This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
In what has developed as an obvious strategy on the part of President Donald Trump – announcing new plans even before his detractors can react to a previous strategy – he has confirmed that he's asking for a detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to hold up to 30,000 illegal aliens.
Trump only a day earlier, had announced a freeze on some government spending so those expenditures could be evaluated over whether they were being used for now-discontinued diversity and other racist programs. Then he rescinded the freeze while confirming that the review of those spending programs would continue.
Then he announced a plan for an executive order to the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to start readying a detention center.
One prominent Democrat has admitted the Trump administration is moving so quickly on so many fronts members of his party already are "fatigued."
The Washington Examiner described it as a "surprise declaration" that came during the signing of the Laken Riley Act.
Guantanamo Bay, a U.S. holding on the island of Cuba, was used to detain suspected terrorists during the George W. Bush administration. Barack Obama claimed he would close it down within a year but failed. Of late, it has seen a lower and lower population of terror suspects as Joe Biden freed a number of them.
"Today, I'm also signing an executive order to instruct the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to begin preparing the 30,000-person migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay. Most people don't even know about it," the president explained. "We have 30,000 beds in Guantanamo to detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people. Some of them are so bad, we don't even trust [their home] countries to hold them because we don't want them coming back. So we're going to send them out to Guantanamo."
The report said immigrant "rights" organizations and Democrats are expected to fight the plan.
"Guantanamo could regain a place in American foreign policy and its public consciousness. Its inmate population dwindled to just 15 people in recent years and now could swell by tens of thousands," the report said.
Trump already has been shipping illegals who are arrested back to their home countries, and won a huge victory just days ago when Colombian officials agreed to his terms after complaining that its citizens weren't being treated respectfully.
Multiple details of the plan haven't been released yet.
Trump's actual order said the detention center should be prepared to handle "full capacity."
"This memorandum is issued in order to halt the border invasion, dismantle criminal cartels, and restore national sovereignty," Trump wrote.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – Middle East/Israel Morning Brief
Torah scrolls in Israel desecrated in synagogue attack
Vandals on Sunday night broke into a synagogue located in a public bomb shelter on Bat yam's David Remez Street, throwing a Torah scroll on the floor and stepping on it, Israel National News reported.
The vandals used electric tools to saw open the Holy Ark, apparently with the knowledge that the noise would not be heard outside, since the synagogue was in a bomb shelter.
The scene was discovered early on Monday morning, by worshipers arriving at the synagogue for prayers. Police were called in, and according to the worshipers, the officers who arrived at the scene displayed indifference and left within a short time, saying that anyone bothered could file a complaint at the police station.
Avichai Shalom, one of the worshipers, said that the vandalism had been nationalist in nature, since, "No Jew would invest so much time in breaking into the Holy Ark only in order to desecrate the Torah scroll."
Released hostage: 'There are 2 million terrorists in Gaza'
Liri Albag, the 19-year-old Israel Defense Forces lookout released on Saturday after 477 days as a captive of Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, told her parents that there are "two million terrorists" in the coastal enclave.
"Dad, there are two million terrorists there, make no mistake. I sat with children aged 8 and 4 who were cursing 'the Jews,'" Albag was cited as having told her father since being released as part of the truce deal, the Jewish News Syndicate reported.
Albag's family has emphasized that while she and the three other female IDF hostages released on Saturday experienced "insane things that are hard to tell everything about" during their 15 months in Hamas captivity, they are afraid to speak due to the fact that 90 hostages have yet to be freed from Gaza.
Former hostage Mia Shem, who was released during the previous truce with Hamas in November 2023, told Israel's Channel 13 News channel in an interview on Dec. 28, 2023, "Everyone there [in Gaza] is a terrorist.
Iranian young people 'hate Palestinians,' see Netanyahu as a hero
Sadegh Zibakalam, an Iranian author and political analyst, expressed awe at the number of Iranian young people who "hate Palestinians," Israel National News reported.
"You'd be surprised today," he said in a video shared by Iran International. "Since Oct. 7, 2023, you'd be surprised at the number of Iranians who HATE Palestinians. What happened to that sympathy? It's gone – it's evaporated."
"If someone would have told me that, 'Sadegh, a day would come that Iranian people hate Palestinians and they would praise [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu – of all the people – they would praise Netanyahu as the hero, I would've thought that he or she was out of his mind, he or she was talking nonsense, he or she didn't know ANYTHING about Iranian people. But I saw it with my own eyes during the past 15 months, the degree of hatred of younger generation of Iranians against Palestinian. And their hero was Netanyahu."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
America has just gone through a number of years where there were massive campaigns to censor the opinions of its citizens. You might recall what happened to those who doubted Anthony Fauci's wild claim that he was "science" and those COVID shots were the saving of the nation. Or those who questioned the undue influences on the 2020 presidential election, including the FBI's interference.
From the White House pressure on social media companies to banish ideas with which Joe Biden and his administration disagreed, to the willing cooperation of those companies, to the shunning of those who had alternative views to the stunningly extra-constitutional "canceling" of those individuals, President Donald Trump has pledged to end it.
But now there's appearing a scheme by European bureaucrats to pick up where Biden, Kamala Harris and Facebook left off.
According to a report from the Washington Stand, those bureaucrats are considering plans to apply their "online censorship" agenda to Americans.
Free speech promoters warn what is being lined up is dangerous.
"Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) debated expanding the Digital Services Act (DSA) last week, according to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International," the report explained, noting the controversial DSA took effect just last year and already requires the removal of "illegal" content from social media software.
Now those bureaucrats want to move far beyond cracking down on illegal material to pursue their claimed objective to "protect democracy" in Europe from "foreign interference."
They specifically are concerned about Elon Musk, who restored free speech to the X platform when he took it over, and the leftists in Europe are accusing him of promoting the "far right" because he's spoken in support of Trump's pro-America agenda.
Curiously, it was Democrats in America who for years have claimed to want to be protecting democracy by attacking Trump and conservatives in America. For that agenda, they insisted on controlling what people saw and read, and they even tried to restrict the candidates for whom Americans could vote.
The report said Iratxe Garcia, a lawmaker and chief of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, claimed, "In recent months, we have seen how Elon Musk and his social network X have become the main promoter for the far right by supporting Donald Trump and Alice Weidel's AfD party through fake news and hate messages."
She is demanding that all those social media platforms follow the rules she wants to impose.
The European Union also has plans to expand its censorship staff to 200 people, a move that "would potentially allow the European Union (EU) to target American citizens for online speech considered hateful or criminal under European laws."
There already are situations that have developed in Europe in which a simple statement of Christian faith has been considered hate speech.
The DSA already allows the EU to impose massive fines on social media corporations.
The report noted that while progressives in Europe, like their counterparts in America in recent years, like the idea of government censorship, conservatives there have warned that such programs are a "tool" for limiting political discussion.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A coalition of lawmakers and organizations has asked the organizers of this year's Super Bowl in New Orleans to keep "vulgar" and "lewd" content about of the presentation.
A letter points out that "vile" past shows have made it clear that "the halftime performance this year in New Orleans will be inappropriate for children to watch."
The letter points out past offenses allowed by the Super Bowl including in 2020 when "Jennifer Lopez wore little clothing and was groped by male and female dancers on stage," which reportedly generated "thousands upon thousands" of complaints to the Federal Communications Commission.
"Who can forget the infamous 2004 halftime show with Janet Jackson disrobing? Jackson's exposed bare breast was excused by one of her fellow performers as a 'wardrobe malfunction' but it initially generated a fine against CBS from the FCC for more than $500,000."
The letter requests that the show follow community standards for the location where it is held.
"Had that 2004 performance taken place in Louisiana and been proven to be intentional, it would have violated Louisiana's obscenity law (R.S. 14:106) which prohibits such public exposure. At the 2023 halftime show, performer Rihanna was shown groping herself while she sang song lyrics that were so offensive that few Louisiana adults could read those lyrics before an audience without shame," the letter said.
"The irony is that, although we (the signers of this letter) refuse to repeat these lyrics in writing in this letter because they are so offensive, the national promoters of the 2023 performance had no such qualms about allowing the singing of such lewd lyrics in front of millions of children in the stadium and on television.
"We realize that these past vulgar performances may have been acceptable to the residents of those states where those Super Bowls were held but, in Louisiana, these lewd acts are inappropriate for viewing by children, objectify women, and are simply NOT welcomed by the majority of Louisiana parents."
The letter was signed first by Sen. Valarie Hodges of Louisiana's Senate District 13, and she was joined by more than a dozen other state lawmakers.
Organizations supporting the plan included the Family Research Council, and Life Tabernacle Church, La. College Republicans of America, Louisiana Republican Assembly, Louisiana Sunshine, Louisiana Family Forum, Restore Liberty Louisiana, and more.
Tony Perkins, a former lawmaker who now heads the FRC, said, "Hopefully, this year's Super Bowl halftime show will not be out of bounds for the hundreds of thousands of families that will be watching. But it is not only about protecting children, which is important as that is, but also upholding community standards. The Super Bowl organizers need to abide by the community standards that the citizens of Louisiana have adopted."
The letter noted that the contract for this year's events long ago were finalized.
"We do, however, request that future contracts for the use of facilities that are funded and paid for by Louisiana taxpayers ensure, in writing as part of the contract, that any performers' conduct adheres to Louisiana's community decency standards," the letter said.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Karoline Leavitt, in her first briefing as press secretary for President Donald Trump's White House, answered questions, over and over, on wasting taxpayer money, transgenderism, wokeness, DEI and much, much more.
She noted that foreign nationals who enter the United States illegally have, in fact, broken the law and are subject to removal:
She addressed the fact that she will tell reporters the truth, and she expects them to meet the same standard:
She pointed out that new media, bloggers and such, will have access to the briefings, along with the traditional corporate media:
Responding to questions about President Trump addressing the cost of living, she pointed out that egg prices exploded under Joe Biden, on whose orders millions and millions of chickens across the U.S. were destroyed.
On spending cuts, she cited the order that tax money stop going to various DEI, green scams, transgenderism, wokeness programs and social engineering, and said this is what voters elected Trump to address.
Under the Biden administration, officials were spending "money like drunken sailors," she said. That's why consumers have been hit by inflation, more than 20% under Biden.
The spending pause, she pointed, already found $37 million "about to go out the door" to the World Health Organization, from which Trump has withdrawn America, as well as $50 million for condoms in Gaza, a "preposterous waste" of tax money.
She said Trump is insisting the world respect America, as evidenced by the decision in Colombia to work with Trump's program regarding illegal immigration.
"This president will not tolerate illegals moving into America's interior," she said. He expects "every nation on this planet to cooperate."
On birthright citizenship, she said state officials, even federal judges, are allowed their opinion that it is constitutional. But the administration believes it is not and intends to pursue its case up to the Supreme Court, which has not decided specifically on the amendment's reference to jurisdiction, if needed.
She said the president is firm is his ending of funding for UNWRA and the designation of the Houthis as terrorists. She said an investigation into why the Biden administration kept money flowing, and left the Houthis undesignated, would be good although she did not know of any such plans.
"It wouldn't be a bad idea," she said.
Leavitt also announced: "After research and study, the drones that were flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by the FAA for research and various other reasons."
Here are her full responses:
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Among the many events held in conjunction with President Donald Trump's inauguration was a party hosted by black conservative CJ Pearson.
New York Magazine took a photograph of the event, put it on the cover, and complained that "almost everyone is white."
How could that happen?
Simply crop the blacks at the event out of the picture.
From the magazine itself, which bragged about Brock Colyer reporting on the "young, gleeful, confident, and casually cruel Trumpers."
Pearson noted that the magazine "intentionally left me out of their story because it would have undermined their narrative that MAGA is some racist cult."
Further reports confirmed that Colyar is a man who poses as a woman.
The report addressed the magazine, "You literally cut the black people out of the cover photo, refused to mention the black organizer, and made yourself even more of a laughing stock than you already were."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – Details of the appalling conditions in which the released female IDF spotters were kept began to emerge Tuesday, as the military permitted a slow drip of certain information relating to their treatment at the hands of their kidnappers.
On Monday, an Israeli general said some of the hostages released from Gaza had been held in Hamas tunnels for up to eight months straight, deprived of daylight, and with little to no human contact during that period. The deputy chief of the Israeli military's medical corps, Col. Dr. Avi Banov said those who had been kept with others were in better – although this is relative – shape than those who were kept in solitary confinement.
The Israeli military oversees the initial health assessments of the released hostages.
All the former captives reported an improvement in their conditions in the days leading up to their release, such as more frequent showers, changes of clothes, and provided with more and better food.
Banov noted, however, some hostages had not received adequate care for wounds sustained on Oct. 7 during the Hamas attack, while a few showed signs of "mild starvation." Emily Damari lost two fingers as a result of being shot in the hand, while Danielle Gilboa still has a bullet in her leg, which is due for removal in the near future.
The three civilian women released on the first day of the ceasefire on Jan 19. were discharged from Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, a suburb of Tel Aviv on Sunday, while the four female soldiers freed on Saturday are still receiving medical care at the Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikvah – a city in central Israel.
Since their release on Saturday, the IDF spotters have apparently been telling their families in some detail about their ordeal, out of a sense they need to express their experiences with their loved ones to help them process. It is said they were aware of the magnitude of Oct. 7, because they witnessed the scale of the attack and were abducted relatively late on. They acknowledged their being in the shelter and watching friends be murdered and slowly dying had a profound effect on them.
Banov said out of respect for the hostages' privacy he would not discuss whether any of the seven former captives released within the last 10 days or so bore any signs of torture or abuse. There was particular concern for the female soldiers as at the time of their capture, the terrorists who abducted them were heard to say, "these are the ones who can get pregnant."
Two women – Arbel Yahoud and Agam Berger, a civilian and the final female IDF spotter – are due to be released Thursday with another unnamed man. A further three are abductees are due to be released on Saturday. Their names have yet to be released.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Jim Acosta, the anti-Trump CNN reporter and anchor whose press credentials were revoked during the president's first term in office, announced on the air Tuesday he was leaving the cable news network, which sought to move him to the midnight shift.
"After giving all of this some careful consideration and weighing an alternative time slot that CNN offered me, I've decided to move on," Acosta said, adding he'd reveal his next step in the coming days.
Trump reacted to the news on Truth Social, saying: "Wow, really good news! Jim Acosta, one of the worst and most dishonest reporters in journalistic history, a major sleazebag, has been relegated by CNN Fake News to the Midnight hour, 'Death Valley,' because of extraordinarily BAD RATINGS (and no talent!).
"Word is that he wants to QUIT, and that would be even better. Jim is a major loser who will fail no matter where he ends up. Good luck Jim!"
While Acosta did not address Trump's remarks, his departure announcement took obvious aim at the president.
"Don't give into the lies, don't give into the fear, hold onto the truth and to hope," he said.
As WND reported one week after the presidential election in November, CNN was looking to lay off hundreds of employees, possibly including some stars, following Trump's landslide victory over Kamala Harris.
In 2019, WND reported how Acosta suggested CNN's competitor Fox News is controlled by the Trump White House, referring to it as "a beast with many heads."
Acosta claimed to radio broadcaster Hugh Hewitt that Fox News is a type of "state TV."
You don't think they get scripts?" Acosta asked Hewitt.
"You don't think they get a script that night when they come on? You don't think that they're reading from talking points that are almost identical from what the White House wants out that day?"
"Absolutely not. Do you think they actually get a script from the White House, Jim?" responded Hewitt.
Acosta replied: "It sounds like that's the case. We hear the same talking points from the surrogates that we hear on their show night after night. It certainly sounds that way."
CNN said regarding Acosta's departure: "Jim has had a long, distinguished nearly 20-year career at CNN, with a track record of standing up to authority, for the first amendment and for our journalistic freedoms."
"We want to thank him for the dedication and commitment he's brought to his reporting and wish him the very best in the future."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – An Iranian author and political commentator who recently spoke in the Qatari capital Doha, has caused no little consternation in his home country after he expressed "awe" at the number of young Iranians who "hate Palestinians."
"You'd be surprised today," Sadegh Zibakalam, who is also a professor at Tehran University, said in a video shared by Iran International. "Since Oct. 7, 2023, you'd be surprised at the number of Iranian who HATE Palestinians. What happened to that sympathy? It's gone – it's evaporated."
More shockingly still it was not just the apparent pent up hatred of Iranians toward Palestinians, but they also praised Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a kind of hero. He said he would have thought the person who told him such a thing as a prediction 15 months ago was out of their mind or talking nonsense. "But I saw it with my own eyes during the past 15 months, the degree of hatred of younger generation of Iranian against Palestinian. And their hero was Netanyahu."
He added, "Do you think they knew anything about Netanyahu and the Likud party, and the Hamas? No, no. They hate Palestinians because the Islamic leaders – they support Palestinians."
Last month, a viral video circulated on social media, showing a high school principal in Iran trying to get his students to chant,"Death to Israel," and, "Death to America," while the students instead replied, "Death to Palestine," reported Israel National News.
Iran's population of some 90 million people is young, with the median age being 33. It isn't too difficult a proposition to understand where Iran's young people are coming from; they have endured a teetering economy bent to the will of the mullahs in Tehran, which has been under the downward pressure of crippling sanctions – until the Biden administration hiatus – and might soon be again. While their own economy is deprived, the IRGC has spent billions of petrodollars on the vaunted "ring of fire" foreign policy to encircle Israel, and which the Jewish state managed to dismantle in large part – although by no means completely – in a few short weeks.
True to form, officialdom in Tehran was unimpressed with Zibakalam's pronouncement, with the Prosecutor's Office filing charges against the commentator.
"Due to recent baseless statements made by Sadegh Zibakalam, the Tehran Prosecutor's Office has filed charges against him," Mizan, Iran's judiciary news website, said on Tuesday, without providing further details of the charges.
The charges come after a video of his lecture, titled "The Trump presidency and the 46 years of hostility between Iran and the US," was widely shared on social media, according to Iran International.
"More than being worried about Trump and what Trump is going to do with Iran, I am worried about the situation in Iran – the sharp contradiction, the sharp conflict between the younger generation of Iranians and their hatred of literally anything which is tied to the Islamic Republic," Zibakalam said in a lecture at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies in Doha on President Trump's inauguration on January 20.
The commentator has previously been sentenced to 18 months in prison and a two-year ban from political activities for "propaganda against the system."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – Middle East/Israel Morning Brief
Hamas says the next theater of war will be in Judea and Samaria
The Hamas terrorist organization has issued a statement that ironically concurs with that of Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who said earlier this month that war is looming in Judea and Samaria, according to the Jewish Press.
Speaking in an interview with the Middle East Eye news outlet on Saturday, Hamas Political Bureau member Basem Naim said Judea and Samaria will be the next theater of war, the Iranian ISNA news outlet reported.
"We believe the main confrontation will be in the West Bank, not in Gaza Strip, because again the Israeli regime is considering the West Bank, including al-Quds (Jerusalem), to be strategically the next goal of its annexation," he said.
"We cannot fight to improve the conditions of a prison. We are looking to get rid of the prison itself. If the Palestinians cannot reach their goal of an independent state, including Gaza Strip and the West Bank [sic] and al-Quds, no one can enjoy security or stability or prosperity in the region," Naim warned.
Israeli-owned restaurant vandalized with anti-Zionist graffiti in NYC
A popular Brooklyn Israeli restaurant was vandalized with blood-red paint and anti-Israel slogans Sunday in what elected leaders are denouncing as an act of hateful antisemitism.
The glass door and windows of Miriam Restaurant on Fifth Ave. in Park Slope were splattered with red paint and the stenciled messages "Israel Steals Culture" and "Genocide Cuisine" on Saturday, the restaurant's owner posted on Instagram.
The vandalism was reported at 3 a.m. Sunday, and the NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating, a police spokesman said. No arrests have been made.
"We refuse to let this darken our spirit," the restaurant's management posted. "Miriam stands for inclusivity and unity and bringing people together through the shared love of delicious food and warm hospitality."
Mayor Adams, Gov. Hochul and other condemned the vandalism Sunday."This outrageous and despicable act of antisemitism in Brooklyn is an attack on all New Yorkers and flies in the face of our values," Hochul posted on X. "To the owners and staff of Miriam: your state stands with you. And the perpetrators will be brought to justice."
Netanyahu, Hegseth discuss 'unbreakable' U.S.-Israel bond
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and newly installed U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke by phone on Sunday.
A senior U.S. Defense official said the two "held an introductory call today to discuss the unbreakable bond that exists between the United States and Israel."
"Both leaders discussed the importance of advancing mutual security interests and priorities, especially in the face of persistent threats. The secretary stressed the United States is fully committed, under President Trump's leadership, to ensure Israel has the capabilities it needs to defend itself," the official added.
"Both leaders agreed to remain in close contact," stated the official.
Netanyahu's office also issued a statement on the phone call, saying the prime minister congratulated Hegseth on his appointment.
"Secretary Hegseth noted his many years of support for the State of Israel and his friendship with Prime Minister Netanyahu, and promised the U.S. would stand shoulder to shoulder alongside Israel and was fully committed to its security," added the statement.
Justice Amit elected as Israel's Supreme Court president following months of delays
After an unprecedented 16 months without a permanent Supreme Court president and in the face of unrelenting opposition from Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Justice Isaac Amit was elected head of Israel's top court on Sunday night in a court-forced vote by the Judicial Selection Committee.
Amit was appointed after a five-hour committee hearing during which recent allegations of misconduct against the justice, who has served for the last four months as acting president of the Supreme Court, were heard and debated, reported the Times of Israel.
Levin, together with the other coalition representatives in the committee, Settlements Minister Orit Strock and Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzhak Kroizer, boycotted the hearing in protest of the decision by the Supreme Court – sitting as the High Court of Justice – to order him to hold a vote in the committee, which he has refused to do for almost a year and a half.
Immediately following the vote, Levin labeled the appointment process as "illegitimate to its core" and declared he did not recognize Amit as chief justice, adding that he would not work with him on essential business of the judiciary which requires cooperation between the justice minister and the Supreme Court president.
Lebanese Army intel chief leaked secret U.S., France, UNIFIL war-room report to Hezbollah
A top Lebanese Armed Forces intelligence officer was among dozens who have leaked secrets to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror group since the start of the ceasefire with Israel on Nov. 27, the London Times reported on Sunday night, citing intelligence sources and documents.
Suhil Bahij Gharb, the LAF's chief of military intelligence for Southern Lebanon, handed Hezbollah sensitive information from inside a command and control center run by the United States, France and the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, a source told the British daily, according to the Jewish News Syndicate.
Gharb was said to have been allowed to enter the international situation room at the insistence of the senior Hezbollah commander Wafiq Safa, who heads the terrorist organization's Liaison and Coordination Unit and reportedly survived an Israeli assassination attempt on Oct. 10, 2024.
According to an international intelligence report seen by the Times, Gharb is one of dozens of officers in Beirut's official military who have leaked intelligence to Hezbollah, giving them advance warning of Israeli counter-terrorism raids, allowing them to move weapons and regroup.
Arab Americans for Trump chair blasts president's 'wild' call to relocate Gazans
The chairman of a group that lobbied Arab and Muslim Americans to vote for Donald Trump in the recent election came out strongly on Sunday against the US president's call for Jordan and Egypt to take in Palestinians from war-torn Gaza.
"We categorically reject the president's suggestion that the Palestinians in Gaza be moved – apparently forcefully – to either Egypt or Jordan," Arab Americans for Trump chairman Bishara Bahbah told the Times of Israel.
"We don't need wildish claims or statements relating to the fate of the Palestinians. The only resolution to the Israel-Palestine question is a two-state solution. Period," added Bahbah, who did not provide his organization's size but insisted it played a central role in electing Trump and represents a majority of the views of the 3.8 million Arab Americans.
After this story was published, Sam Yono, an Iraqi-American community activist asserted to the Times of Israel that Bahbah "only represents himself, not the Arab-Americans who worked with the Trump campaign in Michigan."
Ministers back bill to allow Jews to purchase land in Judea and Samaria
Israel's Ministerial Committee for Legislation on Sunday approved government backing for a Knesset bill that would allow Jews to directly purchase land in Judea and Samaria without going through the Civil Administration, according to the Jewish News Syndicate.
Hebrew media are characterizing it as a step on the way to the annexation of Judea and Samaria.
Until now, only citizens of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan could purchase land directly in Judea and Samaria. Jordan, which occupied Judea and Samaria between 1948 and 1967, had applied to the region the "The law on renting and selling immovable property to Foreigners," aka the "Jordanian Law."
Israel has not annexed Judea and Samaria, instead setting up a body called the Civil Administration in 1981 to replace the military government that ruled there since Israel liberated the territory in the 1967 Six-Day War.
The Civil Administration has maintained a combination of Ottoman, Jordanian and British Mandate laws in the region. The bill would repeal the "Jordanian Law."
IDF permits thousands of Gazans to start moving en masse to Strip's north
Tens of thousands of Palestinians began moving along a main road leading north in Gaza on Monday morning as Israel opened roadblocks after terror groups agreed to release six hostages in two batches this week, including civilian woman Arbel Yehoud and female soldier Agam Berger.
Starting at 7 a.m., Palestinians were allowed to cross on foot without inspection through part of the so-called Netzarim Corridor, a military zone bisecting the territory just south of Gaza City that Israel carved out early in the war, reported the Times of Israel.
Palestinians who have been sheltering in squalid tent camps and schools-turned-shelters for over a year are eager to return to their homes – even knowing that they have likely been damaged or destroyed in the fighting.
"It's a great feeling when you go back home, back to your family, relatives and loved ones, and inspect your house – if it is still a house," said displaced Gazan Ibrahim Abu Hassera.
Israeli minister forced to cancel visit to E.U. parliament over security threats
In an unusual announcement, the Prime Minister's Office reported that Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli was required to cancel his trip to the European Parliament in Brussels "in light of concrete warnings, and in accordance with the guidance of security officials."
The Prime Minister's Office did not disclose the specific suspicion which led to the dramatic decision to prevent Chikli from flying to an event in the Belgian capital, where he was also expected to meet with the city's Jewish community, Ynet reported.
"I regretted receiving instructions from security officials this evening to cancel my participation in the International Holocaust Remembrance Day events at the European Parliament. Unfortunately, the capital of Europe has become an unsafe place for Jews and Israelis," Chikli said Sunday night.
White House announces 3-week extension to Lebanon ceasefire
White House officials released a statement on Sunday evening that "the arrangement between Lebanon and Israel, monitored by the United States, will continue to be in effect until Feb.18, 2025."
The statement added "the Government of Lebanon, the Government of Israel, and the Government of the United States will also begin negotiations for the return of Lebanese prisoners captured after Oct. 7, 2023."
According to All Israel News, the announcement comes three days after White House National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes stated a "short and temporary extension of the ceasefire" is urgently needed. The U.S. administration views the withdrawal of the IDF from key areas positively.
Hughes argued the Lebanese Army requires additional days to deploy in more areas to ensure that Hezbollah will no longer pose a threat to Lebanon and Israel.
IDF officials noted that while they see the Lebanese Army taking action and attempting to establish control on the ground, it remains challenged by Hezbollah and "needs more time to strengthen itself."
Irish president attacks Israel at Holocaust memorial
Irish President Michael Higgins, known for his anti-Israel stance, used his speech on Sunday during an International Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony to criticize Israel's actions in Gaza. Jewish attendees protested loudly and were forcibly removed from the hall. Several Holocaust survivors attended the ceremony.
A video from the event shows security personnel forcefully removing Jewish attendees who protested Higgins' remarks. Higgins has a history of anti-Israel policies, having previously denied the existence of antisemitism in Ireland, criticized Israel's embassy in Dublin, and condemned Israel's actions against Hamas. His statements eventually led Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar to close Israel's embassy in Dublin entirely.
During the event, Holocaust survivors shared their stories of the atrocities they endured. Additionally, the names of relatives of Irish Jews murdered in the Holocaust were read aloud.
Conor McGregor: 'Raising the flag of a terrorist organization must become a major crime'
Conor McGregor, like many others around the world, likely saw the release of Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity on Saturday and could not remain indifferent. The controversial MMA fighter, known for his outspoken nature, criticized pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Ireland who had waved Hamas and Hezbollah flags in Dublin, reported Israel Hayom.
"To raise the flag of a terrorist organization on Irish soil must become a major crime in the eyes of our state. It will not be tolerated nor lauded!" McGregor wrote on social media.
"Raise a country flag, off your own person, and off of government buildings, yes, no problem. Raise the flag of radicalized terror organizations off of the same.. Big problem."
U.N. nuclear watchdog chief warns of Iran's accelerating enrichment
The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, recently said Iran is "pressing the gas pedal" on enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels. This follows Grossi's December 2024 warning Iran had "dramatically" accelerated enrichment at the 60 percent purity level, which represents nearly all of the effort to make 90 percent or weapons-grade uranium.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Grossi revealed Iran has increased production from seven kilograms to over 30 kilograms per month, according to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. The IAEA reports approximately 42 kilograms of 60 percent enriched uranium is enough to produce one nuclear bomb. Grossi said Iran currently possesses about 200 kilograms. No other country has enriched to these levels without producing nuclear weapons.
During a joint press conference with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Jan. 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed Russia is aiding Iran's civil nuclear work despite sanctions and pressure.
Simultaneously, reports indicate that China is supplying Tehran with a key missile propellant ingredient, making the Chinese entities involved subject to U.S. sanctions aimed at degrading Iran's weapons program.
Delta Airlines expected to resume Tel Aviv service
Days after the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas began, Delta airlines announced plans to resume flights to Tel Aviv, Jewish Insider reported.
Delta's decision to restart flights to Israel comes after a 15-month hiatus in operations to the Jewish state since the war broke out in October 2023 following the Hamas terror attacks of Oct. 7, with the exception of two brief periods in 2024.
Delta will restart daily nonstop service to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport from JFK Airport in New York on April 1, the carrier said in a statement on Friday.
"Delta's decision to resume service follows a comprehensive security review, conducted in close coordination with government and private-sector partners," the airline said. "The airline continues to prioritize the safety of its customers and crews and has implemented additional precautions for operations to and from Tel Aviv."
Delta extended its cancellation in October of all flights to and from Israel through March 31, citing the "ongoing conflict in the region."
Shin Bet prohibits Israeli airlines from landing at Cypriot airport
Israeli airlines, including El Al, Arkia, and IsraAir, have been instructed by the Shin Bet not to fly to Paphos in Cyprus on Sunday, according to the Jerusalem Post.
According to N12, the three airlines confirmed all flights to Paphos have been suspended "due to security reasons that cannot be made public."
Additionally, a Shin Bet representative told N12 that flights would be rerouted to the airport at Larnaca instead.
According to Ynet, passengers have not been barred from independently traveling to Paphos after landing in Cyprus.
Guterres calls on Houthi to release 7 U.N. hostages, irony not lost on Israelis
António Guterres, the U.N. secretary-general, drew criticism over the weekend for speaking up about seven U.N. staffers whom Houthi terrorists took captive in Yemen, but not finding his voice sufficiently about the Israeli hostages who remain kidnapped in Gaza, the Jewish News Syndicate reported.
"I demand the immediate and unconditional release of the seven U.N. colleagues arbitrarily detained by the Houthis in Yemen this week, as well as those previously detained and held," the global body's head stated. "U.N. personnel and partners must not be targeted, arrested or detained while carrying out their duties."
On Saturday, the U.S. State Department condemned "the unlawful actions of the Houthis, who forcibly took additional United Nations staff members in Yemen on Jan. 23."
The State Department said on Saturday it supports U.N. "efforts to secure the unconditional and immediate release of all Houthi detainees. This latest Houthi roundup demonstrates the bad faith of the terrorist group's claims to seek de-escalation and also makes a mockery of their claims to represent the interests of the Yemeni people."
Victoria Coates, a former U.S. national security official and vice president of the National Security and Foreign Policy Institute at the Heritage Foundation, shared the U.N. chief's post. "Do this for the Israelis and Americans in Gaza 15 months ago, you ghoul," she wrote.
Two IDF reservists, one from Iron Dome unit, arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran
The Shin Bet and Israel Police have arrested two Israeli citizens suspected of conducting missions for Iranian operatives. One of the suspects transferred classified material to a handler obtained during his military service in the Air Defense Corps, which has responsibility for the Iron Dome, according to the Jerusalem Post.
In a coordinated operation between the Shin Bet and Lahav 433, the National Crime Unit of the Israel Police, two residents of the Krayot area, Yuri Eliaspov and Georgy Andreev, were detained in January 2025 on suspicion of engaging in security offenses.
Investigations revealed Eliaspov had been in contact with an Iranian operative for several months, executing security-related tasks under the operative's guidance in return for financial compensation.
Among his activities, Yuri sprayed graffiti reading "Children of Ruhollah" at various locations across the country, in a nod to the Islamic Republic's first Islamist leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Greece to replace Turkey as Israel's closest trading ally
Greece is on track to become Israel's primary trade partner, replacing Turkey within months, as Israel seeks to mitigate the economic fallout from a Turkish boycott on economic ties with the country. Israel's reciprocal boycott of Turkey has exacerbated disruptions across construction, industry, and commerce.
According to initial estimates, following a discreet visit of an economic delegation to Greece last week, trade between the two nations is expected to triple, surging from $1.3 billion to approximately $4 billion annually. This development would position Greece as one of Israel's largest import-export partners. In comparison, trade with Turkey has been valued at $6 billion annually in recent years, reported Ynet.
The Israeli delegation, which marked the first high-level economic mission since the outbreak of the war, returned from Athens on Thursday. Delegation members described their reception as "warm and enthusiastic," with Greek economic leaders eager to strengthen ties with Israel.
While Greece has been cautious not to frame this expanded partnership as simply filling Turkey's void, officials expressed a strong interest in bolstering economic relations, particularly with Israel's thriving tech sector.