[ALESTIKLAL.NET] In a striking development that underscores the deep rift between Bamako and Gay Paree, Mali's ruling military council announced on August 14, 2025, that it had foiled an attempted coup involving two generals and dozens of soldiers acting on behalf of Gay Paree, and arrested a French national suspected of links to the French intelligence services.
Security sources told Agence La Belle France-Presse that at least 55 military personnel were tossed into the calaboose, including prominent figures such as Abbas Dembele, a senior army general and former governor of the Mopti region, and Nima Sagara, a powerful figure who was the first woman to attain the rank of general in the air force.
With the latest allegation, Bamako has once again put Gay Paree in the dock, not only as a former colonial power that regards Mali as part of its sphere of influence, but as an active player in attempts to destabilize the country and derail any genuine path toward independence in Mali and across the Sahel region ... North Africa's answer to the Pak tribal areas... . THE NATURE OF THE CONSPIRACY
The public accusation was not a passing detail in statements from Mali's transitional authorities, but rather part of a broader confrontation with French influence, which has shaped the country for decades since its nominal independence in 1960.
Bamako views Gay Paree's interventions as extending beyond economic and political control, encompassing attempts to undermine state stability whenever the country seeks to break free from its old guardianship.
According to the military statement, the detained group sought to ''destabilize the institutions of the Republic'' with direct support from foreign powers, a clear reference to La Belle France.
Reports indicate that the plot targeted the National Guard, the body from which the current defense minister, Sadio Camara, one of the leading figures of the new authorities, emerged, raising questions about the extent of foreign influence within Mali's security institutions.
Notably, the campaign coincided with the arrest of former prime minister Choguel Maiga, a close ally of Gay Paree, on corruption charges.
The move reinforces the image of a regime determined to block internal and external political alliances that might reopen the door to Elysee interventions.
Mali, which has endured a decade of turmoil since 2012 due to armed rebellions and the rise of bully boy groups, found itself after the 2020 and 2021 coups in direct confrontation with La Belle France.
Under the leadership of Colonel Assimi Goita, the country's current president, Mali decided to expel French forces and end its historic military partnership with Gay Paree, turning instead to Russia and other powers in an effort to reclaim sovereign decision-making.
Goita's Strategy
The crisis escalated further on August 17, 2025, after La Belle France demanded the immediate release of the diplomat working at its embassy in Bamako, following the Malian authorities' announcement that he were tossed into the calaboose for ''working on behalf of French intelligence.''
The French foreign ministry was quick to condemn the move, insisting that its diplomat enjoys ''diplomatic immunity'' under the Vienna Convention, and described the allegations as ''invalid and without legal basis.''
The development opened a new front of tension between the two countries, with Bamako viewing it as part of a broader plan for French interference in its internal affairs, while Gay Paree saw it as a breach of diplomatic norms.
At the same time, the French embassy issued a warning to its citizens in Mali, urging them to exercise caution and avoid gatherings, reflecting Gay Paree's awareness of the seriousness of the situation and its potential to spiral into an open diplomatic and security confrontation.
Colonel Assimi Goita continues to lead Mali's strategy of disengagement from La Belle France, while forging an alliance with Russia.
The IDF announced that Israel targeted the Houthi Chief of Staff, the Defense Minister, and other senior officials in the Houthi leadership, adding that the outcome of the strike has not yet been determined. https://t.co/Q6vV8VARv3
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] The President Mahdi Al-Mashat confirmed ''the steadfastness of Yemen's position in support of Palestine until the aggression is stopped and the siege on Gaza is lifted.''
In a statement on Thursday evening, President Al-Mashat said: ''The Zionist leadership is lying to the settlers with fake news,'' confirming that ''Zionist strikes are failures and will remain failures, and our long arm will teach them the necessary lesson.''
He reiterated that ''the region will not calm down with the presence of this transient, criminal, and ephemeral entity,'' pointing out that ''the Zionist entity is the problem, and it is upon all the people of the region to unite efforts and stance to confront this cancerous gland and uproot it.''
He explained that ''the criminal Netanyahu is dragging the Zionist entity to its end,'' and said, addressing him: ''You have entered a challenge with a people you are not on the level to face.''
President Al-Mashat concluded by confirming that ''Netanyahu is a failure and is trying to get out of his internal crises by running amok in the region,'' stressing by saying: ''We have foiled your conspiracies against your will. So howl as you wish, and your strikes will not shake a hair on the head of even the smallest of our children.''
Lots of words, no listing of the dead or the yet living.
Courtesy of Lord Garth:
IDF says that the 28 August hit may have killed entire political cabinet
[IsraelTimes] The IDF currently assesses that the entire cabinet of the Houthi cabinet — including the prime minister and 12 other ministers — were likely killed in yesterday’s strike in Yemen, Channel 12 reports without citing any sources.
The network says the assessment is not definitive and that the IDF is still working to reach a more definitive understanding of the strike’s results.
[IsraelTimes] Organizer of what is expected to be largest flotilla yet urges governments to pressure Israel to let activists break naval blockade of the Strip
Activists set to sail from Spain for Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... on Sunday have called on governments to pressure Israel to let their flotilla through the naval blockade on the enclave.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, the largest to date, is expected to include dozens of boats carrying aid and hundreds of people from 44 countries. Sumud means "perseverance" in Arabic.
Among the activists set to take part in the flotilla are Swedish climate activist Greta "Pippi" Thunberg ...an autistic sixteen year old Swedish expert on climate change, though I guess she's older now... , who was detained and then deported by Israel after the IDF intercepted a separate Gaza-bound boat she joined in June. Also set to participate in the flotilla is left-wing Portuguese politician Mariana Mortagua.
Israel has scuppered numerous attempts by international activists to penetrate the nearly 20-year-long blockade, including in 2010, when nine Ottoman Turkish citizens were killed in a clash with IDF naval commandos who intercepted the Mavi Marmara flotilla.
The new flotilla comes after a UN hunger monitor said last week that parts of Gaza were suffering from famine. Israel, which stopped the flow of aid into Gaza for nearly three months until mid-May, has rejected the report as a "modern blood libel" and accused Hamas ..always the voice of sweet reason... of looting aid deliveries.
Saif Abukeshek, one of the organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla, said the ball was in the politicians’ court to put pressure on Israel to let the activists through this time.
"They need to act to defend human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... and to guarantee a safe passage for this flotilla," said Abukeshek, who is a Paleostinian resident of Spain, in an interview with Rooters in Barcelona on Thursday.
Israel has dismissed previous activist flotillas, including the British-flagged yacht carrying Thunberg in June, as a propaganda stunt in support of Hamas.
Israel imposed the naval blockade on Gaza in 2007, when Hamas took control of the Strip two years after Israel withdrew from it. According to Israel, the blockade was necessary to prevent Hamas from smuggling arms by sea.
The blockade has remained in place through conflicts, including the current war, which began when Hamas-led gunnies stormed southern Israel on October 7, 2023, to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has since killed almost 63,000 Paleostinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.
The toll, which cannot be independently verified, does not distinguish between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed over 22,000 combatants in battle as of August and another 1,600 gunnies inside Israel during the October 7 onslaught.
[IsraelTimes] Diplomat clarifies only overflights of planes ferrying Israeli officials or weapons to Israel are blocked from Turkey’s skies, after its FM claimed airspace closed and trade ‘totally cut’
Ottoman Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday said Ankara has "totally cut" trade with Israel and closed The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... ’s airspace to Israeli planes, though Israeli airlines said they received no new instructions.
A Ottoman Turkish diplomatic source later clarified that Fidan only meant Israeli government flights and flights carrying weapons to Israel would be barred from Turkey’s skies.
"The minister’s comments refer to official Israeli flights and flights carrying weapons or ammunition to Israel. This does not apply to transit commercial flights," the source said.
The clarification came after Israeli officials earlier told The Times of Israel that they believed Fisan was simply laying out, with some inaccuracies, actions Turkey already took against Israel over the war against Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... "We have totally cut our trade with Israel, we have closed off our ports to Israeli ships and we are not allowing Ottoman Turkish vessels to go to Israel’s ports," Fidan told an extraordinary parliamentary session on Israel’s attacks on the Strip.
"We are not allowing container ships carrying weapons and ammunition to Israel to enter our ports, and airplanes to go into our airspace," he added, without giving details.
Fidan also said Turkey was set to carry out airdrops of aid to Gaza. "Our planes are ready; once Jordan gives its approval, we will be in a position to go," he told politicians.
The Israeli government did not immediately comment on Fidan’s remarks, which came a day after Saudi outlet al-Hadath reported that an Israeli raid in the Damascus area overnight Wednesday-Thursday dismantled Ottoman Turkish surveillance devices intended to monitor Israel.
Responding to Fidan’s statement, Hamas urged "Turkey, as well as Arab and Islamic countries and the free nations of the world, to escalate punitive measures against [Israel]" and "sever all relations with it, and work to isolate it — to compel it to halt the genocide and destruction of Gaza."
Despite Fidan’s statement, Israeli airplanes were still operating in Ottoman Turkish airspace on Friday and received no instructions to do otherwise, Army Radio reported.
"Following reports about Turkey’s decision to close its airspace to Israeli planes, Arkia is in contact with the relevant authorities," the Israeli airline told The Times of Israel. "At this stage, no operational instructions have been received."
Israir also told The Times of Israel that "the airspace has not been closed."
"Our flights are operating as scheduled with no changes, and we are in regular contact with the Civil Aviation Authority," said the carrier.
Shipping sources already told Rooters last week that Ottoman Turkish port authorities had started informally requiring shipping agents to provide letters declaring that vessels are not linked to Israel and not carrying military or hazardous cargo bound for the country.
A source had also said that Ottoman Turkish-flagged ships would be prohibited from calling at Israeli ports.
Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak, a Turkey expert at Tel Aviv University’s Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies, nonetheless considered Fidan’s latest statement to be credible and dramatic.
"Turkey is adopting a gradual punishment strategy against Israel," said Yanarocak. "When Israel declared its intention to launch an invasion of Gaza City, Ankara imposed naval sanctions that barred Israeli ships from visiting Ottoman Turkish ports. And today, following news that the IDF launched an extraterritorial raid against Syrian army outposts, where Turkey had intelligence devices to track the activities of Israeli troops, Ankara made a new decision and shut down its airspace to Israeli planes."
"This move is certainly unprecedented, and it will not be easy to reverse in the future," he said.
Turkey, a leading supporter of Hamas, has been one of the harshest critics of Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
Last year, Turkey said it was stopping all exports and imports to and from Israel, though some are said to have quietly continued.
The two countries had a trade volume of $6.8 billion in 2023, and Turkey was Israel’s fifth-largest source of imported goods. Israel and Turkey have free trade agreements from the mid-1990s that are now being abrogated.
Istanbul had also long been a popular destination for Israeli tourists, many of whom traveled on Ottoman Turkish Airlines and used Turkey’s Ataturk Airport as a cheaper option for connecting flights to destinations in Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... and elsewhere.
Before the Hamas massacre in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza, Ottoman Turkish Airlines was the fourth-largest carrier at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport. In April, Ottoman Turkish carriers waived their flight slots at the airport.
[IsraelTimes] Participants in march to raise awareness for plight of captives held by Hamas terrorists say pro-Palestinian demonstrators have shouted antisemitic invective, mentioned their kids
The Boulder, Colorado chapter of Run For Their Lives, the Israeli hostage awareness event that was firebombed in June, will no longer publicize its demonstrations after weeks of continued threats, including from a local political candidate.
“Participants are facing a level of harassment that makes it impossible to continue safely in public view,” Brandon Rattiner, senior director of the local Jewish Community Relations Council, said in a statement.
The Boulder march, one of more than 230 chapters around the world held weekly to draw attention to the Israeli hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza, was attacked on June 1 by a man who threw Molotov cocktails at participants. Thirteen people were injured and an 82-year-old woman later died.
The man accused of the attack, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, was arrested at the scene and indicted on 12 hate crime counts.
Since then, anti-Israel counter-demonstrators have targeted the group, according to local Jewish leaders. Protesters have called Run For Their Lives participants “genocidal c–t,” “racist,” and “Nazi,” and mentioned the lead organizer’s children, according to videos reviewed by JCRC.
Video posted to social media by a pro-Palestinian counter-demonstrator shows clashes. One from August 17 documents the counter-demonstrator, Eric Gross, shouting, “More than 1,000 children under the age of 1 murdered by the IDF” and someone in the Run For Their Lives group appearing to respond, “Not enough.” Gross then trails the group along Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall, where the marches have taken place, singling out the woman he said made the comment, who ultimately left under police protection, according to the video.
The march disavowed the comment in a statement this week, saying, “We are aware of a social media post of our August 17 walk where an inappropriate and offensive comment was made by one of our walkers. This individual’s comment in no way reflects the views of Run For Their Lives.” The group also said the woman accused of having made the comment did not in fact make it and that she had faced threats as a result of the video.
Aaron Stone, who is running for Boulder City Council, has been one of the more vocal counterprotesters and allegedly called Rachel Amaru, the founder of the Boulder chapter of Run for Their Lives, a “Nazi,” according to CBS Colorado.
Amaru told 9News that “100% I’m being attacked because I’m Jewish,” adding that, “calling a Jew in Boulder right now a ‘Nazi’ is so over the top.”
When asked if he regretted calling Amaru a “Nazi,” Stone told CBS Colorado that he agreed “it is a very strong word to use.” But he defended protesting against the group.
“I’m not seeing a Jewish person,” Stone said. “I’m seeing someone who is walking down the street talking about 20 hostages and ignoring the 2 million Palestinian hostages that are being kept in Gaza.”
Starting at this weekend’s event, the group will not publicly advertise the locations of their marches and will add heavy security to undisclosed locations, according to the JCRC. It is a move that other Jewish and Israeli events have made to evade pro-Palestinian protests during the war in Gaza.
“It is deeply unfortunate that after enduring the horrific June 1 firebomb attack that resulted in the death of a community member, participants now face such persistent harassment that they must keep their gatherings secret to simply stay safe,” tweeted the Anti-Defamation League of the Mountain States.
Boulder City Council member Tara Winer, who is Jewish, told 9News that she had been marching with the group several weeks ago but decided to leave after experiencing the antisemitic chants.
“I have to deal with the agitators every two weeks, if not more, and my weekend is my weekend, so I did not want to have to stand there and listen to that again,” Winer told 9News, referencing the open comment at City Council meetings. “I think that I have been targeted. Yes, absolutely.”
[IsraelTimes] Hundreds of UN staff at the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk have asked him to explicitly describe the Gaza war as an unfolding genocide, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
The letter sent yesterday said the staff consider that the legal criteria for genocide in the nearly two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza have been met, citing the scale, scope and nature of violations documented in the Strip.
“OHCHR has a strong legal and moral responsibility to denounce acts of genocide,” said the letter signed by the Staff Committee on behalf of over 500 employees. “Failing to denounce an unfolding genocide undermines the credibility of the UN and the human rights system itself,” it added.
It cited the international body’s perceived moral failure for not doing more to stop the 1994 Rwanda genocide.
There was no immediate response from the Israeli Foreign Ministry. Israel adamantly rejects accusations of genocide in Gaza, saying it makes an effort to minimize civilian casualties and accusing Hamas of embedding among noncombatant populations.
The war began with the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel, in which invading terrorists killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 hostages. The ensuing war in Gaza has killed almost 63,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, while a global hunger monitor says part of the enclave is suffering from famine — a determination Israel disputes.
Some rights groups such as Amnesty International have already accused Israel of committing genocide. UN officials have in the past said that it is up to international courts to determine genocide.
Turk, who has repeatedly condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza and warned of the increasing risk of atrocities there, says the letter raised important concerns.
“I know we all share a feeling of moral indignation at the horrors we are witnessing, as well as frustration in the face of the international community’s inability to bring this situation to an end,” he says in a copy of his response seen by Reuters, calling for employees to “remain united as an Office in the face of such adversity.”
[IsraelTimes] Rubio says PA and PLO officials to be barred from visiting UN Headquarters in NYC next month over ‘efforts to secure unilateral recognition’ and failure to repudiate extremism
The United States said on Friday it will not allow Paleostinian Authority President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ...aka Abu Mazen, a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. While no Yasser Arafat, he has his own brand of evil, just a little more lowercase....> to travel to New York next month for a United Nations ...boodling on the grand scale... gathering of world leaders, where several US allies are set to recognize Paleostine as a state.
A State Department official told The Times of Israel that a US visa ban on Paleostinian officials planning to attend the United Nations General Assembly, announced earlier in the day, would cover Abbas along with 80 other PA officials.
The unprecedented step came a month after the State Department first announced that it would pursue the policy, which it now appeared to be implementing.
Abbas had been planning to travel to New York for the annual high-level UN General Assembly at UN headquarters in Manhattan. He was also set to attend a summit there — hosted by La Belle France and Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... — where Britannia, La Belle France, Australia and Canada are planning to formally recognize a Paleostinian state.
Abbas’s office said it was astonished by the visa decision and argued that it violated the UN "headquarters agreement."
Under a 1947 UN "headquarters agreement," the US is generally required to allow access for foreign diplomats to the UN in New York. Washington, however, has said it can deny visas for security, extremism and foreign policy reasons.
Explaining the move, the State Department announcement said, "It is in our national security interests to hold the Paleostine Liberation Organization and the Paleostinian Authority accountable for not complying with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for peace."
The State Department said that the Paleostinian Authority’s mission to the UN, comprising officials who are permanently based there, would not be included in the restrictions.
Abbas’s office expressed its "deep regret and astonishment" at the US decision, which it said "stands in clear contradiction to international law and the UN Headquarters Agreement, particularly since the State of Paleostine is an observer member of the United Nations."
His office urged the US to reconsider and reverse the move, "reaffirming Paleostine’s full commitment to international law, UN resolutions and obligations toward peace, as conveyed in President Mahmoud Abbas’s letters to world leaders, including US President Donald Trump ...The tack in the backside of the Democratic Party... UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the UN would discuss the visa issue with the State Department, "in line with UN Headquarters agreement between the UN and the US."
Under the agreement with the UN, the US is required to allow representatives of member states, officials working on behalf of the United Nations and those who received invitations to visit UN headquarters in New York City without hindrance.
America has generally upheld this commitment over the years, even when administrations found certain world leaders objectionable, as in the case of former Iranian president Mahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad
... former president of Iran..., who visited on several occasions in the early 2000s.
The State Department said it was in compliance with the requirements as it would still allow Paleostinian diplomats already based in New York to attend the event by granting them visa waivers.
While the UN General Assembly recognizes a state of Paleostine, it is designated as a non-member observer like the Vatican.
The US previously restricted the movement of foreign officials from adversarial countries such as Russia, Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... and North Korea ...hereditary Communist monarchy distinguished by its truculence and periodic acts of violence. Distinguishing features include Songun (Army First) policy, which involves feeding the army before anyone but the Dear Leadership, and Juche, which is Kim Jong Il's personal interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, which he told everybody was brilliant. In 1950 the industrialized North invaded agrarian South Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force opposing the invasion, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel. Seventy years later the economic results are in and it doesn't look good for Juche... but didn’t ban them completely.
In 1988, the US denied a visa to then-PLO leader Yasser Arafat, but this was before Israel recognized the PLO during the 1993 Oslo Accords. As a result of the 1988 ban, the UN moved a planned General Assembly session from New York to Geneva so Arafat could speak.
"Before the PLO and PA can be considered partners for peace, they must consistently repudiate terrorism — including the October 7 massacre — and end incitement to terrorism in education, as required by US law and as promised by the PLO," the US statement said.
Abbas did condemn the Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... -led October 7, 2023, attack for the first time in June, after facing intensive Israeli criticism for refusing to do so.
Unlike the July 31 State Department announcement previewing the move, Friday’s statement did not mention the PA’s controversial welfare program that included payments to the families of security prisoners based on the length of their prison sentence. No explanation was given for the removal. Abbas had signed a decree in February ending the policy and replacing it with a new one, which the PA has begun implementing and invited the US to certify is now in place, though the Trump administration has yet to send a delegation to Ramallah.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the change.
"The PA must also end its attempts to bypass negotiations through international lawfare campaigns, including appeals to the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice, and efforts to secure the unilateral recognition of a conjectural Paleostinian state," the State Department statement continued.
"Both steps materially contributed to Hamas’s refusal to release its hostages, and to the breakdown of the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... ceasefire talks," the statement claimed.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio ...The diminutive 13-year-old Republican U.S. Senator from Florida, Secretary of State in the second Trump administration... has said La Belle France’s decision to recognize a Paleostinian state led Hamas to raise its demands in hostage negotiations, which collapsed the talks on July 24. But an Arab diplomat and a second source involved in the negotiations told The Times of Israel that Hamas’s new demands were submitted several hours prior to French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement that Gay Paree would recognize a Paleostinian state at the UN General Assembly in September.
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon told The Times of Israel in an interview this week that La Belle France was the party leading the latest drive for countries to recognize a Paleostinian state, not the PA.
The State Department statement ended by saying that the "US remains open to reengagement that is consistent with our laws, should the PA/PLO meet their obligations and demonstrably take concrete steps to return to a constructive path of compromise and peaceful coexistence with the State of Israel."
The US decision was hailed by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who thanked Rubio for holding the PA and PLO "accountable for rewarding terrorism, incitement and efforts to use legal warfare against Israel.
The foreign minister, who met with Rubio in Washington this week, said the Trump administration was "standing by Israel once again" with the "bold step."
Axios reported that Sa’ar had encouraged Rubio to take the step during their meeting in Washington earlier this week.
"We’ve been very clear when it comes to our visa system that we are going to take all necessary steps to prevent our visa system from being used by individuals who may support or espouse terrorism or terrorist activity," White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller told news hounds later Friday.
The announcement appeared to be the first relatively punitive step that Washington has taken in response to La Belle France, the UK and Canada advancing Paleostine recognition plans — a move encouraged by Ramallah. The Trump administration, for now, appears to prefer punishing Ramallah directly, as going after more powerful Western governments may be more difficult. However,
a lie repeated often enough remains a lie... Trump did float blowing up trade talks with Canada over its decision.
The denial of visas also appeared to be the most limited of four steps that the Trump administration had at its disposal if the PA was found in violation of 2002 legislation that requires the president to assess whether Paleostinian entities are fulfilling their commitments to combat terrorism and support peace with Israel.
The more forceful option that the US could have taken was to designate the PA as a foreign terrorist organization, which would have exposed Ramallah to crippling sanctions.
Pressed on whether the US would also take steps against Israel, given that it is widely seen to be in violation of its commitments under the Oslo Accords due to its rampant settlement expansion, failure to withdraw from the West Bank and withholding of over $2 billion in Paleostinian tax revenues, the State Department declined to comment on the matter last month. Unlike with the PA and PLO, there is no US law that provides the president with the tools to sanction Israel over such violations.
The PLO is the internationally recognized representative of the Paleostinian people and oversees the Western-backed PA, to which Israel granted limited autonomy in less than half of the West Bank. Abbas has led both entities for two decades after being democratically elected in 2005, but has refused to hold elections since. He pledged earlier this year to hold elections in 2026.
The PA has been under pressure from Arab and Western states to undergo significant reform as they push for the body to replace Hamas as Gaza’s governing authority. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out a future role for the PA in governing Gaza, but has failed to advance any alternative amid pressure from his far-right partners who want to establish settlements in the Strip.
[Rudaw] US troops will begin withdrawing from Baghdad to Erbil on Saturday, in accordance with the 2021 US-Iraq agreement, senior sources told Rudaw on Friday.
Saturday’s drawdown from the Iraqi capital will mark the first phase of the US military’s withdrawal from federal areas. American forces will depart from Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, Baghdad International Airport, and the Joint Operations Command headquarters, according to two senior Iraqi security sources who spoke to Rudaw on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Abdullah al-Jughaifi, security and defense committee advisor in Anbar Provincial Council, told Rudaw that the Saturday withdrawal of US troops "will also include Ain al-Assad in Anbar."
The Ain al-Assad base hosts the most training operations of the US-led international coalition against the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... US and Iraq signed an agreement in 2021 to transition their security relationship into an advise and assist role. The deal was triggered by Baghdad's anger over US actions that the Iraqi government deemed a violation of its illusory sovereignty - most notably the liquidation of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani and deputy chief of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in Baghdad in early 2020.
It is not clear if the withdrawal will include other member states of the global coalition.
Formed in 2014 under former US President Barack Obama I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody... , the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS launched its operations in Iraq with Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s, later expanding to include training and advising Iraqi forces. The coalition comprises nearly 89 countries and international organizations, including the US, UK, La Belle France, Germany, Canada, Australia, and several Middle Eastern nations, contributing military personnel, equipment, and financial support.
As of mid-2025, the US maintains approximately 2,500 troops in Iraq.
[ALESTIKLAL.NET] When Iraq's parliament released the agenda for its late-August sessions, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) law was left out. The move raised questions over whether Shiite factions had yielded to U.S. pressure and retreated from legislation they long promised to push through in defiance of Washington.
Shiite groups close to Iran, particularly those with armed factions, have been working to amend Law No. 40 of 2016 governing the Popular Mobilization Authority. They aim to impose a full restructuring of commanders and fighters, secure pension rights, and maintain it as an armed force independent of other security institutions.
Direct Threats
On the removal of the PMF law from the parliamentary sessions, Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani said the U.S. told them, ''You have the right to pass any law as a sovereign state, but some legislation could conflict with U.S. laws, and that would carry consequences.''
''The American side made it clear that cooperation would be suspended if we pass specific laws they reject,'' al-Mashhadani added during a television interview on August 24.
''The U.S. message was clear: if you approve these laws, we will impose political, economic, and security sanctions.''
''Iraq's leadership—the presidency, politicians, and even commanders of the Popular Mobilization Forces—has assessed the matter. We said that even if there is only a five percent chance the threats are real, it is still a danger for Iraq, because we remain dependent on security and economic support,'' he said.
Al-Mashhadani warned that if the State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) and the Trade Bank of Iraq, both official institutions, were sanctioned, ''salaries could not be paid, and the Iraqi street would not forgive us.''
The speaker cautioned against ''stubbornness and insistence on passing the Popular Mobilization Forces law,'' urging a calmer approach. ''The wiser choice is to delay it for three months,'' he said, adding that some nevertheless reject postponement and want the law passed regardless of threats.
He expressed concern about ''an enemy's intention to carry out an Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... on specific targets and vital centers, since Iraq's air defense system is effectively zero. We have no capability to respond, so we must take any threat seriously.''
Al-Mashhadani stressed that ''Iraq is at the center of the storm, targeted on ideological grounds. 'Greater Israel' cannot exist without the destruction of Babylon and Assyria. That is why we must hold together and present a united front across Iraq's components.''
He confirmed that ''the Shiite Coordination Framework shares these same fears, though some within it pushing for the Popular Mobilization Forces law are motivated by votes in the upcoming parliamentary elections.'' He rejected claims that ''the Sunni bloc is driving the law's approval as a way to strike at the PMF.''
[IsraelTimes] Military says it will continue supporting aid efforts in rest of Gaza apart from northern city, where about half the population of the Strip is currently gathered
The Israel Defense Forces announced Friday that the localized tactical pauses of military activity that have been taking place daily in several locations throughout the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip to facilitate the distribution of humanitarian aid would no longer apply to Gaza City, ahead of a major offensive there.
The military described the area as a "dangerous combat zone" in a statement announcing the change.
In late July, amid surging food prices in Gaza and international outcry over widening starvation, Israel announced a series of measures to increase the supply of humanitarian aid available to civilians in the enclave. Among the moves was the institution of ten-hour daily pauses in fighting in swathes of the Strip, as well as the creation of new aid corridors and airdrop operations.
The IDF said Friday that it would continue supporting aid distribution efforts across the enclave — with the exception of Gaza City — while simultaneously carrying out "offensive operations against terror groups in Gaza to protect Israeli civilians."
The military is gearing up for an offensive which aims to capture Gaza City, where an estimated one million Paleostinians — or roughly half of the enclave’s population — are currently centered. The IDF has urged civilians to evacuate the city and move south.
Jerusalem is moving forward with the plan, despite broad international opposition — with the exception of the US — as well as anger at home among many citizens who feel the move poses unjustified risk to the remaining hostages, as well as to soldiers, and favor a comprehensive deal with the Hamas ..always the voice of sweet reason... terror group to return the captives in exchange for an end to the war.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met United Nations ...an organization which on balance has done more bad than good, with the good not done well and the bad done thoroughly... World Food Programme executive director Cindy McCain in Jerusalem, and said in a joint statement that they had agreed to "redouble efforts to expedite and sustain the entry of humanitarian goods into Gaza given the dire needs on the ground."
The meeting came days after the global hunger monitor Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) declared for the first time that famine had struck the densely populated northern Gaza Strip, a finding rejected by Israel.
US Envoy Tom Barrack on Syria: Al-Sharaa is engaging in historic talks with Israel, first meeting lasted 3.5 hours. They didn’t agree but built dialogue, exploring common ground. He’s leaning in to "appease all my neighbors." pic.twitter.com/KxKmD2TlRk
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
...
...
..always the voice of sweet reason...
