ISRAELS STRATEGY FOR GAZA, HEZBOLLAH AND PROBABLY THE WEST BANK ALSO.

 
ISRAELS STRATEGY FOR GAZA, HEZBOLLAH AND PROBABLY THE WEST BANK ALSO.


REVELATION VERESE BY VERSE BY DR JACK AND REXELLA VAN IMPE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIYtJAUUx0o&list=PLQ6QjtBzr5_eln4Wwdyqw8niA97w7bpv6
TAPE 1 - REV CH 1 - 4:6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4egxDQbC-Po&list=PLQ6QjtBzr5_eln4Wwdyqw8niA97w7bpv6&ind
TAPE 2 - REV CH 4:7-8 TO 9:31
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAHF8qRW_0c&list=PLQ6QjtBzr5_eln4Wwdyqw8niA97w7bpv6&index=3
TAPE 3 - REV CH 10:1 TO 14:1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8nvow7gDsI
TAPE 4 - REV CH 14:2 TO REV 18:25
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jzejO8qr1g
TAPE 5 - REV CH 19:1 TO REV 22:20
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFSaL7wuOZU&list=PLQ6QjtBzr5_eln4Wwdyqw8niA97w7bpv6&index=6
TAPE 1 - REVELATION RUMBLINGS

DANIEL VERSE BY VERSE BY DR JACK AND REXELLA VAN IMPE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zvrylU6E2A
TAPE 1 - DAN 1:1 TO DAN 3:30
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dySOniNlbjA
TAPE 2 - DAN 4:1 TO DAN 6:28
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPlfIHcQVrE
TAPE 3 - DAN 7:1 TO DAN 9:27
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHB_jtS6NF8
TAPE 4 - DAN 10:1 TO DAN 12:13

ISLAM I BELIEVE IS A MADE UP FAKE CHRISTIAN RELGION IMMITATION.DREAMPT UP IN 600BC. (WATCH 2ND)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EaopH_EPfc
ARABS-NAME AN IMPORTANT ARAB IN HISTORY (WATCH 1ST)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deiShtWReYE

GAYS MARRYING-EVERYBODY CAN JOIN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/pope-francis-opens-meeting-on-future-of-catholic-church-by-saying-everyone-must-be-allowed-in/
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=POPE+FRANCIS+ANYBODY+CAN+JOIN+THE+CATHOLIC+CURCH+VIDEO&t=newext&atb=v387-1&iax=videos&ia=videos&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DMKh2nNVjV24
JVI THE FINAL POPE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIY8wdebNqo

What happens if Fani Willis is disqualified in the Trump election case?By Ashley Oliver-February 18, 2024 7:00 am

The most pressing question in the election interference case against former President Donald Trump in Georgia has become whether a judge will disqualify the lead prosecutor from it.Judge Scott McAfee presided over a stunning, drama-filled two-day hearing on Thursday and Friday to examine the matter, and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis could now learn her fate within a few weeks.The hearing, for its part, involved Willis taking the stand in her own case, appearing heated at times as attorneys questioned her about a secret relationship she had with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she hired in November 2021 to help with the Trump case.The previously undisclosed relationship first surfaced in a court document filed last month by co-defendant Mike Roman. He argued Willis should be dismissed from the case because she allegedly financially benefited from going on vacations, cruises, and day trips with Wade while she was paying him a hefty hourly wage using public funds-Willis and Wade both claimed during their testimonies, however, that they split costs involved with spending time together roughly evenly. Asked to explain travel costs Wade had booked on his credit card, he and Willis both testified that she always reimbursed him in untraceable cash.Now, aside from addressing a few straggling items of evidence, McAfee said he will schedule closing arguments sometime in the coming two weeks on the question of whether Willis and Wade’s relationship presents a conflict of interest that is grounds for her disqualification.It is unclear how soon after closing arguments McAfee will issue a ruling, but the stakes are enormous, meaning the judge could want to take weeks to piece through evidence and court precedents.If he were to decide Willis has an irreversible conflict of interest, a designated state official would then be tasked with deciding where to move the case against Trump and 18 co-defendants. That task may present insurmountable hurdles.“It’s difficult for me to imagine any other district attorney that would be willing to take up the case because they will probably have to start over from scratch,” Phil Holloway, an Atlanta-based attorney for more than two decades, told the Washington Examiner.“The reason for that is if the case is so tainted at this point by virtue of a Fani Willis conflict of interest, then the whole thing might need to start over, and that’s a big ask,” Holloway said.Georgia-based political law attorney Courtney Kramer, who worked in the Trump White House counsel’s office in 2018, agreed.“No one’s going to pick [the case] up. No DA really wants to touch this,” Kramer said during a phone interview. “What they are trying to convict these defendants of … she has not proved all of the elements of all of those crimes in the indictment at the outset.”Kramer added, “The problem is that she did not properly prepare for this indictment or for this case at all.”Holloway said he believes disqualification will be possible, especially if McAfee ends up finding the claim that Willis reimbursed Wade in cash not credible.Wade also struggled during his testimony on Thursday to corroborate certain parts of sworn statements he had submitted to the Fulton court and in his divorce proceedings, particularly about receipts and when his relationship with Willis started.If the judge believes evidence supports that Wade or Willis lied, Holloway said, then “theoretically that could be enough to prove fraud on the court, and if we get to that point, Fani Willis and Nathan Wade have bigger problems than the outcome of this particular court case.”Anthony Michael Kreis, a Georgia State University College of Law professor, said in a statement on social media that he did not see how defense lawyers “have met their evidentiary burden.”“Given all the mud-slinging, however… is there enough to constitute an *appearance of impropriety* at this point? That’s where I’d be nervous if I were the Fulton County DA,” Kreis continued. “But in terms of an actual, concrete conflict of interest, which I believe is the standard? That is DOA.”Trump said in a statement on his social media platform Truth Social that the Willis controversy was a “MAJOR LEAGUE SCANDAL.”“The legal pundits, experts, and scholars are all screaming that this Witch Hunt, which has hurt so many fine people and patriots, should be immediately terminated and permanently erased from everyone’s memory,” Trump said.

DISEASES-ANIMAL TO HUMAN ( 500 million Dead )

REVELATION 6:7-8
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) of (8 billion) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS)(500 million) and with hunger,(FAMINE)(500 million) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES)(500 million) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE)(500 million).

DRUG PUSHERS AND ADDICTS

1 PET 5:8
8 Be sober,(NOT DRUGED UP OR ALCOHOLICED) be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

REVELATION 18:23
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries (DRUGS) were all nations deceived.

REVELATION 9:21 (RAGE OF THE LAST DAYS AGE SATAN WORSHIP AND DRUG SELLING AND JUNKIES)(THEY REFUSE TO REPENT OF THESE SINS)
21 Neither repented they of their murders,(KILLING) nor of their sorceries (DRUG ADDICTS AND DRUG PUSHERS), nor of their fornication,(SEX OUTSIDE MARRIAGE OR PROSTITUTION FOR MONEY) nor of their thefts.(STEALING)

Largest COVID vaccine study yet finds links to health conditions By Jason Gale Bloomberg News • February 19, 2024

Pharmacist Aaron Sun administers a COVID-19 vaccine to Jimmy Smagula at a CVS in Eagle Rock in September. Pharmacist Aaron Sun administers a COVID-19 vaccine to Jimmy Smagula at a CVS in Eagle Rock in September. (Irfan Khan/TNS) (Tribune News Service) — Vaccines that protect against severe illness, death and lingering long COVID symptoms from a coronavirus infection were linked to small increases in neurological, blood, and heart-related conditions in the largest global vaccine safety study to date. The rare events — identified early in the pandemic — included a higher risk of heart-related inflammation from mRNA shots made by Pfizer Inc., BioNTech SE, and Moderna Inc., and an increased risk of a type of blood clot in the brain after immunization with viral-vector vaccines such as the one developed by the University of Oxford and made by AstraZeneca Plc. The viral-vector jabs were also tied to an increased risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological disorder in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the peripheral nervous system. More than 13.5 billion doses of COVID vaccines have been administered globally over the past three years, saving over 1 million lives in Europe alone. Still, a small proportion of people immunized were injured by the shots, stoking debate about their benefits versus harms. The new research, by the Global Vaccine Data Network, was published in the journal Vaccine last week, with the data made available via interactive dashboards to show methodology and specific findings. The research looked for 13 medical conditions that the group considered “adverse events of special interest” among 99 million vaccinated individuals in eight countries, aiming to identify higher-than-expected cases after a COVID shot. The use of aggregated data increased the possibility of identifying rare safety signals that might have been missed when looking only at smaller populations. Myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle, was consistently identified following a first, second and third dose of mRNA vaccines, the study found. The highest increase in the observed-to-expected ratio was seen after a second jab with the Moderna shot. A first and fourth dose of the same vaccine was also tied to an increase in pericarditis, or inflammation of the thin sac covering the heart. Safety Signals Researchers found a statistically significant increase in cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome within 42 days of an initial Oxford-developed ChAdOx1 or “Vaxzevria” shot that wasn’t observed with mRNA vaccines. Based on the background incidence of the condition, 66 cases were expected — but 190 events were observed. ChAdOx1 was linked to a threefold increase in cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, a type of blood clot in the brain, identified in 69 events, compared with an expected 21. The small risk led to the vaccine’s withdrawal or restriction in Denmark and multiple other countries. Myocarditis was also linked to a third dose of ChAdOx1 in some, but not all, populations studied. Possible safety signals for transverse myelitis — spinal cord inflammation — after viral-vector vaccines was identified in the study. So was acute disseminated encephalomyelitis — inflammation and swelling in the brain and spinal cord — after both viral-vector and mRNA vaccines. Seven cases of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis after vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were observed, versus an expectation of two. The adverse events of special interest were selected based on pre-established associations with immunization, what was already known about immune-related conditions and pre-clinical research. The study didn’t monitor for postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, that some research has linked with COVID vaccines. Exercise intolerance, excessive fatigue, numbness and “brain fog” were among common symptoms identified in more than 240 adults experiencing chronic post-vaccination syndrome in a separate study conducted by the Yale School of Medicine. The cause of the syndrome isn’t yet known, and it has no diagnostic tests or proven remedies. The Yale research aims to understand the condition to relieve the suffering of those affected and improve the safety of vaccines, said Harlan Krumholz, a principal investigator of the study, and director of the Yale New Haven Hospital Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation. “Both things can be true,” Krumholz said in an interview. “They can save millions of lives, and there can be a small number of people who’ve been adversely affected.” ©2024 Bloomberg L.P Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Read more at: https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2024-02-18/covid-vaccine-study-health-conditions-13048925.html-Source - Stars and Stripes

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.

STRONGS CONCORDANCE FOR VIOLENCE IN THE BIBLE-SEE IT FOR YOURSELVES.
2554. chamas - Strong's Concordance - chamas: to treat violently or wrong - Part of Speech: Verb - Transliteration: chamas -Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-mas') - Definition: to treat violently or wrong - make bare, shake off, violate, do violence, take away violently, wrong -A primitive root; to be violent; by implication, to maltreat -- make bare, shake off, violate, do violence, take away violently, wrong, imagine wrongfully.

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)

SECOND ANGEL: The Middle East DR DOCTORIAN
Then Isawthat the second angel had a sickle in his hand,such asis used in harvesting. The second angelsaid, “Harvest time has come in Israel and the countries all the wayto Iran.” Isawthose countriesin a fewsplitseconds. “All of Turkey and those other countries that have refused me and refused my message of love shall hate each other and kill one another.” I saw the angel raise the sickle and come down on all the Middle East countries.I saw Iran, Persia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, all of Georgia – Iraq, Syria,Lebanon,Jordan, Israel, all of Asia Minor – full of blood. Isaw blood all over these countries. And I saw fire; nuclear weapons were used in many of those countries. Smoke rising from everywhere. Sudden destruction – men destroying one another. I heard these words, “Israel, Oh Israel, the great judgment has come.”The angel said, “The chosen, the church, the remnant, shall be purified. The Spirit of God shall prepare the children of God.” I saw fires rising to heaven.The angel said, “This is the final judgment My church shall be purified, protected and ready for the final day. Men will die from thirst. Watershall be scarce all over the Middle East. Rivers shall dry up, and men will fight for water in those countries.” The angelshowed me that the United Nationsshall be broken in pieces because of the crisisin the Middle East. There shall be no more United Nations. The angel with the sickle shall reap the harvest.

FALSE FLAGS (SET UP OR STAGED BY SOMEONE)
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=3409375633223151728#docid=-6703838290529161821
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=3409375633223151728#docid=8697248641166616573
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=3409375633223151728#

ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)

ISAIAH 54:3
03-King James Bible-For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

The right hand was a symbol of strength-Exodus 15:6, ” Your right hand, O LORD, is majestic in power. Your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy.”

EZEKIEL 17:15-24 (MUSLIM COUNTRIES HISTORY)
15 But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered?
16 As I live, saith the Lord God, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.
17 Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by casting up mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons:
18 Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape.
19 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head.
20 And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me.
21 And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds: and ye shall know that I the Lord have spoken it.
22 Thus saith the Lord God; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent:
23 In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.
24 And all the trees of the field shall know that I the Lord have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the Lord have spoken and have done it.

PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they (MUSLIMS) have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, PALESTINIANS,JORDAN) and the Hagarenes;(EGYPT)
7 Gebal,(HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON) and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA,ARABS,SINAI) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
8 Assyria (SYRIA) also has joined with them; They have helped the children of Lot. Selah
9 Deal with them as with Midian, As with Sisera, As with Jabin at the Brook Kishon,
10 Who perished at En Dor, Who became as refuse on the earth.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and like Zeeb, Yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 Who said, “Let us take for ourselves The pastures of God for a possession.”
13 O my God, make them like the whirling dust, Like the chaff before the wind!
14 As the fire burns the woods, And as the flame sets the mountains on fire,
15 So pursue them with Your tempest, And frighten them with Your storm.
16 Fill their faces with shame, That they may seek Your name, O Lord.
17 Let them be [e]confounded and dismayed forever; Yes, let them be put to shame and perish,
18 That they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord, Are the Most High over all the earth.

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.

AMIR TSARFATI ON ISRAEL STRATEGY FOR RAFAH-LEBANON (IF HEZZBOLLAH COMES AGAINST ISRAEL-LEBANON INFASTRUCTURE IN 24 HRS IS HISTORY.BY AUGUST)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2GGa1zPE7E
ISRAEL WILL ENTER INTO RAFAH WERE THE COCK ROACHES OF HAMAS 4TH BRIGADE ARE HIDING IN.ISRAEL WILL FIND MORE HOSTAGES IN RAFAH.ISRAEL WILL BE GOING TO KICK HAMAS BUT REAL GOOD AND ANNIHILATE THEM FROM RAFAH. AND EVERY BODY AROUND WILL UNDERSTAND. THIS IS THEIR HAMAS'S COCK ROACH END.BUT AMIR EXPLAINS-THE BIG WAR IS NOT THE ONE IN GAZA.THE BIG WAR WILL BE COMING FROM THE NORTH LEBANON.GAZA IS JUST A STROLL IN THE PARK COMPARED TO THE WAR WE ARE PREPARING FOR THAT IS COMING IN LEBANON. ISRAEL IS NOT STARTING A WAR WITH LEBANON RIGHT NOW NOT BECAUSE WE DO NOT THINK ITS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. ITS BECAUSE WE DO NOT THINK ITS THE RIGHT TIME. WE WANT TO FINISH THE JOB IN GAZA. WE WANT TO TRAIN OUR TROOPS VERY WELL. WE WANT TO IMPLIMENT EVERY THING WE LEARNED IN GAZA. BECAUSE THE GAZA CAMPAIN MADE OUR MILITARY SHARP IN WAYS THAT IT HAS NEVER BEEN.THE WAY WE OPERATE THE GROUND FORCES, THE ENGINNERING CORPS AND THE AIR FORCE, UNPRECIDENTED. THE WAY WE COMMUNICATE BETWEEN ALL FORCES, WITH THE NAVY OF COURSE, UNBELIEVABLE. WHAT WE ARE NOW DOING IS PROCESSING EVERYTHING. WE ARE TRAINING OUR ELITE SOLDIERS RIGHT NOW. I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU EXACTLY WHEN I BELIEVE OR WHEN I KNOW THAT WERE GOING TO ATTACK. BUT I WILL TELL YOU THAT THERE IS, UNLESS HEZBOLLAH DECIDES TO PULL OUT OF SOUTHERN LEBANON, ACROSS THE LITANI RIVER, AND JUST COMPLETELY CLEAN SOUTHERN LEBANON FROM ITS PRESENCE, THERES GOING TO BE A WAR WITH LEBANON. ISRAEL IS PREPARING FOR A WAR. YOU DON'T HEAR THAT IN THE LIBERAL PROPAGANA FAKE NEWS MEDIA OF MISFITS AND GAY AND TRANNY LOVERS.(MY COMMENT). NOW BACK TO TO AMIR TSARFATI AGAIN TO CARRY ON WITH ISRAELS STRATEGY. BUT CARGO SHIPS LOADED WITH MUNITIONS AND WEAPONS ARE ARRIVING ALMOST EVERY WEEK. CARGO PLANES WITH LOADED WITH MUNITIONS AND WEAPONS ARE ARRIVING. AND THE WEAPONS THAT WE MANUFACTURE AND WE WERE ABOUT TO SELL. ISRAEL IS NOW BUILDING UP ITS READINESS AND WE ARE GONNA FIGHT. AND I'LL TELL YOU SOMETHING. ITS NOT GOING TO BE GAZA. ITS NOT GOING TO BE A TERROR ORGANIZATION THAT IS CONTROLLING A VERY SMALL TERRITORY THAT IS DENSLY POPULATED, WERE THERES A HUNDRED... AT THAT TIME, IT WAS 250 HOSTAGES HELD UNDER THE GROUND. ITS A DIFFERENT OPERA. WITH HEZBOLLAH, AND I SAY THAT FROM PAST EXPERIENCE, WITH HEZBOLLAH THERE IS A SOVEREIGN COUNTRY, LEBANON. THEY HAVE AIR PORTS, THEY HAVE POWER PLANTS, THEY HAVE BRIDGES, THEY HAVE INFRASTRUCTURES THAT AS A COUNTRY, I DON'T THINK THEY CAN LOSE. THE STRIKE THAT ISRAEL IS GOING TO DO IN THE FIRST 24 HOURS, SUPPOSED TO COMPLETLY PARALIZE THE ENTIRE COUNTRY OF LEBANON. I THINK THAT HEZBOLLAH IS WATCHING WHATS GOING ON. THEY'RE UP IN THE TREE. THEY NEED A LADDER TO GET DOWN FROM THE TREE. THEY SEE THAT WERE GOING ALL THE WAY WITH HAMAS (COCK ROACHES). THEY CAN'T STOP BECAUSE THEY PROMISED THE MUSLIM WORLD THAT THEY WILL FIGHT AS LONG AS WE ISRAELIS FIGHT IN GAZA. ON THE OTHER HAND, THEY CAN NOT ESCULATE ANYTHING. BECAUSE THEY DO NOT WANT THE WAR. AND SO, WHATS GOING TO HAPPEN IS A DISASTER FOR LEBANON. I BELIEVE ITS A MATTER OF A MONTH OR TWO OF INTENSE FIGHTING. AND THERES A GOOD CHANCE THAT BY AUGUST, MAYBE, YEH, BY AUG 24 WE WILL BE BEYOND ALL OF THIS.MUCH OF WHAT HAPPENS IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS DEPENDS ON THE AMERICAN ELECTIONS IN NOVEMBER AND AUGUST DEMOLIBNUT PRIMARIES. AND THE US ADMINISTRATION. ONE DAY ISRAEL IS GOING TO ASK ITSELF. WHY IS IT THAT WE ALLOW OURSELVES TO BE BE SO DEPENDANT ON U.S WEAPONS? BECAUSE WE CAN MANUFACTURE OUR OWN. ITS JUST THAT WE WERE NOT READY. ONE THING IS FOR SURE. NOW THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL KNOW THAT THEY GOT TO FINISH HAMAS OFF. NO IF ANDS OR BUTS.AND THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE BUT TO FIGHT HEZBOLLAH IF WE DON'T WANT ANOTHER OCT 7TH. NO MATTER HOW ALL THE NAZI COCK ROACH SUPPORTERS AROUND THE WORLD CRY FOWL AGAINST ISRAEL.

Ship reportedly attacked near Yemen; US hits Houthi targets including undersea drone-Separately, vessel damaged in attack and abandoned by crew; CENTCOM says targets included 1st reported use of underwater drone since attacks began, and rarely-used floating UAV-By Agencies and ToI Staff Today, 8:24 am-FEB 19,24

A UK-registered cargo ship reported coming under attack in the Bab al-Mandab Strait off Yemen on Sunday, the British maritime security firm Ambrey said, while the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported crew abandoning a ship off Yemen after an explosion.Ambrey said that a Belize-flagged, UK-registered and Lebanese-operated open hatch general cargo ship reported being under attack in Bab al-Mandab Strait.The ship was heading north during its journey from Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates to Varna, Bulgaria, when the attack occurred, Ambrey said.“The partially laden vessel briefly slowed from 10 to six knots and deviated course, and contacted the Djiboutian Navy, before returning to her previous course and speed,” it said.The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it received a report of an incident 35 nautical miles south of Yemen’s Al Mukha, and that an explosion in close proximity to a vessel had resulted in damage, the agency said in an advisory note. It did not identify the ship.“Military authorities report crew have abandoned the vessel,” UKMTO added in an updated advisory note early on Monday, adding that the vessel was at anchor and all crew were safe.Yemen’s Houthi group has launched repeated drone and missile attacks against international commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait since mid-November, saying it is acting in solidarity with Palestinians amid Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza, sparked by the terror group’s devastating October 7 attack.The attacks have prompted several companies to halt Red Sea journeys and opt for a longer and more expensive route around Africa, and US and British warplanes have carried out retaliatory strikes across Yemen. The Houthis have since declared the two countries’ interests to be legitimate targets as well.There was no immediate comment in Houthi-run media on the incident.Meanwhile, US forces in the Red Sea successfully conducted “five self-defense strikes” to foil attacks by land and sea from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, the American military said Sunday.The strikes occurred between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday Sanaa time (1200 and 1700 GMT), the US Central Command said, and were part of a series of actions taken by the United States and its allies against the Houthis, aimed at halting the Iran-backed rebels’ repeated attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes.The five strikes included targeting “the first observed Houthi employment of a UUV (unmanned underwater vessel) since attacks began” in October, according to a statement from CENTCOM.Another of the five involved an unmanned surface vessel, or USV, essentially a floating drone. The use of such vessels has been comparatively rare.The other three involved anti-ship cruise missiles, the statement said.“CENTCOM identified the anti-ship cruise missiles, unmanned underwater vessel, and the unmanned surface vessel in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined they presented an imminent threat to US Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region,” it said, adding it struck the five to “make international waters safer.”The Red Sea attacks have raised insurance premiums for shipping companies, forcing many to avoid the Red Sea, a vital route that normally carries about 12 percent of global maritime trade.

Israel accused of repressing basic Palestinian freedoms in ICJ hearing on West Bank rule-Israel rejects legitimacy of World Court proceedings sought by Palestinians, who want Israeli control of West Bank, East Jerusalem to be declared illegal in non-binding process-By Jeremy Sharon-Today, 5:17 pm-FEB 19,24

Israel faced an avalanche of condemnation and denunciation in the International Court of Justice on Monday, as Palestinian representatives accused Jerusalem of creating a permanent and illegal occupation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and of establishing a system of apartheid in its treatment of the Palestinians.The proceedings on Monday were the first of six days of hearings in The Hague over the UN General Assembly’s request for an advisory opinion by the ICJ on the “legal consequences” of Israel’s 56-year rule in the territories.Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad Maliki accused Israel of giving Palestinians the choice of “ethnic cleansing, apartheid, or genocide” due to its long-term rule of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and he and other representatives for the Palestinians asked the ICJ to “declare that the Israeli occupation is illegal” and to call for its immediate end.The hearing drew swift castigation from Israel’s Foreign Ministry, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office rejected the legitimacy of the proceedings, alleging they were “designed to harm Israel’s right to defend itself from existential threats,” and “dictate the results of a diplomatic settlement without any negotiations.”In a brief statement to the ICJ issued last year in response to the proceedings, Israel emphasized that previous efforts to politically resolve the conflict had run aground, pointing to statements by former US president Bill Clinton, former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, and former Saudi ambassador to the United States Prince Bandar bin Sultan, accusing the Palestinians of failing to come to an agreement with Israel and thereby end Israeli rule in the territories.The Palestinian Authority had lobbied for the UN General Assembly to request the advisory opinion. It is seeking a ruling by the court that Israeli rule in the West Bank and East Jerusalem is illegal, and that Israel must end that rule, dismantle Israeli settlements, and provide restitution to Palestinians who have been harmed by it.Advisory opinions by the ICJ are non-binding and have no legal ramifications, but the hearing nonetheless carries enormous emotional and diplomatic heft amid Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza following the October 7 attack and increased criticism worldwide of the Jewish state’s dealings with the Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank.On Sunday, Israel’s government unanimously backed a declaration rejecting a reported US-led proposal to set a firm timeline for recognition of a Palestinian state, saying this would be a “massive prize” for the terrorist massacre in southern Israel four months ago.“A Palestinian can spend their entire lifetime as a refugee, denied dignity and the right to return home… under constant threat, have their loved ones thrown in Israeli jail and held there indefinitely, and their land stolen, colonized, and annexed,” said Maliki in opening remarks for the Palestinians.“For decades, Palestinians have endured colonialism and apartheid,” he continued, and requested that the court “declare that the Israeli occupation is illegal” and that it must end “immediately, totally and unconditionally.”The oral arguments presented by the Palestinian representatives almost entirely ignored the political nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict over the territories, past efforts to resolve the dispute, and the ongoing applicability of the Oslo Accords to resolving it in a political, not legal, framework.International lawyer Paul Reichler presented the legal arguments for the Palestinian case, saying that Israeli control of the territories constitutes an illegal occupation and citing the UN Charter as well as UN Security Council resolutions 242, 478, and 2334, among others.He described the settler movement in which some 700,000 Israelis now live in West Bank settlements and East Jerusalem neighborhoods as “a vast colonial enterprise” in which he alleged Israel had “implanted settlers” as part of a goal of permanent annexation.He also quoted the statements of several senior Israel officials indicating their intention to permanently annex parts or all of the West Bank, pointing by way of example to Netanyahu’s 2019 declaration that he intended to annex the Jordan Valley, as well as comments by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that it was “a national ambition” to control land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, which includes all of the West Bank.“The evidence is indisputable. Under an umbrella of a prolonged military occupation, [Israel] has been steadily annexing Palestinian territory and the objective is the permanent acquisition of this territory and to exercise sovereignty over it, in defiance of the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force,” said Reichler.“Senior Israeli officials admit their objective is sovereignty over all the territory over the green line… there is no reason not to take them at their word because their deeds are consistent with them.”Prof. Phillipe Sands, an expert in international law, presented arguments that Israel’s decades-long rule in the West Bank has denied the Palestinians their right to nationhood.“The Palestinians are a distinct people. As such they enjoy the same rights of every other people, namely the right to self-determination, to decide for themselves how they will live and organize politically, socially, and economically,” said Sands. “Israel] decides how, or if at all, Palestinians may meet, trade, live and love.”He accused the right-wing government ruling the country, which includes many politicians opposed to Palestinian statehood, of celebrating “the denial of Palestinian self-determination, sovereignty and statehood,” and alleged that Israel intended to keep the situation in place “forever.”A spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry denounced Monday’s hearing after it concluded, alleging the PA was “trying to turn a conflict that should be resolved through direct negotiations and without external impositions into a one-sided and improper legal process.” A statement called on the court to instruct the Palestinians to resolve the conflict through direct negotiations with Israel.“For years, the Palestinian leadership has rejected direct negotiations to resolve the conflict, while fostering incitement to terrorism, promoting antisemitism and providing financial incentives to terrorists who murder Jews,” said the spokesperson.“All of this was hidden from the Court in the distorted and one-sided questions posed to it by the [UN] General Assembly, which endeavor to predetermine the results of the proceedings without regard to the basic principles of international law and the legal framework that applies to the conflict.”

Katz: 'We will not forget and we will not forgive' Israel declares Brazil’s Lula persona non grata for comparing Gaza war to Holocaust-Reprimanding ambassador at Yad Vashem, foreign minister says president will have to apologize before being welcomed to Israel-By Lazar Berman-Today, 2:07 pm-FEB 19,24

Foreign Minister Israel Katz declared Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva persona non grata on Monday over his comparison of Israel’s war against Hamas to the Holocaust.Standing at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, Katz, the son of Holocaust survivors, told Brazil’s Ambassador Federico Mayer that Israel “will not forget and we will not forgive.”“In my name, and in the name of all Israeli citizens,” said Katz, “tell President Lula that he is persona non grata in Israel until he retracts his statements.”“I brought you to a place that testifies more than anything else to what the Nazis and Hitler did to the Jews, including members of my family,” he continued. “The comparison between Israel’s just war against Hamas and the atrocities of Hitler and the Nazis is a disgrace and a severe antisemitic attack.”Unusually for a diplomatic reprimand, the two also toured Yad Vashem together, and Katz showed Mayer the names of his grandparents who were killed in the Holocaust in the Book of Names.“It seems like he internalized the message,” an Israeli official who was present told The Times of Israel.“What’s happening in the Gaza Strip isn’t a war, it’s a genocide,” Lula told reporters on Sunday in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, where he was attending an African Union summit.“It’s not a war of soldiers against soldiers. It’s a war between a highly prepared army and women and children,” the veteran leftist politician falsely said.Lula went on to assert that “what is happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people hasn’t happened at any other moment in history” except one: “When Hitler decided to kill the Jews.”Israel is fighting a heavily armed terror group in the enclave in response to the deadliest attack on its population in its history. It says civilian casualties are the result of combatants operating from behind the cover of innocents, and that it makes efforts to minimize the deaths of Gazan civilians, including through evacuations of combat zones.Hamas’s unverified figures, which do not distinguish between combatants and civilians, point to around 29,000 Gazans killed in the war, or slightly over 1% of the Strip’s total estimated population. Israel says at least 10,000 of those were terror operatives, and that the war would end if Hamas were to release the Israeli hostages it took during its October 7 onslaught, and surrender.During the Holocaust, the Nazis, led by Adolf Hitler, systematically hunted down the Jewish population of Europe based on a racist ideology, deprived them of all rights, rounded them up in ghettos and camps and exterminated them, annihilating some two-thirds of the continent’s Jews.Israel responded with outrage to Lula’s comments on Sunday, calling them “shameful” and saying the country’s ambassador would be summoned for a “stern reprimand.”Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Brazilian leader had “crossed a red line.”“The words of the President of Brazil are shameful and alarming,” he said in a statement. “This is a trivialization of the Holocaust and an attempt to harm the Jewish people and Israel’s right to defend itself.”“Israel is fighting for its defense and securing its future until complete victory and it does so while upholding international law,” he continued.Dani Dayan, the chairman of Yad Vashem, said the comments represented blatant antisemitism and were “an outrageous combination of hatred and ignorance.”“Comparing a country fighting against a murderous terror organization to the actions of the Nazis in the Holocaust is worthy of all condemnation,” he added. “It is sad that the president of Brazil has stooped to such a level of extreme distortion of the Holocaust.”Major Jewish organizations in Brazil also condemned Lula’s statements.The Jewish state’s war with Hamas broke out on October 7, when the organization’s terrorists launched an unprecedented attack on Israel’s south, murdering some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 253 amid acts of brutality including sexual violence.It is believed that 134 hostages are being held in Gaza — not all of them alive — after 105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released prior to that. Three hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 11 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military. The number of hostages includes two civilians and two fallen soldiers who have been held by Hamas for nearly a decade.Israel declared war on Hamas with the proclaimed objectives of dismantling the terrorist organization and getting the hostages back.Opposition Leader Yair Lapid said Lula’s comments “show ignorance and antisemitism” and that Israel was “broken-hearted and shocked by the massacre of its citizens” on October 7.“I wonder what Lula would have said if a terrorist organization had harmed Brazil that way,” he added. “Shame.”Last month, the International Court of Justice held a hearing in the Hague after South Africa filed an application accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza and demanded the court order Israel to stop the fighting.The case is expected to last years. The court refused South Africa’s request to take immediate measures to order Israel to halt its campaign, but said there was “plausibility” to Pretoria’s claim that Israel was in breach of certain elements of the Genocide Convention amid the war and said Jerusalem must make efforts to prevent harm to civilians.Israel’s former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak, who served on the panel as Israel’s representative, argued that the ruling was based on “scant evidence.”

Suspected explosives-laden drone slams into field near Lower Galilee community-No injuries as projectile strikes near Arbel near Sea of Galilee, causing crater; Israeli jets strike Hezbollah targets in Lebanon
By Emanuel Fabian-and ToI Staff Today, 4:13 pm-FEB 19,24

A drone suspected of carrying explosives slammed into an open area near the Sea of Galilee on Monday, leaving a hole in a field but causing no injuries.The Israel Defense Forces said the drone was likely not an Israeli military UAV, meaning it may have been launched from Lebanon by Hezbollah or from Syria or Iraq by another Iran-backed terror group.“The circumstances of the incident are under investigation,” the IDF said.Images posted to social media showed a small crater in the ground in a field outside the Lower Galilee community of Arbel, as well as what appeared to be part of the suspected bomb-laden projectile.Local authorities said there were no injuries.Sappers were dispatched to the scene, police said.The suspected drone attack took place some 30 kilometers from Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, far deeper inside Israel than most attacks launched by Hezbollah, which have largely targeted the border region and Upper Galilee.The IDF said it struck several Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon’s Dhayra on Monday morning, and over the past day hit rocket-launching positions in Aitaroun and other Hezbollah infrastructure in Odaisseh in southern Lebanon.It also carried out an airstrike on a building in Ayta ash-Shab where a Hezbollah operative was spotted entering.Hezbollah claimed a series of attacks on northern Israel throughout Sunday, including an anti-tank guided missile that struck the entrance to the northern community of Shtula.Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces in Lebanon have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there. This has led to Israeli retaliations and regular cross-border fire, and has displaced tens of thousands of Israelis in border communities.Israel has warned it will no longer tolerate the presence of Hezbollah along the Lebanon frontier, where it could attempt to carry out an attack similar to the massacres committed by Hamas on October 7.It has warned that a failure of international diplomacy to force Hezbollah away from the border will necessitate an Israeli offensive.France has delivered a written proposal to Beirut and Israel aimed at ending hostilities and settling the disputed Lebanon-Israel frontier, but there are few signs that those efforts will bear fruit in the immediate term.Hezbollah signaled on Friday it would escalate attacks on Israel in response to the deaths of 10 Lebanese civilians killed in Israeli strikes on terror targets last week following a barrage fired at an Israeli military base near the northern city of Safed that killed a soldier.In a televised speech, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Israel would pay a price “in blood,” indicating the risk of an intensification of the conflict that has been rumbling across the Lebanese-Israeli border since the Gaza war erupted in October.In a signal that it was prepared for any escalation, the Israeli military released a statement on Friday saying that its ground forces were “training on terrain that simulates the northern borders in winter weather conditions.”Iran-backed groups in Syria and Iraq have largely halted attacks on US soldiers stationed in the Middle East since a deadly strike on a base in late January, after carrying out dozens of such assaults, also in apparent support of Hamas in Gaza.The freeze on attacks against the US by Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah and other came after the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force warned the group of harsh American retaliation, Reuters reported Sunday.

China's Wang says Canada not a 'rival' by AFP Staff Writers

Beijing (AFP) Feb 18, 2024-Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on Saturday told his Canadian counterpart Melanie Joly that their two countries were "not rivals, let alone enemies", as foreign interference fears in Ottawa weigh on a tense bilateral relationship.The two diplomats met on the sidelines of the Munich security conference in Germany, where Wang addressed the gathering of 180 leaders and defence chiefs, vowing that China would be a "force for stability" in the world.Relations between Beijing and Ottawa have been tense in recent years, after the arrest of a senior Chinese telecom executive on a US warrant in Vancouver in December 2018 and Beijing's retaliatory detention of two Canadians on espionage charges plunged relations into a deep freeze.Canada last year launched a public inquiry into foreign interference -- notably by China -- in its electoral and democratic institutions.China has been accused of seeking to interfere in Canada's 2019 and 2021 elections, with Ottawa expelling a Chinese diplomat in May 2023 over allegations of intimidation.Wang on Saturday told Joly the "current difficult situation... is not what China wants to see", according to a Chinese foreign ministry readout released Sunday."The two sides are not rivals, let alone enemies, and should become cooperative partners," Wang said.Wang urged Canada to "stop hyping the 'China threat theory' and stop spreading false information about so-called China interference in domestic affairs".The two foreign ministers also discussed "issues critical to global security, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East", according to a Canadian government readout of the meeting."Both Ministers agreed that bilateral issues should continue to be discussed pragmatically and constructively, in a spirit of mutual respect, with regular communication between the two sides," the readout added.

Can Europe defend itself? It may have 3 years to find out. By Natalia Drozdiak, Peter Martin and Ellen Milligan Bloomberg • February 17, 2024 A U.S.

Army paratrooper briefs a German soldier on the M240 machine gun during qualification for the Schuetzenschnur, the German Armed Forces badge of marksmanship, at the 7th Army Training Command’s Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, on June 17, 2021.. A U.S. Army paratrooper briefs a German soldier on the M240 machine gun during qualification for the Schuetzenschnur, the German Armed Forces badge of marksmanship, at the 7th Army Training Command’s Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, on June 17, 2021.. (Markus Rauchenberger/U.S. Army) Europe’s in a race against time to arm itself. Senior officials know they shouldn’t be counting on the US for Europe’s defense, but building up their own military capabilities requires a determination they’re yet to prove. The continent’s efforts leave it at least a decade away from being able to defend itself unaided, according to people familiar with these preparations. Amid fears that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may represent just the first phase of much broader imperial ambitions, western intelligence assessments are suggesting that the Kremlin could be in a position to target a NATO member within the much shorter span of three to five years. The resurgence of Donald Trump has upped the pressure, after the presidential hopeful said he’d welcome a Russian attack on NATO allies falling short on their spending commitments. That would leave more than a third of the alliance outside of the US security umbrella, according to new figures released Wednesday. The fact is that European leaders need no encouragement from across the pond to turn themselves into a serious military power, but everything from supply-chain snags to disagreements over procurement means they’re falling short. “It all takes time,” Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said in an interview in Brussels on Jan. 30. “Unfortunately, we do not have time.” Because Europe is witnessing the biggest conflict on its soil since World War II, it feels threatened. Because of its long history of relying on the US, it feels unprepared. And because Trump narrowly outpolls his democratic rival in surveys for the November election it’s feeling increasingly rattled, according to the officials who spoke to Bloomberg and who asked to remain anonymous when discussing matters of strategy. These fears are likely to dominate panels and conversations from Friday at the annual Munich Security Conference; a gathering of leaders, military officials, and security experts which takes place days before the two-year mark of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Trump’s provocative weekend remarks were just the latest combative statements reminding European leaders how, at a time when they’re battling unpredictable foes, they now contend with unpredictable allies too. The specter of his return to the White House has heightened the stakes. But they’re already foregrounded under what is superficially a more cozy transatlantic partnership with Joe Biden, who’s struggled to push through the military aid Ukraine badly needs to repel its Russian invaders. The US’s NATO partners arrested a long-term trend by increasing defense expenditure every year since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, and in no single year so steeply as just after its second invasion. But that’s been insufficient to rival US largesse - still less to fill the breach were it to retreat. If European nations came under attack today they would still be dependent on the US for a slew of capabilities, and the gaps are especially large in certain areas. These include air and missile defense, deep-fire missiles, and the advanced computer systems needed to conduct warfare, according to officials familiar with the matter. The worst case scenario would emerge from three things happening in succession: Europe not acting quickly enough to invest in its defense, the US failing to send Ukraine more aid, and Trump winning re-election then pulling the US out of NATO, according to one senior EU diplomat. Since only the last of these is an outside prospect, it is not hard to see why the moment has European officials on edge. Several told Bloomberg they suspect Trump wants to spook the continent into spending more, rather than withdraw from the alliance entirely. The risk he makes good on such threats has been mollified by a new bill that bars a president from withdrawing unilaterally. But the fear he’ll summarily cut off aid for Kyiv and hand Moscow a victory is far more imminent to them. Trump has long given allies reasons to doubt his commitment to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which enjoins every NATO member to support others under attack. The only time it’s ever been invoked was after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the US. More than $60 billion worth of aid to Ukraine is stalled in Congress, exacerbating European suspicions over the US’s commitment to their security. The outbreak of conflict in the Middle East has also reminded Europe of Washington’s split attentions, and they fear forces could ultimately be transferred elsewhere; including to Asia, if China were ever to attack Taiwan. One way that Europe is trying to keep the US on side is by emphasizing, behind the scenes, that it’s attuned to its concerns over China. That could serve as a reminder to the American public of NATO’s relevance to the US. If Russia wins in Ukraine, and if the US disengages - either prior to that or consequently - the EU’s main powers would need to do more than just make up the existing shortfall in order to defend the alliance’s eastern flank. NATO’s presence would have to triple along its new border with an emboldened Vladimir Putin, according to another senior European diplomat. ‘Never again’ After the end of the Cold War, European countries slashed defense budgets and divested large equipment in the belief that the continent’s major wars were a thing of the past. Fast forward to 2024 and 18 NATO allies are on course to reach the alliance-wide 2%-of-GDP spending goal, compared to just three of them in 2014 - one of which was the US. But the effects will take time to be felt, since they’re trying to churn out ammunition and weapons at a time when demand is skyrocketing around the world, leading to competition for both components and raw materials. Compared to 2023, the EU expects to triple its production of artillery shells to around 1.4 million units this year. The problem is that Russia is ramping up faster than expected and will make 4 million unites this year, according to Estonian estimates. The US currently has around 80,000 forces stationed across Europe, hosts missile-defense sites in Poland and Romania and four destroyer warships in Spain. It leads a battle group and contributes forces to others on the eastern flank. Crucially, it also stores around 100 tactical nuclear weapons in five NATO nations: Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey. While both France and the UK have nuclear weapons, these wouldn’t be enough to deter Russia from using one of its own, according to retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, a former commander of US Army Europe. “The US provides a nuclear umbrella and it’s because of that the Russians would never dare to attack a NATO country,” Hodges said. Wake-up call NATO and European allies are working to give their weapons greater interoperability, given the many different types of weapons systems in use across Europe, which hampers forces’ ability to fight side by side. The challenge was laid bare when Ukrainian fighters tried - and failed - to use the same caliber ammunition in similar equipment donated by different western allies. But in trying to build up military capability, Europe is derailed by an almost Trump-like concern: that of protectionism. Clashes between Paris and Berlin over whether to buy foreign weapons systems are inciting tensions at a time when joint procurement could be growing capacity. France has held back from joining a German-led anti-missile program, dubbed the European sky shield, which will purchase air defense systems from abroad, including the Israeli Arrow 3 and US-made Patriots. The concern in Paris is that buying outside of the EU displaces investment that would otherwise go toward boosting local industry, especially as big weapons purchases involve long contracts and years of maintenance. “We all agree there’s been fragmentation in Europe, because we all have this reflex of doing everything by ourselves,” Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said in an interview on Jan. 31. “Now we have to have a European reflex, and that will make all of us stronger.” Some of the proposals under discussion include the inauguration of an EU defense commissioner or even the introduction of small battalions answerable to Brussels, according to one official, who nevertheless said that nothing is likely to transpire before European Union elections in June. In the short-term, grouping orders among different member states would help solve interoperability problems and drive production by giving defense contractors clarity about demand. And large multinational orders are already taking place, including through NATO’s procurement agency and the European Defense Agency. In the coming weeks, EU Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton is due to unveil an EU defense strategy that will designate strategic areas for investment and strip away red tape for businesses, among other measures. At an event last month he pointed to Trump as he urged Europe to do “drastically” more to boost it’s own defense. “Now more than ever, we know that we are on our own.” With assistance from Cagan Koc, Alan Katz, Ania Nussbaum, Alberto Nardelli and Ben Sills.Read more at: https://www.stripes.com/theaters/europe/2024-02-17/europe-defense-race-against-time-analysis-13035692.html-Source - Stars and Stripes.

U.S. maritime forces on Saturday conducted five self-defense strikes targeting Iranian-backed Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen,

U.S. Central Command announced Sunday. CENTCOM successfully conducted strikes against three mobile anti-ship cruise missiles, one unmanned underwater vessel (UUV) and one unmanned surface vessel (USV). It was the first observed Houthi employment of a UUV since attacks began in Oct. 23, according to CENTCOM. CENTCOM determined the targets presented an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region. It is the latest in a continuing series of interventions by the U.S. military against Houthi rebels as tensions have increased in the Middle East since the war began between Israel and Hamas on Oct. 7. On Friday, CENTCOM successfully conducted two self-defense strikes against one mobile anti-ship cruise missile and one mobile unmanned surface vessel (USV) in Yemen. On Thursday, CENTCOM forces successfully conducted two self-defense strikes against three mobile anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM) in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen that were prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea. On Wednesday, U.S. forces destroyed seven mobile anti-ship cruise missiles, three aerial drones and one explosive surface drone prepared to launch from Houthi-controlled territory. The four separate strikes conducted over a time span of about 6½ hours were in defense of ships in the Red Sea, the command said. CENTCOM also announced last week that a team from the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Clarence Sutphin Jr. discovered more than 200 packages of medium-range ballistic missile components, explosives, and communication and network equipment after boarding a ship in the Arabian Sea on Jan. 28 headed to Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. Naval forces in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility routinely conduct operations to intercept weapons being sent to the Iranian-backed Houthis. As of Saturday, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group, which includes the cruiser USS Philippine Sea, the destroyers USS Mason and Gravely, and additional U.S. Navy assets in the region including the destroyers USS Laboon and USS Carney have conducted more than 95 intercepts of drones, anti-ship ballistic missiles and anti-ship cruise missiles and made more than 249 self-defense strikes on more than 50 Houthi targets. Contributing: The Associated Press-Read more at: https://www.stripes.com/theaters/middle_east/2024-02-18/us-self-defense-strikes-houthis-13043820.html-Source - Stars and Stripes.

Analysis'Iranians care far less about Israel than their regime does' Why Iranians are not demonstrating en masse for Gaza, despite official rhetoric-Hundreds of thousands have rallied globally but relatively few have taken to the streets in the Islamic Republic, where the Palestinian cause is identified with an unpopular regime-By Gianluca Pacchiani-Today, 10:09 am-FEB 19,24

While massive crowds have thronged Arab, European and North American cities over the past four months chanting pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel slogans, Iranian streets have witnessed very few such scenes. Only a relatively small number of demonstrations have been staged in the Islamic Republic since October 7 in solidarity with Gazans, and in most cases, they were minor state-sponsored rallies.The unenthusiastic public support is in sharp contrast with the hardline anti-Israel policy of the Islamic Republic, which for years has offered its patronage to Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad alongside various paramilitary groups throughout the Middle East to achieve its stated goal of annihilating its nemesis Israel, which its officialdom likes to refer to as “Little Satan.”Iranians’ reluctance to take to the streets is due to the fact that most Iranians refuse to play their government’s game, experts explain.“Even when pro-Gaza protests have been organized by the regime, turnout has been relatively low. The Palestinian cause is an obsession of the regime, not of the people,” said Raz Zimmt, Iran scholar at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.“Hostility to Israel is perceived as one of the ideological pillars of the Islamic Republic, a regime that for decades has been mired in a legitimation crisis and today enjoys the support of a mere 15-20 percent of the population,” Zimmt added, quoting an estimate that he said is commonly accepted in research circles and is corroborated by recent data.A survey conducted in late 2022 by GAMAAN, an institute based in the Netherlands, found that among around 200,000 Iranian respondents both inside and outside Iran, 81% of those inside the country were opposed to the Islamic Republic, and 99% of those outside.Consequently, the people of Iran have been “boycotting” the Palestinian cause out of spite for the ayatollahs, and the regime seems to have taken note. Nasser Imani, a conservative commentator and a staunch supporter of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, reportedly acknowledged in an interview in early November that many ordinary Iranians “stand against whatever the Islamic Republic favors, and support whatever the Islamic Republic opposes.”“Some regime loyalists have argued that the lack of mass rallies is a sign that the Islamic Republic is doing enough to support the Palestinians, therefore citizens have nothing more to demand,” Israeli scholar Zimmt said. “But that is not a convincing explanation.”Ori Goldberg, an Iran expert at Reichman University, suggested that for once, the leadership and the people may actually be aligned.“The absence of crowds marching in support of Gaza may serve the regime,” said Goldberg. “Iran does not want to be associated with October 7, and does not want it to be the platform to start a regional war. The supreme leader rebuked Hamas’s leadership for going at it alone, and also for getting Hezbollah in trouble.”“The relationship between Iran and Hamas is a very turbulent one,” Goldberg added. “Tehran supplies Hamas with money and weapons, but it is far from being in the position to tell it what to do. And Hamas also doesn’t see itself as an Iranian proxy, the way Hezbollah does – it sees itself as part of the Palestinian national resistance.“The true representative of Iranian interests in Gaza is the Palestinian Islamic Jihad,” said Goldberg.Behind its rhetoric of all-out support for Hamas’s belligerence against Israel, Tehran is wary of a possible escalation and expansion of the conflict to the rest of the region, an event that would further exacerbate its dire economic situation and compromise its diplomatic standing.Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian reiterated during a state visit to Syria on Sunday that Tehran “absolutely never sought to expand” war in the region,” saying he believes that “war is not the solution.”Further evidence of Tehran’s self-restraint can be found in its apparent passivity in the face of Israeli strikes against its military leaders. It has not retaliated against the killing of at least half a dozen Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) members in alleged Israeli attacks in the past months, nor against incessant IDF assaults against its arms convoys in Syria, or the assassination of Hamas top official Saleh al-Arouri in a Shia neighborhood in Beirut.“In general, Iran enjoys poking,” Goldberg explained. “It likes testing the strength of the existing order and of standing borders, but it is very reticent about starting wars. It doesn’t like irreversible acts, and it doesn’t like to go all out on anything. It feels that what Hamas did was detrimental both to its cause and to the general cause of the resistance.”The regime’s obsession faces the public’s disapproval-Commentators are not of one mind with regard to the Islamic Republic’s involvement in planning the October 7 Hamas-led rampage against southern Israel, in which over 1,200 were killed and 253 abducted to Gaza.The Iranian public, however, has signaled in several instances it wants the Palestinian cause to stay out of its daily life — partly because Persians are not Arabs, and do not feel the Palestinian cause as close to home as citizens of Arab countries.In one of the most telling examples, at a soccer match in Tehran on October 8, one day after the Hamas onslaught, hundreds of fans raucously protested against Palestinian flags planted around the pitch, chanting, “Shove the Palestinian flag up your a**.” Iranian people chanting to the directors of the game who raised the Palestinian flag during a football match momens ago:"Shove the Palestinian flag up your ass!"#IraniansStandWithIsraelpic.twitter.com/TMwYfoa9ns — Persian God (@RealPersianGod) October 8, 2023-Nevertheless, a disinclination to embrace the Palestinian cause should not be viewed as a sign that the Iranian people are siding with Israel, experts cautioned.“The Iranian public is not homogeneous and presents a full range of positions vis-a-vis Israel. Many Iranians oppose the rule of the ayatollahs but also oppose Israeli policies towards the Palestinians. The two are not mutually exclusive,” Zimmt said.“The reality is that, as in most countries, the average man on the street is fairly uninterested in foreign affairs. Iranians care far less about Israel than their regime does,” he added. “They generally become concerned when they feel that unfolding events may impact them directly, such as possible Israeli airstrikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, or cyberattacks against the national infrastructure.”There is, however, one aspect of Tehran’s obsession with wiping the Jewish state off the map that fills many Iranians with indignation, and that is the toll it has taken on the state’s coffers. Billions of dollars have been lavished on proxy jihadi groups around the Middle East, while the national economy has cratered under heavy international sanctions.A popular slogan in anti-regime demonstrations in recent years has been “Not Gaza, not Lebanon. I’ll give my soul only for Iran,” which rhymes in Persian. “It’s not that Iranians don’t like the Palestinians, but they feel it is a red herring that the regime uses to draw the people’s attention away from its failings,” Goldberg explained.Tehran, July 26, 2021-Protesters chant "Not for Gaza! Not for Lebanon! I sacrifice my life for Iran!"A chant continuosly heard in protests since 2009, this is the foundation of what protesters want to be the countey's regional policy in the post-IR Iran.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/DYAByGjsmI- Saeed Ghasseminejad (@SGhasseminejad) July 26, 2021-Tehran’s exploits around the Middle East are also met with disapproval by large parts of the leadership.“It’s mainly one section of the IRGC that is responsible for these adventures,” said Goldberg,  “and the IRGC is only one faction – a wildly unpopular one – fighting other factions for dominance of the Islamic Republic.”A gaping divide between the regime and the people-For about two decades, a rift has been widening between the Iranian population and the Islamic Republic, the body that emerged following the 1979 Islamic Revolution that ousted the shah and installed an anti-Western regime.“People feel that the Islamic Republic has failed them on two accounts: It has not managed to improve the economic situation, and it has not expanded political and social freedoms – a demand coming mainly from young, educated citizens,” Zimmt said.Last week, Morteza Alviri, a member of the Expediency Council, an advisory body to the ayatollah, said in an interview with the reformist paper Etemad that while the Islamic Republic was once promising to become the Japan of the Middle East, it now risks resembling North Korea. Economic prosperity has been elusive, while internal repression has steadily worsened.As a consequence, the second and third generations after the Islamic Revolution have been increasingly distancing themselves from the Islamic Republic. In the 2021 presidential elections, for instance, turnout was the lowest in Iranian electoral history, at below 50%, and only around 25% in Tehran.“The regime has been losing its legitimacy” Zimmt said. “There is no doubt that criticism, frustration and despair are increasingly widespread in large swaths of the population. This is a frequently discussed topic in Iranian media, even in more conservative outlets,” he added.In 2022 and early 2023, the country was roiled by mass protests following the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman arrested for allegedly wearing the hijab improperly.Hundreds of thousands of angry citizens took to the streets for nearly six months, facing a brutal and often deadly response by the regime. Over 500 people were killed and 10,000 were arrested, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).The demonstrations came only three years after the previous wave in 2019-2020 when as many as 1,500 protesters are thought to have been slain by regime forces.The recurrent unrest should not be taken to mean that the situation is about to boil over, experts cautioned.“The silent majority of Iranians don’t support the regime but also don’t want to topple it. Despite its legitimation crisis, the regime can still confront internal challenges, thanks in most part to its use of force and repression,” Zimmt said.Goldberg concurred, saying that the majority of Iranians view the Islamic Republic as the “least worst option.”“This is a country that has gone through four popular revolutions in less than a century, and never experienced democracy,” said Goldberg.“Iranians look around the Middle East, and they see a devastated region,” he added. “They still remember the Arab Spring and its failures. So while a lot of them don’t like the Islamic Republic, they have not yet been able to come up with a suitable alternative.”

Addressing US Jewish leaders on Gaza war, PM says: ‘We have to finish the job’Netanyahu argues IDF making unprecedented efforts to protect civilians, decries genocide accusations; US envoy downplays plans for unilateral moves on Palestinian statehood-By Lazar Berman-and ToI Staff 18 February 2024, 11:55 pm

Addressing American Jewish leaders Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued that the Israeli army was going to unprecedented lengths to protect civilians in Gaza during the war with Hamas, while insisting: “We have to finish the job.”Speaking before the annual meeting of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem, Netanyahu blasted South Africa and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.The prime minister lambasted Lula for comments he had made earlier on Sunday, in which he compared Israel to the Nazis, saying the only historical equivalent to events in Gaza was “when Hitler decided to kill the Jews.”“He should be ashamed of himself,” Netanyahu said to applause.He also panned Pretoria’s petitions to the International Court of Justice claiming genocide and demanding orders to halt Israel’s offensive and prevent it from operating in Rafah, the last Hamas stronghold in Gaza. The court rejected any such orders, though it warned Israel of the need to protect civilians, given the mounting death toll.Netanyahu promised that none of the accusations would stop Israel’s offensive against the Gaza terror group, pledging “total victory against [Hamas] savages,”“When we set out to do this, even our best friends said to us, ‘It can’t be done,'” Netanyahu said of the war Israel has been fighting against Hamas since October 7 — when terrorists launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, murdering some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 253.“Our brave soldiers are in the tunnels demolishing the infrastructure of these killers,” Netanyahu said, lauding the IDF and the efforts he said it makes to protect civilians.“The Israeli army is going [to] lengths that no other army has gone through in protecting civilians,” said Netanyahu, adding that “total victory means the release of the hostages.”International organizations in Gaza have increasingly warned of dire humanitarian conditions in the enclave. Israel has accused UN agencies of failing to keep up with aid going into the Strip. The mounting death toll has also led to intense global criticism, with Hamas saying nearly 29,000 people had been killed in the war. Israel says at least 10,000 of those are combatants, and that it is impossible to avoid civilian casualties, as Hamas’s military infrastructure is embedded within the population everywhere Israeli troops are operating.It is believed that 134 hostages remain in Gaza — not all of them alive.The prime minister also praised the US government and public for rejecting the genocide allegations, and thanked US President Joe Biden for his assistance throughout the war, saying he agreed that everything must be done to get civilians out of harm’s way.Netanyahu went on to call for pressure on Qatar to press Hamas to release the hostages it still has in captivity.“Deal or no deal, we have to finish the job to achieve total victory,” Netanyahu said.“One thing Israel cannot agree to is an international diktat that would… force a Palestinian state on Israel after the horrors of October 7,” he said, insisting the Israeli people were united around this. Netanyahu called on the Conference of Presidents to adopt the same resolution his cabinet passed earlier in the day against any unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state.Speaking before Netanyahu, US Ambassador Jack Lew sought to downplay talk that the US could recognize a Palestinian state unilaterally.“We have never said there should be a unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state,” says Lew.Instead, he called for an “over-the-horizon process that includes a vision for a demilitarized Palestinian state.“Now is a moment in time when there is a real possibility that by engaging in normalization and negotiations with Saudi Arabia” along with reforms in the Palestinian Authority, “there can be a demilitarized Palestinian state. But Israel will have to make that choice,” Lew said.“Any solution must ensure the safety and security of Israel,” Lew added, saying that “there can not be a militarized Palestinian state.”US support for Israel has “not wavered,” Lew stressed, explaining that critical statements from Washington about Israeli policies stem from the fact that the war is “causing a huge amount of pain everywhere.”“The fact that we have put a bright light on children suffering in Gaza is not an indication that the US is not behind Israel,” he argued. The war, he said, “has to be done in a way that’s consistent with our shared values. We have to remember, all of us, that a child is a child.”And US pressure to let in more aid to Gaza came “as both a moral and strategic imperative,” he said. “When history is written, I believe that our Israeli friends will be grateful for the nudge” given to them on humanitarian aid, he asserted.He admitted that in times of stress, certain language can be used, but Israel “must look at actions” from the Biden administration.When the war first began, Netanyahu initially pledged that no humanitarian aid would be allowed into the Gaza Strip, but that policy quickly changed, due to intense US pressure. At first, aid was transferred into the Strip only through the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian-Gazan border after being inspected by Israel. However, further pressure from Washington, which said not enough aid was getting in, led Israel to open its own Kerem Shalom Crossing as well.

What stands between them and collapse is an IDF decision' Gallant: Hamas seeking to replace Sinwar, Khan Younis Brigade is defeated-Defense minister says no leadership on ground in Gaza, Hamas left with ‘marginal’ forces; troops at Nasser Hospital find vehicles used in Oct 7 attack, others looted from Israel-By Emanuel Fabian-and Agencies 18 February 2024, 11:13 pm

Hamas’s leadership abroad is looking to replace its Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar, as the terror group’s battalions in Khan Younis have been dismantled and an offensive in Rafah looms, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Sunday.Security forces have yet to get their hands on Sinwar, or Hamas’s military commander Mohammad Deif and his deputy Marwan Issa. But Sinwar has reportedly been out of contact with the terror group’s leadership abroad since the end of January and his involvement in ongoing hostage negotiations is in question.“Hamas does not trust its commanders — this is a very, very noticeable thing,” Gallant said following an assessment with the head of the Israel Defense Forces’ Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman.“Hamas-Gaza is MIA, there is no one to talk to among leadership on the ground,” he said, alleging that Hamas leadership abroad was looking for new leaders in Gaza. “That means there is a tender [in Hamas] for who will run Gaza,” he said.In Khan Younis, Gallant said some 200 terror suspects had surrendered to troops at Nasser Hospital, and dozens more at Al-Amal Hospital, which he argued indicated the loss of Hamas’s “fighting spirit.”“People armed with RPGs, weapons, and guns came to the moment of truth and did not fight. This indicates something of their understanding of the power differential, that they understood their fate was to surrender or die — there is no third option,” he said.Gallant said Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade had been “defeated and does not function as a military entity in any way.”“Hamas is left with marginal [forces] in the central camps and with the Rafah Brigade, and what stands between them and a complete collapse as a military system is a decision by the IDF,” he said.“There is no one here to come to their aid, no Iranians, no international aid,” Gallant said, vowing that the army would dismantle the remaining six Hamas battalions — two in central Gaza and four in Rafah.“We have no right to stop as long as there are 134 hostages” held by Hamas, he added.Also Sunday, the IDF said special forces operating at Nasser Hospital had located vehicles used by Hamas terrorists who participated in the October 7 onslaught, as well as Israeli-owned cars stolen during the massacre.The operation at Nasser Hospital, which began Thursday, is being carried out by the Commando Brigade, Navy’s Shayetet 13, Shin Bet agents, and other special forces.One of the stolen cars found at the medical center belonged to a Nir Oz resident, according to the IDF. In a Hamas vehicle, troops found several weapons, including grenades.The IDF said some of the terror operatives detained at the hospital were dressed up as hospital staff. Other suspects who were holed up at the hospital included many who participated in the October 7 massacre and have links to the hostages held by the terror group, it said.Troops also seized several firearms, explosive devices, and other military equipment belonging to terror operatives, the IDF said.Also at Nasser Hospital, IDF troops found closed boxes of medications bearing the names of hostages.The medications, which were reportedly delivered to Gaza in a secretive initiative coordinated by the families of some of the hostages, apparently did not reach their destinations.The IDF released footage showing the medication with the names of the hostages, some of whom are still being held captive by Hamas.The IDF asserted that its searches of the Nasser Hospital premises ensured that the medical center was able to continue its operations “without harming the patients and medical staff, and in accordance with the values ​​of the IDF and international law.”This contrasted with a statement by the head of the World Health Organization, who said Sunday that Nasser Hospital “is not functional anymore,” during the raid.Nasser hospital in #Gaza is not functional anymore, after a weeklong siege followed by the ongoing raid.Both yesterday and the day before, the @WHO team was not permitted to enter the hospital to assess the conditions of the patients and critical medical needs, despite…— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) February 18, 2024-Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said a WHO team was not allowed to enter on Friday or Saturday to assess patients and medical needs. In a post on X, he said about 200 patients remain there, including 20 who need urgent referrals elsewhere.It is not clear where the WHO tally is from, since its teams did not enter the hospital. Hamas said Saturday that 120 patients remain at the hospital.Gaza health ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra told Reuters that water supply to the hospital had halted because generators had been out of action for three days, sewage was flooding emergency rooms, and the remaining staff had no way of treating intensive care patients.A lack of oxygen supplies — also a result of having no power — had caused the deaths of at least seven patients, he asserted.While Gazans sheltering at the facility were told to evacuate ahead of the incursion, the IDF claims it has taken pains to keep the hospital functioning for patients, including transferring fuel and medical supplies to the facility.Elsewhere in Khan Younis, the IDF said troops of the 98th Division raided several Hamas positions, killing gunmen and locating weapons in the process, the IDF said.The division’s 7th Armored Brigade killed some 20 Hamas operatives with tank shelling and directed airstrikes on additional gunmen in western Khan Younis, according to the IDF.Another 15 Hamas operatives were killed and a weapons depot was destroyed in a series of airstrikes in the city, the IDF said.In central Gaza, the IDF said the Nahal Brigade killed at least 10 Hamas operatives during the past day, including by calling in airstrikes.According to local residents and Hamas media officials, Israeli planes carried out attacks on two areas in Rafah Sunday, including an empty building near the border with Egypt.Strikes and fighting killed at least 10 people in Rafah and central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah overnight, said the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.At the morgue of a Rafah hospital, mourners bent down to give a final kiss to a loved one wrapped in a white body bag.“That’s my cousin — he was martyred in Al-Mawasi, in the ‘safe area,'” said Ahmad Mohammed Aburizq.“And my mother was martyred the day before. There’s no safe place. Even the hospital is not safe.”In the central Gaza town of Zawaida, people dug through rubble from a Saturday airstrike to search for bodies, including those of children. “Our message is to the Israeli government and the Hamas government present in Gaza: Please stop the war. Enough war,” said Samah al-Karnz, who lived near the building hit in the strike.The war broke out on October 7, when Hamas carried out a devastating attack on southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 253 hostages.In response, Israel launched a war with the aim of securing the release of the hostages and toppling Hamas from power in Gaza. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said Sunday that 28,985 people had been killed in the enclave since the start of the war.These figures cannot be independently verified and do not distinguish between Hamas members and civilians. They also include Palestinians killed as a consequence of terror groups’ own rocket misfires. The IDF says it has killed nearly 11,000 Hamas operatives in Gaza, in addition to some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.The war has caused a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, with most of the population displaced and at risk of starvation.Over half of the Strip’s 2.3 million Palestinians have sought refuge in the southernmost city of Rafah — the last city in the enclave where the IDF ground forces seek to operate.In response to international concern about what would happen to the people in Rafah, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said residents will be evacuated before a ground offensive begins there, though it is unclear where they will be able to go.

NOW I AM POSITIVE GOD IS GIVING ISRAEL THE COCK ROACH COUNTRIES OF GAZA, WEST BANK AND LEBANON. AS THEIR INHERITED LAND. AND ITS NO ACCIDENT THAT THE GOP ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT RUSSIA HAVING NUKES IN SPACE. I BELIEVE AFTER JESUS GIVES GAZA, WEST BANK AND LEBBANON TO ISRAEL. THE ISRAELIS CAN COME FROM NEW YORK TO ISRAEL. AS I BELIEVE RUSSIA WILL THEN CYBER ATTACH, THEN EMP, AND FINALLY NUKE NEW YORK LIKE REVELATION 18 TELLS US. IN ONE HOUR THE STOCK MARKET AND THE TRADING IN NEW YORK WILL COME TO NOTHING. AND THE 6 MILLION ISRAELIS IN NEW YORK WILL BE ABLE TO FLEE TO ISRAEL. WERE HOUSES CAN BE BUILT FOR THEM IN GAZA, THE WEST BANK AND LEBANON. UNTIL THE HOUSES ARE BUILT, UNLESS THEY ARE ALREADY. THEN THE ISRAELIS CAN ALSO PUT A MINI TENT CITY ON THIS LAND. UNTIL THEIR HOUSES ARE BUILT FOR THEM. BY THEN THE COCK ROACH ARAB-MUSLIMS SHOULD HAVE GONE TO EGYPT AND JORDAN IN TENT CITIES THERE.
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.

LONG EXPLANATION OF AMERICAS DESTRUCTION (NEW YORK POLITICAL BABYLON OF REVELATION CHAPTER 18)(REVELATION CHAPTER 17 IS THE DESTRUCTION OF THE RELIOUS BABYLON THE VATICAN IN ROME)

JEREMIAH 51:29-32

29  And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon,(AMERICA-NEW YORK) to make the land of Babylon (NEW YORK) a desolation without an inhabitant.
30  The mighty men of Babylon (AMERICA) have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.
31  One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon (NEW YORK) that his city is taken at one end,
32  And that the passages are stopped,(THE WAR COMPUTERS HACKED OR EMP'D) and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.(DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO)

LEVITICUS 26:30-34 (NY IS BUILT ON A GARBAGE DUMP)
30  And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my (GODS) soul shall abhor you.
31  And I will make your cities waste,(GARBAGE-DESTROYED) and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours.
32  And I will bring the land into desolation:(RUIN) and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.
33  And I will scatter you among the heathen,(ENEMY NATIONS) and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.
34  Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.

2 KINGS 19:25
25  Hast thou not heard long ago how I have done it, and of ancient times that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste fenced cities into ruinous heaps.

ISAIAH 34:10
10  It (NEW YORK-POLITICAL BABYLON) shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.

EZEKIEL 39:21
21 And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.

ISAIAH 18:1-2
1 Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia:
2 That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!(AMERICA)

JEREMIAH 50:11,37,12
11 Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage,(ISRAEL) because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls;(BACKSLIDERS)
37 A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed.(A NATION OF MINGLED PEOPLE)
12 Your mother (england) shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed:(MOTHER ENGLAND) behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.

JEREMIAH 51:13,7,53
13 O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.
7 Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.
53 Though Babylon (NEW YORK) should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the LORD.

REVELATION 18:3,5,7
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

JEREMIAH 50:3,24
3 For out of the north (RUSSIA) there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon,(NEW YORK) and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD. (RUSSIA A SNEAK ATTACK ON NEW YORK)

REVELATION 18:9-11,15-21
9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,(NUKE ATTACK I BELIEVE FROM RUSSIA)
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
16 And saying, Alas, alas that great city,  (NEW YORK) that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! (NEW YORK)
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.(1 HOUR NEW YORK IS GONE)
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon (NEW YORK) be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

SPACEWAR-Russia developing 'troubling' anti-satellite weapon: White House-By Danny KEMP-Washington (AFP) Feb 15, 2024

Russia is developing a space-based anti-satellite weapon that is "troubling" for the United States but poses no immediate threat to people on Earth, the White House said Thursday.The announcement came a day after a wave of speculation sparked by US lawmakers making a cryptic warning of an unspecified but serious national security threat to the country.Moscow denied the "malicious" and "unfounded" claims, describing them as a White House ploy to try to pass a multi-billion-dollar Ukrainian war aid package stalled in Congress."I can confirm that it is related to an anti-satellite capability that Russia is developing," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters in a briefing at the White House."This is not an active capability that's been deployed. And though Russia's pursuit of this particular capability is troubling, there is no immediate threat to anyone's safety," he said.Kirby confirmed that the Russian weapon was "space-based" but would not comment on reports in US media that it was either nuclear-capable or nuclear powered.But he said it would breach the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which both Russia and the United States are parties to -- and which bans the deployment of nuclear weapons in space.The weapon could pose a lethal risk to astronauts in low orbit, along with potentially disrupting vital military and civilian satellites, he added."We are not talking about a weapon that can be used to attack human beings or cause physical destruction here on Earth," said Kirby.US President Joe Biden had been kept informed and had ordered officials to reach out to Moscow over the weapon, although it had not responded yet.Concern had gripped Washington since Republican House Intelligence Committee chairman Mike Turner issued a public statement on Wednesday referring to a "serious national security threat" and calling on Biden to "declassify all information relating to this threat."White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was holding a closed-door meeting with congressional leaders on Thursday to brief them about the developments.The early disclosure by lawmakers however irked the White House, with Kirby saying they were working out whether US intelligence sources and methods had been compromised.Democrat Biden and the Republican-led House are at an impasse over a White House request for $60 billion in military aid to help Ukraine's defense against the Russian invasion entering its third year.Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson -- who has repeatedly warned he will not address allies' security until America's immigration system is shored up -- is refusing to bring the Senate-passed bill to the floor for a vote.Kirby said Ukraine's embattled frontline town of Avdiivka was "at risk of falling into Russian control," partly due to a lack of ammunition.Moscow dismissed the claims about the technology, calling them a US attempt to denigrate Russia and push through the Ukraine funding.Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the White House was "trying to get Congress to vote on the appropriations bill any way it can," the state-run TASS news agency reported."It's obvious. Let's see what tricks, so to speak, the White House is going to pull," he was quoted as saying.Kirby said the Kremlin's comments were "bollocks."The West has accused Russia of reckless nuclear rhetoric after President Vladimir Putin said he was prepared to use a nuclear weapon if he felt an existential threat.The Outer Space Treaty, which both Russia and the United States are parties to, bans the deployment of nuclear weapons in space.The row meanwhile came as Putin said he preferred the "predictable" Biden over Donald Trump in November's US presidential vote."Mr Putin should just stay out of our elections," added Kirby.

White House to brief lawmakers after Russia nuclear space reports

Washington, Feb 15 (AFP) Feb 15, 2024-US President Joe Biden's national security chief will brief top lawmakers Thursday after they warned of a "serious" threat reportedly involving a Russian bid to build a space-based nuclear capability.White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will hold a closed-doors meeting with congressional leaders, as US media said Russia was developing a weapon that could knock out Western satellites.Moscow denied the "malicious" and "unfounded" reports, describing them as a White House ploy to try to pass a multi-billion-dollar Ukrainian war aid package stalled in Congress.Mystery and concern has gripped Washington since House Intelligence Committee chairman Mike Turner issued a public statement on Wednesday referring to a "serious national security threat" and calling on Biden to "declassify all information relating to this threat."American media outlets, citing unnamed officials, later reported the threat involved Russia advancing plans to deploy a nuclear weapon based in space that could target satellites.US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking on a visit to Albania, would not give details on the nature of the threat but said it was not yet "active.""This is not an active capability, but it is a potential one that we're taking very, very seriously," he told a press conference."I expect that we'll have more to say very soon," he said, adding the United States was discussing the threat with its allies.US officials have said the threat is not one that could target humans, but that it was significant.They also pointed to comments by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson saying there was "no need for public alarm."But the sudden announcement irked the White House's Sullivan, who signaled frustration that Turner had gone public ahead of a briefing already planned for Thursday.Sullivan said he would be meeting with the four House members in the "Gang of Eight" group of party leaders and top intelligence committee members.He refused to confirm he would discuss the security threat, but pointed to the significance by saying it was "highly unusual, in fact," for the national security advisor to "personally" reach out to House members as he had.Democrat Biden and the Republican-led House are at an impasse over a White House request for $60 billion in military aid to help Ukraine's defense against the Russian invasion entering its third year.Johnson -- who has repeatedly warned he will not address allies' security until America's immigration system is shored up -- is refusing to bring the Senate-passed bill to the floor for a vote.Moscow dismissed the threat warning as a US attempt to denigrate Russia and push through the Ukraine funding.Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the White House was "trying to get Congress to vote on the appropriations bill any way it can", the state-run TASS news agency reported."It's obvious. Let's see what tricks, so to speak, the White House is going to pull," he was quoted as saying.Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who is involved in Russia's nuclear policy, said the United States was "fantasizing" and should provide evidence of its claims.The West has accused Russia of reckless nuclear rhetoric after President Vladimir Putin said he was prepared to use a nuclear weapon if he felt an existential threat.The Outer Space Treaty, of which both Russia and the United States are parties to, bans the deployment of nuclear weapons in space.The row meanwhile came as Putin said he preferred the "predictable" Biden over Donald Trump in November's US presidential election.

WEEK OF DANIEL 9:27 WE KNOW ITS 7 YRS

Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-29
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week:(7 YEARS) and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.

DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks(62X7=434 YEARS+7X7=49 YEARS=TOTAL OF 69 WEEKS OR 483 YRS) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMAN LEADERS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(THERE HAS TO BE 70 WEEKS OR 490 YRS TO FUFILL THE VISION AND PROPHECY OF DAN 9:24).(THE NEXT VERSE IS THAT 7 YR WEEK OR (70TH FINAL WEEK).
27 And he ( THE ROMAN,EU PRESIDENT) shall confirm the covenant (PEACE TREATY) with many for one week:(1X7=7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,(3 1/2 yrs in TEMPLE ANIMAL SACRIFICES STOPPED) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

JEREMIAH 6:14
14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
JEREMIAH 8:11
11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

 1 THESSALONIANS 5:3
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
 
ISAIAH 33:8
8  The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant,(7 YR TREATY) he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.(THE WORLD LEADER-WAR MONGER CALLS HIMSELF GOD)

JERUSALEM DIVIDED
GENESIS 25:20-26
20  And Isaac was forty years old (A BIBLE GENERATION NUMBER=1967 + 40=2007+) when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.
21  And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
22  And the children (2 NATIONS IN HER-ISRAEL-ARABS) struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went
to enquire of the LORD.
23  And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels;(ISRAEL AND THE ARABS) and the one people shall be stronger than the other people;(ISRAEL STRONGER THAN ARABS) and the elder shall serve the younger.(LITERALLY ISRAEL THE YOUNGER RULES (ISSAC)(JACOB-LATER NAME CHANGED TO ISRAEL) OVER THE OLDER ARABS (ISHMAEL)(ESAU)
24  And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
25  And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.(THE OLDER AN ARAB)
26  And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob:(THE YOUNGER-ISRAELI) and Isaac was threescore (60) years old when she bare them.(1967 + 60=2027)(COULD BE THE LAST GENERATION WHEN JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED AMOUNG THE 2 TWINS)(THE 2 TWINS WANT JERUSALEM-THE DIVISION OF JERUSALEM TODAY)(AND WHOS IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM TODAY-THE YOUNGER ISSAC-JACOB-ISRAEL)(AND WHO WANTS JERUSALEM DIVIDED-THE OLDER,ESAU-ISHMAEL (THE ARABS)

ISAIAH 28:14-19 (THIS IS THE 7 YR TREATY COVENANT OF DANIEL 9:27)
14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.

DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.DANIEL 11:36-40
36 And the king shall do according to his will;(EU PRESIDENT) and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS A EUROPEAN JEW) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(HES A MILITARY GINIUS) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds (CONTROL HEZBOLLAH,AL-QUAIDA MURDERERS ETC) with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south(EGYPT) push at him:(EU DICTATOR PROTECTING ISRAELS SECURITY) and the king of the north(RUSSIA) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.

ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)

AG said to oppose broad Ramadan limits on Temple Mount access for Arab Israelis-Gali Baharav-Miara tells ministers sweeping bans shouldn’t be applied to citizens; expert calls for individual interdictions, warns blanket restriction could inflame Arab street-By Gianluca Pacchiani-Today, 5:00 pm-FEB 19,24

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara reportedly cautioned against a proposal by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to impose age limitations on Arab Israelis who wish to pray at the Al-Aqsa compound atop the Temple Mount during Ramadan, saying that such a step would likely face legal obstacles.At a cabinet meeting on Sunday, according to numerous Hebrew media reports, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is said to have sided with the firebrand minister and to have instructed security officials to present options for age criteria and quotas. However, Baharav-Miara raised concerns that age-based limitations may not be legally viable when applied to Israeli citizens, according to a Channel 12 report.The Shin Bet security agency also reportedly opposed the measure, while the police force, which is under Ben Gvir’s authority, said that similar restrictions have been adopted in the past and that a legal workaround could be found, Channel 12 said.A government official who attended Sunday’s discussion told the media outlet that “it was a strange debate, of which nobody understood the bottom line.” Security officials quoted by the channel accused Ben Gvir of stoking tensions in the Arab Israeli street for his own political advantage, in an attempt to replicate the outbursts of inter-religious violence that occurred in May 2021 during Operation Guardian of the Walls.Later on Sunday, the Prime Minister’s office pushed back at the reports with a vague statement that said the premier had “made a balanced decision that allows freedom of religion with necessary security limits, which have been set by professional officials.”The ambiguity in the statement prompted some speculation that the move may have been a publicity stunt designed to boost both Netanyahu and Ben Gvir among right-wing voters, and that bans might only be applied on an ad hoc basis to prevent specific people from engaging in religious incitement, rather than to broad segments of the population.The Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam, is located on the Temple Mount, the holiest place in Judaism as the site of the two biblical Temples. The compound is a major flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, particularly during Ramadan, when tensions often flare and clashes erupt between police and worshipers.Age-based access restrictions to Al-Aqsa are routinely applied in periods of security tensions to West Bank Palestinians and East Jerusalemites who are not Israeli citizens. In the weeks after October 7, for instance, the police only allowed Muslim residents of the Old City of Jerusalem above the age of 60 to access the compound, according to the Ir Amim watchdog.While Sunday’s cabinet reported decision has not been confirmed and details have reportedly not been finalized, a report in the Haaretz newspaper said that the intended limitations on Arab Israelis would permit access to the compound only to men above the age of 60 and women above 50 vetted by the Shin Bet.Channel 12 cited similar numbers, and said this would considerably curb the number of worshipers allowed onto the compound, increasing the potential for clashes with the police in other parts of the Old City and East Jerusalem, particularly in the flashpoint Damascus Gate plaza.Brig. Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser, a security expert and former head of the research division in the IDF Military Intelligence division, said that a blanket ban would not be justified from a security standpoint and could backfire.“We need to wait for the details of the decision, but if the restrictions are applied arbitrarily, they may cause anger among Arab Israelis,” he told The Times of Israel.“I expect the criteria will be determined by the police in cooperation with the Shin Bet, and therefore will be reasonable. Curbs must be applied according to professional security considerations,” he said.“We know that there are extremist elements in Arab Israeli society who have used the Temple Mount in the past as a platform for incitement, for instance the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement,” he said, referencing a radical group of Israeli Muslims that has often engaged in fanning the flames surrounding tensions on the Temple Mount. “Bans have been imposed on some of their members in the past,“ Kuperwasser said.The left-wing Ir Amim watchdog noted that sweeping limitations on the freedom of worship of Arab Israeli citizens would be unprecedented, and wrote in a statement that “restrictions on the entry of Muslims to the Temple Mount are not made based on security considerations alone, but are also related to the stated ambition of activists in the government — helmed by the national security minister [Ben Gvir] — to fundamentally change the status quo at the holy place.”Various opposition lawmakers have accused Netanyahu of pandering to Ben Gvir, with MK Ahmad Tibi, chairman of the Hadash-Ta’al party, accusing the premier on Sunday of being “held captive” by the far-right minister. MK Merav Ben-Ari of Yesh Atid said Netanyahu was “controlled by Ben Gvir, in every decision” and allowed him to override the opinion of security professionals.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

US CENTRAL BANK DIGITAL CURRENCY
https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/money-and-payments-20220120.pdf

HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER

JAMES 5:1-3
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

REVELATION 18:10,17,19
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.(IN 1 HR THE STOCK MARKETS WORLDWIDE WILL CRASH)
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

EZEKIEL 7:19
19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed:(CONFISCATED) their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

MARK OF THE BEAST (engraved microchip in your hand or forehead)

REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, (SLAVE) to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM

REVELATION 16:1-2
1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

I KNOW THIS MARK WILL BE A MICROCHIP IMPLANT UNDER THE SKIN. LETS LOOK UP WHAT THE WORD MARK SAYS IN REVELATION 13:16-18, 14:9,11, 15:2, 16:2, 19:20, 20:4-ALL THESE VERSES FROM THE BOOK OF REVELATION SPEAK OF THIS DICTATORS MARK. NOW LETS SEE WHAT IT MEANS FROM STRONGS EXAUSTIVE CONCORDANCE OF THE BIBLE. UNDER MARK PAGE 684.MARK UNDER MARK. THE OLD TESTAMENT IS UNDER HEBREW AND THE NEW TESTAMENT IS UNDER GREEK. SO WHEN WE LOOK UNDER REVELATION 13:16-17 WE SEE IT IS UNDER GREEK, SO WE GO TO GREEK IN THE BACK SECTION AND GO TO 5480 TO SEE WHAT IT SAYS THIS MARK WOULD BE. SO LETS GET TO IT.MARK IN STRONGS GREEK 5480 XAPAYUA CHARAGMA, KHAR-AG-MAH: FROM THE SAME AS 5482: A SCRATCH OR ETCHING, I.E STAMP (AS A BADGE OF SERVITUDE), OR SCULPTURED FIGURE-(STATUE):-GRAVEN, MARK FROM 5482 XAPAE CHARAX, KHAR-AX; FROM XAPAOOW CHARASSO (TO SHARPEN TO A POINT; AKIN TO 1125 THROUGH THE IDEA OF SCRATCHING); A STAKE, I.E (BYIMPL.) A PALISADE OR RAMPART (MILITARY MOUND FOR CIRCUMVALLATION IN A SIEGE): - TRENCH FROM 1125 YPAPOE GRAPHO, GRAF-0; A PRIM. VERB; TO "GRAVE", ESPEC. TO WRITE; FIG. TO DESCRIBE:-DESCRIBE, WRITE (-ING, -TEN).G5516-GO TO G4742-666 - STRONGS NT 4742: στίγμα - στίγμα, στιγματος, τό (from στίζω to prick; (cf. Latinstimulus, etc.; German stechen, English stick, sting, etc.; Curtius, § 226)), a mark pricked in or branded upon the body. According to ancient oriental usage, slaves and soldiers bore the name or stamp of their master or commander branded or pricked (cut) into their bodies to indicate what master or general they belonged to, and there were even some devotees who stamped themselves in this way with the token of their gods (cf. Deyling, Observations, iii., p. 423ff); hence, τά στίγματα τοῦ (κυρίου so Rec.) Ἰησοῦ, the marks of (the Lord) Jesus, which Paul in Galatians 6:17 says he bears branded on his body, are the traces left there by the perils, hardships, imprisonments, scourgings, endured by him for the cause of Christ, and which mark him as Christ's faithful and approved votary, servant, soldier (see Lightfoots Commentary on Galatians, the passage cited). (Herodotus 7, 233; Aristotle, Aelian, Plutarch, Lcian, others.)

THE INVENTOR OF THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT-CARL SANDERS MICROCHIP ENGINEER LEADER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgH9D6n4ZWo

THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT IN YOUR RIGHT HAND OR FOREHEAD.

LEVETICUS 19.28
Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

Australia takes new step towards AI regulation, EU inches closer to AI Act-Feb 16, 2024, 10:32 am EST-| Masha Borak

Australia has taken another step towards regulating artificial intelligence, establishing a new AI Expert Group on Wednesday gathering scientists alongside legal, ethics and governance experts.The main task of the group will be to advise the Department of Industry, Science and Resources on setting up guardrails for high-risk AI systems and ensuring AI systems are tested, transparent and accountable.“It’s imperative sophisticated models underpinning high-risk AI systems are transparent and well tested,” Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic said in a statement. “This Artificial Intelligence Expert Group brings the right mix of skills to steer the formation of mandatory guardrails for high-risk AI settings.”The founding of the group marks Canberra’s latest step towards potentially introducing mandatory guardrails for AI applications.The initiative was first announced in September by Australian Finance and Public Service Minister Katy Gallagher. The move was followed by the publication of the government’s interim response to the Safe and Responsible AI in Australia consultation in January. Aside from establishing the AI Expert Group, the response promised to work with the industry to develop a voluntary AI Safety Standard and voluntary labeling and watermarking of AI-generated materials.The AI group began meetings in early February and is expected to work until 30 June 2024. The Australian government said it is currently considering long-term responses to AI regulation.Among the 12 appointees to the group are Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Chief Scientist Bronwyn Fox, Chair of Australia’s national AI standards committee Aurélie Jacquet, Director of the Australian Institute for Machine Learning at the University of Adelaide Angus Lang and Jeannie Paterson, co-director of the Centre for AI and Digital Ethics.EU AI Act takes another step towards adoption-Australia still has catching up to do with the European Union, which witnessed another step in turning the AI Act into reality this week. On Tuesday, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) endorsed the provisional agreement on the Act on the committee level.The deal on technical details of the AI Act, reached at the beginning of February, won the approval of the EU Internal Market and Civil Liberties Committees 71 to eight with seven abstentions. The move opens the door to formal adoption by the European Parliament and final Council endorsement. The final steps are expected to be completed in April while the legislation will be fully applicable 24 months after entry into force.According to the agreement, certain AI applications that threaten citizens’ rights will be banned, including biometric categorization, systems based on sensitive characteristics, untargeted scraping of facial images from the internet and CCTV footage.The AI Act, however, leaves the door open for some AI applications that could affect civil rights, inviting criticism from civil rights groups and some lawmakers. Among them is emotion recognition, a controversial technology that uses face biometrics to assess sentiments. The practice has been banned in workplaces and schools but critics argue that the AI Acts leaves a pathway for its use in law enforcement, particularly migration control.The AI Act also ensured other exemptions for law enforcement: While the use of biometric identification systems by law enforcement is prohibited in principle, there are exceptions for certain situations. Real-time facial recognition systems, for instance can be employed in case of terrorist attacks or missing person searches with authorization from courts.The landmark legislation also promises to establish regulatory sandboxes and real-world testing at the national level, allowing companies to train AI before placing it on the market.

Is the EU AI Act leaving a backdoor for emotion recognition? Feb 16, 2024, 12:37 am EST-| Masha Borak

As the European Union prepares to adopt the Artificial Intelligence Act, the landmark legislation is still attracting criticism, this time for allowing the use of emotion recognition. An opinion piece published in the EU Observer highlights the AI Act still leaves the door open for its use in law enforcement and migration officers which could lead to potential rights abuses.The anonymous writer, who describes themselves as an EU civil servant, claims that this leaves space for its use in law enforcement and migration control, particularly the controversial EU-funded iBorderCtrl project, an AI lie-detector for facial and emotion recognition technologies designed to be used during migrant interrogation. In 2018, the bloc announced it would fund the project and conduct pilots in Hungary, Greece and Latvia.iBorderCtrl has been a target of heavy scrutiny among rights groups and lawmakers. Despite efforts to shed light on its use, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled in September 2023 to deny access to documentation related to the project, citing the protection of commercial interests.Facial emotion recognition is the process of identifying human sentiment using face biometrics, a relatively new field of AI that has been met with mixed results. The AI Act itself highlights the technology’s shortcomings and its potential for “discriminatory outcomes” and intrusiveness to rights and freedoms.“There are serious concerns about the scientific basis of AI systems aiming to identify or infer emotions, particularly as expression of emotions vary considerably across cultures and situations, and even within a single individual,” the document states.Despite these concerns, emotion recognition has not been included in Article 5 of the AI Act which defines Prohibited Artificial Intelligence Practices. Instead, emotion recognition is defined as a high-risk AI system and its use is prohibited at the workplace and in educational institutions, with exceptions for safety and medical reasons. Deployers of emotion recognition systems are not required to inform people about the operation of such systems if the system is used to “detect, prevent and investigate criminal offenses,” according to the legislation.The language of the AI Act adds to the confusion on the legality of emotion recognition: The law states that the fact that an AI system is classified as a high-risk AI system “should not be interpreted as indicating that the use of the system is lawful under other acts of Union law or under national law compatible with Union law.”At the beginning of February, European lawmakers reached an agreement on the technical details of the AI Act, opening the path to European Parliament committees’ approval in April. Although significant opposition is not expected, lawmakers may still introduce changes that could slow down the timeline of its implementation.

Biometrics upgrading borders, digital IDs and economies but the pace is uneven-Feb 17, 2024, 11:33 am EST-Chris Burt

Biometrics at borders made up two of the most-read stories of the week, with another call for the UK to prepare to meet Europe’s requirements without making travellers wait in endless lines and Idemia selected to supply technology at Singapore’s land, air and sea ports. The most common theme, however, is the various challenges facing digital ID programs, from interoperability to biometric technology procurement, and corporate identity to digital transformation. NEC also trumpeted an impressive result in the latest NIST facial recognition evaluation.Top biometrics news of the week-The Mayor of London has called on the British government to urgently address the challenge faced by Eurostar and HS1 to get passengers through the EU’s biometric Entry/Exit System without waiting in queues for hours. EES comes online in October, just as the city’s prime tourism season begins. HS1 warns that France has allocated half the number of pre-departure biometric kiosks needed.Idemia has been selected to provide biometric hardware and software for hundreds of automated border clearance lanes at Singapore’s land, air and sea borders. The contactless ABCS with Idemia’s Augmented Borders Suite of ID-Look devices will provide iris, face and fingerprint biometrics.An avalanche of fake restaurants has been registered in the UK to enable fraud attacks, because the law forbids Companies House from verifying the identity of company directors. Yoti CEO Robin Tombs and others have blasted the arrangement, and Companies House says ID verification is coming “in the longer term.”The UK government originally wanted six companies for a certification pilot for its digital ID ecosystem, but only AVID Certification Services, BSI, Kantara and NOA applied. Now it wants four more conformity assessment bodies, to satisfy the choice requirement of ISO 17065, and therefore participants must have ISO 17065 accreditation from a qualified national body.Mobile driver’s licenses are coming to Portugal and France, with full legal standing. A legislative amendment in Portugal will put mDLs, vehicle ownership and public employee health cards in the national digital wallet. France’s Identité app is now available, with mDL and digital ID card functions, following successful pilots in three regions.Ethiopia has begun the process to procure biometric registration kits and a client-side SDK for its national digital ID program, Fayda. Funding and therefore procurement regulations are provided by the World Bank. Bids are due by March 22 for the hardware and March 6 for the SDK.A policy brief from the European Centre for Development Policy Management says the African and European Unions should collaborate to advance interoperability in support of developing the digital economy of both continents. AfCFTA member states are preparing to publish a Digital Trade Protocol, and the EU is already working towards internal digital ID interoperability.An in-depth look at efforts by NADRA and the State Bank of Pakistan to improve the country’s digital identity ecosystem shows their importance to digitalization, and by extension financial stability. Key initiatives include the imposition of a biometric authentication requirement for large foreign exchange purchases and the attempt to expand the tax base through digital services.Hold Access CEO Jason Urranndulla Davis tells Biometric Update in an interview that Australia’s digital ID legislation needs to recognize the ethnicity of the country’s indigenous people. The question of whether and how ethnicity should be identified has become a point of contention during the public comment process.Washington State Senators have passed a bill to allow biometrics for age verification in alcohol sales with a unanimous vote. The bill does not propose a reversal, but rather legal clarity for businesses. The bill will need to be passed by the lower house and signed by the governor by March 7 to become law.NEC scored the best FNIR in half of the eight categories in the latest update to NIST’s FRTE 1:N test. NIST’s Ryan Galluzzo spoke about the way evaluations are being built into guidelines at a recent event, and warned about possible ways tests can fail to represent what they purport to.Fresh of an acquisition deal, Onfido Head of Fraud Labs Vincent Guillevic writes in a guest post for Biometric Update that while deepfakes represent a dangerous iceberg in the path of businesses, but can be avoided with a proactive approach to detecting deepfake identity fraud.An examination of the rise of biometrics by the Wall Street Journal calls on the perspectives of representatives from Aware, authID and the FIDO Alliance, as well as the EFF and the fiction of Philip K. Dick. Key concerns expressed are the ability of employers to gain improper information about their employees from their biometrics, and despite a reference to liveness detection, the fear that they could be copied.Please tell us about any opinion or analysis pieces, podcasts or interviews we should pass along to the people in biometrics and digital identity through the comments below or social media.

More disconcerting financial news in biometrics-Updates from Mitek, Next, Facephi and Precise-Feb 16, 2024, 4:20 pm EST- Jim Nash

Financial reports for fiscal 2023 are out, and the picture is a now-familiar mixed bag.First, digital identity and fraud prevention technology provider Mitek, which boasts that it helps the world’s largest companies “meet regulatory requirements,” says it has been told by Nasdaq exchange officials that it again is not complying with listing requirements.Mitek hasn’t filed its fourth-quarter report yet, weeks after mandated to do so. It already was late with its fiscal report for the year ended in September. (It has managed to file some performance data needed by investors.)The company has filed required documents with the Nasdaq informing the exchange stating that it’s unable to file fiscal forms on time without unreasonable effort or expense.Mitek has been “subject to a (Nasdaq) Mandatory Panel Monitor for a period of one year, or until November 6, 2024,”  according to a company statement.At stake is losing Mitek’s shares listing on the Nasdaq. In fact, late last year exchange executives decided exactly that, and the company is appealing the decision. Meanwhile, fingerprint biometric sensor maker Next Biometrics, has its own distressing news. Annual revenue fell and its loss widened 42 percent over the previous year.For fiscal year 2023, ended December 31, NEXT reported an operating loss of NOK 66.7 million (US$6.3 million), or NOK 0.69 ($0.066) per basic share, on revenue of NOK 33.7 million ($3.2 million).That compares with a loss of NOK 48 million ($4.5 million), or NOK 0.5 ($0.048), on revenue of NOK 46.5 million ($4.4 million) for the same period a year ago.Facephi has reported pinking results for fiscal 2023.The biometric authentication software maker says its loss before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization widened in fiscal 2022 by 13 percent. But revenue rose 31 percent over the same period.Facephi reported an EBITDA loss of €3.8 million ($4 million) on revenue of €34.2 million ($36.8 million) for fiscal 2023. That compares with a loss of €4.4 million ($4.7 million) on revenue of €26.1 million ($28.1 million) in 2022.Precise Biometrics has seen the opposite.The fingerprint verification software vendor has reported declining earnings and sales.For fiscal 2023, which ended December 31, Precise says it recorded an operational loss of SEK 26.5 million ($26.5 million), or SEK 0.03 per share ($0.0029), on revenue of SEK 75.1 million ($7.1 million). That compares with a loss of SEK 20 million ($1.9 million), SEK 0.05 ($0.0048), on revenue of SEK 91 million ($8.7 million).A handful of executives have been recruited to posts, but the most significant move has been the resignation of the company’s chief financial officer. Her announcement came December 21 and she will leave this summer. A replacement is being sought.Precise’s marketing department has posted what it says is an interview it conducted with Goode Intelligence’s chief analyst, Alan Goode. The reported message is positive, but not the stuff of celebrations.Goode is quoted saying the market for biometric identification grew by a compounded 13 percent last year. He reportedly says it will grow 14 percent, to $16 billion, in 2024.The big buyers will be phones, IAM, banking and payments and automotive.

US has well-oiled funding machine putting advanced data tools in cops’ hands-Feb 16, 2024, 9:30 am EST    | Jim Nash

A new examination of how the U.S. government pays for experimental and new police data systems shows how far consequential technology development can go with vaporous critical challenge.Not that most Americans, who perceive crime to be a far greater local and national problem than police statistics bear out, are in the mood to debate increased government use of biometric identification and surveillance.In an article written by American University law professor Andrew Guthrie Ferguson for The Conversation, the federal government is described as using multiple inputs, including funding, to get new data weapons into the hands of police rapidly.Ferguson studies big-data surveillance. His article largely focuses on the history of predictive policing, which he said is based on “arguably racially discriminatory algorithms that have never been proven to work as intended.”That is despite millions of development dollars invested in the software by the Justice Department and lesser-known sub-agencies including the incubator-like National Institute of Justice.Ferguson details how funding builds momentum as it flows in support of new data technology through the Justice Department’s bureaucracy. By the time a new tool is ready, in the government’s eyes, for street deployment, the only question by police chiefs is how fast can it be installed.He identifies $3 million in funding for facial recognition among federal grants to state or local authorities, and biometrics are also implicated in the faddish acceptance of so-called real-time crime centers. Biometric capabilities are an optional tool in the centers. He also notes the DOJ and DHS asked for public comment to be part of a National Academy of Sciences report on facial recognition released earlier this year.One of the final Justice Department inputs to development and deployment, its Bureau of Justice Assistance, is subsidizing local acquisition of the centers, as it did predictive policing.No doubt, most taxpayers don’t know about the low-analysis technology production described by Ferguson. But it’s unclear if it would change public opinion much.A poll by San Francisco’s chamber of commerce (which, obviously, has a dog in this fight) indicates that 61 percent of potential voters said they support a ballot initiative on whether police should get more elbow room when it comes to using biometric surveillance.For clarity, they were only saying they wanted a chance to vote on the idea. Californians have grown more conservative on crime prevention. But it’s as likely as not that voters would want more cameras and microphones around the city to catch suspects.

ID4Africa 2024 AGM adds 4th day to accommodate largest-ever program-Feb 16, 2024, 12:35 am EST-| Chris Burt

The program for this year’s big ID4Africa in-person gathering has been released, unveiling a new kind of technology demonstration and adding a fourth day to pack in even more debate and collaboration around the issuance of legal and digital identity.  Registration is now open.The digital identity community will gather for the 2024 Annual General Meeting in Cape Town, South Africa for four days in May. The first three days will be made up of a dozen plenary sessions, with the biometrics and digital ID technology exposition running simultaneously, as in past years. Day four will consist of four workshops and four forums, each chaired by an international organization.New to the ID4Africa’s AGM this year is a “Hands-On AI” demonstration, which is hosted in the exposition hall.The theme of the event is: “Digital Identity as DPI: Fostering trust, inclusion & adoption.” That theme is subdivided into four pillars, focussing on digital identity as infrastructure, building trust, fostering inclusion and accelerating use cases.Two-thousand attendees are expected to convene, the most yet, representing all or nearly all African countries, as well as dozens of others around the world. The event continues to grow, despite nearing its functional size limit.As in past years, Biometric Update will report live on location.Program and speakers unveiled-The plenaries will begin with a pair of sessions sharing reports from identity authorities in a total of eight African nations. Representatives from four nations will present different digital identity use cases and a series of sessions will focus on digital public infrastructure during the first day’s afternoon.Technology will take more of the spotlight during the second day, with biometrics and digital ID providers sharing innovations in multiple sessions, and a NIST symposium on “the state of the art in biometrics.” The final plenary of day two will focus on interoperability.Day three plenaries will cover advanced digital credentials management and guardrails for ID systems, with the latter divided into panels on governance, the role of civil society, and policy reforms.Representatives of more than a dozen African nations and major international organizations like the World Bank, UNHCR, UNECA and OpenCRVS will participate in day four’s forums and workshops, along with representatives from universities around the world.Supplementary sessions and networking opportunities for participants are also built into the schedule.As in past years, many of the highest-profile experts in biometrics and digital identity will be speaking at ID4Africa’s AGM. Among them, this year’s class of speakers includes Teki Akuetteh of Africa Digital Rights’ Hub, Dr. Claire Dennis S. Mapa of the Philippine Statistics Authority, Dr. Kanwaljit Singh of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Patrick Grother, Craig Watson and Mei Lee Ngan of NIST and Pam Dixon of World Privacy Forum, who has just accepted a position as a lecturer for Carnegie Mellon University Rwanda course on digital identity ecosystems.A notable step for 2024 is the moderator role of ID4Africa Ambassador Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote of NIMC and Deputy Ambassador Dr. Lourino Alberto Chemane of Mozambique’s INTIC.“Platinum Patrons” of this year’s event are Muhlbauer and Veridos, and “Gold Patrons” are Thales and SITA.The exposition will be made up of more than 100 technology providers and organizations, along with influential groups like the Secure Identity Alliance and MOSIP.The next episode of ID4Africa’s popular Livecast series is also set to air at the end of this month. The event will spotlight digital identity in healthcare, and feature updates from Senegal, Ethiopia and Cameroon, along with a policy panel and a keynote by Wayne Naidoo, technical director of Jembi Health System.ID4Africa’s 2024 AGM will be held on May 21 to 24 at the Cape Town International Convention Center 2 (CTICC 2). Registrations are on now, in English and French, and space is limited.