Recent Appearances...

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Hello !
Recent Appearances...

Abu Muslim al Austraili	Abu Muslim al Austraili	al-Qaeda	Down Under			20040611	Link
American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council	American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council	American Muslim Foundation	Home Front			20031001
American Muslim Council	American Muslim Council	American Muslim Foundation	Home Front			20031001
Izzul Muslimin	Izzul Muslimin	Muhammadiyah Youth	Southeast Asia	Indonesian	Big Shot	20021112
		Secretary of Muhammadiyah Youth
Khaled Mohammad bin Muslim Al-Arawi Al-Juhani	Khaled Mohammad bin Muslim Al-Arawi Al-Juhani	al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula	Arabia			20030607
Mullah Sazil Muslimyar	Mullah Sazil Muslimyar	Taliban	Afghanistan/South Asia			20011122
Muslim Carino	Muslim Carino	Abu Sayyaf	Southeast Asia			20040328
Muslim Dzheniev	Muslim Dzheniev	Chechnya	Caucasus			20040306

Israel lobbies Washington to restart war on Yemen: Sources told Hebrew media that Tel Aviv is calling for the formation of a new coalition against Sanaa

2025-07-13

Israel is pressuring the US to restart its campaign against the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) and Ansarallah movement in Yemen, according to reports in Israeli media.

According to Israel’s Broadcasting Corporation (KAN), Yemeni attacks on vessels headed to Israeli ports "can no longer remain solely an Israeli problem."

Sources told the outlet that Tel Aviv has been calling for "more intense combined attacks against Houthi regime targets — not just [Israeli] air force fighter jet strikes, but also a renewal of American attacks and the formation of a coalition including additional countries," an informed source told KAN.

Another anonymous security official said that "a broad coalition is needed to convey to the Houthi regime that it is in danger."

The report comes after the YAF sunk two Greek-owned, Liberian-flagged vessels which were en route to Israeli ports.

Where the hell are our carriers?
Kick the shit out of these camel fuckers, what are allies for, anyway?
We can't be like the NATO countries and laze around and do nothing. The USA isn't that kind of ally.
When our allies are in need, we've got a boot that fits right up Muslim asses.

Link

Europe

Paradoxical alliance: Erdogan's friend and the gypsies' friend subjugate Bulgaria

2025-07-12

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Igor Ivanenko

[REGNUM] No sooner had the EU structures managed to suppress the “sovereignist rebellion” in Romania than they were faced with the prospect of losing absolute control over the policies of neighboring Bulgaria.

Moreover, it would seem that today Sofia is experiencing the apogee of European integration.

This year, Bulgaria became a full member of the Schengen Agreement, and the government of Rosen Zhelyazkov, formed several months ago, despite all the intrigues of the opposition, is confidently leading the country to enter the “euro zone”.

On July 11, the republic's parliament unsuccessfully considered the fourth vote of no confidence in the cabinet of ministers in six months; a fifth is expected in September, but its prospects are also illusory.

And this is despite the fact that Zhelezyakov heads a “minority government” that officially relies on three parliamentary factions out of nine. They have only 102 parliamentary mandates out of 240 at their disposal.

The tenacity of the current, at first glance rather flimsy, cabinet of ministers is explained by the fact that it managed to link its own future with the prospect of Bulgaria introducing the euro. They say that if Zhelezyakov's team does not hold out, then the country's accession to the European monetary union will be postponed for at least several years.

In this case, the Bulgarian ruling elites managed to take advantage of the weakened state of the EU itself.

The crisis of legitimacy of the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the almost open conflict of the Brussels bureaucracy with the Donald Trump administration, the strengthening of the intra-European front – Hungary and Slovakia, the gravitation of Romania and Poland towards it – all this has raised the price of Bulgarian loyalty to the EU institutions.

Taking advantage of the EU leadership's clear request to maintain a positive integration agenda, Bulgaria was able to win approval for the introduction of the euro. Moreover, this happened despite the fact that the country does not meet the requirements for the introduction of the euro currency in terms of key macroeconomic indicators.

Critics of this controversial move point to Bulgarian inflation being beyond EU standards. But does that matter when von der Leyen, who has suffered painful criticism for Pfizergate and her reckless support for Ukraine, needs a big PR victory?

The main sacrifice that ordinary Bulgarians are already forced to pay for their country's entry into the eurozone is the regime of austerity in social spending. This has hit the pro-European government hard in popularity. It needed a strong backing to keep it in parliament.

The paradox is that this has become the political force that is considered not to meet the standards of European democracy. We are talking about the party "Movement for Rights and Freedoms - New Beginning" headed by the oligarch Delyan Peevski.

It is one of two groups into which the pro-Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) split last year.

The part of the movement that is focused on the votes of Bulgarian citizens living in Turkey remained with the long-time leader of the DPS, Ahmed Dogan (also accused of corruption by European politicians).

Peevsky relies mainly on the ethno-religious minorities in Bulgaria itself - Turks, Muslim Bulgarians and Roma.

In the last parliamentary elections, in the fall of 2024, about 25% of those who voted for Peevski's political force were Roma. This gave the politician's opponents grounds to accuse him of bribing voters, since Roma usually do not show much interest in political life.

But, of course, Peevsky ended up on the notorious “Magnitsky list” in the US for much more obvious offenses involving the misappropriation of public funds, abuse of state property, and similar actions.

If New Beginning had not supported the ruling coalition during the third vote of no confidence earlier this month, there would have been "no government and no eurozone".

These words belong to the leader of the GERB party (Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria) Boyko Borisov, the former prime minister and de facto leader of the current pro-European parliamentary coalition. Along with GERB, it includes the Socialist Party and the populist movement "There is such a people".

Borisov is a patriarch of Bulgarian politics, whose first term as prime minister began in 2009, and for many years he skillfully maneuvered between different geopolitical centers.

For example, GERB, which is part of the European People's Party, contributed to the extension of the powers of the current head of the European Commission and her recent overcoming of a vote of no confidence. At the same time, in his home country, Borisov is considered to be perhaps the most pro-Turkish politician and a friend of Recep Erdogan.

In domestic Bulgarian politics, Borisov had to take into account for a long time the presence of other pro-European liberal parties, with which GERB was doomed to form government coalitions. For Brussels and the Democratic administration in the United States, this was very convenient, as it allowed them to keep the politicians in Sofia in check.

However, by taking advantage of the upheavals in the Euro-Atlanticist camp at the beginning of 2025, Borisov was able to avoid creating a traditional alliance with the left-liberal and American Democrat-oriented Continue Changes (CC) party.

In Brussels, the collapse of the "democratic coalition" caused undisguised irritation. But the EU leadership could not react harshly to this in the context of the emerging confrontation with the Republican administration of the United States.

Moreover, Borisov also took out insurance.

On the one hand, the government of his party comrade Zhelezjakov proclaimed a course towards the eurozone, and on the other, an informal alliance with the DPS-NN emerged.

In essence, the emergence of the Borisov-Peevsky bi-umvirate is evident in Bulgaria.

During the upcoming presidential elections in a year and the very likely early parliamentary elections, this alliance could be formalized: Borisov as head of state, Peevsky as head of government.

Recent party popularity surveys show that GERB has a support level of 24.5%, while DPS-NN is in second place with 15.7%. Third place belongs to the opposition bloc "Continue Changes - Democratic Bulgaria" (14.2%).

The absorption of the latter will probably be the main element in achieving a confident victory for Borisov, GERB and DPS-NN in the upcoming elections.

A week ago, the PP was effectively decapitated, as a corruption scandal forced the left-liberal party's leader, Harvard graduate Kiril Petkov, to resign.

On July 9, Petkov's associate, the mayor of Varna, Bulgaria's third city, Blagomir Kotsev, was taken into custody on suspicion of corruption High-ranking officials from the capital's mayor's office, where the PP also has strong positions, are also under investigation.

Associates of the persecuted officials claim that their cases are politically motivated. They have attempted to organize protests in Sofia and Varna and have sought protection in Brussels.

The latter's reaction is a major political intrigue, since the monopolization of political power in Sofia poses a number of threats to him, but the disruption of the process of introducing the single European currency in Bulgaria is also fraught with serious costs.

Link

Fifth Column

Trump team used Canary Mission site to target anti-Israel activists for deportation

2025-07-11

Open source information added to the usual government intelligence, checked using the usual government resources before acting on it to achieve legal objectives laid out clearly by the president — I don’t see how there could be any valid objection.

[IsraelTimes] US Department of Homeland Security official testifies agency used controversial website that catalogs academics’ anti-Israel statements, amid free speech lawsuit by professors

Newly unsealed court records and trial testimony show that top Trump administration officials relied heavily on Canary Mission, a controversial website that targets pro-Paleostinian, anti-Israel activists, as part of a secretive effort to deport foreign students and academics from American universities.

Not all that secretive, given how many cases are trumpeted in the press at the time.

The revelations emerged during an ongoing federal lawsuit in Boston brought by the American Association of University Professors and the Middle East Studies Association, challenging what they call "ideological deportations" that they say violate the US Constitution’s First Amendment.

The case is one of the most closely watched challenges to US President Donald Trump

...The cad! Twice caught beating wimmin!...
’s deportation efforts.

A Department of Homeland Security "tiger team" formed in 2019 built dossiers on thousands of noncitizen academics and students by pulling names from a public list of 5,000 individuals compiled by Canary Mission, according to Politico’s reporting on the trial.

The site — which publishes profiles of pro-Paleostinian, anti-Israel activists, identifying protests they’ve participated in and often archiving inflammatory posts they’ve made on social media — became a primary resource for the team, according to sworn testimony from DHS official Peter Hatch.

Hatch, the assistant director for intelligence at Homeland Security Investigations, testified that more than 75% of the deportation referrals prepared by his unit were based on names first identified through Canary Mission, adding that the information was independently verified before being compiled into official reports, according to Politico.

"Many of the names or even most of the names came from that website, but we were getting names and leads from many different websites," Hatch said.

"We received information on the same protesters from multiple sources, but Canary Mission was the most inclusive. The lists came in from all different directions."

"Canary Mission is not a part of the US government," he said. "It is not information that we would take as an authoritative source. We don’t work with the individuals who create the website. I don’t know who creates the website."

Trump officials cited another pro-Israel outside group as a key source of intelligence: Betar USA.

The right-wing Zionist group that has taken a confrontational stance toward Moslem and pro-Paleostinian student organizations claimed earlier this year that it provided the government with a list of targets for deportation.

In February, the Anti-Defamation League added Betar USA to its list of holy warrior groups, citing its open Islamophobia
...the irrational fear that Moslems will act the way they usually do...
and alleged harassment of pro-Paleostinian activists.

Canary Mission did not respond to a request for comment from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, but in a statement to Politico, it denied collaborating with any government agencies, insisting that its goal is solely to document antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment.

"We document individuals and groups that promote hatred of the USA, Israel and Jews. We investigate hatred across the political spectrum, including the far-right, far-left and anti-Israel activists," the group said.

Critics say the group’s anonymous structure and doxxing tactics have created a climate of fear on college campuses.

This week’s trial testimony also shed light on the role of top Trump advisor Stephen Miller in the deportation campaign. Officials testified that Miller, who is Jewish, was regularly involved in interagency meetings focused on deporting pro-Paleostinian or anti-Israel students.

John Armstrong, acting chief of the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, testified he had "at least a dozen" conversations with White House officials about the deportation initiative, according to Politico.

Armstrong confirmed that Miller participated in interagency conference calls "at one point at least weekly," with calls lasting between 15 minutes and an hour, often including officials from the State and Homeland Security departments.

In the months since Trump took office, immigration authorities made several arrests of high-profile pro-Paleostinian and anti-Israel student activists who are not citizens, and sought to deport them from the US.

None was accused of a crime, but the administration has invoked its executive authority under immigration law to turn away non-citizens whom it deems a national security threat, even if they have not committed a crime.

All of those arrested have since been freed from detention, and judges have said the arrests may have been unconstitutional.

Link

Fifth Column

Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil seeks $20m from Trump admin

2025-07-11

Courtesy of Grom the Affective in comments, to make this searchable in the Rantburg archives.

[IsraelNationalNews] Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil is suing the Trump administration for $20 million, alleging retaliatory detention for over 100 days due to his role in campus demonstrations against Israel's war in Gaza.

Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate, is seeking $20 million in damages from US President Donald Trump
...dictatorial for repealing some (but not all) of the diktats of his predecessor, misogynistic because he likes pretty girls, homophobic because he doesn't think gender bending should be mandatory, truly a man for all seasons...
’s administration after over 100 days in immigration detention, The Independent reported Thursday.

A court filing precedes a federal lawsuit, alleging "retaliatory arrests" and targeting of student activists. Administration officials accused Khalil of "antisemitic activities" for his role in the protests.

"There must be accountability for political retaliation and abuse of power," Khalil stated. "I’m holding the US government accountable not just for myself, but for everyone they try to silence through fear, exile, or detention."

Khalil was arrested on March 8 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as part of the administration’s crackdown on anti-Israel protests on US campuses.

At the time of his arrest, Khalil was a highly visible figure in the nationwide campus protests against 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...
. Following his detention, US authorities transferred Khalil from his New York home to a detention center in Louisiana, where he awaited deportation proceedings.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio
...The diminutive 13-year-old Republican U.S. Senator from Florida, Secretary of State in the second Trump administration...
had invoked a law, approved during the 1950s Red Scare, which permits the United States to remove foreign nationals deemed adverse to US foreign policy.

However,
a person who gets all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package...
a judge later ruled that the government could not detain or deport Khalil based on Rubio's assertions that his presence on US soil constituted a national security threat. Khalil was released on bail in late June.

The government specifically accuses Khalil of failing to disclose on his residency application what it described as his "membership" in the United Nations
...boodling on the grand scale...
’ Paleostinian refugee agency, UNRWA.

Khalil has rejected the allegations and framed his detention as retaliation for his political views.

Link

India-Pakistan

Govt rebuffs rumours of Zardari''s resignation, army chief eyeing presidency

2025-07-11

[GEO.TV] The federal government on Thursday categorically rebuked speculations related to President Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari
Asif Ali <q>Ten Percent</q> Zardari

...former president of Pakistain, husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in...
's resignation and the claims that Field Marshal Asim Munir was "aspiring to assume the presidency".

"We are fully aware of who is behind the malicious campaign targeting President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif

...Pak dynastic politician, brother of PM Nawaz Sharif, chief minister of Punjab...
, and the Chief of Army Staff," Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said in a statement on his X handle on Thursday.

"I have categorically stated that there has been no discussion, nor does any such idea exist, about the President being asked to resign or the COAS aspiring to assume the presidency," he added.

Naqvi said President Zardari enjoys a strong and respectful relationship with the leadership of the armed forces. He quoted the president as saying: "I know who is spreading these falsehoods, why they are doing so, and who stands to benefit from this propaganda".

"To those involved in this narrative, do whatever you wish in collaboration with hostile foreign agencies. As for us, we will do whatever is necessary to make Pakistain strong again, InshAllah," the minister added, stressing that the sole focus of the COAS was on the strength and stability of Pakistain and nothing else.

The security czar's clarification comes amid rumours which began circulating after the ruling Pakistain Moslem League-Nawaz (PML-N) obtained a simple majority in the National Assembly after the reinstatement of reserved seats by the Election Commission of Pakistain following the top court's Constitutional Bench verdict.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

How Russia Saved Its Transcaucasian Allies for Centuries

2025-07-10

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Artemy Sharapov

[REGNUM] Against the backdrop of military defeats and the protracted domestic political crisis they caused (which has once again worsened since mid-June), the Armenian government has made accusations against Russia.

In early July, the republic's Foreign Ministry handed a note of protest to the Russian ambassador over "unfriendly statements" on Russian TV channels and "attacks on the activities of the Armenian authorities." The authorities, led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, blame Moscow for their own miscalculations, consistently "breaking down" the relations that have developed over the past 500 years.

Over the years, both nations have fought shoulder to shoulder many times and together built a common future in a single country. However, it seems that Yerevan wants to cross out all the chapters of centuries-old friendship for the sake of its political ambitions.

Although in the past Russia, which has historically been friendly towards the Armenian people, has come to their aid more than once.

The history of Russian-Armenian relations can be counted from the moment of the emergence of Rus as a state, if not earlier. Armenian merchants actively participated in trade on the route "from the Varangians to the Greeks", along which the ancient Russian state was formed.

According to experts on the Middle Ages, an Armenian colony existed in Kiev as early as the 12th century. The campaign against the Seljuk Turks by the Georgian-Armenian army under the command of the Novgorod prince Yuri Andreevich, the son of Andrei Bogolyubsky and the husband and co-ruler of Queen Tamara, dates back to the same era (1185).

Armenian traders and artisans settled in Moscow as early as the 14th century. During the reign of Ivan the Terrible, an Armenian church operated in the capital of the Russian kingdom - dogmatic differences between the Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic churches did not interfere with mutually beneficial contacts.

It is believed that in memory of the Armenian soldiers who took part in the capture of Kazan, Tsar Ivan the Terrible dedicated one of the side chapels of the Pokrovsky Cathedral to Saint Gregory, the enlightener of Armenia.

Moreover, in Rus' there was already working, as they would say now, a creative intelligentsia of Armenian origin.

The court painter, the author of parsunas (portraits) of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich was the artist Astvatsatur Saltanyan, who was called Bogdan Saltanov in Russian documents - a native of the diaspora, from the Persian city of Isfahan. Incidentally, the artist arrived in Moscow under the patronage of the influential Armenian merchant Zakhar Sagradov (Sarajyan), who was also the ambassador of the Persian Shah Abbas II at the Russian court.

By that time, the historical territory of Armenia had long been divided between two powerful and constantly warring powers - Persia and the Ottoman Empire, in whose rivalry the Armenians often found themselves on the losing end.

AN ANCIENT COUNTRY BETWEEN TWO FIRES
The history of Armenian statehood, which is usually dated from the 4th century BC, has known brilliant eras. For example, during the reign of Tigran II the Great (1st century BC – 1st century AD), the state with conquered lands stretched from the Mediterranean to the Caspian Sea. But this history was not continuous. Armenian lands were repeatedly divided between large neighbors: the Roman Empire and Persia, Byzantium and the Arab Caliphate, the Seljuks, the Mongols, and the Timurids.

In the mid-16th century, after yet another war, the Ottoman Sultan and the Persian Shah (Iran was then ruled by the Turkic Safavid dynasty) divided Armenia roughly along the line of the modern Turkish-Armenian border. The Western part went to the Turks, the Eastern part - with Erivan (Yerevan) - to the Persians.

In Sunni Turkey and Shiite Iran, the position of Christian Armenians was ambivalent. On the one hand, Armenian merchants grew rich from trade with Europe and Russia and carried out diplomatic missions. On the other hand, the “infidel” people were always in the position of second-class subjects, and this was not only due to the jizya, the tax that was collected from the “infidels.”

In 1604, Shah Abbas I carried out a real ethnic cleansing, which remained in the memory of the Armenian people under the name Surgun ("Exile"): about 350 thousand Armenians were expelled from their native places. Cities and villages were plundered. The Shah ordered the resettlement of non-believers deep into Persia, but many of those deported died or were killed along the way.

In Turkey, Armenian peasants were “only” oppressed by unbearable taxes, but during the wars with Iran, the border residents suffered first - and not only from the Sultan’s and Shah’s troops, but also from the Kurdish nomads.

The Armenian nobility (and up until the 18th century, Christian princes - meliks, vassals of the Persian shah, still retained power in small holdings in Nagorno-Karabakh) sought patronage from co-religionists, primarily from the Russian tsars.

The clergy of the Apostolic Church played a special role. But both under the last Rurikovichs and under Boris Godunov, the Russian kingdom, lacking resources for a military campaign in Transcaucasia, limited itself to political and financial support. With the Time of Troubles (coinciding with the Great Surgun), the Caucasian direction was temporarily forgotten.

ALIVE THANKS TO GOD AND THE TSAR
During the reign of the first tsars of the Romanov dynasty, Armenians increasingly began to turn to Russia for help. Several letters are known to have been sent by Armenian merchants to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, asking for permission to sell silk to Europe through Russian territory. Under Peter the Great, the volume of trade with Armenian merchants was constantly growing, so that the tsar in his decree to the Governing Senate specifically noted: "To increase Persian trade, and to favor the Armenians as much as possible and facilitate them in whatever is appropriate, so as to encourage them to come more often."

On the other hand, in 1725, shortly before the death of Emperor Peter the Great, a petition from the Karabakh meliks and Catholicoses Yesai and Nerses arrived in St. Petersburg :

"Your Imperial Majesty!.. We are surrounded by merciless enemies: Persians, Ottoman Turks, Dagestanis and others. We are still fighting them, fighting back, but we have remained alive thanks to the fact that we have God above us, and on earth - you, Your pious and God-loving Majesty - our hope and support. We beg you, great Sovereign, to come to our aid."

At the moment the message was sent, the Turks invaded Transcaucasia; Yerevan and the Armenian communities of Tiflis and Nakhichevan again experienced the cruelty of the conquerors.

David-bek and Mkhitar Sparapet, who raised an uprising in Eastern Armenia in 1722–28, counted on the help of the Russian Tsar. By that time, Russia's advance in Transcaucasia had not yet reached Armenia, but our country accepted Christian refugees within its borders - for example, under Catherine II, the city of Nor-Nakhichevan (New Nakhichevan), now a district of Rostov-on-Don, arose on the banks of the Don.

WHY GRIBOYEDOV DIED
Changes in the situation of at least the eastern part of the Armenian people occurred after the Russo-Persian Wars of 1804-1813 and 1826-1828 and the Russo-Turkish War (1828-1829), won by Russia. The merit of liberating Yerevan from the Persian yoke belongs to the hero of the war of 1812 and the Foreign Campaign, participant in the capture of Paris Ivan Paskevich. For the capture of Yerevan, the general was awarded the title of count and the addition of Paskevich-Erivansky to his surname.

The transition of the Christians of Eastern Armenia under the protection of the co-religious Russia was secured by the Treaty of Turkmanchay in 1828 with the defeated Persia. According to Chapter XV of this treaty, the descendants of the Armenians driven into Persia had the right to free repatriation to the Russian Empire. Russia also insisted on the liberation of Armenian slaves.

By the way, the imperial ambassador to Tehran, Alexander Griboyedov, monitored compliance with the terms of the agreement; he also compiled reports for Paskevich on the progress of the repatriation of Armenians from Aderbeijan (Iranian Southern Azerbaijan) to the new Russian lands, noting that “those who came from Persia were mostly artisans and farmers” and, therefore, could be of great benefit in their historical homeland.

And it was precisely the fact that the poet and diplomat was hiding Georgians and Armenians on the mission's territory that became one of the reasons for the attack on the embassy, in which Griboyedov died. By "hushing up" the incident, fraught with a new war, the Shah's government demonstrated its readiness to observe the Turkmanchay Peace Treaty - from 40 to 90 thousand Armenians moved to Russia.

According to the terms of the Treaty of Adrianople in 1829, up to 100 thousand more people moved from the Ottoman Empire to Russia, populating the territories of modern Georgia, Armenia, and also the present-day Krasnodar Krai and Stavropol Krai. Throughout the 19th century, our consuls in Istanbul and Tehran played the role of defenders of the rights of the local Christian population, including Armenians. Armenians persecuted for religious and political reasons found refuge behind the fence of diplomatic missions.

THE GREAT CRIME
At the beginning of the 20th century, nationalist movements began to gain strength all over the world. The Ottoman Empire was no exception, where, on the one hand, Turkish nationalism (which took the form of the Young Turk movement) was gaining strength, and on the other hand, both Arab-Muslim and Christian (Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians) subjects of the Sultan began to demand respect for their rights.

The Armenians perceived the First World War as a hope for deliverance, but it brought the greatest tragedy in the history of the ancient people. With the outbreak of the war, the Young Turk triumvirate ( Enver Pasha, Talaat Pasha and Djemal Pasha ), which controlled the Sultan's government, began to requisition the property of Christians. At the instigation of the triumvirate, Sultan Mehmed VI, who also bore the title of Caliph of the Faithful, declared jihad - which became the pretext for attacks on Christians.

Volunteer Armenian squads from all over the world joined the Russian army. The "Turkish" Armenians, suffering from Ottoman oppression, often greeted the troops of the Caucasian Front as liberators, supporting them. In response, the Sultan's government accused the Armenians of high treason and betrayal.

Since April 1915, the deportation of Armenians from Western Armenia, Anatolia and Cilicia began, accompanied by mass murders of the civilian population. In Armenian history, these events became known as "Meds Yeghern" - "The Great Crime", and in European and Russian historiography as the genocide of the people of Ottoman Armenia. The history of the Genocide is a topic for a separate discussion, we will only note that at the hands of soldiers of the Sultan's army and the Kurdish irregular militia, as well as during the "death marches", at least 1.5 million Armenians died.

The Armenian militias fought back against the Turks – the heroic defense of the city of Van in April–May 1915 went down in history, but without Russia’s help the resistance would have been doomed.

Western historians pay less attention to the fact that with the advance of the Caucasian Front in 1916, between 350,000 and 400,000 Armenians found refuge in the territory occupied by Russian troops and in the Russian Empire itself. Many Armenian historians believe that thanks to Emperor Nicholas II's decision to open the border to accept refugees, the Armenian nation was saved from complete annihilation.

The plans for the post-war reconstruction of the Ottoman Empire assumed the restoration of the presence of the Armenian people on historical lands. The plans were upset by the revolution in Russia. The Caucasian front collapsed, the region plunged into chaos. The first Republic of Armenia, proclaimed in 1918, led by the nationalist party "Dashnaktsutyun", found itself squeezed between Turkey and the newly formed Azerbaijan. The internecine war, the epicenter of which was Karabakh, was stopped in 1920 by the Red Army.

Since 1921, the Armenian Republic has existed within its current borders - with Zangezur (claimed by the Turks and Azerbaijanis), and within the framework of the Azerbaijan SSR in 1923, the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region was created. Once again, for many years, our country - now called the Soviet Union - guaranteed peace and the peaceful development of the Armenian people.

Many of its representatives died on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War for common freedom, one hundred Armenians were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. At the same time, the number of people both before and after the war continued to grow, having increased from the 1920s to the 1980s more than twofold: from 1 million 300 thousand to 3.3 million people.

Even at the end of the USSR, in the perestroika year of 1988, the cities of Spitak and Leninakan (now Gyumri), which suffered from an earthquake, received help from the entire country.

THE ONLY BRIDGE
With the restoration of independence in 1991, the dark years in the history of Armenia, alas, began (sometimes literally dark, due to power outages). Since 1988, the Karabakh conflict had been going on, which, with the collapse of the Union, escalated into a full-scale war. The republic was kept in a blockade not only by Azerbaijan, but also by its historical ally, Turkey. Georgia, located to the north, was engulfed in civil unrest and was waging wars with South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and therefore there could be no talk of any normal transit through Georgian territory.

The only gas pipeline that led from Russia to Armenia through Georgia was repeatedly the target of attacks by saboteurs in the Georgian Marneuli region, populated by ethnic Azerbaijanis.

The Second Armenian Republic lacked the most basic necessities: grain, gasoline, electricity. In 1992, electricity in the republic could be supplied for one hour per day. In the winter of 1992-93, the temperature in houses often did not exceed zero degrees. Trees, including those from city parks, were used as firewood for potbelly stoves. All this time, let us recall, there was a war in Artsakh-Karabakh, in which both local residents and volunteers from "Greater Armenia" and the diaspora died.

Under these conditions, the guarantor of Armenia’s existence was the Soviet and then Russian base (now the 102nd base of the Russian Armed Forces in Gyumri), created back in 1941, through which Moscow could support our historical Armenian allies.

SUICIDAL BREAKUP
In May 1994, with the participation of Russia, the Karabakh war was stopped (no one knew yet that it would be the first), and it was stopped on a line that suited the Armenian side. For a long 26 years, a status quo was established in the region, within the framework of which the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic - the Republic of Artsakh - existed. Russian border guards took on the protection of Armenia's borders with Turkey and Iran.

Russia also took a leading position in military supplies to the Armenian Armed Forces. Some weapons, including air defense systems, radars and ammunition, were supplied on credit under preferential terms.

Armenia also joined the Collective Security Treaty Organization, taking part in all of the organization's exercises. The situation began to change after the "velvet revolution" of 2018, when Nikol Pashinyan's government came to power.

Under his leadership, Armenia began to reduce arms purchases, including air defense systems, and took a course toward cooperation with the West, probably hoping that the EU or NATO would be able to ensure the country's security and resolve the Karabakh issue. However, in reality, it turned out exactly the opposite. The Second Karabakh War of 2020 ended with the complete defeat of the army of the unrecognized NKR. Pashinyan's government tried to minimize its participation in the conflict as much as possible. Moreover, Armenian volunteers from all over the world arriving in Yerevan never got the opportunity to be at the front.

In other words, the second defense of Van did not work this time. Pashinyan's government decided to stop resisting, ignored the demands of the population, refused to support Artsakh and went to negotiations. The Armenian opposition accused the government of behind-the-scenes collusion and surrendering territories in exchange for the promise of EU membership.

However, the Armenian side was saved from complete defeat thanks to the intervention of our peacekeeping contingent, which separated the warring parties and established a ceasefire in the region. Russia also deployed sapper and rescue teams in the region, who began demining the area and providing assistance to the local population. However, in response, Pashinyan's government blamed Russia for the military defeat, voicing complaints about untimely or incomplete deliveries of already paid weapons.

The government's blatant reluctance to modernize its armed forces in any way in 2023 once again led to an escalation in relations with Azerbaijan. However, here too, the Armenian government abandoned armed resistance, essentially withdrawing from the conflict, which ultimately led to Azerbaijan establishing full control over Karabakh.

In response, the Armenian government… again blamed Russia for the defeats, gradually moving towards curtailing defense cooperation. In 2024, Armenian Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan said that since January 2021, Russia's share in new contracts for arms supplies to Armenia had decreased to less than 10%. He explained that this was "Russia's choice," which, according to him, did not supply the necessary weapons.

Therefore, in military terms, Armenia decided to reorient itself towards the West, forgetting about its obligations, and began to burn bridges one by one in relations with Russia in all directions. And it remains to be hoped that the Armenian authorities will not succeed in destroying the centuries-old history of cooperation between the two nations.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Top Iranian Cleric Demands Trump's Execution, Trump unimpressed

2025-07-10

[Breitbart] Leading Iranian cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami called for the execution of President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a sermon in Tehran on Friday.

Khatami accused Trump and Netanyahu of “murdering” tens of thousands of people in Gaza, as well as Iran’s top terrorism coordinator Qasem Soleimani, who was liquidated in Baghdad by a 2020 airstrike ordered by President Trump.

The Iranian regime has commanded its subjects to regard Soleimani as a religious “martyr,” but many Iranians refuse to show the mandatory respect to the slain Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) general.

The crowd at Khatami’s sermon, however, seemed to be on the same page as the fire-breathing cleric, chanting “Death to America,” “Death to England,” and “Death to Israel” as he called for Trump and Netanyahu to be executed. “Death to England” is a hardy perennial in Iranian murder chants.

“You are murderers, you need to be punished,” Khatami railed, aiming his diatribe at the American and Israeli leaders and pronouncing them both guilty of capital offenses under Islamic law, including “sowing corruption in the land” and “fighting Allah and his messenger.”

“The ruling regarding Trump and Netanyahu, according to sharia, is that the pair of them should be executed,” he declared.

Last week, a group of senior Shiite clerics in Iran issued fatwas, or religious edicts, condemning both Trump and Netanyahu. The fatwas damned them as moharebs, or warlords who fight against Allah, the same charge Khatami leveled in his sermon calling for their execution. The earlier religious orders said it was a crime for Trump and Netanyahu to discuss targeting Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iranian dissidents denounced the fatwas as clear incitement for terrorist attacks against the United States and Israel. The regime in Tehran has long threatened revenge for the death of Soleimani, at a “time and place of its own choosing,” as governments that sponsor terrorism are prone to saying.

Iranian state television sought to put an $80 million bounty on Donald Trump’s head during Soleimani’s funeral in 2020, and then tried to crowdsource the blood money by encouraging 80 million Muslims to chip in one dollar apiece.

In December 2023, an Iranian court “ruled” that Trump, his former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, the CIA, the Pentagon, and various other U.S. government entities and defense contractors should pay Iran $50 billion to “compensate” for the death of Soleimani and “deter future violations.” The case was ostensibly brought to court as a class action by over 3,000 Iranian nationals.

Trump’s bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites, during the finale of Israel’s 12-day Operation Rising Lion to take out Iran’s illegal nuclear weapons program, will doubtless be added to Iran’s threats of revenge.

Ayatollah Khatami and the mullahs who issued the fatwas claimed to be more upset about Netanyahu declaring Supreme Leader Khamenei to be a legitimate target during Operation Rising Lion, and Trump chiding Khamenei to show a little gratitude for talking the Israelis out of killing him.

Courtesy of Skidmark:

Trump fires back after Iranian official's chilling Mar-a-Lago sunbathing assassination threat

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] President Donald Trump fired back after an Iranian official offered a chilling warning, saying the president was not safe outside at his Mar-a-Lago home and could be assassinated.

'Trump has done something that he can no longer sunbathe in Mar-a-Lago. As he lies there with his stomach to the sun, a small drone might hit him in the navel. It's very simple,' said Javad Larijani, a senior advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader, said on Iranian TV.

The threat comes just weeks after a top Iranian cleric issued a fatwa against Trump, declaring him an 'enemy of God.'

Trump doesn't usually sunbathe, but he's a regular on the outdoor patio at his Palm Beach home where he talks to the crowd and sits down for a meal.

The president shrugged off the threat when asked about it and said he hasn't sunbathed in years, since he was seven years old.

'It's been a long time. Maybe I was around seven or so,' he said when asked the last time he lay in the sun. 'I'm not too big into it.'

He added he wasn't convinced Iran was targeting him. 'Yeah, I guess it's a threat. I'm not sure it's a threat, actually, but perhaps it is,' he told reporters at the White House on Wednesday.

The area around Mar-a-Lago, which sits on the barrier island in Palm Beach, is a no-fly zone. Security is both heavy and visible. Police helicopters patrol the skies and gunboats sit on the waterway next to the club grounds.

Link

International-UN-NGOs

UN blasted for funding committee 'created to destroy the Jewish state,' despite budget crisis

2025-07-10

[FoxNews] United Nations ‘doesn’t have a spending limit’ for spread of antisemitism,' critic warns

Critics slammed the United Nations for rewarding a controversial anti-Israel Commission of Inquiry with four new positions worth up to three-quarters of a million dollars, even as the world body undergoes a severe cash crisis.

"When it comes to spending money for the spread of antisemitism, the U.N. doesn't have a spending limit," Anne Bayefsky, director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and president of Human Rights Voices, told Fox News Digital.

On June 4, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Palestinian Territory, Including East Jerusalem (COI), led by South African Navi Pillay, announced four new job openings for senior-level positions in Geneva. These include two P-2 level associate interpreters, one higher-level P-3 level human rights officer, and a still more senior P-4 level human rights officer.

Combined, their salaries will range from $530,000 to $704,000, based on salary scales released by the U.N. and its location-based salary multiplier (set at .814 for Swiss employees), published in a document supplied to Fox News Digital by a diplomatic source.

These salaries do not include other senior-level U.N. employee benefits, including dependent costs, housing allowances or relocation fees.

Bayefsky asked why the U.N.’s "belt-tightening exercise … applies to all kinds of urgent matters but exempts the COI, which has simultaneously gone on a spending-spree."

"The COI was created to destroy the Jewish state and is now conducting itself accordingly." She said its latest report, issued in June, is "totally unhinged" and "claims Israelis are like Nazis engaged in ‘extermination’ of the Palestinians, refers to those ‘extremist Jews,’ denies biblical history, [and] fuels antisemitism by claiming Jews defile Muslim holy sites."

Pillay and the COI have come under fire previously for anti-Israel sentiment. In January 2022, 42 Republicans and Democrats in Congress signed an open letter calling for the U.S. to defund the COI. The Representatives expressed concern that "Chairwoman Navi Pillay, while serving as U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014, repeatedly and unjustly accused Israel of committing war crimes." They stated that while she condemned Israel, Pillay "reportedly said nothing at all about egregious human rights abuses in dozens of other countries which, unlike Israel, received the worst, ‘Not Free’ rating from the respected Freedom House."

In October 2023, a representative from the U.S. Mission to the U.N. in Geneva said before the Third Committee of the U.N. that the U.S. "remains deeply concerned about the scope and nature of the open-ended Commission of Inquiry established in May 2021. The COI demonstrates a particular bias against Israel in subjecting it to a unique mechanism that does not exist for any other U.N. Member State."

In October 2024, a report from the COI excluded information about Hamas’ use of Kamal Adwan Hospital for operations, failed to recount the maltreatment Israeli hostages received at Gazan hospitals, and could "not verify" that tunnels found below Al-Shifa hospital "were used for military purposes." Bayefsky said the report trafficked in blood libels.

In March, Pillay’s commission claimed that rape and sexual violence are part of the Israel Defense Force’s "standard operating procedures towards Palestinians." Pillay also said that the IDF’s sexual violence creates "a system of oppression that undermines [Palestinians’] right to self-determination." In response, Bayefsky said "Pillay and her COI are notorious for turning reality upside down. October 7 was marked by grotesque Palestinian use of sexual violence and rape as a weapon of war. In response, the COI diminished those atrocities and instead concocted the reverse."

In March 2024, Congress passed a budget bill that eliminated funding for the COI while simultaneously banning funds for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), according to the Jerusalem Post.

The U.N. Human Rights Council is already experiencing the impact of the organization’s liquidity crisis.

In a June 16 letter penned by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, the Human Rights Council outlines more than a dozen reports, as well as studies, regional workshops, and panels mandated by the Council, which could not be completed due to inadequate resourcing.

In response to a request for comment about how the COI has received additional personnel while the Human Rights Council deals with scarcity, spokesperson Pascal Sim told Fox News Digital that the Human Rights Council’s "views are only expressed in the resolutions and decisions that its 47 Member States adopt at the end of each of its sessions."

However, Bayefsky said, "For decades, the U.N. has engaged in phony cost-saving measures while their actual expenditures have ballooned," she said, noting that the U.S. "has always been satisfied by moving around the deck chairs on the Titanic."

Bayefsky said that "it's our government's job to put an end to this devious calculus by immediately withholding the entire U.N. budget until such time as the dangerous lesions are removed. It's our job to deny visas to the COI members planning to come to the United States in the next couple of months.

"Contrary to popular belief, it is not required by the U.S.-U.N. host agreement to allow international travelers into the U.S. to fan the flames of antisemitism, and vandalize our fundamental values and the Constitution from the middle of New York City," Bayefsky said. "We need a new boat, not new deck chairs."

A budget proposal from the Trump administration leaked in April announced the intention to eliminate all expenditures to the U.N. and international organizations.

In response to questions about whether a decision about U.N. funding has been finalized, a senior State Department official told Fox News Digital that "President Trump is ensuring taxpayer dollars are used wisely. Any announcements regarding funding to international organizations will come from the President or the administration."

The U.S., through its taxpayers, is the single-largest contributor to the U.N. In 2022, the U.N. reports that $18.1 billion, or 26.8%, of its $67.5 billion in expenditures came from the U.S.

Link

Home Front: Politix

Democrats call for violence to counter Trump agenda and tell lawmakers to prepare to 'get shot'

2025-07-08

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Democratic voters are asking their representatives to exhibit more violence while resisting Donald Trump's agenda - with some even suggesting lawmakers prepare to 'get shot.'

The party - reeling in the wake of Trump's November victory - heads toward the 2026 midterms with polls showing their own voters are unhappy with their performance.

Now, liberal politicians fear Trump haters are urging them to bend the law and even resort to violence in a desperate attempt to resist the president.

'Our own base is telling us that what we're doing is not good enough...there needs to be blood to grab the attention of the press and the public,' an anonymous Democrat lawmaker admitted.

The voters' solutions: follow Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver, who both put themselves in legal trouble to visit an ICE detention facility.

However, another anonymous liberal told Axios that even that wouldn't be enough, with one saying 'civility isn't working' and to man up for 'violence.'

'Some of them have suggested...what we really need to do is be willing to get shot.'

'The expectations aren't just unreal. They're dangerous,' said one more.

While House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is being savaged for poorly photoshopped promo pictures and even posting holding a baseball bat, some Dems worry there's nothing they can do to satiate their base, which they say is 'white, well-educated and live in upscale' neighborhoods.

'We've got people who are desperately wanting us to do something...no matter what we say, they want [more],' said Illinois Congressman Brad Schneider, who says he's desperately tried to beat back voters who want yet another impeachment of Trump.

One thing they hear consistently is that they want the Democrats to get down and dirty and try to beat what they see as Republicans' own game.

'This idea that we're going to save every norm and that we're not going to play [Republicans'] game...I don't think that's resonating with voters anymore,' another anonymous Congressmember said.

Another added that when voters 'who are angry don't accept that. They're angry beyond things,' with yet another comparing how they feel to 'the Roman Coliseum.'

Ro Khanna, a California Congressman who ranks as one of their more outspoken progressives, went against the grain, preaching the need for pragmatism.

'The most effective pushback to Trump's unconstitutional actions is to model a reverence for the Constitution and the rule of law,' he said.

The Democrats believe that their voters' attitude will keep Donald Trump in power.

Khanna added: 'Not only would that be a gift to Donald Trump, not only would it make the job of Republicans in Congress easier if we were all mired in legal troubles...[we are] a group that is disproportionately people of color, women, LGBTQ people — people who do not fare very well in prison.'

Just months ago, approval of the Democratic Party hit a brutal record low as Democrats are split over how to take on President Donald Trump in the first few months of his second term, new polling finds.

Among Americans overall, the Democratic Party's favorability rating stands at just 29 percent, CNN found.

It's the lowest favorability the party has seen since CNN first started conducting its polling back in 1992.

It's also a 20 point drop in approval since Trump left office more than four years ago at which time approval of the Democratic party was 49 percent.

It's also a ten point drop from just before the November election.

At the same time, a new NBC News poll released Sunday similarly found only 27 percent of voters had a positive view of the Democratic Party. That was the lowest positive rating in NBC News polling history dating back to 1990.

The CNN polling released in March was conducted just days before ten Senate Democrats joined with their Republican colleagues in a vote to advance a stopgap spending bill to avoid a government shutdown in a move that has deeply divided the party even further.

Some Democrats are now calling for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to step down as a Democratic Party leader while others have said he should be challenged when he's next up for reelection in 2028.

The record low approval of the Democratic Party has been driven by increased dissatisfaction from within, the CNN polling found.

Just 63 percent of Democrats or Democratic-leaning Independents had a favorable view of their own party, a drop from the 72 who had a favorable view of their party in January and 81 percent when President Biden took office.

Democrats are also torn over the direction of their party should take, the polling found.

Among Democratic-aligned adults, 52 percent said that the party leadership is taking the party in the wrong direction while 48 percent said they are taking the party in the right direction.

At the same time, a growing number of Democrats want the party leadership to do more to stop the Republican agenda as Trump barrels through the first two months of his second term.

The polling found 57 percent believe the party should do more to stop the GOP agenda while just 42 percent believe party leadership should work with Republicans.

CNN noted that is a dramatic shift from Democrats' views nearly eight years ago. A September 2017 poll from Trump's first term found 74 percent of Democrats believed their party should try to work with Republicans.

Both below from a week ago, responding to Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani winning the New York City Democratic primary.

By The Numbers: Even CNN’s Expert Pollster Shocked By How Anti-Israel Dems Have Become
[DailyWire] "Oh my God! That is a change in the margin of 56 points over the course of just eight years."

Even CNN’s chief data analyst was shocked when he looked at polls showing the dramatic shift in support — or lack thereof — for Israel, particularly among younger Democrats, in less than a decade.

Harry Enten went over the numbers with CNN anchor Kate Bolduan on Wednesday morning, and he showed just how much the Democratic Party had changed with regard to support for Israel — and while he noted that the wildest swing was among Democrats under the age of 50, even those over 50 had made a sizable shift away from supporting the Jewish state.

Re: Mamdani & Israel, Democrats are longer pro-Israeli when it comes to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

Dems sympathized more with Israelis by 13 pt in 2017. Now, it's Palestinians by 43 pt.

Among Dems under 50, it was Israelis by 14 pt in 2017. Now, Palestinians by 57 pt. pic.twitter.com/AfGop8UHTF
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) July 2, 2025

How the Democrats Became the Party of Racists, Bigots, and Antisemites
[PJMedia] Today, the face of American antisemitism isn’t a cross-eyed Southerner with an unbranched family tree and chewing-tobacco stains on his David Allan Coe t-shirt. Nor does it include white hoods, blazing crucifixes, or the letter “K” in triplicate. (Sure, those guys still suck, but so did the Cossacks, and we don’t use them as the go-to cliché for Jew-hatred anymore. Get with the times, man.)

The pro-Palestinian protesters are the faces of today's antisemitism.

And they’re not welcome in the Republican Party. They’ve been spurned, exiled, and excommunicated since the 1960s, even when doing so carried political risk.

So the Democratic Party welcomed ‘em with open arms.

Joe Biden will likely go down in history as the last Democratic president who’s (marginally) more pro-Israel than pro-Palestinian. After all, this is what their base is demanding:

Younger Americans are more likely to sympathize with the Palestinian people than the Israeli people. A third of adults under 30 say their sympathies lie either entirely or mostly with the Palestinian people, while 14% say their sympathies lie entirely or mostly with the Israeli people. The rest say their sympathies lie equally with both, with neither or that they are not sure.

Older Americans, by comparison, are more likely to sympathize with Israelis than Palestinians. For example, among people ages 65 and older, 47% say their sympathies lie entirely or mostly with the Israeli people, while far fewer (9%) sympathize entirely or mostly with the Palestinians.

Among those under 30, however, there are wide partisan differences in views on this question and others. Republicans and Republican-leaning independents under 30 sympathize more with the Israelis than the Palestinians (28% vs. 12%). Democrats and Democratic leaners sympathize far more with the Palestinians than the Israelis (47% vs. 7%).

Older Americans side with Israel 47% to 9%, and younger Democrats side with the Palestinians 47% to 7%. The numbers are eerily symmetric, but in completely opposite directions.

Today, the “stock character” of an antisemitic, Jew-hating bigot is a liberal protester who cosplays with a keffiyeh. They’re usually young — often college-aged — and they’ve “studied” all the nuances of Middle East history through a rapid succession of TikTok videos. They’re smug and self-assured, entitled and aggressive.

And they DO NOT vote Republican!

Instead, they’re either voting for the Democratic candidate… or they don’t believe in democracy and just want to smash [expletive] up.

To them, Israel is an abomination — a vile, disgusting nation that doesn’t deserve to exist. They see it as a colonial, racist creation that has unfairly subjugated the proud, noble, peace-loving natives to the yoke of segregation.

If Israel were a Muslim nation, there’d be zero protests in American streets. Nobody cares when the conflict is between two Muslim nations; everyone rolls their eyes and shrugs their shoulders.

Furthermore, if Israel were a Chinese vassal, nobody would care either. (Plus, I’ll betcha that TikTok’s algorithm would be a helluva lot different.) You don’t see too many young people marching on behalf of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang, do you? And when was the last time someone other than Richard Gere gave a crap about Tibet?

The Democratic Party, in its madcap zeal to oppose all things Trumpian, has raced to the side of Hamas. Because of their dogged determination to view everything through the prism of racism — i.e., the 1619 Project — they’ve transformed their party into the vehicle of choice for crackpot racial theories, antisemitism, and historic grievances.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Group of Europe-based imams visits Israel, bearing ‘message of peace’

2025-07-08

[IsraelTimes] Delegation meets President Herzog; will spend a week touring the country, and meeting military, political and religious authorities, victims of October 7

When Imam Youssef Masbeh introduced himself to President Isaac Herzog on Monday, he could not help but start singing a special chant in Arabic, offering a reinterpretation of the Israeli national anthem, Hatikvah.

Masbeh, who has served as a religious leader in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Norway for 20 years, was part of a delegation of about a dozen imams and Muslim'>Moslem community leaders who were visiting Israel from several European countries, including La Belle France, the United Kingdom, and Italia.

Masbeh also encouraged his colleagues and all those present to join him in singing and dancing, celebrating the moment of togetherness.

"We are all children of Abraham, and I believe the historic progress in our region is a progress of dialogue between Muslim'>Moslems and Jews, and Jews and Muslim'>Moslems," Herzog said. "What you’re doing on this visit, and in your courageous work, reflects the silent majority in the Middle East and around the world who yearn for this kind of shared life."

The delegation was organized by ELNET, an NGO that promotes ties between Europa
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
and Israel.

On Monday, the group also held meetings at the Knesset, before heading to Jerusalem’s Old City to visit Muslim'>Moslem, Jewish, and Christian holy sites, including the Temple Mount, where the al-Aqsa mosque compound stands.

The trip will also include a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, meetings with Sephardic Chief Rabbi David Yosef and with IDF Arabic Spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee, and visits with family members of former Bedouin hostages in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
and Druze victims of the Majdal Shams massacre at the hands of Hezbollah.

Herzog encouraged the visitors to return to their communities with a message of peace.

"Here in Israel, we want peace," he said. "We want to see all our hostages back home, and we want to see an end to the suffering of the people in Gaza, too. We want to see better lives for everyone."

The president also expressed hope that "peace will come with Syria, with Leb
...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects....
, inshallah even with 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...
, and that we will continue moving forward."

Almost all of the religious leaders were visiting the Jewish state for the first time. For many, being in Jerusalem was especially meaningful.

"I already did my pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, and I was waiting to come to Jerusalem," Ali El Aarja told The Times of Israel.

Based in Turin, Italia, El Aarja serves as the president of the newly established Italian Islamic Confederation (CIIN) and is one of the several members of the delegation originally from Morocco.

On the eve of the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Morocco was home to some 270,000 Jews, most of whom emigrated to Israel or La Belle France in the following two decades.

Though only a few thousand Jews remain in the country, over the past 20 years, the authorities have demonstrated growing attention and sensitivity toward its Jewish community.

In 2020, Morocco joined the Abraham Accords, fully normalizing its ties with Israel.

"Morocco is a country open to all religions: Muslim'>Moslems, Christians, and Jews live together, and we hope we can set an example for the world," El Aarja said.

"We are here to send a message of peace," he added. "For our Paleostinian brothers and for our Jewish brothers, we do not want war, we hope we can go back to dialogue."

An ELNET spokesperson told The Times of Israel that participants were selected for the trip in close collaboration with Imam Hassen Chalghoumi, chairman of the Conference of Imams of La Belle France. A Tunisia-born interfaith activist, Chalghoumi has been known to many as "the peace imam" and a steadfast supporter of Israel.

"My message to you is one of deep affection — for you and for your remarkable people," Chalghoumi said, addressing Herzog. "It is a message of brotherhood and solidarity and a heartfelt prayer that the hostages will return home in peace, and that the pain and suffering of innocent civilians in Gaza will come to an end."

The imam stressed that the regional conflict sparked by the Hamas
..one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,...
atrocities on October 7, 2023, "is not merely a conflict between Israel and Hamas, nor between Israel and Hezbollah—the so-called ’Party of Satan’."

"It is a confrontation between two fundamentally different worlds," Chalghoumi said. "You represent the world of brotherhood, of humanity, of compassion. You stand for the values of democracy and liberty."

According to another member of the delegation, Noor Dahri, founder and executive director of the UK-based organization Islamic Theology of Counter Terrorism, Muslim'>Moslem communities in the Western world often struggle to understand the difference between Islam as a religion and Islamism.

"Extremists are more powerful in Western countries than in the Middle East or in Pakistain because, in the Middle East and Pakistain, there are two types of people — Muslim'>Moslems and Islamists — and Muslim'>Moslems know when an organization is an Islamist organization and they either join it or distance themselves from it," Dahri told The Times of Israel.

"In the West, everything is mixed and people do not know how to make the distinction," he said. "For decades, the majority of mosques have been run by Islamist charity organizations, so they managed to establish deep roots in the Muslim'>Moslem communities, and it’s difficult to root out Islamism from Western-world Islam."

For this reason, Dhari said that bringing imams to visit Israel is a very important initiative.

"Since October 7, even those Muslim'>Moslems who were previously supportive of Israel and Israelis either turned their backs or kept silent in fear of their life," he said. "Now, this delegation of imams and religious scholars from different Muslim'>Moslem backgrounds has come to Israel to send one message across the Muslim'>Moslem world — that the Jewish nation is not the enemy of Muslim'>Moslems, that the State of Israel is not against Islam, and we Muslim'>Moslems should not have any enmity toward the Jewish people because they are our cousins, and they are fighting against Islamism."

Link

Europe

France on Edge: Macron Demands "Concrete Solutions" on Islamist Threat

2025-07-08

[JFEED] French President Emmanuel Macron convened a high-level emergency security meeting at the Elysee Palace on Monday to address what he called the ''strategic threat'' of Muslim Brotherhood infiltration into vulnerable neighborhoods across the country.

This marks the second such meeting in recent months, following a similar session in May which, according to Macron, failed to produce meaningful action. Frustrated by the lack of progress, the president demanded that his ministers now present ''concrete proposals'' to curb the spread of Islamist ideology, particularly in impoverished suburbs.

The meeting was initiated by Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau and attended by top officials including the education and sports ministers. According to government sources, Macron was angered by leaks to the press regarding the classified security report that triggered the meeting. The report detailed what officials are calling a ''quiet ideological takeover'' in certain urban zones, warning that these trends pose a direct risk to the unity of the French Republic.

While Macron stressed that not all Muslims in France should be lumped together, he underlined the need to take ideological subversion seriously. ''There's a difference between legitimate criticism and deliberate blindness,'' he said, cautioning against both panic and complacency.

The political reactions have been deeply divided. Left-wing parties accused Macron of stigmatizing entire communities, warning that his rhetoric could inflame tensions. Meanwhile, the far-right National Rally (RN) party led by Marine Le Pen blasted the government for being too soft, calling for sweeping action, including banning certain Islamic organizations, cutting public funding to religious NGOs, and revoking legal recognition from groups with suspected extremist ties.

Within Macron's inner circle, discussions are underway about forming a dedicated intelligence unit focused exclusively on Islamist activity and possibly establishing a special legal body empowered to take administrative action against radical groups—bypassing slow criminal proceedings.

Reports indicate Macron aims to unveil a clear and assertive policy before the French Parliament reconvenes for its winter session. A formal ban on the Muslim Brotherhood is reportedly under consideration, mirroring similar moves already enacted in Jordan and other countries.

As France grapples with rising extremism, demographic shifts, and growing political polarization, the battle over what defines ''republican values'' may soon become one of the most defining debates of Macron's presidency.

Link

Home Front: Politix

Trump bets big on new tariff deals as deadline to price spike 'doomsday' approaches

2025-07-08

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Trump slaps 25% tariffs on Japan and South Korea in big gamble as deadline to price spike 'doomsday' approaches

President Donald Trump hammered Japan and South Korea for running up a trade imbalance with the U.S., declaring both countries will be slapped with a new 25 percent tariff starting August 1.

Trump issued a scathing attack in two letters he sent the leaders of both countries, declaring 'our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from reciprocal.'

Then he brought down the hammer, declaring what the new tariff would be, which could cripple the economies of two allies of the U.S.

The president did admit there will be some room for negotiation at the end of his note and indicated the tariffs won’t take effect until next month.

‘Starting on August 1, 2025, we will charge Korea a tariff of only 25% on any and all Korean products sent into the United States, separate from all sectoral tariffs,’ Trump wrote South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.

He said the rate was ‘far less than what is needed to eliminate the trade deficit disparity we have with your country,’ and said any effort to evade the tariff would be met with swift consequences.

Markets immediately dropped on the news, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average shedding 400 points, and the broader S&P 500 losing nearly a percentage point in value.

Trump concluded with another threat: ‘If for any reason you decide to raise your tariffs, then, whatever then number you choose to raise them by, will be added onto the 25% that we charge,’ he wrote.

Trump laced the unusual letters with compliments as well as digs, calling it a privilege for the countries to get to trade with the U.S.

Trump called the letter a ‘great honor’ and said it ‘demonstrates the strength and commitment' of the trading relationship between the countries 'despite having a significant trade deficit.'

Trump’s letter to Japan’s PM Ishiba Shigero appeared to use identical language, inviting Japan to participated in the ‘extraordinary’ U.S. economy through trade, even as its exports are subjected to the tariff.

Both countries are key U.S. allies.

The U.S. helped rebuild both economies after World War II and after the Korean War through extensive trade ties. For years U.S. consumers and companies have turned to both countries for automobiles and consumer products as well computer chips and technology vital to an array of other products.

The U.S. ran a trade deficit with Korea of $66 billion last year, according to the office of the U.S. trade representative.

That figure reflected US purchases of Korean cars, microchips. The U.S. faced a $67 billion trade deficit with Japan, the world's fifth largest economy.

Japan already faced a 25 percent tariff on cars, auto parts, and steel, in addition to facing the 10 percent across the board tariff.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had an aide bring Trump's letters to the White House briefing room minutes after Trump sent them.

She told reporters Trump would sign an executive order 'delaying the July 9 deadline to August 1' – calling Trump's latest move a delay rather than merely a date when the tariffs would take effect.

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