This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – Middle East/Israel Morning Brief
Ford's social media account displays pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel messages
Perhaps it should not be shocking that the Ford Motor Company – whose founder Henry Ford had a profound dislike of Jews – should have seen its X social media account briefly display – before they were hastily deleted – three pro-Palestinian/anti-Israel messages, reported Israel National News.
"Our X account was briefly compromised, and the previous three posts were not authorized or posted by Ford," Dan Barbossa, a Ford spokesman, stated to JNS. "We are investigating the issue."
The deleted posts, all shared within a five-minute span to Ford's 1.5 million followers, read: "free Palestine," "Israel is a terrorist state," and "all eyes on Gaza."
Analytics from the social media platform X indicated that the posts collectively garnered over 100,000 views before being taken down.
Senior PA leader: Trump's return will herald the end of Iran, Hamas
A top Palestinian leader told the New York Post he expects President-elect Donald Trump to "destroy Iran," which will cause remaining Hamas influence to crumble.
Hamas has been decimated by Israel's war in the Gaza Strip, but in Judea and Samaria, the terrorist group has been rising up against the Palestinian Authority, which is run by the rival Fatah party.
The PA is supported by Western governments including the U.S., and Hamas and other Islamist groups accuse it of cozying up to Israel.
But Hamdan said he expects Trump's return to the White House will lead to the jihadists' defeat.
"We see that Trump and the ruling government in Israel are planning to destroy Iran, so Hamas [followers] will have no other choice than to become Palestinian," the Fatah leader predicted.
Hamas is said to be willing to only release 22 of 34 known live hostages
Every time a deal to release at least some Israeli hostages held captive in inhumane conditions for the last 15 months, another wrench seems to be thrown into the works. While rumors continue to swirl about how close the two sides are to a deal, news emerged Tuesday that Hamas was only willing to release 22 of the 34 hostages known to still be alive.
According to the Times of Israel, Hamas is willing to release 22 of the 34 hostages on the list but is refusing to agree to the release of the other 12. Instead, the report stated, the group offered to release 22 living hostages and 12 bodies during the first phase of a potential deal, as per an unnamed Palestinian source.
Israel turned down the notion and made it clear that it would only accept living hostages during the initial stage of a deal, the report added.
The report did not provide further details on the hostages Hamas is reportedly refusing to release. Earlier this month, Egypt's Al-Ghad outlet reported that Israel requested that 11 men considered by Hamas to be soldiers be included on the list of hostages to be released in the first phase of a potential deal.
The terrorist group classifies all Israeli men of fighting age to be soldiers.
IDF downs another ballistic missile fired by Yemen's Houthis
Israel's missile defense shield was activated late Monday night as the Houthis from Yemen fired yet another ballistic missile toward central Israel. Sirens started blaring and rocket alert apps began pinging shortly after 11 p.m. local time.
There was no major damage as a result of the missile debris, although a large fragment crashed in the Ramat Beit Shemesh Alef neighborhood in the city of Beit Shemesh near Jerusalem, reported the Times of Israel.
At the scene of the impact on Nahal Hakishon Street, local residents, most of them ultra-Orthodox Jews, crowded around the remains of the Houthi missile.
Small children ran around in the rain and women pushed babies in strollers only meters from the fragment as police attempted to keep the crowd back.
Iranians protest in Tehran's historic bazaar over inflation, currency deflation
As Iran reportedly seeks to inject its malign influence into the delicate situation in Syria, the mullahs in Tehran might do better to keep a close watch on events nearer to home.
Hundreds of people staged a vocal protest at Tehran's iconic Grand Bazaar on Sunday, in an unusual strike occurring amid a financial crisis and vulnerability on the part of the regime, according to the Jewish News Syndicate.
The strike in the bazaar was over soaring inflation and power shortages, and it triggered protests in other commercial hubs in the capital, the Iran International news site, which is critical of the regime.
The outbreak of protests at the Grand Bazaar, a sprawling center of commerce, is symbolically significant because it was a focus of the protests of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which installed in power the current regime, then led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, after it toppled Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
IDF eliminates dozens of Hamas terrorists in Jabalya
The IDF has been active in what was the former Hamas stronghold of Jabalya over the last few days – the fourth time it has operated there since the ground incursion commenced in late October 2023 – announcing it had killed dozens of terrorists.
According to the military, locating and killing the Hamas forces was made possible by a mix of ongoing intelligence collection, operations to trick the forces into an ambush, and both tank fire and soldiers' nearby gunfire, reported the Jerusalem Post.
By December 2023, the IDF declared Jabalya under operational control and Hamas's battalions broken.
UAE holds talks with Iran to boost regional cooperation
Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs of the United Arab Emirates, met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Dubai on Sunday to discuss key regional issues and strengthen bilateral relations, according to the Media Line.
During the meeting, both officials addressed regional developments and expressed a shared commitment to stability and cooperation. The discussions also explored ways to advance collaboration between the UAE and Iran, with an emphasis on mutual interests and fostering positive diplomatic ties.
This meeting comes as the UAE continues efforts to balance its strategic relationships across the Gulf, including its growing trade ties with Iran. In recent years, the two countries have maintained a complex relationship, marked by both cooperation and disagreements, particularly over regional conflicts and territorial disputes. Despite these challenges, economic exchanges between the UAE and Iran have grown, with Dubai serving as a significant hub for Iranian business interests.
Report: Netanyahu says IDF will resume operations even if there is a hostage deal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in a recent closed meeting about the hostages that fighting in Gaza would resume following any ceasefire agreement with Hamas, according to the Jewish News Syndicate.
"If there is a deal – and I hope there will be – Israel will return to fighting afterward. There's no reason to obscure or conceal this because resuming fighting is intended to complete the war's objectives. This doesn't obstruct a deal; it encourages one," the news outlet quoted the premier as saying.
The Prime Minister's Office declined to comment on the report, which also claimed that some negotiators have expressed concern over Netanyahu's stance because Hamas demands international guarantees for the later stages of an agreement. The terrorist group has previously insisted on an end to the war and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
Israel lashed by rain, as Mt. Hermon peak is blanketed with record 22-inch snowfall
Israel is grappling with severe weather conditions after an unusually dry December, marked by heavy rainfall, flash floods, and snow in the Hermon region, reported Ynet.
On Tuesday, temperatures remained below seasonal averages. Rainfall persisted from northern Israel to the Negev, accompanied by isolated thunderstorms. Lighter, local rain fell in the Negev, with a lingering risk of flooding in coastal and lowland areas until noon, while flash floods threatened eastern streams. Snow continued to blanket Mount Hermon, with 22 inches (55 cm) recorded at the upper level and 16 inches (40 cm) at the lower level. The site, designated a closed military zone due to the war, remains inaccessible to visitors.
U.S. raises concerns over attacks on minorities in Syria
According to Barak Ravid writing for Axios, the United States has raised concerns with the new Syrian government over reported attacks of several minority groups in the country over the past week or so. The mainstream media attempted to paint a hagiographic image of Ahmad al-Sharaa – also known as Abu Muhammad al-Julani – and how he had renounced his former radical Islamism.
The Assad regime's fall after five decades in power and 13 years of civil war left behind many armed groups, and many more grievances. The U.S. is concerned that violent reprisals by militants affiliated with the victorious rebels – targeting minority groups or members of the ousted regime – will undermine efforts to stabilize the country.
Al-Shibani is the right-hand man to Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is both the de facto ruler of Syria and the leader of the opposition group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the strongest armed group in Syria today.
U.S. launches trade investigation into Chinese semiconductor industry
The United States is intensifying its crackdown on China's rapidly expanding semiconductor industry, according to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. The Biden administration announced on December 23 the launch of a formal trade investigation into Beijing's support for China's semiconductor industry due to its alleged harm to U.S. commerce and national security.
The investigation lays the groundwork for additional trade restrictions, which have the potential to frustrate Beijing's economic and military modernization. The results of the inquiry may allow the incoming administration to retaliate against Beijing by imposing additional import duties and suspending trade concessions, among other measures.
This could harm U.S. national security since dependence on Chinese imports for legacy semiconductors may produce potential chokepoints in American commercial and military supply chains, limiting Washington's ability to access these critical technologies in the event of a conflict.
Moreover, in relying on state assistance to offset lost revenue by charging lower rates, Chinese firms can drive down global prices, rendering U.S. domestic production unprofitable and reducing the effectiveness of previous governments in reshoring semiconductor manufacturing under the CHIPS Act.
Syria's new leader is no moderate
Barbara Leaf, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, left her meeting with Ahmad Al-Sharaa, Syria's de facto leader, declaring herself highly satisfied. It was an important moment, given that for the last 12 years under former president Bashar al-Assad's rule, the U.S. had no official contact with the Middle Eastern state.
Al-Sharaa, also known by the nom de guerre – Abu Muhammad al-Julani – has been feted – prematurely so – by foreign ministers across the Middle East, as well as diplomats from the U.S. and the E.U., who seem to have bought his turn away from his radical roots.
However, two senior figures at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies have poured cold water on this apparent about-face. Has this new leader really rejected what al Qaeda stands for and severed ties with the extremist group's extended network? Jolani delivered an address in 2016 in which he disavowed "affiliation with any external entity," the FDD authors wrote in the Wall Street Journal. Many reporters and analysts interpreted that comment as a repudiation of al-Qaida. Yet one of al-Qaida's high-ranking leaders approved in advance of Julani's rebranding.
It's true that Julani has clashed with al-Qaida-affiliated rivals and achieved effective autonomy while carving out his fiefdom in northwest Syria. But he remains committed to armed jihad and Islamic rule. To this day, several organizations within al-Qaida's orbit operate under his Hayat Tahrir al-Sham banner.
Syrian Jews once again step into the 2,700-year-old synagogue, following the fall of Assad
Syria used to be home to some 100,000 Jews; however, like most of the other Middle Eastern and North African Jewish communities, they were ethnically cleansed in the decades following the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.
Following the fall of the Assad regime, the handful of Jews remaining in Syria can once again visit one of the world's oldest synagogues. Located in Damascus's Jobar suburb, it once attracted worshipers from throughout the region, according to the Jewish News Syndicate.
The area, which was a dangerous zone during Syria's 13-year civil war and served as a battleground between regime forces and rebels, is safe to visit again. The civil war left the area and the Eliyahu Hanavi synagogue in ruins. The walls and roof have collapsed, and artifacts are missing. A marble sign at the entrance states in Arabic that it was built in 720 B.C.
"This synagogue means a lot to us," Bakhour Chamntoub, the 74-year-old head of Syria's Jewish community, told AP during his first visit to the site in 15 years. Upon seeing parts reduced to rubble, he added, "I am frankly disturbed."
Jews worldwide have contacted him offering to help rebuild.
Tehran residents reject the idea to rename street after Hamas terrorist chief Sinwar
On Dec. 26, the spokesperson for Tehran's municipality announced the cancellation of a decision, made by the city council just days earlier, to rename Behistun Street in Tehran to "Martyr Yahya Sinwar Street," reported the Institute for National Security Studies. The street was named after Mount Behistun in western Iran, home to the Behistun Inscription. This multilingual inscription (in Babylonian, Elamite, and Old Persian) was commissioned by King Darius I in 521 B.C., and the mountain has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The decision to reverse the street name change came following sharp public opposition. Critics argued the city council's decision demonstrated disrespect for Iran's rich cultural heritage and ancient civilization. They claimed renaming the street – especially in honor of a Hamas leader who is not Iranian – undermines public trust, disregards citizens' sentiments, and ignores their desire to preserve their cultural identity. Some critics stated that even if Sinwar deserves commemoration in Tehran, it should not come at the expense of a street name representing Iran's cultural heritage.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
PALM BEACH, Florida – President-elect Donald Trump is trolling Democrats and the legacy news media as 2024 comes to a close, posting a video compilation of network coverage of perhaps the biggest cover-up of the year: Joe Biden's failing mental health.
Trump is apparently responding to comments by Jan Crawford of CBS News, who said this week on "Face the Nation" that Biden's "obvious cognitive decline" was the most "under-covered and under-reported" story of 2024.
"It's starting to emerge now that his advisers kind of managed his limitations, which has been reported in the Wall Street Journal, for four years, and yet he insisted that he could still run for president," Crawford indicated.
"We should have much more forcefully questioned whether he was fit for office for another four years, which could have led to a primary for the Democrats.
"It could have changed the scope of the entire election."
Trump's video, nearly three minutes long, opens with White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre strongly defending Biden's mental abilities, as she says, "Oh my gosh! He's the president of the United States! I can't even keep up with him."
A variety of national lawmakers and officials are featured in Trump's compilation, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., all claiming how sharp and capable Biden is.
First lady Jill Biden is also included defending her husband, saying on "The View": "You're gonna see how smart he is, and the experience he has."
She suggested Joe's age is actually a benefit, saying: "He's wise, he has wisdom, he has experience."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
With a new year upon us, when we consider new goals for the next 12 months, here's a worthy ambition to pursue – to get closer to Christ. That resolution would put you in the company of a good number of America's founders.
When the great founding father Patrick Henry was dying, in his last Will and Testament, he wrote to his children, "This is all the Inheritance I can give to my dear family, The religion of Christ can give them one which will make them rich indeed."
The man who once declared, "Give me liberty or give me death," minced no words about living for Jesus.
George Washington noted that we could never hope to be a happy nation unless we imitated Christ. This was his conclusion in a very famous letter he wrote to the governors of the states in June 1783, after we had won the American War for Independence, by God's grace.
His letter climaxes with this inspirational call to follow in the footsteps of the God-Man from Galilee: "I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have you and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection … that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do Justice, to love mercy and to demean ourselves, with that Charity, humility & pacific temper of mind, which were the Characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed Religion & without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation."
Of course, "Pacific temper of mind" refers to a mind at peace and a mind with peaceful intentions toward others. Like his fellow Virginian, the father of our country was encouraging us as a nation to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.
The late Dr. Donald S. Lutz was the author of "The Origins of American Constitutionalism" and a long-time professor at the University of Houston.
He pointed out that the founders intended that America would be moral. They also intended that this would be accomplished through voluntary religion – by which they meant Christianity.
Even the liberal-minded Thomas Jefferson once said, "Of all the systems of morality, ancient or modern, which have come under my observation, none appear to me so pure as that of Jesus."
In his above-mentioned book, Lutz pointed out, "The concept of virtue was central to politics throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in America" (p. 28).
Virtue, of course, was defined with a Biblical criterion, observed Lutz. "In one sense, virtue meant following God's law as found in the Bible. One who did not lie, steal, or fornicate, but who adhered to the golden rule was a virtuous person" (p. 28). Lutz adds, "And the most fundamental assumption is that the American people are a virtuous people" (p. 85, emphasis his).
This sentiment can be found repeatedly from different American founders. Rev. John Witherspoon was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. He also was a key educator to many of our founding fathers, including James Madison.
Witherspoon believed strongly that following the Bible is the key to imitating Christ. He said, "The character of a Christian must be taken from Holy Scriptures … the unerring standard."
Regularly reading the Bible has been the habit of many great Americans through the centuries.
Our second president, John Adams, once said, "I have made it a practice every year for several years to read through the Bible." Like many of our presidents, the Bible was the most important book also in the life of John Quincy Adams, his son. JQA served as our sixth president. And what a difference in made in his life. Adams was the "hell hound of abolition."
When he left the presidency, he served in Congress until he died. Why? So he could imitate Jesus by working to uproot slavery in America. While in Congress, he managed to influence the thinking and policies of a one-term Congressman from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln.
This was about 15 years before the latter became president and played a key role in ending slavery in America. John Quincy Adams' devotion to Jesus paid off for America and the world – long after our sixth president had died and gone to his reward.
Of course, it should be pointed out that following Christ, or attempting to, doesn't save anyone. Only truly trusting in Christ who died for sinners and rose from the dead saves those who believe. But once touched by Christ, it is a natural outworking of a transformed heart that we want to imitate Him.
As so many great Americans through our history did their best to put their faith in action, we do well to make imitating Christ our goal for the New Year and beyond. Happy New Year.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A Florida sheriff has delivered a stunning warning to would-be criminals who break into people's homes.
Expect to get shot.
It is the Daily Mail that documented the comments from Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells following a confrontation that left one burglar dead and another in custody.
"This is the state of Florida. If you want to break into someone's home, you should expect to be shot," he warned.
The report noted the dead suspect was Jorge Nestevan Flores-Toledo, 27, from Mexico, who also went by Anibal Miller-Valencia.
The events developed that a homeowner saw two masked men on his surveillance cameras, and he promptly ordered his wife to safety and then armed himself.
"He was able to shoot one of the suspects, while the other ran away, and was later caught by police," the report said.
The second suspect was identified as Michel Soto-Mella, 39, from Chile. The report said he was found by the homeowner climbing into the window.
Both were illegal aliens whose visas had expired, the report said.
Wells praised the actions of the intended victim: "He knew something bad was about to happen, and he didn't stall. He grabbed his firearm, told his wife to get into a safe spot. … We're trying to get everything that we can from the [surviving] suspect. He's being somewhat cooperative, but he's not telling us everything."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A school district in Texas has backed away from its threat to ban the Bible.
It was an official in Canyon Independent School District in Canyon who told parents he had ordered librarians to remove the Bible because of a new state law called the "Restricting Explicit and Adult-Designated Education Resources" law.
That now has been reversed, according to a report from columnist Todd Starnes.
He noted how the district "felt the wrath of every church-going citizen in the Panhandle after they compared the Holy Bible to pornography and banned God's Word from school libraries."
School Supt. Darryl Flusche had claimed the Bible was subject to a law "aimed at removing sexually explicit material from school libraries – especially materials that 'describe or portray sexual conduct…in a patently offensive way.'"
He had insisted to parents, "This standard for library content prohibits books that have one instance of sexual content as described above. Therefore, HB 900 doesn't allow numerous books, including the full text of the Bible, to be available in the school library."
Parent Regina Kiehne told the board at a recent meeting, "In a day when we need security guards and bulletproof windows and doors, I think having the Word of God available to our children cannot only be preventative to violence but also provide comfort and a sense of security in a chaotic world.
"It seems absurd to me that the Good Book was thrown out with the bad books."
Jared Patterson, a Republican lawmaker who worked on the law, suggested the fault was not with the Bible, but with the education bureaucrat.
"The superintendent's position here was indefensible and appeared to be a result of open hostility toward folks who want sexually explicit content removed from public schools. HB 900 clearly protects the Bible and all religious texts," he said.
Further, he warned the school that its censorship may have violated the law.
"The Bible is the most important and most read book in history, and removing it does a grave injustice to the students in your care," he said in a letter. "Let me be very clear: the Bible and other religious texts are protected under HB 900. Any assertion to the contrary is either rooted in ignorance of state law or an open hostility to the will of the people."
Starnes explained the result: "That letter left the superintendent and school board members sweating like sinners in church. And after that 'Come to Jesus' board meeting — they reinstated the Bible."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Famous but disgraced former "Today" show host Matt Lauer is being targeted by accusations from animal-rights activists who have released a "grisly" video to the New York Post alleging sheep are being abused at his New Zealand estate, which includes a sheep farm.
A statement from a representative for Lauer said he had no knowledge of the allegations that concern actions at Hunter Valley Farming, which operates on part of Lauer's 16,000-acre estate there.
"(Lauer) was deeply disturbed and saddened to hear of what allegedly has happened, and immediately launched his own investigation of his tenant's operations, which is currently underway," the statement to the Post said.
The report in the Post said the allegations from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals charged, "Sheep are routinely hit, beaten in the face, and stitched up with needle and thread with no pain medication."
The report said Lauer acquired the $9 million property just months "before he was booted from the morning show after several woman accused him of sexual harassment and rape."
Part of his property is then rented out to the sheep operation.
It was Ingrid Newkirk, the PETA chief, who told the publication, "Matt Lauer's New Zealand getaway is hell for scared sheep who are flung about, pinned down and cut up."
Lauer denied all the claims made about him before his dismissal from "Today," and never was charged.
The report said he sold a $44 million home in the Hamptons in 2022 at least partly so he could spend more time in New Zealand.
The Post said the sheep operations are run by Digby and Hannah Cochrane, and the couple released a statement saying, "At shearing time we employ independent shearing contractors, to shear the sheep, who work in accordance with New Zealand industry accepted guidelines and practices."
The estate also has hiking trails, rental lodges, a cattle farm and more.
The site, Hunter Valley Station located about two hours from Queenstown, also features a five-bedroom, lakefront homestead.
New Zealand is a major contributor to wool supplies worldwide.
The PETA accusations include that farm workers "drag sheep across the floor" by a leg.
The site was one of 11 PETA infiltrated. Other allegations include animals being dropped onto the hard floor and shoved into their pen.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – Researchers at the University of Haifa's Zinman Institute of Archaeology uncovered a rare hoard of some 160 coins, which belonged to King Alexander Jannaeus, the second king of the Hasmonean dynasty, during a dig that took place during the Hanukkah season.
Alexander Jannaeus, whose Hebrew name was Jonathan, ruled over the kingdom of Judea from 103 to 76 B.C.
A descendent of Jewish royalty, King Jannaeus was the son of John Hyrcanus and grandson of Simon the Hasmonean, the brother of Judah Maccabee, and great-grandson of Mattathias who led the revolt against the armies of Antiochus.
That famous revolt, which broke out in 167 B.C., led to, among other things, the rededication of the Temple which Jews now celebrate every year during the holiday of Hanukkah.
The excavation was led by Dr. Shay Bar, Dr. Yoav Farhi, and Dr. Mechael Osband who made their exciting discovery on Friday morning.
Dr. Bar said, "We believe that the coins were discovered at a way station, which we didn't know about until this excavation. The site included a purification mikvah, a pool and other buildings and was located along the Tirzah River Valley on the main road that leads to the Sartaba fortress which was built by King Jannaeus."
Dr. Farhi, who is a curator at the Eretz Israel Museum, said it appears at first glance that all the coins are the same. Each coin has an eight-pointed star and an inscription reading "King Alexander, Year 25" in Aramaic, while the other side of the coin has an anchor in Greek that reads, "[Coin of] King Alexander." Researchers assess the style of this coin was prevalent in 80/79 B.C.
The finding is extremely rare as very few coin hoards belonging to Alexander Jannaeus have been discovered and this marks one of the largest coin hauls of its kind ever uncovered in Israel.
Archaeological discoveries are one of the best ways of rebutting allegations of Jewish colonization of Israel, as they frequently reveal the thousands-year-old Jewish presence in the Holy Land.
In July 2024, for example, a rare coin from the period of the Great Revolt against Rome, minted in 69 A.D. was found to be embossed with the words, "For the victory of Zion."
"All of our students and volunteers were very excited to find this Hasmonean relic, especially during Hanukkah. This gave the holiday an added sense of significance, especially during this difficult time for the Jewish people. I hope that people will be drawn to visit this place and it will become a protected archaeological heritage site in Israel," Dr. Bar said.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Over the last couple of years there has been an explosion of instability around the world. Multiple armed conflicts now rage, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict which has cost hundreds of thousands of lives, a war that has triggered a realignment of interests as several nations have opted to join NATO.
There's also the violence in the Middle East that resulted from the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel just over a year ago, and the thousands dead there.
Further, there's been China's saber-rattling over what territory it wants to take over, and other conflicts that are taking human lives, including armed conflict across Africa.
Critics of Joe Biden blame his weakness on the international stage for the surging loss of life, as the conflicts mostly erupted after he took office, and President-elect Donald Trump has committed to working to end them quickly.
But the results are uncontested: Up to one million deaths in the Russia-Ukraine conflict alone.
And that threat has prompted one nation, Sweden, one of the new NATO members, to begin hunting for cemetery space.
A report at the Independent explains burial associations there, which have a legal responsibility for maintaining resources for the nation, are trying to acquire "enough land for something they hope they'll never have to do: bury thousands of people killed in war."
The report explains the hunt for available land follows recommendations of the Church of Sweden's national secretariat and reflect crisis preparedness guidelines from the national Civil Contingencies Agency as well as the Swedish military, the report said.
The report specifically cited Sweden's decision to join NATO, through which it would be defended by other members and also be called upon to defend them, and "tensions with Russia."
The nation's Burial Act"requires associations to have enough land to bury about 5% of the population within any parish, if needed.
The Independent explained the Goteborg Burial Association, in Sweden's second-largest city, now is hunting for at least 10 acres to handle the casket burials of some 30,000 "in case of war." That's in addition to hunting for another 15 acres for ordinary use.
Goteborg Association spokeswoman Katarina Evenseth said, "The (recommendations) mean that we need more land for burial grounds and this is a phenomenon in the big cities, and a problem in the big cities, where land resources are scarce to begin with and not always sufficient to meet burial ground needs even in times of calm and peace."
The long-neutral nation also has ramped up efforts for crisis preparedness.
"Back in 2015 the government assigned various authorities to once again start engaging in civil defense planning, and many organizations have started planning, with the Church of Sweden being at the forefront of that planning," said Jan-Olof Olsson, an expert on infrastructure protection.
"Unfortunately it is the case that we are reminded to a greater degree that war could happen and that we simply need to be prepared for that," Olsson said.
Sweden's adherence to neutrality shift sharply in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. Sweden and Finland both opted then to pursue NATO entrance.
Both nations just weeks ago updated preparedness instructions.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – When the New York Times wants to, it can still be an excellent newspaper, capable of funding the kind of deep investigative reporting few other news organizations can match. It was exactly this reporting, which provided two highly noteworthy stories about Israel's conflict with Hezbollah over the last 48 hours or so.
One concerned the Mossad beeper operation, which was carried out with such seemingly spectacular success on Sept. 17 and 18, and how close it came to being rumbled, following suspicions a Hezbollah technician had about them. The other regarded the confidence former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah exuded that the IDF would not target him.
"As he hunkered inside a Hezbollah fortress 40 feet underground on Sept. 27, his aides urged him to go to a safer location. Mr Nasrallh brushed it off, according to intelligence collected by Israel and shared later with Western allies. In his view, Israel had no interest in a full-scale war," reported the Times.
This is a fascinating insight into the mind of one of the most feared leaders of either country or organization across the Middle East. The report goes on to say Nasrallah didn't realize Israeli spy agencies were tracking his every movement, and had been for years, although this almost seems secondary. The point, however, is the Hezbollah leader made a judgment call, based on a pre-Oct. 7 assessment, which was no longer accurate.
In hindsight, it also appears unnecessarily hubristic, given that Israel's response to the killing at the end of July of 12 Druze children playing soccer on a Majdal Shams court, was the elimination – in Hezbollah's Dahiyeh neighborhood stronghold – of the man who was effectively Nasrallah's number two and most trusted lieutenant, Fuad Shukr. It seems incredible this was not a clue as to what his future might be, and that Israel may have released the shackles from its intelligence services. He was thought to be a ghost, a person people spoke of but who was rarely seen in public – for that very reason. Having been identified and pinpointed, Israel's Air Force rammed a missile through his window.
What's even more extraordinary is the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran – in a compound run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps – when he attended the inauguration of Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, did not see Nasrallah taking visibly more robust security measures. Although Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz only recently admitted in the last few days the country's hand in Haniyeh's elimination – which was apparently nearly thwarted due to a faulty air conditioner – one could imagine the kinds of conversations taking place in bunkers and hideouts across swaths of the Middle East, with the logical assumption being that the Jewish state most probably had a hand in his demise.
Nasrallah seemed to think the old rules of engagement still held vis-a-vis his attitude toward Israel, but Oct. 7, which in itself was the result of a catastrophic failure of imagination and assumption-holding on the Jewish state's part, and the ensuing struggle for its survival had altered everything.
It's an important comparison point, because Israel's political and military leadership had been wary of engaging Hezbollah in an all-out war, with the almost incalculably catastrophic predictions of tens of thousands of civilian deaths just on Israel's side – let alone what would happen to civilians embedded next to Islamist fighters in southern Lebanon. A different article could be written on the miracle of how relatively few civilian casualties there have been on both sides of the border.
And this whole reordering of the entire Middle East can be traced back to the locus of the Oct. 7 attacks. Israel's political and military leadership had assumed Hamas was placated, awash as its leaders at least, were, in Qatari cash, even if precious little found its way to regular Gazans. Israel thought its more lethal enemies were Hezbollah in Beirut and the Islamic regime in Tehran, particularly its nuclear ambitions. Whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thinks there should be an official inquiry on the lines of the 1974 Agranat Commission following the 1973 Yom Kippur War, there will be a reckoning for those egregious failures. Israel's own hubris, assessing Hamas was becalmed, has cost more than 2,000 lives.
Hamas too, and in particular its now eliminated leader Yahya Sinwar also made assumptions. He thought the Iranian proxies he thought were his allies would come more muscularly to his aid when the inevitable Israeli ground incursion into Gaza came. He hoped Hezbollah would fire more even more rockets at Israel's civilians, particularly the north, which the government quickly emptied. Sinwar thought he'd get more support from Iran, and assessed Israel would get less back-up from the United States than it received.
Sinwar also calculated that international pressure on Israel, which has been intense and carried out through various governmental and non-governmental bodies, such as the United Nations, and the two courts; the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, would halt Israel's Gaza offensive. To some extent, the slow-walking of aid the Biden-Harris administration has been responsible for has been to hint at the success of Sinwar's strategy, but his own demise, as well as most of the top echelons of Hamas' leadership highlights the folly of his plan.
Iran too calculated its two ballistic missile attacks on Israel would not incur excessive blowback. Israel in return had assumed it would not be able to strike Iran with anything like the success it had – effectively taking out its entire anti-aircraft system – especially without the loss of a single aircraft.
Oct. 7 really did change the rules of the game in the Middle East. Nasrallah failed to understand this, and it cost him his life.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A new poll reveals that Americans, a majority of 57%, want former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., investigated by the FBI for her role in former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's partisan Jan. 6 riot-investigating committee.
The results, from Rasmussen, cited in the Florida Capital Star, follow a report from House Republicans that accused Cheney of witness tampering.
"Based on the evidence obtained by this Subcommittee, numerous federal laws were likely broken by Liz Cheney," the report said.
According to the report, House members recommended the FBI investigation over allegations of procuring another person to commit perjury.
"In the report, the House GOP said Cheney tampered with January 6 Select Committee witness Cassidy Hutchinson by secretly communicating with the former Trump administration worker without telling her attorney," the Capital Star said.
"Hutchinson committed perjury when she lied under oath to the Select Committee. Additionally, Hutchinson was interviewed by the FBI as part of its investigation into President Trump," the report detailed.
WND reported when the House report came out that members of Congress concluded Cheney "likely" violated federal law during her work to pin the blame for the Jan. 6, 2021, events in Washington on President Trump.
The report, from the House Administration Oversight Subcommittee, and chairman Barry Loudermilk, was released and concluded the riot was preventable.
Cheney decided to join in the Democrats' organized lawfare against President Donald Trump, and their allegations of his responsibility for the riot, even though he had told his supporters to protest peacefully.
Further, he had volunteered to have thousands of National Guard troops at the Capitol complex that day in order to prevent any disruption, but was refused by Democrats in Washington.
"Based on the evidence obtained by this Subcommittee, numerous federal laws were likely broken by Liz Cheney, the former Vice Chair of the January 6 Select Committee, and these violations should be investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation," charged the report.
The report continued, "Evidence uncovered by the Subcommittee revealed that former Congresswoman Liz Cheney tampered with at least one witness, Cassidy Hutchinson, by secretly communicating with Hutchinson without Hutchinson's attorney's knowledge. This secret communication with a witness is improper and likely violates (the law). Such action is outside the due functioning of the legislative process and therefore not protected by the Speech and Debate clause."
The criminal law that prohibits tampering with witnesses could subject a defendant to a penalty of 20 years in prison.
The report also faulted Hutchinson, described as Cheney's "star witness at the nationally televised hearings, alleging that Cheney encouraged false testimony about a handwritten document and noting her sensational claim that former President Donald Trump tried to commandeer his presidential limousine that day to take it to the Capitol," a claim that was debunked by the Secret Service itself.
Loudermilk's report explains evidence obtained by his subcommittee suggests "Hutchinson committed perjury when she lied under oath to the Select Committee." Cheney's fault likes with "violating 18 U.S.C. 1622, which prohibits any person from procuring another person to commit perjury."
The report explained the report further charges that there is "evidence of collusion" between the J6 committee, led by Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Cheney, who shortly after was thrown out of her congressional seat by her own voters.
The other side of the colluding parties would be special counsel Jack Smith, who had created a number of lawfare cases against Trump, all of which now have collapsed and been dismissed.
The report said, "When Smith released a trove of documents in October that were used in his filings in the Trump case, present in the batch was an unredacted transcript from one Jan. 6 Select Committee interview with a witness."
The report said the only way for Smith to have gotten that document was "from one of the two institutions which did not cooperate" with the subcommittee's investigation.
It also confirmed Pelosi's committee refused to preserve significant evidence, Hutchinson made "significant material changes" in her testimony "with the help of Vice Chair Cheney," and Pelosi "took some responsibility for not ensuring adequate Capitol security in unaired footage recorded" for a documentary.
Loudermilk also addressed a letter to colleagues with a warning: "Americans expect and deserve a government that is small in size, limited in scope, and fully accountable to the people, as our Founders intended. The actions of some elected officials and certain government bureaucrats in the aftermath of January 6, 2021, are evidence of how we have ventured far away from those basic principles of our constitutional republic. Transparency, accountability, and equal application of the law are the only solutions to return our nation to one that is free, safe, and full of opportunity."
Cheney has been one of the names suggested for Joe Biden to protect with "preemptive" presidential pardons.
That topic came up as Biden pardoned his son Hunter, who was convicted of multiple gun felonies and pleaded guilty to multiple tax felonies and could have spent decades in prison.
Biden followed that up with hundreds and hundreds of commutations.