JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
TRUMP IF IRANS NUKE SITES DESTROYED, ISRAEL WOULD LEAD.
FEARFUL SIGHTS AND GREAT SIGNS FROM HEAVEN
LUKE 21:11,25-26
11
And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and
pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from
heaven.so was not yet deemed a threat to land.
25 And there shall be
signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON
MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth
distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the
waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for
fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things
which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven
shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
EARTHQUAKES
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and
there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers
places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be
earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles:
these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great
earthquakes shall be in divers places,(DIFFERNT PLACES AT THE SAME TIME)
and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall
there be from heaven.
REV 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and
there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon
the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green
grass was burnt up.
JAMES 1:11
11 For the sun is no sooner
risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower
thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also
shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
The Hebrew noun
accurately translated “oven” refers to a “baking oven” as distinct from a
kiln or smelting furnace—both of which burn much hotter. (The Hebrew
nouns for “kiln” or for “smelting furnace” are more likely to appear in
contexts of God's wrath or judgment.)
21 They have roused me to
jealousy with a non-god, they have exasperated me with their idols. In
my turn I shall rouse them to jealousy with a non-people, I shall
exasperate them with a stupid nation.
22 Yes, a fire has blazed from
my anger, it will burn right down to the depths of Sheol; it will devour
the earth and all its produce, it will set fire to the footings of the
mountains.
23 I shall hurl disasters on them, on them I shall use up all my arrows.
Anthrax
kills 50 hippos in Congo's Virunga National Park-Tests confirmed
anthrax poisoning, said Virunga Park director Emmanuel De Merode, adding
that buffalo have been killed too. The exact cause of the poisoning was
not yet clear.By REUTERS-APRIL 8, 2025 14:34
At least 50 hippos
and other large animals have been killed by anthrax poisoning in eastern
Congo's Virunga National Park and have been spotted floating along a
major river that feeds one of Africa's great lakes, the head of the park
said on Tuesday.Tests confirmed anthrax poisoning, said Virunga Park
director Emmanuel De Merode, adding that buffalo have been killed too.
The exact cause of the poisoning was not yet clear.Images shared by the
park show the hippopotamuses motionless on their sides and backs in the
Ishasha River, or caught among foliage on the river's muddy banks.The
deaths represent a major loss for the park, which has been working to
increase the number of hippos in recent decades after poaching and war
reduced the population from over 20,000 to a few hundred by 2006. The
park now holds about 1,200 hippos.Park guards noticed there was a
problem when the dead animals started to appear about five days ago
along the river, which forms Congo's border with Uganda and runs through
an area under the control of rebel fighters.What is anthrax? Anthrax
is a serious disease usually caused by bacteria found naturally in soil.
Wild animals can become infected if they inhale anthrax spores in
contaminated soil, plants, or water.In a statement on Tuesday, the
Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation warned residents to avoid
wildlife in the area and to boil water from local sources before
drinking.De Merode said that a team was on site and that they were
trying to get the hippos out of the water and bury them, but that it was
difficult because they did not have excavators."It's difficult due to
lack of access and logistics," De Merode told Reuters. "We have the
means to limit the spread (of the disease) by...burying them with
caustic soda."The river runs north to Lake Edward, where locals spotted
more corpses."There are more than 25 hippopotamus bodies floating in the
waters of the lake, from Kagezi to Nyakakoma," Thomas Kambale, a civil
society leader in Nyakakoma, told Reuters.Virunga is a vast expanse of
deep forests, glaciers and volcanos, with more species of birds,
reptiles, and mammals than any other protected area in the world.It has
been caught in the middle of militia activity since civil wars fought
around the turn of the century.
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.
FAMINE
EZEKIEL 5:16
16
When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be
for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will
increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:
REVELATION 6:5-6
5
And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say,
Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him
had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the
midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three
measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the
wine.(A DAYS WAGES FOR A LOAF OF BREAD)
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7For
nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there
shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and
there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines
and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11
And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and
pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from
heaven.
DEUTORONOMY 28:24
24 The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
EU prepares for GDPR simplification-Apr 7, 2025, 12:01 pm EDT | Masha Borak
The
European Commission is planning to issue a proposal for simplifying the
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the next couple of
weeks.The proposal will be a part of a forthcoming omnibus package,
according to Michael McGrath, the European Commissioner for Democracy,
Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection.“We have already
brought forward the first round of omnibus proposals, and they have to
make their way through the legislative process over the period ahead,”
McGrath announced last Friday.One of the specific points that the
Commission plans to examine is the impact of GDPR on SMEs and smaller
organizations related to record-keeping obligations, he added.The
package was planned for April 16th but was rescheduled for May 21st.
According to unnamed sources quoted by Politico, the proposal to
simplify privacy rules will be delivered by June.The effort is a part of
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s plan to cut red tape and
increase the competitiveness of European businesses. Another part of the
initiative is packages aimed at simplifying sustainability reporting
and access to EU investments.Other lawmakers are also backing the GDPR
cuts, including Denmark’s Digital Minister Caroline Stage Olsen who
noted that the EU doesn’t need to regulate privacy “in a stupid way.”
Denmark is expected to chair the EU Council in the second part of the
year.However, privacy advocates such as digital rights group EDRi have
raised concerns that the data regulation could come under pressure from
lobbying groups.
Tariffs aren’t enough: America needs a
semiconductor revolution -by Macabe Keliher and Dev Gupta, opinion
contributors - 04/07/25 11:00 AM ET
The debate over U.S. tariffs
has been mired in politics and is now causing market disruptions. But
the real stakes are even higher: The future of American manufacturing.
President Trump’s tariffs regime is not just about rebalancing trade or
punishing some countries; it is very much about “reprioritizing U.S.
manufacturing” and and bringing about “the day American industry was
reborn,” as Trump put it.Yet tariffs alone can’t revive an industrial
base hollowed out by decades of offshoring and underinvestment. If
America wants to lead again, it must go beyond trade wars and build a
real manufacturing ecosystem — starting with semiconductors, the
linchpin of modern industry. Take automobile manufacturing, for example.
The average car today relies on thousands of semiconductors — a number
that will only grow as vehicles become electric and autonomous. If the
U.S. fails to secure its own supply of these tiny but indispensable
components, no tariff will shield American factories from the next
shortage. Or worse, if the U.S. fails to lead in development and
production of these chips, its reliance on foreign supplies could morph
from a market problem to a critical national security problem.
Semiconductors aren’t just about cars, though — they’re the crude oil of
the 21st century. Without them, the U.S. economy grinds to a halt, and
our military loses its technological edge. These tiny microchips
instruct industrial robots, power our cellphones, help fly airplanes and
turn on the coffee machine. They enable increasingly sophisticated AI
models and guide defense systems.While the importance of semiconductors
has long been recognized by Congress and successive presidential
administrations, policies have failed to keep the U.S. at the forefront
of semiconductor manufacturing. Whereas the U.S. once commanded 40
percent global semiconductor manufacturing in 1990, it accounts for just
10 percent today, and none of these are in cutting-edge chips, such as
those that facilitate AI. The U.S. firm Intel, once the dominant
semiconductor leader, has been in decline. For the U.S. to regain its
edge in semiconductor manufacturing and development, a robust industrial
program must materialize: an initiative that mobilizes an industrial
bank with the sole focus of investing in U.S. manufacturing and building
up research and development, by raising a critical mass of experts to
solve the most pressing technological and manufacturing problems. The
2022 CHIPS Act was a step forward, but it treated symptoms, not the
cause. While it funded Research and Development and subsidized factories
like TSMC’s Arizona plants, it failed to address the root problem:
America is lacking the infrastructure, talent and financial firepower to
compete with Asia.Economic history shows tariffs can have a place in
industrial policy, but they won’t rebuild it. Tariffs must be
accompanied by a package of policy tools for industrialization: easy
financing, targeted investment in key sectors, manufacturing incentives,
favorable tax policies for strategic sectors, and technological and
industrial knowledge diffusion.In the 1960s-1980s, Japan, South Korea
and Taiwan used tariffs effectively to protect domestic industries. But
at the same time, policy makers enhanced the industry with financing,
training, technology and production incentives. These countries went on
to experience some of the fastest economic growth in world history and
developed large and prosperous firms such as Toyota, Samsung and
TSMC.For such reasons, we advise against repeal of CHIPS and advocate
revamping it with a more comprehensive program. The U.S. should
emphasize semiconductor manufacturing in the same way the Trump
administration has emphasized steel and aluminum manufacturing, and more
recently automobile manufacturing.To do so will require not only high
levels of investment in capital equipment, but also in research and
development and technical expertise. A single EUV lithography exposure
tool, for example, may cost $350 million. A typical factory will need 10
such tools, along with the highly trained personnel to operate and
maintain them.To compete, the U.S. needs a Marshall Plan for
semiconductors — a wartime-level mobilization of capital, brains and
industrial policy.Foremost is funding. The price tag of semiconductor
manufacturing is in the tens of billions to build a single factory, or
fab. For example, TSMC recently committed $100 billion for semiconductor
manufacturing in the U.S., in addition to an already committed $65
billion. American firms need ready access to that kind of capital to
invest in production.Second is research. The major technical concern in
the semiconductor industry today is the leakage of electrons as
transistors are shrunk to cram more functions on the same chip size. The
shape of transistors are ever more complex and harder to manufacture.
While TSMC and the most advanced manufacturers say they will roll out
new processes later this year, it is an even more complicated production
process requiring advanced equipment. What will be needed in the future
is a breakthrough in physics. This can only take place with better
research centers and funding.Third is education. A critical mass of
experts in semiconductor manufacturing needs to emerge. Such a body will
require at least 200 advanced degree experts in math and sciences, with
comparable training and skills that can be applied to manufacturing.The
choice is stark: Will America settle for begging TSMC to build
factories on our soil, or will we reclaim the power to make the chips
that shape the future? Tariffs can protect, but only a robust industrial
program can rebuild. The time to act is now — before the next
breakthrough happens in Shanghai rather than Texas. Macabe Keliher is an
associate professor in the Clements Department of History at SMU
Dallas. He is writing a book on industrialization and manufacturing in
East Asia. Dev Gupta, Ph.D., is the founder and CTO of APSTL llc of
Scottsdale, Ariz. His past inventions in semiconductor manufacturing at
Motorola & Intel in AZ are now used widely for AI hardware. He
chairs a section of the IEEE International Roadmap for Semiconductor
Devices.
Trump wants to kill $52.7 billion semiconductor chips
subsidy law-By David Shepardson-March 5, 20255:22 AM ESTUpdated a month
ago
WASHINGTON, March 4 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said
on Tuesday U.S. lawmakers should get rid of a landmark 2022 bipartisan
law to give $52.7 billion in subsidies for semiconductor chips
manufacturing and production and use the proceeds to pay debt."Your
CHIPS Act is a horrible, horrible thing. We give hundreds of billions of
dollars and it doesn't mean a thing. They take our money and they don't
spend it," Trump said in a speech to Congress. "You should get rid of
the CHIPS Act and whatever is left over, Mr. Speaker, you should use it
to reduce debt."The CHIPS and Science Act signed by then President Joe
Biden in August 2022 included $39 billion in subsidies for U.S.
semiconductor manufacturing and related components along with $75
billion in government lending authority.The comments were Trump's
strongest criticism of the bipartisan CHIPS Act to date. "We don't have
to give them money," Trump said, suggesting that avoiding new tariffs
would be enough to convince them to build U.S. factories.Commerce
Secretary Howard Lutnick has praised the program but said previously he
wanted to review awards finalized under Biden.Then Commerce Secretary
Gina Raimondo under Biden convinced all five leading-edge global
semiconductor firms to locate factories in the United States through
government grants in the effort to tackle national security risks from
imported chips.In the final weeks of the Biden administration, the
Commerce Department finalized more than $33 billion in awards including
$4.745 billion to South Korea's Samsung Electronics (005930.KS)-, up to
$7.86 billion for Intel (INTC.O), opens new tab, $6.6 billion for Taiwan
Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (2330.TW), opens new tab and $6.1
billion for Micron (MU.O)-Some officials have expressed concern Trump
could seek to invalidate binding grant agreements struck in the Biden
administration.New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on Tuesday the law
"is the reason Micron is bringing $100 billion and 50,000 jobs to
Central New York. Trump just said he wants to get rid of it."TSMC
announced this week with Trump it plans to make a new $100 billion
investment in the United States that involves building five additional
chip facilities there in coming years.Lutnick referenced the $6.6
billion award for TSMC in a White House event on Monday - but noted the
department was not planning to give TSMC any new subsidies - though it
is eligible for a 25% manufacturing investment tax credit. TSMC said
last month it has already received $1.5 billion of its
award.Representative Greg Stanton said Trump's comments were a "direct
attack on Arizona's semiconductor industry and tens of thousands of
Arizona workers." He said TSMC's $100 billion investment would not have
happened without the law.This week about one-third of the staff in the
U.S. Commerce Department office overseeing $39 billion of manufacturing
subsidies for chipmakers was laid off, two sources familiar with the
situation said.Reuters reported last month that the new Trump
administration, which has embarked on a dramatic overhaul of the federal
government, is reviewing the projects awarded.Reporting by David
Shepardson; Editing Stephen Coates and Jacqueline Wong.
Establishment
of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and United States Digital Asset
Stockpile-A Presidential Document by the Executive Office of the
President on 03/11/2025-Executive Order 14233 of March 6,
2025-Establishment of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and United States
Digital Asset Stockpile-By the authority vested in me as President by
the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is
hereby ordered:
Section 1-Background.Bitcoin is the original
cryptocurrency. The Bitcoin protocol permanently caps the total supply
of bitcoin (BTC) at 21 million coins, and has never been hacked. As a
result of its scarcity and security, Bitcoin is often referred to as
“digital gold”. Because there is a fixed supply of BTC, there is a
strategic advantage to being among the first nations to create a
strategic bitcoin reserve. The United States Government currently holds a
significant amount of BTC, but has not implemented a policy to maximize
BTC's strategic position as a unique store of value in the global
financial system. Just as it is in our country's interest to
thoughtfully manage national ownership and control of any other
resource, our Nation must harness, not limit, the power of digital
assets for our prosperity.Sec. 2-Policy.It is the policy of the United
States to establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. It is further the
policy of the United States to establish a United States Digital Asset
Stockpile that can serve as a secure account for orderly and strategic
management of the United States' other digital asset holdings.Sec.
3-Creation and Administration of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and
United States Digital Asset Stockpile.(a) The Secretary of the Treasury
shall establish an office to administer and maintain control of
custodial accounts collectively known as the “Strategic Bitcoin
Reserve,” capitalized with all BTC held by the Department of the
Treasury that was finally forfeited as part of criminal or civil asset
forfeiture proceedings or in satisfaction of any civil money penalty
imposed by any executive department or agency (agency) and that is not
needed to satisfy requirements under 31 U.S.C. 9705 or released pursuant
to subsection (d) of this section (Government BTC). Within 30 days of
the date of this order, each agency shall review its authorities to
transfer any Government BTC held by it to the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve
and shall submit a report reflecting the result of that review to the
Secretary of the Treasury. Government BTC deposited into the Strategic
Bitcoin Reserve shall not be sold and shall be maintained as reserve
assets of the United States utilized to meet governmental objectives in
accordance with applicable law.(b) The Secretary of the Treasury shall
establish an office to administer and maintain control of custodial
accounts collectively known as the “United States Digital Asset
Stockpile,” capitalized with all digital assets owned by the Department
of the Treasury, other than BTC, that were finally forfeited as part of
criminal or civil asset forfeiture proceedings and that are not needed
to satisfy requirements under 31 U.S.C. 9705 or released pursuant to
subsection (d) of this section (Stockpile Assets). Within 30 days of the
date of this order, each agency shall review its authorities to
transfer any Stockpile Assets held by it to the United States Digital
Asset Stockpile and shall submit a report reflecting the result of that
review to the Secretary of the Treasury. The Secretary of the Treasury
shall determine strategies for responsible stewardship of the United
States Digital Asset Stockpile in accordance with applicable law.(c) The
Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Commerce shall develop
strategies for acquiring additional Government BTC provided that such
strategies are budget neutral and do not impose incremental costs on
United States taxpayers. However, the United States Government shall not
acquire additional Stockpile Assets other than in connection with
criminal or civil asset forfeiture proceedings or in satisfaction of any
civil money penalty imposed by any agency without further executive or
legislative action.(d) “Government Digital Assets” means all Government
BTC and all Stockpile Assets. The head of each agency shall not sell or
otherwise dispose of any Government Digital Assets, except in connection
with the Secretary of the Treasury's exercise of his lawful authority
and responsible stewardship of the United States Digital Asset Stockpile
pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, or pursuant to an order
from a court of competent jurisdiction, as required by law, or in cases
where the Attorney General or other relevant agency head determines that
the Government Digital Assets (or the proceeds from the sale or
disposition thereof) can and should:(i) be returned to identifiable and
verifiable victims of crime;(ii) be used for law enforcement
operations;(iii) be equitably shared with State and local law
enforcement partners; or(iv) be released to satisfy requirements under
31 U.S.C. 9705, 28 U.S.C. 524(c), 18 U.S.C. 981, or 21 U.S.C. 881.(e)
Within 60 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of the Treasury
shall deliver an evaluation of the legal and investment considerations
for establishing and managing the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and United
States Digital Asset Stockpile going forward, including the accounts in
which the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and United States Digital Asset
Stockpile should be located and the need for any legislation to
operationalize any aspect of this order or the proper management and
administration of such accounts.Sec. 4-Accounting.Within 30 days of the
date of this order, the head of each agency shall provide the Secretary
of the Treasury and the President's Working Group on Digital Asset
Markets with a full accounting of all Government Digital Assets in such
agency's possession, including any information regarding the custodial
accounts in which such Government Digital Assets are currently held that
would be necessary to facilitate a transfer of the Government Digital
Assets to the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve or the United States Digital
Asset Stockpile. If such agency holds no Government Digital Assets, such
agency shall confirm such fact to the Secretary of the Treasury and the
President's Working Group on Digital Asset Markets within 30 days of
the date of this order.Sec. 5-General Provisions.(a) Nothing in this
order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:(i) the authority
granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head
thereof; or(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or
legislative proposals.(b) This order shall be implemented consistent
with applicable law and subject to the availability of
appropriations.(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create
any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or
in equity by any party against the United States, its departments,
agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other
person.THE WHITE HOUSE,-March 6, 2025.
Protecting America's Bank
Account Against Fraud, Waste, and Abuse-A Presidential Document by the
Executive Office of the President on 03/28/2025
Section
1-Purpose.Promoting financial integrity and operational efficiency are
critical responsibilities of the Federal Government. The Federal
Government processes trillions of dollars annually in disbursements to
individuals, businesses, and organizations, and in receipts from taxes,
fees, and other payments to finance daily and long-term Government
operations. These transactions flow into and out of the United States
General Fund (General Fund), which might be thought of as America's bank
account. In Fiscal Year 2024, $33.9 trillion flowed into the General
Fund and $33.6 trillion flowed out of the account, including $5.87
trillion (less net interest) in benefits, grants, loans, vendor
payments, and other disbursements.The Department of the Treasury is the
largest financial payment manager of the Federal Government and is
responsible for safeguarding the General Fund, but lacks sufficient
controls to track transactions flowing through the General Fund to
determine if they were proper. To enforce sufficient controls and ensure
accountability to American taxpayers, the Department of the Treasury
requires financial information from executive departments and agencies
(agencies) beyond what they currently provide.Financial fraud threatens
the integrity of Federal programs and undermines trust in Government.
Agencies' past underinvestment in technology and longstanding challenges
with access to accurate data has prevented them from more fully
safeguarding taxpayer dollars against fraud and improper payments. The
Government Accountability Office estimates that the Federal Government
loses between $233 and $521 billion annually to fraud.In addition to
being an efficient steward of taxpayer funds, the Federal Government, on
behalf of the American public, must seek to ensure that financial
information is accurate and that there is transparency with respect to
how taxpayer dollars are being used. Today, Federal funds are disbursed
both by the Department of the Treasury and various Federal Government
entities that are authorized to issue their own disbursements known as
Non-Treasury Disbursing Offices (NTDOs). In Fiscal Year 2024, NTDOs were
estimated to be responsible for 181 million payments totaling over $1.5
trillion (approximately 22 percent of all Federal Government dollars
disbursed). This fragmentation of disbursing authority, together with
the proliferation of non-standard financial management systems across
the Federal Government, leads to expensive, disjointed, and duplicative
financial reporting, lack of financial traceability, complicated
financial management, opacity, increased operational risks, and
decreased ability of the Department of the Treasury to provide
centralized oversight.This order promotes financial integrity by
enabling the Department of the Treasury to more easily conduct improper
payment and fraud prevention screening prior to disbursing funds on
behalf of agencies. This order increases transparency and accountability
by requiring agencies to provide the Department of the Treasury with
the information needed to track transactions through the General Fund in
greater detail. This order also promotes operational efficiency by
returning disbursing functions to the Department of the Treasury when
possible and consolidating and standardizing core Federal financial
systems.Sec. 2-Policy.It is the policy of the United States to defend
against financial fraud and improper payments, increase transparency and
accountability around the Federal Government's operations and financial
condition, increase efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance the security
of Federal payments.Sec. 3-Treasury Verification of Agency Payments
Information.(a) The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the
Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB Director), shall
update guidance and enhance systems to ensure that all payments made by
the Department of the Treasury on behalf of agencies pursuant to the
Secretary of the Treasury's disbursing authority, including 31 U.S.C.
3321, are subject to pre-certification verification processes
established by the Secretary of the Treasury and conducted by agencies
and the Department of the Treasury for the purposes of defending against
financial fraud and improper payments, to the greatest extent permitted
by law. Such guidance shall set forth guidelines for compliance with
the Do Not Pay Working System as described in 31 U.S.C. 3351 et seq.,and
such other payment, account, and payee validation programs and services
that the Secretary of the Treasury and the OMB Director determine to be
beneficial for reducing financial fraud and improper payments. (b) In
accordance with 31 U.S.C. 3354, the heads of all agencies shall
cooperate with the Secretary of the Treasury to fulfill their
obligations to determine payment or award eligibility through
pre-certification and pre-award procedures, as determined by the
Secretary of the Treasury, including pursuant to subsection (a) of this
section and section 4 of this order to prevent fraud and improper
payments.(c) The Secretary of the Treasury is directed to minimize
administrative barriers to accessing and using data to prevent fraud and
improper payments by exercising the authority in 31 U.S.C. 3351 et
seq.to waive the requirements of 5 U.S.C. 552(o), in consultation with
the OMB Director, in any case or class of cases for computer matching
activities, to the extent permissible by law.(d) Within 90 days of the
date of this order, agency heads shall review and modify, as applicable,
their relevant system of records notices under the Privacy Act of 1974
to include a “routine use” that allows for the disclosure of records to
the Department of the Treasury for the purposes of identifying,
preventing, or recouping fraud and improper payments, to the extent
permissible by law.(e) The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation
with the OMB Director, shall issue guidance to agency heads on the
circumstances in which agency heads, to the extent permissible by law,
may provide the Secretary of the Treasury with access to data necessary
for the purposes of detecting and preventing fraud and improper
payments, as well as data for payment information verification (and not,
for example, data such as health records).Sec. 4-Implementation and
Compliance of Payment Verification.(a) Agency heads, through designated
agency officials (Certifying Officers or COs), who are responsible for
verifying that disbursements made by the Federal Government are legal,
proper, and correct, and for performing the duties in 31 U.S.C. 3528,
shall comply with the disbursement requirements and instructions,
including pre-certification requirements, published by the Secretary of
the Treasury.(b) The Secretary of the Treasury shall consider, as
appropriate, issuing instructions to agencies to enforce the following
pre-certification criteria for disbursement requests submitted by COs
(Vouchers) before they are certified for payment by the CO:(i) Funds are
available at the time the obligation is incurred. If an obligation is
incurred when funds are not available, then the CO shall not certify the
payment.(ii) The amount of the payment and the name of the payee on the
Voucher are correct, in conformance with the Department of the
Treasury's prescribed standard format.(iii) A proper Social Security
Number, Taxpayer Identification Number, Employer Identification Number,
Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, or Payee ID Number is
provided for each payee on the Voucher, as applicable.(iv) The
appropriation or fund from which the payment will be made is available
for the purpose set forth in the Voucher and indicated with the
appropriate Treasury Account Symbol/Business Event Type Code.(v) Payees
are not deceased individuals, to the greatest extent permitted by
law.(vi) The account number provided on the Voucher is held at a
financial institution and is open, valid, and belongs to the payee or
valid designee of payee. (vii) Contracts or agreements are referenced on
the Voucher by providing the contract number, referred to as the
Procurement Instrument Identifier, where applicable.(viii) Financial
assistance awards (non-aggregate) are referenced on the Voucher by
providing the award number, referred to as the Federal Award
Identification Number, where applicable.(ix) For summary schedules, the
payments on the Voucher are submitted in conformance with the Department
of the Treasury prescribed standard formats for such schedules.(c)
Agency heads shall submit payment files other than with respect to
same-day payments to the Secretary of the Treasury or the Secretary's
designee with sufficient lead time prior to the date of disbursement as
determined by the Department of the Treasury and provided in the
requirements and instructions issued pursuant to subsections (a) and (b)
of this section, to allow for fraud and improper payment screening, to
the extent permissible by law. With respect to same-day payments, agency
heads shall submit payment files to the Secretary of the Treasury or
the Secretary's designee as much in advance as reasonably
practicable.(d) In issuing requirements and instructions pursuant to
subsection (a) of this section, the Secretary of the Treasury shall
consider whether it would be appropriate to provide that the Department
of the Treasury's Chief Disbursing Officer return to the relevant agency
for reconciliation any payments that do not pass the pre-certification
verification processes established pursuant to section 3(a) of this
order and notify the designated CO.(e) The Secretary of the Treasury
shall include in the guidance issued pursuant to subsection (a) of this
section, or in other regulations or guidance, a transparent process for
agencies to request exemptions from some or all of the payment
verification requirements for specific payments or categories of
payments.Sec. 5-Core Financial System Consolidation.(a) Within 180 days
of the date of this order, the OMB Director shall issue guidance that
directs agencies described in 31 U.S.C. 901(b) (CFO Act agencies) to
consolidate their core financial systems.(b) As soon as practicable, but
not later than 180 days of the date of this order, the OMB Director, in
consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, shall issue guidance
directing all non-CFO Act agencies to consolidate transactional
financial management services under a single provider approved by the
Department of the Treasury.(c) As soon as practicable, all heads of CFO
Act agencies shall use standard financial management solutions available
through the Financial Management Marketplace, administered by the
Financial Management Quality Service Management Office.(d) Agency heads
shall ensure that core financial systems comply with Federal accounting
and financial reporting standards and relevant regulations, orders,
guidance documents, policy statements, and other agency actions
published by the Department of the Treasury from time to time.Sec.
6-Reduction of NTDOs.(a) Within 30 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of the Treasury shall assess whether to maintain disbursing
authority that it has delegated to agencies pursuant to 31 U.S.C.
3321(b) and issue notices to revoke such delegations, as appropriate, in
accordance with applicable law.(b) The heads of agencies with
disbursing authority under 31 U.S.C. 3321(c), including the Secretary of
Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Attorney General
(but excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, the Supreme Court and other
entities of the Federal Government outside the Executive Branch) will
work with the Secretary of the Treasury to delegate the performance of
their disbursing activities, other than with respect to classified
payments, to the Department of the Treasury's Chief Disbursing Officer
in accordance with applicable law.(c) Notwithstanding subsections (a) or
(b) of this section, the Secretary of the Treasury may continue to
delegate disbursing authority to NTDOs at other agencies when doing so
would align with significant Government priorities. Any remaining NTDOs
are required to report daily to the Department of the Treasury's
centralized accounting and reporting system in accordance with
then-current Department of the Treasury guidance and applicable law.(d)
The Secretary of the Treasury shall develop a plan to centralize and
manage all payments previously disbursed by NTDOs, ensuring seamless
continuity of Government payments.(e) The Secretary of the Treasury, in
coordination with agency heads, shall establish a transition plan for
agencies currently operating as NTDOs, including staffing adjustments,
system integrations, and legal or regulatory modifications necessary for
full consolidation.(f) The heads of agencies with disbursing authority
delegated to the agency under 33 U.S.C. 3321(b) shall decommission all
internal payment systems and use the Department of the Treasury's
disbursement systems, except and to the extent authorized by the
Department of the Treasury or otherwise required by applicable law.Sec.
7-Reporting and Implementation Requirements.(a) The heads of all
agencies shall submit a compliance plan to the OMB Director within 90
days of the date of this order detailing their strategy for:(i)
transitioning disbursing authority to the Department of the Treasury, as
applicable and as contemplated by this order;(ii) updating and
integrating systems with Department of the Treasury platforms;(iii)
procedures to verify payment information as contemplated by this order;
and(iv) transmitting information associated with improper payments to
the Department of the Treasury in accordance with standards and
reporting specifications established by the OMB Director in coordination
with the Secretary of the Treasury as contemplated by this order.(b)
The Secretary of the Treasury shall submit an implementation report to
the President through the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy
within 180 days of the date of this order detailing progress on the
matters set forth in this order.(c) The Secretary of the Treasury and
agency heads shall take all necessary steps to protect classified
information and systems, as well as personally identifiable information
and tax return information, through the implementation of this
order.Sec. 8-General Provisions.(a) Nothing in this order shall be
construed to impair or otherwise affect:(i) the authority granted by law
to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or(ii) the
functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.(b) This
order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject
to the availability of appropriations.(c) This order is not intended to,
and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural,
enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States,
its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or
agents, or any other person.THE WHITE HOUSE,-March 25, 2025.
Modernizing
Payments To and From America's Bank Account-A Presidential Document by
the Executive Office of the President on 03/28/2025-By the authority
vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United
States of America, it is hereby ordered:
Section 1-Purpose.The
continued use of paper-based payments by the Federal Government,
including checks and money orders, flowing into and out of the United
States General Fund, which might be thought of as America's bank
account, imposes unnecessary costs; delays; and risks of fraud, lost
payments, theft, and inefficiencies. Mail theft complaints have
increased substantially since the COVID-19 pandemic. Historically,
Department of the Treasury checks are 16 times more likely to be
reported lost or stolen, returned undeliverable, or altered than an
electronic funds transfer (EFT). Maintaining the physical infrastructure
and specialized technology for digitizing paper records cost the
American taxpayer over $657 million in Fiscal Year 2024 alone.This order
promotes operational efficiency by mandating the transition to
electronic payments for all Federal disbursements and receipts by
digitizing payments to the extent permissible under applicable law (but
not, for avoidance of doubt, to establish a Central Bank Digital
Currency). Sec. 2-Policy.It is the policy of the United States to defend
against financial fraud and improper payments, increase efficiency,
reduce costs, and enhance the security of Federal payments.Sec. 3-Phase
Out of Paper Check Disbursements and Receipts.(a) Effective September
30, 2025, and to the extent permitted by law, the Secretary of the
Treasury shall cease issuing paper checks for all Federal disbursements
inclusive of intragovernmental payments, benefits payments, vendor
payments, and tax refunds, except as specified in section 4 of this
order.(b) All executive departments and agencies (agencies) shall comply
with this directive by transitioning to EFT methods, including direct
deposit, prepaid card accounts, and other digital payment options, and
take all steps necessary to enroll recipients in EFT payments, except as
specified in section 4 of this order.(c) As soon as practicable, and to
the extent permitted by law, all payments made to the Federal
Government shall be processed electronically, except as specified in
section 4 of this order.(d) The Secretary of State, the Secretary of the
Treasury, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of
Education, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the Secretary of
Homeland Security shall take appropriate action to eliminate the need
for the Department of the Treasury's physical lockbox services and
expedite requirements to receive the payment of Federal receipts,
including fees, fines, loans, and taxes, through electronic means except
as specified in section 4 of this order.(e) The Secretary of the
Treasury shall support agencies' transition to digital payment methods,
including by providing access through the Department of the Treasury's
centralized payment systems to:(i) direct deposits;(ii) debit and credit
card payments;(iii) digital wallets and real-time payment systems;
and(iv) other modern electronic payment options.Sec. 4-Exceptions and
Accommodations for the Phase Out of Paper Check Disbursements and
Receipts.(a) The Secretary of the Treasury, shall review and, as
appropriate, revise procedures for granting limited exceptions where
electronic payment and collection methods are not feasible, including
exceptions for:(i) individuals who do not have access to banking
services or electronic payment systems;(ii) certain emergency payments
where electronic disbursement would cause undue hardship, as
contemplated in 31 C.F.R. Part 208;(iii) national security- or law
enforcement-related activities where non-EFT transactions are necessary
or desirable; and(iv) other circumstances as determined by the Secretary
of the Treasury, as reflected in regulations or other guidance.(b)
Individuals or entities qualifying for an exception under this section
or other applicable law shall be provided alternative payment
options.Sec. 5-Implementation and Compliance of Electronic
Transactions.(a) The Secretary of the Treasury, in coordination with the
heads of agencies, shall develop and implement a comprehensive public
awareness campaign to inform Federal payment recipients of the
transition to electronic payments, including guidance on accessing and
setting up digital payment options.(b) Agencies shall coordinate with
the Department of the Treasury to facilitate a smooth transition to
digital payments, ensuring that affected individuals and entities
receive adequate support.(c) The Secretary of the Treasury shall work
with financial institutions, consumer groups, and other stakeholders to
address financial access for unbanked and underbanked populations.(d)
The Secretary of the Treasury and the heads of agencies shall take all
necessary steps to protect classified information and systems, as well
as personally identifiable information and tax return information,
through the implementation of this order.Sec. 6-Reporting
Requirements.(a) The heads of agencies shall submit a compliance plan to
the Director of the Office of Management and Budget within 90 days of
the date of this order detailing their strategy for eliminating
paper-based transactions.(b) The Secretary of the Treasury shall submit
an implementation report to the President through the Assistant to the
President for Economic Policy within 180 days of the date of this order
detailing progress on the matters set forth in this order.Sec. 7-General
Provisions.(a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or
otherwise affect:(i) the authority granted by law to an executive
department or agency, or the head thereof; or(ii) the functions of the
Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary,
administrative, or legislative proposals.(b) This order shall be
implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the
availability of appropriations.(c) This order is not intended to, and
does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural,
enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States,
its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or
agents, or any other person.THE WHITE HOUSE,March 25, 2025.
Human microchip implants take center stage-by Zhanna L. Malekos Smith, Opinion Contributor - 01/23/23 7:30 AM ET
The
novelty of replacing one’s “home key” with a microchip implant is
gaining worldwide interest, but there’s another more compelling story
under the surface. Why is this technology — an integrated circuit the
size of a grain of rice — reviled by some and celebrated by
self-proclaimed human cyborgs?Arguably, William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”
offers the most elegant explanation: “Nothing is neither good nor bad,
but thinking makes it so.” However, it would be prudent to tell Prince
Hamlet that not all microchip implants are designed alike, and
understanding the technological design enables one to better evaluate
the competing viewpoints. Today, more than 50,000 people have elected to
have a subdermal chip surgically inserted between the thumb and index
finger, serve as their new swipe key, or credit card. In Germany, for
example, more than 2,000 Germans have opted to receive these implants;
one man even used it to store a link to his last will and testament. As
chip storage capacity increases, perhaps users could even link to the
complete works of Shakespeare.Chip implants are just one of the many
types of emerging technologies in the Internet of Things (IoT) — an
expanding digital cosmos of wirelessly connected internet-enabled
devices. Some technologists are worried, however, that hackers targeting
IoT vulnerabilities in sensors and network architecture also may try to
hack chip implants. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips are
identifying transponders that typically carry a unique identification
number and can be tagged with user data such as health records, social
media profiles, and financial information.RFID chips are passive
transponders, which means the digital reader must be positioned a few
inches away from the user’s microchipped hand to communicate. In
contrast, near field communication (NFC) chips use electromagnetic radio
fields to wirelessly communicate to digital readers in close proximity,
much like smartphones and contactless credit cards. A benefit of NFC
over RFID is international use, reasons Biohax: “With the power of
existing infrastructure and the wide variety of services and products
already supporting the NFC standard globally, one huge benefit of ours
is that we overlap virtually any private or public sector already using
NFC or mobile tech.”According to a 2021 United Kingdom-based consumer
survey by Propeller Insights on digital payment trends in Europe, 51
percent of the approximately 2,000 respondents said they would consider
getting a chip implant to pay for services. This technology is
especially popular in Sweden as a substitute for paying with cash. “Only
1 in 4 people living in Sweden use cash at least once a week,” writes
NPR. More than 4,000 Swedes have replaced keycards for chip implants to
use for gym access, e-tickets on railway travel, and to store emergency
contact information.The technology also may offer increased mobility for
people with physically limiting health conditions, such as rheumatoid
arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and motor neurone disease, according to
BioTeq, a UK-based tech firm. For example, “a wheelchair-mobile person
can approach a door and the reader will unlock the door, avoiding the
need for keys that the person may not be able to use for themselves.”
BioTeq is also exploring providing microchip services for those who are
visually impaired to create “trigger audible or touch-sensory signals”
in the home. Despite these benefits, the Bulletin of the Atomic
Scientists avers that the main challenges to chip implants are security,
safety and privacy.A general security concern with NFC technology is
that it could allow third parties to eavesdrop on device communication,
corrupt data, or wage interception attacks, warns NFC.org. Interception
attacks are when someone intercepts the data transmitted between two
NFC devices and then alters the data as it’s being relayed. Like any
device, these personal chips have security vulnerabilities and
potentially could be hacked, even if embedded underneath the skin.With
regard to health safety concerns, a 2020 study with the American Society
for Surgery of the Hand indicated that RFID chip implants may carry
potential health risks such as adverse tissue reaction and
incompatibility with some magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology.
Several social scientists also are apprehensive about the risks to
privacy and human rights if the body becomes a type of “human barcode.”
According to microbiologist Ben Libberton at Stockholm’s Karolinska
Institute, chip implants can reveal sensitive personal information about
your health and even “data about your whereabouts, how often you’re
working, how long you’re working, if you’re taking toilet breaks and
things like that.” Interestingly, the first person to implant a
microchip in himself was professor Kevin Warwick of Reading University
in 1998; he wanted to determine whether his computer could wirelessly
track his movements at work.To date, at least 10 state legislatures in
the United States have passed statutes to ban employers from requiring
employees to receive human microchip implants. The most recent state was
Indiana, which prohibited employers from requiring employees to be
chipped as a condition of employment and discriminating against job
applicants who refuse the implant. Nevada’s legislation is the most
restrictive — although not a total ban, as proposed in 2017, Nevada
Assembly Bill 226 prohibits an officer or employee of Nevada from
“establishing a program that authorizes a person to voluntarily elect to
undergo the implantation of such a microchip or permanent
identification marker.”As the impact and influence of chip implants
increases in the United States, it will raise complex questions for
state legislatures and courts to consider, such as third-party liability
for cybersecurity, data ownership rights, and Americans’ rights under
the Fourth Amendment and the protection of sensitive digital data under
the Supreme Court’s 2018 decision in Carpenter v. United
States.Microchips offer alluring benefits of convenience and mobility,
but they carry potential cybersecurity, privacy and health risks. The
onus cannot be on the law alone, however, to protect consumers. Instead,
it is a shared responsibility among consumers to understand their data
rights as part of digital literacy, and among technologists to promote
cybersecurity-informed engineering at each phase of product development.
Further, lawmakers must be mindful of the delicate balance between
protecting the flame of technological innovation and advancement, while
guarding against misapplication and abuse. As technology historian
Melvin Kranzberg noted, “Technology is neither good nor bad, nor is it
neutral.”Zhanna L. Malekos Smith is a nonresident adjunct fellow with
the Strategic Technologies Program at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies (CSIS) in Washington and an assistant professor in
the Department of Systems Engineering at the U.S. Military Academy at
West Point, where she also is a Cyber Law and Policy Fellow with the
Army Cyber Institute and affiliate faculty with the Modern War
Institute. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author
and not those of CSIS, the U.S. government or Department of Defense.
Tech5 patents complete decentralized biometric digital ID system-Apr 9, 2025, 8:05 pm EDT | Chris Burt
Tech5
has been granted patent protection for its decentralized system for
digital identity issuance, storage and real-time verification.The U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office granted Tech5 the patent for a “System and
Method for Decentralized Digital Identity Verification.”The patent
describes the issuance of digital IDs in the form of Verifiable
Credentials or 2D machine-readable code to support identity verification
without relying on centralized databases or an internet connection. The
system supports selective disclosure, biometric identity binding and
verification using any of a wide range of modalities, and blockchain
integration.Tech5 emphasizes in a press release that the patented system
aligns with self-sovereign identity (SSI) principles.The
machine-readable code is a cryptograph embedded in the credential, and
the request indicates a piece of data to reveal from the cryptograph. A
stable bio-hash is generated from the live biometric sample, and the
decryption key is composed of shards generated with live biometric data,
according to the patent.The system can be used to advance towards
universal inclusion, and supports financial inclusion and services,
including digital payment ecosystems.“We continue to innovate in the
field of decentralized identity because we believe in building inclusive
infrastructure that empowers every individual to participate in the
digital ecosystem in a secure and private manner,” says Tech5
Co-founder, CTO and Chairman Rahul Parthe. “There is still work to be
done to create truly trustworthy digital IDs that are accessible to all.
The method and system described in this patent bring us one step closer
to that goal. This technology serves as a core building block for
decentralized Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), where digital
identity becomes the foundation of trust.”Tech5 is actively implementing
the solution as a decentralized DPI in countries in Africa and Latin
America, the company says in the announcement. Countries Tech5 has been
confirmed active in include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia
and Colombia.
AI, DPI offer Africa new hope for more efficient,
impactful public sector: Tony Blair Institute-Apr 9, 2025, 7:27 pm
EDT | Ayang Macdonald
Generative AI can help Africa leapfrog
its historical development constraints and fast-track a new approach to
socio-economic progress which is different from the liner trajectory the
continent has known over the decades.This view underpins the arguments
shared in the first of a planned series of papers by the Tony Blair
institute for Global Change, titled: “Governing in the age of AI: A new
model to transform the state.”The thinking reflected in the paper is
about Africans embracing a public sector modernization approach that is
driven by AI and digital public infrastructure, both of which have the
potential to make governments run in a more efficient, transparent and
smart manner, void of the analogue system challenges that have
bedevilled governance in the past.AI, the Institute holds, can be
extremely useful in streamlining a wide gamut of processes – from
service delivery, to healthcare access, the fight against corruption,
social protection, education and learning, climate change, agriculture
and food security, the fight against youth unemployment, and financial
inclusion, just to mention a fraction of these real-world use
scenarios.The paper contends that to set off a new governance
dispensation, African countries must incorporate AI into their
governance realities, with each of them tailoring it to suit their
specific local contexts in order to make the most of the technology.In
its executive summary, the paper proposes that “to fully unlock AI’s
potential, African governments must adopt a dual-track strategy – one
that balances immediate, high-impact interventions with the development
of long-term structural readiness.”This, according to the writers, means
“rapidly deploying AI for impactful use cases in priority sectors
including health care, education, agriculture and public administration,
addressing immediate challenges and building momentum.”The paper also
mentions key tips on African countries integrating AI into public sector
governance. This includes “clear national leadership, robust
institutional frameworks and forward-thinking investment.”Specifically,
the paper explains that adopting and deploying AI at scale will involve a
number of strategic measures, the first of which is defining a national
AI vision and governance framework, and then adopting adaptive AI
governance and regulation models.Other measures proposed include making
significant investments in foundational AI infrastructure and data
governance, building AI talent and ecosystems for innovation, and
strengthening national computing infrastructure for the development of
AI.To the experts, one of the major challenges AI adoption and
development would bring to the African governments is the cost burden,
but they believe thinking of innovative financing models could prove
crucial.They go ahead to propose what they term a “dedicated
AI-Financing Compact for Africa” which “could help governments integrate
AI investment into long-term economic and fiscal planning.”Among other
things, the paper also discusses the systemic barriers which have
prevented efficient governance in Africa, how AI can dismantle these
hurdles and transform public administration, the building of AI systems
that can drive cross-sectoral impact, AI investment models that can work
better, and the role of the central government in AI governance.DPI, AI
among priorities of SA’s G20 presidency-Conscious of the potential
impact and transformational power of AI and DPI in driving economic
growth, South Africa says it is making these aspects part of the
priority causes it is using its G20 presidency to advocate.India had
also used its own G20 presidency two years ago to make the case for
global DPI adoption which is a major propeller of digital
transformation.According to a blog post by the World Economic Forum, the
UNDP is joining hands with the South African government to make good on
these intentions.The South African President’s announcement of the
putting in place of a G20 Task Force on Artificial Intelligence is
expected to tie in with other global and regional efforts which are
already ongoing with the aim of unearthing the real value of DPI and AI
for Africa’s economic growth.The WEF article notes that one of the roles
of the G20 AI Task Force should be closing the AI gap, as well as
harnessing the potential and contributions of the private sector.One
event to watch out for where discussions around DPI and AI will come
under sharper focus is the ID4Afirca 2025 AGM coming up in Addis Ababa
next month. Reflections around AI will feature during the event in the
light of scalability of identity systems, deploying sector-specific
applications and driving large scale impact.Another event where these
technologies will be extensively discussed is coming up in August in the
Nigerian capital, Abuja.As Daily Trust reports, the event, dubbed
African Digital Economy & Inclusivity Conference, will take place
under the theme “AI and Africa’s Digital Economy: Leaving No One
Behind.” It will bring participants from across the board to discuss
advances in DPI and AI as they relate to Africa’s digital economy which
is said to be valued at $180 billion.
About Event-Middle East Resilient Banking & Payments
Welcome
to the Middle East Resilient Banking & Payments Symposium, Exhibit,
and Awards — an exclusive gathering designed to address the pivotal
challenges and opportunities steering the course of banking in the
region. This symposium serves as a critical nexus for industry leaders,
innovators, and solution providers, converging to dissect the key forces
shaping the future of Middle East banking and payments.In an era of
unprecedented change, our conference spotlights the challenges and
opportunities fueling the ongoing transformation of the financial
landscape. From Saudi Arabia’s Fintech Revolution, navigating Vision
2030 and FSDP Aspirations, to exploring the dynamics of Beyond Banking,
our discussions will unravel the intricate challenges faced by the
industry.Data-Driven Excellence takes center stage as we delve into
predictive analytics, data practices, and strategic insights, shedding
light on the opportunities for leveraging data in responsible and
impactful ways. AI Empowerment in Banking & Payment examines the
challenges and opportunities presented by artificial intelligence,
particularly in areas like credit intelligence and financial
inclusion.Revolutionizing Banking & Payment explores the challenges
faced by neobanks in reshaping the traditional narrative, while AI and
ML Reshaping Credit Scoring dissects the opportunities and ethical
considerations surrounding the integration of artificial intelligence in
risk assessment.Join us in unpacking the challenges and opportunities
that define the trajectory of Middle East Resilient Banking &
Payments Symposium, driving meaningful conversations and actionable
insights for the industry’s future.
Middle East Resilient Banking & Payments Symposium-Apr 9, 2025 - Apr 10, 2025-Abu Dhabi, UAE-April 9-10, 2025
https://www.merbp.com/speakers-panelists/
Middle
East Resilient Banking & Payments Symposium is an exclusive
gathering designed to address the pivotal challenges and opportunities
steering the course of banking in the region.This symposium serves as a
critical nexus for industry leaders, innovators, and solution providers,
converging to dissect the key forces shaping the future of Middle East
retail banking and payments.
• CONFEX: 09th & 10th of April 2025
• MERBP Awards: 10th of April 2025
• Theme: Breaking Boundaries: Let’s Keep Disrupting
• Venue: Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort
A few speakers among many others:
1. Sanjoy Sen – Managing Director, Group Head of Consumer Bank | DBS Bank
2. Christoph Koster – Chief Executive Officer | ruya
3. Zein Malhas – Chief Executive Officer | Blink by Capital Bank
4. Hisham Hammoud – Chief Executive Officer and Board Member | Aafaq Islamic Finance
5. Vimal Kumar – Chief Executive Officer | omnispay
Why attend:
• Gain valuable insights from industry experts and thought leaders.
• Network with key players in sector.
• Stay up to date with the latest trends and innovations.
• Participate in discussions shaping the future of banking in the Middle East region.
This
summit will host high-profile officials from relevant government
bodies, as well as c-suite executives from banks, microfinance
institutions, fintech companies, and regulatory authorities. The
audience will comprise senior and executive management officials from
the financial services sector who are keen to shape the future of
payments, digital banking, and more within the Middle East region.
Consumers fear cyber threats but remain exposed; preparedness fails-Apr 9, 2025, 3:34 pm EDT | Anthony Kimery
Two
new reports reveal a troubling dissonance between perceived security
and actual preparedness. And when examined together, their findings draw
a sobering conclusion: people are more aware of cyber threats, but they
remain dangerously under protected, especially as AI empowers
cybercriminals to innovate faster than defenses can adapt.Iris’
consumer-focused Identity & Cybersecurity Concerns Survey
underscores that while individuals recognize the dangers of identity
theft, their behavioral response remains insufficient. Only 30 percent
of respondents reported following all recommended cybersecurity
practices, despite deep concerns about data breaches, compromised
passwords, and fraud.Particularly alarming is the concern surrounding
AI. Ninety-one percent cited AI as a significant threat to personal
information, an anxiety that is especially acute among women. Yet, this
high level of awareness does not translate into meaningful action. Most
respondents described themselves as feeling only “somewhat secure” while
using their digital devices, a sense of unease that reflects the gap
between what they know and what they do.This unease is well founded.
According to Delinea Labs’ Cybersecurity and the AI Threat Landscape
report, AI is not just accelerating existing cyber threats, it is
completely redefining them. AI-generated phishing, deepfake
impersonations, and automated ransomware are rapidly becoming the norm.
In 2024, phishing attempts increased by over 200 percent, and credential
phishing surged by 703 percent. Deepfake attacks are now occurring
every five minutes around the world.One notorious case involved a
finance employee of British engineering giant Arup transferring $25
million after being duped by a deepfake impersonation of the company’s
CEO during a video call. Such events reveal how AI enables attackers to
craft convincing social engineering schemes, tricking even the most
security-conscious individuals into compromising their
organizations.Despite these realities, though, most consumers still turn
to their banks or credit card companies rather than dedicated
cybersecurity providers when confronted with a data breach. Iris’ survey
revealed that 46 percent would contact their financial institution
compared to just 19 percent who would reach out to a cybersecurity
provider.This behavior aligns with another key finding, which is 66
percent of consumers expressed interest in buying cyber protection
directly from their bank or credit card issuer, which in turn suggests a
significant opportunity for trusted institutions to embed digital
protection into the platforms consumers already use, addressing both the
accessibility gap and trust deficit.This embedded approach also speaks
to the broader challenge, which is the complexity of cybersecurity
tools. Iris Chief Technology and Product Officer Erik Nienaber explained
that consumers shouldn’t have to navigate a labyrinth of products to
stay protected. Instead, the goal should be seamless, behind-the-scenes
security that is integrated into daily workflows and built into the
systems people already rely on.“These findings only confirm what we’re
doing at Iris. Our identity and cyber protection suite has been designed
with this idea in mind, allowing our partners to seamlessly integrate
proactive security into the systems their customers already use,”
Nienaber said. “By embedding protection where consumers already are
-whether through banks, credit card companies, or other trusted
providers – we’re making it easier than ever for them to stay ahead of
evolving cyber threats without having to navigate complex security
solutions on their own.”The Delinea report supports this approach. It
highlights the growing attack surface of identity systems, particularly
those involving Non-Human Identities (NHIs), digital accounts used by
apps, APIs, and services. For every human identity, there are 46 NHIs,
and over 70 percent are not rotated according to security best
practices. Worse, 97 percent of organizations expose these NHIs to third
parties, further compounding the risk.Failures in identity protection
aren’t just theoretical. The Snowflake breach in 2024 – one of the
biggest breaches last year – exploited stolen credentials from an
employee account lacking multi-factor authentication (MFA). This single
vulnerability led to the exposure of data from multiple high-profile
clients that affected hundreds of millions of consumers. Similarly, a
breach of the Internet Archive was due to unsecured non-human identity
tokens left accessible in a public repository for nearly two years.These
incidents serve as stark reminders of the cascading consequences when
identity systems are not secured, especially as attackers grow more
adept at exploiting them. Windows’ Active Directory, the backbone of
access management for many enterprises, was the target of nine out of 10
ransomware attacks in 2024, according to Delinea. Attackers
increasingly are using AI to probe weaknesses, bypass MFA through
fraudulent push notifications, and exploit identity provider systems.
MFA itself was implicated in nearly half of all incidents, often due to
misconfiguration or user error.Iris CEO Paige Schaffer emphasized that
consumers shouldn’t be left to navigate these complex threats alone.
Indeed, this is the core message echoed by both reports, which is that
cybersecurity is no longer just a technical challenge – it’s a societal
one. The stress of recovering from identity fraud is immense. Iris found
that 93 percent of recent victims reported significant emotional
distress, with over half describing the experience as more stressful
than any previous event in their lives. Yet only 5 percent of these
victims received help from an identity protection provider, revealing a
striking underutilization of available support.And this is where
coordinated, proactive defenses become essential. Delinea’s report urges
organizations to adopt identity-first security strategies and investing
in advanced threat detection and continuous monitoring. It highlights
the rapid growth in identity-related vulnerabilities, which rose by
nearly 40 percent in 202.As attackers leverage AI to automate phishing
sites, impersonate executives, and target privileged accounts, the
window for detection narrows. Human vigilance, while still important, is
no longer enough. Instead, a layered defense strategy is necessary. One
that integrates intelligent access controls, risk-based authentication,
and real-time monitoring. Identity systems must be hardened against
exploitation and consumer-facing platforms must evolve to offer embedded
protection that meets users where they are. Institutions, whether
financial or governmental, must lead by example in deploying AI to
defend, not just attack.In the final analysis, both the Iris and Delinea
reports point to the same conclusion, which is the cybersecurity
landscape is undergoing a fundamental transformation. The tools of
attack have changed – fueled by AI, scale, and automation – yet the
tools of defense remain fragmented and underutilized. Bridging this gap
will require more than awareness and a rethinking of how cybersecurity
is delivered, accessed, and experienced.
Trump administration announces overhaul of federal AI policy-Apr 9, 2025, 8:40 pm EDT | Anthony Kimery
The
White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) this week advanced a
major policy initiative fulfilling President Trump’s Executive Order,
Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence,
with the release of two transformative memos, M-25-21 and M-25-22. These
revised policies outline the federal government’s updated approach to
AI use and procurement, and signal a paradigm shift in federal policy
away from outdated bureaucracy and toward a forward-leaning,
innovation-focused administration.“President Trump recognizes that AI is
a technology that will define the future. This administration is
focused on encouraging and promoting American AI innovation and global
leadership, which starts with utilizing these emerging technologies
within the federal government, said Lynne Parker, Principal Deputy
Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
(OSTP). These “revised memos offer much needed guidance on AI adoption
and procurement that will remove unnecessary bureaucratic restrictions,
allow agencies to be more efficient and cost-effective, and support a
competitive American AI marketplace.”Trump’s Executive Order underscores
the urgency of positioning the U.S. at the forefront of global AI
innovation. To this end, OMB, in close collaboration with OSTP and the
Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, crafted M-25-21,
Accelerating Federal Use of AI through Innovation, Governance, and
Public Trust, and M-25-22, Driving Efficient Acquisition of Artificial
Intelligence in Government. The two memos replace previous guidance with
streamlined strategies that prioritize national competitiveness, data
privacy, public trust, and operational excellence.For their part,
industry experts are cautiously optimistic about the new guidance. While
the memos emphasize innovation and risk management, there is
uncertainty about their practical implementation. Quinn Anex-Ries, a
senior policy analyst at the Center for Democracy and Technology, noted
that the guidance maintains core AI governance requirements but
emphasized that its faithful execution remains to be seen. He also
expressed concerns regarding the Department of Government Efficiency’s
potential use of AI systems that might compromise sensitive data,
highlighting the need for timely and transparent implementation across
all federal agencies.Cody Venzke, senior policy counsel with the
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), acknowledged the administration’s
commitment to ensuring AI systems are safe, fair, and aligned with the
public interest, but also emphasized the importance of agencies
verifying that AI tools are fair and safe before deployment, especially
when such tools influence critical decisions affecting individuals’
lives. The ACLU highlighted the necessity for ongoing monitoring and
human oversight to maintain public trust in AI applications.Legal
experts, meanwhile, observed that the new memos, while introducing a
distinct approach, build upon themes from previous administrations
concerning responsible AI use within the federal government.M-25-21 lays
the foundation for accelerating AI integration across federal agencies
by removing structural bottlenecks and reimagining governance models.
The memorandum instructs agencies to implement AI not as a peripheral
enhancement, but as a mission-critical tool for modern public service.
It establishes three central pillars – innovation, governance, and
public trust – as the basis of AI deployment strategy.Central to M-25-21
is the newly expanded role of the Chief AI Officer (CAIO). Each agency
must designate a CAIO with the authority to lead strategic AI
initiatives and ensure compliance with governance standards. These
officers are now positioned as champions of innovation rather than mere
compliance administrators. They are tasked with evaluating AI maturity
within their agencies, identifying opportunities for growth, and
overseeing risk management, especially for high-impact AI systems that
influence legally binding decisions or affect the rights and safety of
the public.The memo redefines AI governance as an enabler, not an
obstacle. Rather than layering new approval processes atop existing
structures, M-25-21 aligns AI accountability with current IT governance
models. Agencies are encouraged to promote rapid innovation by
establishing clear expectations and delegating decision-making power,
particularly when deploying AI tools in contexts such as healthcare,
public safety, or benefits administration.Public trust is a consistent
theme in the policy’s language. M-25-21 mandates agencies to identify
and report AI use cases annually, with special attention paid to
“high-impact” applications, which are defined as AI systems whose
outputs serve as a principal basis for decisions that have legal,
material, or safety implications. In these cases, agencies must conduct
risk assessments, maintain rigorous performance monitoring, and suspend
use if systems fail to meet safety, fairness, or transparency
criteria.Meanwhile, M-25-22 complements these efforts by overhauling
federal acquisition strategies to ensure agencies can efficiently and
responsibly procure AI technologies. The memo responds to long-standing
frustrations with procurement delays and inefficiencies and directs
agencies to adopt performance-based contracting and to reduce their
reliance on a narrow pool of vendors.The policy also places emphasis on
American-made innovation. Consistent with the Executive Order’s mandate
to “buy American,” agencies are encouraged to prioritize domestically
developed AI systems, which is aimed at promoting national security and
economic strength by ensuring that critical government infrastructure
relies on trustworthy, transparent, and secure technologies.Greg
Barbaccia from the Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer
emphasized that these memos help agencies overcome stagnation created by
outdated acquisition models. According to him, the revised approach
reflects a government-wide commitment to fiscal responsibility,
innovation, and public trust.“Federal agencies have experienced a
widening gap in adopting AI and modernizing government technology,
largely due to unnecessary bureaucracy and outdated procurement
processes. OMB’s new policies demonstrate that the government is
committed to spending American taxpayer dollars efficiently and
responsibly, while increasing public trust through the Federal use of
AI,” Barbaccia said.A key innovation in M-25-22 is the requirement for
cross-functional acquisition teams. When planning to procure AI systems,
agencies must convene internal experts from legal, IT, procurement,
privacy, civil liberties, and operational backgrounds to evaluate AI’s
potential impact, especially in high-risk or sensitive domains. This
collaborative structure is supposed to ensure that decisions are
informed by diverse perspectives and aligned with agency
missions.M-25-22 also addresses vendor lock-in – which has been a
significant challenge in past technology contracts – by requiring
agencies to prioritize interoperability, transparency, and open
standards. Solicitation language must reflect these priorities, ensuring
that the government retains sufficient data and intellectual property
rights to adapt, modify, and monitor AI systems over time.To support
agencies in implementing the new requirements, the General Services
Administration is developing a shared repository of best practices,
sample contract language, and procurement templates tailored to various
types of AI such as biometrics and generative AI. These resources are
designed to standardize approaches across government and reduce the
learning curve for agency acquisition teams.Both memoranda emphasize the
development of an AI-ready workforce. Agencies must invest in staff
training, both for technical specialists and non-technical employees who
may interact with AI tools. Through centralized government-wide
training programs and internal capacity-building initiatives, the memos
aim to democratize AI literacy and foster a culture of continuous
improvement.Trump’s vision, as expressed in his Executive Order, is not
merely to use AI more, but to use AI better. Through M-25-21 and
M-25-22, the administration has provided a roadmap it says will achieve
that goal.Importantly, both memos establish mechanisms for
accountability and transparency. Agencies must publish AI strategies,
risk assessments, and inventories of AI use cases. High-impact AI
applications must undergo pre-deployment testing, periodic audits, and
independent reviews. If a system is found to pose undue risks or fails
to deliver on its intended performance, agencies are directed to modify
or discontinue its use.The practical effects of the new policies are
being touted by highlighting pioneering use cases such as the Department
of Justice’s (DOJ) deploying AI to deepen its understanding of the
global drug market. By analyzing data patterns and market behaviors, DOJ
is using AI tools to disrupt drug trafficking networks. DOJ says its
application of AI enhances public safety by enabling faster, more
targeted investigations and interventions.DOJ’s December 2024 report,
Artificial Intelligence and Criminal Justice, outlines how AI is being
implemented in areas including sentencing, pretrial decisions, risk
assessments, police surveillance, predictive policing, forensic
analysis, and prison management. While recognizing the potential of AI
to enhance fairness, efficiency, and accuracy, the report also
underscores the risks these technologies pose, especially regarding
bias, privacy violations, and the potential erosion of civil liberties.A
significant portion of the report addresses AI-driven identification
and surveillance technologies, especially the growing use of biometrics.
Facial recognition technology receives close scrutiny, with the report
noting its expanded use by federal and local agencies for identifying
suspects, witnesses, and missing persons. While acknowledging its
operational benefits, the report emphasizes persistent concerns over
misidentification and its chilling effect on constitutionally protected
activities like protest and anonymous assembly. It highlights the
variation in policies among jurisdictions and recommends consistent
safeguards and oversight to prevent civil rights infringements.The
report further evaluated AI applications in forensic analysis, where
technologies like machine learning are being used to interpret DNA
evidence, digital forensics, and drug identification. These tools, while
promising faster and more accurate outcomes, still face challenges in
transparency and evidentiary validation. The complexity of AI systems
often makes it difficult to explain forensic conclusions in court,
raising questions about due process and the reliability of
evidence.Ultimately, the report stresses that the adoption of AI in
criminal justice must not come at the cost of constitutional rights,
public trust, or ethical accountability. The deployment of these tools
should be carefully controlled, subject to public input, and continually
evaluated to ensure they promote fairness and justice in the American
legal system.
Somalia mandates use of biometric ID for govt, private sector services-Apr 8, 2025, 10:12 am EDT | Ayang Macdonald
Somalia’s
Prime Minister, Hamza Abdi Barre, has directed that all government and
private sector service providers begin to mandatorily integrate the
national biometric ID card for verification and authentication.The PM
made the call while chairing a high-level meeting on April 7 which was
aimed at reviewing the implementation of the national identification
program, and finetuning strategies ahead of a mass citizen enrollment
campaign.According to an announcement from the National Identification
and Registration Authority of Somalia (NIRA), the PM’s call is in line
with the country’s National Transformation Plan which emphasizes the
critical importance of digitizing and modernizing public service
delivery.He also reiterated the government’s commitment to registering
all citizens for the national ID and protecting their personal data in
conformity with existing laws and regulatory frameworks.Barre said
details of the national ID card adoption strategy will be unveiled
soon.Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation Minister, Ali Yusuf
Ali, who attended the meeting, explained the necessity of integrating
the national ID with various services across the board, adding that the
national ID is an important tool that will contribute substantially to
the growth and development of the conflict-battered country.A
presentation from NIRA Director General, Abdiweli Ali Abdulle, outlined
the features and uses of the national ID, highlighting the potential of
the identity system in streamlining administrative and governance
operations. He added that the ID brings some level of trust, security
and convenience to the way citizens access services from government and
private sector institutions and businesses. The NIRA boss also praised
the support which the ID authority has had from government institutions
and even external partners.The Somalia national ID project has massive
support from Pakistan’s NADRA, which recently held a working session
with NIRA officials on ways of tackling challenges and advancing
progress on the rollout of ID cards. Official printing of the ID cards
was launched in January.The call from the PM comes at a time when NIRA
also organized an event in the capital Mogadishu to pep up staff who’ll
take part in an upcoming nationwide ID registration exercise.NIRA
director general expressed gratitude to the staff for their sacrifice
and dedication, calling them the “backbone” of the national ID
initiative, according to a blog post.“Your perseverance,
professionalism, and commitment to the establishment and development of
the modern National Identification System will serve future generations.
On behalf of NIRA and the Federal Government of Somalia, I thank you
for the great work you have done,” Abdulle told NIRA staff, before
reiterating the vision of the ID authority which is to ensure the
putting in place of a reliable, secure, and inclusive national
identification system that ensures every Somali citizen has access to
legal identity.Also speaking, the deputy Director General of NIRA,
Abdirahman Said Ahmed, also encouraged staff to be ready for the
imminent nationwide registration campaign which is to ensure that ID
cards are issued to every citizen.“We are not just conducting
registrations; we are laying the foundation for digital infrastructure
that will underpin Somalia’s future development. Therefore, let us
constantly strive to serve the Somali people efficiently, fairly, and in
line with our institutional values,” the official appealed.Somalia is
getting its national ID system back to life after a more than 30-year
hiatus.
Netanyahu to cabinet: Negotiations underway with two
countries to absorb Gazans-“That’s the direction things need to go,”
said Netanyahu, following his US visit regarding discussions with
countries about the possibility of absorbing a large number of Gazans.By
AMICHAI STEIN, JERUSALEM POST STAFF-APRIL 9, 2025 22:48
Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the security cabinet on Wednesday
that negotiations are underway with two large countries to absorb large
numbers of Gazans who will emigrate voluntarily. Netanyahu continued
that Israel knew in advance about the US talks with Iran regarding its
nuclear program, and the US wanted to know what a good agreement was
from Israel's perspective. The prime minister said that there is
goodwill in the US to reach a solution on the issue of tariffs and that
Israel is committed to reducing the trade deficit with the US.At the end
of the discussion, he instructed that a trade delegation be sent to the
US in the coming days, headed by the Finance Ministry, to continue
discussing the tariffs with the American administration.Visit to the
White House-In his visit to the White House on Tuesday, Netanyahu
discussed with US President Donald Trump about Gaza and the Israel-Hamas
war, stating, "We are determined to eliminate Hamas, and at the same
time, we are committed to bringing back all our hostages.”The prime
minister also quoted Trump in confirming that Netanyahu “is working all
the time to free the hostages,” adding, “I hope this statement puts to
rest the false narrative that I’m not working for their release or that I
don’t care.”Netanyahu added that the US and Israel are in talks with
countries about the possibility of absorbing a large number of Gazans.
“That’s the direction things need to go,” said Netanyahu.
Increase
in applications for pregnancy termination in Israel in 2023, CBS
reveals-The report reveals that Jewish women had an approval rating of
8.1 per 1,000 women aged 15-49, while Arab women had 6 per 1,000
women.By JERUSALEM POST STAFF-APRIL 8, 2025 16:01
Israel has seen
a significant increase in the number of applications to terminate
pregnancies, totaling 15,173 submissions in 2023. This marks a
significant increase in abortion requests from previous years, according
to data presented by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics. Of the
applications, approval committees approved 99.5% of the requests, rising
just under 10% from years prior. The demographics of the report show
that Jewish women had an approval rating of 8.1 per 1,000 women aged
15-49, with Arab women having a lower approval rating at 6 approvals per
1,000 women. Age and marital status also played a key role in
determining application approval. Teen pregnancy — referring to
pregnancies terminated in individuals aged 19 and younger — comprised
6.8% of the population, dropping significantly over the last decade from
14.3% in 2006. Married women also made up 50.1% of the applicants,
compared to 39.6% of single women.85.5% of the procedures were within
the first trimester - up to 12 weeks. 12.8% of the procedures were
performed in the second trimester - 13 to 23 weeks. Finally, Less than
2%, only 1.7% of procedures were performed at 24 weeks and beyond. The
circumstances varied for why women required the procedure. For 47.9% of
approvals, the pregnancy was outside of marriage on unspecified grounds.
For 24% of approvals, there was a risk of fetal abnormalities, and for
18.8% of approvals, carrying the pregnancy to term would cause a risk to
the woman’s health.Israel's rate of pregnancy terminations-When
compared internationally, Israel's rate of pregnancy terminations is
relatively low. In 2021, the rate stood at 8.9 per 100 live births. This
is significantly lower than the European Union average of 21.0 per 100
live births in 2019, reflecting cultural, legal, and healthcare system
differences.The data from 2023 provides valuable insights into the
demographic and legal factors influencing pregnancy terminations in
Israel. Understanding these trends is essential for policymakers,
healthcare providers, and social services to address the needs and
concerns of women across different communities.
Israel arrests
five for stealing millions from public war funds for evacuees-In total,
it is believed the five individuals misappropriated tens of millions of
shekels.By JERUSALEM POST STAFF-APRIL 8, 2025 11:17
Five suspects
were arrested for allegedly taking tens of millions of shekels in
public aid funds set aside to help those impacted by the war, Israel
Police announced on Monday.The suspects were identified after a joint
investigation between the Northern District police and the National
Insurance Institute. The stolen funds were set to be awarded to evacuees
who returned to work at least 11 days a month. Those who returned
received NIS 3,000 in a monthly grant but were expected to declare their
eligibility through a government site. However, it was found that in
thousands of cases, funds were being claimed without legal entitlement.
During the investigation, dozens of citizens who made a false statement
were questioned - many of whom testified that other parties "hunted"
potential clients by various means in order to take the grants.The
suspects-Israel Police raided the homes of the five suspects in Deir
al-Assad, Kisra Sumia, Uzir, Nazareth, and Beit Jan.In total, it is
believed the five individuals misappropriated tens of millions of
shekels.
INVENTION OF THE ATOMIC BOMB.
2 PETER 3:10-11
10
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which
the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements
(NUKES) shall melt with fervent heat,(BLAST) the earth also and the
works that are therein shall be burned up.(BUT ITS NO END OF THE WORLD
HOGWASH)
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved,(BY
NUKES INCLUDING 3 BILLION PEOPLE) what manner of persons ought ye to be
in all holy conversation and godliness,
NUCLEAR WEAPONS WILL BE USED.
JESUS
SHED HIS BLOOD FOR US THAT WE CAN BE SAVED FOREVER.AND DURING WW3
PEOPLES BLOOD WILL BE SHED AS A JUDGEMENT FOR HATING HIM AND ISRAEL.GOD
IS NOT MOCKED.
ZEPHANIAH 1:2-3
2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.
3
I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven,
and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I
will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.
PSALMS 97:3
3 A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.
EZEKIEL 5:15-17
15
So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an
astonishment unto the (ARAB/MUSLIM) nations that are round about
thee,(ISRAEL) when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in
fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it.
16 When I
shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their
destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase
the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:
17 So will I
send upon you famine and evil beasts,(WHEN RUSSIA/MUSLIMS GET DEFEATED
THIER BODIES GET EATEN BY BIRDS,ANIMALS IN ISRAEL MIGRATION SEASON) and
they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through
thee;(NUKES) and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the LORD have
spoken it.
REVELATION 14:18-20
18 And another angel came out
from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to
him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and
gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully
ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and
gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of
the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the
city,(JERUSALEM) and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the
horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.(200
MILES) (THE SIZE OF ISRAEL)
ISAIAH 66:15-18
15 For, behold,
the LORD will come with fire,(NUKES) and with his chariots like a
whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of
fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
17
They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens
behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination,
and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
18 For I
know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather
all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
ISAIAH 26:21
21
For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants
of the earth for their iniquity:(GOD/ISRAEL HATE AND BRAKING OF HIS
COMMANDMENTS) the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more
cover her slain.(WW3,1/2 earths population die - 3 BILLION).
ISAIAH 13:6-13 KJV
6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:(FROM FRIGHT)
8
And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them;
they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed
one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9 Behold, the day of
the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land
desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For
the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their
light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall
not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for
their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the
arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the
terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13
Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of
her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his
fierce anger.
ISAIAH 24:17-23 KJV
17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
18
And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the
fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of
the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are
open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.
20
The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed
like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it;
and it shall fall, and not rise again.
21 And it shall come to pass
in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that
are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
22 And they
shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and
shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be
visited.
23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed,
when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and
before his ancients gloriously.
2 TIMOTHY 3:1
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.
JOEL 2:3,30
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)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say
to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the
Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour
every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall
not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be
burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor
their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath;
but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for
he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1
For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC
BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be
stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of
hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
REVELATION 8:7
7
The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with
blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees
was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
REVELATION 9:18
18
By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the
fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their
mouths.(ATOMIC BOMBS)(RUSSIA CHINA DESTROYED BY ISRAELS ATOMIC BOMBS)
REVELATION 16:12-16
12
And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river
Euphrates;(WERE WW3 STARTS IN IRAQ OR SYRIA OR TURKEY) and the water
thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be
prepared.
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of
the mouth of the dragon,(SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast,(WORLD
DICTATOR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(FALSE POPE)
14
For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth
unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to
the battle of that great day of God Almighty.(WERE 2 BILLION DIE FROM
NUKE WAR)
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
17
And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a
great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is
done.
PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH)
REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8
And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that
sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given
unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with
sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE
DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18
By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the
fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their
mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)
HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
LUKE
17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS
KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE
BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND
DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in
that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN
WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4
billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37
And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto
them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered
together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against
Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten
by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE
SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE
CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH
IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.
MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38
For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe
entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
NAHUM 3:13
13
Behold, your troops are women in your midst. The gates of your land are
wide open to your enemies; fire has devoured your bars.
DR DOCTORION-ANGEL OF THE MIDEAST
"The
angel showed me that the United Nations shall be broken in pieces
because of the crisis in the Middle East. There shall be no more United
Nations. The angel with the sickle shall reap the harvest.
Trump:
Israel would ‘be the leader’ of strike on Iran if nuclear talks fall
apart-US president adds however that Washington will make the decisions;
Netanyahu’s cabinet secretary says PM was surprised that direct US-Iran
talks are slated for coming weekend-By Jacob Magid and ToI Staff Today,
6:37 am
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Israel
would take a leading role in a potential military strike on Iran along
with the US if upcoming nuclear talks don’t succeed.The remark came days
after Trump appeared to blindside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by
announcing alongside him at the White House that direct US-Iran talks on
curbing Tehran’s nuclear program would take place this coming Saturday,
a timing that Netanyahu’s cabinet secretary said Wednesday had taken
Jerusalem by surprise.Asked by reporters in the Oval Office Wednesday
whether he would use military means against Iran if the latter doesn’t
agree to a nuclear deal, Trump responded: “If it requires military,
we’re going to have military.”“Israel will obviously be very much
involved in that — it’ll be the leader of that,” he said, in what
appeared to be the first time he’s explicitly threatened an Iranian
strike by Israel, let alone one led by the Jewish state.But he appeared
to partially walk back the comment in his next breath. “Nobody leads us.
We do what we want to do.”He said the US would “absolutely” use
military force against Iran if necessary and that he has a timeline for
how long they will take, though he didn’t specify. Reports have said
Trump is giving the process two months.Trump: "With Iran, yeah, if it
requires military, we're gonna have military. Israel will obviously be
very much involved in that." pic.twitter.com/WqLDE7N6v5— Aaron Rupar
(@atrupar) April 9, 2025-The US president said that Saturday’s slated
summit in Oman was the “start” of a process. His envoy to the Middle
East, Steve Witkoff, is slated to represent the US, while Iran will be
represented by its Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Trump has said the
talks will be direct, while Iran has said they will be through a
mediator.“We have a little time, but we don’t have much time because
we’re not going to let them have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “We’re
going to let them thrive. I want them to thrive. I want Iran to be
great. The only thing they can’t have is a nuclear weapon. They
understand that.”“I was a little bit surprised because when the election
was rigged, I figured that they would get the weapon because with me,
they were broke,” he claimed, without elaborating.Witkoff may end up
holding off on traveling to Oman on Saturday if Iran refuses to hold
direct talks with him in Muscat, The Washington Post reported.US
officials have been insisting that the negotiations will be direct,
having argued that indirect talks aren’t as effective.“We won’t be
played for fools,” a Trump administration official was quoted as saying,
arguing that what is needed to break through the deep mistrust on both
sides is a “full-fledged discussion” and a “meeting of minds.”Witkoff
would even be willing to travel to Tehran if invited, two administration
officials told the Post. One of the officials speculated that Trump’s
decision to announce the talks alongside Netanyahu in the Oval Office on
Monday was to keep the premier in check and preempt Israeli
criticism.Trump is more eager to engage in diplomacy than bombing, the
officials told the Post.Meanwhile, Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs
acknowledged that Netanyahu was caught off guard by Trump’s announcement
of the direct talks this weekend.Speaking with the Kol Berama radio
station, Fuchs insisted that Netanyahu had known in advance about the
planned US negotiations with Iran, but “he did not know the talks will
take place on Saturday.”“There is a close connection between the
president and the prime minister. The president’s team competes over who
loves Israel the most,” said Fuchs.In a cabinet meeting Wednesday
night, Netanyahu reportedly told ministers that Israel had had advance
knowledge of the US talks with Iran, with Washington having asked
Jerusalem what it would consider to be a good deal.The Kan public
broadcaster cited an Israeli source as saying that Netanyahu answered
that a good proposal would be similar to one that led to the
dismantlement of Libya’s nuclear program, and added that time for
diplomacy was limited.Netanyahu convened the cabinet to discuss his
recent trips to Hungary and the United States, with a focus on the US.
The premier called on Monday for the forum to convene, immediately after
he finished his meeting with Trump, The Times of Israel has learned.The
Trump meeting contained a series of unwelcome surprises for Netanyahu
even beyond the Iran talks, namely on the lack of immediate tariff
relief, and on tensions with Turkey with Trump praising its President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a staunch Israel critic who has close Hamas
ties.Only cabinet ministers were invited to the cabinet meeting.
Security chiefs, including Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar as well as the heads
of the IDF and the Mossad, were not invited according to Hebrew media
outlets. The Kan public broadcaster cited an unnamed source as asserting
this was due to the diplomatic, non-security nature of the
meeting.Netanyahu also met CIA Director John Ratcliffe in Jerusalem on
Wednesday, his office said, adding that Mossad chief David Barnea was
also present.Efforts to settle a dispute over Iran’s nuclear program,
which it says is purely for civilian use but which Western countries see
as a precursor to an atomic bomb, have ebbed and flowed for more than
20 years without resolution.Trump tore up a 2015 deal between Iran and
six world powers — the US, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany —
during his first term of office in 2017, and also imposed stiff
sanctions. Iran responded by dropping some of its commitments to the
deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.Iran, which is
sworn to Israel’s destruction, denies seeking a nuclear weapon, but it
has ramped up its enrichment of uranium to 60 percent purity, which has
no application beyond nuclear weapons, and has obstructed international
inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities.International talks to
bring both countries back to the deal have stalled.The US issued fresh
sanctions on Iran on Wednesday, with the Treasury Department saying that
the measures targeting five Iran-based entities and one person based in
Iran were imposed due to their support of Iran’s nuclear program with
the aim of denying Tehran a nuclear weapon.Lazar Berman contributed to
this report.
THESE NGOS ARE NOTHING BUT MONEY GRABIN MUSLIM SUCK HOLING.GET RID OF ALL OF THESE ISRAEL HATERS.
NGO
alleges IDF razed civilian homes for buffer zone, did not have clear
rules of engagement-The NGO also alleged that there is no “proper combat
procedure,” such as exists in the West Bank.By EVE YOUNG-APRIL 9, 2025
17:19
The IDF worked to create an expansive buffer zone in Gaza
along the border, Breaking the Silence (BTS) said in a report.The NGO’s
report, released this week and which includes testimony from over 10
soldiers, states that, in practice, this meant razing homes and
agricultural fields in Gaza to create a flat area about one kilometer
from the border in which the IDF would have a clear line of
sight.According to a satellite analysis cited in parallel to the report,
the IDF is accused of leveling over 6,200 buildings Gaza since January
in a one-kilometer-wide buffer zone.The report also includes testimony
from IDF soldiers who described the rules of engagement in the buffer
zone, with some expressing concern that all those who entered certain
areas were considered terrorists and highlighting that Gazans may not
have had a way to know that the area was forbidden to enter.The IDF
added that as part of this defense strategy, in accordance with the
political echelon, “the IDF destroys terror infrastructure, strengthens
defense components in settlements, maintains a broad military presence
in the security zone adjacent to Israel, and works to eliminate threats
in the area.”The IDF said these measures are essential to prevent the
operation of terror organizations in the area and ensure security.“All
actions are carried out in compliance with international law, with the
understanding that the security zone is a vital component of the IDF’s
ability to prevent the enemy from carrying out offensive terrorist
activities, such as those seen in the October 7 massacre, or launching
fire towards Israeli settlements," the IDF added.It also said that IDF
actions are directed only against military targets and terror actors, in
accordance with international law, and added that it warns civilian
populations in military areas to protect them.A major who served in
northern Gaza said he heard a perimeter being discussed as early as
November 2023.In November 2023, the talk in the operations room was that
the war would last a year and be like the West Bank with localized
operations in Gaza, the major told BTS.They also “talked about the
perimeter in the northern Gaza Strip, that we were going to conquer an
area that would be cleared of everything and that would be a buffer
between Israel and the Gaza Strip,” he told the organization.When
speaking about civilians in the area, the idea that there are “no
innocents” in the designated area guided operational activity, an IDF
warrant officer in reserves told BTS.The warrant officer added that part
of the rationale given to soldiers was that the area overlooks the
fence, and terrorists can shoot at the fence from that area.A
sergeant-major told BTS that the conquest of this area was done
separately from the clearing of the area.He added that some of the
houses that were destroyed contained clear evidence that they had been
used for terror activity.“At least a few dozen of the houses we took
down were houses that were full-on incriminated. We found hostages’
belongings in them,” he said.These houses, however, were “by no means
the majority,” he added, explaining that it was dozens of houses out of
hundreds.Explaining how the IDF operated in these areas, a captain in
the Armored Corps told BTS that “the IDF decides on a certain line, and
conceptually, anyone who crosses it is considered a threat. It happened
at the Netzarim Corridor, and it happened on the border, too.“There are
no clear rules of engagement,” he added, saying that there was “room for
discretion on the ground,” and that ultimately company and battalion
commanders could determine the rules of engagement.There was no “proper
combat procedure,” such as exists in the West Bank, he added, saying
that “there is no system of accountability in general. Anyone who
crosses a certain line that we have defined is considered a threat and
is sentenced to death. That did exist. It was an IDF definition. There
was a line.”A staff-sergeant-major also commented in his testimony on
the rules of engagement in the perimeter area, saying the orders were
“Adult, male – kill. Shoot to kill. For women and children, shoot to
drive away.'Don't kill women, children, or the elderly'“You don’t kill
women, children, or the elderly,” he added.The staff-sergeant-major
added that reservists would raise the question whether the fact that
there was a perimeter area they could not enter was communicated to
Palestinians, saying they did not have an answer.Additional soldiers
whose testimony was included in the report highlighted that rules of
engagement were localized.A captain told BTS that the IDF also
instigated fire “for the sake of instigating fire,” explaining that this
was partially to produce a psychological effect and partially “for no
reason.”He added that “the IDF’s system has failed and fallen apart,”
saying the system by which the IDF classified suspicious and civilian
sites had fallen apart.“Maybe it’s Hamas’s fault that this diagnosis is
complex. But we set out on this war out of insult, out of pain, out of
anger, out of the sense that we had to succeed. This distinction
[between civilians and terrorist infrastructure], it didn’t matter.
Nobody cared,” he added.Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.
Netanyahu:
Iran can agree to US nuclear deal, but under one condition-Netanyahu
said Iran's denuclearization could be achieved by two routes: either
through an agreement or militarily.By JERUSALEM POST STAFF, AMICHAI
STEIN-APRIL 8, 2025 18:22
Following his meeting with US President
Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday
that Iran "must not have nuclear weapons."Netanyahu added that this
could be achieved by two routes: either through an agreement or
militarily.He added that the deal would only be acceptable if it were
similar to the one with Libya: "We go in, blow up the facilities,
dismantle all the equipment, under American supervision and execution.
That’s the ideal scenario.""The second option, which we don’t want, is
that they’ll simply drag out the negotiations, and in that case, the
military option becomes the only choice."However, Iran would be allowed
to maintain a civilian nuclear program for electricity generation, such
as the Bushehr reactor, even if it must completely dismantle its current
nuclear program, including the facilities housing centrifuges and
enabling uranium enrichment.A source familiar with the details of the
discussions told the Jerusalem Post: "Trump said Iran will not have
nuclear weapons. Military nuclear facilities—no; civilian
nuclear—yes."Libyan model"Netanyahu spoke at length about the Libyan
model during the meeting with Trump," an Israeli source told the
Post.The Libyan Model refers to the agreement under which Libya
dismantled its nuclear weapons program in the early 2000s, during which
facilities and structures related to the program were also
dismantled.Israeli sources told the Post that "the chances of the
Iranians agreeing to a nuclear deal based on the Libyan model are low."
The sources further noted: "The impression is that Trump is serious
about his threats, meaning if there’s no agreement, he will act against
the nuclear program with military means." Elliott Abrams, who was Trump
special envoy to Iran told the Post "If Trump is also serious about the
possibility of bombing Iran, then it's useful to have a negotiation, go
through it, watch it fail, so that's your explanation of why you had to
use military force". That said, it should be noted that Trump maintains
ambiguity regarding what he will demand from the Iranians and how far
he is willing to go. "If the talks fail, Iran will be in great danger,"
Trump said during his meeting with Netanyahu.Abrams says he thinks Trump
should set the Iranian a deadline of 30-60 days to reach a deal. "I do
worry that the administration would take a deal somewhat like the JCPOA
and declare a victory and say, 'no, no, no', it's very different and
this is a much better deal. We've solved everything", he said. "We need
them to agree to stop supporting terrorist proxies. And we need control
of the missile program. If that is the US position, then I think Iran
will not agree and the talks will fail".On the upcoming Saturday,
American and Iranian delegations will meet in Oman to discuss the
nuclear deal. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will lead the
Iranian delegation, while Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy, will head the
American delegation. Although Trump stated these would be direct talks,
the Iranians clarified that, at least in the first stage, they would be
indirect. "This is an opportunity—no less than it is a test. The ball is
in America’s court," the Iranian foreign minister said, adding that if
the talks progress positively, a face-to-face meeting could be
possible."I think it's remarkable that Trump has put all these forces in
the region plus the THAAD deployment to Israel. That's a real message
to Iran", Abrams tells the Post. "But, If Trump concludes that
negotiations is going to fail, will he then use force? I think it's a
very real possibility. But it's the decision of one person, President
Trump."Gaza and Turkey-The two leaders also discussed Gaza, with
Netanyahu confirming "We are determined to eliminate Hamas, and at the
same time, we are committed to bringing back all our hostages."Netanyahu
quoted Trump as saying that he [Netanyahu] "is working all the time to
free the hostages," adding "I hope this statement puts to rest the false
narrative that I’m not working for their release or that I don’t
care."The Israeli prime minister added that the US and Israel are in
talks with countries about the possibility of absorbing a large number
of Gazans. "That’s the direction things need to go," said
Netanyahu.Netanyahu also spoke about Turkey's attempts to establish
military bases in Syria, "which presents a danger to Israel.""We oppose
this and are actively working against it," he added. "I told President
Trump, who is both a friend of mine and a friend of Erdogan’s: “If we
need your help, we’ll speak to you about it.”
You can’t starve
Hamas and feed Gaza at the same time,' expert warns-"The essential
condition for Israel’s security is not being responsible for two million
Gazans.”By PELED ARBELI-APRIL 8, 2025 18:21
“Read my lips: Not a
single grain of wheat will enter Gaza if it is to end up in Hamas’
hands,” said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Monday.He was joined
by the IDF spokesperson, who stated: “Israel does not, and will not,
transfer any aid to Hamas.”In light of these unequivocal statements,
Maariv asked Eyal Ofer, an expert on Hamas’s economy, whether Israel
plans to maintain the blockade on Gaza until Hamas surrenders and the
hostages are returned."From the official 'no' we won't allow aid in, you
can understand the unofficial 'yes'," Ofer replied."Israel is going
back to its old doctrine—the one they called 'creating a separation
between Hamas and the civilian population.' They're going to use this
flimsy distinction between 'humanitarian aid to Gaza' and 'aid that ends
up with Hamas' to justify not just letting in sacks of wheat, but
truckloads of other stuff. It's the same excuse they’ve been giving us
for years—whether it was Qatari money, cement, or anything else going
into Gaza. And it always comes with that same neat justification: 'Yes
to civilians, no to Hamas.'"Ofer reminded Maariv that the ideology in
Gaza is consistently rooted in deep hatred of Israel: “When our soldiers
entered homes in Gaza, they reported finding weapons in every third
house and Hamas propaganda in every child’s bedroom.""That doesn’t mean
every Gazan is a Hamas operative, but even the few Gazans now protesting
against Hamas rule are angry at the destruction caused by the war—not
at the ideology that led to it: the desire to erase Israel from the
map.”Israel's war conduct-Ofer then launches into a sharp critique of
Israel’s conduct: “How did we get to a situation where, after a year and
a half of war, after losing hundreds of soldiers -- we are once again
preparing the ground for aid transfers, reopening crossings, and once
again taking on the responsibility of feeding two million Gazans?""Yes,
international law requires us not to interfere with third parties
bringing aid in. The Geneva Convention obligates Israel not to prevent
Egypt from sending aid and to allow Egypt to receive refugees from Gaza.
That’s the obligation. Why are we doing more than that? When we take
responsibility for the Gazans, we also send the world a message that we
feel guilty for the situation.”According to Ofer, this is the result of a
lack of strategic decisiveness: “We can't seem to decide if we want to
be an occupying force in Gaza or not. If not, why are we responsible?
Why are we the ones opening the Kerem Shalom crossing? It’s absurd.
We’re about to build an entire military strategy based on the same
concept that already failed in the past. You can’t solve a problem using
the same thinking that created it.”He also pointed to past statements
by senior government officials, which now seem like ironic reminders of
what's happened since: “On October 2023, Israel Katz declared: ‘Not a
single power switch will be flipped, no water valve opened, and no fuel
truck will enter until the hostages are returned.’"In reality, Hamas has
paid no real price. If anything, it has benefited—Israel feeds the
population in its place, and Hamas can continue firing, inciting, and
holding hostages as bargaining chips.""We’ve failed to apply pressure on
Hamas where it matters most—its desire to retain control over Gaza
City. Instead, we’re going back, just like a year ago, to thinking we
can defeat Hamas in Rafah.”And the future? Ofer isn’t optimistic.“If
there’s no hostage deal that benefits Hamas, we’ll be dragged into
another military operation—possibly even broader. That means more
reserve call-ups, more fighting in neighborhoods, more lost lives. And
why? Because we haven’t learned the most basic lesson: you don’t
strengthen your enemy by trying to artificially separate Hamas from the
Gazan population.""The essential condition for Israel’s security is not
being responsible for two million Gazans.”He ended the interview with a
warning: “If Hamas doesn’t clean up the mess they made—we’ll find
ourselves back inside Gaza, with hostages, with IDF divisions, and with
the illusion that one day, someone else will rule there. Hamas won’t
disappear with economic reconstruction. If you believe that, I have a
tweet from Israel Katz on October 9th to show you.”
Ex-NSC chief
Ben Shabbat: Road to dethroning Hamas in Gaza could require temporary
chaos-Top Israeli lawyers debate if ICC can be reasoned with over war
crimes debate.By YONAH JEREMY BOB-APRIL 8, 2025 18:16
Dethroning
Hamas in Gaza may require a temporary period of chaos, former National
Security Council chief Meir Ben Shabbat said at the Kohelet Policy Forum
conference.Ben Shabbat, who currently heads the Misgav Institute for
National Security & Zionist Strategy, explained that any alternative
to some temporary period of chaos and Israeli control of Gaza would
leave Hamas in charge for all practical purposes.He said this would be
true regardless of who might be officially in control – with various
plans suggesting the Palestinian Authority or a mix of moderate Arab
allies like Egypt and the UAE – because Hamas would use the Hezbollah
tactic of using its arms to rule from behind the scenes.Earlier at the
conference, top international law experts debated whether Israeli
efforts for dialogue with the International Criminal Court could have
any impact on its war crimes investigation of Israelis.To date, the ICC
has issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and
former defense minister Yoav Gallant, but it still remains to be seen
whether it will indict them and whether it will issue arrest warrants
for Israeli soldiers who participated in the current war.ICC's
"complementarity"Former IDF International Law Division chief Col. (ret.)
Pnina Sharvit Baruch said investing in dialogue with international
tribunals is important, especially because “it can give a good answer
for complementarity for the ICC. I don’t believe in [the ICC’s
integrity] much, but it could be a tree [for the court] to climb down
from to get off of the [US] sanctions.”The ICC “prosecutors don’t want
these cases; they want [us] to give them a reason to close the case,”
she added.Sharvit Baruch was referring to the ICC rule of
“complementarity,” which states that it cannot intervene against a
country that self-investigates war crimes allegations.In essence, she
hopes that if Israel continues to investigate allegations against its
own soldiers and presents these probes to the ICC prosecution,
eventually, Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan will “use” the excuse of
complementarity to drop the case to get out of sanctions the US slapped
the ICC with to penalize it for going after Netanyahu and Gallant, even
if he might otherwise not treat Israel fairly.Former head of Military
Prosecution for Judea and Samaria Lt.-Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch
responded, “We need to throw the International Committee of the Red
Cross (ICRC) guidance [on the laws of war] into the garbage bin.
Regarding complementarity [and the ICC], for our own souls, we have a
duty to protect our soldiers with our understanding of the laws of war
so that they respect themselves as human beings, but not for
self-flagellation.”No point in reasoning with the ICC“But it is beyond
naïve” to think that the ICC can be reasoned with regarding its handling
of Israel since “the court invented a state which doesn’t exist [in
2021 it recognized Palestine as a state]. To think that they’ll accept
our investigation of ourselves for complementarity purpose is beyond
naïve,” said Hirsch, though the formerIDF prosecutor himself has full
faith in Israeli probes.In other words, Hirsch said it was a waste of
time to try to convince the ICC to treat Jerusalem reasonably, given his
view that it is heavily biased and that no IDF soldiers should be
probed to try to achieve that. Only where Israel itself thinks that
probes are appropriate to maintain its own moral standards should they
be implemented.Sharvit Baruch responded, “I am not naïve about the ICC. I
agree with you. But we can give them a pretext where the prosecutor
[who] has sanctions against him can get out of this
case.“Complementarity could be a way out for him. It could also be
relevant to courts around the world” and has helped Israel get out of
war crimes cases in foreign countries in the past. She cited a
particular case in the Spanish courts as just one of many examples.Talia
Einhorn, an Ariel University international law professor and Government
Professional Advisory Committee member, said that Jerusalem is wasting
time trying to reason with the ICC and the International Court of
Justice “since all of this is a political matter; they don’t care about
the laws of war.”Justice Ministry Law of Armed Conflict Division head
and former IDF International Law Division chief Col. Noam Neuman said
Israel does succeed at influencing the rules of the laws of war,
especially among critical countries like the US, the UK, and other
allies.He added that there will always be differences between Israel and
the ICRC in interpreting the laws of war but that Jerusalem “must be
part of the discussion and must try to convince others.”Looking
forward-Neuman also said that Israel will soon be organizing a symposium
of like-minded countries relating to the laws of war in the shadow of
the current war.Further, after Einhorn said that Jerusalem should follow
the US Department of Defense 2015 Law of War Manual instead of their
current more restrictive legal approaches, Neuman responded that Israeli
military lawyers are familiar with the US manual but that the war
manuals of the UK, France, Denmark, and others were actually more useful
in some ways.He rejected any claim that IDF lawyers are restrictive in
their legal approaches to war, instead saying sometimes the government
or military as a matter of policy is more restrictive than the law (for
example, to please the Biden administration), and he advocated for
Israel having its own war manual.Sharvit Baruch said many Israeli
officials have been antsy over the years about committing to a set
public manual, which could be twisted and used against Israel by its
critics.
Sudanese leader's envoy visits Israel in secret
normalization talks - report-According to the report, the envoy told
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Al-Burhan wanted to finalize the
normalization process between the two countries.By JERUSALEM POST
STAFF-APRIL 8, 2025 10:24
Lt.-Gen. Al-Sadiq Ismail, the personal
envoy to Sudan's military ruler Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, made a
secret visit to Tel Aviv last week to discuss normalization efforts with
Israel, Sudanese news outlet Al-Rakoba reported on Tuesday morning.The
visit aimed to coordinate with Israeli officials on how to present
al-Burhan in a positive light to the new US administration and to
address growing tensions with the United Arab Emirates over al-Burhan
and the Sudanese army in general. According to the report, the envoy
told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Al-Burhan wanted to finalize
the normalization process between the two countries and arrange Sudan's
inclusion in the Abraham Accords in return for Israeli support for
Sudan.Through his envoy, al-Burhan promised to meet any conditions
Israel set in order to complete the agreement quickly.The envoy
explained that Sudan’s recent closer ties with Iran, which disturbed
Israel, were a result of pressure and that Sudan’s army leader,
al-Burhan, had no choice but to improve relations with Iran because
Sudan has been isolated and facing a lot of pressure from other
countries since the war started. In addition, he stated that Sudan
urgently needed military support to win the civil war.Burhan expressed
his dissatisfaction with Israel-The ongoing Sudanese conflict, which
began in April 2023, intensified due to rising tensions between
competing military factions, especially between General Abdel Fattah
al-Burhan’s forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Mohamed
Hamdan Dagalo. The war has led to significant instability in Sudan and
raised concerns internationally.A source close to Sudan’s army commander
said that Burhan shared his frustration with Israel about not receiving
enough help during the two-year war. Since the war had started, he had
hoped to get weapons from Israel to help defeat the Rapid Support
Forces.Burhan also said that Israel had no reason to be angry about
Sudan’s recent move toward Iran because he turned to Iran only after not
getting the military support he expected from Israel, despite their
agreement to cooperate five years earlier.The source added that Burhan
assured Israel that he hoped to receive this assistance at a very
important time, which would contribute to "achieving a real breakthrough
in relations between the two countries and changing the opinion of many
Sudanese toward Israel."
Fear in the sky: How to avoid flying
over enemy territory, what to do if you land there-The best advice is as
follows: If you are flying with an Israeli passport, it’s recommended
to fly with Israeli airlines.By DR. ITAY GAL-APRIL 7, 2025 18:38
In
the opening scene of the Tehran series, a young Israeli couple boards a
flight from the Gulf. Midway through the flight, a technical
malfunction forces the plane to make an emergency landing at the airport
in Tehran.The couple, terrified and seemingly aware of the risk, begs
not to be removed from the plane. However, despite their pleas, Iranian
security forces violently escort them off for questioning, cutting them
off from the outside world.While this is a fictional TV drama, the
danger it depicts is all too real. Israeli travelers—whether they hold a
foreign passport or not—could find themselves in a similar situation.
Passengers must understand how flight routes are chosen, how to verify
them, and how to avoid flying over or landing in enemy countries.How
flight routes are planned-Flight paths are typically planned in advance
using international flight software called LIDO, a global planning
system used by most airlines. This software receives data about the
aircraft type, passenger count, altitude, weather conditions, and fuel
consumption to suggest possible flight routes. Airlines also input a
list of countries in which their planes are prohibited from flying over
based on security, regulatory, and political concerns.For instance,
Israeli airlines program the system to avoid flying over countries like
Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq, as outlined by the Israeli
Foreign Ministry. This restriction is not left to the pilot's discretion
and cannot be altered mid-flight. The software provides several route
options, but each one is pre-checked for both safety and legal
compliance.What you can do as a passenger-Gadi Amal, Arkia's chief
flight officer, explains that if you're flying with a foreign airline,
it may be your responsibility to check the flight route. Airlines from
East Asia, the Gulf, or Africa do not always avoid flying over enemy
territory on flights to Israel. Therefore, it's highly recommended to
use apps like Flightradar24 or FlightAware. These apps allow you to
track your flight number and review the routes of previous flights along
the same path. They will show you exactly which countries your plane is
flying over. You can also use AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini, although
they may sometimes provide outdated information.For example, some
flights from Dubai to East Asia pass through Iran, and Israeli passport
holders with foreign passports may not realize this until it's too late.
Passengers often ask, "What happens if I fly over Iran?" In the case of
a flight malfunction, extreme weather, or a medical emergency, the
plane might be forced to land in a hostile country.What to Do in an
Emergency Landing-So, what happens if you find yourself in that
situation? It’s important to note that the plane is considered the
territory of the country to which it belongs, regardless of where it
lands. However, the crew can disembark passengers at an airport that
follows international conventions. In non-democratic countries that
don’t adhere to international treaties, various, often unsympathetic,
scenarios may unfold.“First of all, don’t panic,” says Amal. “Avoid
speaking Hebrew, showing Israeli documents, or doing anything that might
reveal your nationality. While you’re still on the plane, immediately
contact the Foreign Ministry’s situation room or let your family know
what’s happening. Hopefully, the Israeli government and security
services will take over the situation. In rare cases, intermediary
countries like Switzerland or Germany might intervene and conduct a
quiet rescue.”Amal also stresses that pilots will not deviate from the
planned route, even in an emergency. Instead, they will aim to land at
an alternative airport in a non-hostile country. However, factors like
weather, air traffic control, or emergency directives may influence
this.Recommendations for travelers-The best advice is to fly with
Israeli airlines if you have an Israeli passport. If you have a foreign
passport, always verify the flight route ahead of time. If you have
concerns that the flight may pass over enemy territory, consider a
different flight.
IAI successfully tests Barak missile system in
India-The missiles successfully intercepted their targets, achieving
direct hits and neutralizing the threats, demonstrating the system's
operational capability.By JERUSALEM POST STAFF-APRIL 7, 2025 17:21
Israel
Aerospace Industries (IAI) announced the successful completion of a
series of tests on the Barak medium-range surface-to-air missile (MRSAM)
system in India on Monday.IAI reported that four operational
interceptions were successfully carried out against aerial targets
traveling at various speeds at challenging altitudes and ranges.The
missiles successfully intercepted their targets, achieving direct hits
and neutralizing the threats, demonstrating the system's operational
capability.The tests, conducted by the Indian Army's ground forces, mark
a significant step in the system’s development, IAI stated. Their
success paves the way for all three branches of India's armed forces to
declare the system operationally ready.The MRSAM system has already
completed several proof-of-concept trials. It is being gradually
integrated into the Indian Navy and Air Force and has now passed
acceptance trials with the Indian Army.IAI President and CEO Boaz Levy
commented: "The Barak System provides advanced and innovative defense
against a wide range of air and missile threats. The success of these
tests strengthens the technological cooperation between our countries
and reflects our partnership with the Indian Ministry of Defense, as
well as with industries in both Israel and India."Aerospace Service
India-In March 2024, IAI announced the establishment of Aerospace
Service India (ASI), a new aerospace defense company in India, as
previously reported by the Jerusalem Post. ASI serves as the original
equipment manufacturer's technical representative for India's MRSAM
system.Developed by India’s Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) in collaboration with IAI, the MRSAM system provides
advanced protection against various aerial threats.The system is a
cornerstone of India's defense capabilities, currently in use by the
Indian Army, Air Force, and Navy. IAI explained that the MRSAM includes
an advanced phased-array radar, command and control systems, mobile
launchers, and interceptors equipped with cutting-edge RF seekers.
South
Korea says it fires shots after North Korean soldiers cross demarcation
line-On Monday, the South's military said about 1,500 North Koreans
were working on barbed wire installations and land work in the
demilitarized zone, as the North was conducting military exercises.By
REUTERS-APRIL 8, 2025 12:36
South Korea's military said on
Tuesday that it had fired warning shots after North Korean soldiers
violated the military demarcation linebefore returning."Our military
conducted warning broadcasts and warning shots after about 10 North
Korean soldiers crossed the military demarcation line (MDL) in the
eastern area of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) around 5:00 pm local time,"
the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a text message to
reporters."Our military is closely monitoring the North Korean
military's activity and taking necessary measures according to the
operational procedures," JCS said.Military tensions-On Monday, the
South's military said about 1,500 North Koreans were working on barbed
wire installations and land work in the demilitarized zone, as the North
was conducting military exercises.The two Koreas are still technically
at war after their 1950-53 war ended in an armistice, not a peace
treaty.
Hezbollah a ‘cancer,’ Iran a threat, US deputy envoy
Ortagus tells Arab media-In an interview with Al Arabiya, Morgan Ortagus
urged Hezbollah's disarmament, calling it a 'cancer' blocking Lebanon's
recovery, and accused Iran of fueling regional instability.By JERUSALEM
POST STAFF-APRIL 8, 2025 10:01
Morgan Ortagus, US Deputy Special
Envoy for Middle East Peace, called for Hezbollah's complete
disarmament and compared the Iran-backed group to a “cancer” within
Lebanon that must be removed for the country to have any hope of
recovery, in an interview with Al Arabiya on Monday.Ortagus placed blame
on Iran and Hezbollah for Lebanon’s conflict with Israel and for
dragging Lebanon into it."The government of Lebanon didn’t want to go to
war with Israel. It was on October 8, 2023, that Hezbollah and Iran
decided to get into the war… people were forced into a war that nobody
wanted to be in,” she said.The special envoy emphasized the need for
Hezbollah’s complete disarmament, comparing the group to a “cancer”
within Lebanon that must be removed for the country to have any chance
of recovery.“When you have cancer, you don’t treat part of the cancer in
your body and let the rest of it grow and fester,” she stated. “You cut
the cancer out.”Addressing fears of civil warDuring a diplomatic visit
to the UAE, Ortagus dismissed longstanding concerns that disarming
Hezbollah could lead to a civil war. "We’ve been hearing that for 20
years," she remarked in her interview with Al Arabiya News.Ortagus
expressed strong support for Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime
Minister Nawaf Salam, calling the current moment “a
once-in-a-generation” opportunity for reform. She highlighted the
severity of Lebanon’s financial crisis, stating, “Lebanon’s financial
situation is as bad as it gets. They’re in a hole. It’s worse than
Greece during the financial crisis.”She also praised the formation of a
technocratic Cabinet composed of Lebanese professionals from the
diaspora, including figures from HSBC, JP Morgan, and Blackstone, who
returned to help rebuild the country. "They didn’t have a party
affiliation, and they swore not to run for the [parliamentary] elections
next year,” she noted.Ortagus reaffirmed US support for the Lebanese
Armed Forces (LAF), stressing that the military is fully capable of
taking over national security duties from Hezbollah. “If we’ve been
providing assistance for several decades and they couldn’t do it, then
there’s a problem with their US assistance… They have the capability.
They just need the political will,” she said.Ortagus underscored the
importance of passing long-delayed legislation to reform Lebanon’s
financial sector, including a bank secrecy law and a bank resolution
framework, ahead of the IMF and World Bank’s Spring Meetings. “You can’t
make the case [for support] if you haven’t passed the legislation in
Parliament to show that you’re serious about these reforms,” she
concluded.
Iran-backed militias in Iraq ready to disarm to avert
Trump wrath-The move to defuse tensions follows repeated warnings
issued privately by US officials to the Iraqi government since Trump
took power in January.By REUTERS-APRIL 8, 2025 08:51
Several
powerful Iranian-backed militia groups in Iraq are prepared to disarm
for the first time to avert the threat of an escalating conflict with
the US Trump administration, 10 senior commanders and Iraqi officials
told Reuters.The move to defuse tensions follows repeated warnings
issued privately by US officials to the Iraqi government since Trump
took power in January, according to the sources who include six local
commanders of four major militias.The officials told Baghdad that unless
it acted to disband the militias operating on its soil, America could
target the groups with airstrikes, the people added.Izzat al-Shahbndar, a
senior Shi'ite Muslim politician close to Iraq's governing alliance,
told Reuters that discussions between Prime Minister Mohammed Shia
al-Sudani and several militia leaders were "very advanced," and the
groups were inclined to comply with US calls for disarmament."The
factions are not acting stubbornly or insisting on continuing in their
current form," he said, adding that the groups were "fully aware" they
could be targeted by the US.The six militia commanders interviewed in
Baghdad and a southern province, who requested anonymity to discuss the
sensitive situation, are from the Kataib Hezbollah, Nujabaa, Kataib
Sayyed al-Shuhada and Ansarullah al-Awfiyaa groups."Trump is ready to
take the war with us to worse levels, we know that, and we want to avoid
such a bad scenario," said a commander of Kataib Hezbollah, the most
powerful Shi'ite militia, who spoke from behind a black face mask and
sunglasses.Following publication, Kataib Hezbollah issued a statement
denying that any of its members had spoken to Reuters, adding that
official comments are made only by its named spokespersons.The
commanders said their main ally and patron, Iran's elite Revolutionary
Guards (IRGC) military force, had given them its blessing to take
whatever decisions they deemed necessary to avoid being drawn into a
potentially ruinous conflict with the United States and Israel.The
militias are part of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group
of about 10 hardline Shi'ite armed factions that collectively command
about 50,000 fighters and arsenals that include long-range missiles and
anti-aircraft weapons, according to two security officials who monitor
militias' activities.The Resistance group, a key pillar of Iran's
network of regional proxy forces, have claimed responsibility for dozens
of missile and drone attacks on Israel and US forces in Iraq and Syria
since the Gaza war erupted about 18 months ago.Farhad Alaaeldin,
Sudani's foreign affair adviser, told Reuters in response to queries
about disarmament talks that the prime minister was committed to
ensuring all weapons in Iraq were under state control through
"constructive dialog with various national actors."The two Iraqi
security officials said Sudani was pressing for disarmament from all the
militias of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which declare their
allegiance to Iran's IRGC or Quds Force rather than to Baghdad.Some
groups have already largely evacuated their headquarters and reduced
their presences in major cities including Mosul and Anbar since
mid-January for fear of being hit by air attacks, according to officials
and commanders.Many commanders have also stepped up their security
measures in that time, changing their mobile phones, vehicles and abodes
more frequently, they said.The US State Department said it continued to
urge Baghdad to rein in the militias. "These forces must respond to
Iraq's commander-in-chief and not to Iran," it added.An American
official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, cautioned that there
had been instances in the past when the militias had ceased their
attacks because of US pressure, and was skeptical any disarmament would
be long-term.The IRGC declined to comment for this article while the
Iranian and Israeli foreign ministries didn't respond to queries.Shaken:
Iran's Axis of Resistance -Shahbndar, the Shi'ite politician, said the
Iraqi government had not yet finalized a deal with terrorist leaders,
with a disarmament mechanism still under discussion. Options being
considered include turning the groups into political parties and
integrating them into the Iraqi armed forces, he added.While the fate of
any disarmament process remains uncertain, the discussions nonetheless
mark the first time the militias have been prepared to give ground to
longstanding Western pressure to demilitarize.The shift comes at a
precarious time for Tehran's regional "Axis of Resistance" which it has
established at great cost over decades to oppose Israel and US influence
but has seen severely weakened since Palestinian group Hamas' attack on
Israel on October 7 2023 tipped the Middle East into conflict.Hamas in
Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon have been hammered by Israel since the
Gaza war began while the Houthi movement in Yemen has been targeted by
US airstrikes since last month. The fall of Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad, another key Iranian ally, has further weakened the Islamic
Republic's influence.Iraq is seeking to balance its alliances with both
America and Iran in its dealing with the militias on its soil. The
groups sprang up across the country with Iranian financial and military
support in the chaotic wake of the 2003 US invasion that toppled Saddam
Hussein, and have become formidable forces that can rival the national
army in firepower.US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth told Prime
Minister Sudani in a phone call on March 16, shortly after the American
strikes on the Houthis began, to prevent the militias carrying out
revenge attacks on Israel and US bases in the region in support of their
allies, according to two government officials and two security sources
briefed on the exchange.The Iraqi-based militias had launched dozens of
drone and rockets attacks against Israel in solidarity with Hamas since
the Gaza war began and killed three US soldiers in a drone operation in
Jordan near the Syrian border last year.Ibrahim al-Sumaidaie, a former
political adviser to Sudani, told Iraqi state TV that the United States
had long pressed Iraq's leadership to dismantle Shi'ite militias, but
this time Washington might not take no for an answer."If we do not
voluntarily comply, it may be forced upon us from the outside, and by
force."
Taiwan says China using generative AI to ramp up
disinformation and 'divide' the island-Taiwan has accused China of
stepping up military drills, trade sanctions and influence campaigns
against the island in recent years.By REUTERS-APRIL 8, 2025 08:19
China
is using generative artificial intelligence (AI) to ramp up
disinformation against Taiwan to "divide" Taiwan's public, the island's
National Security Bureau said.Taiwan has accused China of stepping up
military drills, trade sanctions and influence campaigns against the
island in recent years to force the island to accept Chinese sovereignty
claims. Taiwan strongly rejects China's sovereignty claims.China staged
two days of war games and live-fire drills near the democratically
governed island this month, triggering concern by the United States and
many of its allies.In a report to parliament, a copy of which was
reviewed by Reuters, the security bureau said it had detected more than
half a million pieces of "controversial messages" so far this year,
mostly seen on social media platforms including Facebook and
TikTok.Beijing's strategy-Beijing has targeted sensitive moments such as
President Lai Ching-te's speech on China last month or chipmaker TSMC's
2330.TW announcement of new US investment to launch what the report
said was "cognitive warfare," adding such efforts were "designed to
create division among our society.""As the application of AI technology
becomes more widespread and mature, it has also been found that the
Chinese Communist Party has been using AI tools to assist in the
generation and dissemination of controversial messages," the report
said.China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to a request for
comment.The report said China has also ramped up its "grey-zone" tactics
against Taiwan, with a sharp increase so far this year in the number of
Chinese coast guard incursions as well as air balloons in Taiwan's
waters and airspace.Those moves have forced Taiwan to dispatch its own
forces in response and depleted its resources, the report said.Lai, who
says only Taiwan's people can decide their future, in March labeled
China a "foreign hostile force."China has never renounced the use of
force to bring Taiwan under Chinese control.
Pro-Palestinian
protesters shut down Grand Central Station in NYC-The protests in Grand
Central Station come after Trump told reporters that the US "controlling
and owning" the Gaza Strip would be a positive development.By MICHAEL
STARR-APRIL 8, 2025 04:27
Anti-Israel protests shut down New York
City's Grand Central Station on Monday, according to demonstration
organizer Within Our Lifetime and the New York Police
Department.‼️‼️Betar warns Jews to avoid NYC at this time. Grand central
terminal is under attack and blocked by masked terrorists with weapons
!‼️‼️‼️ — Betar Worldwide (@Betar_USA) April 7, 2025-Betar warned all
Jews in the area to avoid Grand Central Station in a post on X/Twitter.
The account added that the protesters were masked and armed.Activists
wearing keffiyehs entered the American landmark waving Palestinian flags
and banging drums in response to a global strike called for by
Palestinians over the ongoing war in Gaza, WOL leader Nerdeen Kiswani
explained in a social media post.BREAKING: Terror supporters have
violently taken over Grand Central Station in NYC, completely halting
all trains.How much longer will we tolerate these extremists? Who is
paying them? pic.twitter.com/O5SvpR8HYl— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) April 8,
2025-BREAKING: New Yorkers are now trapped in Grand Central Station
after terror supporters shut it down.It’s a Monday night and people
cannot get back home because of these extremists. This is not
normal—enough is enough. pic.twitter.com/ZhO6kp8Do5— Eyal Yakoby
(@EYakoby) April 8, 2025-Kiswani said the NYPD had shut down the
entrances to the station because the authorities didn’t want people to
hear their message. She mentioned elsewhere that law enforcement had
attempted to block them from entering the station but failed.The WOL X
account, however, also bragged that "Pro-Palestine protesters shut down
entrances to Grand Central.""We just wanted to platform our message to
one of the largest transportation hubs in the world," Kiswani said on
X.She also published a video in which activists chanted to “shut it
[Grand Central] down.” One protester held a placard calling to “abolish”
Israel.Protests escalate outside key locationsProtesters also rallied
outside the Egyptian Consulate and the United Nations building, calling
on Arab leaders to take action against Israeli military operations in
Gaza.“Arab leaders make it right, join the people, join the fight!”
chanted protesters as they marched past the Egyptian mission, according
to a WOL video.NYC: GLOBAL STRIKE FOR GAZA OUTSIDE THE UNITED NATIONS.
43RD ST & 1ST AVE. JOIN US. pic.twitter.com/hGqprxrbNN— Within Our
Lifetime (@WOLPalestine) April 7, 2025-In another WOL video, leaders led
the crowd in a chant in front of the UN building, proclaiming, “from
the river to the sea, Palestine is almost free.” The video was captioned
with a call to “globalize the intifada” from New York to Gaza, a
sentiment echoed on banners held by some protesters.The NYPD said that
six people were taken into custody at a demonstration outside the UN on
Monday, and four people were issued summons, including for obstructing
governmental administration.Kiswani said on X that the NYPD had
threatened the group with arrest if they demonstrated at the Israeli
consulate.Activists also marched in Times Square, according to WOL,
chanting, “While you’re shopping, bombs are dropping.”One protester
could be seen in videos wearing a Hamas bandana, and at least one other
wore a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine bandana. Both
organizations are designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the
US State Department.Kiswani claimed that heavy objects were thrown at
the protesters from the windows of the buildings above them. This
reportedly included garbage water and a bag of feces. The WOL leader
emphasized that the projectiles could have killed someone and smashed a
car windshield. She also claimed that she was assaulted by police when
she attempted to report the matter."This is what being Palestinian or
even supporting Palestine looks like in New York: Zionists can commit
acts of violence with impunity," said Kiswani. "Palestinians and our
allies can’t even gather without facing repression.'Grand Central
Station has been repeatedly targeted as a site for anti-Israel protests
since the October 7 massacre.The same month as the Hamas-led pogrom in
southern Israel, Jewish Voice for Peace protests in the station led to a
closure.
US strikes Houthi sites in Yemen, killing top
intelligence official - report-The Houthi movement claimed that its
senior intelligence leader, Abdul Nasser Al-Kamali, was killed in a US
airstrike.By JERUSALEM POST STAFF, REUTERS-APRIL 8, 2025 04:10
The
United States continued its airstrikes in Hodeidah, Marib, and the
Houthi-run capital city of Sana'a in Yemen, Houthi-linked media outlets
reported on Monday night.The Houthi movement claimed that its senior
intelligence leader, Abdul Nasser Al-Kamali, was killed in the strike,
Al Hadath reported. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told Prime
Minister Sudani in a phone call on March 16, shortly after the American
strikes on the Houthis began, to prevent the militias carrying out
revenge attacks on Israel and US bases in the region in support of their
allies, according to two government officials and two security sources
briefed on the exchange.Eliminating the Houthi threat-Last week, the
White House said that US strikes in Yemen earlier this month killed the
Houthi top missile expert, but the US military has so far declined to
confirm the death, and the identity of the Houthi commander in question
is unclear.National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, in public remarks to
CBS News the weekend after the March 15 strikes, said the first wave
killed "their head missileer."US officials, speaking on the condition of
anonymity, have told Reuters that they were unaware of any independent
US military confirmation that such a person had been killed.According to
the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based think
tank, Abdul Khaliq Badruddin Al-Houthi is the "de-facto commander of the
Strategic Missile Forces."Mohammed Albasha, whose Basha Report risk
advisory firm researches open-source information about Yemen, has
tallied Houthi reports of more than 40 Houthi fighters killed in action
in airstrikes in March.Nobody as senior as Abdul Khaliq Badruddin
Al-Houthi has been identified yet, he said, nor is he aware of any death
announced on Houthi television of a person whose profile would be a
match for the individual mentioned by Waltz.
Trump: Owning Gaza
would be good, why did Israel ever give it up? Trump added that he was
confused as to “why Israel ever gave (Gaza) up," adding that it was "a
great location that nobody wants to live in.”By REUTERS, JERUSALEM POST
STAFF-APRIL 7, 2025 23:05
US President Donald Trump said on
Monday that the United States' "controlling and owning" the Gaza Strip
would be a good thing, again floating a proposal that he put forward
multiple times during the opening weeks of his administration."Having a
force like the United States there, controlling and owning the Gaza
Strip would be a good thing," Trump told reporters at the White House,
after meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.“If you take the
people, the Palestinians, and move them around to different countries —
and you have plenty of countries that will do that — and you really have
a freedom zone. You call it the freedom zone, a free zone, a zone where
people aren’t going to be killed every day,” Trump told reporters on
Monday, as reported by CNN. He added that he was confused as to “why
Israel ever gave (Gaza) up.”“That’s a hell of a place,” Trump said. “You
know what I call it — a great location that nobody wants to live
in.”End to Israel-Hamas War-Trump also spoke on his election campaign
promise to end the war in Gaza, Trump said: "I'd like to see the war
stop, and I think the war will stop at some point, that won't be in the
too-distant future."The president also spoke about his administration's
efforts to free the hostages. Trump said work was ongoing to free
hostages held by Hamas, but said securing the release of all the
hostages was "a long process."Following the January ceasefire that saw
some hostages released, Netanyahu said, Israel was working on "another
deal we hope will succeed." "We're committed to getting all the hostages
out, but also eliminating the evil tyranny of Hamas in Gaza and
enabling the people of Gaza to freely make a choice to go wherever they
want," he said.Netanyahu said he had also discussed with Trump the US
president's "bold vision" for the future of Gaza, a reference to a
proposal for the US to take over the enclave that Trump put forward
multiple times during the opening weeks of his administration. Trump's
plan has been globally condemned as a proposal for ethnic cleansing.
Iran's
Al Quds special forces use Beirut Port to smuggle weapons for Hezbollah
- Arab report-In addition to losing monopoly over airspace, Hezbollah
also lost control of land supply routes following the fall of the Assad
regime in Syria in December.By JERUSALEM POST STAFF-APRIL 8, 2025 12:52
Hezbollah
has shifted its focus to Beirut Port as its primary means of smuggling
weaponry, a security source told Hadath on Tuesday.Previously, Hezbollah
had significant control over Beirut's Rafik Hariri International
Aiport. However, Lebanese authorities sought to reduce this.Al Hadath
added that, in addition to losing monopoly over airspace, Hezbollah also
lost control of land supply routes following the fall of the Assad
regime in Syria in December.The source confirmed to Al Hadath that the
commanders of Units 190 and 700 of the Al-Quds Force - the special
operations arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) - are
overseeing the maritime smuggling operations, either directly to Lebanon
or through intermediary countries.According to the report, Hezbollah
operates unhindered in Beirut Port thanks to networks of collaborators
in the customs apparatus and port control mechanisms, managed by the
terror group's security chief, Wafiq Safa.Safa is allegedly seeking to
facilitate the smuggling of equipment, weapons, and money through the
port without any inspection or oversight.The security source told Al
Hadath that Hezbollah's use of Beirut Port - Lebanon's most important
port - "endangers Lebanese interests and threatens foreign investments
supporting Lebanon's development and reconstruction."Beirut Port
explosion-The source also said that Hezbollah's hijacking of the port
could impede the hub's return to normal functioning following its
explosion in 2020.The August 4 2020 explosion of Beirut Port was the
largest non-nuclear blast in modern history, and occurred after an
estimated 2750 tons of unsafely stored ammonium nitrate exploded. There
were claims that Hezbollah was connected to the explosion due to
unverified reports that the group was storing weapons at the site. The
source alluded to this, telling Al Hadath that the Lebanese government
should take urgent action in light of Hezbollah's violations and plans
for the Beirut port, which could repeat the August 2020 disaster.
Russia
rejects Syrian request to hand over former regime leader Assad-Syrian
President al-Sharaa's extradition request for Assad meets with firm
Russian rejection as ambassador confirms Putin's protection 'will not
change.'By JERUSALEM POST STAFF-APRIL 7, 2025 00:50
Russian
authorities have said they will not hand over Syria's former president,
Bashar al-Assad, following requests from the acting Syrian President
Ahmed al-Sharaa, Jordanian newspaper Rai-al-Youm reported on
Sunday.Assad fled Damascus by plane on Sunday, December 8, escaping the
rebel coup in the capital. He flew to Russia's Hmeimim airbase in the
Syrian coastal city of Latakia, and from there on to Moscow, where he
met with his family."One of the conditions for Bashar al-Assad's
settlement in Moscow is his complete abstention from any media and
political activity, and up to this point, no violations have been
observed on his part," Russian Ambassador to Baghdad, Alperus Kotrashev,
told the Islamic Republic News Agency."The asylum of Bashar al-Assad
and his family was issued based on the direct orders of Russian
President Vladimir Putin, and the decision in this regard will not
change," Kutrashev added.Syria initially requested Assad's return in
FebruarySharaa reportedly asked Russia to hand over the former regime
leader in February, Reuters reported, citing an informed Syrian
source."The only agreement reached between Damascus and Russia is to
continue the review and talks," the source said.Reuters also quoted
diplomatic sources as saying that the Syrian president would return
funds deposited by Assad in Moscow.However, sources confirmed that
Russia informed Sharaa that Assad had not deposited any funds in Russia.
IDF
sources admit it may take years to root out all Hamas terrorists in
Gaza - exclusive-Katz to 'Post': Philadelphi constitutes ongoing major
smuggling threat - despite prior top IDF official denials-By YONAH
JEREMY BOB-APRIL 9, 2025 20:00
Although the IDF is making
consistent progress against Hamas on many fronts, the army sources
acknowledged to The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday that it could easily
take a full year or even years to fully root out the terror group.The
starting point of the conversation was the recent success of the IDF
killing 300 Hamas terrorists and the success prior to the January 19
ceasefire of having killed 18,000-20,000, but then combining that
picture with the fact that Hamas may have another 25,000 or more
fighters and that currently, the IDF is focusing lots of energy on
eliminating the terror group’s remaining fighters in Rafah.In other
words, the IDF has killed many Hamas fighters, and few are left to
resist it in Rafah from the original 4,000-8,000 terrorists, but if the
largest group of known and consolidated fighters the military is going
after is a few hundred, and it is up against an enemy that has 25,000,
then finding and rooting out that enemy could be a long process.While
some Israeli officials hope that Hamas will soon disband and its top
leaders will accept expulsion, if that does not happen and if Israel
also does not reach a permanent ceasefire with Hamas, including with its
moderate Sunni allies rebuilding Gaza, Jerusalem could be in for an
extended and slow war of attrition in the Strip.Some IDF officials
recognize this scenario and believe it could take years, including
gradually and painstakingly eliminating small numbers of terror cells at
a time when their hiding places in schools and other civilian
facilities are uncovered.Other aspects of the IDF’s presentation of its
latest accomplishments in Rafah also raised questions.In June, August,
and September 2024, during multiple visits by The Jerusalem Post to
Rafah and multiple briefings from top defense officials, as well as
public statements, it was declared that Hamas’s Rafah brigades had been
completely defeated.More specifically, it was declared that its forces
in the Shaboura area of Rafah were completely defeated.However, IDF
sources now say that the remaining battalions were in Shaboura and that
they had not been defeated because the IDF had never invaded that
particular area.Confronted over this apparent inconsistency, IDF
officials implied that possibly previous statements had referred to the
smaller Shaboura refugee camp, and that the Shaboura general area was
larger and had not been fully invaded.Previous IDF and other senior
official statements on the issue had not been qualified in this way, but
the latest statements may be a more nuanced and accurate depiction of
the facts on the ground, with the earlier statements being exaggerated
claims about the extent of the IDF’s victory.In addition, there appears
to have been a change in tone by IDF commanders.If, under former IDF
chief of staff Herzi Halevi and former defense minister Yoav Gallant,
there were IDF officials presenting narratives that sometimes were
inconsistent with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s narratives, there
now seems to be a trend in which IDF commanders toe the line with the
political echelon.For example, under Halevi and Gallant, many IDF
officials voiced concern that military pressure would hopefully help
coerce Hamas into releasing more hostages, but many recognized that such
pressure could sometimes be a double-edged sword and unintentionally
lead hostages to being harmed by Hamas or even by the IDF if they struck
an area which they thought was “hostage-free.”Now, there seems to be a
trend where virtually all IDF officials are concurring that military
pressure will only have the positive impact of potentially freeing
hostages.The importance of the Philadelphi Corridor-In addition, Defense
Minister Israel Katz responded to a question by the Post on Wednesday
with a powerful affirmation of the importance of holding on to the
Philadelphi Corridor.Katz even said that new cross-border smuggling
tunnels into Egypt have been recently found and that if the IDF is not
present at the Corridor, Hamas could reignite a major rearmament
campaign.In contrast, during a visit to the corridor in September 2024,
multiple top IDF officials said that there had been at most 10
cross-border tunnels, that all of them had been blocked off, and that
prior to and during the war, Hamas was only using the tunnels for
maneuvering its existing rocket arsenal, but not to smuggle in new
weapons from Egypt.Instead, the senior IDF officials said that
essentially all of Hamas’s vast weapons had been smuggled into Gaza
years before through the above-ground Rafah crossing during periods when
Egypt did not carefully inspect for smuggling.
Israel security
forces apprehend two terrorists, one member of 'Lion's Den'Lion's Den
has been behind the killing of a number of Palestinians and claimed
responsibility for several drive-by shootings in the Nablus area since
2022.By JERUSALEM POST STAFF-APRIL 9, 2025 15:17
Israeli security
forces apprehended two terrorists, including a senior terrorist in the
dismantled "Lion's Den" network, during counterterrorism operations, the
IDF, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), and Israel Police said in a
joint statement on Wednesday.Additional weapons were also
confiscated.The IDF, Shin Bet, and the Lahav 433 "Gidonim" Unit
apprehended Muhammad Bana, who was previously a senior member of the
Nablus terrorist organization, and was armed with an M-16 rifle and a
spray grenade, the statement said.Bana had previously been involved in
planning attacks toward Israeli soldiers in the West Bank.During his
apprehension, he attempted to flee and was shot in his leg.
Additionally, the IDF’s Duvdevan unit, following the direction of the
ISA, detained Khalil Hanbali, a terrorist wanted by security forces for
his involvement in multiple shooting attacks, as well as for his role as
a weapons supplier. The terrorists were taken for questioning and their
weapons were transferred for further processing. Who are the Lions'
Den? The terrorist group, centered in Nablus’s Old City, emerged in
2022, according to the European Council on Foreign Relations.Lions’ Den
reportedly benefits from cooperation and coordination with other
Palestinian terror groups - namely, Palestinian Islamic Jihad‘s al-Quds
Brigades, Fatah‘s al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, and Hamas's Izz al-Din
al-Qassam Brigades. In October 2022, Lions’ Den claimed responsibility
for several drive-by shootings in the Nablus area and an attack on the
West Bank settlement of Har Bracha - targeting both Israeli civilians
and military personnel.The terror group has also been responsible for
the killing of a number of Palestinians, according to the US State
Department. In September 2022, Palestinian civilians were killed in the
crossfire between the Lions’ Den and the Palestinian Authority Security
Forces in Nablus. The group also claimed to have executed a “traitor” in
2023, believing him to have been an Israeli spy. A security source in
Nablus told AFP that the man was shot dead in the city’s Old City. Some
reports have claimed the man was being blackmailed to provide
information for Israel as the state had footage of him engaging in
sexual relations with another man. However, the reports couldn’t be
verified.Danielle Greyman-Kennard contributed to this report.
Israel
and Turkey hold Syria deconfliction talks to avoid military
clash-Israeli source confirms talks after airstrikes on Turkish-scouted
sites; Netanyahu says Israel seeks no confrontation but will defend
itself; US and Azerbaijan offer to mediate By Nava Freiberg and Reuters
Today, 5:32 am-APR 10,25
Israel and Turkey have been holding
technical talks aimed at establishing a deconfliction mechanism for
Syria, an Israeli source was cited Wednesday as confirming.The source
told Channel 12 news that “a mechanism will be established, similar to
the one built between Israel and Russia.”The comment follows remarks on
Wednesday by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in a live interview on
CNN Turk that the two countries have been holding talks on the matter
“when needed.”According to a report by the Ynet news site, a senior
Israeli official said that during a Wednesday night security cabinet
meeting, Netanyahu told ministers that Israel is not seeking a
confrontation with Turkey in Syria, but will not hesitate to act if
necessary to defend itself.The prime minister added that he would
request assistance from US President Donald Trump if needed, given
Trump’s close relationship with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip
Erdogan.Escalating strikes-Fidan’s remarks came a week after Israel
stepped up airstrikes on Syria, declaring the attacks a warning to the
new government in Damascus as it accused Turkey of trying to turn the
country into a Turkish protectorate.Israel has carried out a campaign to
destroy Syrian military capabilities so that they cannot threaten
Israel, and fears that if Turkey establishes a military presence in
Syria, it could hamper the Israeli Air Force’s freedom of action in the
region.Turkey is a key backer of the Islamist-led coalition that toppled
Bashar al-Assad in Syria after almost 14 years of civil war. Israel is
wary of the Islamist presence on its border and has lobbied the United
States to curb Turkey’s growing influence in the country.On Saturday,
Reuters reported that Turkey scoped out at least three airbases in Syria
where it could deploy forces as part of a planned joint defense pact
that could see new Turkish bases in central Syria and use of Syria’s
airspace, before Israel hit the sites with airstrikes.The Israeli
strikes on the three sites Turkey was assessing, including a heavy
barrage last Wednesday night, came despite Ankara’s efforts to reassure
Washington that a deeper military presence in Syria was not intended to
threaten Israel, the report said, citing four people familiar with the
matter.“While we are conducting certain operations in Syria, there needs
to be a deconfliction mechanism with Israel, which flies aircraft in
that region, similar to mechanisms we have with the US and Russia,”
Fidan said on Wednesday.“There are technical contacts to prevent combat
elements from misunderstanding each other,” Fidan continued, adding that
technical teams are communicating “when needed.”The Turkish foreign
minister said these talks are solely for deconfliction in Syria and do
not aim at normalizing relations.Turkey’s foreign ministry last week
called Israel “the greatest threat to regional security.”Fidan told
Reuters last Friday that “We don’t want to see any confrontation with
Israel in Syria because Syria belongs to Syrians,” but that repeated
Israeli strikes there are eroding the new government’s ability to deter
threats from enemies, including the Islamic State terror
group.Azerbaijan, US offer hands-At the annual ADA University Policy
Forum in Baku earlier Wednesday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
referenced his country’s past role in facilitating Israeli-Turkish ties,
noting that “both countries are close friends of Azerbaijan.”“We hope
that the process will lead to normalization,” Aliyev said of the new
development, adding: “I think, despite the legitimate concerns and
despite the quite a high level of mistrust, there can still be found
grounds for normalization and areas of mutual interest. So the process,
to my mind, should not stop, and Azerbaijan is doing everything in its
position to facilitate the process.”Trump on Monday touted himself as a
mediator between Israel and Turkey in their struggle over politically
fragile Syria.The US president, speaking alongside Netanyahu during the
premier’s White House visit, said negotiations could be helped by the
president’s “great relations” with Erdogan, whom he said he likes very
much and called “very smart.”Trump appeared to acknowledge Turkey’s
dominance in Syria, saying he told Erdogan he had “taken it over through
surrogates.”“I told the [Israeli] prime minister, I said, ‘Bibi, if you
have a problem with Turkey, I really think I’m going to be able to work
it out,’” Trump told reporters, using Netanyahu’s nickname.“You know, I
have a very, very good relationship with Turkey and with their leader,
and I think we’ll be able to work it out,” he added. “As long as you are
reasonable, you have to be reasonable.”Netanyahu voiced Israeli
concerns over Turkish influence in Syria while touting the US president
as a mediator.“We’ve had neighborly relations with Turkey that have
deteriorated, and we don’t want to see Syria being used by anyone,
including Turkey, as a base for attack in Israel,” he said.“We discussed
how we can avoid this conflict in a variety of ways, and I think we
can’t have a better interlocutor than the president of the United States
for this purpose,” Netanyahu added.Hamas ties and harsh
rhetoric-Erdogan is an avowed supporter of Hamas and one of the leading
critics of Israel on the world stage, and his country has frequently
praised the Iran-backed Palestinian terror group’s October 7, 2023,
attack which started the ongoing war, when thousands of terrorists
invaded southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing some 1,200 people
and taking 251 hostages.Erdogan was quoted in a speech two weeks ago
calling on Allah to “destroy Zionist Israel.”Less than a month after the
October 7 attack, Erdogan, whose government had only recently restored
full diplomatic ties with Israel, massively stepped up his criticism of
the country. In late October 2023, he asserted that Hamas was not a
terrorist organization but a liberation group of “mujahideen” fighting
for its lands and people, and said in an address to a mass
pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul that his country was making
preparations to proclaim Israel a “war criminal” for its actions in
Gaza.Israel announced it would pull its diplomats out of Turkey in
response to Erdogan’s inflammatory statements.Turkey hosts several Hamas
officials, and was also expected to absorb more of them when Qatar
expelled the terror group’s leadership in November 2024, reportedly
under pressure from the US.In May 2024, Turkey halted all bilateral
trade with Israel, aiming to pressure Israel into allowing unhindered
aid flow into Gaza.Past normalization efforts-In September 2023, less
than a month before Hamas’s attack would set off the current conflict,
Netanyahu and Erdogan discussed the effort to normalize relations with
Saudi Arabia during their first-ever known meeting, which took place on
the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.The
leaders agreed at the time to coordinate mutual visits “in the near
future,” according to Netanyahu’s office.It came amid a warming of ties
between Israel and Turkey after years of animosity between the two
countries’ leaders. President Isaac Herzog was hosted by Erdogan in
March 2022 in Ankara — the first high-level Israeli visit since
2008.Israel was a long-time regional ally of Turkey before Erdogan came
to power, but ties imploded after a 2010 Israeli commando raid on the
Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara ship, part of a blockade-busting flotilla, that
left dead 10 Turkish activists who attacked IDF soldiers aboard the
ship.Netanyahu and Erdogan repeatedly aimed brickbats at each other in
the ensuing years. In July 2014, Erdogan accused the Jewish state of
“keeping Hitler’s spirit alive” during a war with Gaza.Facing hardening
diplomatic isolation and economic woes, Erdogan began to publicly
display an openness toward rapprochement in December 2020.In August
2022, Israel and Turkey announced a full renewal of diplomatic ties, a
move that Aliyev said on Wednesday Azerbaijan played a key role in
facilitating.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
US
Senate confirms Huckabee as next Israel envoy, voting largely along
party lines-Democrat John Fetterman joins Republicans in sending
Christian Zionist and settlement backer to Jerusalem; Trump: ‘He’ll
bring home the bacon, even though bacon isn’t big in Israel’By Jacob
Magid-Today, 3:52 am-APR 10,25
The US Senate voted almost
entirely along party lines on Wednesday to confirm the nomination of
former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee to be Washington’s ambassador to
Israel.Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania — an ardent supporter of
Israel and virtually the only Democratic ally of Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu — was the lone lawmaker to break with his party by joining
Republicans in backing Huckabee’s nomination.The final vote tally was 53
to 46 in favor of Huckabee, a passionate evangelical supporter of
Israel and its West Bank settlement movement.Despite his conservative
views on Israel, which include support for Israel annexing the West Bank
and opposition to a two-state solution, Huckabee stressed during his
confirmation hearing that he would work to advance the policies of US
President Donald Trump’s administration, not his own personal agenda.He
said last month that he hoped to arrive in Israel by Passover, which
starts on Saturday evening.Welcoming the confirmation, Trump told
reporters later Wednesday that Huckabee would “bring home the
bacon.”“Even though bacon isn’t too big in Israel,” he quipped.President
Trump on the confirmation of Mike Huckabee as Ambassador to Israel:He’s
going to be fantastic. He’s going to bring home the bacon, even though
bacon isn’t too big in Israel. I had to clear that up. Congratulations
to Mike Huckabee." ???? pic.twitter.com/1vS3b0QIDA— Trump War Room
(@TrumpWarRoom) April 9, 2025-Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar
and other top Israeli officials also tweeted congratulations to
Huckabee.A self-identified Christian Zionist who has visited Israel
dozens of times, Huckabee will now assume the high-profile post during a
time when US-Israel relations have been shaken by Trump’s tariffs and
as the United States opens nuclear talks with Iran, Israel’s sworn
enemy.Huckabee was always a lock for the position, given the slight
Republican majority in the Senate, but his stance on the Palestinian
issue all but ensured Wednesday’s divided vote.As a presidential
candidate in 2008, Huckabee said: “There is no such thing as a
Palestinian… [The term is] a political tool to try and force land away
from Israel.”While running for president again in 2015, he openly
posited purchasing a “holiday home” in the settlements, though he has
yet to pull the trigger.In the coming weeks, he’ll move into the
ambassador’s residence in downtown Jerusalem.Huckabee has long rejected
the term “West Bank,” preferring to refer to the disputed territory by
its biblical name, “Judea and Samaria.”“I’m aware that not everyone on
this committee will agree with the president’s policies or his personal
choices in his administration,” the former Arkansas governor said during
his confirmation hearing last month.“I’m not here to articulate or even
defend my own views or policies, but rather to present myself as one
who will respect and represent the overwhelmingly elected president,” he
added.Huckabee, 69, grew up in the city of Hope, Arkansas, and first
traveled to Israel as a teenager. He has gone on to regularly lead
Christian groups in the five decades since.“It’s going to be a privilege
to be one of those people — not Jewish, but Christian — who will say to
our Jewish friends, ‘You will never go through what you’ve gone through
alone,'” Huckabee said during his confirmation hearing, referring to
Hamas’s October 7 onslaught and its aftermath. “We will not stand behind
you. We will stand with you.”Nava Freiberg and JTA contributed to this
report.
A FALSE PROPHET COMES FROM THE VATICAN ALSO AT THIS TIME.
ISAIAH 23:15-17
15
And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten
seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of
seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.
16 Take an harp, go
about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody,
sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
17 And it shall
come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit
Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with
all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.(COULD THIS BE
70 YEARS AFTER ISRAEL BECAME A NATION IN 1948)(IF SO THIS SATANIC ONE
WORLD WHORE CHURCH WILL MINGLE TOGETHER BY 2018)(AND NOW ISLAM AND
CHRISTIANITY AND ALL RELIGIONS ARE MINGLING AS ONE PEACE-LOVE-JOY-GET
ALONG RELIGION LEAD BY THE VATICAN RIGHT NOW 4 YEARS FROM THE 70 YEAR
TIME WHEN ISRAEL BECAME A NATION).AND IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM.
REVELATION 13:11-18
11
And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth;(FALSE VATICAN
POPE) and he had two horns like a lamb,(JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD) and he
spake as a dragon.(HES SATANICALLY INSPIRED,HES A CHRISTIAN DEFECTOR
FROM THE FAITH)
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast
before him,(WORLD DICTATOR) and causeth the earth and them which dwell
therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.(THE
WORLD DICTATOR CREATES A FALSE RESURRECTION AND IS CROWNED LEADER OF THE
NEW WORLD ORDER).
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14
And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those
miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to
them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the
beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had
power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the
beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the
image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth
all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, 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 17:1-18
1
And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and
talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the
judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:(VATICAN)
2
With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,(VATICAN IN
POLITICS) and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with
the wine of her fornication.(THATS PEDOPHELIA-FORNICATION IS SINGLES
HAVING SEX OUT SIDE OF MARRIAGE)(AND SINCE PREISTS CAN NOT MARRY IN THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THIS FALSE CHURCH GOES AGAINST THE
BIBLE.THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BECOMES A HOMOSEXUAL HAVEN OF PEDOPHILIAS
FACTORY).
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the
wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of
names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the
woman (FALSE CHURCH) was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour,(VATICAN
COLOURS)(ANOTHER REASON WE KNOW THE FALSE POPE COMES FROM THE VATICAN)
and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup
in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:(THE
VATICAN GOES AGAINST A PRIEST MARRING A WOMAN-LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS-AND
WHATS AN ABOMINATION AGAINST GOD-HOMOSEXUALITY AND PEDOPHILIA JUST LIKE
THIS SCRIPTURE SAYS-FORNICATION IS THE SINGLE HOMOSEXUAL PRIESTS IN THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH HAVING UNMARRIED FORNICATION OR SEX WITH SINGLES-IN THIS
CASE ITS SEX WITH CHILDREN OR PEDOPHILIA)
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6
And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the
blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great
admiration.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou
marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that
carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
8 The beast
that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless
pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall
wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the
foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is
not, and yet is.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven
heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS
BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
10 And there are seven kings: five are
fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one
is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet
come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED
ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-THE
EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL
HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR
TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE
EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION
TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE
THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD
OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE
EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS
CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12
And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received
no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14
These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them:
for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him
are called, and chosen, and faithful.
15 And he saith unto me, The
waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and
multitudes, and nations, and tongues.(VATICAN-CATHOLICS ALL AROUND THE
WORLD OVER 1 BILLION)
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the
beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) these shall hate the whore, and shall make her
desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.(GOD
HIMSELF GIVES THE OK TO NUKE THE VATICAN)
17 For God hath put in
their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom
unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.(VATICAN)
Britain's
King Charles makes surprise visit to Pope Francis at Vatican-King
Charles and Queen Camilla had been due to make a formal state visit to
the Vatican, but postponed their plans after doctors prescribed Francis
two months of rest.By REUTERS-APRIL 9, 2025 22:01
Pope Francis
had a previously unannounced meeting at the Vatican on Wednesday
afternoon with Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla, during their
state visit to Italy, Buckingham Palace and the Vatican
announced.Charles and Camilla had been due to make a formal state visit
to the Vatican, but postponed their plans after doctors prescribed
Francis two months of rest after the pontiff experienced a serious bout
of double pneumonia.The pope met the royal couple privately and offered
his best wishes for their 20th wedding anniversary, which they
celebrated on Wednesday, said a Vatican statement.Buckingham Palace said
Charles and Camilla "were delighted The Pope was well enough to host
them - and to have had the opportunity to share their best wishes in
person."Britain's history with the Catholic ChurchAs British monarch,
Charles heads the Church of England, which split from the Catholic
Church in 1534.Francis and Charles have met twice previously in 2017 and
2019, before Charles became king. The late Queen Elizabeth II visited
Francis at the Vatican in 2014.
Pope Francis Meets With King
Charles and Queen Camilla at the Vatican-The date was 'particularly
significant' for the English Royal Family, being Charles and Camilla’s
20th wedding anniversary-April 9, 2025
Pope Francis greeted
England’s King Charles and Queen Camilla on Wednesday in a brief meeting
in which the dignitaries wished each other well at the pope’s private
residence.The Holy See Press Office said in a Wednesday statement that
the Pope “met privately with Their Majesties, King Charles and Queen
Camilla, this afternoon.”“During the meeting, the Pope had the
opportunity to address a wish to Their Majesties on the occasion of the
anniversary of their marriage,” the statement said.The Pope also
“reciprocated to His Majesty the wish for a speedy recovery of his
health.”That detail in the statement was a reference to the health
concerns the two heads of state have faced in recent months — Charles
with a cancer diagnosis and the Pope with a monthlong stay at Rome’s
Gemelli Hospital recovering from a lung infection and other health
issues. Vatican News noted on Wednesday that the date was “particularly
significant” for the English Royal Family, being Charles and Camilla’s
20th wedding anniversary and “the four-year anniversary of the death of
the king’s father, Philip of Edinburgh.”The meeting took place at the
Pope’s Casa Santa Marta residence at the Vatican. Buckingham Palace
announced in February that the two English royals would meet with Pope
Francis during a trip to Rome. Last month, however, the monarchs
postponed their visit to the Vatican at the advice of the pope’s doctors
after his extended stay in the hospital.Charles’s mother, Queen
Elizabeth II, met a total of five popes over the course of her historic
reign. Elizabeth died on Sept. 8, 2022, after which Charles ascended to
the throne.
No comments:
Post a Comment