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

Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Abbas urges Hamas to free hostages, says it won’t rule postwar Gaza
2025-07-14
[IsraelTimes] Meeting former UK PM Tony Blair in Amman, PA president calls on terror group to cede its arms and let PA take over governing Strip

Paleostinian Authority President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
...aka Abu Mazen, a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. While no Yasser Arafat, he has his own brand of evil, just a little more lowercase....>
urged Hamas
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
to release the hostages it is holding and hand over its weapons to the PA, stressing that the terror group "will not rule 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" after the war there ends.

In a meeting in Amman on Sunday with British former prime minister Tony Blair, Abbas also called for the release of Paleostinian prisoners from Israeli jails, an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and unhindered entry of humanitarian aid to the Strip, according to the PA’s official news agency WAFA.

Abbas also called for the PA to be given control of the enclave, a notion long rejected by Israel. He further stressed the need to implement a two-state solution to the Israeli-Paleostinian conflict based on the Arab Peace Initiative and called for an international peace conference to be held in New York, the report said.

Though Abbas has in the past called for the hostages to be released, an end to the war, and for the PA to takeover governing Gaza, it was only last month that, for the first time, he condemned the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel during which the hostages were kidnapped. The attack, which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, triggered the ongoing war.

At the time, Abbas also said that Hamas must not be permitted to rule Gaza and should hand over its weapons to the Paleostinian Security Services.

Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 50 hostages, including 49 of the 251 kidnapped by Hamas-led murderous Moslems on October 7, 2023. They include the bodies of at least 28 confirmed dead by the IDF. Twenty are believed to be alive, and there are grave concerns for the well-being of two others, Israeli officials have said. Hamas is also holding the body of an IDF soldier killed in Gaza in 2014.

Hamas seized control of Gaza from the PA in 2007 during a bloody coup. The terror group and Abba’s Fatah secularist party, which dominates the West Bank-based PA, have remained at odds ever since.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed to vanquish Hamas, has thus far ruled out any role for the PA in Gaza, but failed to advance any alternative amid pressure from his far-right partners, who want to establish settlements in the Strip.

The PA is largely seen as ineffectual and corrupt. It has not held general elections since 2006, and presidential elections since 2005.

Blair left office in 2007, then became an envoy for the Middle East Quartet — the United Nations
...a formerly good idea gone bad...
, the United States, the European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
, and Russia — set up in 2002 to mediate peace between Israel and the Paleostinians. He established the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, a non-profit organization, in 2016. In January 2024, the institute denied as "a lie" a Hebrew media report linking him to talks for the resettlement of Paleostinians from Gaza to other countries.

US President Donald Trump
...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US...
has touted a highly disputed initiative to relocate Paleostinians out of the coastal enclave to other countries. Netanyahu has openly backed the plan, which has been flatly rejected by Paleostinians.
Related:
Tony Blair 07/05/2025 Former UK Labour leader Corbyn, ousted over antisemitism, to found new party
Tony Blair 05/11/2025 Farage Calls for 'Halt' on Immigration, Making UK 'Less British Every Day'
Tony Blair 05/01/2025 Workless 'Lost Generation' Suffering Mental Health Issues

Related:
Mahmoud Abbas 07/03/2025 Threats or nuisance? After years of cooperation, some Gaza clans rise up against Hamas
Mahmoud Abbas 07/02/2025 Report: Removing Hamas From Power A Condition For Saudi Normalization
Mahmoud Abbas 06/28/2025 Weakened Hamas faces rebel clans, doubts over Tehran’s backing after Israel-Iran war

Link


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Lost Byzantine city of Tarais from Justinian's time found in Jordan
2025-07-14
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Archaeologists have found the lost Byzantine city of Tarais in Jordan. This was reported by the Gephyra magazine.

The search began in 2021. Archaeologists decided to look for lost cities using a mosaic map made 1,500 years ago, during the time of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian (527–565 AD). It shows 157 sites that were part of the Holy Land of Jordan. This tiled artwork is the oldest map available today that shows all the cities. Most of them have yet to be found by scientists, the publication notes.

The discovery was made by Associate Professor of the Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at the Jordanian University of Muta Musallam R. al-Rawahneh. Fieldwork took place near the modern city of El-Iraq on the southeastern shore of the Dead Sea.

Scientists have been finding clues pointing to the existence of Tarais in this region for many years. Thus, the remains of mosaic floors, glassware and various tools were found, which, according to researchers, testified to the existence of an ancient city here.

Scientists were convinced that the recently discovered object was indeed Tarais because everything matched the image of the lost city on the famous Madaba mosaic map. The gates, ruins, and even the towers matched. Religious finds also confirmed this. Archaeologists found details reminiscent of a Byzantine basilica - a building stretched to one side, with an open central room. The team contacted Spanish and French researchers to continue their research.

The excavations brought new surprises – Greek and Latin funerary inscriptions. They confirmed the theological nature of the site, as the finds proved that a Christian community had once flourished in the region.

"The significant position of Tarais on the Madaba map and the discovery of the basilica suggest that it was not just an agricultural village but also a sacred site and a resting place for merchants," al-Rawahneh said.

The lost city of Tarais was once not only religious, but also economically prosperous. This is evidenced by olive presses, windmills and grape-pressing equipment found by archaeologists, the authors of the article noted.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, in early July archaeologists found well-preserved tombs from the Ptolemaic and Roman periods in southern Egypt. The rock-cut tombs were found in a cemetery near the Aga Khan Mausoleum on the western shore of Aswan. Scientists discovered well-preserved hieroglyphic inscriptions there.

Link


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Gaza war, regional updates
2025-07-14
[X]

IDF admits error in deadly strike on water delivery site as truce talks stay jammed

[IsraelTimes] Israel’s military said Sunday that a strike near a Gaza water distribution point that reportedly killed several children was an accident, as Israeli aircraft pounded targets across the Strip.

The strike, which the Israel Defense Forces attributed to a "technical malfunction," came as negotiations on a ceasefire and hostage release deal continued to stall, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly set to convene top ministers and defense brass in a bid to find a way to break the logjam.

Gazook health officials at al-Awda Hospital said the strike that hit a water distribution point in Nuseirat refugee camp killed 10 people, including six children.

The IDF admitted it had erred while targeting an operative from the Paleostinian Islamic Jihad
...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah...
terror group.

"Due to a technical malfunction in the munition, it struck dozens of meters away from the intended target," the IDF said, adding that it had opened an investigation and that it "makes every effort to minimize harm to uninvolved civilians."

Ramadan Nassar, a witness who lives in the area, told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named that around 20 children and 14 adults had been lined up to get water. He said Paleostinians walk some 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) to fetch water from the area.

Water shortages 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...
have worsened sharply in recent weeks, with fuel shortages causing desalination and sanitation facilities to close, making people dependent on collection centers where they can fill up their plastic containers.

More than a dozen people were also reported killed near an aid distribution site on Sunday, with eyewitnesses describing shots to victims’ heads and bodies. The Israeli military said its troops had fired warning shots, but that its review of the incident had found no evidence of anyone hurt by its soldiers’ fire.

Negotiations toward a ceasefire in Gaza have stalled primarily over when the war will end and to what extent the IDF will withdraw during the truce.

Paleostine al-Youm, an Islamic Jihad-affiliated news outlet, quoted a senior Hamas
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
official Sunday saying negotiations had reached a critical stage and signaling the Paleostinian group could walk away if the logjam was not cleared in the coming hours.

Channel 12 news reported Sunday that Netanyahu would convene a meeting of senior defense officials and several government ministers that night in a bid to break the impasse, focusing on a new proposal for the troops’ redeployment in Gaza and the direction of talks.

IDF brass has told the government that it is close to achieving the goals of its recent offensive, and US President Donald Trump
...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US...
has repeatedly urged an end to the 21-month-old war. Polls show most Israelis support a deal to free the hostages still held by Hamas and end the war.

During his recent visit to Washington, DC, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed optimism about a deal. But in a video posted to social media Sunday afternoon, he blamed Hamas for obstructing an agreement, saying Israel had accepted the outline proposed by Trump’s chief envoy, Steve Witkoff.

"We accepted it, Hamas refused it," Netanyahu said, adding that he "won’t accept" a deal that allows Hamas to stay in Gaza and rearm."

The deal currently being negotiated in the Qatar
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi...
i capital would see 10 living hostages released in an initial 60-day stage, along with the remains of 18 deceased captives.

Netanyahu has insisted the war cannot end until Hamas is no longer able to rule Gaza or pose a threat to Israel, vowing to achieve both that goal and the return of all 50 hostages still being held in the Strip.

The IDF is waiting for the government to make a decision regarding the war as the military nears completion of its Gideon’s Chariots offensive, launched in mid-May. In late June, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said the military would soon "reach the lines" set by the offensive, in which the IDF aimed to take control of 75 percent of Gaza.

Jordan announced Sunday morning that a local charity had sent 50 trucks of aid to Gaza. The shipment came after the European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
announced last week that a deal had been reached to reopen several aid corridors, including humanitarian routes through Egypt and Jordan.

A group of United Nations
...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships...
agencies warned, meanwhile, that a fuel shortage had reached "critical levels" in Gaza, threatening aid operations, hospital care and already chronic food insecurity.

On Sunday, in a rare incident, an Israeli soldier driving on a road in Israeli territory near Gaza was lightly maimed by a stray Israeli bullet.

Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 451. The toll includes two coppers and three Defense Ministry civilian contractors.
Link


Iraq
Kurdish fighters burn weapons Friday, signal end to armed struggle against Turkey
2025-07-13
[Rudaw] In a striking and symbolic gesture, fighters from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) set their weapons ablaze on Friday, signalling an end to more than four decades of armed struggle for Kurdish rights in The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the decaying remnant of the Ottoman Empire...
The disarmament, marked by a bonfire reminiscent of Newroz - the Kurdish New Year once banned in Turkey - was held near a cave in Kurdistan Region’s rugged mountains in northern Iraq, the same historic site where Kurdish intellectuals printed an outlawed newspaper more than a century ago.

As the flames consumed the rifles, many in attendance viewed it not just as a tactical move, but as the possible turning point in a long and costly war. The fighters’ disarmament came in response to a rare video message from their jugged
Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up!
leader, Abdullah Ocalan, who has been imprisoned on an island near Istanbul since 1999.

In his statement, Ocalan - long a symbol of the Kurdish nationalist cause - declared that the time for armed struggle had passed, citing new efforts by Turkey to acknowledge Kurdish identity and culture.

"The PKK, for the sake of the people, says we want peace, we want tranquility," said Shame Shingal, a mother whose daughter remains among the ranks of the PKK. "And this has filled us with joy."

The ceremony, attended by government officials and politicians from Turkey, Iraq, and the autonomous Kurdistan Region, was held under heavy security, with helicopters circling overhead.

Among those present was Mohammed Penjwini, a prominent Kurdish intellectual and longtime friend of Ocalan. He voiced cautious optimism, noting that previous peace efforts had failed due to interference by what he called the "Deep State" - a reference to shadowy nationalist elements within Turkey’s bureaucracy and military.

"The hope today is that this process - unlike the previous one, which took four or five years and was ultimately derailed - will succeed," Penjwini said. "Because the leader of the Deep State, Mr. [Devlet] Bahceli, has embraced it. That is the only hope for its success."

Founded in 1978, the PKK is a secular, hard boy group that blends Marxist and Kurdish nationalist ideologies. It has waged a long and bloody insurgency against the Ottoman Turkish state, a conflict that has claimed more than 40,000 lives, most of them Kurdish. Turkey, a NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the cut of the American pants...
member, the US and European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
have designated the PKK as a terrorist organization.

The group’s decision to relinquish its arms - even if only symbolically for now - has been met with measured approval from analysts, peace advocates and even Ottoman Turkish government officials.

The fighters returned to their mountainous hideouts unarmed, a move seen by some as a genuine step toward lasting peace. Still, skepticism remains. Much will depend on how Ottoman Turkish authorities respond in the weeks and months ahead, and whether a roadmap can be forged to eventually bring the fighters down from the mountains for good.

Turkey continues strikes on PKK despite disarmament, says monitor

[Rudaw] Turkey has continued its attacks on alleged Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) positions on Saturday, a day after the PKK symbolically destroyed weapons as part of peace negotiations with Ankara, according to a group monitoring the conflict.

“At 8:30 am this morning, Turkey bombed the village of Mewin in Amedi 5 times,” Kamaran Osman, a member of the Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT), said on X.

“Since the beginning of this month, Turkey has carried out 12 artillery attacks,” he added.

Amedi is situated about 70 kilometers north of Duhok city and just 15 kilometers from the Turkish border. The area has been a frontline in the conflict between Turkish forces and the PKK.

On Friday, in a striking and symbolic gesture, a group of fighters from the PKK set their weapons ablaze, signalling an end to more than four decades of armed struggle for Kurdish rights in Turkey. Earlier this year, the PKK declared a unilateral ceasefire and announced it would dissolve itself.

On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded to the ceremonial disarmament, saying “The problem of terror that has been lingering in our nation for 47 years has, God willing, entered the process of ending.”

Despite months of negotiations for peace, Turkish attacks in the Kurdistan Region saw an eight percent increase from May through June, according to a CPT report released on Friday. Nearly all 98 percent of these strikes were concentrated within Duhok province, particularly in the Amedi district.

“Turkish military strikes have remained steady and concentrated - though notably, no civilian casualties have been reported - since their surge in May,” said the report.

The conflict has devastated hundreds of villages in the Kurdistan Region and northern Iraq, some have been completely abandoned.
Link


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
IDF is deploying two more battalions to Judea and Samaria
2025-07-12
[X]

Related:
Gush Etzion: 2025-07-11 Israeli man killed in terror attack at West Bank shopping complex; 2 attackers killed
Gush Etzion: 2025-07-01 Priest warns: Christian town in Holy Land no longer safe amid settler attacks; Israel razes five illegal Jewish outposts
Gush Etzion: 2025-06-09 Australia blocks visit by Israel activist Hillel Fuld, causing diplomatic uproar
Link


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Large-scale excavations have begun at the site of the Mangazeya settlement in Yamal
2025-07-12
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Mangazeya settlement, located in the Tazovsky and Krasnoselkupsky Districts of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, will become the site of large-scale archaeological excavations. As experts note, the study of this territory will help to better understand the history of the ancient city of Mangazeya, the reasons for its decline, and also to study the formation of Orthodoxy in Yamal.

The work will start on August 1 and will last until September 15. It is being carried out as part of the project "Holy Protomartyr Basil of Mangazeya". The project is being implemented by the non-profit organization "Siberian Heritage". In 2025, the initiative received support in the form of a grant from the governor in the amount of 4.6 million rubles, as well as co-financing from the Presidential Grants Fund. In the near future, researchers will have to determine the location of the church, the voivode's court and the chapel over the saint's grave. The work will help clarify the details of the life of St. Basil of Mangazeya and may become an important step in the development of the region's tourism potential.

An important stage was the study of historical documents and materials from the 17th century from the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts. The scientific reconstruction of the events was carried out by historian, specialist in Siberian cities and ancient Russian icon painting Ilya Gorshkov. In the future, scientists will compile a database of sources on the life, cult and iconography of the saint.

"Previous excavations covered the posad part of the settlement, while the temple architecture and religious life of Mangazeya remained practically unexplored. Modern technologies, including geoscanning and aerial photography from quadcopters, will allow for more accurate and detailed research," said Georgy Vizgalov, head of the research project "Holy Protomartyr Basil of Mangazeya."

Mangazeya is considered one of the first polar Russian cities in Siberia. It existed in the 17th century and was a fur trade center and a stronghold on the trade route. Educational lectures will be held for residents of Yamal who decide to volunteer for the excavations.

Link


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Israel, EU agree to boost Gaza aid: ‘More trucks, more crossings, and more routes’
2025-07-11
[IsraelTimes] Israel to open several aid corridors, including through Egypt and Jordan, allow bakeries and kitchens to reopen, ensure security for aid workers, repair vital infrastructure

Israel and the European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
have agreed upon "significant steps" to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into 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 "in the coming days," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced Thursday.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar confirmed the agreement, saying the security cabinet decided last Sunday on measures "to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza," including "more trucks, more crossings, and more routes for the humanitarian efforts."

Speaking alongside Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephu, Sa’ar thanked his counterparts "for the fruitful dialogue that we are conducting — with you and the EU — on the humanitarian issue."

The discussions are "based on an understanding of human needs and of the threat that Hamas
..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
and the Gaza Strip have posed to Israel over the past 20 years," added Sa’ar, saying, "this dialogue is important and it will continue."

The announcements by Sa’ar and Kallas confirmed an earlier report by Bloomberg, which said that a deal had been reached enabling the reopening of several aid corridors, including humanitarian routes through Egypt and Jordan, and several other crossing points in northern and southern Gaza.

"These measures are or will be implemented in the coming days, with the common understanding that aid at scale must be delivered directly to the population and that measures will continue to be taken to ensure that there is no aid diversion to Hamas," Kallas said.

According to the top European diplomat, the agreement will see a "substantial increase" in the daily entry of trucks supplying food and non-food items; the opening of several crossing points in northern and southern Gaza; the reopening of humanitarian routes through Egypt and Jordan; resumed operations of bakeries and public kitchens in Gaza; resumed fuel deliveries to humanitarian facilities "up to an operational level"; security for aid workers; and reparations on works for "vital infrastructure like the resumption of the power supply to the water desalination facility."

"The EU stands ready to coordinate with all relevant humanitarian stakeholders, United Nations
...an organization conceived in the belief that we're just one big happy world, with the sort of results you'd expect from such nonsense...
agencies and NGOs on the ground, to ensure swift implementation of those urgent steps," added Kallas, adding that the EU "calls again for an immediate ceasefire" and release of all hostages.

Since late May, Israel has handed authority over aid distribution in Gaza to the Israel- and United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in a stated effort to prevent aid supplies from reaching Hamas. The GHF’s operations have been strongly criticized by the international community for failing to address the humanitarian needs in Gaza.

It is unclear under which bodies the expanded aid measures will be operated.

The EU has been increasingly critical of the humanitarian situation in Gaza amid Israel’s war against Hamas, which began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led bully boyz murdered some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in southern Israel and took 251 hostages.

Israel has said that it respects international law and that operations in Gaza are necessary to destroy Hamas.

The EU is Israel’s biggest commercial partner, with 42.6 billion euros ($48.2 billion) traded in goods in 2024. Trade in services reached 25.6 billion euros in 2023.

More than 100 aid groups and other organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, last month urged Brussels to suspend the EU-Israel association agreement "at least in part."

Spain has also called for the agreement to be suspended, while Germany has come out against such a move.

Suspending the EU-Israel accord outright would require unanimity among member states — something diplomats have said from the outset was virtually impossible.

Halting diplomatic dialogue with Israel — a measure that was already rejected last year — also requires backing from all EU countries.

Trade measures could instead be adopted with a qualified majority, diplomats have said, cautioning, however, that agreeing on those might also prove tricky.
Link


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Israeli man killed in terror attack at West Bank shopping complex; 2 attackers killed
2025-07-11
[IsraelTimes] Security guard Shalev Zvuluny, 22, stabbed and shot outside supermarket; assailants shot dead by soldier and armed civilian; IDF surrounds nearby Palestinian town

A 22-year-old Israeli man was killed in a terror attack at a shopping complex at the Gush Etzion Junction in the West Bank on Thursday, the military, police, and medics said.

The two Paleostinian snuffies who carried out the attack were rubbed out by a soldier and another armed civilian in the area, West Bank District Commander Moshe Pinchi told news hounds at the scene.

According to a preliminary investigation of the attack, the two snuffies arrived by a stolen car at the shopping center and stabbed a security guard outside a supermarket. The assailants then snatched the guard’s handgun and exchanged fire with the soldier and armed civilian, before being killed.

The guard was initially listed at death's door, then was declared dead by Magen David Adom medics. He was later named as Shalev Zvuluny, 22, from Kiryat Arba.

The Israel Defense Forces described the incident as a "combined shooting and stabbing attack."

The council of the Hebron-adjacent settlement mourned Zvuluny as "a special person, beloved by those who knew him," sending condolences and support to the family.

Following the attack, the IDF said troops were surrounding the nearby West Bank town of Halhul and blocking roads in the area.

The two perpetrators were later identified as Paleostinian cops who served in the Paleostinian Authority’s police force, The Times of Israel learned. The two were in their early 20s and had completed their training only a few months ago. They were named by Paleostinian media as Mahmoud Abed, 23, from Halhul, and Malik Salem, 23, from Tulkarem. Neither had any security background nor were previously detained by Israel, a defense official said.

The armed civilian who killed the snuffies told Channel 12 news he was in line at the checkout when he heard gunshots.

"Someone entered the store and yelled that there were snuffies outside. I left everything in the store, and immediately ran outside together with a soldier who was in civilian clothing," he said.

"There was a lot of shooting. We didn’t know exactly where it was coming from. In the end, we managed to identify the two snuffies who were hiding and killed them," he said.

Ilan, a witness to the attack, described hearing gunshots fired in all directions, adding, "It was a miracle a greater disaster didn’t occur."

Earlier on Thursday, an IDF soldier was stabbed by a Paleostinian during operations in the West Bank village of Rummanah, near Jenin, the military said.

Since October 7, 2023, when Hamas
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
led a devastating invasion of southern Israel from 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 that triggered the ongoing war in the enclave, troops have arrested some 6,000 Paleostinians across the West Bank, including more than 2,350 affiliated with Hamas.

According to the Paleostinian Authority health ministry, more than 950 West Bank Paleostinians have been killed in that time. The IDF says the vast majority of them were button men killed in exchanges of fire, rioters who clashed with troops, or snuffies carrying out attacks.

During the same period, 53 people, including Israeli security personnel, have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank. Another eight members of the security forces were killed in festivities with terror operatives in the West Bank.
Related:
Gush Etzion: 2025-07-01 Priest warns: Christian town in Holy Land no longer safe amid settler attacks; Israel razes five illegal Jewish outposts
Gush Etzion: 2025-06-09 Australia blocks visit by Israel activist Hillel Fuld, causing diplomatic uproar
Gush Etzion: 2025-06-02 2 Israelis indicted for selling dual-use chemicals used in terror attacks to Palestinians
Link


Europe
Solar becomes number one energy provider in Europe
2025-07-11
Possibly not their wisest decision…
[GEO.TV] Solar energy has become the number one source of electricity in Europa
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
for the first time, according to new research.

A report by the Ember group, a UK-based energy think tank, shows that solar panels generated more power than any other source across the European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
in June, making up 22.1 percent of the total electricity mix.

That placed it ahead of nuclear power on 21.8 percent and wind turbines on 15.8 percent, according to the British-based institution. Gas accounted for 14.4 percent and hydropower 12.8 percent.

Ember said that at least 13 countries broke their national record for solar power production.

Wind power production also hit a new record for Europe, and coal has never accounted for such a low share of Europe's electricity output — Ember estimated it at 6.1 percent across the continent, down from 8.8 percent in 2024.

But with demand for electricity rising, the use of coal in the first half of 2025 was still higher than in the same period in 2024, Ember said. Electricity demand in the first six months was more than two percent higher than last year.
Link


Arabia
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim cargo ship they attacked Sunday has sunk; anti-Houthi Yemeni govt official says Houthis attacked 2nd ship in Red Sea Monday night, leaving 4 casualties
2025-07-08
[IsraelTimes] Assault on Greek-owned ship and subsequent Israeli strikes raise fears of regional escalation, with hostage deal hanging in balance and Iran weighing continued talks with US

A fat merchantman attacked by Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of...
’s Iran's Houthi sock puppets
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him...
rebels sank in the Red Sea, the group said Monday, raising new concerns over safety in a waterway that is crucial to global shipping, as Israel targeted the rebels with Arclight airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s.

The Houthis attacked the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier Magic Seas with drones, missiles, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire on Sunday, forcing its crew of 22 to abandon the vessel.

The Magic Seas attack and subsequent Israeli airstrikes early Monday targeting the rebels raised fears of a renewed Houthi campaign against shipping that could again draw in US and Western forces to the area, particularly after 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 targeted the rebels in a major airstrike campaign.

The ship attack comes at a sensitive moment in the Middle East, as a possible ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas
..always the voice of sweet reason...
war hangs in the balance, and as 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...
weighs whether to restart negotiations over its nuclear program, following American airstrikes targeting its most sensitive atomic sites during Israel’s war against the Islamic Theocratic RepublicPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Washington Sunday to meet with Trump.

SHIP ATTACK FORCES CREW TO ABANDON VESSEL
The attack on Magic Seas, a bulk carrier heading north to Egypt’s Suez Canal, happened about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Hodeida, Yemen, which is held by the Houthis.

The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center, or UKMTO, first said that an armed security team on the vessel had returned fire against an initial attack of gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades, though the vessel later was struck by projectiles.

Ambrey, a private maritime security firm, said that Magic Seas also had been attacked by bomb-carrying drone boats, which could be a major escalation. It said that two drone boats struck the ship, while another two were destroyed by the armed guards on board.

UKMTO said the ship was taking on water and its crew had abandoned the vessel. They were rescued by a passing ship, it added.

A European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
anti-piracy patrol in the region, called Operation Atalanta, said that 22 mariners had been on board Magic Seas.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthis’ military front man, later claimed the attack and said the rebels used missiles and bomb-carrying drone boats to attack the ship.

"Our operations continue in targeting the depths of the Israeli entity in occupied Paleostine, as well as preventing Israeli maritime navigation in the Red and Arabian Seas... until the aggression on 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...
stops and the siege on it is lifted," Saree said.

The Magic Seas owners did not respond to a request for comment. Saree later said the vessel sank in the Red Sea.

FRESH HOUTHI ATTACKS AFTER ISRAELI STRIKES
Separately, on Monday afternoon, a drone launched by the Houthis in Yemen at Israel was shot down by the Israeli Air Force, the Israel Defense Forces said.

No sirens sounded, "according to protocol," the military added.

Hours later, a ballistic missile launched at Israel by the Houthis fell short outside the country’s borders, according to a military official.

The IDF identified the launch, but no sirens sounded in Israel because the missile did not pose a threat.

The two attacks came after the IDF overnight said it struck Houthi-held ports at Hodeida, Ras Isa, and Salif, as well as the Ras Kanatib power plant.

The IDF also said it struck Galaxy Leader, a vehicle-carrying vessel that the Houthis seized back in November 2023 when they began their attacks in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war.

"Houthi forces installed a radar system on the ship and have been using it to track vessels in the international maritime arena to facilitate further terrorist activities," the IDF said.

On Monday evening, the IDF released footage showing the strike on the hijacked ship. The Bahamas-flagged Galaxy Leader was affiliated with an Israeli billionaire and had been operated by a Japanese firm, NYK Line.

The Houthis acknowledged the strikes, but offered no damage assessment from the attack. Saree, the Houthi front man, claimed the rebels’ air defense forces "effectively confronted" the Israelis, without offering evidence.

[X]

Yemeni official says Houthis behind second attack on Red Sea ship
[IsraelTimes] Moammar al-Eryani, the information minister for Yemen’s internationally recognized government that opposes the Houthis, says the rebel group is behind Monday night’s attack on maritime shipping in the Red Sea.

According to the private security firm Ambrey, the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned Eternity C had been heading north toward the Suez Canal when it came under fire by men in small boats and by bomb-carrying drones. The security guards on board opened fire in the attack.

“The vessel’s engines had reportedly been disabled and Ambrey observed that the vessel had started to drift,” the firm says.

There were no other immediate details on the attack, which is also acknowledged by the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, or UKMTO, center. The Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news channel notes the attack, but the rebels have not claimed the assault.

The US military’s Central Command says it is aware of reports of the attack, but declines to comment further.

The attack occurs in the same area as Sunday’s assault on Magic Seas, another bulk carrier heading north to Egypt’s Suez Canal, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of the port of Hodeida, Yemen, which is held by the Houthis.

Two hurt, two more missing in second Houthi attack on Red Sea shipping
[IsraelTimes] Two crew members of a Greek-managed vessel have been wounded and two more are missing in a drone attack off Yemen, hours after the Iran-aligned Houthis claim an assault on another bulk carrier in the Red Sea that it claimed to have sunk.

The Liberia-flagged, Greek-operated bulk carrier Eternity C was attacked with sea drones and skiffs off the port of Hodeidah, its manager, Cosmoship Management, tells Reuters.

Two crew members are seriously wounded and two are missing, the company says, adding that armed security guards were on board.

The vessel’s bridge was hit, an official at Cosmoship says, adding that telecommunications are impacted and contacting the crew is hard.
Link


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
EU says violence at Gaza food centres ‘untenable’
2025-07-05
Like the entire war, this is the result of Hamas actions. Complain to them or shut up and sit down.
[GEO.TV] The European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
criticised the situation surrounding the food distribution sites operated by 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), Al Jazeera reported.

''What's happening around those distribution centres, the situation is 'untenable'. It should not be tolerated, and the violence should cease immediately,'' EU Commission spokesperson Anouar El Anouni told a briefing in Brussels.
Link


Europe
Austria set to deport man to Syria, marking first for EU since Assad’s fall
2025-07-03
[IsraelTimes] Rights groups warn Vienna’s move could set a dangerous precedent, arguing that Syria remains officially unsafe for return under international law

Austria is preparing to deport a Syrian man whose asylum status was revoked due to a criminal conviction, in what an EU official and rights groups say will be Europe’s first forced deportation to Syria since the fall of former president Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
One of the last of the old-fashioned hereditary iron-fisted fascist dictators...
Rights groups are concerned that Austria’s plan could set a precedent, encouraging other European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
member states to follow suit amid rising anti-migration sentiment across the 27-nation bloc.

The 32-year-old man, who was granted asylum in Austria in 2014, lost his refugee status in February 2019 because of his criminal record, his legal adviser Ruxandra Staicu said. She declined to specify the nature of his conviction.

The Austrian Interior Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Deportation to Syria was not possible during the country’s civil war as it was considered unsafe. The Austrian government argues that Assad’s fall means the situation has changed and it has begun proceedings to strip some refugees of their status, though rights groups say it is premature to do so.

Austrian and Syrian authorities agreed for the man to be deported last week, but the closure of airspace across several countries in the region, including Syria, due to Israel’s 12-day conflict with 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...
delayed the process, Staicu and a Western diplomat said. Hundreds of flights were forced to turn back or reroute when the strikes began.

The diplomat, who requested anonymity, added that the deportation would now go ahead once the airspace reopened.

Since 2015, European countries have received around 1.68 million asylum applications from Syrian nationals. Some governments, most notably Germany, initially welcomed them warmly as civil war ravaged their homeland.

But rising public concern over the scale of immigration has fueled support for far-right, anti-migrant parties.

IS SYRIA STILL DANGEROUS?
With the fall of Assad in December, many EU governments were quick to suspend the processing of Syrian asylum applications, and some have called for the security situation in Syria to be reassessed to enable deportations to resume.

In Austria, former Chancellor Karl Nehammer, from the ruling Austrian People’s Party (OVP), is among those calling for such a reassessment, amid pressure from the far-right Freedom Party.

Some rights groups and lawyers say it is still too dangerous to begin returning people to Syria.

"There are attacks against people and we have no idea in which direction [Syria] will go," said Staicu, adding that her client’s deportation would violate the European Convention on Human Rights that prohibits torture and inhumane treatment.

The United Nations
...the Oyster Bay money pit...
refugee agency (UNHCR) told Rooters: "Syrians... must not be forcibly returned from any country, including those in the European Union, to any part of Syria" due to the overall situation there.

Rights groups cite attacks against minorities since Assad’s fall. Syria also remains in the grip of a severe humanitarian crisis, with 90% of the population living below the poverty line, according to UN estimates.

Staicu said her client had received a negative asylum decision in April. He has filed another asylum application and is awaiting a response.
Link



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