurt," said deputy commissioner David Clayton.

"Fortunately, these events are not very commonplace in Victoria," he said, adding that youth knife crime is "rare" but "frightening".

Clayton said one in 10 knife crimes in the state is committed by young people, and often happen in public places.

Emergency services were called to the shopping centre in Preston - about 11km (seven miles) north of Melbourne - just after 14:30 local time (05:30 BST) on Sunday after reports of up to 10 people fighting.

Police said the investigation "remains ongoing" and more arrests are expected. Three of the four machetes used during the attack have been seized, police said.

Victoria's Premier Jacinta Allan described the attack as "appalling".

"We must never let the places where we gather - where families come together, to meet, to shop, to enjoy the peace of their weekend - become the places we fear," Allan said at a press conference.

"It took the United Kingdom 18 months to bring about a ban on machetes and we are moving to do it within six months," she added.

In March, Victoria announced legislative changes to its Control of Weapons Act, making it illegal to sell or possess machetes, with the new law to start in September.

The ban covers machetes, which are broadly defined as "knives with a cutting blade longer than 20cm". It does not include knives primarily used in kitchens.

A three-month amnesty from September means anyone with a machete can place them in specially designated boxes at police stations.

Police also thanked a man who held down one of the alleged offenders until police arrived, saying he "performed an outstanding job", but added they don't encourage the public to become involved in such incidents.

In England and Wales, a ban on "zombie-style" knives and machetes was introduced last September, making it illegal to own, make, transport or sell a wide range of "statement" knives favoured by criminal gangs.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Hezbollah captives may be freed as part of deal involving Israeli-Russian researcher

2025-05-27

[NAHARNET] There is an available chance to reactivate the file of the release of Lebanese captives held by Israel in conjunction with the expected release of Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was kidnapped by Iraq in 2023 by the Iran-backed Ketaeb Hezbollah group, which is not linked to Leb
Leb

...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects....
's Hezbollah, Western diplomatic sources said.

The sources told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that Hezbollah's leadership prepared a list containing the names of 15 Lebanese captives, of whom seven were captured during the latest Israel-Hezbollah war and eight were detained during the ceasefire period.

The daily added that the deal also involves an Iranian citizen and a Paleostinian national.

Sky News had reported Saturday that an agreement was reached to exchange prisoners between Iraq, Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
and Israel, which involves ''Hezbollah members, a Lebanese sea captain, an Israeli-Russian academic and an Iranian citizen.''

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Israel rejects Gaza truce proposed by Trump ally Bishara Bahbah

2025-05-27

[NEWARAB] Israel has rejected a new 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...
ceasefire proposal put forward by Paleostinian-American academic and Trump ally Bishara Bahbah amid signs of renewed pressure from Washington to end the war.

Regional news outlets reported on Monday that Bahbah has proposed a solution similar to the framework drawn up by the Trump administration, but included a personal guarantee from the US president that Israel will enter talks to permanently end the war.

The Trump framework, recently proposed by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, would see both sides agree to a truce lasting between 45 and 60 days. Hamas
Hamas

..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
would release 10 living captives, and Israel would free Paleostinian detainees.

Israeli officials strongly rejected the terms in comments to local media, just hours after details of the proposal began to surface.

"Israel rejects the proposal of the American-Paleostinian mediator — this is an unacceptable and illogical proposal," sources told Kan.

The plan "cannot be accepted by any responsible government", another official told The Times of Israel.

The Netanyahu government has insisted it will only agree to a temporary ceasefire according to the so-called 'Witkoff outline', but refuses to discuss ending the war until Hamas surrenders and leaves Gaza.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

US envoy Witkoff denies Hamas accepted Gaza ceasefire deal

2025-05-27

[NEWARAB] Washington rejected Monday an assertion by Hamas
Hamas

..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
that the group had accepted a 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...
ceasefire proposal that reportedly involves the liberation of 10 hostages in two batches and a 70-day truce.

A front man for US envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed to news agency AFP reporting by Axios that he had rejected claims by the Paleostinian group that it had agreed to his proposal for a hostage and ceasefire deal.

This comes after Rooters reported earlier on Monday that Hamas has agreed to the proposal by Witkoff for a Gaza ceasefire.

"The proposal includes the release of ten living Israeli hostages held by Hamas in two groups in return for a 70-day ceasefire and a partial withdrawal from the Gaza Strip," the source told Rooters.

More than 50 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Monday in the north of the territory, most of them women and kiddies.

An Israeli strike on a family home in Jabalia killed 19 people and another ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
...KABOOM!...
on a school-turned-shelter for displaced people killed more than 30.

The Times of Israel adds:

“What I have seen from Hamas is disappointing and completely unacceptable,” Witkoff tells the Axios news site.

Witkoff says Israel is prepared to agree to a temporary ceasefire that would see half of the living and deceased hostages return “and lead to substantive negotiations to find a path to a permanent ceasefire, which I agreed to preside over.”

“That deal is on the table. Hamas should take it,” Witkoff says.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Gaza round-up: Over 200 Hamas positions were destroyed in the last 48 hours

2025-05-27

[PUBLISH.TWITTER]

Over 200 Hamas positions were destroyed in the last 48 hours, and dozens of Hamas terrorists were successfully eliminated by the IDF.

We're not stopping for a second.

Pray for our heroes' success.

pic.twitter.com/hrM8wGt4I9
— Vivid.🇮🇱 (@VividProwess) May 26, 2025

Families massacred in their sleep as Israel bombs Gaza school
[NEWARAB] The Israeli military massacred at least 33 people and injured more than 55 others on Saturday when it struck a school sheltering displaced families 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...
City.

It’s a Hamas command-and-control center with built in human shield, and Hamas is delighted at the propaganda-worthy number of dead bodies.

The Fahmi al-Jarjawi School, located in the al-Daraj neighbourhood, had been repurposed as a refuge for people forced from their homes by Israel's months-long assault. Many of the victims were burned alive as they slept.

The IDF warned everyone to leave the area, as it was going to be hit, but they chose to stay — or perhaps Hamas held them there at gunpoint, that part is not quite clear.

. The Israeli army claimed the school was being used by bully boyz to plan attacks on Israeli forces and civilians, but it has provided no evidence. Eyewitnesses and local sources confirmed the building was functioning solely as a shelter with no murderous Moslem presence.

The latest massacre has deepened the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where UN agencies say shelters are dangerously overcrowded and no area is safe from Israeli fire.

According to the Education Cluster, 88 percent of Gaza's school buildings, 496 out of 564, have been hit or damaged by Israeli attacks since 2023, including 275 government schools, 161 UNRWA schools, and 57 private schools. These strikes have killed and maimed thousands.

Hamas clearly needs a great many command
and control centers.

Death toll in Israeli strike on Gaza school-turned-shelter reaches 36, Hamas-run authorities say
[IsraelTimes] The death toll in an Israeli strike on a Gaza City school-turned-shelter has risen to 36, Hamas-run authorities say.

The Israel Defense Forces said the early-morning strike on the Fahmi Al-Jarjawi school targeted “key terrorists” in a command center.

The strike apparently sparked a number of blazes.

IDF reissues wide evacuation warning for entire Rafah, Khan Younis area in south Gaza

IDF says over 200 strikes carried out in Gaza over past 48 hours; terror operatives, weapons depots targeted
[IsraelTimes] The Israeli Air Force carried out over 200 strikes in the Gaza Strip over the past 48 hours, the military says.

The IDF says the targets included terror operatives, weapon depots, anti-tank and sniper positions, tunnel shafts, and other infrastructure.

In southern Gaza, the military says troops struck a building used by Hamas as a weapons depot, an observation post, and another structure used by the terror group. Troops also directed drone strikes on several operatives spotted in buildings near the forces, the IDF says.

In northern Gaza, the IDF says a strike carried out by a fighter jet destroyed a building where members of Hamas’s Nukhba force were operating.

IDF says 3 rockets fired from Gaza; 2 fall short in Strip, 3rd is intercepted before crossing border
[IsraelTimes] Three rockets were launched from the southern Gaza Strip a short while ago, the military says.

The IDF says two of the projectiles fell short in Gaza, and the third was intercepted by air defenses before crossing the border.

Sirens did not sound in any border communities amid the attack.

There are no reports of injuries in Gaza from either the two projectiles that fell short or the interception.

IDF: ‘Key terrorists’ targeted in strike on Gaza school-turned-shelter; 25 said killed
[IsraelTimes] The Israeli military says it carried out a strike overnight against “key terrorists” who were embedded within a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City’s Daraj neighborhood.

According to Palestinian media, at least 25 people, including children, were killed in the strike on the Al-Jarjawi School.

The IDF says that the school was being used by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad as a command center.

“The command and control center was used by the terrorists to plan and gather intelligence in order to carry out terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops in the area,” the military says.

The military says it took “many steps” to mitigate civilian harm, including by using a precision munition, aerial surveillance, and other intelligence.

IDF says troops killed Gaza terror operatives who fired mortars at them
[IsraelTimes] The IDF says it “eliminated” a cell of terror operatives that launched several mortars at troops during operations in the northern Gaza Strip today.

According to the military, several mortars were fired at troops of the 401st Armored Brigade, without causing any injuries. After just one minute, the troops identified the cell behind the attack, which had withdrawn to a building.

The troops then called in an airstrike on the building, killing the members of the cell, the IDF adds.

IDF division completes Rafah operations, pushes into Khan Younis in new offensive
[IsraelTimes] The IDF’s 36th Division is advancing in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis as part of a new offensive against Hamas, the military announces.

In a statement, the IDF says the division recently completed its operations in Rafah, and is now pushing into new areas in Khan Younis.

The division has established the so-called Morag Corridor between Rafah and Khan Younis in recent weeks.

In the past week, the IDF says the division’s forces killed dozens of terror operatives and destroyed hundreds of infrastructures, including observation posts and tunnels.

Link

Home Front: Politix

Muslim Americans Just Redrew the Electoral Map—and No One’s Talking About It

2025-05-26

Muslim Americans, African-American men, Latino citizens, union members, unions (!!), Native Americans — all the traditionally locked-in Democratic voters except college-educated women are now either divided or breaking for President Trump. It’s been fascinating to watch.

[Townhall] In one of the most politically significant—but underreported—developments of the 2024 election cycle, a new survey reveals that Moslem Americans are no longer a reliable voting bloc for the Democratic Party. This shift reflects not only political disillusionment but a deeper cultural and ideological rift that is quietly reshaping the American electoral map.

According to a nationally representative poll conducted by J.L. Partners in collaboration with the Moslem American Leadership Alliance (MALA), the Moslem-American vote is now evenly split: 34 percent of respondents identify as Democrats
...every time you hear the phrase white people, white supremacy, white anything but paint, you're listening to a Democrat. Ask him/her/it to reimagine something for you; they do that a lot, though not well. They can hear a dog whistle a mile or two away. They invented the spoils system and Tammany Hall, and inspired the addition of the word (Thomas) Nasty to the English language. They want to stop continental drift and repeal the law of unintended side effects...
, 34 percent as independents, and 33 percent as Republicans. Just four years ago, President Joe The Big Guy Biden
...46th president of the U.S. Sleazy Dem machine politician, paterfamilias of the Biden Crime Family...
secured 69 percent of this demographic. In 2024, Kamala Harris
former senatrix from California, 2020 Dem presidential hopeful and ultimately Joe Biden's intended successor
, then the Democratic nominee, garnered only 20.3 percent of the Moslem vote—while Green Party candidate Jill Stein captured a stunning 53 percent.

This political earthquake signals more than dissatisfaction with a particular candidate or administration. It reflects a growing realization among Moslem Americans that the Democratic Party has drifted away from the traditional, family-centered values that define their communities.

The numbers speak volumes. While 52 percent of Moslem Americans still view the Democratic Party favorably, a sizable segment supports policies typically associated with the Republican platform. The MALA poll found that 43 percent back the deportation of illegal im~~migrants~~ colonists, 44 percent support increased domestic oil drilling, and 62 percent favor eliminating taxes on tipped income. These are not fringe positions—they are mainstream conservative policies gaining ground with Moslem voters.

Cultural concerns are just as pivotal. Many Moslem Americans have voiced unease with the Democratic Party’s promotion of gender ideology and LGBTQ+ content in schools, especially where it intersects with young children. These concerns are not rooted in intolerance—they stem from a clash between progressive dogma and deeply held religious and moral values.

Moslem communities in the U.S. prioritize modesty, family cohesion, spiritual tradition, and the protection of children. These values increasingly conflict with the Democratic Party’s progressive agenda on sexuality, gender identity, and parental rights in education.

Layered on top of this cultural divergence is a deepening sense of betrayal—particularly on foreign policy. From Israel and Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
to Russia, Ukraine and Afghanistan, the Democratic Party’s foreign interventions have deeply affected Moslem-majority regions and undermined the moral credibility of U.S. leadership in the eyes of many Moslem voters.

Matt Duss, executive vice president at the Center for International Policy and former foreign policy advisor to Senator Bernie Sanders

...The ~~only~~ first openly Socialist member of the U.S. Senate. Sanders was Representative-for-Life from Vermont until moving to the Senate for the rest of his life in 2006, assuming the seat vacated by Jim Jeffords. He ran for the 2016 nomination for president, to be cheated out of it by Hillary Clinton, then went back to being an Independent socialist, waiting for 2020 to roll around...
, argued in a January 2025 Guardian article that Democrats have become the party of militarism, ceding the anti-war mantle to Republicans. He warned that the party’s embrace of hawkish foreign policy has alienated voters who oppose U.S. interventionism—particularly in the Middle East.

This assessment tracks closely with electoral trends from 2024. In Michigan—home to one of the largest Moslem populations in the U.S.—exit polls showed that 59 percent of Moslem voters backed Jill Stein, while just 14 percent supported Kamala Harris. Duss’s critique underscores the electoral cost of a Democratic foreign policy increasingly at odds with its base.

Importantly, this realignment is not about blind allegiance to the GOP. It represents a pragmatic reassessment of leadership—especially regarding war, peace, and international justice.

Though Donald Trump
...The tack in the backside of the Democratic Party...
remains a divisive
...politicians call things divisive when when the other side sez something they don't like. Their own statements are never divisive, they're principled...
figure, a plurality of Moslem voters (52 percent) now believe he is better suited than Joe Biden to broker peace in the Middle East. On the Israel-Gaza conflict, 29 percent of Moslem respondents expressed support for Hamas'>Hamas
Hamas

..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
(granted, this is a troubling find), just 14 percent backed Israel, and 44 percent supported neither side—indicating a nuanced, issue-by-issue approach rather than rigid ideological alignment. It also reflects deep fatigue with the endless wars associated with Democratic leadership.

This is not a story of mass conversion to conservatism—it is a recalibration based on policy, values, and a demand for representation. Moslem Americans are asserting their political independence. No longer content to be treated as a monolithic voting bloc, they are making it clear: their loyalty depends on substance, not slogans.

Link

Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$T in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 132
-12 More