This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

JERUSALEM – Events in the Middle East are moving so fast it's almost impossible to keep on top of them.

This could not be more true of the country formerly known as Syria, which stands at the precipice of potential Balkanization, as competing forces try to take stock of the political landscape following the massive power vacuum created by President Bashar al-Assad's rapid demise.

Initially, the most obvious "winner" from Assad's fall seemed to be Turkish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan, its increasingly Islamist long-standing leader. However, events in the last day or so, have highlighted how a more nuanced approach is called for in determining where each piece might fit on this highly charged Middle Eastern chessboard.

The bald facts seemed to be these: Turkey's Erdogan viewed Syria's Assad, once a friend and ally, as an enemy to be gotten rid of (fighting a civil war in which millions of refugees are externally displaced across your border will do that); and he thought he possessed the means to do so. Step forward Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, or HTS, a Turkish-armed jihadist group whose stronghold was in the Idlib area of northwestern Syria, abutting the border with Turkey, and the so-called rebel Syrian National Army, or SNA.

Erdogan's government is reported to have made overtures to the Assad regime as recently as late November, suggesting it should make some concessions to the opposition or risk the somewhat dormant 13-year civil war erupting again. Assad did not heed the warning, and now he is a stateless guest of Russian President Vladiimr Putin in Moscow. For how long this is the case remains to be seen.

To be sure, Turkey does not back all the groups that have caused Assad's fall, some are also supported by another destabilizing influence in the Middle East, namely Qatar. It's a somewhat bitter irony Turkey is a full NATO ally and Qatar, which is by no means averse to playing both sides of the ball (as it were), has special ally status with the United States. For now, at least.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

JERUSALEM – Middle East/Israel Morning Brief

Pope Francis unveils Nativity scene, with Jesus swaddled in an Arab keffiyeh

On Saturday, Pope Francis attended a nativity scene titled "Nativity of Bethlehem 2024," crafted in the Judean city of the same name, by Johny Andonia and Faten Nastas Mitwasi and presented by Palestinian officials in Pope Paul VI Hall in Vatican City. The display depicting the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem featured baby Jesus swaddled in a keffiyeh.

Speaking at the event, a wheelchair-bound Francis called on Catholics to "remember the brothers and sisters, who, right there [in Bethlehem] and in other parts of the world, are suffering from the tragedy of war," adding, "enough war, enough violence!" and lamenting the existence of the commercial arms trade.

Benjamin Netanyahu gives court testimony at his corruption trial

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared at the Tel Aviv District Court Tuesday to defend himself against a number of charges relating to bribery, accepting illegal gifts, and corruption.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

The behavior of a researcher funded by the National of Institutes of Health, in hiding the results of a long-running study on the effects of puberty blockers on children, already has been called out by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.

In his recent letter to NIH Director Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, Rubio drew specific attention to an NIH-funded study by Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, of the Center for Transyouth Health and Development at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Despite the Obama administration's decision to support Olson-Kennedy's study more than nine years ago, the findings have yet to be released, allegedly out of fear of the political repercussions.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

We have heard so much talk about "Good Samaritans" these days – especially with the Daniel Penny case in the news. Penny was just cleared of charges in the Manhattan criminal case against him.

Penny physically subdued Jordan Neely, a homeless, allegedly mentally ill man, who was threatening other riders in a subway in New York City in May 2023. Neely, who had previously been arrested 42 times, including three times for assaulting women on the subway, died shortly after the incident, which was recorded on video by a bystander. Penny is white; Neely was black.

Many opine that it's criminal that Daniel Penny was ever even charged, with Neely's death having been a clearly unintentional tragedy occasioned by Neely's threatening behavior. Others call Penny a vigilante racist. Already some critics have noted that any potential would-be Good Samaritans might think twice before trying to help. Why get involved?

To many, it was tragic that Daniel Penny had to go through the anguish of the case. To Black Lives Matters protesters, Penny is a racist.

But step back a moment from this particular case, and look at the notion of a "Good Samaritan," which is deeply imbedded in society. Where does this ideal even come from?

Jesus told a parable one day, and He changed all of history. It is the parable of the Good Samaritan. It's found in Luke 10.

To paraphrase the story, a traveler is robbed and left for dead on the side of the road. A priest walks by and goes to the other side, ignoring the poor man. So also does a Levite – a Levite being a man of the tribe of Levi who served as an assistant to the priests.

But then another stranger sees the man in danger and stops to help him and to bring him to safety. The kind man was a Samaritan. And the parable concludes with Jesus telling His hearers, "You go, and do likewise."

Today we think of a Samaritan as one who goes around doing good, precisely because of the influence of this particular parable. But Samaritans were viewed as "half-breeds" whose blood and worship were no longer Jewish, and therefore looked down upon by the Jews. Thus, the parable of Christ had a twist for its first-century audience. The hero of his story was a hated Samaritan.

Jesus changes everything. He changed our views on charity, and He changed our views on treating others with dignity, regardless of their socio-economic class.

The Good Samaritan ethic, showing kindness to a stranger in need, has become a hallmark of our civilization. And like many aspects of our culture, it gets back to the Bible.

This influence is even recognized by legal scholars. For example, in a U.S. District Court case from 1983, Crockett v. Sorenson, the judges wrote of the influence of the Scriptures on American law – including the concept of the Good Samaritan.

They wrote, "Anglo-American law as we know it today is also heavily indebted to principles and concepts found in the Bible. … The 'good Samaritan' laws use a phrase lifted directly out of one of Jesus' parables."

Jesus went around doing good, taught others to do the same, and thereby unleashed the forces of charity in our society – through the Luke 10 parable and others as well.

The link between believing in Jesus and charitable giving and volunteering is well-documented.

Dr. Byron Johnson, a Baylor professor of social sciences, who is the founding director of the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion, has been documenting the positive impact of practical Christianity.

For example, one of his 2021 research papers is entitled, "How Religion Contributes to the Common Good, Positive Criminology, and Justice Reform." He writes of the "staggering economic benefit to American society" by volunteers.

And whence come the volunteers? "As it turns out, religious affiliation and participation is one of the key factors predicting volunteer engagement, both in sacred and secular organizations. In sum, the more religious people happen to be, the more likely they are to volunteer."

Johnson adds, "Americans not only give financially, but they are also generous with their time. Volunteers donate to charity at considerably higher rates than non-volunteers."

As the late Mother Teresa, a quintessential Good Samaritan, once said: "Today God has sent us into the world as he sent Jesus, to show God's love to the world. And we must sacrifice to show that love, just as Jesus made the greatest sacrifice of all."

Good Samaritanism is good for society, even if some naysayers abide by the principle that "no good deed should go unpunished." Above all, Jesus' imprimatur of the Good Samaritan ethic alone makes it worthwhile, whatever the cost.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Want to see at art exhibit? At a public university?

You'll need to sign a waiver.

It's a report from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression that has confirmed the art is "controversial."

It's because, the report explains, featured are "prominent conservative politicians alongside swastikas, Nazis, anti-Semitic slogans, and the infamous white hoods worn by the Ku Klux Klan."

FIRE notes that art often is controversial – "Every great work of art is offensive to someone" – and it is working with the National Coalition Against Censorship to deliver to Eastern Tennessee State University a statement that the waiver signature requirement "places a real burden on the public's ability to anonymously enjoy art."

"In turn, this threatens to turn away potential viewers who may otherwise want to engage with protected works of art. Given the controversy over this exhibit, people who prefer not to alert bureaucrats to their personal activities are not going to put their names down on a list of attendees — and certainly not with lawmakers, ETSU officials, and the public up in arms about the exhibit," the organization explained.

The annual exhibit honors Fletcher Dyer, who was a graphic design student at ETSU when he died during his senior year in a 2009 motorcycle crash.

He once said, "I dream of making a difference in some way with my art. I might attempt to right political, social, and religious wrongs by showing the rest of society a glimpse of how I feel about serious issues in the world."

Since his death, the school has sponsored the FL3TCH3R Exhibit in his honor.

This year's product, with its various ingredients, "has drawn ire from elected officials and the public," FIRE reported.

ETSU President Brian Noland has refused to drop the exhibit events, but also has refused to leave it barrier-free, with the waiver signature requirement.

That apparently, along with warning signs, is to alert attendees about ideas they may find offensive.

But, FIRE reported, that mindset, is just like the "trigger warnings of the 2010s," a mindset that indoctrinates that people "must be protected from difficult ideas."

ETSU explains it is not the university's duty to "attempt to shield individuals from free speech," including those ideas that can be "offensive, unwise, immoral, indecent, disagreeable, conservative, liberal, traditional, radical, or wrong-headed."

FIRE is asking that the school remove the "onerous waiver requirement."

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

JERUSALEM – The fallout from the dramatic events over the last 48 hours or so in Syria continued Monday, as the future shape of the entire Middle East is still uncertain and lies hugely in the balance.

With so many questions on everyone's minds, one of the most pressing is whether Iran will now go all-out, release the shackles, and try to develop a nuclear bomb.

Alarm bells are already beginning to ring loudly among some in the international community. Indeed, the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, the autonomous nuclear watchdog, which reports to the United Nations General Assembly and also U.N. Security Council, recently warned Iran is poised to "dramatically" increase its stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium. Already noted as long in June, this was a process it was already undertaking.

However, due to the current situation in Syria and the break-up of its lengthy land bridge, which connected the Mediterranean Sea to Tehran, and afforded it access to an unparalleled weapons delivery highway – and has left it somewhat isolated – there are fears it will accelerate its drive for the bomb.

One element of the increased stockpile of the weapons-grade uranium, which many missed, but the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, or FDD, did not, is how it is tied to the Islamic Republic's space program.

Indeed, the FDD noted last week how "Iran claimed its space program successfully launched its heaviest payload yet into space on Dec. 6, including a device capable of repositioning other satellites. The launch utilized the domestically produced, two-stage, liquid-fueled Simorgh rocket carrying the payload into orbit with a high point of 255 miles above Earth."

The importance of this, which a U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence also noted with alarm, "would shorten the timeline to produce an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) because of the shared technologies within space launch and ballistic missile capabilities."

If Assad's fall was a shock to Western intelligence officials – including Israel and U.S. – it must also have come as a surprise to his Iranian backers. Indeed, on Dec. 1, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was filmed having a fast-food dinner in Damascus, having just met with the now-deposed Syrian leader. He was also due to speak at the Doha Forum in Qatar on Sunday, but left early because of the pace of events in Syria.

The dismantling of the Assad regime also spells – for now at least – the end of a more than 20-year Iranian foreign policy goal of being able to join up Tehran-backed proxy groups – with the twin goal of annihilating the State of Israel, and furthering its hegemonic aims in the Mideast.

There are two other fairly obvious reasons for a potential dash for the bomb. As the failed Biden administration runs on the final fumes of its own incompetence, the Trump 2.0 team – no friend of the mullahs in Tehran – is waiting in the wings for only another 40 days or so.

Trump clearly has unfinished business with Iran, the highly credible reports of the Islamic Republic's attempts – or wishes at best – to suborn his assassination not being the least of them. Trump could point – with the backing of significant evidence – that his maximum pressure campaign was reaping dividends, in the way the Iranian economy was struggling and therefore left Tehran with less room to maneuver with regard to its destabilizing influence in the region. One can draw a direct causal link from the Biden-Harris administration releasing billions of dollars of cash, and the precipitous uptick in Iran's meddling.

The other pressing issue – which is not directly related to Trump's return to office, but could be – is the knowledge – both in Iran and outside – that Israel's late-October attack did indeed leave it almost completely vulnerable to attack, up to and including its nuclear sites.

Trump alluded to it in his Truth Social post, highlighting how Israel's lengthy and unprecedented strike has left Iran "vulnerable." They know it. Everyone else knows it too. And in about five weeks, the entire tenor of U.S. policy toward the Islamic Republic will change dramatically.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

Hamas submits names of hostages and their condition ahead of potential prisoner swap, including U.S. citizens

The Hamas terrorist group has submitted a list of hostages it proposes to free in the first stage of a ceasefire deal with Israel in addition to a list of Palestinian security prisoners held by Israel that it wants released, the London-based pan-Arab news site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reports.

Citing a source close to the talks, the report claims Israel is evaluating the list and could send a delegation to Cairo later today (Monday).

Saar: IAF hit Syrian chemical weapons, missile production sites

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar confirms Israel struck suspected chemical weapons sites and long-range rockets in Syria in order to prevent them from falling into the hands of hostile actors.

Sa'ar says that "the only interest we have is the security of Israel and its citizens."

"That's why we attacked strategic weapons systems, like, for example, remaining chemical weapons, or long-range missiles and rockets, in order that they will not fall in the hands of extremists.

U.S.-Israeli intelligence services surprised at speed of Assad's fall

Israeli and U.S. intelligence arrays failed to predict Assad's downfall. Even after the rebel offensive started two weeks ago, the assumption in Washington and Jerusalem was that even if the opposition forces managed to advance, Assad would somehow manage to cling to power.

But on Thursday, the tide began to turn. "We are seeing early signs of the collapse of the Syrian army," Israeli officials told JNS. These signs intensified over the weekend, until the fall of Damascus.

UAV fired from Yemen strikes residential building in central Israel

Residents in the central city of Yavne reported a loud explosion Monday morning followed by smoke rising from a building in the city.

Witnesses in the affected building, where a fire had broken out, claimed they saw a drone in the sky before the explosion.

"I heard a strange buzzing sound and then a loud noise," one neighbor recounted. Authorities are investigating the incident, especially as incoming warning alerts did not sound.

IDF special forces seize Syrian side of Mt. Hermon, secure key southern Syria border area

Following the fall of Syria's long-standing dictator Bashar al-Assad, and a lightning advance from Turkish and Qatari-backed Islamist insurgents, the Israel Defense Force moved to quickly secure – without opposition – the Syrian side of Mt. Hermon. The part that is in Israel is the highest point in the entire country and provides excellent visibility to the fertile valleys in the Galilee below, providing it with a crucial strategic importance.

Reports of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's demise in a supposedly mysterious plane crash proved premature, as it was revealed Sunday, Russia's President Vladimir Putin granted him, and his family, political asylum. Assad was due to have given a televised address acknowledging his resignation as president, but events quickly overtook that plan, and now stateless, he fled the country.

An Israeli civilian from the northern city of Nof Hagalil was arrested for carrying out missions on behalf of Iran, the Shin Bet security agency and police say, the latest in a series of espionage cases.

The suspect, Artyom Zolotarev, 33, was detained in November over suspicions he was "committing security offenses related to contact with Iranian intelligence officials and carrying out security missions in Israel under their direction, for financial gain," according to the Shin Bet.

The IDF on Monday named four reservists of the 226th Brigade's 9263rd Battalion killed when an underground compound collapsed during operational activity in southern Lebanon.

They were named as Maj. (res.) Evgeny Zinershain, 43, from Zichron Yaakov, a company commander; Capt. (res.) Sagi Ya'akov Rubinshtein, 31, from Lavie, a platoon commander; Master Sgt. (res.) Binyamin Destaw Negose, 28, from Beit Shemesh; and Sgt. 1st Class (res.) Erez Ben Efraim, 25, from Ramat Gan.

Sheikh Loai, the commander of the Syrian Druze force that liberated Sweida, a province with a considerable Druze population, spoke with Ynet on Sunday amid celebrations following the fall of President Bashar Assad's regime.

"As soon as the rebels began liberating northern Syria, we realized we had to act and remove all symbols of the tyrant Assad's rule, from police stations to military bases," he recounted.

Sweida, located in southern Syria, is the largest Druze stronghold in the Middle East, covering 5,550 square kilometers (2,142 square miles) and home to around 300,000 residents. Assad made significant efforts to limit the independence of the Druze community within his territory.

Australian police said on Monday they are hunting for three suspects over an arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue, which has been designated as a terrorist act. Mask-wearing attackers set the Adass Israel Synagogue ablaze before dawn on Friday, police said, gutting much of the building. Some congregants were inside the single-story building at the time but no serious injuries were reported.

Recent excavations at the Church of St. Nicholas in Demre, Antalya, Turkey, have revealed a limestone sarcophagus that may be the burial site of Saint Nicholas, the Greek bishop whose life and deeds inspired the legend of Santa Claus.

This discovery is part of the ongoing "Legacy for the Future Project," led by Associate Professor Ebru Fatma Findik from Hatay Mustafa Kemal University and initiated by Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The sarcophagus, found within the church's two-story annex, is believed to be the original burial site of Saint Nicholas, who lived in the ancient city of Myra during the 4th century A.D. Measuring approximately two meters in length and buried at a depth of 1.5 to 2 meters, the sarcophagus features a raised lid and a pitched roof consistent with burial styles of the region. Its proximity to the church – constructed in the 5th century by order of Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II – adds credibility to the theory that this was the saint's original resting place.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

A warning has been issued in a column in the Federalist that the United Nations has a scheme to make criminals out of people who believe in science, who say men and women are different.

It is Stefano Gennarini, a vice president for legal studies at the Center for Family and Human Rights who has noted the looming U.N. treaty "that weaponizes international criminal law against opposition to transgender policy."

He describes it as a "parting gift" from Joe Biden to the U.S. and the world as the aging Democrat has agreed to advance the ideology that it is a "crime against humanity," or "a "gender-based persecution" for politicians who deliberately "misgender" someone.

Misgendering is when someone calls a man a man, when the man wants to be called a woman.

The U.N. General Assembly recently set up a timeline for a plan already condemned by the Vatican to finalize those criminal prosecutions as early as 2029.

The Rome Statute now defines gender as "the two sexes, male and female, within the context of society," but the report said "Western countries" are getting closer to their goal of simply avoiding that, by using domestic courts "to prosecute citizens who commit crimes against humanity … ."

The new scheme drops the definition of gender, a move which, the report said, includes the "legal effect" of enshrining "an open definition of gender as a social construct in international criminal law."

It would advance the ideology already being used in the European Union and various U.N. agencies to use "gender persecution" for categories including LGBT issues, misgendering, abortion and more.

"With the new treaty, Western leftists want to label anyone who publicly opposes gender ideology as an international criminal — an enemy of humanity. They want the crime of gender persecution to include things such as denying children cross-sex hormones and surgeries, not recognizing same-sex marriage or adoption, laws against LGBT propaganda in schools, women-only sports, and even denial of abortion," the report said.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

(CNS) — VATICAN CITY — Three months after the murder of Juan López, a Honduran church worker and environmental activist whose death was publicly mourned by Pope Francis, the bishops of Latin America are raising awareness on attacks against those fighting for social justice in the continent.

Three newly created Latin American cardinals joined Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, and Emilce Cuda, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, at the Vatican Dec. 9 to launch a campaign, titled "Life Hangs by a Thread" ("La vida pende de un hilo"), that aims to support and promote human rights activists.

The campaign, supported by the pontifical commission and the Latin American bishops' council, will amplify the stories of human rights defenders who have been threatened or killed; establish social dialogue meetings between business leaders, trade unions and church representatives; organize training sessions to teach communication and negotiation skills for activists; and provide concrete support for local church initiatives oriented toward social justice.

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

The open borders policies of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are suspected of pushing women and children into prostitution, according to a new report from the Washington Stand.

It was Pawel Styrna, of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, who explained, "This tragic reality underscores why the new administration's promises to secure our borders, end the incentives for foreign nationals to put their lives at the mercy of ruthless criminals, and begin the process of removing Tren de Aragua and other brutal gangs from our soil are fully justified.

"Those genuinely concerned about the welfare and safety of women and children should support secure borders and the rule of law, rather than misguided open-borders policies that empower and enrich cartels and gangs that force women, and even children, into prostitution."

The Washington Stand explained, "Human sex traffickers may have used a Biden administration program that imported tens of thousands of illegal immigrants a month into the United States 'to exploit women and girls,'" according to a new congressional report.

The review, from the House Judiciary Committee, cited the tens of thousands of illegal aliens the Biden administration moved into the United States – some 30,000 a month – from just Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela alone, under Biden's CHNV program.

"To mask the border crisis and artificially decrease historically high border encounters, President Biden and Vice President Harris implemented programs and policies that allowed aliens to bypass the southwest border so they would not be included as encounters in Border Patrol data," the report charged.

"Sex traffickers have potentially used CHNV to exploit women and girls. A fraud analysis of CHNV applications revealed that some applications that were sent from the same IP addresses were submitted on behalf of a high proportion of female CHNV aliens … raising concerns about potential sex trafficking. In one such case, 21 supporter applications were submitted from the same IP address on behalf of 18 females and only three males. At least six of the females were under the age of 18. Another concern surrounded the use of the same physical address by many supporters. According to the DHS analysis, 100 physical addresses were used at least 124 times each on behalf of 19,062 CHNV aliens," the report said.

The facts are, the report said, that Biden and Harris now are unable to account for some 320,000 children whom it placed with U.S. sponsors.

The CHNV program was halted briefly during the summer, but then restarted. At that time FAIR obtained evidence of the use of "666666666" as a Social Security number, over and over, 2,839 forms including non-existent zip codes. 1,908 forms with fictitious phone numbers and more than 1,800 applications with the same, 184-word answer to a question.