ISRAEL WILL CONTROL AND MILITARISE GAZA AND WESTBANK.NOT THE USELESS PA OR UNITED NATIONS.OR AMERICA.

 ISRAEL WILL CONTROL AND MILITARISE GAZA AND WESTBANK.NOT THE USELESS PA OR UNITED NATIONS.OR AMERICA.

WORLD TERRORISM

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

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

GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)

ISAIAH 14:12-14
12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14  I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)

JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)

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

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

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

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

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

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

And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE.

4 IRGC officers, including Syria intel chief, killed in Damascus strike blamed on Israel-Revolutionary Guards’ deputy intel chief in Syria also among the dead; security source says multi-story building entirely flattened by ‘precision-targeted Israeli missiles’ By Agencies and ToI Staff Today, 1:04 pm-JAN 20,24

An alleged Israeli strike on Damascus killed the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence chief for Syria and his deputy as well as two other Guards members on Saturday, Iranian media said.“The Revolutionary Guards’ Syria intel chief, his deputy and two other Guards members were martyred in the attack on Syria by Israel,” Iran’s Mehr news agency said, quoting an informed but unnamed source.Local reports in Syria said that at least five people were killed in the strike.An official with an Iran-backed group in the Middle East told The Associated Press that the building was used by Revolutionary Guard officials, adding that the “Israeli missiles” destroyed the whole building.Syrian state media also blamed the strike on “an Israeli aggression.”A security source, part of a network of groups close to Syria’s government and its major ally Iran, said the multi-story building was used by Iranian advisers supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government, and that it was entirely flattened by “precision-targeted Israeli missiles.”There was no confirmation from Israel, which rarely comments on alleged strikes in Syria.A spokesman for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad said that no members of the terror group were wounded in the strike, following reports that some were at the bombed-out building. Unsourced Hebrew and Arabic media reports had initially said that PIJ deputy Akram al-Ajouri had also been killed in the strike.The strike was carried out in the Mazzeh neighborhood, a high-security zone that is home to the United Nations’ headquarters and embassies.A grocer near the scene of the strike said he heard five consecutive explosions at about 10:15 a.m., adding that he later witnessed the bodies of a man and a woman being taken away as well as three wounded people.“The shop shook. I stayed inside for few seconds then went out and saw the smoke billowing from behind the mosque,” said the man, who asked that his name not be used for security reasons.The alleged Israeli strike came days after Iran fired missiles at what it said were Israeli “spy headquarters” in an upscale neighborhood near the sprawling US Consulate compound in Erbil, the seat of Iraq’s northern semi-autonomous Kurdish region.Last month, senior IRGC officer Brig. Gen. Razi Mousavi was killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike in Damascus, drawing Iranian threats of retaliatory action.Recent weeks have seen several alleged sorties carried out against sites in Syria as part of Israel’s ongoing efforts to prevent Iran from supplying arms to its proxy Hezbollah, which has stepped up attacks on northern Israel over the past several months amid the ongoing war in Gaza.Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told his American counterpart Lloyd Austin on Thursday night that Israel was nearing a decision point on Lebanon and the conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah.Lebanese officials said Thursday that Hezbollah had rebuffed Washington’s initial proposal for stopping clashes with Israel, including pulling its fighters further from the border, but remained open to US diplomacy to avoid a ruinous war.Gallant’s comments followed similar remarks by IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi earlier this week, who said a war in the north in the coming months was becoming more likely.Since October 8, a day after the deadly Hamas attacks on southern Israel, Hezbollah has engaged in cross-border fire on a near-daily basis, launching rockets, drones and missiles at northern Israel in a campaign it says is in support of Hamas.The attacks forced most residents several kilometers from the border to evacuate. Israel has responded with its own regular strikes on Hezbollah targets, and has warned it will not be able to tolerate the terrorists’ continued presence on the border.The Iran-backed terror group Hamas launched a massive onslaught on October 7, killing approximately 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapping 240, mostly civilians, amid horrendous acts of brutality and sexual assault.In response, Israel vowed to eliminate Hamas, launching a wide-scale military campaign in Gaza aimed at destroying the group’s military and governance capabilities.Iran, which supports Hamas both financially and militarily, has hailed the devastating October 7 attacks as a “success” but denied any direct involvement.

Iran says it successfully launched satellite in Revolutionary Guards’ space program-Tehran says it reached highest orbit yet; no independent confirmation; US has said launch vehicle development ‘shortens timeline’ for intercontinental ballistic missile advancement
By Jon Gambrell Today, 11:40 am-JAN 20,24

AP — Iran said Saturday it had conducted a successful satellite launch into its highest orbit yet, the latest for a program the West fears improves Tehran’s ballistic missiles.The announcement comes as heightened tensions grip the wider Middle East over Israel’s ongoing war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and just days after Iran and Pakistan engaged in tit-for-tat airstrikes in each others’ countries.The Soraya satellite was placed in an orbit at some 750 kilometers (460 miles) above the Earth’s surface with a three-stage rocket, the state-run IRNA news agency said. It did not immediately acknowledge what the satellite did.The launch was part of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ space program alongside Iran’s civilian space program, the report said.There was no immediate independent confirmation Iran had successfully put the satellite in orbit.The United States has previously said Iran’s satellite launches defy a UN Security Council resolution and called on Tehran to undertake no activity involving ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.UN sanctions related to Iran’s ballistic missile program expired last October.The US intelligence community’s 2023 worldwide threat assessment said the development of satellite launch vehicles “shortens the timeline” for Iran to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile because it uses similar technology.Intercontinental ballistic missiles can be used to deliver nuclear weapons. Iran’s nuclear program now enriched uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels after the collapse of its nuclear deal with world powers.Tehran has enough enriched uranium for “several” nuclear weapons, if it chooses to produce them, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency repeatedly has warned.Iran has always denied seeking nuclear weapons and says its space program, like its nuclear activities, is for purely civilian purposes. However, US intelligence agencies and the IAEA say Iran had an organized military nuclear program up until 2003.Israel has long said it will not allow Iran to have nuclear weapons.The involvement of the Guard in the launches, as well as it being able to launch the rocket from a mobile launcher, raise concerns for the West.Over the past decade, Iran has sent several short-lived satellites into orbit and in 2013, launched a monkey into space. The program has seen recent troubles, however. There have been five failed launches in a row for the Simorgh program, another satellite-carrying rocket.A fire at the Imam Khomeini Spaceport in February 2019 killed three researchers, authorities said at the time. A launchpad rocket explosion later that year drew the attention of then-US president Donald Trump, who taunted Iran with a tweet showing what appeared to be a US surveillance photo of the site.In December, Iran sent a capsule into orbit capable of carrying animals as it prepares for human missions in the coming years.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

In 6th set of Yemen strikes, US hits Houthi anti-ship missile launchers ready to fire-US official says operation carried out by F/A-18 aircraft off the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier; Yemeni media says al-Jabaana neighbourhood in Hodieda targeted-By Agencies Today, 10:38 am-JAN 20,24

United States fighter jets struck Iran-backed Houthi sites in Yemen for a sixth time Friday, taking out anti-ship missile launchers that were prepared to fire.“US forces identified the missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the US Navy ships in the region. US forces subsequently struck and destroyed the missiles in self-defense,” the US Central Command said in a post on X.A US official said the strikes were carried out by F/A-18 aircraft off the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing military operations.Al-Masirah, a Houthi-run satellite news channel, said that there were air raids in the western port city of Hodeida, targeting the al-Jabaana neighborhood in the west of the city. The location of the US strikes could not be immediately confirmed.A spokesman for the Houthis said in an interview published Friday that they did not intend to expand their attacks on shipping in and around the Red Sea further, beyond their stated aims of blockading Israel and retaliating against the United States and Britain for air strikes.US President Joe Biden said Thursday that US military strikes against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen will continue, but he acknowledged that the American and British bombardment has yet to stop shipping attacks by the militants on vessels in the Red Sea.Biden said the US would continue the strikes in an exchange with reporters before departing the White House for a domestic policy speech in North Carolina.“When you say working, are they stopping the Houthis, no. Are they going to continue, yes,” Biden said.On Wednesday, the US military fired another wave of ship- and submarine-launched missile strikes against Houthi-controlled sites, as violence that ignited in the wake of the October 7 Hamas onslaught in southern Israel and subsequent war in Gaza continues to spill over in the Middle East.Those strikes were launched from the Red Sea and hit 14 missiles that the command deemed an “imminent threat.”Hours later, a US-owned ship in the Gulf of Aden came under attack Wednesday from a bomb-carrying drone launched by Houthi rebels.The attack caused a fire onboard the vessel, which was extinguished, the ship’s captain said in a statement. “Vessel and crew are safe and proceeding to next port of call,” the statement added.Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Houthis, identified the ship attacked as the bulk carrier Genco Picardy.The Houthis “confirm that a response to the American and British attacks is inevitably coming, and that any new attack will not remain without response and punishment,” Saree said in a prerecorded video address.He claimed the ship suffered a “direct hit.”The attack followed an official announcement Wednesday that the US has put the Houthis back on its list of specially designated global terrorists, three years after they were removed. The sanctions that come with the formal designation are meant to sever violent extremist groups from their sources of financing.The move is aimed at blocking the group’s access to the global financial system, though it falls short of the more far-reaching option at the Biden administration’s disposal — re-labeling the Houthis as a “foreign terrorist organization.”The Iran-backed group said it would continue to target ships using the vital Red Sea shipping lanes and would not be deterred by the response.“We will not give up targeting Israeli ships or ships heading towards ports in occupied Palestine… in support of the Palestinian people,” the group’s spokesman Mohammed Abdelsalam told Al Jazeera TV, adding that they would respond to new strikes on Yemen by the United States or Britain.The Houthis have launched dozens of attacks since November on vessels in the Red Sea, in what they claim is an effort to support Palestinians during Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships targeted have had no ties to Israel whatsoever.The attacks are part of a broad response to the Gaza conflict by a so-called Axis of Resistance, which includes the Houthis, Hamas and Hezbollah — all of whom are backed by Iran.The Houthis, who rally under the banner “Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam,” have also launched a number of drones and missiles directly at Israel.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

In Lebanon, residents say strange calls can precede Israeli attacks-Civilians in Hezbollah-dominated regions report numerous instances of phone calls and CCTV hacks ahead of IDF strikes; Iran-backed terror group suspects subterfuge
By Layal Abou Rahal 19 January 2024, 8:29 pm

BEIRUT (AFP) — “Good morning, madame. This is the bank calling. Are you at home?”Since the Israel-Hamas war broke out more than three months ago, residents of southern Lebanon have been receiving strange phone calls from Lebanese numbers and from people speaking in Lebanese accents.The voices on the other end may claim to be conducting a survey, distributing aid or calling from a public body.But the callers ask about families and their whereabouts, just before towns or homes come under Israeli attack, residents told AFP.Lebanese security officials and the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization, part of the “axis of resistance” network of Iran proxies that also includes Hamas, believe the strange calls are in fact from Israelis.Last week, Umm Hussein, who is in her 70s and originally from the southern Lebanon village of Khiam, received a call from “the bank” asking her to come and collect some money at the nearby branch.But according to her grandson Hassan Shukeir, Umm Hussein doesn’t even have a bank account.“They asked her if she was in Khiam, and the call ended when she said she was in Beirut,” Shukeir told AFP.Shortly after the call was terminated, an Israeli strike targeted the house next to hers in the village, the grandson said.Since October 8, a day after the deadly Hamas attacks on southern Israel, Hezbollah has engaged in cross-border fire on a near-daily basis, launching rockets, drones and missiles at northern Israel in a campaign it says is in support of Hamas. The attacks forced most residents several kilometers from the border to evacuate. Israel has responded with its own regular strikes on Hezbollah targets, and has warned it will not be able to tolerate the terrorists’ continued presence on the border.While stopping short of declaring all-out war on Israel in support of Hamas, Hezbollah chairman Hassan Nasrallah has pledged to continue attacking the Jewish state until a ceasefire is reached in Gaza, much to the chagrin of Lebanese government officials who want to avoid war. Israel, meanwhile, has indicated it would be willing to wage war on Hezbollah if necessary.As Israel has carried out regular strikes on Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon, the group has told residents of villages in the south not to divulge any information to people calling from Lebanese numbers they do not recognize.“The enemy exploits such information to try to ensure the presence of our brother fighters in houses it intends to target,” Hezbollah said in a statement.A Lebanese security source told AFP that army intelligence and the police were investigating the calls which they believe originated in Israel, meaning Lebanon’s communications network has been compromised.The source, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media, said Israel has used this tactic before to target Hezbollah members holed up in homes.In one case on November 22, a strike hit a house in the village of Beit Yahun, killing five Hezbollah members, including the son of Mohammed Raad, who heads the group’s bloc in parliament.Shortly before that attack, an unknown caller had asked the owner of the house whether she and her family were at home, the security source said.A spokeswoman for the Israeli military told AFP she was “unable to answer that question,” when asked if Israel was behind the phone calls.According to Hezbollah, Israel has also hacked into security surveillance cameras at homes and businesses in border villages.In December, it said Israel was using this access to target its members, and urged Lebanese citizens to “disconnect the private cameras… from the internet.”Hezbollah said Israel had hacked the cameras to gain visibility after the group’s cross-border attacks had “targeted most of the cameras” that Israel itself had installed near the border.One resident, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, told AFP a local Hezbollah official called him recently and demanded he turn off and disconnect CCTV cameras installed around his house.He complied with the demand.The security source said three men had been arrested recently on suspicion of working with Israel-affiliated companies. One is accused of scanning for home Wi-Fi networks in Hezbollah’s southern Beirut stronghold.Abed Kataya of digital rights group SMEX said civilian communications networks and CCTV cameras in Lebanon are easy to hack because the infrastructure lacks basic security measures.Private surveillance cameras, mostly Chinese imports, can be connected to the internet so owners can monitor them from afar using phone apps.But the connection is often “unencrypted, which makes it easy to hack,” Kataya said.He said Israel has “a long history in espionage techniques,” especially in Lebanon, deploying spy balloons and observation towers along the border.On January 7, even the departures and arrivals screens at Beirut airport came under cyberattack, with media publishing footage showing anti-Hezbollah messages displayed instead and baggage conveyor belts that had ground to a halt.Those behind the airport hack have yet to be unmasked, with Public Works and Transportation Minister Ali Hamieh saying the incident was under investigation but also admitting Lebanon lacks cybersecurity expertise.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Pakistan, Iran agree to ‘de-escalate’ after trading air strikes-Foreign ministers speak in bid to calm waters following cross-border attacks on militants-By AFP 19 January 2024, 7:16 pm

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan and Iran “agreed to de-escalate” tensions Friday, Islamabad said, after trading deadly airstrikes on militant targets in each other’s territory this week.The rare military actions in the porous border region of Baluchistan — split between the two nations — had stoked regional tensions already enflamed by the Israel-Hamas war.Iran carried out a missile and drone attack on what it called “terrorist” targets in Pakistan on Tuesday night, with Pakistan in turn striking militant targets inside Iran on Thursday.Pakistan recalled its ambassador from Tehran and said Iran’s envoy — on a visit home — was blocked from returning to Islamabad.The United Nations and the United States appealed for restraint, while China offered to mediate.But after speaking by phone, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian agreed “close coordination on counterterrorism and other aspects of mutual concern should be strengthened.”“They also agreed to de-escalate the situation,” according to a summary of the conversation released by Islamabad’s foreign ministry.After the call, Amir-Abdollahian said in a statement, “The cooperation of the two countries to neutralize and destroy terrorist camps in Pakistan is essential.”The muted rhetoric matched analysts’ predictions that both sides would seek to defuse the confrontation.“The upshot of the new situation is that the two countries are seemingly and symbolically even,” said Antoine Levesques, of the International Institute for Strategic Studies.Meanwhile, on Friday, Pakistani Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar held an emergency security meeting with military and intelligence chiefs.Kakar cut short his visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland following the strikes.His caretaker government is leading Pakistan into general elections in three weeks, which have been marred by allegations of pre-poll rigging.Tehran and Islamabad have both said they hit their own domestic militants sheltering on foreign territory.A collective death toll of 11 — mostly women and children — was reported from both sides of the border that bisects an arid region where militant movements have simmered for decades.In the remote villages near the strike site in the Panjgur district, where mobile signal is rarely available, farmers pieced together the events from reports passed on from visiting security officials who set up checkpoints in the area.“Helicopters were flying overhead and going in the direction of where the Iranian strike hit, but we didn’t know what had happened,” Maulana Mohammad Sadiq, 42, the prayer leader of a small seminary around five kilometers (three miles) from where a missile hit, told AFP on Thursday.Villagers feared that deteriorating relations between the two sides could lead to border closures and cut off residents from Iranian trade, which the area relies on for employment and food imports.“If Iranians close the border, the people will starve and it will cause more militancy because youth will join the separatist organizations,” said 55-year-old Haji Mohammad Islam.Baluch separatists have been waging a low-level insurgency against Pakistani authorities from the largely ungoverned, impoverished region fighting for a better share of mineral resources.Rights groups say the military’s crackdown on the insurgency has included widespread enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.Militancy has also risen sharply along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan further north, after the Taliban’s return to power there in 2021.

EU set to sanction 6 tied to Hamas funding; Borrell: Israel boosted the group-EU foreign policy chief says Netanyahu strengthened Hamas to weaken the PA; Moscow hosts delegation from terror group, speaks of need to free hostages
By Agencies and ToI Staff 19 January 2024, 7:16 pm

The European Union has adopted a dedicated sanctions regime targeting Palestinian terror group Hamas, a high-ranking EU official said Friday, adding that the first measures would target six people involved in the financing of Hamas.“What we are doing now — it has been done today and I think it will be announced in the coming hours — [is that] we have adopted a dedicated regime for Hamas. We have listed six people,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.The official added the six people were all from Arab or African countries and were all involved in financing Hamas, which has become the subject of Western reprisal after its assault on Israel in October.At the same time, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that Israel had financed Hamas “in an attempt to weaken the Palestinian Authority led by Fatah,”Netanyahu is widely reported to have said on several occasions over the years that he sought to boost Hamas in order to fuel the schism within Palestinian society and alleviate international pressure for a Palestinian state.Netanyahu has denied any such efforts.“Yes, Hamas was financed by the government of Israel in an attempt to weaken the Palestinian Authority led by Fatah,” Borrell said in a speech at the University of Valladolid in Spain, without elaborating.Borrell added the only peaceful solution included the creation of a Palestinian state. And he suggested that this may need to be “imposed from the outside.”Hamas carried out a surprise attack on southern Israel from Gaza on October 7, killing some 1,200 people and seizing around 240 hostages in the deadliest day in Israel’s history.The Israeli government launched a counteroffensive in a bid to end Hamas’s rule over Gaza and release the hostages. The Gaza health ministry, run by Hamas, says the death toll in the Strip has passed 24,000 people, though figures from the terror group cannot be independently verified, and are believed to include both civilians and Hamas members killed in Gaza, including as a consequence of the terror groups’ own rocket misfires. The IDF says it has killed over 9,000 operatives in Gaza, in addition to some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.Hamas has run the Gaza Strip since 2007 after a brief civil war with forces loyal to the Fatah movement led by PA President Mahmoud Abbas, who is based in the West Bank.Russia on Friday hosted a delegation of Hamas members, Moscow’s foreign ministry said in a statement-During the talks, the Russian side emphasized the need to release hostages, it added.The Hamas delegation was led by senior official Moussa Abu Marzouk and the Russian team was led by deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov.Moscow also said the humanitarian situation in Gaza had reached “catastrophic” levels.Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said after a phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he’d urged him to “drastically” reduce the level of violence against Palestinians amid the war with Hamas and to immediately pause fighting to let more aid into the war-battered enclave.“Israel needs to let in much more relief goods, much quicker,” Rutte said. “We have talked about concrete measures to do so.”

Tens of thousands of Germans protest against resurgence of far-right AfD party-Mass demonstrations against populist faction, which has discussed mass deportations, held across the country, with more than 100 rallies expected over the weekend
By Isabelle Le Page 19 January 2024, 3:24 pm

BERLIN (AFP) — Revelations that members of the far-right AfD party had discussed mass deportation plans are pushing tens of thousands of Germans to protest in the streets — and sparking debate on whether the anti-immigrant party should be banned.From Cologne to Leipzig to Nuremberg, Germans across the country have mobilized over the last week, with another 100 demonstrations expected through the weekend.Many of the demonstrations are held under the banner “together against the far-right,” with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also joining a spontaneous gathering in Potsdam, where they live.Bundesliga coaches and church bishops have also issued calls warning against support for the AfD, with the manager of SC Freiburg Christian Streich saying that “anyone who does nothing now has learned nothing from school or history.”The sudden and widespread mobilization was sparked by a January 10 report by investigative outlet Correctiv which revealed that AfD members had discussed the expulsion of immigrants and “non-assimilated citizens” at a meeting with extremists.Among the participants at the talks was Martin Sellner, a leader of Austria’s Identitarian Movement, which subscribes to the “great replacement” conspiracy theory that claims there is a plot by non-white migrants to replace Europe’s “native” white population.News of the gathering sent shockwaves across Germany at a time when the AfD is soaring in opinion polls, just months ahead of three major regional elections in eastern Germany where their support is strongest.The “scandalous meeting” revived “the fear of deportations of millions of citizens or non-citizens, a fear that is part of the criticized heritage of Nazism,” said Hajo Funke, a political analyst who specializes in the far-right.The “silent majority must wake up and take a clear position against extremism in Germany,” urged domestic intelligence chief Thomas Haldenwang.Thanking those who have come out in the last days to make their voices heard, Scholz wrote on X that the protests “are encouraging and show that there are more of us democrats than those who want to divide us.”The AfD was created in 2013 as an anti-euro outfit before seizing on anger over mass migration to Germany to garner enough votes to enter the Bundestag in 2017.While support for the party eased subsequently, it has enjoyed a resurgence over the last year, feeding on frustration as Germany ails from soaring inflation and a weak economy.Nationwide, it is polling at about 22 percent, behind the conservatives but well above Scholz’s social democrats at about 16%.In eastern Germany however, it is leading the polls, with more than 30% in the states of Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg, which are all due to hold regional elections in September.The AfD had planted itself firmly onto the political landscape since its entrance in the Bundestag but after the meeting unveiled by Correctiv, “this normalization of the party is over,” said Funke.The AfD confirmed the presence of its members at the meeting but has denied taking on the “remigration” project championed by Sellner.But the scandal showed “the real face” of the party, said Lars Klingbeil, co-leader of Scholz’s SPD.Voices calling for an outright ban of the party have also grown louder.Even if it has few chances of succeeding, a petition demanding the removal of constitutional rights for Bjoern Hoecke, one the AfD’s most controversial politicians, has already garnered a million signatures.Several branches of the AfD are already under close surveillance of the domestic intelligence agency and in this context, “the state should look at a possible ban of the AfD,” said Wolfgang Thierse, a former speaker of parliament.But others are skeptical about the effectiveness of launching such a long and complex procedure, as failure to win the ban risks further nourishing the AfD’s “victim narrative.”But “if it’s proven that a party wants to transform the country into a fascist state, it must be banned, no matter how powerful it is,” said Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck in an interview with Stern magazine.

North Korea says tested 'underwater nuclear weapon system' by AFP Staff Writers-Seoul (AFP) Jan 19, 2024

North Korea said Friday that it had tested an "underwater nuclear weapon system" in response to joint naval exercises by Washington, Seoul and Tokyo that involved a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.The drills were "seriously threatening the security" of the North, so in response, Pyongyang "conducted an important test of its underwater nuclear weapon system 'Haeil-5-23' under development in the East Sea of Korea," according to a statement from the defence ministry carried by state news agency KCNA.Early last year, Pyongyang said it had carried out multiple tests of a purported underwater nuclear attack drone -- a different version of the Haeil, which means tsunami in Korean -- claiming it could unleash a "radioactive tsunami".Analysts have questioned whether Pyongyang has such a weapon.Earlier this week, South Korea, the United States and Japan carried out joint naval drills in waters off southern Jeju Island, which they said were in response to North Korea's Sunday launch of a hypersonic missile.The drills involved nine warships from the three countries, including the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.Pyongyang said Friday the drills "constituted a cause of further destabilising the regional situation, and they are an act of seriously threatening the security" of the North, the defence ministry spokesman said, according to KCNA.North Korea's own test -- the exact date of which was not given -- ensured "our army's underwater nuke-based countering posture is being further rounded off and its various maritime and underwater responsive actions will continue to deter the hostile military maneuvers of the navies of the US and its allies," the spokesman said.Recent months have seen a sharp deterioration in long-tense ties between the two Koreas, with both sides jettisoning key tension-reducing agreements, ramping up frontier security, and conducting live-fire drills along the border.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week declared the South his country's "principal enemy", jettisoned agencies dedicated to reunification and outreach and threatened war over "even 0.001 mm" of territorial infringement.- Drones deployed? - The new announcement on the underwater test "is a clear sign of Haeil drones deployment to its navy fleets for use", said Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul."The North's statement illustrates Pyongyang's stance that it will respond in proportion to military exercise by the South, Japan and the US," he said, adding that the North didn't appear to be trying "to cross the line so as to provoke an armed conflict."Ahn Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who runs the World Institute for North Korea Studies, told AFP that it was "difficult to determine the exact capabilities" of North Korea's purported underwater nuclear weapons systems." Considering North Korea's defence science level and the fact that the weapon is still in a developing stage, it is not yet at a stage to pose a significant threat," he said.At Pyongyang's year-end policy meetings, Kim threatened a nuclear attack on the South and called for a build-up of his country's military arsenal ahead of armed conflict he warned could "break out any time".On Sunday, the North launched a solid-fuel hypersonic missile, just days after Pyongyang staged live-fire exercises near the country's tense maritime border with South Korea, which prompted counter-exercises and evacuation orders for some border islands belonging to the South.Kim also successfully put a spy satellite into orbit late last year, after receiving what Seoul said was Russian help, in exchange for arms transfers for Moscow's war in Ukraine.

NKorea confirms test-firing of solid-fuel mid-range ballistic missile-by AFP Staff Writers-Seoul (AFP) Jan 14, 2024

North Korea successfully test-fired an intermediate-range solid-fuel ballistic missile, state-run news agency KCNA confirmed early Monday, categorizing the launch as part of its "regular activities for developing powerful weapon systems."The missile was loaded with a hypersonic maneuverable controlled warhead when it was fired off Sunday afternoon, according to the outlet.The test was meant to verify "the gliding and maneuvering characteristics" of the warhead and "reliability of newly developed multi-stage high-thrust solid-fuel engines," KCNA said.It added that the test-firing "never affected the security of any neighbouring country and had nothing to do with the regional situation."However it came just days after Pyongyang staged live-fire exercises near the country's tense maritime border with South Korea, which prompted counter-exercises and evacuation orders for some South Korean border islands.The missile flew towards the East Sea travelling approximately 1,000 kilometres (621 miles), Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement Sunday, adding that authorities in Seoul, Washington and Tokyo were analysing the specifications.North Korea's last missile test was of a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which it fired into the East Sea on December 18.Leader Kim Jong Un earlier this week branded Seoul his "principal enemy" and warned he would not hesitate to annihilate South Korea, as he toured major weapons factories."The historic time has come at last when we should define as a state most hostile toward the Democratic People's Republic of Korea the entity called the Republic of Korea (South Korea)," Kim was reported as saying by KCNA.- A shift -Analysts said at the time that the change in language was notable, signifying a shift in Pyongyang's approach to an "ultra-hawkish mode".Relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points in decades, after Kim enshrined the country's permanent status as a nuclear power into the constitution and test-fired several advanced ICBMs.Meanwhile traditional allies Russia and North Korea have recently boosted ties, with Kim making a rare overseas trip to see President Vladimir Putin in Russia's far east in September.On Sunday a North Korean government delegation headed by Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui left for an official visit to Russia, KCNA reported.Last year, Pyongyang successfully put a reconnaissance satellite into orbit, after receiving what South Korea claimed was Russian assistance, in exchange for arms shipments for Moscow's war in Ukraine.Despite its difficult economic situation, Pyongyang conducted a record-breaking series of weapons tests in 2023, including its first solid-fuel ballistic missile -- which experts called a major technological breakthrough.

N. Korea fires 'unidentified ballistic missile': Seoul military-by AFP Staff Writers-Seoul (AFP) Jan 14, 2024

North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Sunday, Seoul's military said, days after Pyongyang staged live-fire exercises near the tense maritime border with the South."North Korea fires unidentified ballistic missile towards East Sea," Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.The Joint Chiefs of Staff said had it detected the launch but gave no further details.Japan's coast guard said that an "object, potentially ballistic missile, launched from North Korea," citing information from the country's defence ministry, and warning vessels to take care.North Korea's last missile test was of a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile, which it fired into the East Sea on December 18.The apparent test comes days after North Korea conducted a series of rare live-fire drills near the maritime border with the South, prompting counter-exercises and evacuation orders for some South Korean border islands.Leader Kim Jong Un also earlier this week branded Seoul his "principal enemy" and warned he would not hesitate to annihilate the South, as he toured major weapons factories."The historic time has come at last when we should define as a state most hostile toward the Democratic People's Republic of Korea the entity called the Republic of Korea (South Korea)," Kim was reported Wednesday as saying by the official Korean Central News Agency.Analysts said at the time that the shift was significant, signifying a shift in Pyongyang's approach to Seoul into "ultra-hawkish mode".- Ties woeful -Relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points in decades, after Kim enshrined the country's permanent status as a nuclear power into the constitution and test-fired several advanced intercontinental ballistic missiles.Last year, Pyongyang also successfully put a reconnaissance satellite into orbit, after receiving what South Korea claimed was Russian assistance, in exchange for arms shipments for Moscow's war in Ukraine.Kim has also test-fired a string of advanced intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) including a purported solid fuel version.At Pyongyang's year-end policy meetings, Kim threatened a nuclear attack on the South and called for a build-up of his country's military arsenal ahead of armed conflict that he warned could "break out any time".Pyongyang declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear power in 2022 and has repeatedly said it will never give up its nuclear weapons programme, which the regime views as essential for its survival.The United Nations Security Council has adopted many resolutions calling on North Korea to halt its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes since Pyongyang first conducted a nuclear test in 2006.

WEEK OF DANIEL 9:27 WE KNOW ITS 7 YRS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

US hails yet-to-be-announced Israeli move to let flour into Gaza-After phone call, Biden says two-state solution not ‘impossible’ while Netanyahu is PM-US president intimates that some ‘types’ of two-state solution may be acceptable to Israeli premier, who again ruled out Palestinian sovereignty just a day earlier-By Agencies and ToI Staff Today, 4:48 am-JAN 20,24

WASHINGTON — US President Joe Biden said the creation of an independent state for Palestinians is not impossible while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still in office, and that the two leaders discussed the issue during their phone call on Friday.Speaking to reporters after a meeting with US mayors, Biden was asked directly whether a two-state solution was impossible with Netanyahu still in office.“No it’s not,” the president replied.He was then asked: “Are you going to reconsider conditions on Israel aid given what Bibi [Netanyahu] said on a two-state solution?” (The Israeli prime minister reiterated and detailed his opposition to Palestinian sovereignty during a press conference on Thursday.)-Said Biden: “I think we’ll be able to work something out.”Asked how this could be done, the president intimated that there might be “types” of two-state solutions that Netanyahu may not be opposed to: “There are a number of types of two-state solutions. There’s a number of countries that are members of the UN that are still — don’t have their own militaries. Number of states that have limitations on [inaudible]. And so I think there’s ways in which this could work.”The reporter then told Biden that “Bibi just said he’s opposed to any two-state solution.”“No, he didn’t say that,” Biden asserted.Asked what Netanyahu was open to, Biden said: “I’ll let you know.”POTUS on why he thinks a two state solution is possible with Bibi in power: https://t.co/bOGPDJt0hc pic.twitter.com/4zhoArwBvG— Weijia Jiang (@weijia) January 19, 2024-Biden’s comments came shortly after he and Netanyahu spoke for the first time in 27 days.There has been growing daylight between Jerusalem and Washington over the war in Gaza, which Israel launched in response to the Hamas-led onslaught on October 7, when Palestinian terrorists slaughtered some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took around 240 hostages. Netanyahu has rejected Biden’s vision for a post-war Gaza, which would be reunited politically with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority’s rule as part of a broader diplomatic initiative aimed at an eventual two-state solution and an expanded Abraham Accords.While Netanyahu has ruled out the notion of establishing a Palestinian state, he has offered few details on his alternative vision for Gaza while blocking the cabinet from holding discussions on the matter, knowing that it risks collapsing his coalition.“Whoever is talking about the ‘day after Netanyahu,’” Netanyahu said during the press conference on Thursday, “is essentially talking about the establishment of a Palestinian state with the Palestinian Authority.” (NBC had reported on Wednesday that the US administration was “laying the groundwork with other Israeli leaders in anticipation of a post-Netanyahu government.”)-Most Israeli citizens are opposed to the establishment of a Palestinian state, Netanyahu said, and he would always resist it.“All territory we evacuate, we get terror, terrible terror against us,” he said, citing Gaza, southern Lebanon and parts of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). Therefore, “in any future arrangement, or in the absence of an arrangement,” he said, Israel must maintain “security control” of all territory west of the Jordan River — meaning, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. “That is a vital condition.”He acknowledged that this “contradicts the idea of sovereignty [for the Palestinians]. What can you do? I tell this truth to our American friends.”Nonetheless, Netanyahu asserted that his stance would not prevent Israel from expanding the circle of peace to new Arab countries, “along with our American friends.”Netanyahu reportedly rejected a US proposal, presented by Secretary of State Antony Blinken when he visited earlier this month, that would have seen Saudi Arabia help with the reconstruction of Gaza along with several other Arab countries in addition to agreeing to normalize ties with Israel, on the condition that Jerusalem agree to take steps to create a pathway to an eventual Palestinian state.UK Opposition Leader Keir Starmer also hit out Friday at Netanyahu for opposing Palestinian sovereignty, calling the premier’s comments “unacceptable and wrong.”“Palestinian statehood is not in the gift of a neighbor, it’s the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. It’s also the only way to a secure settlement and a secure future,” Starmer told ITV News.US says Israel to let flour into Gaza via Ashdod port-During Friday’s phone call, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Biden and Netanyahu discussed ongoing efforts to secure the release of all remaining hostages held in Gaza.“The two leaders also reviewed the situation in Gaza and the shift to targeted operations that will enable the flow of increasing amounts of humanitarian assistance, while keeping the military pressure on Hamas and its leaders significant,” Kirby said.Biden stressed “Israel’s responsibility — even as it maintains military pressure on Hamas and its leaders — to reduce civilian harm and to protect innocent civilians,” Kirby said.The US president also told Netanyahu that he welcomed the decision by the Israeli government to permit the entry of large shipments of flour into Gaza via Israel’s port in Ashdod, Kirby said, adding that the sides “are separately working on options for more direct maritime delivery of assistance into Gaza.”Kirby’s remark appeared to be the first time that Israel has used its Ashdod port to transfer aid to Gaza and came days after Hebrew media reported that Israel agreed earlier this month to allow 150 truckloads of flour into Gaza, where the UN says there is a growing risk of famine.Israel has refrained from announcing this decision regarding the flour shipments itself ostensibly due to its unpopular nature among large swaths of the public, given that the hostages remain in Gaza.Three UN agencies — the World Food Program (WFP), UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) — pushed for the opening of Ashdod in a joint statement on Monday.The use of Ashdod, located some 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of the Gaza border, is “critically needed by aid agencies,” they said, while calling for a “fundamental step change in the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.”Opening the Ashdod port would reduce the time it takes to transport food to Gazans from the north, WFP’s regional director for the Middle East, Corinne Fleischer, told AFP earlier this month.In December, Israel approved the temporary delivery of aid into Gaza via its southern Kerem Shalom border crossing, opening a new route for supplies after weeks of pressure.

Group of Jewish Democrats in US House slam Netanyahu for rejecting Palestinian state-Fifteen lawmakers say they ‘strongly disagree’ with PM for opposing Palestinian sovereignty and that two-state solution ‘is the path forward’
By Ron Kampeas Today, 5:48 am-JAN 20,24

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Fifteen Jewish Democrats, including some pro-Israel stalwarts, slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he rejected the idea of creating an independent Palestinian state after the Israel-Hamas war.“We strongly disagree with the prime minister,” said the brief statement released Friday morning by the office of Representative Jerry Nadler, the New York representative who is the unofficial dean of Jewish House Democrats. “A two-state solution is the path forward.”The statement — which comes amid rising calls from some Jewish lawmakers for a ceasefire — signifies growing impatience among Democrats with Netanyahu as the war persists indefinitely. The prime minister, who heads a coalition with far-right elements, has openly rejected the Biden administration’s hopes of forging a postwar two-state outcome.In a press conference Thursday, Netanyahu used unusually clear language in opposing Biden administration initiatives.“Therefore, I make clear in any future foreseeable arrangement — with an agreement or without an agreement — the State of Israel must have security control of the entire area west of the Jordan,” he said, referring to the area that covers Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. “It’s a necessary requirement, and it clashes with the idea of sovereignty, what can you do?”He continued: “This truth I tell our American friends. And I also obstructed an attempt to coerce us into a reality that would harm the security of Israel. An Israeli prime minister must be able to say no even to our best friends, to say no when necessary and to say yes when possible.”Netanyahu’s statement was an especially strong rejection of the idea of Palestinian sovereignty, and its substance also reflects what he has said for years about the future of the West Bank. In 2018, he proposed a “state-minus” for Palestinians in which Israel retained a military presence across the West Bank. The same idea was reflected in the 2020 plan proposed by then-US president Donald Trump, in which Israel would retain security control over the territory of a future Palestinian state. Palestinian leadership roundly rejects that idea.Netanyahu endorsed the idea of a Palestinian state in a landmark speech in 2009, then backtracked on the eve of an election six years later.John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesman, was not surprised by Netanyahu’s statement.“This is not a new comment by Prime Minister Netanyahu,” he told reporters Thursday. “We obviously see it differently. We believe that the Palestinians have every right to live in an independent state with peace and security. And the president and his team is going to continue to work on that.”Netanyahu and Biden spoke on Friday for the first time since December 23.Netanyahu’s tough talk appears to have triggered the two-sentence statement, along with other notes of reproval from pro-Israel Democrats. It also drew fire from at least one Jewish Democrat in the Senate, Brian Schatz of Hawaii. “He is, at every opportunity, making things worse,” Schatz told NBC.Representative Ritchie Torres, a progressive New York Democrat who is not Jewish and is known for his outspoken defense of Israel, said that closing off any prospect of a Palestinian state was unsustainable.“I am under no illusion that a two-state solution will happen in the immediate future but to assert that it should NEVER happen — that either Jews or Palestinians should never have self-determination — is morally wrong,” he said Friday on X, formerly Twitter, without directly naming Netanyahu.The list of 15 Jewish Democrats who issued Friday’s statement was significant for including at least seven lawmakers endorsed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s affiliated political action committee. AIPAC discourages open disagreement with Israeli governments on security issues.Those seven are Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts, Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon, Dan Goldman of New York, Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Mike Levin, Adam Schiff and Brad Sherman of California. (AIPAC endorsed Schiff and Slotkin in 2022; they are running for Senate this year, and the lobby is waiting to see who emerges from the primaries before giving an endorsement.)-Sherman, long one of Israel’s fiercest defenders in Congress, is a standout: He helped found the now-defunct Israel Project, launched in the early 2000s to push back against negative portrayals of the country in the media. In a contentious primary race between two Jewish incumbents in 2012, he accused his rival, Howard Berman, of being weak on Iran, and was one of a minority of Democrats who in 2015 opposed the Iran nuclear deal.Now Sherman has emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of Netanyahu. In a post on X, he lashed out at the prime minister.“First #Netanyahu fails #Israel by basing a highly inadequate portion of the IDF near Gaza in the months before October 7,” Sherman wrote, echoing a critique from Netanyahu’s Israeli critics. “Then he ignores the warnings of October 6. Then this.”He linked to a Guardian article about Netanyahu’s statements. Reports have said the Israeli security establishment ignored substantive intelligence from lower-level officials ahead of October 7 showing that Hamas terrorists were preparing for the massacre they carried out that day, which began the current war.Slotkin, a CIA veteran, also was outspoken in a post.“This is plain wrong,” she wrote. “A two-state solution has been official US policy for decades for a reason: because however far away it feels right now, it’s the only way to bring dignity to both Israelis and Palestinians, and lasting stability to the Middle East.”Sherman and Slotkin did not respond to requests for further comment, nor did spokespeople for a number of the others, including Nadler.There are 24 Jewish Democrats in the House, and the nine who did not sign the statement include some who are among Israel’s most outspoken defenders, among them Brad Schneider of Illinois, Jared Moskowitz and Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida and Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey.“I agree with Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken that a future peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and a better future for all people in the region, requires both a true safe and secure, democratic, Jewish state of Israel and a very real pathway for Palestinians to realize their own peaceful aspirations for a viable state,” Schneider said in a text to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.A spokesman for Moskowitz said he may issue a statement later. Spokespeople for Wasserman Schultz and Gottheimer did not return requests for comment.Four of the signatories have already made clear their unhappiness with the direction of the war, joining calls for a ceasefire, including Becca Balint of Vermont, Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Jan Schakowsky of Illinois and Dean Phillips of Minnesota, who is also running in a longshot campaign for president.The other three signatories are Steve Cohen of Tennessee, Seth Magaziner of Rhode Island and Kim Schrier of Washington.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

ISRAEL BOMBARDS ARAB MURDERERS WITH 122 ROCKETS AND KILLED 40 TERRORISTS

 DISEASES-ANIMAL TO HUMAN

REVELATION 6:7-8 (500 MILLION DEAD EACH FROM THE 4 JUDGEMENTS)(2 BILLION TOT DEAD HERE)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 billion) of (8 billion) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS)(500 million) and with hunger,(FAMINE)(500 million) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES)(500 million) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE)(500 million).

THE COVID-19 TOTALS.
WORLD OVER ALL CASES 164,971,576 DEAD 3,419,484 AS OF WED MAY 19,21




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.

AMERICA (POLITICAL BABYLON)(NUKED BY SNEAK ATTACK FROM RUSSIA)

IN REVELATION 17 & 18 IS THE DESTRUCTION OF THE RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL BABYLONS.IF YOU CAN NOT DECERN BETWEEN THE 2 BABYLONS IN REV 17 & 18.YOU WILL JUST THINK THEIR BOTH THE SAME.BUT NO-THERES A RELIGIOUS BABYLON (THE VATICAN IN REV 17)(AND THE POLITICAL BABYLON IN REV 18 (AMERICA OR NEW YORK TO BE EXACT)

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

JEREMIAH 51:29-32 (CYBER ATTACK 1ST)
29  And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon,(AMERICA-NEW YORK) to make the land of Babylon (AMERICA) a desolation without an inhabitant.
30  The mighty men of Babylon (AMERICA) have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.
031  One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon (NEW YORK) that his city is taken at one end,
32  And that the passages are stopped,(THE WAR COMPUTERS HACKED OR EMP'D) and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.(DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO)

COMPLETE SILENCE AFTER AN EMP GOES OFF
REVELATION 8:1
1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

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

EZEKIEL 39:11-22
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog (RUSSIA/ARAB/MUSLIMS) a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers (EAST OF THE DEAD SEA IN JORDAN VALLEY) on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog (RUSSIAN) and all his multitude:(ARAB/MUSLIM HORDE) and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.(BURIEL SITE OF THE 300 MILLION,RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS)
12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.(OF ISRAEL)
13 Yea, all the people of the land (OF ISRAEL) shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I (GOD-JESUS) shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD.
14 And they shall sever out men of continual employment,(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMB EXPERTS) passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.
15 And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man’s bone, then shall he set up a sign by it,(WON'T TOUCH IT) till the buriers have buried it (PROPERLY) in the valley of Hamongog.(RUSSIA/ARAB/MUSLIMS NEW BURIEL SITE)(EAST OF THE DEAD SEA IN THE JORDAN VALLEY)
16 And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.(OF THE ISRAEL-GOD HATERS)
17 And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl,(500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS THREW ISRAEL EVERY SPRING,FALL) and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.(OF THE RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIM ARMIES)
18  Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
19  And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.
20  Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD.
21  And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.
22  So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward.

France circulates draft UN Security Council resolution urging Gaza ceasefire-Elysee Palace says core text stresses end to shooting and involvement of United Nation’s top-level forum; resolution would require formal US veto if Washington opposes-By Jacob Magid-MAY9,21-Today, 9:08 am

NEW YORK — The French mission to the United Nations circulated a draft resolution to members of the Security Council on Tuesday that calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza terror groups, as countries on the top UN body continued their efforts to weigh in on the ongoing violence despite US objections.French President Emmanuel Macron’s office publicly announced the matter following a trilateral meeting with Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who is currently visiting Paris, and Jordan’s King Abdullah II, who joined via video conference.“The three countries agreed on three simple elements: The shooting must stop, the time has come for a ceasefire and the UN Security Council must take up the issue,” the Elysee Palace said in a statement.In addition to demanding an immediate end to the violence, the core of the resolution’s text stresses the urgent need for humanitarian assistance to Gaza, a Security Council diplomat told The Times of Israel.Axios reported that the French move surprised the US mission, which has three times in the past week blocked joint statements with similar messaging, insisting that such measures would not help advance a ceasefire and that it wanted time for its own efforts to play out.A Security Council resolution carries more weight than a joint statement, and blocking one backed by every other member would require the US to issue a veto — something it likely wants to avoid as Biden has vowed to take a more multilateral approach to diplomacy and improve ties with longtime allies that were damaged by his predecessor Donald Trump.French President Emanuel Macron, left, welcomes Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi before attending a video conference with Jordan’s King Abdullah II to work on a concrete proposal for a ceasefire and a possible path to discussions between Israel and the Gaza Strip terror groups, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, May 18, 2021. (Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool via AP)-While Biden “expressed his support for a ceasefire” during a phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a source familiar with the matter said no deadline was demanded from the Israeli premier for when IDF operations in Gaza must conclude. However, the president did warn that he would not be able to hold off pressure from within his party and in the international community for an immediate ceasefire for much longer and urged Netanyahu to bring the fighting to a close.The French resolution includes rhetoric and messaging similar to what has been heard from Biden on the matter in recent days in an effort to make it more difficult for the US to explain why it won’t back the measure, the Security Council diplomat said.The original draft of the statement does not make mention of Hamas rocket fire but the diplomat said such amendments could be added by other members in the coming days.“The strategy is to convince all parties, so the text should be very focused and acceptable to everyone,” the diplomat said, adding that a date for when the resolution will be brought before the Security Council has not yet been set. “We will try to move as soon as possible,” the diplomat said.“The issue is concerning for everyone, and members cannot be silent on the issue,” the diplomat said, noting that Biden himself has backed a ceasefire and that the US should therefore be comfortable getting behind the measure.Israel has opposed such efforts, and its Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan on Sunday urged members to “unequivocally condemn Hamas,” rather than call on both sides to exercise restraint. The Israeli mission asked the US to oppose the joint statements introduced over the past week.Macron had on Monday underlined the importance of Egyptian mediation after talks in Paris with Sissi.China’s UN Ambassador Zhang Jun said that during a closed-door meeting, members “heard the proposal made by our French colleague in the Council and for China, definitely, we are supportive to all effort facilitating the ending of the crisis and the coming back of peace in the Middle East.”The UN Security Council had held an emergency meeting earlier Tuesday on the situation in Gaza that ended without any result, four diplomats involved told The Times of Israel.The closed-door session was the fourth in nine days held by the top UN body and came a day after the US blocked a joint statement calling for a ceasefire for the third consecutive time.While the Norwegian, Chinese and Tunisian missions that initiated Tuesday’s meeting did so to increase international pressure for a ceasefire, two Security Council diplomats told The Times of Israel they weren’t really sure why another consultation was held, given that member states knew the US position had not moved in the previous 24 hours.Norway’s UN mission has continued to call for the council to “speak with one voice” on the escalation in Gaza, but with the US insistent on pursuing its own avenues in order to bring about a ceasefire, the top UN body has been placed in a “wait and see mode” for the time being, one diplomat said.On Thursday, the UN General Assembly will be meeting for the first time on the same topic and a majority of countries are expected to voice solidarity with the Palestinians, call for a ceasefire and criticize Israel. There is not yet an expectation that the meeting will include an effort to pass a resolution on the matter, diplomats said.Palestinian terror groups have fired thousands of rockets at Israel since last Monday, drawing heavy retaliatory Israeli airstrikes.Twelve people in Israel, including a 5-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl, have been killed in the rocket fire from Gaza, and hundreds have been injured.According to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, at least 212 Palestinians have been killed so far in the nine days of the conflict, including more than 60 children. It was not immediately clear if this ministry tally included all of those killed or if there were Hamas operatives not included in the count. According to the IDF, more than 120 of those killed were members of Hamas and over 25 were members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad as of Monday night.Agencies and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

IDF drops 122 bombs on 40 targets, in further attempt to destroy Hamas tunnels-Rockets from Gaza renew after 4-hour lull * Military confirms it tried, failed to kill Muhammad Deif; sources in terror group deny, say it’s ‘psychological warfare’ 6:47 am-After lull, rocket alarms sound in communities near Gaza-6:26 am-IDF bombs PIJ weapons manufacturing site in central Gaza-6:23 am-Fire in Petah Tikva building, with several people said trapped-5:54 am-IDF destroys tunnels used to kill, snatch body of soldier Hadar Goldin in 2014 -- report-By Michael Bachner    Today, 7:53 am-MAY 19,21

6:47 am-After lull, rocket alarms sound in communities near Gaza-Rocket sirens are heard in Gaza-adjacent communities after a lull of several hours.There are no immediate reports of impacts or casualties.9:26 am-IDF bombs PIJ weapons manufacturing site in central Gaza-After a series of nighttime strikes in Gaza, the IDF says is conducted another air raid a short while ago that targeted a Palestinian Islamic Jihad weapons manufacturing site.The military says the bombed site is in Deir el-Balah in the central Strip.9:23 am-Fire in Petah Tikva building, with several people said trapped-A blaze is raging at a residential building in Petah Tikva, with authorities aware of several people trapped in apartments.Five fire and rescue teams are operating at the scene.There are no known casualties.8:54 am-IDF destroys tunnels used to kill, snatch body of soldier Hadar Goldin in 2014 — report-According to the Walla news site, among the Hamas tunnels destroyed last night by the IDF is the specific infrastructure through which the terror group attacked, killed and kidnapped the body of soldier Hadar Goldin during the 2014 fighting.Goldin’s body is still believed to be held in Gaza for the purpose of a prisoner exchange.8:33 am-Hamas sources say IDF claim of attempted hit on Deif is ‘psychological warfare’Sources in Hamas’s military wing deny Israel’s claim that terror chief Muhammad Deif was last week twice the target of of an IDF assassination attempt.Gazan journalist Ibrahim al-Madhoun, who is said to be close to Hamas military leaders, cites the sources as saying Deif “is continuing to direct the fighting with complete control.”“The publication of the attempted assassination is meant for psychological warfare,” they claim, adding that they are “an attempt to repair [IDF Chief of Staff Aviv] Kohavi’s failing image.”8:19 am-US official: Israel must end Gaza campaign for fear of harming Gulf tiesThe Kan public broadcaster cites a US official saying Israel must prepare to end its operation in Gaza for fear of harming its relations with the Gulf states it normalized ties with last year — the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain — as well as Jordan and Egypt.The official says Washington also fears a potential incident that could escalate the situation and cause a renewed intense flare-up.The news comes after reports have indicated a ceasefire will enter effect tomorrow. Both Israel and Hamas have denied signing an official deal.7:56 am-IDF confirms it tried, failed to kill Muhammad Deif, other top Hamas officials-Hamas military wing commander Muhammad Deif (courtesy)-The IDF officially confirms that it has tried to kill Hamas military chief Muhammad Deif twice since the current fighting erupted last week, and that he escaped unscathed both times.The military adds that it has targeted at least seven other top Hamas members, some of whom were injured but all of whom survived.Minister Yoav Gallant, a former IDF general and a member of the security cabinet, tells Army Radio that while Israel has missed several opportunities over the years to assassinate Deif, “the man deserves to die and we will eventually bring him where he belongs.”7:56 am-IDF says 50 rockets launched in past 12 hours; 10 landed inside Gaza-The military says some 50 rockets have been launched by terrorists in the Gaza Strip over the last 12 hours.Around 10 of the projectiles landed inside the Strip, the IDF adds.7:56 am-IDF says it dropped 122 bombs last night on Hamas tunnel network-IDF Spokesperson Hidai Zilberman says the military last night carried out another phase in the systematic targeting of Hamas’s network of tunnels in the Gaza Strip.Zilberman tells reporters that around 10 p.m., 52 Air Force planes dropped 122 bombs in 25 minutes on some 40 underground targets that are part of the so-called “metro” spanning 12 kilometers of tunnels. The targets included weapons storage sites and a command center.He estimates that at least 10 members of terror groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad were killed.He says the strikes were concentrated in Khan Younis and Rafah in the southern Strip, from where most of the rockets have been launched at Israeli cities.Regarding Hamas’s claim that it has been targeting Air Force bases, Zilberman says: “They’re trying, but not hitting.”

Hamas says it targeted air force bases in barrages toward south, central Israel-IDF says no hits reported in airfields; Israeli border towns see 3-hour overnight lull between attacks, Israeli jets hit dozens of targets in Gaza as fighting enters 10th day-By Judah Ari Gross and TOI staff-MAY 19,21-Today, 6:37 am

Gaza terror groups fired several rocket barrages at southern and central Israel late Tuesday and early Wednesday, with Hamas claiming it targeted Israeli Air Force bases during the strikes.Red alert sirens went off throughout Gaza border towns, in the southern coastal cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon and in central towns as far north as Rehovot and Palmachim and in a number of air bases in between.“The bases that the Al Qassam Brigades targeted are Hatzor, Hatzerim, Nevatim, Tel Nof, Palmachim, and Ramon,” Hamas said in a statement.Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson Hidai Zilberman on Wednesday morning said the military had no indications that a rocket struck any of its air bases. In one case, a projectile landed in an open field well outside the Tel Nof base near Rehovot, he said.Hamas’s publicly announced attack on airbases potentially indicated an effort by the group to deflect criticism from the US and other world leaders for wantonly targeting Israeli civilian populations in clear violation of international law. However, Hamas rockets fired during this alleged attack on Israeli airbases also struck civilian areas and the terror group launched projectiles toward towns overnight where no IAF bases are located. According to Zilberman, rockets have been fired toward IAF bases throughout the operation.There were no reports of damage or injuries from the rocket fire that began at around 8 p.m. and continued past 2 a.m., with many of the projectiles being intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system. Gaza border towns had a three-hour respite from rocket fire from 2:30 to 5:30 a.m., as has been the norm for that overnight period during the past several days.According to the IDF, over the course of Tuesday night and Wednesday morning some 50 rockets were fired toward Israel from Gaza, with 10 of them failing to clear the border and landing inside the Palestinian enclave. No injuries or damage was reported in the overnight attacks, indicating that the remaining 40 projectiles were either intercepted by the Iron Dome or struck open areas.But on the other side of the Gaza border, IDF jets operated the entire night, striking dozens of targets throughout the Strip, according to the Hamas-affiliated Palestinian Media Center, which published pictures and footage of the bombing.The news outlet said several Palestinians were killed and a larger number were injured, though the Gaza health ministry did not immediately provide an update with exact figures. According to Zilberman, the IDF believes it killed at least 10 members of the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror groups in its overnight strikes in the cities of Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza.In one round of strikes on Tuesday night, more than 50 Israeli Air Force jets using over 120 bombs struck an underground tunnel network in southern Gaza, destroying some 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) of it over the course of 25 minutes, according to the IDF spokesman.It was the fifth round of airstrikes that the IDF has carried out against Hamas’s sprawling subterranean complex, which Israel refers to as “the metro.” This included strikes on a network of tunnels in Rafah used by Hamas in the 2014 Gaza war to kidnap the remains of IDF soldier Hadar Goldin, who was killed in an ambush on August 1, during what was meant to be a ceasefire, which Hamas violated.The IDF said it also struck a number of targets in the upscale Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City overnight Tuesday-Wednesday, an area where many top Hamas commanders live.The Israeli military late Tuesday said its strikes targeted six rocket launching sites as well as a Hamas terror cell firing mortars at Israel from inside a school in Gaza.The incident “proves again how the Hamas terror group purposefully places its military assets in the heart of the civilian population,” the army said.Meanwhile, various international actors continued in their efforts to reach a ceasefire.A UN Security Council meeting broke up earlier Tuesday without issuing a statement, but France then said it had proposed a more forceful resolution calling for a ceasefire, in coordination with Israel’s neighbors Egypt and Jordan.If introduced, it would force the Biden administration to issue its first Security Council veto if it wants to continue blocking such efforts in the top UN body.While Channel 12 reported that an Egyptian ceasefire initiative had borne fruit and was slated to go into effect on Thursday morning, officials on all sides issued subsequent denials.A diplomatic source familiar with Egypt’s efforts told The Times of Israel that negotiations were still ongoing and no such agreement had been reached.But the Haaretz daily on Tuesday night quoted an Israeli official who said that barring any last-minute surprises, a ceasefire would indeed likely be reached by Thursday morning.While US President Joe Biden “expressed his support for a ceasefire” during a phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, a source familiar with the matter said no deadline was demanded from the Israeli premier for when IDF operations in Gaza must conclude. However, the president did warn that he would not be able to hold off much longer pressure from within his party and in the international community for an immediate ceasefire and urged Netanyahu to bring the fighting to a close.Hamas has launched nearly 3,700 rockets at Israel since May 10, often forcing people living by Gaza into bomb shelters around the clock.Israel’s near-relentless bombing campaign in response has sent fireballs, debris and black smoke into the sky, leaving two million Palestinians in Gaza desperate for reprieve.The humanitarian crisis has deepened in the impoverished strip, with the UN saying 72,000 Palestinians have been displaced.Palestinians across the West Bank and in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem mobilized Tuesday for protests and a general strike that shuttered non-essential businesses, in support of those under bombardment in Gaza.As the sides entered their 10th day of fighting on Wednesday, Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry updated the death toll in the Strip to 217, including more than 63 children. It was not immediately clear if the ministry tally included all of those killed or if there were Hamas operatives not included in the count.According to the IDF, more than 120 of those killed were members of Hamas and over 25 were members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad as of Monday night.The Hamas-run ministry said that over 1,400 Gazans had been injured since the start of what the IDF has billed Operation Guardian of the Walls.Twelve people in Israel, including a 5-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl, have been killed in rocket fire, and hundreds have been injured over the past ten days.The most recent casualties came on Tuesday afternoon when two Thai workers were killed in a packing house that took a direct hit from Hamas mortar fire. The two men in their 30s were not immediately named. Eight others were inured, including one seriously, in the attack on a community close to the border.The foreign nationals were working in an area without proper fortifications, local government officials said.The deadly attack came shortly after the Israel Defense Forces said that a soldier was lightly wounded in a mortar attack while assisting in the transfer of humanitarian aid shipments into the Gaza Strip through the Erez Crossing.The injured 19-year-old was taken to Ashkelon’s Barzilai Medical Center for treatment for shrapnel wounds to his torso. Medics said he was fully conscious.Additionally, a rocket landed near a vehicle, lightly injuring one person near the southern city of Beersheba, the Magen David Adom emergency said.Rockets were also fired at the southern cities of Ashkelon and Kiryat Gat as well as border communities throughout the day. One of the rockets slammed into a house in the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council, which was empty at the time.Israeli aircraft carried out strikes on targets in the Gaza Strip in response, with the IDF announcing it had hit the homes of 12 Hamas commanders in Gaza over the past day, including three on Tuesday. There were no immediate reports of injuries.Additionally, the IDF said it hit a Hamas cell in Khan Younis that was involved in firing anti-tank missiles. The military said the strike prevented anti-tank missile fire at Israel. The army also said it bombed a group of Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists who were preparing to fire a rocket at Israel.Another airstrike targeted a storage site where equipment and machines for manufacturing Hamas weapons were kept, the IDF said.Jacob Magid, Judah Ari Gross and AFP contributed to this report

In Jaffa, Arab fears of eviction stoke tensions with the Jews next door-‘They want to throw us out of our home,’ says one woman whose husband and brother recently assaulted a rabbi looking into real estate-By Agencies and TOI staff-MAY 19,21-Today, 4:41 am

Arab-Israeli supermarket cashier Israa Jarbou has missed a week of work for fear of getting attacked by Jews on the bus out of Jaffa, a mixed Arab-Jewish quarter of Tel Aviv.“They’ll see I’m religious,” said the 27-year-old, who wears the Muslim hijab head covering. “There is no security.”Living nearby, Jewish seminary student David Shvets, 24, voiced similar fears, saying local Arabs had pelted him with stones and that a nearby synagogue was torched.“We now go in a large group with a police escort to get home at night… in the heart of the state of Israel!” he said incredulously, describing the situation as a “jungle.”Hostility has gripped usually quiet mixed communities of Israeli Jews and Arabs since the start of a military escalation a week ago pitting Israel’s army against the terror group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.Jewish students study religion at the Shirat Moshe Yeshiva in Jaffa, south of Tel Aviv, on April 30, 2021. (AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)-The most intense fighting since 2014 was sparked by unrest in Jerusalem, following clashes between police and stone-throwing Palestinians on the Temple Mount compound. Hamas last Monday fired rockets at Jerusalem, drawing retaliatory Israeli airstrikes and escalating the hostilities into a full-blown conflict.Violence has flared nationwide between Jews and Arabs, a 20 percent minority. Synagogues, mosques, graveyards, a theatre and restaurants have been targeted, and a Jewish man has died after being hit with a brick while driving in Lod.Now, in the Mediterranean seaside community of Jaffa, with its trendy bars and hummus restaurants, mounted police enforce nightly road closures, and officers with assault rifles patrol sidewalks.A 12-year-old Muslim boy was hospitalized after a firebomb was thrown into his home, an attack that led to the arrest of a 20-year-old Arab resident of the city on Monday. The firebombing in Jaffa was allegedly committed by Arab Israelis, in an apparent case of “mistaken identity,” an unnamed police official told Walla.Fearful Muslim neighbors have been quick to take down their Ramadan decorations.The root causes for the latest spasm of violence go back decades. In Jaffa, an assault last month gave an early warning of long-simmering tensions over land and property rights.Israa Jarbou shares a cramped public housing apartment with nine others including her husband, their two children and her mother-in-law Etaf, 57.Outside, where their chickens roam, they have seen vast changes in recent years. Low-income Arab neighbors are getting evicted as the housing blocks give way to luxury apartments that mostly Israeli Jews can afford.The Jarbous, too, face an eviction threat from the state public housing company Amidar, which ordered them to move out in 2018, citing unpaid rent.Lawyer Saar Amit told AFP he got that eviction canceled and has requested the company allow the family to stay, or to pay reduced rent in another, citing Etaf Jarbou’s poor health and meager income. Amidar has not yet replied.In mid-April, when two men from the nearby Jewish seminary came to her street inspecting land for possible purchase, tensions spiraled into a violent altercation.Israa Jarbou’s husband Mahmoud, 34, and his brother Ahmad, 36, assaulted the two.The melee was caught on tape, leading to the Jarbou brothers’ arrest.“They want to throw us out of our home,” said Etaf Jarbou, who claims the two Jewish men came to her house. “And then they say there’s violence. But they’re committing violence against us.”Moshe Schendowich, head of the Meirim Beyafo seminary, said he and the seminary’s rabbi were inspecting property for building student housing when the two men slapped, beat and kicked them.“There’s no legitimacy for any type of violence, and this violence was extreme,” Schendowich said.He said his partially state-funded organization aims to “strengthen” Jaffa’s Jewish community.He and the rabbi, Eliyahu Mali, are affiliated with Israel’s West Bank settlement movement.Jaffa, Schendowich said, “is not by definition an Arab city.“There’s definitely an Arab population here, and the Arab population here is welcome, but the Jewish community here is a thriving Jewish community.”Arabs’ grievances in Jaffa, as elsewhere, stem from Israel’s founding in 1948, said local filmmaker Tony Copti.“For Arab Palestinians it was the capital of education, of theater, of cinema, schools and newspapers,” he said. “It was a country unto itself.”When Israel declared independence that year according to the UN partition plan of Mandatory Palestine, local Arabs and several neighboring states rejected the UN plan and attacked, leading to the Israeli War of Independence-Of the more than 70,000 Arab residents in Jaffa then, all but 3,000 fled or were expelled, according to Zochrot, an Israeli group that documents Palestinian communities erased at Israel’s founding.In Jaffa, the state seized Arabs’ homes, subdivided them and assigned apartments to impoverished Jewish and Arab residents, who paid a symbolic low rent as “protected tenants.”But change came in the 1980s, when Amidar began selling its properties across Israel, offering protected tenants a chance to buy their homes at a discount.About 800 Amidar apartments in Jaffa are saleable, Amidar spokeswoman Shani Israeli told AFP.“The goal is to sell to the resident and, if the resident doesn’t want to, then onward,” she said.Amir Badran, a Jaffa native and a member of Tel Aviv’s city council, said most Amidar tenants in Jaffa today are Arab, and more than a third face an eviction threat.Amidar “ignores the fact that these properties are originally Palestinian… and ignores the fact that Arabs cannot afford to buy these properties,” he said.Etaf Jarbou said she gets along with most of her Jewish neighbors.Arabs in Jaffa typically speak Arabic peppered with Hebrew, and often study and work in Jewish Israeli society.Many are at pains to restore harmony. Hundreds of Jaffa residents, Arab and Jewish, on Sunday protested Israeli policy and called for peaceful coexistence.Some held olive branches, even as others aired grievances.“Arabs of Israel, for the last three Gaza wars we didn’t do anything,” said Muhammad Mansour, 34, an Arab Israeli engineer at the demonstration.“But now with the discrimination, we’ve had it up to here. It’s not only about Al-Aqsa.”The local battle over housing has cemented solidarity with Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem, he indicated.Etaf Jarbou highlighted a dispute in east Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, where Israeli Jews are attempting to remove Palestinians from homes built on land that courts have ruled were owned by Jewish religious associations before the establishment of Israel in 1948. The Supreme Court will consider the appeal of over 70 Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah who face eviction, with a previously scheduled hearing delayed over unrest in the capital stoked by the Sheikh Jarrah issue.“East Jerusalem breaks my heart,” she said. “And it’s not just there. It’s here. They don’t want Arabs here.”

Top general: This Gaza conflict will be a success if it brings 5 years of calm-Head of IDF Operations acknowledges Israel was caught off guard by Hamas rocket fire at Jerusalem, but says it turned the tables, setting back terror group considerably-By Judah Ari Gross-MAY 19,21-Today, 1:32 am

A top Israel Defense Forces general on Tuesday said he would consider the current round of fighting in the Gaza Strip to be a success if it ensured calm along the border for the next five years.“If you force me into a corner and ask me what is reasonable to consider a success, I would say at least five years and even more than that,” the head of IDF Operations, Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, told the Kan public broadcaster.Haliva made his remarks as reports emerged from Egypt, Israel and Gaza late Tuesday night that a ceasefire agreement may be in the works between Israel and the Hamas terror group — which has ruled Gaza since taking it over in a coup in 2007 — potentially bringing an end to the vicious fighting between the two sides that has left at least 12 people dead in Israel and over 200 dead in Gaza.IDF officials have until now largely refrained from setting a precise goal for the current campaign, dubbed Operation Guardian of the Walls, preferring instead to say more generally that the mission is to significantly weaken Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the second most powerful terror group in the Strip.In this round of fighting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government did not seek to topple Hamas, believing that the high cost of such an operation and the potentially more dangerous chaos that may fill the vacuum left behind in its wake would make such a prospect untenable.Instead, the government believes that limiting Hamas’s capabilities and building deterrence to prevent it from conducting attacks in the short term are Israel’s best option at this time.In a candid on-air interview, Haliva acknowledged that the military did not fully anticipate Hamas’s decision to fire rockets at Jerusalem last Monday evening, believing that group would have preferred to maintain quiet ahead of the approaching Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr in order to allow residents of the Strip to celebrate in peace, rather than spark a major clash with Israel.Yet Haliva asserted that the IDF responded far more forcefully than Hamas had expected.“I think that the people who were mistaken, more than anyone else, were [Hamas’s leader in Gaza] Yahya Sinwar and [Hamas military chief] Muhammad Deif. They believed they’d be able to fire at Jerusalem and it would end with some limited kind of response from the IDF and the State of Israel. And they will look back on that decision and think of it as a significant error,” Haliva said, speaking outside IDF Headquarters in Tel Aviv.“I didn’t assess that Hamas would fire rockets at Jerusalem. But the big mistake was Hamas’s. It has paid a price for it, and will continue to pay a price for it,” he said.“At the end of the day, all of the things that Hamas built over these many years, or at least most of the things it has built over these many years, have not succeeded,” he said.Haliva appeared to refer to drones and autonomous submarines that Hamas developed in recent years and which the terror group failed to deploy in a significant way during the past nine days of fighting.On Tuesday night, initial reports from Palestinian sources emerged regarding an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire, which was said to come into effect at 6 a.m. on Thursday morning. According to Channel 12 news, Hamas had agreed to the arrangement.Israeli and Palestinian officials issued denials, and a diplomatic source familiar with Egyptian ceasefire efforts told The Times of Israel that talks were still ongoing and that no agreement had been reached.Another Israeli official, however, told the Haaretz daily on Tuesday night that barring any last-minute surprises, a ceasefire would likely be reached by Thursday morning.“There is no decisive [win] and there likely won’t be,” the official said. “Everyone is tired.”According to Channel 13, Hamas was seeking reassurances from Israel that it would not attempt to kill the terror group’s leaders during the ceasefire — a demand rejected by Israel — while Jerusalem was demanding the terror group hold its fire for several hours while it weighs the ceasefire offer, a condition rejected by Hamas.Netanyahu earlier on Tuesday said the military operation, now in its ninth day, will go on for “as long as needed to restore calm for the citizens of Israel.”Palestinian terror groups have fired over 3,500 rockets at Israel since last Monday, drawing heavy retaliatory Israeli airstrikes.Twelve people in Israel, three of them foreign nationals, have been killed in the rocket fire from Gaza, including a 5-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl, and hundreds have been injured.According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, at least 213 Palestinians have been killed so far in the nine days of the conflict, including more than 60 children. It was not immediately clear if that ministry tally included all of those killed or if there were Hamas operatives not included in the count. According to the IDF, more than 120 of those killed were members of Hamas and over 25 were members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad as of Monday night.Jacob Magid contributed to this report.

Israel, Hamas deny ceasefire expected on Thursday, as US ups pressure-TV report says Gaza rulers agreed to Egypt-brokered truce; Israeli official, diplomat involved say talks still ongoing; White House encouraging Netanyahu to wind down strikes-By Jacob Magid, Agencies and TOI staff-MAY 19,21-Today, 12:45 am

Reports late Tuesday that Israel and Palestinian terror groups in the Gaza Strip will cease fire on Thursday morning sparked a flurry of denials from all parties involved, while the White House continued applying behind-the-scenes pressure on Jerusalem to wind down the fighting.Egypt has proposed an Israel-Hamas ceasefire through private channels that would take effect on Thursday at 6 a.m., Channel 12 news reported. The report cited Palestinian sources saying Hamas had agreed to the offer, while there had been no response from Israel.But it took less than an hour for denials to begin pouring in.“No agreement or specific timings for the ceasefire were reached,” Izzat al-Rishq, a member of the terror group’s leadership, said in a statement.The efforts to coordinate a ceasefire — led by the United Nations, Egypt, Qatar and other countries — are ongoing, al-Rishq said. “While emphasizing that the efforts and contacts of the mediators are serious and continuous, the demands of our people are clear and well-known.”Palestinians check the damage after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, on May 18, 2021. (Atia Mohammed/Flash90)-Exercising similar caution, a diplomatic source familiar with Egypt’s efforts to broker a ceasefire in the fighting, which began on Monday, May 10 with a Hamas rocket barrage at Jerusalem, told The Times of Israel that negotiations were still ongoing and no such agreement had yet been reached.Several Hebrew media outlets quoted an “Israeli official” who also poured cold water on the report.However, both Israel and Hamas have vehemently denied reports of ceasefires to end previous rounds of conflict over the years, which nevertheless went into effect shortly thereafter.The Haaretz daily on Tuesday night quoted another Israeli official who said that barring any last-minute surprises, a ceasefire would indeed likely be reached by Thursday morning.“There is no decisive [win] and there likely won’t be,” the official said. “Everyone is tired.”According to Channel 13, Hamas was seeking reassurances from Israel that it would not attempt to kill the terror group’s leaders during the ceasefire — a demand rejected by Israel — while Jerusalem was demanding the terror group hold its fire for several hours while it weighs the ceasefire offer, a condition rejected by Hamas.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier on Tuesday said the military operation, now in its ninth day, would go on “as long as needed to restore calm for the citizens of Israel.”US President Joe Biden and administration officials have encouraged Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials to end the fighting, a person with knowledge of the discussions said Tuesday.Top Biden administration officials underscored to the Israelis on Monday and Tuesday that time is not on their side in terms of international objections to nine days of Israeli airstrikes and Hamas rockets, and that it is in their interest to wind down the operations soon, according to the official, who was not authorized to comment publicly on the private talks and spoke on condition of anonymity.The White House has so far resisted international calls for ramping up public pressure on Netanyahu. It has made the calculation that Israel will not respond to international resolutions or public demands by the US, and that its greatest leverage is behind-the-scenes pressure, according to the person familiar with the administration’s discussions.The source said that the Israelis have signaled that it is possible their military campaign could end in a matter of days.This source indicated that Biden administration officials have been going further privately in their messaging to Netanyahu than previously revealed. A White House readout of a Biden call to Netanyahu on Monday, for instance, said Biden had expressed support for a ceasefire, but said nothing about the US urging Israel to bring the fighting to a close.Biden’s decision to express support for, but not explicitly demand, a ceasefire was intentional, an administration official familiar with the call said.Separately, a UN Security Council emergency meeting earlier Tuesday on the situation in Gaza ended without any result, four diplomats involved told The Times of Israel.The closed-door session was the fourth in nine days held by the top UN body and came a day after the US blocked a joint statement calling for a ceasefire for the third consecutive time.While the Norwegian, Chinese and Tunisian missions that initiated Tuesday’s meeting did so to increase international pressure for a ceasefire, two Security Council diplomats told The Times of Israel they weren’t really sure why another consultation was held, given that member states knew the US position had not moved in the previous 24 hours.Norway’s UN mission has continued to call for the council to “speak with one voice” on the escalation in Gaza, but with the US insistent on pursuing its own avenues in order to bring about a ceasefire, the top UN body has been placed in a “wait and see mode” for the time being, one diplomat said.On Thursday, the UN General Assembly will be meeting for the first time on the same topic and a majority of countries are expected to voice solidarity with the Palestinians, call for a ceasefire and criticize Israel. There is not yet an expectation that the meeting will include an effort to pass a resolution on the matter, diplomats said.Palestinian terror groups have fired thousands of rockets at Israel since last Monday, drawing heavy retaliatory Israeli airstrikes.Twelve people in Israel, including a 5-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl, have been killed in the rocket fire from Gaza, and hundreds have been injured.According to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, at least 212 Palestinians have been killed so far in the nine days of the conflict, including more than 60 children. It was not immediately clear if this ministry tally included all of those killed or if there were Hamas operatives not included in the count. According to the IDF, more than 120 of those killed were members of Hamas and over 25 were members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad as of Monday night.

Hungary FM slams EU’s ‘one-sided’ statements on Israel-Peter Szijjarto urges bloc to engage in ‘less judgement, less lecturing, less criticism, less interference and more pragmatic cooperation’ By Agencies and TOI staff-18 May 2021, 11:55 pm

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjartoon Tuesday slammed the EU’s “one-sided” statements on Israel as his European counterparts called for a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians.“I have a general problem with these European statements on Israel… These are usually very much one-sided, and these statements do not help, especially not under current circumstances, when the tension is so high,” Szijjarto told AFP in an interview.EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Tuesday called for the implementation of a ceasefire to stop fighting between Israel and the Palestinians.“The priority is the immediate cessation of all violence and the implementation of a ceasefire,” Borrell said after a video conference of EU foreign ministers, adding the statement was backed by all the bloc’s member states except Hungary.Szijjarto himself did not attend the meeting. Hungary has recently used its veto power to block EU statements on China.In the interview with AFP, Szijjarto insisted that blocking decisions “is a right of every country in the European Union.“EU diplomacy should not consist only of judgements, negative statements and sanctions,” he said.“So I think less judgment, less lecturing, less criticism, less interference and more pragmatic cooperation could give back a lot of strength to the European Union.”Palestinian terror groups in Gaza have fired over 3,000 rockets at Israel since last Monday.Twelve people in Israel, including a 5-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl, have been killed in the rocket fire, and hundreds have been injured.According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, at least 212 Palestinians have been killed so far in the nine days of the conflict, including more than 60 children. It was not immediately clear if this ministry tally included all of those killed or if there were Hamas operatives not included in the count.According to the IDF, more than 120 of those killed were members of Hamas and over 25 were members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad as of Monday night.