This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM –In one of the clearest examples of the law of unintended consequences, Israel notified the United Nations on Saturday that UNRWA, the agency with sole responsibility for so-called Palestinian refugees has until Jan. 30 to evacuate its personnel from all its premises in Jerusalem, in line with Knesset legislation banning the agency's operations within the Jewish state.
"Israel expects that UNRWA take all the necessary steps to cease its operations in Jerusalem and evacuate all premises in which it operates in the city within the stated time frame," Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said in a letter addressed to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres.
The three-page letter spelled out the rationale behind the move, as well as the impasse in the talks between Israel and the United Nations, which Danon said had reached a "point beyond repair."
The Knesset's overwhelming decision to ban UNRWA's activities, "came as a direct response to the acute national security risks posed by the widespread infiltration of UNRWA's ranks by Hamas and other terrorist organizations, and the agency's persistent refusal to address the very grave and material concerns raised by Israel, and to remedy this intolerable situation," the letter noted.
Danon's missive mentioned two locations specifically; UNRWA's current headquarters in Ma'alot Dafna; and the property in the neighborhood of Kfar Aqueb, the northernmost Palestinian area in East Jerusalem. He wrote the Israel Land Authority had sent "clear and explicit" notices to UNRWA on Jan. 14, 2024 and May 28, 2024, respectively, for those properties, indicating UNRWA's use of them is "done without proper authorization." He charged the agency with "blatant disregard," while also attempting to shield behind its immunity.
The ambassador also said UNRWA had appropriated land in Kfar Aqueb without the owner's consent and which the Jerusalem Municipality had earmarked for "establishing a much-needed educational compound for the Arab population residing in the neighborhood, including children with special needs."
The letter concludes by stressing Israel's "steadfast commitment to its obligations under international law" and to cooperate with the U.N. and any other of its agencies, which have not been "infiltrated by terrorist organizations." It adds finally it would be in the best interests of the U.N. for its legitimacy and credibility if it did not allow its agencies to become infested with terrorists.
At the opening session of the Knesset's winter term in late October, Israel's parliament took the extraordinary step of approving two bills effectively barring the U.N. agency from functioning in Israel, and severely curtailing its activities in Gaza, as well as Judea and Samaria.
The Biden administration was deeply opposed to the Knesset's decision saying it augured "catastrophe for the Palestinians." Needless to say there has already been a marked change in emphasis since the Trump 2.0 administration assumed power less than a week ago, when one of the first presidential acts was to sign an executive order immediately halting nearly all foreign aid.
It seems unlikely Trump or anyone from his team will be overly upset about a decision taken by Israel's legislative body, especially in the wake of a mountain of evidence linking so many UNRWA employees to terrorist activities.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Watch President Donald Trump's recorded message to March for Life marchers who assembled in Washington on Friday:
President Trump to @March_for_Life: "I know your hearts are warm and your spirits are strong because your mission is just, very, very pure: to forge a society that welcomes and protects every child as a beautiful gift from the hand of our Creator."
He described how their "mission is just."
He thanked the crowds, thousands participating, for turning out to show compassion for the unborn.
And he cited the collapse of the "disastrous" Roe v. Wade decision from more than 50 years ago that was unconstitutional, and "took power away from the states and voters."
The Supreme Court, three years ago, returned the issue to the states "where it belongs."
He said during his second term in office he will continue work to stop the "radical push" for unlimited abortion "even after birth."
He also said he would end the weaponization of law enforcement against people of faith.
The goal, he said, is a society that "welcomes and protects every child … as a beautiful gift from the hand of our Creator."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A "Radical left hard line Trump hater" preacher who was given the privilege of speaking at the Washington National Cathedral for the National Prayer Service the day after President Donald Trump's inauguration politicized the event by scolding the president over two of his "common sense" agenda points, the security of the nation and the end of the promotions of transgenderism.
And she's earned not only herself, but her church, a public scolding from the president.
It was in an overnight post on social media that Trump responded to Mariann Budde's decision to verbally berate him in what was expected to be a religious event.
"The so-called Bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a Radical Left hard line Trump hater. She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way. She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart. She failed to mention the large number of illegal migrants that came into our Country and killed people. Many were deposited from jails and mental institutions. It is a giant crime wave that is taking place in the USA. Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job! She and her church owe the public an apology!"
In fact, Budde promoted herself later on CNN, when she admitted using the event to berate the president publicly.
"(I was) reminding us all that the people that are frightened in our country, the two groups that I mentioned, are our fellow human beings, and that they have been portrayed all throughout the political campaign in the harshest of lights. I wanted to counter, as gently as I could, with a reminder of their humanity and their place in our wider community. I was speaking to the president because I felt that he has this moment now where he feels charged and empowered to do what he feels called to do, and I wanted to say there is room for mercy. There is room for a broader compassion. We don't need to portray with a broad cloth in the harshest of terms some of the most vulnerable people in our society, who are in fact our neighbors and our friends," she said.
"The person giving this sermon should be added to the deportation list," said Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., on social media.
The Daily Mail commented that Budde's public scolding went viral after her "wild lecture claiming trans kids were 'fearing for their lives' now Trump is back in the White House."
Budde had told the president to have "mercy upon the people in our country that are scared now."
She lectured, "God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger," then charged, "There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families, some who fear for their lives."
She stereotyped illegal aliens, "The people who pick our crops, and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meat packing plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants, and work the night shifts in hospitals, they might not be citizens or have the proper documentation. The vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. I ask you to have mercy Mr. President on those in communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away."
The Mail revealed Budde has a "long history of criticizing President Trump during his first term."
WND reported earlier on Budde's rant.
Reports confirmed how Budde "blindsided" the president.
Budde's diatribe:
"I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country that are scared now. There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families, some who fear for their lives. The people who pick our crops, and clean our office buildings who labor in poultry farms and meat packing plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants, and work the night shifts in hospitals, they might not be citizens or have the proper documentation. The vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. I ask you to have mercy Mr. President on those in communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
With the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump (for the second time), we have once again celebrated another milestone in our history.
It's interesting to note that nearly every one of our presidents has been sworn in on the Holy Bible and uttered the oath, "So help me God." George Washington began the process and it has continued to this day – despite the claims of those trying to erase America's rich Christian heritage.
For example, our second president, John Adams, closed his Inaugural Address in 1797 in this way: "… with humble reverence, I feel it to be my duty to add, if a veneration for the religion of a people who profess and call themselves Christians, and a fixed resolution to consider a decent respect for Christianity among the best recommendations for the public service, can enable me in any degree to comply with your wishes, it shall be my strenuous endeavor that this sagacious injunction of the two Houses shall not be without effect."
Such a sentiment from Adams does not fit the agenda of those clamoring for what Richard John Neuhaus called the "naked public square," that is, the expunging of all references to God in the public arena. Washington's successor said a decent respect for the Christian faith is "among the best recommendations for the public service."
His son, John Quincy Adams, our sixth president, quoted Scripture (Psalm 127:1) in his Inaugural Address in 1825: "Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh in Vain." Adams also referenced his need for God's help: "With fervent supplications for His favor, to His overruling providence I commit with humble but fearless confidence my own fate and the future destinies of my country."
Our ninth president, William Henry Harrison warned the nation that we need to watch out for "the false Christs whose coming was foretold by the Savior." And he added, "I deem the present occasion sufficiently important and solemn to justify me in expressing to my fellow-citizens a profound reverence for the Christian religion and a thorough conviction that sound morals, religious liberty, and a just sense of religious responsibility are essentially connected with all true and lasting happiness."
Our 22nd and 24th president was Grover Cleveland – the only one to win election in non-consecutive terms … until Donald J. Trump last year. In 1885, President Cleveland declared, "And let us not trust to human effort alone, but humbly acknowledge the power and goodness of Almighty God who presides over the destiny of nations."
In 1925, our 30th president, John Calvin Coolidge stated that "America seeks no empires built on blood and force. … The legions which she sends forth are armed, not with the sword, but with the Cross." As in the cross of Jesus Christ.
In 1953, our 34th president, Dwight Eisenhower, actually opened his Inaugural Address in prayer, saying, "Almighty God, as we stand here at this moment my future associates in the Executive branch of Government join me in beseeching that Thou will make full and complete our dedication to the service of the people in this throng, and their fellow citizens everywhere.
"Give us, we pray, the power to discern clearly right from wrong. … Especially we pray that our concern shall be for all the people regardless of station, race or calling … so that all may work for the good of our beloved country and Thy glory. Amen."
Jimmy Carter, our 39th president, whose funeral was just held, quoted Scripture (Micah 6:8) in his 1977 Inaugural Address: "He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God."
In 1989, George H.W. Bush said, "And my first act as President is a prayer. I ask you to bow your heads: Heavenly Father, we bow our heads and thank You for Your love. … Make us strong to do Your work, willing to heed and hear Your will, and write on our hearts these words: 'Use power to help people.' For we are given power not to advance our own purposes, nor to make a great show in the world, nor a name. There is but one just use of power, and it is to serve people. Help us to remember it, Lord. Amen."
These examples are not anomalies. Every president has mentioned God in one way or another in Inaugural Addresses, including President Trump on Monday, as he declared, "We will not forget our country. We will not forget our Constitution. And we will not forget our God."
Lastly, here's another presidential Inaugural statement: "Intelligence, patriotism, Christianity, and a firm reliance on Him who has never yet forsaken this favored land, are still competent to adjust in the best way all our present difficulty." Those were the words of 16th President Abraham Lincoln in 1861.
America is indeed one nation under God, and our Inaugural ceremonies highlight that fact.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
President Trump, whose inauguration audience was limited in size because of the decision to move it indoors in inclement weather in Washington, met shortly after his speech with a rally of his fans, to deliver another speech.
In this one, he repeatedly said there were things he "shouldn't" be saying.
But he did.
"You're a younger, far more beautiful audience than what I just spoke to," he said. "More powerful than them, look better than them."
That, he said, we want to keep "off the record."
He noted that during his inauguration speech he didn't address the issue of all of those prosecuted by the government over the Jan. 6, 2021, protest of the suspect results of the 2020 election.
"It's action, not words, that count," he said. "You're going to see a lot of action.
He cited the pardons issued by Joe Biden to J6 committee members, including former Rep. Liz Cheney, whose Wyoming voters fired her as soon as they could.
"Why are we helping Liz Cheney?" he said. "She's a crying lunatic."
He pointed out it appears the committee actually destroyed evidence in his favor during that investigation, and those actions now are under congressional review.
He also pointed out the support he's had, with thousands of fans showing up for rallies wherever he travels. Ordinarily, he said, "200-300 people" appear for political rallies, or may thousands just before the election.
He cited the election agenda in California, where they are making it a crime to ask someone for voter ID during an election.
The law, he said, was "if you work in an election bureau, if you so much as ask for voter ID, they'll put you in jail, you're a criminal. … Only one reason, they want to cheat."
He then spent time discussing the Biden administration's agenda to have open borders, and he explained the wall material that he left behind from his first administration, which was scheduled to be sold and removed.
He credited Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and others for unraveling the scheme.
He noted that the border was a major factor in the 2016 election, his first victory, and probably is even bigger now.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Free speech in America can include a lot of different methods of expression: A sign, a statement, a written document, an image painted on the side of a building, even an association, and much more.
And now "spooky" Christmas decorations.
That's the argument from the Institute for Justice which is blasting the city of Germantown, Tennessee, for a decision by its officials to brazenly violate free speech by citing Alexis Luttrell, a resident, for violating the city's sign code.
"Her supposed crime: Incorporating Halloween decorations like skeletons into her Christmas yard display. You would think that only a grinch would look at Luttrell's decorations and think they deserve a court summons. But IJ cases from over a decade show that officials across the country regularly abuse ordinary Americans by acting like the 'speech police"" the organization said in a report on the fracas.
"The whole idea behind free speech is that you get to choose what you want to put up to celebrate," IJ lawyer Robert Frommer explained. "Officials shouldn't get to block you from expressing yourself just because they dislike your reason for the season."
The report said Luttrell put a skeleton and a skeleton dog in her yard to commemorate Halloween. After that holiday, she used the skeleton and dog as Christmas decorations.
"Germantown officials weren't pleased and issued Luttrell a court summons, stating that her decorations violated city code," the organization reported.
Germantown bans residents from installing holiday decorations more than 45 days before the date of the holiday and requires residents to remove seasonal decorations within 30 days after the holiday, the report said.
Luttrell is due in court Feb. 13.
However, the institute pointed out, "A core principle of the First Amendment is that the government generally can't discriminate against speech based on what it says or who put it up. And here, that includes the decorations that someone puts up to celebrate."
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled, back in 2015, that "those kind of content-based regulations must serve the most compelling of government interests."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Joe Biden, among a flurry of strange and odd behaviors he's exhibiting during the closing days of his term in the White House, now has declared, unilaterally and by fiat, that the long-dead Equal Rights Amendment is part of the U.S. Constitution.
His comments contradicted years of legal wrangling and fighting, and conclusions from not only the Department of Justice but the national archivist, whose responsibilities would include listing it.
A report from Reuters said the aging – and mentally declining – Democrat "called the Equal Rights Amendment 'the law of the land" on Friday."
That would be his political statement in support of changing the U.S. Constitution with an amendment that failed.
Reuters said, "It was unclear what practical impact Biden's comments might have. The White House issued his statement just three days before he leaves office, handing off to President-elect Donald Trump on Monday."
The ERA would have said, "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex."
The history of the ideology is long and convoluted but in every scheme, it has failed. And under the Constitution, a president lacks the power to reverse court precedent, congressional action, and legal determinations, all of which would be necessary.
The report noted that the U.S. Senate, on a 51-47 vote that failed to reach the required 60 votes, blocked the Equal Rights Amendment from being ratified into law in 2023,
WND reported recently when far-left Sen Kirsten Gillibrand demanded that the corpse of the amendment be dug out of its grave and added to the Constitution.
For the ratification of amendments to the Constitution, at least 38 states must adopt the proposal.
During the time allowed for the ERA to be ratified, 35 states did adopt it. But that was not enough, even after Congress extended the allowed time.
It failed to meet its ratification requirements by the first deadline in 1972, and again in 1982.
Archivist of the United States Dr. Colleen Shogan and Deputy Archivist William J. Bosanko explained in their statement, "As Archivist and Deputy Archivist of the United States, it is our responsibility to uphold the integrity of the constitutional amendment process and ensure that changes to the Constitution are carried out in accordance with the law. At this time, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) cannot be certified as part of the Constitution due to established legal, judicial, and procedural decisions.
"In 2020 and again in 2022, the Office of Legal Counsel of the U.S. Department of Justice affirmed that the ratification deadline established by Congress for the ERA is valid and enforceable. The OLC concluded that extending or removing the deadline requires new action by Congress or the courts. Court decisions at both the District and Circuit levels have affirmed that the ratification deadlines established by Congress for the ERA are valid. Therefore, the Archivist of the United States cannot legally publish the Equal Rights Amendment. As the leaders of the National Archives, we will abide by these legal precedents and support the constitutional framework in which we operate."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla,, whom President-elect Donald Trump tapped as his national security advisor, said Wednesday the incoming administration would support renewed IDF military action in the Gaza Strip if Hamas breaches any of the terms of the tentative ceasefire agreement.
Waltz has given two interviews recently, one on the Call Me Back podcast with Dan Senor, and later on FOX News with Bret Baier.
In the more recent interview with Fox, Waltz said the incoming administration would back Israel's military to go back into the Gaza Strip – which he stressed Hamas should play no part in governing – if the terrorist group did not "live up to the terms of the agreement."
The lawmaker said he understood Israelis' concerns about the potential of convicted Palestinian murderers being released from the country's jails, but brought the focus back to the 100 or so captives held in unimaginable circumstances.
"… at the end of the day those hostages have been down there in those tunnels getting raped, abused, in horrific conditions. They have been there longer than the 1979 hostages, in much more horrific conditions," referring to the Iran hostage crisis.
Waltz struck an even more strident tone with Senor, also drawing a sharp distinction between what he viewed as the Biden administration's lack of support for Israel, as opposed to how the Trump 2.0 team will deal with the situation.
"We've been clear that Gaza has to be fully demilitarized, Hamas has to be destroyed to the point that it cannot reconstitute, and that Israel has every right to fully protect itself," Waltz says. "Hamas cannot have a role. ISIS doesn't have a role. Al-Qaida doesn't have a role."
"These are hostage-taking, murderous, rapist, torturers that never should ever have any role in governing," he says.
Waltz assessed Israel's current strategic position as being a net positive, especially considering the series of events in the last quarter or so of 2024. He commended Israel's government and military strategists and decision-makers for not listening to the so-called experts in the Biden administration, who cautioned against several of Israel's actions, which have borne the ripest results.
"And now we are where we are, where Iran is in the worst position it's been. And that's not to say this administration didn't help with shooting down the missiles, [or that] they didn't help with arms, but they also tapped the brakes as well in a way that I just did not find rational."
One of the ways the Biden administration tapped the brakes was the withholding of munitions needed for the war effort, admitted to by the outgoing failure of a Vice President Kamala Harris on her disastrous campaign trail, and which went against a congressional vote.
The NSA pick added one of the key pillars of the Trump's foreign policy is to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which in the wake of the historic Abraham Accords signed in 2020 were well on the way to being realized. The Oct. 7, 2023, attacks were at least partly caused and timed for maximum effect to torpedo the growing cooperation between the desert kingdom and the Jewish state. If a deal can be reached Waltz said it would be "a tremendous historic region-changing agreement."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Joe Biden has released a "farewell" letter, given that his term in the White House expires on Monday, and he also had his tax-paid staffers compile some 26,000 words of talking points about which he brags.
He also takes a swipe at President-elect Donald Trump, claiming the protest-turned-riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was the "worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War."
In fact, a few hundred Trump fans, concerned about irregularities in the 2020 election, rioted and did vandalism in the building, and members of Congress retreated, only to take up their regular business hours later.
Biden, who campaigned on bringing America together in recovery from the pandemic of the COVID-19 China virus but then imposed multiple divisive agendas on the people, said "we came together as Americans, and we braved through it."
He claims America now is "stronger, more prosperous and more secure."
The letter includes Biden's claims, "I have given my heart and my soul to our nation. And I have been blessed a million times in return with the love and support of the American people."
A congressional report also confirmed that the Biden family has profited by tens of millions of dollars in what essentially was described as an influence peddling operation that apparently has been in existence during his years as vice president, then as president.
Biden said, "Wages are up. Inflation continues to come down. The racial wealth gap is the lowest it's been in 20 years. We're rebuilding our entire nation—urban, suburban, rural, and Tribal communities. Manufacturing is coming back to America. We're leading the world again in science and innovation, including the semiconductor industry."
Biden, who once delivered a special address in Philadelphia to talk about the "soul" of America, said that's still his concern because "the very nature of who we are" was at stake.
He also charged that America "never" has lived up to the idea that "we are all created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
His staff, he said, compiled a list of his accomplishments, which he posted online. It was described in one published report as "massive lies."
In it, he claims credit for imposing COVID shots, which now are known to cause side effects up to and including death, on 230 million Americans.
And he spent trillions of tax dollars on his "recovery" efforts, triggering inflation that reached 9.1% at one point, and has accumulated to more than 20% over his tenure, although his list does not include those facts.
He claims to have "added" 16.6 million jobs, although millions of those simply were restored from what was precipitously lost because of government shutdown orders during COVID.
The Biden checklist includes claims for "improvements on over 200,00 miles of roads," "450 rail projects," and massive spending for his climate change agenda, which tried to force American industry and residents into electric vehicles, a move that is collapsing now.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – Middle East/Israel Morning Brief
New York Times refuses to publish American Quaker ad accusing Israel of genocide
The American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker group that has regularly advocated against the Jewish state, has condemned the New York Times for declining to publish its ad alleging genocide in Gaza.
"The refusal of the New York Times to run paid digital ads that call for an end to Israel's genocide in Gaza is an outrageous attempt to sidestep the truth," AFSC General Secretary Joyce Ajlouny said on Monday, according to the Jewish News Syndicate.
According to the AFSC, the text of its ad read, "Tell Congress to stop arming Israel's genocide in Gaza now! As a Quaker organization, we work for peace. Join us. Tell the President and Congress to stop the killing and starvation in Gaza."
AFSC said that a member of the newspaper's advertising team requested the group use "war" instead of "genocide."
After rejecting this change, AFSC said it received an email stating that "various international bodies, human rights organizations, and governments have differing views on the situation. In line with our commitment to factual accuracy and adherence to legal standards, we must ensure that all advertising content complies with these widely applied definitions."
Iran drills on shielding nuclear facilities from potential Israeli attack
Iran is preparing for the strong possibility that Israel – with or without the United States – will attack its nuclear development plants sometime this year, reported the Jewish Press.
The Iranian Army and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps aerial defense forces have been conducting a joint war game since January 7 – but on Sunday morning, the drill was shifted to Iran's northern and western sectors.
The air defense units drilled on a plan to protect the Fordow nuclear site in Qom province, and the Arak nuclear facility in Khondab, part of Markazi province, according to the IRGC-linked Tasnim News Agency.
Last week, the IRGC Aerospace Force employed point-defense tactics to protect a nuclear site in Natanz against aerial threats and possible electronic warfare, the news outlet reported.
Israel's late October attack on Iran is thought to have largely put out of use a secret nuclear facility as well as knocking out most – if not all – of the Russian-supplied S-300 and S-400 surface-to-air missile defense systems.
Trump to press Netanyahu for concessions on Saudi peace
"President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House will inevitably lead to significant shifts in U.S. policy, both internationally and regionally, due to his contrasting worldview and leadership style compared to Biden," according to U.S. policy expert and senior researcher at the Institute for Policy and Strategy at Reichman University, Dr. Shay Har-Zvi.
Har-Zvi outlined three main objectives for Trump: ending the war in Gaza and ensuring the return of hostages, brokering a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.