Israel concerned by Turkish moves in Syria - Shirit Avitan Cohen and Dudi Kogan

 

by Shirit Avitan Cohen and Dudi Kogan

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has caused sleepless nights for the Jewish state's political and security leadership.

 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressing the opening of parliament in Ankara on Oct. 1, 2020. Credit: Erdoğan/X.

 

Turkey’s attempt to turn Syria into a client state, replacing Iran and Russia as the key influencer, is a growing concern for Israeli officials. A senior political source in Jerusalem confessed to the Israel Hayom newspaper that Turkey’s activities in Syria have become a top priority of late.

This concern is evident: Two critical discussions are scheduled in the coming days by Israeli leadership: one at the Defense Ministry, and another led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israeli officials view Turkey’s moves in Syria as carrying “the potential for heavy friction between the two countries [Israel and Turkey].”

Israel is preparing for the possibility of Turkey becoming a strategic threat, as reflected in the Nagel Commission‘s report. The commission, established to formulate recommendations on Israel’s force-building needs and security budget in the coming decade, mentioned Turkey 15 times in the report, highlighting regional instability and the potential for rapid changes, including attempts to destabilize the Jordanian monarchy, shifts in Egyptian and Turkish attitudes, and Ankara’s rising friction with Israel.

One section of the report explicitly warns the prime minister about the risks: “The problem will escalate if Syrian forces effectively become a ‘Turkish proxy,’ as part of Turkey’s ambition to restore Ottoman-era influence. The presence of Turkish forces or their proxies in Syria could heighten the risk of a direct Israel-Turkey confrontation.”

What could lead to this scenario? The Turkish military’s entry into Syria could result in the rapid arming of the country, and military actions against the Kurds in the country’s east could spill over to Israel’s doorstep.

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The commission described this threat as a “potential for drastic change” in relations with Turkey, a country with which Israel maintains diplomatic ties.

In response to the tectonic shifts in Syria, Western countries are rushing to build bridges with the new regime. Recently, the foreign ministers of Germany and France visited Damascus. Moreover, there is a growing trend in Western capitals, including Washington, to remove the main group in the new government, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), from the list of terrorist organizations.

“We cannot afford to do otherwise,” Western officials explained to senior Israeli figures regarding their approach to the group, which was previously affiliated with Al-Qaeda.

The fate of the Kurds

Israel’s concerns can be divided into two main issues. The first is the continued smuggling of weapons to Lebanon under the auspices of the new Syrian regime.

The second is President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s potential exploitation of the situation to crush the autonomous Kurdish rule in eastern Syria, which could result in a massacre of the Kurdish population in the region. In a recent statement on the matter, Erdoğan vowed to “bury in the ground, with their weapons, those who choose terror and violence,” referring to the Kurdish militias in the area.

The Kurds have a long-standing relationship with Israel, but Israeli officials emphasize that Israel does not seek direct confrontation with Turkey. The issue of military protection for Kurdish autonomy in Syria is considered a responsibility of the U.S.

Immediately after Bashar Assad’s fall, the IDF outlined two possible scenarios for Syria: the country would be ruled by Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, leader of HTS, or a division of the country into cantons with varying levels of autonomy. The latter scenario is Israel’s preferred outcome.

In practice, Israeli officials say Turkey has become the most influential power in Damascus, replacing Iran’s Shi’ite axis with a Sunni-Turkish alignment. While this alignment is not yet seen as an outright adversary, it may offer safe harbor for terrorist groups.

“The arena is multidimensional,” a senior diplomat noted. “Turkey’s interests in turning Syria into a client state, thereby bolstering its regional influence, are clear. Our response includes on-the-ground actions and preparing for potential threats that could escalate rapidly.”

Counter-alliance to the sultan?

Amid public statements in support of the Kurds, Israel is strengthening ties with Turkey’s historical rivals. In recent months, Israel signed a series of defense agreements with Greece and Cyprus, including a €2 billion deal involving advanced radar and interception systems for Greece. Cyprus has already received Israeli-made Barak MX air-defense missiles to replace its Russian systems.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides on Thursday in Nicosia to discuss the situation in Syria and other regional challenges.

Thank you, President @Christodulides, for your steadfast friendship and the warm and productive discussion we shared. We spoke about the issue that is of the highest priority—bringing home the hostages being cruelly held by Hamas in Gaza—as well as the latest regional challenges… pic.twitter.com/EIGxvZtbmU

— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) January 9, 2025

In addition, the United Arab Emirates has expressed concerns about Turkey’s growing military presence and influence in Syria. Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan met separately with the president of Cyprus on Thursday to discuss Syria.

These meetings followed Wednesday’s trilateral summit in Cairo attended by representatives of Cyprus, Egypt and Greece.

In contrast, Israel’s unique relationship with Azerbaijan, marked by advanced arms sales and substantial oil imports via Turkey, adds another layer of complexity. Israeli weapons played a crucial role in Azerbaijan’s victory over Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Given Turkey’s close alliance with Azerbaijan, tensions between Jerusalem and Ankara could test these ties as well.

Originally published by Israel Hayom.

Shirit Avitan Cohen and Dudi Kogan

Source: https://www.jns.org/israel-concerned-by-turkish-moves-in-syria/

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Katz orders IDF: Plan for Hamas defeat if hostage talks fail - JNS

 

by JNS

“If the hostage deal does not materialize by the time President Trump takes office, Hamas in Gaza must face complete defeat," the defense minister said.

 

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz during a meeting with top military officials on the war against Hamas in Gaza, Jan. 9, 2024. Photo by Ariel Hermoni/Ministry of Defense.

Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed the Israel Defense Forces to urgently develop a plan for a decisive victory over Hamas in Gaza if a hostage deal is not finalized before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated for a second term on Jan. 20.

“If the hostage deal does not materialize by the time President Trump takes office, Hamas in Gaza must face complete defeat,” Katz stated in a release issued by his office on Friday.

The statement emphasized that Israel must avoid being drawn into a prolonged war of attrition, which would be costly and fail to deliver a strategic victory or end the conflict in Gaza. Katz called for a plan ensuring Hamas’s total defeat, which the IDF is expected to present during upcoming security assessments.

During a meeting on Thursday night attended by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and other senior officials, Katz reiterated that securing the release of the hostages remains the top priority of the defense establishment. “Everything must be done to bring them home,” he said.

Katz also instructed the IDF to identify potential challenges to implementing the plan, such as humanitarian concerns, and to leave those decisions to the political leadership. He emphasized that discussions on Gaza’s political future are irrelevant to the current military strategy, saying that no Arab or other party would assume responsibility for Gaza’s civilian affairs while Hamas remains intact.

Israeli forces target Hamas leadership, kill key terrorists

The IDF and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) announced on Thursday the elimination of key Hamas figures involved in attacks on Israeli forces.

במהלך השבוע האחרון, כלי טיס של חיל האוויר תקף וחיסל באופן ממוקד ובהכוונה מודיעינית מדויקת של אמ"ן, שב"כ ופיקוד הדרום, את המחבל אוסאמה אבו נאמוס, מפקד גדוד "צברא" בחטיבת העיר עזה של ארגון הטרור חמאס>> pic.twitter.com/O8LISvC1Os

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) January 9, 2025

In a series of airstrikes, Osama Abu Namos, the commander of the “Sabra” Battalion in Hamas’s Gaza City Brigade, and his deputy Mahmoud Al Tarq were killed. Both men were responsible for directing attacks on Israeli troops and civilians.

Additionally, Mahmoud Shaheen and Hamada Diri, company commanders in the battalion, were eliminated for their roles in coordinating attacks and supplying weapons.

The IDF and Shin Bet affirmed their commitment to continuing operations against Hamas terrorists.

JNS

Source: https://www.jns.org/katz-orders-idf-plan-for-hamas-defeat-if-hostage-talks-fails/

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18,000 terrorist attacks in Israel in 2024 - JNS

 

by JNS

Israeli civilians were attacked on seven fronts last year—Iran, Lebanon, Syria, the Gaza Strip, Iraq, Yemen and from within Israeli territory.

 

Security personnel at the scene of a drone attack in Tel Aviv, July 19, 2024. Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90.

Terrorists attacked the Jewish state no fewer than 18,000 times in 2024, killing 134 innocent people and wounding another 1,277, according to data the National Public Diplomacy Directorate in the Prime Minister’s Office released on Thursday.

Israeli civilians were attacked from seven fronts—Iran, Lebanon, Syria, the Gaza Strip, Iraq, Yemen and from within Israeli territory—18,365 times last year, revealed the report, which combined data from all security agencies and the country’s emergency response groups.

Some 16,400 rockets and missiles were fired into Israel, of which approximately 15,400 were launched by Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon and 700 from the Gaza Strip. October saw the most launches, with more than 6,900 attacks reported.

At the same time, terrorists sent at least 399 drones toward Israeli territory, the vast majority of which came from Lebanon.

Seventy-one people, including 14 children, were murdered in aerial assaults, and 892 more people sustained wounds. In addition, the rocket, missile and drone attacks sparked more than 600 wildfires, burning 92,417 acres managed by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and more than 42,749 acres of grazing land.

An additional 1,900 terrorist incidents were reported in 2024, including stone-throwing, Molotov cocktails, car rammings, shootings, stabbings and bombings. November was the quietest month, with 109 terrorist incidents reported, while July saw the most violence in Israel—37 people were murdered and another 394 were wounded that month.

The most common type of terrorist attack recorded in 2024 was stone-throwing, with 1,248 incidents reported, followed by “throwing objects, arson and tire burning” (162), attacks with Molotov cocktails (14), shootings (132) and the use of explosive devices (89).

According to the annual report published by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) on Dec. 31, Jerusalem thwarted more than 1,000 significant terrorist attacks in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem in 2024.

Most of the attacks involved firearms (689) and explosive devices (326), with others being stabbings, rammings, bombings and abductions.

 
JNS

Source: https://www.jns.org/18000-terrorist-attacks-in-israel-in-2024/

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$50 billion to Syria vanished into thin air: Unrest in Iran grows over economic turmoil - interview - Peled Arbeli

 

by Peled Arbeli

"The regime anticipates demonstrations and uprisings. They understand that things are very fragile."

 

Illustrative image of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

(photo credit: Canva, REUTERS/MAHMOUD HASSANO, SANA/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

Iran’s public discontent surged in recent weeks as economic hardships, including widespread power outages and rising inflation, fueled calls for change, Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) researcher Benny Sabti told Maariv on Friday.

Sabti began by describing the growing frustration among the Iranian population. "People are very angry with the regime for squandering funds, oil revenues, and resources on Syria, which fell alongside Hezbollah," he said. "The regime has poured $50 billion into Syria from 2000 until now, all of which vanished into thin air, along with funds sent to Lebanon and other places." According to Sabti, the Iranian public views this as "a regime failure."

Sabti believes recent events have given Iranians hope. He pointed to key incidents, such as the reported elimination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, which exposed the Iranian regime’s vulnerabilities, and "the fall of Gaza." He emphasized: "All of this gives the Iranian public—80% of whom oppose the regime—hope."

Sabti cited a parliamentary member’s report attributing the opposition level to the low voter turnout in the last presidential elections.

Sabti described worsening living conditions: "There are daily power outages lasting six to seven hours in Tehran and across the country, with even longer outages in remote areas. Water shortages follow the power cuts, and air pollution worsens because there isn’t enough clean gas to heat factories and homes. Instead, they burn ship fuel, which causes severe pollution until it’s stopped. The result is freezing temperatures and city shutdowns." He added: "On some days, people are forbidden to leave their homes—children, adults, government offices, and banks alike."

An anti-Israel billboard with a picture of Iranian missiles is seen on a street in Tehran, Iran April 19, 2024. (credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS)

The economic crisis is severe. The ongoing shortages of electricity and gas have halted much of the industrial sector. Sabti noted that the unemployment rate, which was already 23%, had risen by an additional 12 percentage points.

"While small protests by workers occasionally occur near their factories, these have not escalated into a large-scale movement," he said. "However, even these scattered demonstrations worry the regime."

Sabti highlighted a significant development: the Iranian regime’s recent protest-response drill. "Why would they hold a protest drill?" he asked rhetorically. "The regime anticipates demonstrations and uprisings."

"They understand that things are very fragile," he warned.

Sending mixed signals to the public

Sabti also noted the regime’s growing anxiety over its perceived failures. "On one hand, they threaten retaliation against Israel. On the other, an Iranian general recently admitted, 'We’ve been defeated.'" Another official reportedly stated: "We cannot retaliate against Israel or launch a third operation."

Sabti reminded readers that Iran’s second offensive against Israel came at an enormous financial cost.

The regime faces soaring inflation. Sabti highlighted the rapid rise in the value of the dollar, from 460,000–480,000 rials to 820,000 rials. "Since imports depend on the dollar, the regime cannot ignore the exchange rate," he explained.

He added that many Iranians are willing to "endure a little longer" but are counting on international pressure and intervention to weaken and overthrow the regime. "They hope for Trump's return and believe he will enact significant changes. They admire Israel’s decisive actions and even call for strikes on Revolutionary Guard facilities that oppress them."

Sabti concluded with a sobering assessment: "The events are converging—this is a decisive year." He added: "The regime talks about racing toward nuclear capabilities, but how will they achieve this?" He answered bluntly: "It’s suicide."

Peled Arbeli

Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-836970

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Pompeo says Iranian 'regime's end is in reach' under Trump, urges him to embrace 'the resistance' - Nicholas Ballasy

 

by Nicholas Ballasy

"You, the resistance. You are on the right path," he says

 

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that the Ayatollah's days are numbered and urged President-elect Trump to embrace the MEK "resistance" to fast-track the Iranian regime’s fall.

"The United States and the pressure campaign will return, making the regime even more fragile," Pompeo said during a speech at a conference in Paris, referencing Trump's second term. 

"You, the resistance. You are on the right path," he added.

The MEK’s leader Maryam Rajavi attended the event with Pompeo and offered similar remarks.

Pompeo said the resistance movement in Iran has "shown the incredible capacity and resilience to end the regime's brutality."

"And you've exposed much of the regime's nuclear sites, details of Iran's nuclear weapons and missile program and the world owes great debt for all of this hard work," he said. "The resistance has been willing to pay a very real and serious price. It has a platform that we can all support. And now has garnered a massive international support as well."

Pompeo continued, saying, "New U.S. policy, as the new administration comes in, needs to create even more space for the Iranian resistance to be vigilant on the ground."

He noted that Trump often "talked in detail about bringing back the maximum pressure campaign that had proved so successful."

"We can feel that the regime's end is in reach," he said.

He said the rapid fall of the Iranian-backed Assad regime in Syria exposes the weakness of the ruling mullah in Iran, including the Ayatollah Khomeini.

“I think that the fact that it fell so quickly, that it was such a paper tiger and I think that's told the world that the Ayatollah is finished, that his time is complete,” Pompeo said.

 
Nicholas Ballasy

Source: https://justthenews.com/government/white-house/pompeo-urges-trump-embrace-resistance-iran-says-regimes-end-reach

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The Left’s Ignoble Motives - Thaddeus G. McCotter

 

by Thaddeus G. McCotter

Elites in the U.S. and U.K. prioritize protecting their power over public safety, hiding the truth about crimes and fearing backlash more than addressing the harm inflicted on innocent victims.

 

 

Having read his January 7th piece in American Greatness, “We Can Handle the Truth,” clearly Christopher Roach did a splendid job of employing a cinematic reference to tie together the U.S. and U.K. establishments’ mutual fear of telling their public the truth about terrorism and other criminal acts when the perpetrators are from a preferred intersectional group.

Specifically, Mr. Roach deftly stated the case how the refusal by the authorities and the corporate media in the United States to call the murders in New Orleans a terrorist attack constitutes a refusal akin to that exhibited by the United Kingdom regarding the Pakistani rape gangs. Per Mr. Roach:

There has been an even more aggressive media blackout in response to the horrifying rape gangs in the United Kingdom. For years, not only the media, but police, politicians, social workers, and other authorities downplayed the reality of these attacks, blamed victims, and did little to stop the rape of young, native British females by Pakistani immigrant gangs.

Regarding such obfuscations and denials by the two nations’ leftist elites, Mr. Roach noted the role allegedly played by their fear of being accused of “racism”: “[I]n the modern West, whether in the United States or the United Kingdom, authorities are more afraid of being accused of racism than stopping terrorism and child rape.”

To bolster this point, Mr. Roach cites British writer Tom Holland, a clear front-runner for the 2025 Walter Duranty Fake News Award:

The true nightmare of #Rotherham is that the motives of those who turned a blind eye, however monstrous the consequences, were indeed noble.

“It wasn’t the indifference that was noble, but the concern not to demonise a minority. Caring for the weak. The Christian thing . . . I think they genuinely didn’t want to give succour to racism against a minority—which was a noble principle.

Yet, as is so often the case in dealing with the left, reality dictates otherwise. The left has ignoble motives—ones rooted in preserving and imposing their power over others and over their own deluded sense of superiority.

As a rational matter, it is far more plausible to believe that the left is politically more concerned with keeping core minority voting blocs intact. Often, their paranoia and patronizing racism involve pushing policies that are detrimental to society, including minorities. Not surprisingly, such policies are unpopular to a great number of voters (such as the increasing number of Hispanic and other American minorities who oppose open borders, illegal immigration, and the politicians behind them).

Consequently, when a member(s) of one of the left’s core minority voting blocs commits a terrorist and/or other criminal act, the governing elite will downplay it, often by obfuscating the perpetrator and their motives and/or covering it with a cloak of muted statements—except, of course, when they are blaming victims and attacking those who demand a more honest and effective response.

Such despicable political tactics are aimed at insulating the governing elite’s solicitous, patronizing, and injurious policies purportedly offered to benefit said group from becoming publicly exposed, debated, and even more disfavored. For, if they are brought to light in the public square, it will doubtless cost them the votes and, ergo, elections. Thus, the governing elites do this not to protect the minority group from “racism.” The governing elites do this to protect themselves from voters. As Mr. Roach trenchantly avers: “This self-serving justification obscures that officials engaged in narrative control are often more concerned with avoiding embarrassment and accountability than any broader social goal.”

Still, for the leftist political elites in both countries, there exists an even more powerful irrational motive for twisting reality to suit their aims. The left must perpetuate their self-delusion of moral and intellectual superiority at all costs—including if it requires obfuscating and minimizing the protection of children who are being raped or pedestrians who are being run down. For the left, there seems to be no price too high to pay for their inflated self-esteem—especially when they’re not the ones paying the tab. Indeed, such evasion of accountability is the genesis of the leftist governing elites’ myth of the “noble lie,” one that has attempted to sanitize recent weaponized deceits ranging from rape gangs to Russia-gate, ad nauseam.

Ultimately, the left is not content with avoiding accountability for the consequences of their harmful policies and injurious ideological follies. They seek to be seen as the virtuous victims of those people demanding accountability. It is but a small step for them to take, considering how little regard the leftist governing elite in both nations have for the great mass of their populations.

Unconscionably, both nations’ leftist governing elites fear the response of their own populations more than the terrorist and/or criminal actors. By projecting its own paranoiac contempt upon the rest of society, the left is perpetuating its self-deceit of superiority by victim-blaming and shaming.

And that victim is you.

In turn, this raises the question above all else that the leftist governing elites fear answering honestly: “Do you believe an oppressed minority is justified in committing a violent act against the racist, misogynistic, imperialist, inequitable, oppressive majority?” If you think the question far outré, remember what is being asked of people who knowingly refused to employ every means at their disposal—starting with the full truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth—to stop children from being raped or people from being murdered.

After all, this is not what Mr. Holland offered but an irrational, ludicrous justification for an almost unimaginable ideological and moral failure, one along the lines that Walter Duranty scrawled when excusing Stalin’s crimes: “You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs.” The toxic imbecility is staggering, and the verdict is damning. As Mr. Roach concludes:

The leadership class has no respect for the West, its history, or its people. This is evidenced by their consistent desire to hide the truth and subject our most vulnerable citizens to horrific violence, lest we all “get the wrong idea.” They have forfeited their authority to rule because of their repeated refusal to treat us with candor and protect our most vulnerable citizens.

Contrary to their prejudices, we can handle the truth.

It is the leftist governing elites that cannot.

***

An American Greatness contributor, the Hon. Thaddeus G. McCotter (M.C., Ret.) served Michigan’s 11th Congressional District from 2003-2012, and served as Chair of the Republican House Policy Committee. Not a lobbyist, he is a frequent public speaker and moderator for public policy seminars and a Monday co-host of the “John Batchelor Radio Show,” among sundry media appearances.

 
Thaddeus G. McCotter

Source: https://amgreatness.com/2025/01/11/the-lefts-ignoble-motives/

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Years before LA inferno, California’s fire and water management policies raised fears of catastrophe - Charlotte Hazard and John Solomon

 

by Charlotte Hazard and John Solomon

A major problem that first responders have been facing amid these repeating wildfires is fire hydrants drying up, resulting in a lack of water to get fires under control.

 

Years before wildfires reduced Los Angeles’ most famous neighborhoods to charred rubble and forced thousands to flee, audits and reports repeatedly raised concerns that California’s water management and fire prevention policies would one day lead to a catastrophic inferno.

The concerns ranged from failed regulatory efforts to make utility transmission wires more fire safe to the management of vegetation and brush clearing and water supplies in an oft drought-stricken state, according to documents reviewed by Just the News.

A major problem that first responders have been facing amid this week’s wildfires is fire hydrants drying up, resulting in a lack of water to get the fires under control.

Janisse Quiñones, chief executive and chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, acknowledged all three 1-million-gallon water tanks in the area ran dry by 3 a.m. Wednesday, reducing water pressure for fire hydrants at higher elevations.

President Joe Biden was forced on Wednesday to order the Pentagon to deploy 10 Navy helicopters to help fight the half dozen fires raging across Southern California. 

President-elect Donald Trump slammed Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom, saying if he had signed a water restoration declaration back in 2019, there would have been enough water to manage the fires.

"Governor Gavin Newscum [sic] refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way," Trump wrote on TRUTH Social.

In 2019, the Trump administration proposed that more water be pumped from Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to supply farms to preserve more water.

However, there are limitations on how much water can be pumped in order to protect a rare species of fish called smelt, according to Cal Matters.

"He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn’t work!), but didn’t care about the people of California," Trump argued Wednesday. "Now the ultimate price is being paid."

During his first administration, Trump often put pressure on Newsom to step up wildfire prevention, saying he would withhold funds if he refused to do so.

"There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor," Trump wrote in a 2018 tweet. "Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!"

The fires spread quickly in large part because the lack of rain in the region has resulted in parched and powerful Santa Anna winds. Thousands of people have had to evacuate and many people have lost their homes. 

"This is another example of complete failure of Democrat governance across the board," Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said on the Just the News, No Noise TV show. "I mean, you have to maintain your forests. You have to clean them up.....you have to actually save water."

Regarding water management, Johnson said that there is abundant water coming out of the mountains with the snow packs.

"They don't save it because they got to save the snail darter," he added. "And they're not keeping their electrical grid up to snuff. That's a big problem across the board."

Other people have complained that California's policies on clearing brush haven't helped the wildfire situation. 

"Ever wonder why these fires in California burn so much?" one user wrote on the social media platform, X. "Last time I was in California I shot this video of what the hills look like. They don’t clear any of the dead brush or broken limbs. Now add strong winds to the equation and you can understand why."

"At a minimum, California and the feds should have been strategically cleaning up the last two years of brush build-up to reduce the potential for catastrophic fires," another user wrote.

The Los Angeles Fire Department does allow clearing brush in order to prevent fires. However, there are some restrictions such as it cannot be done on red flag days and those clearing it cannot be involved in any other activities besides clearing brush. 

Former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell in the Bush administration, Bobby Charles, called California a "failed state."

"What we're witnessing here is a classic failed state," Charles said on the "John Solomon Reports" podcast. "California has made so many bad decisions for so long."

The state of California has had a long history of not properly preparing for wildfires, according to multiple audits and reports.

According to a 2022 report given to the California Legislature, the Public Utilities Commission hasn't used its authority properly to make sure power companies upgraded their equipment to make sure it is more resistant to areas that are high-risk for fires.

Cal Matters reported that some of California's largest wildfires have been caused by power lines that have been uninsulated. When older transformers and lines are down, high winds that result in flying debris can cause sparks to occur. 

California’s investor-owned electric companies were criticized in a state audit for lack of wildfire safety oversight. 

“Given the nightmarish wildfires that have become part of normal life in recent years, California taxpayers would be right to ask if they’re paying for utility watchdogs or lap dogs at the CPUC and the Energy Safety Office,” said Environmental Working Group President and Bay Area resident Ken Cook said in a statement. “The failure of regulators to aggressively oversee and punish the reckless and deadly behavior of companies like PG&E cannot be overstated, and Californians should be clamoring for accountability.”

Charlotte Hazard and John Solomon

Source: https://justthenews.com/nation/states/californias-water-policies-mismanagement-are-blame-los-angeles-fires-audits-show

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American Free Speech vs. European Censorship - Drieu Godefridi

 

by Drieu Godefridi

It would be in Europe's lasting interest to prepare for the return of free and unfettered expression.

 

• What is important is the solidarity being forged between the major US social media platforms and the incoming US administration in support of real freedom of expression.

• The new US administration will not tolerate levying fines of tens of billions of dollars on major US technology companies by an EU that is drifting towards authoritarianism and is at the same time more dependent than ever on American power.

• It would be in Europe's lasting interest to prepare for the return of free and unfettered expression.

The European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA) obliges US social media platforms to take a whole arsenal of preventive and repressive measures, basically to prevent the sharing of information that displeases the European Commission. The new US administration will not tolerate levying fines of tens of billions of dollars on major US technology companies by a European Union that is drifting towards authoritarianism and is at the same time more dependent than ever on American power. (Image source: iStock/Getty Images)

Anyone wishing to gauge the extent of the European Union's regulatory drift will need to read Articles 34 and 35 of the Digital Services Act (DSA). Given their length it is impossible to quote them in full here, so here is an extract:

DSA Article 34, "Risk assessment":

"1. Providers of very large online platforms and of very large online search engines shall diligently identify, analyse and assess any systemic risks in the Union stemming from the design or functioning of their service and its related systems, including algorithmic systems (...) and shall include the following systemic risks (...) (a) the dissemination of illegal content through their services (which includes 'hate speech'); (b) any actual or foreseeable negative effects for the exercise of fundamental rights, in particular the fundamental rights (...) to non-discrimination; (c) any actual or foreseeable negative effects on civic discourse and electoral processes, and public security; (d) any actual or foreseeable negative effects in relation to (...) public health (...) and serious negative consequences to the person's physical and mental well-being (...)."

Article 35, "Mitigation of risks," obliges these platforms to take a whole arsenal of preventive and repressive measures, basically to prevent the sharing of information that displeases the European Commission. In short, the idea is to force these platforms to pay hordes of patrol officers to relentlessly hunt down opinions that do not please the European Lord. The preventive nature of these measures means that they can be described as censorship in the strict sense. What's more, general censorship, because the terms used by the European legislator - hate, non-discrimination, civic discourse, electoral process, public security, public health, well-being - are so vague that censors with (digital) scissors do cut wherever they please, at the whim of the European Prince.

Meanwhile, in the USA

Elon Musk has never made a secret of his adherence to the American concept of freedom of expression, which is that expression is free regardless of what the law says.

By contrast, according to the European Convention on Human Rights, expression is free with legal exceptions. For a long time, these exceptions were rare, with the result that expression remained almost as free in Europe as in the United States. Over the past 30 years, however these European exceptions to free expression have multiplied — hate, discrimination, racism, Islamophobia, transphobia, and so on — to the extent that European citizens - including those in the UK - are now being arrested, tried and imprisoned for expressing inappropriate ideas on Facebook, X/Twitter and other social media platforms.

But then, you might ask, why can't the two concepts of expression -- free in the USA, censored in Europe -- coexist, each in its own way, on our respective continents?

The problem is that the European Union has an imperialist conception of its regulation. The EU does not regulate Europe; it seems to think it regulates the world. True to the rich German and French legal traditions, the EU sees itself as a kind of legislative model for the planet. Not only is the EU taking the initiative to regulate sectors that were not regulated before, it also seems to expect the rest of the world to follow suit.

Better -- or worse, depending on your point of view -- the EU is backing up its global regulations with sanctions no less global. Apple was recently hit with a landmark $2 billion EU antitrust fine. Breaches of the Digital Services Act (DSA) are punishable by penalties calculated as a percentage of revenues -- not profits -- received by the company concerned not just in Europe, but all over the world. In the case of companies such as Meta (Facebook) or X, we are talking about EU fines running into billions of dollars. Since they seem not to be able to innovate -- anyhow, they haven't -- they tax Americans, who have.

All the "major platforms" that the European Union is regulating with imperial superciliousness are in fact American. Therefore, none of these platforms is subject to the august EU. As technology expert Jason Oxman remarks, "the EU [has] become as sterile in innovation as it is fertile in regulation."

This puts the EU and its DSA on a collision course with the incoming Trump administration. With touching naivety, the German media on January 8, 2025, greedily called for DSA sanctions to be applied to X and to Meta (Facebook).

The major news on January 7 was the about-face, at least for now, of Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, and his Facebook and Instagram, to the Muskian concept of free speech, pretty much as enshrined in the US Constitution. Whether or not this endorsement is self-serving is irrelevant. What is important is the solidarity being forged between the major US social media platforms and the incoming US administration in support of real freedom of expression.

Consequently, either American free speech will impose itself on Europe, or, less likely -- unless the Europeans show a sudden desire for tyranny -- Europe will impose its conception on American platforms. There can be no coexistence of the two concepts. If the EU had been legislating only for Europe and providing for local sanctions, the two concepts might have coexisted. The hubris of the EU's grandiose vision of global sanctions makes this coexistence unlikely.

The European king has no clothes

A prediction: American free speech will win the day. Europe is weak, and the EU as a bureaucracy is increasingly hated by Europeans, not without reason. Without NATO, Europe would not exist militarily. With no American security guarantees, Europe can prepare for the return of Russian troops to Berlin. Above all, Europe exports more to the US than it imports. In 2022, trade in goods and services between the United States and the European Union totaled an estimated $1.3 trillion. US exports amounted to $592 billion and imports to $723.3 billion, as Trump reminds us of it at every one of his press conferences.

The new US administration will not tolerate levying fines of tens of billions of dollars on major US technology companies by an EU that is drifting towards authoritarianism and is at the same time more dependent than ever on American power. To imagine otherwise, you would have to be as naive as a German bureaucrat.

It would be in Europe's lasting interest to prepare for the return of free and unfettered expression.

 
Drieu Godefridi is a jurist (University Saint-Louis, University of Louvain), philosopher (University Saint-Louis, University of Louvain) and PhD in legal theory (Paris IV-Sorbonne). He is an entrepreneur, CEO of a European private education group and director of PAN Medias Group. He is the author of The Green Reich (2020).

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21307/us-free-speech-eu-censorship

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Trump starts governing early from his Palm Beach shadow White House, creating significant impact - Ben Whedon

 

by Ben Whedon

Foreign dignitaries, domestic politicians, and billionaire investors alike have flocked to the Palm Beach resort to meet with the incoming president, some of whom have brought with them economic and/or ideological offerings.

 

President-elect Donald Trump’s past few months have been unusually busy for an incoming president and have seen him notch key agenda wins before even returning to office.

With President Joe Biden essentially absent from the public eye, Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate has taken on the role of a shadow White House, from which he has begun to operate a sort of pre-presidential administration.

Foreign dignitaries, domestic politicians, and billionaire investors alike have flocked to the Palm Beach resort to meet with the incoming president, some of whom have brought with them economic and/or ideological offerings. His reach has extended well beyond the confines of his compound, reverberating across allied nations while he and his surrogates work to seemingly push out opposition figures leading key American partners.

Here’s a look at his biggest moves while waiting to reclaim the Oval Office:

Deposing Trudeau

Outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speedily traveled to Mar-a-Lago after Trump floated the possibility of imposing tariffs on the country. The meeting was widely panned in Canadian media and even led to comedic skits depicting Trudeau eating a Big Mac without the use of his hands at Trump’s behest.

The president-elect’s subsequent retorts referring to Trudeau as the “governor” of Canada further belittled his status in the eyes of the Canuck electorate. Already struggling in the polls, Trump’s proposition of making Canada the 51st state seems to have helped fuel Trudeau’s already significant decline in public opinion and he subsequently announced his plans to resign once the Liberal Party selected his replacement.

Big Tech pays homage

Trump notched a major win on digital censorship when Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced the platform would end its partnerships with fact-checking organizations and instead switch to a user-driven correction system similar to X’s community notes. The move followed a late November meeting at Mar-a-Lago between Zuckerberg and Trump.

Facebook was one of the major platforms that banned Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, incident at the U.S. Capitol, though it later restored his accounts. In December, Facebook parent company Meta donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund.

Google and Boeing this week each donated $1 million to the same fund, helping the pot reach a record $170 million.

Amazon Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos, moreover, congratulated Trump on his comeback and later met with him at Mar-a-Lago as well. The owner of the Washington Post prevented the left-wing outlet from issuing an endorsement in the 2024 election. He has further worked to tone down the outlet’s anti-Trump bias in the wake of the election.

Democrats jump on board with key agenda items

Trump’s victory evidently signaled to some Democrats that the public favors some of key policies, namely on reducing the size of government and cracking down on illegal immigration.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., made headlines this week with plans to visit Mar-a-Lago at Trump’s request. Fetterman has developed a reputation as a moderate willing to work with Republicans and co-sponsored the “Laken Riley Act” in the Senate, which would require the detention of illegal immigrants accused of a wide array of crimes. 

That bill passed the House this week and cleared a procedural hurdle in the upper chamber. It is expected to pass the Senate and reach the president’s desk in time for Trump’s inauguration.

"I think it's pretty reasonable that if the president would like to have a conversation — or invite someone to have a conversation — to have it. And no one is my gatekeeper."

He also appears to have found an ally in Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., who in December joined the DOGE Caucus, a group of lawmakers dedicated to working with Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

“The Caucus should look at the bureaucracy that the DHS has become and include recommendations to make Secret Service and FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] independent federal agencies with a direct report to the White House,” Moskowitz said of the bloc.

Foreign investors line up

Trump notched two multi-billion dollar investment deals with foreign companies during his transition, including from SoftBank and DAMAC Properties, which pledged $100 billion and $20 billion investments in the U.S., respectively.

DAMAC Chairman Hussain Sajwani and SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son both visited Mar-a-Lago and announced their investments in joint press conferences with Trump. The incoming president used the DAMAC conference to highlight his pledge to help clear administrative red tape for foreign investors as an incentive to do business in the U.S.

"And I made it a point of telling people, if you invest a billion dollars or more, and we'll do this for people with far less too, but we guarantee it, we're going to move them quickly through the environmental process," he said this week.

Manifest Destiny

Trump has also used the transition period to unveil an ambitious foreign policy agenda that includes the acquisition of foreign territory, including at the expense of treaty allies. He has vowed to use economic coercion to reclaim the Panama Canal and acquire Canada and Greenland. 

He further said he wouldn’t rule out military force to take Greenland or the Canal Zone. Denmark currently maintains official control over Greenland and is a member of NATO, as is Canada.

When pressed on whether he would rule out a military seizure, he told reporters that “I'm not going to commit to that now, it might, it might be that you'll have to do something. Look, the Panama Canal is vital to our country.”

Trump has insisted that Panama, which purchased the canal zone for $1 dollar under President Jimmy Carter, has repeatedly violated the terms of the agreement by overcharging American ships for passage and allowing the Chinese government to exert control over the critical waterway.

The president-elect has insisted that the United States needs the Panama Canal and Greenland “for economic security.”

“The Panama Canal was built for our military,” he added during a press conference in Palm Beach, Fla. Donald Trump Jr. visited Greenland this week along with Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk in a highly publicized trip that saw them tour the area and meet with locals.

Ben Whedon

Source: https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/wkdtrump-starts-governing-early-his-palm-beach-shadow-white-house

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Alan Dershowitz says judge 'played a trick' on SCOTUS regarding Trump sentencing in hush money case - Charlotte Hazard

 

by Charlotte Hazard

"The judge played a trick on the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court fell for it," Dershowitz said.

 

Harvard Law School Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz said Friday that New York Judge Juan Merchan played a trick on the U.S. Supreme Court with Trump sentencing. 

"Judge Merchan decided to outsmart the Supreme Court so he decided in advance that he wouldn't send him to jail," Dershowitz said on the "Just the News, No Noise" TV show. "I know of no judge in my 62 years of practice who has ever announced in advance what he's going to sentence the person to."

Trump on Friday received a sentence of unconditional discharge in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's hush money case.

The sentence means Trump will not face jail time, probation, or a fine.

Trump appeared remotely for the proceedings from his Mar-a-Lago estate. He took a defiant tone during the sentencing, highlighting his election victory, which he said was indicative of public rejection of the case.

"This judge deliberately announced in advance that he wasn't going to sentence him to jail in order to get the Supreme Court not to take the case and when the Supreme Court didn't take the case, what happened is they basically said, 'since he's not going to jail we don't have to consider the case. Now we can wait until the appeal comes up,'" Dershowitz said. 

"Judge Merchan played a trick on the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court fell for it," he later added.

Charlotte Hazard

Source: https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/alan-dershowitz-says-judge-played-trick-scotus-regarding-trump-sentencing

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Media, International Community Ignore Palestinian Crimes Against Palestinians - Bassam Tawil

 

by Bassam Tawil

By turning a blind eye to violations committed by Palestinians against their own people, the international community, which appears to be solely obsessed with Israel, is displaying its hypocrisy, double standards and bigotry. Instead of helping the Palestinians, it is doing them a great, massive, gigantic disservice.

 

• "[M]edia freedoms" have never existed under the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. For many years, the two parties have been imposing restrictions on Palestinian journalists, including a ban on criticizing PA and Hamas leaders. Palestinian journalists and activists who dared to speak out against the PA or Hamas found themselves incarcerated, and sometimes dead.

• The silence of the international community and the so-called "pro-Palestinian" activists on the university campuses in the US and across the West has only encouraged the PA to dismiss launching an investigation into the killing of al-Sabbagh.

• By turning a blind eye to violations committed by Palestinians against their own people, the international community, which appears to be solely obsessed with Israel, is displaying its hypocrisy, double standards and bigotry. Instead of helping the Palestinians, it is doing them a great, massive, gigantic disservice.

The family of a Palestinian female journalist has accused the Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces of killing their daughter in Jenin Refugee Camp. "Media freedoms" have never existed under the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. For many years, the two parties have imposed restrictions on Palestinian journalists, including a ban on criticizing PA and Hamas leaders. Pictured: Palestinian Authority security forces in Jenin Refugee Camp on December 17, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP via Getty Images)

The family of a Palestinian female journalist has accused the Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces of killing their daughter in Jenin Refugee Camp in the northern West Bank. Shatha al-Sabbagh, 22, was reportedly shot in the head by a PA sniper on December 29, 2024, as she walked out of her home. PA officials have denied the allegation and claimed that al-Sabbagh was killed by gunmen in the camp.

Anwar Rajab, spokesperson for the PA security forces, condemned the killing as a "despicable crime" and claimed that PA security forces were not present in the area. Rajab accused "outlaws" in the camp of shooting the journalist and vowed to pursue the "murderers."

While the killing of al-Sabbagh drew strong denunciations from many Palestinians, international human rights organizations and foreign journalists have shown little interest in her story. By contrast, when Shireen Abu Akleh, another female journalist, was killed during clashes between Israeli soldiers and gunmen in Jenin Refugee Camp in 2022, human rights activists, journalists, and countless self-righteous governments were quick to lambaste Israel and demand an inquiry into the circumstances of her death.

Al-Sabbagh was killed by Palestinians: either a PA sniper or gunmen in Jenin Refugee Camp. That is why her story has not made it to the front pages of major newspapers in the West. Had she been killed by Israeli troops, it is likely that the United Nations and innumerable Western media outlets would have picked up the story from day one. As far as many in the international community are concerned, however, when Palestinians kill Palestinians, "there is nothing to see here."

It is worth noting that al-Sabbagh was one of eight Palestinians killed by PA security officers over the past month. The Palestinian security forces, after gunmen stole two vehicles belonging to the PA last month, launched a security operation targeting Iran-backed gunmen inside Jenin Refugee Camp. The camp has since been besieged by PA security forces, who cut off water and electricity to thousands of Palestinians living there.

Again, the distress of the residents of the camp, who have been left without water and electricity, has failed to win the attention of most international human rights organizations and foreign journalists. Instead, there is widespread coverage of the "suffering" of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been fighting Hamas terrorists for the past 15 months.

If Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are "suffering," that is because of the war initiated by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Then, thousands of Hamas terrorists and "ordinary" Palestinians invaded communities in Israel, murdered 1,200 Israelis, many of whom were raped, tortured, beheaded and burned alive, and wounded thousands more. More than 240 Israelis were kidnapped to the Gaza Strip, where 100 remain captives.

If civilians are being killed in the Gaza Strip, it is because Hamas is using them as human shields in the war with Israel. Hamas terrorists have turned hospitals, schools, homes and humanitarian zones into bases for launching attacks against IDF soldiers, and turned mosques into weapons depots. The few instances of Palestinian journalists killed during the Israel-Hamas war have gained the attention of many Western media outlets, while the killing of al-Sabbagh at the hands of Palestinians in Jenin Refugee Camp is being ignored.

The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) has called for the establishment of an independent investigative committee to examine the circumstances surrounding the killing of al-Sabbagh, adding:

"MADA expresses grave concern over the killing of journalist SHATHA AL-SABBAGH, extending its full solidarity to her family and colleagues. The Center emphasizes that press freedom is a cornerstone of any democratic society and views this incident as a severe setback to media freedoms in Palestine, marking a critical turning point...

"MADA demands accountability for those responsible for these recurring crimes against the Palestinian people. It also calls on all political forces, factions, societal figures, and human rights institutions to take a firm stand against these oppressive and violent practices, work to halt violations against Palestinians, and ensure their protection."

First, it is important to note that "media freedoms" have never existed under the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. For many years, the two parties have been imposing restrictions on Palestinian journalists, including a ban on criticizing PA and Hamas leaders. Palestinian journalists and activists who dared to speak out against the PA or Hamas found themselves incarcerated, and sometimes dead.

In 2017, the PA passed a cybercrime law that has been used to silence online dissent and arrest critics. In the Gaza Strip, Palestinian journalists have been frequently beaten and arrested by Hamas since the terror group seized control of the coastal enclave in 2007.

Second, the chances that a commission of inquiry would be formed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the killing of al-Sabbagh are zero. In the past, similar calls for investigating PA human rights violations have gone unheeded.

The silence of the international community and the so-called "pro-Palestinian" activists on the university campuses in the US and across the West has only encouraged the PA to dismiss launching an investigation into the killing of al-Sabbagh.

Many journalists living under the Palestinian Authority wish that they could have a free media, like the one in Israel. In the end, they got a media just like those in dictatorships.

By turning a blind eye to violations committed by Palestinians against their own people, the international community, which appears to be solely obsessed with Israel, is displaying its hypocrisy, double standards and bigotry. Instead of helping the Palestinians, it is doing them a great, massive, gigantic disservice.

Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East. His work is made possible through the generous donation of a couple of donors who wished to remain anonymous. Gatestone is most grateful.

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21297/crimes-against-palestinians

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Hezbollah may resume fighting after ceasefire expires, Israeli officials fear - Amichai Stein

 

by Amichai Stein

Officials fear that the Hezbollah might pick up arms again if the IDF doesn’t withdraw to the agreed-upon points in southern Lebanon.

 

Lebanon's Hezbollah members hold party flags as they listen to their leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah addressing his supporters via a screen during a rally marking the anniversary of the defeat of militants near the Lebanese-Syrian border, in al-Ain village, Lebanon August 25, 2019.

(photo credit: REUTERS/AZIZ TAHER)

Israeli officials are worried Hezbollah might resume fighting once the first phase of the ceasefire ends on January 27, an official told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.

They fear that the terrorist group might pick up arms again if the IDF doesn’t withdraw to the agreed-upon points in southern Lebanon.

Since the ceasefire was signed on November 27, there have not been any reports of direct confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah fighters, though each accused the other of violating parts of the deal.

Officials now fear that once the 60-day ceasefire expires – seven days after US President-elect Donald Trump is expected to be sworn into office – that might change.

Israeli soldiers operate near the northern border with Lebanon, on February 21, 2024 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

Lebanese Army preparing to withdraw

Sources told the Post that the Lebanese Army is preparing to withdraw from the western area of southern Lebanon.

Although the Biden administration has maintained that deployment is going as planned, Israeli officials say it is slow and will result in Israel needing to stay in southern Lebanon beyond the agreed-upon 60 days.

Authorities noted that the Lebanese Army is failing in its mission to dismantle Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, including the terrorist group’s weapons. 

Amichai Stein

Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-836906

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In vote of 243-140, ICC sanctions bill passes House, heads to Senate - Hannah Sarisohn

 

by Hannah Sarisohn

The “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act,” reintroduced this week by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), received overwhelming Republican support.

 

U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives members attend a joint session of Congress to certify Donald Trump's election, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. January 6, 2025.

(photo credit: REUTERS/ELIZABETH FRANTZ)

The bill seeking sanctions against members of the International Criminal Court over its issuing of arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant passed 243-140 in the Republican-led House of Representatives on Thursday, marking the body’s second vote in favor of the legislation.

The “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act,” reintroduced this week by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), received overwhelming Republican support.

Roy attacked the International Criminal Court’s “unprecedented action of issuing arrest warrants” for the sitting prime minister and former defense minister of Israel.

“Let that sit in,” he said. “This is an entity, the International Criminal Court, that has no jurisdiction over the people of the United States. [The ICC] should have no authority over our people, no authority over the prime minister of Israel.”

Mast invokes 'America first'

Mast invoked the “America first” agenda and continually offered his tagline about the legislation, saying the US needs to “get in the way of those that are getting in our way.”

U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives members attend a joint session of Congress to certify Donald Trump's election, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. January 6, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon)

He said the bill sends an incredibly important message across the globe, that “when we make this law, do not get in the way of America or our allies trying to bring our people home. Don’t get in our way.

“You will be given no quarter, and again, you will certainly not be welcomed to American soil,” Mast said.

According to Mast, the ICC had time to “abandon the shameful effort” of issuing Netanyahu and Gallant’s arrest warrants but instead the court attempted to obstruct Israel’s right to defend itself, prolonging the war and preventing the release of American hostages.

“If you’re boosting the morale of Hamas, you are on the other team. And in November, the ICC’s Trial Chamber approved the arrest warrants,” Mast added. “We have to pass this bill today to prevent this travesty from moving any further and to deter any more illegitimate actions by this kangaroo court to halt or stall the military success of our allies trying to bring hostages home, both American and Israeli and others.”

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), ranking member of the House Committee on Rules, was the only Democrat who spoke during the vote, criticizing the Republican leadership for scheduling the vote during former president Jimmy Carter’s state funeral, saying it was incredibly disappointing given Carter’s stature in the US and his commitment to human rights.

In his opening statement, McGovern said calling a vote on this legislation “takes the cake” in showing the country how backwards Republicans’ priorities are.

“We have a natural disaster unfolding in California right this second as 100,000 people are fleeing a climate change-driven fire that’s burning up entire neighborhoods. We have a gun violence epidemic, as we see massacres in our school nearly every single day, and families are unable to make ends meet because they’re being ripped off by billionaire corporations who don’t care about anything,” McGovern said. “All those challenges, and this is what the out-of-touch, elitist, billionaire Republican Party wants to waste time on, sanctioning the ICC.”

McGovern continued, saying the attacks of October 7 were unconscionable and that Netanyahu has an “absolute right” to defend his people but that there’s “no international right to vengeance.”

“And what we are seeing in Gaza is vengeance,” he said. “I mean, where is our humanity? Have we just given up on the idea of human rights? At least 45,000 people have been killed in the war in Gaza, and I fear that number is much higher.”

McGovern slammed the closed process in which Republicans wrote the bill and brought it to the floor, as the bill never went before the Rules Committee or received any amendments.

McGovern then directly criticized Mast for implying that his opposition to the legislation was anti-American.

“If I thought for one second that this bill that we’re debating today would help get the release of the hostages and the American hostages, I’d be with you, but it won’t,” McGovern said. “It complicates things even further, and it isolates us to the world community at a time, quite frankly, when we need allies and we need everybody working to try to resolve the conflict in the Middle East and to get all the hostages released, and to ensure that Israel has its security and to ensure that the Palestinians have a future as well.”

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) used his time on the floor to criticize President Joe Biden in addition to voicing his support for sanctions against the ICC, saying it’s shameful the way Biden’s administration has “allowed these hostages to languish.”

He said the ICC has continually abused its authority and demonstrated blatant hostility toward US allies and American values as Israel has “continued to defend itself against terrorists in the Middle East over the injections of this administration.”

Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX) took the floor wearing an Israeli flag tie, and called the ICC a disgrace.

“It’s a sham, and its officials need to find real jobs. They have no authority to target Americans or our allies, especially Israel, and we won’t stand for it, Mr. Speaker,” he said. “I look forward to passing this bill, and encouraging the Senate to pass it in time for President[-elect Donald] Trump to sign it on day one.”

Hannah Sarisohn

Source: https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/article-836908

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