WAR WITH IRAN - DAY 76 MAY 14,26 - SUNKIN RUSSIAN SHIP IN 24 MAY HAVE HAD NUKE MATERIALS FOR NORTH KOREA.
THE NEXT US-ISRAEL HIT ON IRAN SHOULD BE VERSE 37. ALL OFFENSIVE NUKE SITES MISSLES,DRONES,AND OF COURSE KHEMENI AND THE IRGC GUARDS.THEN AFTER IRANS REGIME CHANGE. MUSLIMS COME TO JESUS BY THE MILLIONS.
JEREMEIAH 49:32-39 (IN IRAN AT THE BUSHEHR OR ARAK NUKE SITES AND ALL OFENSIVE WEAPONS DESTROYED IN IRAN)
Jeremiah 49:32-39
32 Their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil: and I will scatter to all winds those who have the corners [of their hair] cut off; and I will bring their calamity from every side of them, says Yahweh.
33 Hazor shall be a dwelling-place of jackals, a desolation forever: no man shall dwell there, neither shall any son of man sojourn therein.(Location & Size: It was strategically located along the Via Maris (Way of the Sea), a major trade route connecting Egypt with Syria and Mesopotamia.)
34 The word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam,(IRAN) in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,
35 Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: Behold, I will break the bow of Elam,(IRANS OFFENSIVE WEAPONS) the chief of their might.(MISSLES AND NUKE SITES)
36 On Elam (IRAN) will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of the sky, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation where the outcasts of Elam shall not come.(SINCE 1979 IRANIANS HAVE GOTTIN OUT OF IRAN BECAUSE OF KHEMENI AND HIS APOCOPOLIPTIC DEATH CULT BELIEF-BLACK HATER 12ERS)
37 I will cause Elam (IRAN) to be dismayed before their enemies, and before those who seek their life;(ISRAEL THE LITTLE SATAN AND THE U.S THE BIG SATAN) and I will bring evil on them, (MISSLES) even my fierce anger,(FIRE) says Yahweh; and I will send the sword after them,(IRANS OFFENSIVE WEAPONS) until I have consumed them; (DESTROYED THEM ALL NUKE SITES,MISSLES ETC)
38 and I will set my throne in Elam,(IRAN WILL BECOME A CHRISTIAN NATION) and will destroy from there king (KHEMENI, ISLAM) and princes, says Yahweh.(IRANIAN ARMY GUARDS)
39 But it shall happen in the latter days, that I will bring back the captivity of Elam,(IRAN) says Yahweh.(WERE IN THE LATTER DAYS NOW)
WHEN ARE THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS IN ISRAEL IN THE SPRING TIME.(GET READY ISLAM TO BE BIRD SEED FOR THESE BIRDS)
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/m0bXU5Xqc5M
The 500 million migratory birds in Israel during the spring arrive from Africa and head toward Europe and Asia, with the peak migration occurring in March and April. While migration starts in late February, the most intense movements, particularly of birds of prey, storks, and pelicans, occur during the third week of March and continue into April.
Key Details on the Spring Migration
Peak Period: Mid-March through April.
Main Migration Route: The birds use the Great Rift Valley, which includes the Hula Valley and Eilat, acting as a "bottleneck" where millions of birds fly through the narrow land bridge.
Best Spots: The Hula Lake Park (Northern Israel) and the Eilat Birding Center (Southern Israel) are primary locations for observing the migration.
Key Species: Hundreds of thousands of white storks, along with black kites, raptors, and pelicans, pass through over these months.
uration: The spring migration runs from late February and continues into June, though the heaviest traffic is in March/April.
The 500 million migratory birds fly over Israel in the fall between late August and mid-December. The peak migration period for the autumn, when the highest volume of bird traffic occurs, is typically October and November.
Key Fall Migration Details
Location: The Hula Valley (Agamon Hula Park) in northern Israel is the premier spot to witness this phenomenon.
Timing: Migration starts as early as late June with some waders, but intensifies from mid-August through November.
Peak Festival: The "Annual Hula Valley Bird Festival" is usually held in November to align with the peak migration traffic.
Key Species: Many birds of prey (raptors), including honey buzzards and steppe eagles, cross during this time, along with massive flocks of storks and cranes.
While roughly 500 million birds pass through in the autumn on their way to Africa, the same number crosses again in the spring (mid-February to May) on their way back to Europe and Asia.
JEREMEIAH 49:23-27
23 Concerning Damascus.(SYRIA) Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea;(WAR SHIPS WITH NUKES COMING ON SYRIA) it cannot be quiet.
24 Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.
25 How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
26 Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.
27 And I will kindle a fire (NUKES OR BOMBS) in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.(ASSADS PALACES POSSIBLY IN DAMASCUS)
US president: 'I am not going to be much more patient'Trump says ‘decimation’ of Iran’s army ‘to be continued’ after he and China’s Xi discuss Hormuz-Trump: Xi pledged China won’t send military gear to Iran; US House narrowly rejects bid to rein in Trump’s war powers; Netanyahu: ‘The regime of terror in Iran is weaker than ever’By Jacob Magid,Nava Freiberg-and Agencies Today, 4:50 am
US President Donald Trump counted “the military decimation of Iran” among his administration’s accomplishments in a social media post on Thursday, adding, “to be continued!”The phrase, included in a lengthy Truth Social post, suggested he may resume the war against Iran after he returns from his trip to China on Friday. A ceasefire took effect in the US-Israeli war with the Islamic Republic in early April, though American-Iranian talks have yet to lead to an agreement.“I am not going to be much more patient,” Trump said in an interview aired on Thursday night on Fox News’ “Hannity” program. “They should make a deal.”US Central Command head Admiral Brad Cooper said in testimony to a US Senate committee on Thursday that the war had significantly degraded Iran’s military capability but that it retained the ability to strike.Tensions also remain high over the Strait of Hormuz, the key pathway for the global oil supply that Iran has blocked since the war began in late February. On Thursday, a ship anchored off the east coast of the United Arab Emirates was seized and was heading toward Iranian waters, the British military said, while India said a cargo ship was sunk amid the battle over the strait.Trump said earlier that Chinese President Xi Jinping had offered China’s help to open the strait, and pledged not to send military equipment to aid Iran in the war.“He said he’s not going to give military equipment… he said that strongly,” Trump told the “Hannity” show, after the two leaders met in Beijing. “He’d like to see the Hormuz Strait open, and said, ‘If I can be of any help whatsoever, I would like to help.'”After talks between Trump and Xi on Thursday, the White House said the leaders had agreed that the strait should be open and that Xi made clear China’s opposition to the militarization of the strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use.He also expressed interest in purchasing more American oil to reduce China’s future dependence on the strait, and the leaders agreed that Iran should never obtain nuclear weapons, the readout said.Tehran denies seeking such weapons, but it has enriched uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities.US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer affirmed on Friday that Chinese officials made clear that Beijing wants to see the strait reopen without restrictions or tolls and that Beijing will act pragmatically to limit military support for Iran.“It’s really important for China to have the Strait of Hormuz open, no tolling, no military control, and that was clear from the meeting. So we welcome that,” Greer told Bloomberg television in a live interview from Beijing.“With respect to Chinese involvement with Iran, our view is the Chinese are being very pragmatic, and they don’t want to be on the wrong side of this,” Greer added. “They want to see peace in that area. President Trump wants to see peace in that area. So we have a lot of confidence that they will do what they can to limit any kind of material support for Iran.”Trump is keen to elicit Chinese support to end a war that has become an electoral liability as it drags on towards key US midterm elections in November. But analysts doubt Xi will be willing to push Iran hard or end support for its military, given its value as a strategic counterweight to the US.In an interview with CNBC from Beijing, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he believed China would “do what they can” to help open the strait, something “very much in their interest.”Before the war, about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed through the waterway. But diplomacy has been on hold since last week when Iran and the US each rejected the other’s most recent proposals.US House rejects bid to rein in Trump’s war powers-The Republican-led US House of Representatives narrowly defeated a Democratic-led resolution aiming to stop the war until hostilities are authorized by Congress, but the effort failed by the closest possible margin.The House voted 212 to 212 on the war powers resolution, meaning it failed because it needed a majority to pass, despite more Republicans backing the effort than previouslyThree of Trump’s fellow Republicans – Tom Barrett of Michigan, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Thomas Massie of Kentucky – backed the resolution, and one Democrat – Jared Golden of Maine – opposed it.It was the third House vote this year on an Iran war powers resolution, and the first since the conflict hit a 60-day deadline on May 1 for Trump to come to Congress about the war. Trump declared then that a ceasefire had “terminated” hostilities against Iran. There also have been seven failed votes in the US Senate.The votes have been getting tighter, with Trump’s fellow Republicans holding just a slim majority in both chambers.Democrats have called on Trump to come to Congress for authorization to use military force in the Iran conflict, noting that the US Constitution says only the legislature, not the president, can declare war.Republicans — and the White House — say Trump’s actions are legal and within his rights as commander-in-chief to protect the US by ordering limited military operations when the country faces an imminent threat.Netanyahu: ‘The regime of terror in Iran is weaker than ever’Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Israel’s military achievements against Iran and other foes in remarks at Ammunition Hill during the Jerusalem Day state ceremony on Thursday.“The regime of terror in Iran is weaker than ever, and the State of Israel is stronger than ever,” Netanyahu declared, adding, “We will continue to fight decisively against every threat of radical Islam.”Netanyahu repeated his assertion that if Israel had not launched military campaigns against Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs in June 2025 and earlier this year, “Iran would already possess a nuclear bomb today.”Netanyahu claimed successes in the recent conflicts against Iran and its terror proxies Hamas and Hezbollah, saying, “The power we have projected on every front [and] the alliance — closer than ever — with President Trump’s administration in the United States, our determination to strike those who seek our destruction deep within their territory, far beyond our borders, the buffer zones we have created around us in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria – all these have transformed the face of the Middle East.”
Ship said seized, diverted to Iran, another sunk, in latest Strait of Hormuz actions-British navy monitor says vessel anchored off coast of UAE has been nabbed; India condemns sinking of cargo ship carrying livestock off Oman, 114 crew rescued-By Agencies, Nava Freiberg-and ToI Staff 14 May 2026, 5:17 pm
A ship anchored off the east coast of the United Arab Emirates has been seized and was heading toward Iranian waters, the British military said Thursday, while India said a cargo ship was sunk amid the volatile, simmering battle for control of the Strait of Hormuz.The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said it received reports that the vessel was taken by unauthorized personnel while anchored 38 nautical miles (70 kilometers, or 44 miles) northeast of the UAE port of Fujairah, near the Strait of Hormuz.Fujairah is an important oil export terminal and the UAE’s main port outside of the Persian Gulf. It has been repeatedly attacked during the war with Iran.UKMTO did not name the ship and said it is investigating. There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the seizure.Meanwhile, an Indian cargo vessel carrying livestock from Africa to the United Arab Emirates was sunk in waters off the coast of Oman.India condemned the attack and said all 14 crew members had been rescued by the Omani coastguard. Vanguard, a British maritime security advisory firm, said the vessel had been hit by a missile or drone which caused an explosion.Iran’s foreign minister, meanwhile, accused the UAE of direct involvement in military operations against his country, during a BRICS meeting in New Delhi, according to Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency.“I didn’t name the UAE in my statement for the sake of unity. But the truth is that the UAE was directly involved in the aggression against my country. When the attacks started, they didn’t even issue a condemnation,” Araghchi said, according to Mehr news, in response to comments made by the Emirati representative.Earlier this week, a report said that the UAE, which has been repeatedly attacked by Iran since the start of fighting, carried out strikes on Iran, though it has not publicly acknowledged taking such action.The accusation came hours after Israel said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had quietly visited the UAE during the Israeli-US war with Iran, though the UAE swiftly denied that any secret visit had occurred.Araghchi also called on BRICS member states – which include Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Indonesia – to condemn what he said were violations of international law by the United States and Israel, and to prevent the politicization of international institutions, in a statement on his Telegram account.“The West’s false sense of superiority and immunity must be shattered by all of us,” he wrote.Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency, meanwhile, reported that the Islamic Republic has begun allowing some Chinese vessels to transit through the Strait, following an understanding over Iranian management protocols for the waterway.The news came as US President Donald Trump was in Beijing to meet with leader Xi Jinping on a much-anticipated visit. The leaders’ talks were expected to focus, among other things, on the war with Iran, which has seriously disrupted trade in oil, gas, and other products and rattled the global economy.A White House statement issued as the two were meeting said the sides “agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy,” and that “Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.”US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is in China’s best interests and he believes Beijing will do what it can to reopen the waterway.“I think they’re going to do what they can,” Bessent said in an interview with CNBC from Beijing. “China, it’s very much in their interest to get the strait reopened, and I think they will be working behind the scenes to the extent anyone has any say over the Iranian leadership.”In an earlier interview from Air Force One, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had made a similar argument to Fox News’ Sean Hannity, noting that China has ships in the Gulf, one of which was struck by Iran over the weekend.“I’m sure Iran didn’t do it deliberately but they did it, it happened,” Rubio said. “And so that’s why these Chinese ships are stuck in there.”He added that Iran’s behavior is “a huge source of instability. It threatens to destabilize Asia more than any other part of the world because it’s heavily reliant on the straits for energy.”Rubio also argued that China has an economic interest in getting shipping to flow through the Strait of Hormuz again, as if other countries are struggling, “they are going to be buying less Chinese product and the Chinese exports are going to drop precipitously. So it’s in their interest to resolve this.”But diplomacy to end the war has been on hold since last week when Iran and the United States each rejected the other’s latest proposals, sticking to initial demands that each considers to be “red lines.”Iran has largely shut the Strait of Hormuz to ships apart from its own since the United States and Israel launched their bombing campaign two-and-a-half months ago, causing the biggest ever disruption to global energy supplies. The US paused the bombing last month but added a blockade of Iran’s ports.Still, Iran appears to be making more deals with countries to allow some ships to pass through the strait – if they accept Tehran’s terms.A Japanese tanker crossed on Wednesday after Japan’s prime minister announced that she had requested help from the Iranian president. A huge Chinese tanker also crossed on Wednesday.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said 30 vessels had crossed the strait since Wednesday evening, still far short of some 140 that typically crossed daily before the war, but a substantial increase if confirmed.Israel and the US launched their campaign against Iran on February 28 in a bid to destabilize the regime and destroy its nuclear and ballistic missile capacities. Iran has responded with missile and drone strikes across the region.The pause in bombing that began on April 8 was to allow for what Trump said were promising peace talks. But after a single round of talks in Pakistan last month, there has been little progress and no further face-to-face meetings.
Inside story Diplomat: Iran offer shows it thinks it's in driver's seat-US-Iran talks stalled after Tehran tried skirting up-front nuke concessions — officials-Washington wanted temporary ceasefire that included Iran compromises on its nuclear program, but Islamic Republic demanded permanent truce followed by separate talks on enrichment-By Jacob Magid-13 May 2026, 7:40 pm
WASHINGTON — Talks between the US and Iran on a deal permanently ending the war between them hit another dead end over the weekend after Tehran submitted a proposal that sought to push off concessions it would make regarding its nuclear program, a US official and two diplomats from mediating countries told The Times of Israel on Tuesday.The US had been waiting for a week and a half for Iran to respond to its proposal that envisioned Tehran agreeing to have its stockpiles of enriched uranium transferred out of the country and agreeing not to enrich uranium for an extended period of time, the three sources said.But when that response finally came on Sunday, the US saw that it didn’t include any concessions regarding Iran’s nuclear program. Instead, it offered an Iranian commitment to immediately hold talks on the nuclear file once a permanent ceasefire was in place that would include the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the sources said, offering details on the breakdown of talks that had not been published to date.Iran’s response, bucking US demands that it make up-front concessions regarding its nuclear program, demonstrated how emboldened the Islamic Republic feels after weathering nearly six weeks of US and Israel strikes followed by an American blockade of its ports, one of the diplomats said. “It thinks it’s in the driver’s seat.”While the US proposal effectively envisioned an extension of the temporary ceasefire already in place since April 8, Iran’s proposal detailed a permanent end of hostilities between the countries that included guarantees not to restart the war, according to the three sources.Both proposals did envision follow-up, technical negotiations on the nuclear file, but the US sought some concessions up-front pertaining to Iran’s stockpiles of over 400 kilograms of highly-enriched uranium, which are thought to be buried deep underground, below at least one of the three nuclear facilities struck by American bombers in June 2025.The United States has also long demanded that Iran agree to never again enrich uranium, though US President Donald Trump indicated earlier this week that he would have been satisfied with a commitment from Tehran not to enrich for a very extended period.While the Trump administration desperately seeks to end Iran’s disruption of maritime shipping lanes that has wreaked havoc on the global economy, Washington views Tehran’s response as an attempt to drag out the nuclear issue indefinitely, the US official said.Trump on Monday called Iran’s response “garbage,” suggesting that it put the fragile ceasefire currently in place at risk.He also claimed that Iranian negotiators had told their American counterparts that they were prepared for the US to retrieve Tehran’s stockpiles of highly-enriched uranium, but then refrained from putting that concession in the response paper submitted over the weekend.Iran has offered no public indication that it is prepared to make such a concession.“Two days ago, they said, ‘You’re going to have to take it.’ We were going to go with them. But they changed their mind because they didn’t put it in the paper,” Trump told reporters.He also claimed that Iranian negotiators had also “guarantee[d that they wouldn’t obtain] nuclear weapons for a very long period of time,” only to leave that out of Tehran’s official proposal as well.The fact that Trump indicated he would have accepted such a guarantee, even though it was not indefinite, appeared to be out of step with his longstanding insistence that he intends to ensure Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon.Addressing criticism that he has no coherent plan in dealing with Iran, Trump insisted, “I do have a plan. The plan is that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”The two diplomats from mediating countries said that the talks are largely on hold until Trump returns from his trip to China on Friday.Before departing, Trump huddled with his national security team on Monday to discuss potential military operations that could be launched against Iran to coax Tehran into making nuclear concessions, the US official said.Trump has said he is considering resuming Project Freedom, which sought to guide stuck ships out of the Strait of Hormuz before it was halted after just one day last week.But the second diplomat from one of the mediating countries questioned the utility of such an operation in reopening the straits, given that mere verbal threats by Tehran to continue disrupting Hormuz are likely to keep many international shipping firms away.Further complicating efforts to reach an agreement has been the intensifying criticism in the US of Pakistan’s mediation efforts.After CBS News reported on Monday that Pakistan allowed Iranian military aircraft to park at its airfields, Republican senator and Trump ally Lindsey Graham berated Pentagon chiefs at a congressional hearing over Washington’s continued use of Islamabad’s mediating services.However, Trump, before leaving for China on Tuesday, told reporters that the Pakistanis have been “great.”But the second diplomat speculated that the criticism could lead Islamabad to shrink its role in talks to merely passing along messages, rather than actively pushing the sides toward compromise, to avoid coming under fire from the more hawkish wing of the Republican party that is skeptical of any deal with Iran.That style of more passive mediation has been the preferred approach of Qatar, Egypt, Turkey and several other countries in the region that have periodically passed along messages between the US and Iran over the past several months.
US president: 'I am not going to be much more patient'-Trump says ‘decimation’ of Iran’s army ‘to be continued’ after he and China’s Xi discuss Hormuz-Trump: Xi pledged China won’t send military gear to Iran; US House narrowly rejects bid to rein in Trump’s war powers; Netanyahu: ‘The regime of terror in Iran is weaker than ever’By Jacob Magid,Nava Freiberg-and Agencies Today, 4:50 am-MAY 14,26
US President Donald Trump counted “the military decimation of Iran” among his administration’s accomplishments in a social media post on Thursday, adding, “to be continued!”The phrase, included in a lengthy Truth Social post, suggested he may resume the war against Iran after he returns from his trip to China on Friday. A ceasefire took effect in the US-Israeli war with the Islamic Republic in early April, though American-Iranian talks have yet to lead to an agreement.“I am not going to be much more patient,” Trump said in an interview aired on Thursday night on Fox News’ “Hannity” program. “They should make a deal.”US Central Command head Admiral Brad Cooper said in testimony to a US Senate committee on Thursday that the war had significantly degraded Iran’s military capability but that it retained the ability to strike.Tensions also remain high over the Strait of Hormuz, the key pathway for the global oil supply that Iran has blocked since the war began in late February. On Thursday, a ship anchored off the east coast of the United Arab Emirates was seized and was heading toward Iranian waters, the British military said, while India said a cargo ship was sunk amid the battle over the strait.Trump said earlier that Chinese President Xi Jinping had offered China’s help to open the strait, and pledged not to send military equipment to aid Iran in the war.“He said he’s not going to give military equipment… he said that strongly,” Trump told the “Hannity” show, after the two leaders met in Beijing. “He’d like to see the Hormuz Strait open, and said, ‘If I can be of any help whatsoever, I would like to help.'”After talks between Trump and Xi on Thursday, the White House said the leaders had agreed that the strait should be open and that Xi made clear China’s opposition to the militarization of the strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use.He also expressed interest in purchasing more American oil to reduce China’s future dependence on the strait, and the leaders agreed that Iran should never obtain nuclear weapons, the readout said.Tehran denies seeking such weapons, but it has enriched uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities.US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer affirmed on Friday that Chinese officials made clear that Beijing wants to see the strait reopen without restrictions or tolls and that Beijing will act pragmatically to limit military support for Iran.“It’s really important for China to have the Strait of Hormuz open, no tolling, no military control, and that was clear from the meeting. So we welcome that,” Greer told Bloomberg television in a live interview from Beijing.“With respect to Chinese involvement with Iran, our view is the Chinese are being very pragmatic, and they don’t want to be on the wrong side of this,” Greer added. “They want to see peace in that area. President Trump wants to see peace in that area. So we have a lot of confidence that they will do what they can to limit any kind of material support for Iran.”Trump is keen to elicit Chinese support to end a war that has become an electoral liability as it drags on towards key US midterm elections in November. But analysts doubt Xi will be willing to push Iran hard or end support for its military, given its value as a strategic counterweight to the US.In an interview with CNBC from Beijing, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he believed China would “do what they can” to help open the strait, something “very much in their interest.”Before the war, about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed through the waterway. But diplomacy has been on hold since last week when Iran and the US each rejected the other’s most recent proposals.US House rejects bid to rein in Trump’s war powers-The Republican-led US House of Representatives narrowly defeated a Democratic-led resolution aiming to stop the war until hostilities are authorized by Congress, but the effort failed by the closest possible margin.The House voted 212 to 212 on the war powers resolution, meaning it failed because it needed a majority to pass, despite more Republicans backing the effort than previously-Three of Trump’s fellow Republicans – Tom Barrett of Michigan, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Thomas Massie of Kentucky – backed the resolution, and one Democrat – Jared Golden of Maine – opposed it.It was the third House vote this year on an Iran war powers resolution, and the first since the conflict hit a 60-day deadline on May 1 for Trump to come to Congress about the war. Trump declared then that a ceasefire had “terminated” hostilities against Iran. There also have been seven failed votes in the US Senate.The votes have been getting tighter, with Trump’s fellow Republicans holding just a slim majority in both chambers.Democrats have called on Trump to come to Congress for authorization to use military force in the Iran conflict, noting that the US Constitution says only the legislature, not the president, can declare war.Republicans — and the White House — say Trump’s actions are legal and within his rights as commander-in-chief to protect the US by ordering limited military operations when the country faces an imminent threat.Netanyahu: ‘The regime of terror in Iran is weaker than ever’Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Israel’s military achievements against Iran and other foes in remarks at Ammunition Hill during the Jerusalem Day state ceremony on Thursday.“The regime of terror in Iran is weaker than ever, and the State of Israel is stronger than ever,” Netanyahu declared, adding, “We will continue to fight decisively against every threat of radical Islam.”Netanyahu repeated his assertion that if Israel had not launched military campaigns against Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs in June 2025 and earlier this year, “Iran would already possess a nuclear bomb today.”Netanyahu claimed successes in the recent conflicts against Iran and its terror proxies Hamas and Hezbollah, saying, “The power we have projected on every front [and] the alliance — closer than ever — with President Trump’s administration in the United States, our determination to strike those who seek our destruction deep within their territory, far beyond our borders, the buffer zones we have created around us in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria – all these have transformed the face of the Middle East.”
PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH) (DO NOT EVER LISTEN TO ANYBODY THAT SAYS THE WORLD IS ENDING.ITS NEVER GONNA HAPPEN-4 BILLION WILL BE LEFT ON EARTH TO GO INTO JESUS" 1000 YEAR RULE)(THAT DOES NOT SOUND LIKE THE END OF THE WORLD TO ANY ONE, DOES IT-NOT ME.THE EARTH IS JUST RENOVATED.NEVER ENDED.
REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)
HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
LUKE 17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4 billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.
MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.(CAN YOU SAY TORNADOES,HURRICANES,VOLCANOES,EARTH QUAKES,LANDSLIDES,FLASH FLOODING,EXPLOSIONS,SNOW STORMS,THEN FINALLY NUKESAND ANY OTHER JUDGEMENTS THE EARTH CAN VOMIT THE SINNERS OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH WITH.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places,(DIFFERNT PLACES AT THE SAME TIME) and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
2 Peter 3:6-7 Amplified Bible (AMP) (HOT SUN, NUKES ETC)
6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.
7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON THE MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS-PROPHECY SIGNS) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE.
Joel 3:2-King James Version (YOU DIVIDE JERUSALEM IN HALF - YOUR POKING GOD IN THE EYE - GOD SAYS AN EYE FOR AN EYE AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH- YOU WANNA DIVIDE JERUSALEM IN HALF - HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION 4 BILLION DIE ON EARTH.
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE.
Russia tests new nuclear-capable ICBM, which Putin boasts as world’s ‘most powerful’Sarmat, known by NATO as Satan II, is Russia’s first post-Soviet ‘super heavy’ missile; Putin says it carries warhead 4 times bigger than any US missile, will deploy this year-By Agencies 13 May 2026, 2:22 pm
MOSCOW — Russia will deploy its new Sarmat strategic nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile at the end of this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said after his forces tested it on Tuesday, describing the missile as “the most powerful in the world.”The planned deployment of the missile — designed to deliver nuclear warheads to strike targets thousands of miles away in the United States or Europe — follows years of setbacks and delays.Putin, in televised comments, said the yield of the warhead was more than four times greater than any Western equivalent and its range exceeded 35,000 km (21,750 miles).Sarmat, referred to as “Satan II” in NATO designation, is the first ICBM produced in post-Soviet Russia to be classed as “super heavy.”“It has the ability to penetrate all existing and future anti-missile defense systems,” Putin said Tuesday.“This is the most powerful missile system in the world,” he boasted.Western security analysts say Putin has made exaggerated claims for the capabilities of some of Russia’s new generation of nuclear weapons, part of a modernization program he first announced in 2018.Sarmat has seen failures in the past — one test in September 2024 left a deep crater at the launch silo, according to Western experts.State TV showed Sergei Karakayev, commander of Russia’s strategic missile forces, reporting to Putin on what he said was a successful Sarmat test-launch on Tuesday.“The deployment of launchers equipped with the Sarmat missile system will significantly enhance the combat capabilities of the ground-based strategic nuclear forces in terms of guaranteeing the destruction of targets and solving strategic deterrence problems,” Karakayev said.Since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022, Putin has repeatedly reminded the world of the size and power of Russia’s nuclear arsenal in statements seen by the West as attempts to deter it from intervening too strongly on the side of Ukraine.Pavel Podvig, a senior researcher at the UN Institute for Disarmament Research, said the deployment of Russia’s “largest missile” this year was realistic, but added it will not lead to a “significant change in the deterrent potential of Russia’s strategic forces.”The Kremlin said it had notified the United States of the launch, the state news agency TASS reported.Even though Moscow and Washington agreed to reestablish high-level military dialogue shortly after New START expired, there were no immediate signs of renewing or prolonging it.US President Donald Trump has repeatedly pressed for a new treaty to include China, whose arsenal is growing but still significantly smaller than those of Russia or the US, but Beijing has publicly rejected the pressure.Trump had been mostly silent on Russian calls to extend New START, which was signed in 2010 and imposed the last restrictions on Moscow and Washington after decades of agreements dating from the Cold War.Both countries have repeatedly accused each other of failing to adhere to the agreement.
Mystery of sunken Russian ‘ghost ship’ grows after explosions reported while carrying alleged nuclear reactors to North Korea-By Ronny Reyes-Published May 12, 2026, 1:14 p.m. ET
The mystery of how a Russian cargo ship sank deepened after it was revealed that the vessel suffered multiple explosions while allegedly carrying two nuclear reactors believed to be bound for North Korea, according to a new report.The prevailing theory suggests that the West might have been involved in the incident that saw the Ursa Major sink 60 miles off the coast of Spain on Dec. 23, 2024, CNN reported.The ship, also known as the Sparta 3, appeared to have been hit by a rare type of torpedo that breached the ship’s hull and forced it to sink to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, according to Spanish investigators.The investigation suggested that the only thing that could have breached the ship was the Barracuda supercavitating torpedo, a powerful weapon of which only the US, a few NATO countries, Russia and Iran are believed to be in possession.In the aftermath of the incident, the ship’s Russian captain allegedly told Spanish investigators that Ursa Major was hauling “components for two nuclear reactors similar to those used in submarines,” with the sailor unsure if the reactors were loaded with atomic fuel, CNN reported.The captain, identified as Igor Anisimov, reportedly told investigators that he believed the cargo would be diverted to the North Korean port of Rason to deliver the reactors.The ship, which has a license to carry atomic materials, departed Russia on Dec. 11, 2024, with its public manifest making no mention of nuclear reactors or materials on board, only empty shipping containers, two large cranes and two large “manhole covers.”The voyage came just two months after North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un committed to sending thousands of soldiers to help Russia retake its Kursk region following Ukraine’s surprise counter-invasion, which served as a humiliating blow to Moscow strongman Vladimir Putin.It has long been believed that Russia had provided technical expertise to North Korea as part of an exchange for the soldiers, with Kim notably eager for Pyongyang to have its own nuclear submarine.Europe had been tracking Ursa Major’s movements, with the Portuguese navy deploying aircraft to locate the ship and its military escort vessels in the Mediterranean.By the morning of Dec. 22, the Portuguese navy dropped its tail, according to its military, with the ship then caught slowing down off the Spanish coastline.The ship’s curious movements prompted Spanish rescuers to radio in the vessel, but the Russian ship claimed all was fine, according to Madrid.About 24 hours later, the Ursa Major issued an urgent call for help after suffering three explosions, likely near its engine room, with the blasts killing two crew members.The emergency became even more tense as one of the Russian military escort ships, the Ivan Gren, arrived shortly to order nearby vessels to stay at least two nautical miles away from the damaged ship, demanding that Spain return the rescued crew immediately.Video of the maritime rescue shows how Spanish rescue crews were unable to enter the ship’s engine room, which was sealed shut, CNN reported.While the ship appeared to be stable, it sank to the bottom of the sea once the Ivan Gren fired a series of flares over the scene, with four explosions similar to underwater mines erupting soon after, according to the outlet.Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un shaking hands between North Korean and Russian flags.
Far-right MK calls to destroy mosques, rebuild temple-Chants of ‘death to Arabs’ at Jerusalem Day march as Ben Gvir flies Israeli flag on Temple Mount-Extremist youth mobs spit on, curse journalists before religious Zionist revelers crowd into Old City’s Muslim Quarter; 13 arrested; police disperse left-wing group that came to protect Palestinians By Charlie Summers,Sam Sokol and Agencies Today, 12:01 am-MAY 14,26
Tens of thousands of ultra-nationalist Israeli youths marched through the Old City of Jerusalem on Thursday with cries of “Death to Arabs” and “May your villages burn” during the nationalist Flag March, while far-right politicians raised the Israeli flag on the Temple Mount and called to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque and rebuild the Temple as they marked Jerusalem Day.Jerusalem Day, which commemorates the reunification of the city under Israeli rule in the 1967 Six Day War, has largely become an event associated with the religious Zionist community. The march, which runs through the Muslim Quarter and ends at the Western Wall, has frequently descended into violence amid anti-Arab chants and racist provocations.This year was no different.Several far-right politicians, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, set the tone for the day, ascending the Temple Mount before the Flag March began. The ultranationalist police minister, who leads the Otzma Yehudit party, went to the flashpoint site alongside his fellow party member MK Yitzhak Kroizer. The pair waved an Israeli flag in front of the Dome of the Rock shrine, which, along with the rest of the mount, is administered by the Jordanian-controlled Jerusalem Waqf.“We restored governance on the Temple Mount thanks to determination and deterrence. This year, Ramadan was the quietest, thanks to deterrence. The Temple Mount is in our hands,” Ben Gvir declared, before dancing and singing with the flag.Kroizer was also seen prostrating toward the Dome of the Rock alongside his children and father, Yehuda Kroizer, a prominent Kahanist rabbi. “The time has come to get rid of all the mosques and work to construct the Temple!” Kroizer later wrote on Facebook.The Temple Mount is the holiest place in Judaism, as the site of the two biblical temples. Revered by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, it is home to Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam, and the iconic Dome of the Rock shrine.Though Jews are ostensibly barred from praying at the site, the Israeli police, under the auspices of Ben Gvir, have increasingly tolerated prayer there, sparking repeated condemnations from Arab countries.The Temple Mount has often been a flashpoint for regional violence.Marchers chant ‘Death to Arabs’At the march, the anti-Arab chant “may your village burn” was heard many times throughout the day. Some young men passed out decals calling for the revival of Jewish settlement in Gaza, and many celebrants wore stickers calling for Palestinians to be expelled from the territory.Marchers put up stickers on shuttered storefronts lauding the death penalty law championed by Ben Gvir, which mandates the punishment for Palestinians convicted of lethal terror attacks, as well as the extremist Rabbi Meir Kahane, who advocated the expulsion of Arabs from the historic land of Israel.The handful of Palestinian residents who dared open their shops in the morning had closed by mid-afternoon, vacating the area entirely. Revelers thronging the Muslim Quarter repeatedly called for “Death to Arabs” and “revenge” against Palestinians while waving Israeli flags.At times, crowds could also be heard chanting “Muhammad is dead,” in reference to the Muslim prophet and founder of Islam.Jewish shop owners whose businesses are on the Flag March route posted signs on their property meant to protect it from ultranationalist vandals. One cardboard sign placed over an ATM read, “Belongs to a Jew. Do not damage. Thank you.”Many of the revelers came to the event in groups affiliated with religious Zionist yeshivas, schools and youth movements. As marchers gathered near the US embassy before setting out to the Old City, small scuffles also broke out between boys from rival yeshivas.Yehonatan Sopher, 21, said he has been participating in the annual march since coming with his family as a child. This year, he said he came with fellow students at a Jewish seminary where he studies in northern Israel, spending the night in prayer and Torah study before traveling to Jerusalem.“Jerusalem is one of the most meaningful things in our religion,” he said. “It’s the root of everything.” He dismissed the racist chants as the acts of a small minority of participants.Police said they arrested 13 suspects involved in altercations and violence over the course of the day, claiming such incidents were “isolated.”Reporters attacked-Before the official march began, mobs of right-wing teenagers roved through the Old City, kicking and spitting on reporters while trying to steal their phones as they covered the event.A horde of teenagers spat on this reporter while trying to steal his phone as he filmed the main route in the Muslim Quarter, knocking the device to the ground.Later, outside the Old City, members of the same group again attempted to steal the phone while kicking and wishing death upon this reporter.Before the official Jerusalem Day Flag March, religious Zionist youth chant "death to Arabs," try to cover up my phone camera lens. Advertisement The Old City is largely empty aside from extremist youth and reporters. Palestinian residents have locked themselves inside their homes pic.twitter.com/LyNYBcG9uA — charlie summers (@cbsu03) May 14, 2026-Left-wing activists who came to the area in a bid to escort and protect Palestinian shopkeepers were also subjected to harassment and violence.Scuffles broke out when groups of young marchers entered the Old City before the start of the march, encountering Palestinians in the Christian Quarter. They threw chairs at each other. Activists from Standing Together, a left-wing Israeli-Palestinian coexistence group, who came to the Old City in a bid to escort and protect Palestinian shopkeepers from far-right violence, moved in to try to stop the confrontation, video circulated by the organization showed.The volunteers, identifiable by their purple vests, were kicked out of the area by police.“[Police] choose to remove us [from the Old City], but right next to us, a group of settlers passed by while shouting ‘death to Arabs’ and the police don’t do anything,” said Alon Lee Green, one of the movement’s founders, as officers shoved him toward the Old City’s exit.Accusing law enforcement of bias toward the nationalist revelers, he protested: “Us, with the purple vests, who are trying to stand up against the violence, the police decide to remove violently.”“When we put our bodies on the line, it oftentimes reduces the violence because settlers are less willing to attack when there are Jews there or when we document what’s going on,” said Ori Shaham, the group’s international spokesperson.Another group opposed to extremist Jewish violence called Tag Meir held an annual “flower march” before the crowds descended, handing out flowers to shopkeepers before they closed early.Mustafa, a Palestinian resident of the Old City’s Via Dolorosa, said young ultranationalist Israelis had broken into the courtyard of his home, breaking glass and chanting “Death to Arabs.”“This is a black day… I was inside the home when around 20 settlers came inside, they broke the doors,” he told AFP.“If you push them, you’ll go to prison… you can’t do anything,” he said.Western Wall gathering-While most of the men and youths marched to the Western Wall via Damascus Gate, many women took an alternate route that skirts the Muslim Quarter and enters the Old City through Jaffa Gate, among them teenagers draped in Israeli flags and parents carrying babies in their arms.The march culminated with a mass gathering at the Western Wall.“It’s an extraordinary atmosphere,” said Isabelle, 59, who drove two-and-a-half hours to watch the sea of blue and white flags.Reuven, 37, who attended with his young son, said: “Christians and Muslims can stay here, but this city, one united city, belongs to the Jews.”To make way for the marchers, police closed several roads to traffic, including the main thoroughfare between west and east Jerusalem.In the afternoon, police announced they had arrested a man who allegedly planned to carry out a terror attack during the Jerusalem Day celebrations.Undercover Border Police officers tracked the suspect down to a car wash in Abu Tor, a mixed Jewish-Arab neighborhood in Jerusalem, where they apprehended him and passed him to the Shin Bet for interrogation.
Inside story Diplomat: Hamas using internal election as latest delay tactic-US thought Iran war would hasten Gaza’s demilitarization. Instead, Hamas is emboldened-While Washington believed conflict would leave a weakened Tehran unable to aid its proxies, Hamas has dug in on refusing to disarm and, like its patron, sought to drag out talks By Jacob Magid-14 May 2026, 6:22 am
WASHINGTON — The US-Israeli war against Iran appeared to break out at an inopportune time for the Board of Peace tasked with negotiating Hamas’s disarmament.Just nine days earlier, on February 19, the US-led international panel overseeing the postwar management of the Gaza Strip secured $17 billion in pledges for humanitarian relief and reconstruction in the enclave.The nascent Board of Peace’s ability to galvanize such support — conditioned on Hamas giving up its weapons — suggested that momentum in the international arena was moving against the terror group.But the war quickly turned attention elsewhere in the region. Gulf countries that had offered to donate the largest sums to the Board of Peace suddenly found themselves among the hardest hit by Iran’s retaliatory strikes, and now seem poised to deprioritize foreign aid in favor of more national defense spending.But a senior US official speaking to The Times of Israel days after the February 28 Iran war launch was emphatically unbothered.“Hamas is watching what is happening to Iran and understands that its last lifeline is fading away,” the US official maintained, as Tehran was still in shock over the opening US and Israeli strikes on the country’s leaders and military assets.Even if the US needed to shift its focus to Iran for the brief period of time that it expected the war to last, Hamas only stood to lose with each new blow inflicted on its benefactors in Tehran, the senior US official argued.Over two months later, however, that optimism appears to have been premature.After a brief pause in the Board of Peace’s negotiations with Hamas, the sides reconvened, only to see the Islamist terror organization continue to spurn the panel’s framework for disarmament.“Not only is Hamas emboldened by Iran’s ability to withstand the war, but it is seeing the importance of holding onto your cards for as long as you can,” said an Arab diplomat from one of the countries involved in the Board of Peace talks.The Iranian card that the US most badly wants is its nuclear program, which Tehran has thus far refused to budge on in negotiations.For Hamas, the last key piece of leverage is its arms, and while before the Iran war it appeared to signal willingness to part ways with its heavy weapons, it has more recently hardened its stance, the Arab diplomat said.Taking another page out of Iran’s playbook, Hamas has sought to drag out negotiations over disarmament. It has refrained from rejecting the Board of Peace proposal outright, even indicating it is prepared to hold additional talks after submitting a counter-proposal on April 2 that fell well short of the board’s demands, the Arab diplomat explained.In recent days, though, it has again signaled a desire to slow down negotiations, this time explaining that it wants to wait until the results of its internal leadership elections are in next week before proceeding with the disarmament talks, the Arab diplomat said.In the meantime, the Board of Peace’s Gaza envoy Nickolay Mladenov acknowledged on Wednesday that Hamas is consolidating its power in the Strip, while dragging its feet in disarmament talks, thereby stalling plans to rebuild the war-torn enclave.“Diplomacy remains open, but the people of Gaza cannot be asked to wait indefinitely while the same questions are being discussed a second, third, fourth and fifth time,” he said.While Hamas was more hesitant to criticize Mladenov as he settled into his position, it has been quick to attack him more recently, in another indication of how emboldened it is feeling.“Mladenov is not worthy of being responsible for even one day of transitional management of our Palestinian people,” Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim said in a statement on Wednesday.
Jerusalem braces for clashes, friction as tens of thousands gather for annual Flag March-More Palestinian shopkeepers close businesses ahead of anticipated violence in Old City as thousands of police deploy in the area; alternative march nixed, lacking government funds-By Charlie Summers-14 May 2026, 12:52 pm
The capital was bracing Thursday for clashes and widespread friction during Jerusalem Day, which is set to see tens of thousands of national-religious revelers parade through the Old City as part of the holiday’s annual Flag March.Thousands of police and Border Police officers were deployed throughout Jerusalem Thursday morning, particularly in the Old City. Palestinian shopkeepers in the Muslim Quarter largely shuttered their businesses at the behest of law enforcement.Jerusalem Day, which marks the reunification of the city under Israeli rule in the 1967 Six-Day War, is typically associated with the Flag March, an annual procession through the Old City to the Western Wall, where mass prayer is held.Some extremist Jewish youth in the lead-up to and during the parade have been known to harass and beat Palestinians, as well as vandalize their property during the procession, especially as it enters the Old City through the Muslim Quarter’s Damascus Gate.A Palestinian shopkeeper, who declined to give his name to The Times of Israel, said he planned to close his business at 3 p.m., several hours before the Flag March is set to enter the Old City.He noted that in comparison to previous years, a larger number of business owners decided not to open at all. Others were seen taping padlocks to the entrances of their shops.The march typically takes place in the afternoon of Jerusalem Day, which falls this year on Thursday evening and ends Friday night, but has been moved up to Thursday afternoon, before the holiday officially begins, to avoid running into the start of the Shabbat day of rest.Most male participants were set to begin the march on Thursday afternoon near Jerusalem’s Great Synagogue, where several right-wing politicians were expected to give speeches.An alternate route for women was set to begin on Bezalel Street and skirt the Muslim Quarter, snaking around the perimeter of the Old City’s southern wall.To make way for the marchers, police were expected to close several roads to traffic, including the main thoroughfare between West and East Jerusalem.“We call on participants to adhere to police instructions and refrain from any acts of violence, physical or verbal, to preserve the celebratory nature of the day,” police said in a statement.Already at 10 a.m., Border Police stationed outside Damascus Gate were checking the ID cards of some of those trying to enter the Old City.Last year’s march saw several attacks on Palestinians and journalists by marchers, who chanted anti-Arab refrains and plastered stickers on shuttered shops, many with calls to expel Palestinians from the Gaza Strip or praises for National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and his far-right Otzma Yehudit party.Meanwhile, an alternative march in West Jerusalem organized by the Ammunition Hill Memorial Site, widely seen as intended for more liberal-leaning celebrants, was canceled at the last minute.The Heritage Ministry — which was supposed to fund the event — told Haaretz that the Finance Ministry did not transfer the budget needed to hold the march.It had been set to begin outside the Knesset, circle government buildings, Sacher Park, and the Valley of the Cross, and then come to a close outside the National Library.Some 5,000 people had registered for the event, according to the outlet, and it was to feature speakers such as Rabbi Benny Lau and journalist Jacky Levy.Eyal Gur, a liberal activist involved in Saving Our Shared Home, a Jerusalem-based protest group, said the event had been canceled entirely.He further told The Times of Israel that some members of his group would attend the start of the main march, where they planned to pass out fliers to participants urging them not to harass or behave violently toward Palestinian locals.Liberal lawmaker Gilad Kariv (The Democrats party) said he submitted a request to the police to bar the march from entering the Muslim Quarter, which was not accepted.“For years, we have been calling on the police to change the route of the Flag March so that it would not pass through the Muslim Quarter. Every year, the police close their eyes,” he wrote. “The violent incidents and racist incitement that take place under the auspices of the Flag March are an embarrassment to Judaism, Zionism and the State of Israel.”
US weighs focusing on rebuilding IDF-controlled parts of Gaza-Board of Peace envoy: Hamas tightening its grip on Gaza, taxing those with nothing left-Mladenov says disarmament plan wouldn’t force the terror group to disappear as political movement, stresses Hamas would hand over weapons to technocratic government and not Israel By Jacob Magid-14 May 2026, 2:48 am
The Board of Peace’s Gaza envoy said Wednesday that Hamas is consolidating its power in the Strip, while dragging its feet in agreeing to a US-backed framework for handing over its weapons that has led to the stalling of plans to rebuild the war-damaged enclave.“Hamas is consolidating its grip on the population. It is taxing people in the street who have nothing left to give,” Nickolay Mladenov said during a briefing with foreign reporters in Jerusalem.Mladenov held the rare media engagement as the Board of Peace struggles to determine how best to proceed after Hamas again bucked its disarmament proposal at the start of May.Since then, the Board of Peace’s high representative for the Gaza Strip has traveled twice for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials in Jerusalem, using the opportunities to press Israel to adhere to its own commitments in the October 2025 ceasefire deal, which established the Board of Peace to oversee the postwar management of Gaza.Dismissing a question about Israel resuming military operations to disarm Hamas, which it was unable to do through two-plus years of war sparked by the terror group’s attack on October 7, 2023, Mladenov asserted the only options on the table are continuing the status quo or for Hamas to accept the disarmament framework, which he asserted for the first time offers Gazans a future.“Diplomacy remains open, but the people of Gaza cannot be asked to wait indefinitely while the same questions are being discussed a second, third, fourth and fifth time,” he said, indicating that negotiations with Hamas have not ceased completely.https://t.co/HmhIeqYtQG — Nickolay E. MLADENOV (@nmladenov) May 13, 2026‘No color zones’The Board of Peace envoy insisted that he was committed to moving forward, but did not specify how he planned to do so in light of Hamas’s intransigence.A US official told The Times of Israel that Washington — which wields significant power within the Board of Peace chaired by President Donald Trump — is considering shifting from an all-or-nothing approach on reconstruction to focusing on first rebuilding the eastern half of the Strip still controlled by Israel.Trump’s 20-point plan for ending the Gaza war envisions Israel gradually withdrawing from that part of the territory, but conditions that pullback on Hamas disarming.The US initially explored the framework that prioritized construction in the IDF-controlled “green zone” over the Hamas-controlled “red zone,” hoping to entice the vast majority of the Strip’s 2 million Palestinians living in the coastal zone to move there by offering housing solutions and jobs.However, Washington abandoned the strategy after facing massive pushback from potential Arab donor countries, which warned it would exacerbate the division of the Strip.While the US may be reconsidering, Mladenov revealed Wednesday that returning to the original plan would not be simple either.He confirmed during the briefing a Tuesday report in the Kan public broadcaster that Hamas recently blocked Palestinian workers from reaching the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where they were contracted by the Board of Peace to build the first new community on the Israeli side of the yellow ceasefire line.However, Mladenov did not go as far as the US official, appearing to reject the idea of concentrating reconstruction efforts on a part of Gaza rather than the whole Strip.“We have not designated any color zones in Gaza,” he said.‘Not asking Hamas to disappear’Mladenov tried to frame the Board of Peace’s disarmament proposal as something that Hamas need not view as a concession.“This is not a message of coercion. It offers the Palestinians in Gaza, for the first time in a very long while, a real choice,” he said, highlighting the reconstruction projects that are ready for implementation if Hamas agrees, adding that tens of thousands of public sector jobs will be created for Palestinians within the first year.“Nothing in this framework asks you to give up your identity, your faith, your history, your dignity — in fact, it asks exactly the opposite,” Mladenov argued.“We’re not asking Hamas to disappear as a political movement. A political party that disavows armed activity can compete in national Palestinian elections, and the [disarmament] roadmap preserves that possibility,” Mladenov added.It’s unclear whether Israel would be on board with Hamas’s continued participation in Palestinian politics, though the Trump administration has managed to curb some of Jerusalem’s veto power.Israel had demanded an immediate handover of all Hamas weapons, but the framework that the US-led Board of Peace adopted was a gradual one that starts with the handover of heavy weapons and maps of Gaza tunnel networks, followed by the decommissioning of all remaining personal weapons over an eight-month period.‘One authority, one law, one weapon’Offering some new details on the disarmament framework presented to Hamas earlier this year, Mladenov said it is “based on the principle of reciprocity.”“Each step that we suggest be taken by one side triggers a step to be taken by the other, and each step is confirmed by an independent monitoring mechanism before the next step is taken,” he explained, adding the process doesn’t require trust between Israelis and Palestinians in the absence of any.The framework includes a voluntary buy-back option for armed Palestinians to be compensated for returning their weapons, offering “conditional amnesty” for those who participate and agree to live as law-abiding citizens moving forward. “We’re not interested in retribution. We’re interested in transition,” Mladenov said.Hamas officials who will lose their jobs as a result of their replacement by the new technocratic government, called the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), will be offered reintegration support, including direct financial provisions.Members of armed groups unwilling to accept the framework will be given the opportunity to relocate to third countries, Mladenov said.Framing the disarmament proposal as being in line with a long-held Palestinian Authority principle, Mladenov summarized it as “one authority, one law, one weapon” and insisted that all weapons in Gaza be under the control of the NCAG.“We’re not asking Palestinians to surrender their weapons to Israel. We’re asking them to consolidate institutions on which their future depends,” he continued. “This is what reconstruction, Israeli withdrawal and the political horizon depend on.”The 12-member NCAG has yet to enter Gaza since being established in January, with the Board of Peace hoping that Hamas accepts the disarmament proposal first.Hamas has argued that it shouldn’t be expected to implement the second phase disarmament portion of Trump’s 20-point plan, accusing Israel of violating first phase commitments, with daily strikes deep into the Hamas-controlled side of Gaza, routinely missed humanitarian aid benchmarks, the unilateral expansion of the side of Gaza it controls and the limited operation of the Rafah Crossing.Israel says it maintains the right to target Palestinians posing a threat to troops.Hamas terrorist Hamza Sharbasi is seen at the IDF’s Nahal Oz base during the October 7, 2023, onslaught, in a photo released by the IDF on May 13, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)The Israel Defense Forces announced on Wednesday that it killed a Hamas terrorist last week who participated in the raid on the military’s Nahal Oz base during the October 7, 2023, onslaught.The IDF said the strike targeted Hamza Sharbasi, a commander in Hamas’s Shejaiya Battalion, who had posed a threat to Israeli troops in Gaza. While not the target, the strike also killed Azzam al-Hayya, the 23-year-old son of Hamas’s chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya.According to the military, Azzam al-Hayya was a member of Hamas’s elite Nukhba Force, “who recently held a central role in the organization.”“Recently, Sharbasi operated near the Yellow Line and, in the framework of his role, worked to advance terror plots against IDF troops operating in the area,” the IDF said.Pressed on the alleged Israeli ceasefire violations, Mladenov acknowledged them without explicitly naming Israel but said the Board of Peace does not divide the 20-point plan into phases the way Hamas does.“You can talk about phase one and phase two, but there is one 20-point plan, and we cannot pick and choose what we implement,” he said.Last week, The Times of Israel obtained a letter showing that the Board of Peace does not intend to hold Israel to the terms of the October 2025 Gaza ceasefire if Hamas does not accept the disarmament proposal.Mladenov’s increasingly tougher approach in dealing with Hamas has sparked criticism from the terror group, which was again voiced on Wednesday.“Mladenov is not worthy of being responsible for even one day of transitional management for our Palestinian people,” senior Hamas official Bassem Naim said in a statement.
Brad Cooper: Iran only has 10% of its drones left-CENTCOM head: War massively reduced Iran’s capabilities, but it’s still able to strike-Top US military commander in Mideast tells Senate committee that Tehran’s defense industry set back by 90%, but IRGC remains major force running Iran By Agencies and Jacob Magid-14 May 2026, 10:50 pm
Iran’s ability to threaten its neighbors and US interests has been dramatically reduced by US bombings, and Tehran’s defense industry has been set back by 90%, a senior US admiral said on Thursday.However, US Central Command head Admiral Brad Cooper conceded during testimony before the US Senate Armed Services Committee that Iran still maintains a “very moderate if not small capability to continue strikes” in the region and that Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard is still a major force in running the country.In response to questions from Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin, Cooper also said the US has the military power to permanently reopen the Strait of Hormuz.However, when Slotkin pressed on why Cooper hasn’t done so, especially amid rising gas prices for Americans, Cooper deferred to policymakers amid ongoing peace negotiations.In response to questions from Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine, about who’s in charge in Iran, Cooper said the Revolutionary Guard is still “exercising significant authority.”However, Cooper deferred to diplomats and negotiators on whether the paramilitary force is part of the peace negotiations.The CENTCOM head sought to underscore the tactical successes of the military campaign against Iran that he oversaw and said the war had dramatically reduced the danger posed by that country to the broader Middle East.Cooper declined to directly address mounting news reports that Iran, which stockpiled arms in underground facilities, had retained significant missile and drone capabilities. Those reports cited US intelligence sources.“Iran has a significantly degraded threat, and they no longer threaten regional partners, or the United States, in ways that they were able to do before, across every domain,” Cooper told the US Senate committee.Cooper also said Iran was no longer able to transfer arms and other resources to its main allies in the region: Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and Hamas in Gaza. “Those transfer paths and methods have been cut off.”Last week, the Washington Post reported that the CIA recently told US President Donald Trump’s administration that Iran can withstand the ongoing US naval blockade for at least three to four months before severe economic hardship takes hold.“The leadership has gotten more radical, determined and increasingly confident they can outlast US political will and sustain domestic repression to check any resistance” inside Iran, a US official told the Post. “Comparatively, you see similar regimes lasting years under sustained embargoes and airpower-only wars.”Iran also has managed to retain 75% of its mobile missile launchers and 70% of its missiles, according to a document cited in the report. Almost all of its underground storage facilities have reportedly been restored and reopened as well.Relatedly, Cooper told the Senate committee on Thursday that American forces have stopped using high-end munitions to shoot down Iran’s drones, Cooper told the committee.The nation’s limited stockpiles of expensive weapon systems, including advanced missile interceptors, have become a lightning rod during the Iran war. American forces were using them to defend against Iranian drones. But Cooper says the US military is now using lower-cost munitions.The admiral said Iran only has 10% of its drones left. Despite a fragile month-long ceasefire, skirmishes have flared between Iranian and American forces.Cooper also said that American forces have learned a lot from the Ukrainian military, which is battle-hardened from its war with Russia.“We adopted a large number of tactics, techniques and procedures that the Ukrainians have passed us that have helped us defend Americans,” Cooper said.Ukraine has passed on expertise to the US, specifically regarding anti-drone warfare. Iran had launched swarms of drones against US and allied forces, killing some Americans.
Activist flotilla leaves Turkey for Gaza weeks after Israel intercepted previous convoy-Over 50 vessels carrying 500 activists — including pair released earlier this week after being arrested on similar flotilla two weeks ago — head to Strip, with Israel readying for interception By AP, ToI Staff and Emanuel Fabian-MAY 14,26
MARMARIS, Turkey — Dozens of boats carrying activists and symbolic aid for Palestinians set sail from Turkey’s Mediterranean coast on Thursday in the latest attempt to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza — just weeks after Israel intercepted a previous flotilla and detained two activists.More than 50 vessels departed from the port in Marmaris in what the organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla described as the final leg of their journey to Gaza’s shores. Channel 12 said the flotilla is expected to arrive around Monday or Tuesday next week.The Israeli Navy is set to intercept the boats, and in the past has done so well before the activists were able to get close to Gaza’s coast.Israel has previously dismissed the flotillas as publicity stunts, after their organizers rejected calls to transfer the small amount of symbolic aid they had been carrying with them to Israel or international organizations to be taken into the Strip and distributed via official channels.The Global Sumud Flotilla will be the third initiative in a year aiming at breaking an Israeli blockade on Hamas-ruled Gaza, which has suffered severe shortages of food, water, medicine and fuel since the Palestinian terror group invaded Israel in October 2023, sparking two years of war in the coastal enclave.The flotilla is being led by Turkish aid organization IHH, which is designated in Israel as a terror organization and which organized the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla to Gaza.Dozens of boats from the Global Sumud Flotilla set sail from Turkey, aiming to deliver aid to Gaza, as activists said they were concerned about more possible interceptions by Israeli forces https://t.co/91InoDxDo2 pic.twitter.com/v1oSB39I6d — Reuters (@Reuters) May 14, 2026-The Navy is preparing for the possibility that the activists will be violent and resist its efforts to intercept them should they continue on their course to Gaza, an Israeli security told reporters.In the Mavi Marmara incident, 10 Turkish activists were killed in a violent confrontation with Israeli naval commandos aboard a ship that aimed to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.Israeli forces intercepted the second flotilla in international waters off Greece on April 30, expelling most of the 175 activists to Europe, but arrested two of them, who were held for 10 days.Channel 12 said those two activists managed to make it back to Turkey in time after they were released by Israel on Sunday, and boarded the flotilla that departed on Thursday.Last month’s Israeli interception incident drew protests and condemnation from several countries and raised questions about what any nation can legally do to enforce a blockade in international waters. Israeli officials said they had to act early because of the high number of boats involved.Israel took the two activists — Spanish-Swedish citizen of Palestinian origin Saif Abukeshek and Brazilian citizen Thiago Ávila — back to Israel where they were interrogated and detained for several days. Brazil and Spain condemned Israel for “kidnapping” their citizens.Organizers said the latest efforts involve a regrouped fleet following Israel’s interception, joined by additional boats. Nearly 500 activists from 45 countries are said to be taking part.Last year, Israeli authorities blocked a similar attempt involving about 50 vessels and some 500 activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela and several European lawmakers.Israel arrested, detained and later deported the participants, who claimed Israeli authorities abused them. Israeli authorities denied the accusations.Previous efforts to breach the blockade have also failed. The last time an activist boat succeeded in reaching the strip was in 2008.
Israeli tech company aiming to cool the Earth with masses of tiny particles-Stardust Solutions wants to combat global warming by releasing millions of tons of particles to reflect small amounts of sunlight, NYT reports, but critics warn of dangers in playing with weather-By ToI Staff 14 May 2026, 9:35 pm
An Israeli tech company has revealed the content of tiny particles it hopes will one day be used to combat global warming by scattering millions of tons of them into the atmosphere to reflect away sunlight, the New York Times reported Thursday.Stardust Solutions had previously kept the makeup of its geoengineering particles a closely-guarded secret, protected with nondisclosure agreements.As it turns out, they are made from amorphous silica, which is a food additive, and calcium carbonate, which is in eggshells and limestone.The company, which is led by former figures from Israel’s nuclear program, on Thursday began publishing research papers on its product.The idea is to disperse the particles at high altitude where they would reflect sunlight, cooling down the Earth.“This is a very powerful tool that will be ready for testing very soon, and we want policymakers to start thinking seriously, ‘What will it take in practice?’” chief executive, Yanai Yedvab, told the Times.So far, the company has only tested the particles in the laboratory and says it would not test them outdoors unless it were in partnership with a government to lay down the rules and limits of the test, according to the report.Founded in 2023, Stardust Solutions has pulled in $75 million in funding from investors and has applied for a patent. Registered as a US company with an Israeli subsidiary, it has a lab in Ness Ziona, south of Tel Aviv.The company has two types of particles it is working on. The first could reflect up to one percent of the sunlight, while the second, still in the testing phase, could reflect more than that.Stardust executives estimate that a starting project to begin cooling the atmosphere could cost around $10 billion. It would require some 10 million tons of particles dispersed over several years, aiming to cool the atmosphere by 1.5 degrees Celsius.It says the particles are biodegradable, not harmful to people or animals, and would not build up in the soil or oceans.However, the idea of meddling with the world’s weather faces pushback.More than 600 scientists and academics have called for an international ban on such projects, while Tennessee and Florida have already banned geoengineering.Critics cite concerns of unintended consequences and that artificially cooling the planet might lessen calls for countries and industries to cut back emissions that are causing climate change. However, in recent years, as global temperatures have gone up, many researchers and some environmentalists have been more open to studying solar geoengineering methods, the report said.Prakash Kashwan, a professor of environmental studies at Brandeis University, has warned that solar geoengineering could alter weather patterns, impacting food production and economies.He highlighted those who live in South Asia, East Africa, and Latin America, where annual monsoons are vital for crops.“There’s this social risk for at least two billion people that is directly connected to the lack of scientific understanding about how interfering with the global temperature thermostat is going to interfere with the monsoon formation,” he told the Times. “We don’t have a solution for those kinds of risks.”
Abbas promises to hold presidential vote; no timeline given-Fatah gathers for first election in decade, as PA’s Abbas pledges to continue reforms-3-day confab climaxes with vote for 18-member committee expected to play key role in post-Abbas era; PA president pans Israeli withholding of Ramallah’s funds-By AFP, Nurit Yohanan and Jacob Magid-14 May 2026, 6:31 pm
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party on Thursday began a three-day conference to elect its highest leadership body for the first time in 10 years, as it faces existential challenges in the wake of the Gaza war.In an address opening the conference in Ramallah, Abbas pledged to press ahead with reforms within the PA, saying he was prepared to hold long-delayed presidential and parliamentary elections.“We renew our full commitment to continuing work on implementing all the reform measures we pledged… We are ready to hold presidential and legislative elections,” Abbas said in an address to the congress, though he did not provide a timeline for the vote.“The Palestinian people are the only people in the world living under occupation. Holding our conference today on our homeland’s soil confirms our determination to continue on the democratic path and open the way for youth and women,” the 90-year-old veteran leader said.Abbas and the Palestinian Authority are under mounting pressure from the United States, the European Union and Arab states to implement reforms and hold elections, amid widespread accusations of corruption, political stagnation, and the body’s declining legitimacy among Palestinians.The international community also wants the PA to play a key role in eventually running the Gaza Strip again after it was devastated in the war sparked by the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion of southern Israel. Israel, however, bitterly opposes the involvement of the PA.The conference is being attended by approximately 2,580 Fatah members, the majority of them in Ramallah, though several hundred are also spread across Gaza, Cairo and Beirut.They are expected to elect 18 representatives to the Fatah Central Committee and 80 to the party’s parliament, known as the Fatah Revolutionary Council.The Fatah Central Committee is expected to play a key role in the post-Abbas era, with many observers wondering whether he might finally step down after more than two decades at the helm, despite the lack of a clear successor.‘Serious challenges’The conference comes as the Palestinian national movement faces some of its “most serious challenges in our struggle,” Jibril Rajoub, the current secretary general of the Fatah Central Committee, told AFP ahead of the congress.He expressed hope that the conference, repeatedly delayed, would contribute to “ensuring and protecting the establishment of a Palestinian state on the world’s agenda and protecting the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.”Abbas, in his opening remarks, criticized Israel’s continued withholding of Palestinian tax revenues that Jerusalem collects on the PA’s behalf. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has refused to sign off on the monthly transfers for over a year, preventing the PA from paying tens of thousands of employees, bringing the West Bank economy to the brink of collapse.The amount of withheld funds — which are supposed to make up the majority of the PA’s budget — has climbed to over $5 billion.“The continued holding of Palestinian Authority funds by Israel is an unprecedented event that violates the agreements between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, as well as international law,” Abbas said in his Fatah conference address.Abbas also criticized Israel over its actions in Gaza, saying: “What is happening in Gaza is an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.”He also dismissed accusations of corruption against the Palestinian Authority, saying they were vague and unsubstantiated. “No one should just say ‘corruption’ and go to sleep. Give me the name of a specific person, and within five seconds, he will be under investigation,” Abbas said.One of the reforms most demanded by the international community was of the PA’s welfare system, which included payments to the families of terrorists and slain attackers.Last year, Abbas signed a decree ending the policy, strictly conditioning welfare payments on the financial situation of the applicant, rather than their time served in prison.A US State Department report from last month determined that the reform isn’t being properly implemented, though, the PA has rejected the findings, which relied on Israel and NGOs highly critical of Ramallah.Fatah has historically been the main component of the PLO, which includes most Palestinian factions but excludes terror groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad over their refusal to accept the group’s charter, which includes recognition of Israel and support for a two-state solution.In recent decades, Fatah’s popularity and influence have dwindled amid internal divisions and growing public frustration over the stagnation of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.The sense of disappointment led to a surge in support for rival Hamas, which made huge political gains in the West Bank in 2006 elections that it won handily, before going on to expel Fatah from the Gaza Strip almost entirely after a bout of factional fighting.Hani al-Masri, director of the Palestinian Center for Policy Research and Strategic Studies (Masarat), told AFP that Fatah now merely uses the PLO to provide itself with legitimacy, “a legitimacy that is eroding in the absence of a unified national project, elections and national consensus.”Rajoub nonetheless declared that the conference was a first step towards “putting the Palestinian house in order, to build a partner for establishing a [Palestinian] state.”Succession-Fatah is the main party within the PA, which much of the international community views as a natural partner in rebuilding and running the Gaza Strip after the devastating war sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack.But Fatah remains marginalized in the territory, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed that it, the PA and Hamas will have no role in post-war governance.Instead, a new government of Palestinian technocrats has been established to replace Hamas in Gaza, though the panel’s entry into the Strip has been stalled by the terror group’s refusal to give up its weapons.Despite repeated declarations from Fatah that it is working as a “united front,” major figures are absent from Thursday’s conference, notably Nasser al-Kidwa, a key Palestinian leader who is boycotting the gathering.“This conference is illegitimate, and this leadership that has usurped power is illegitimate, and its time is up,” said Kidwa, a nephew of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.Key figures competing to replace Abbas include Rajoub and PA deputy Hussein al-Sheikh.Meanwhile, the president’s eldest son, Yasser Abbas, is on the ballot to join the central committee, having risen in prominence over recent years after he was named the president’s special representative despite often residing outside of the West Bank.Among others present on Thursday were Zakaria Zubeidi — the former head of Fatah’s military wing in Jenin who had been serving a life sentence in Israel for involvement in attacks in which Israelis were killed and was released in the October 2025 hostage deal — as well as Arab Israeli MK Ahmad Tibi.
LUKE 19:40
40 And He answered and said unto them, “I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.”
Archaeology in Jerusalem always provides surprises'Mysterious ancient tunnel, possibly thousands of years old, discovered in Jerusalem-Dating and purpose of structure near Kibbutz Ramat Rachel still not clear; archaeologists say its construction required significant resources and manpower By Rossella Tercatin-14 May 2026, 4:26 pm
An ancient tunnel, whose purpose and dating are still cloaked in mystery, has been discovered near Kibbutz Ramat Rachel in Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said Thursday.The tunnel, which extends about 50 meters (164 feet), was unearthed during a salvage excavation ahead of the construction of a new neighborhood in the area (all construction projects in Israel are required by law to include archaeological surveys).“At the beginning, we thought it might just be a natural cave, but then we realized that it could not be the case,” IAA co-director of excavation Zinovi Matskevich told The Times of Israel over the telephone. “A huge investment of manpower and resources went into building this tunnel.”The tunnel includes a staircase and an entrance.“We were not able to excavate it completely,” Matskevich said. “Even for us, it would be a tremendous amount of work. However, we dug some test pits and found that, in some places, the ceiling is almost five meters high, which is huge. So we started to ask ourselves, when was it done, and for what purpose?”At this stage, however, the archaeologists have not been able to determine either with a good degree of certainty.“We did consider this possibility that it was a modern structure, [connected] to the complicated history of the 20th century,” Matskevich said. “This is not the case. There is a huge accumulation of material, many stages of accumulation, so it’s not modern.”The tunnel was filled with debris that IAA experts estimate accumulated over hundreds, and possibly thousands, of years.Asked whether any artifacts were found to help date the structure, Matskevich explained that they did come across pottery fragments and even prehistoric flint tools from the Neolithic period, but these were not connected to the construction of the tunnel itself.At the same time, the area where the tunnel is located also includes other ancient structures that could be associated with it.“Ramat Rachel is just half a kilometer west from our cave, and it was occupied from the Iron Age [1200-586 CE] until Islamic times [7th-11th centuries CE],” Matskevich said. “We see many ancient administrative buildings from both the Iron Age and Roman times that required a lot of stones, and our best guess is that the tunnel was actually a quarry.”Some quarrying debris was found on the tunnel floor, and a shaft was carved into the tunnel ceiling, which might have been used for ventilation. These elements support the hypothesis that the tunnel was used for quarrying, possibly to reach a layer of soft chalkstone.According to Matskevich, the tunnel was probably built at least 2,000 years ago, in Roman times, and likely even earlier, but they cannot be sure.What is clear is that at some point, many people made a considerable effort to dig it, and therefore someone made a very conscious choice.“Archeology in Jerusalem always provides surprises,” Matskevich said. “At the same time, I have been working in Jerusalem for more than 20 years, and I have never found anything as surprising and fascinating as this tunnel, providing us with so many questions.”
'Coins were the Instagram of the first century BCE'-2,000-year-old coin with earliest menorah image returned to Israel after seized in US-Joint operation also sees return of 2,500-year-old silver coin, one of two known examples in the world, as officials stress importance of international cooperation to combat looting By Rossella Tercatin-14 May 2026, 4:43 pm
Two rare coins dating to over 2,000 years ago have been returned to Israel, following a joint law-enforcement operation between Israel and the United States, the Israel Antiquities Authority said in a statement on Tuesday.One of the coins bears the earliest known depiction of the seven-branched Jewish menorah, along with a showbread table used in the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. It was minted in bronze in the first half of the first century CE, when the Second Temple was still standing.The other coin, a 2,500-year-old silver coin most likely minted in the ancient city of Ashkelon, is only the second of its kind known worldwide.According to the IAA, the coins were unearthed by looters and smuggled abroad. They were set to be sold at auctions in the US but were seized in a joint operation between the IAA Theft Prevention Unit, the Antiquities Trafficking Unit at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, and US Homeland Security.The artifacts were handed over during a ceremony in New York on Monday.Both coins are very representative of the period and location they came from, according to Robert Kool, head of the IAA Coin Department.“What makes this coin so interesting is the iconography,” Kool told The Times of Israel over the phone, referring to the menorah.The value of bronze coins was significantly lower than that of gold or silver coins, and they are much more common to find in archaeological excavations and on the market.Yet, the Hasmonean coin saved in the US represents something of an exception, both because only a few dozen like it have been identified (a relatively small number for a bronze coin) and because of the highly symbolic value of its engravings.Mattathias Antigonus was the last of the Maccabees, the family of high priests who, over a century earlier, defeated the Greek Seleucids in the story celebrated with the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.He was supported by the Parthians, the group that ruled Persia and other territories in the East at the time, who in 40 BCE conquered the land of Israel from the Romans and installed Mattathias as king of Jerusalem.“Herod was seen as an usurper, and Mattathias was not only the king, but also the high priest,” Kool noted. “These coins were sending a message: ‘I am the king and the high priest, and I’m safeguarding the most precious symbols and the Temple for the Jewish people.”At the time, the Temple was still standing, but, according to Yuval Baruch, a researcher of menorahs and head of the IAA Archaeology Administration, only the priests could approach the candelabra.“During the time of Mattathias Antigonus, access to the menorah inside the Temple in Jerusalem was limited,” he explained in an IAA statement in 2024. “We assume that no one (except the priests themselves) could stand next to the menorah with drafting tools and draw it, but could only look at it from afar. All people could do was imprint the appearance of the menorah in their memory and later — sketch or design it — from memory.”The coin also bears inscriptions in both paleo-Hebrew script and Greek, the former reading “Mattathias the High Priest,” and the latter “King Antigonus.”“He was the first to use this double title in two languages,” Kool said. “On the one hand, he calls himself the high priest; on the other, he wanted to portray himself as a Hellenistic king, which is not surprising because they lived in a Hellenistic environment, and in Hellenistic culture, it was quite natural to have the high priest and the kingship combined.”The expert explained that, in ancient times, minting coins served not only a practical purpose but also a political statement.“Coins were the Instagram of the first century BCE,” he said. “How would a ruler disseminate his ideology otherwise, in a time when there were no media?”In 37 BCE, Mattathias Antigonus was defeated by Herod, who turned the region into a Roman vassal state.Coins bearing Jewish symbols were minted again about a century later, during the First Jewish Revolt.The other coin, returned to Israel in New York, depicts the Greek goddess Athena with her helmet on the obverse and an owl spreading its wings on the reverse, images similar to those on the Athenian silver tetradrachm. It also featured the letters alef and nun in Phoenician script, the first and last letters of Ashkelon, suggesting its origin.“During the fifth and fourth centuries BCE, Ashkelon was a Phoenician city,” Kool said.“The Phoenicians were great traders active across the Mediterranean,” he added. “The coin imitates the Athenian tetradrachm, which was basically the most important standard currency of its time in the eastern Mediterranean.”Silver tetradrachms weighed about 17 grams. Similar coins were minted in several locations at the time for commercial use.However, the only other coin of the exact same type known in the world is currently part of the Israel Museum collection.Also in this case, the coin was not found in an archaeological excavation, but rather acquired by Haim Gitler, chief archaeology curator and curator of numismatics at the Israel Museum, in an auction in 1998.Since they are detached from their archaeological context, artifacts from the antiquity market cannot provide the same information as those retrieved during a scientific expedition.According to Gitler, the letters alef and nun next to the owl are likely to refer to Ashkelon, since adding the first and last letter of a city name to indicate a coin’s origins was a known phenomenon — though not all experts agree.“We can see two coins were struck using the same dies, as in both, it looks like Athena is crying,” said Gitler, referring to an imperfection in the image that resembles a tear, showing that the same tool was used to manufacture them. “The coin retrieved from the IAA was minted before the other one, because it’s in better condition, which means the dies were less deteriorated.”Gitler also said that the coins might not have been minted in the city itself, but rather at a central Phoenician mint producing coins for multiple Phoenician cities.According to the auction house he bought the coin from, the artifact he acquired was part of a hoard found in the Egyptian city of Ismailiya in 1983, made of several silver tetradrachms from the period.“We believe that the Phoenician tetradrachm we are discussing imitated Athenian coins dated between 420 and 405 BCE,” Gitler said.Gitler explained that it is not surprising that no similar coin has ever been found in an archaeological excavation, as, in general, there are many more known coins from the antiquity market than from excavations.Kool reiterated the importance of working against antiquity looting and illegal trade.“It really destroys culture, whether in Israel or in any other country in the world,” he said.Both Israeli and US officials stressed the importance of international cooperation to eradicate the threat.“The illegal trade in looted antiquities is a widespread international phenomenon, which requires cooperation between countries and enforcement agencies around the world,” IAA Theft Prevention Unit deputy director Eitan Klein said in a statement.“This is a partnership that should serve as a model for the return of looted cultural heritage around the world,” noted Col. Matthew Bogdanos, chief of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
Reporter's notebook 'He is the king, but I felt a genuine warmth and concern'King Charles comforts wounded Jewish community in London’s Golders Green-Visit comes weeks after terrorist stabbing attack wounded two and arsonists torched ambulances of Jewish EMT service amid unprecedented wave of violent antisemitism-By Lianne Kolirin 14 May 2026, 8:43 pm
LONDON — Police once again locked down the heavily Jewish neighborhood of Golders Green in northwest London on Thursday — but unlike after the stabbing attack in which a terrorist wounded two Jewish men last month, this time the cordon was welcome, as residents of the area turned out in force to greet King Charles III.The monarch visited the head office of Jewish Care, a leading nonprofit health and social care organization serving the local Jewish community, and met with the two men who were stabbed just feet away from the building as he sought to express his support for the country’s under fire Jewish community.British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, who was also at the meeting, along with Metropolitan Police chief Mark Rowley, told Charles his visit was much appreciated by the victims, 34-year-old Shloime Rand and 76-year-old Norman Shine.Mirvis later wrote on Facebook: “Thank you, your Majesty, for coming today to Golders Green to bring comfort and encouragement to our Jewish community.”Charles was met by a cheering crowd of people who live and work in the area, many of whom called out, “Long live the King,” as he arrived. Some had come after hearing about the visit in the synagogue, while others picked up the news while shopping at nearby stores such as Kosher Kingdom.Speaking afterwards, Shine, who was stabbed in the neck, said he had felt “genuine warmth” from the monarch.“The most inspiring thing was that he didn’t let go of my hand,” said Shine. “I mean, it was amazing. He is the king, but I felt a genuine warmth and concern.”Somali-born Essa Suleiman, 45, has been charged with three counts of attempted murder in connection with the stabbing on April 29. He is accused of trying to kill another man before stabbing Rand and Shine that day.The trip to Golders Green came the day after the king’s speech that marked the opening of parliament at Westminster, in which Charles outlined government plans to introduce tougher new legislation to protect the Jewish community from growing antisemitism. It also coincided with the publication of a letter by Prince Harry, who is estranged from Charles, condemning the “deeply troubling” rise in antisemitism in the country.The stabbings were the most recent in a string of attacks on Britain’s Jewish community in recent months, amid an unprecedented spike in antisemitism following Israel’s wars in Gaza and Iran, which were sparked by the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre.Two men were killed during Yom Kippur services in a Manchester terror attack this past October, and four ambulances belonging to the Jewish volunteer emergency service Hatzola were torched by arsonists in March, as the nonprofit Community Security Trust reported that 3,700 antisemitic incidents were recorded targeting the community of 290,000 last year.While at Jewish Care, Charles also met with representatives of the emergency response service Shomrim, who were first responders at the stabbing and apprehended the attacker.Outside, Charles chatted with members of the Jewish community who had waited to catch a glimpse of him.“It’s a dangerous world, isn’t it?” the king said, while speaking with members of the public. When another person described the April 29 attack as “horrific,” Charles replied: “I know.”The visit was intended to “reaffirm his steadfast support” for the Jewish community amid rising security concerns following the attack, Buckingham Palace said in a statement.He was presented with a loaf of challah from the popular Grodz bakery, which has been a much-loved institution in London for over a century, and also spoke with children from a local primary school. Pasted to the railings behind the children was a sign decorated with pictures of London buses and featuring the Hebrew wording for a prayer traditionally recited upon seeing royalty.The King’s grandmother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, was recognised as Righteous Among the Nations for saving Jews during the Holocaust. Following the horrific rise in antisemitism and the recent terror attacks targeting Jews, the King has visited Golders Green today. At a… pic.twitter.com/Q77uxKOBZk — Dov Forman (@DovForman) May 14, 2026-One woman, who asked to be named only as Leah, explained the meaning behind the blessing.“The Jewish people revere monarchy, whether they’re Jewish or not. And we are given an opportunity of making a special blessing when you see monarchy in real life, whether a king or a queen,” she said, adding that this is different from the prayer for the royal family traditionally recited in synagogue on Shabbat mornings. “It’s a special blessing to thank them for the ability to live safely and for sharing the honor of their kingdom with us — and that is what we all hope to say now.”Leah said she has lived in the area for 36 years, after moving from New York.“This country has always been very good to me — until now,” she said.A man who asked only to be named as Yakir said he came down to join the gathering after hearing about the king’s imminent visit at synagogue this morning.“He should know what’s going on in the world and hopefully things will get better. It must stop,” Yakir said of antisemitism in Britain.Susan Winegarten, 77, had the wording for the prayer open on her phone. There with her granddaughter, Winegarten told The Times of Israel that she had previously recited it when she saw the royal entourage on its way to the late Princess Diana’s funeral, and also while as a guest with her husband at a garden party at Buckingham Palace.Winegarten had also attended the procession for the coronation of the king’s late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, when she was just 4 years old. She described Charles’s visit at this difficult time for the community as “lovely.”Winegarten said the stabbing took place down the road from where she lives.“It was crazy,” she said. “The roads were all blocked. I couldn’t get out, even to walk.”She said she was born and spent much of her life in Golders Green, and could never have imagined something like this happening. “It just doesn’t seem real,” she said.Zev Stub and AFP contributed to this report
