[Garowe] A governor in central Somalia has accused the Federal Government of providing inadequate support to local militias battling the al-Shabaab ... the personification of Somali state failure... insurgency, saying the administration in Mogadishu appears indifferent to their sacrifices.
Muuse Salaad Wehliye, the governor of Hiiraan region, condemned a recent aid delivery by the Somali Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA), describing it as a "humiliation" to the pro-government Macawiisley militia, who have been at the forefront of operations against the Islamist Death Eater group.
According to Wehliye, SoDMA sent only a few cartons of supplies aboard two aircraft to the Moqokori district, an area where fighting has intensified in recent weeks. He said the delivery was "inadequate and far below expectations."
"This is not the support we anticipated — it’s a humiliation to those volunteering and risking their lives on the front lines," the governor said, warning that such actions risk straining relations between the federal government and local forces.
The criticism comes amid growing scrutiny of SoDMA, which faces accusations of massive corruption and mismanagement, including the alleged diversion of aid provided by international donors. Such claims have eroded public trust in the agency, which is tasked with coordinating humanitarian relief and disaster response in Somalia.
Despite its challenges, the Somali government maintains that it is committed to defeating al-Shabaab, working alongside international partners such as The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund... , which has provided military and institutional support.
Macawiisley fighters, drawn from local communities, have been credited with helping reclaim territory from al-Shabaab across several frontlines. Government troops often rely heavily on these militias, whose role has become increasingly central to the counterinsurgency effort.
The federal government insists that the Death Eater group will be defeated in the near future, though local frustrations highlight the challenges of sustaining momentum on the ground.
[GUARDIAN.NG] Hundreds of residents who fled their homes earlier this month after jihadists raided a military base have returned to their town in northeastern Nigeria, despite an increase in jihadist attacks.
On May 12, fighters from 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.... West Africa Province (ISWAP) attacked a military base in Marte, a town in Borno state, killing four soldiers and seizing weapons before torching the facility.
Surviving troops and local residents fled to another base in Dikwa town, 38 kilometres (23 miles) away.
''The soldiers who were supposed to protect us fled, leaving us behind,'' said one resident, Goni Babagana, 48, upon returning to Marte.
Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum warned that the displaced population could become potential recruits for jihadist groups.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred ||
05/26/2025 00:00 ||
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[SaharaReporters] The Idoma Area Traditional Council of Benue State has called on the state government to direct Fulani ... a peculiarly brutal tribe of Moslem herdsmen infesting Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and probably other places that are light on law and order and heavy on tribal identity... herdsmen to vacate all farmlands in the state.
The council made this demand in a communiqué issued after an emergency meeting to discuss security concerns, land use, and peacebuilding in Idoma.
"We urge the government to prevail on the Fulani herdsmen to vacate all farmlands in Benue State," the council said.
"The continuous occupation of our farmlands by these herdsmen is a recipe for disaster and has led to the loss of lives and property."
The monarchs also called on the government to review its land policies to promote equitable access to land resources for both farming and herding activities.
"There is a need for a comprehensive review of land policies to ensure that both farmers and herders have access to land resources," the council stated.
The council further demanded that the government prioritise the enforcement of laws against illegal arms, criminal activities, and unauthorised land use, with offenders facing prosecution.
"We urge the government to prioritise the enforcement of laws against illegal arms, criminal activities, and unauthorised land use," the communiqué read.
"We also demand that the government provide rehabilitation, counseling, and support services to communities and individuals affected by violence and displacement. The government should also deploy additional security personnel to vulnerable areas and conduct conflict resolution training to deter future violence," the council added.
The monarchs' demand comes amid ongoing conflicts between farmers and herdsmen in the region, with some communities experiencing attacks and displacement.
The council's call for the herdsmen to vacate farmlands is seen as a bid to prevent further festivities and ensure peace in the area.
Continued on Page 47
He was not named in the original report we had of the incident here. A photo of the smarmy git at the headline link.
[IsraelTimes] Joseph Neumeyer deported from Israel, arrested in New York after he left a backpack full of Molotov cocktails outside the embassy branch building earlier this month
A dual US-German national attempted to Molotov cocktail the Tel Aviv branch office of the US embassy in Israel last week and was deported back to the United States, the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York said on Sunday.
The suspect, Joseph Neumeyer, 28, from Colorado, arrived in Israel in April. He was arrested at his hotel on May 19 after leaving a backpack full of explosives near the US embassy branch, US prosecutors said.
He was then deported back to the US on May 25 and was arrested upon landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport. He is charged with attempting to destroy, by means of fire or explosive, the US Embassy mission.
Neumayer was arrested after he arrived outside the US embassy branch office carrying a backpack, and "without provocation," spat on an embassy guard, the US Department of Justice said. When the guard attempted to detain him, Neumeyer fled to his hotel room, but left his backpack behind.
Upon inspection, the backpack was found to contain three Molotov cocktails.
He was then tracked down and arrested at his hotel.
An investigation into Neumayer’s social media accounts following his arrest revealed that on the same day as he approached the US embassy branch, he had posted on Facebook: "Join me as I burn down the embassy in Tel Aviv. Death to America, death to Americans, and f—k the west," according to court documents unsealed by the district attorney’s office.
According to the Ynet news site, he had also uploaded several other incendiary Facebook posts during his visit to Israel, including one featuring a swastika, and another — in which he commented on Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest — containing the phrase "Long live the Fourth Reich."
Ah. Classic neo-Nazi idiot — all is now explained, except why he flew all the way to Israel for his temper tantrum instead of hitting a local FBI office or something, since his plan clearly involved tossing his little firebombs against an exterior wall and running away.
The Department of Justice said a separate social media account believed to belong to Neumeyer had published threats to assassinate Trump.
"This defendant is charged with planning a devastating attack targeting our embassy in Israel, threatening death to Americans, and President Trump’s life," said US Attorney General Pam Bondi in a statement. "The Department will not tolerate such violence and will prosecute this defendant to the fullest extent of the law."
If convicted, Neumeyer faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years in prison, as well as a maximum fine of $250,000, the district attorney’s office said.
This despicable and violent mostly peaceful behavior will not be tolerated at home or abroad," said FBI Director Kash Patel. "The FBI, working with our partners, will bring him to face justice for his dangerous actions."
An interesting find, courtesy of The Thing From Snowy Mountain:
On May 19, Neumeyer posted on his Facebook account, “Join me this afternoon in Tel Aviv. We are burning down the U.S. embassy,” and, “Join me as I burn down the embassy in Tel Aviv. Death to America. Death to Americans and f—k the West.”
After making the Facebook posts, he traveled to the embassy with a backpack full of Molotov cocktails. A guard spotted Neumeyer, and he fled, leaving his backpack behind. He was later arrested at his hotel.
Neumeyer was deported from Israel to the United States and charged in the Eastern District of New York on May 24.
He was a former canvasser for Democrats and was a frequent donor to ActBlue. He also made posts on Facebook, threatening to assassinate President Trump and
@ElonMusk
Emphasis mine. So Antifa/Black Bloc rather than a neo-Nazi — but really, how is one to tell the difference?
[IsraelTimes] The National Security Council (NSC) has issued a Level 2 travel warning for Canada, urging Israelis living in or visiting the country to take increased precautions. The NSC advises people to avoid wearing visible displays of Israeli or Jewish identity, such as symbols or flags, and to remain highly alert in public spaces.
The warning comes as anti-Israel protests are scheduled for today in cities like Toronto and Waterloo, with authorities noting a sharp escalation in rhetoric and threats surrounding these protests, the NSC says.
The advisory follows a rise in threats and attacks targeting Israeli and Jewish communities over the past 18 months, including shootings, Molotov cocktail attacks, and direct threats against Jewish institutions and individuals, the NSC notes.
Those attending public events are advised to follow instructions from local police and security services and avoid confrontations with demonstrators.
Goodness. Somebody must have been awfully naughty.
[IsraelTimes] The top US National Security Council (NSC) officials for the Middle East, Israel and 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... were among many dozens of officials dismissed from their roles as part of a major overhaul of the White House body by Donald Trump ...Oh, noze! Not him!... ’s administration, a source familiar with the matter confirms to The Times of Israel.
NSC Middle East and North Africa senior director Eric Trager and NSC Israel and Iran director Merav Ceren were among those pushed out on Friday, May 23, as part of a purge aimed at significantly downsizing the NSC staff, the source says, confirming reporting in the Axios news site and Jewish Insider.
The move is expected to elevate the importance of the State Department and Pentagon in advising Trump on important foreign policy moves. But, ultimately, Trump relies on his own instincts above all else when making decisions.
There were roughly 395 people working at the NSC, including about 180 support staff, according to one official. A large chunk of those being ousted are policy or subject-matter experts seconded from other government agencies. They will be given an opportunity to return to their home agencies if they want.
Many of the political appointees will also be given positions elsewhere in the administration, the official said.
The NSC has been in a continual state of tumult during the early going of Trump’s second go-around in the White House.
Trump previously ousted National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, weeks after he fired several NSC officials on the day after the influential far-right activist Laura Loomer raised concerns directly to him about staff loyalty. Loomer has in the past spread 9/11 conspiracy theories and promoted QAnon, an apocalyptic and convoluted conspiracy theory centered on the belief that Trump is fighting the "deep state," and she took credit for the ouster of the NSC officials that she argued were disloyal.
#1
Having done some DC area work in years past.
Even back then there are too many duplicate roles, too many political appointees slated for promotion at hire and those playing it for "Special" posting locations, instead of doing and focusing on their assigned duties.
I'd say from what I saw back then, 20% easily could be RIF'ed even back then.
[IsraelTimes] The international community should look to sanction Israel to stop the war in Gaza, Spain’s foreign minister says, ahead of a Madrid meeting of European and Arab nations today to urge a halt to its offensive.
Madrid will host 20 countries as well as international organizations on Sunday with the aim of “stopping this war, which no longer has any goal,” Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares tells France Info radio.
Humanitarian aid must enter Gaza “massively, unimpeded, neutrally, so that it is not Israel who decides who can eat and who cannot,” he says.
A previous such gathering in Madrid last year brought together countries including Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, as well as European nations such as Ireland and Norway that have recognized a Palestinian state.
Sunday’s meeting, which also includes representatives from the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, will promote a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
After the European Union decided this week to review its cooperation deal with Israel, Albares says, “We must consider sanctions, we must do everything, consider everything to stop this war.”
[IsraelTimes] Freed hostage Omer Wenkert recalls the conditions of his captivity in Hamas’s tunnels worsening with the Israeli offensive on Rafah, in southern Gaza, in May 2024.
“They intentionally starved me,” he tells the Bar Association conference, adding that he was fed half a pita a day for two or three weeks.
“Around the entry to Rafah, [there was] intentional starvation, and intentional abuse,” he says. “They did things that seriously endangered my life, for fun.”
“One of them brought insect repellent, stood me up at the end of the corridor, and sprayed me in the face, with my eyes open,” Wenkert recalls, adding that his captor ensured everything the captive would touch was also sprayed.
“He also decided to hit me with an iron rod,” he adds.
Wenkert says he was alone for six and a half months, saying his captors would “approach me once in a while.”
He says that around the 80th day of his captivity, he was moved from one underground corridor to another, which he describes as “a dark room with a little lamp.”
“They tried to drive me crazy — to damage my sense of time,” he says. “When they put down food for me, they told me to turn around, so they could leave. Bathing was once in 50 days, with a little bottle. Only after nine and a half months did I bathe for real.”
The tunnel he was kept in for most of his captivity was “about 90 centimeters (35 inches) wide, and about 9-10 meters (29-32 feet) long,” with a hole as a bathroom, he recalls.
“I was on a small mattress, with my back against the wall. I was there for 420 days, I think,” he says.
On June 13, 2024, his captors brought fellow hostages Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal to the same corridor in which Wenkert was kept. They are both still held in Hamas captivity, 597 days since their abduction on October 7, 2023.
“My mental situation settled down [with their arrival], but it became more crowded; we split food and water, the physical conditions worsened — but the abuse stopped,” Wenkert says.
Wenkert was released on February 22, 2025, after 505 days in Hamas captivity, as part of a hostage release, ceasefire, and prisoner release deal between Israel and the terror group that ultimately collapsed after its first phase.
[IsraelTimes] Less than a month before he was eventually released, bombing caved in tunnel where US-Israeli citizen was held, injuring him, though he managed to dig himself out, father says
[IsraelTimes] The funeral of Yaron Lischinsky has started in Beit Zayit, west of Jerusalem, pastor Chad Holland says during the weekly meeting of the Messianic congregation King of Kings in Jerusalem.
As a teenager, Lischinsky used to be a member of the Hebrew-speaking King of Kings congregation, to which his parents still belong.
Lischinsky was killed alongside his partner, Sarah Lynn Milgrim, in a shooting at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, on Wednesday night.
Both were employees at the Israeli Embassy in Washington.
At the family’s request, the funeral is closed to the press, according to the Foreign Ministry.
[IsraelTimes] Palestinians to be pushed into three small zones, as new aid delivery mechanism set to start Monday; military says no change to collateral damage policy in airstrikes
The Israel Defense Forces said Sunday that it aims to occupy 75 percent 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... Strip’s territory within two months as part of its new offensive against the Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... terror group.
Israel on March 18 resumed its attacks against Hamas with a surprise wave of Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s, ending a two-month ceasefire. The IDF has since deployed five divisions to the Strip — amounting to tens of thousands of troops — and is poised to launch a wide-scale ground offensive aimed at defeating Hamas’s military wing and its civil rule in Gaza, should the terror group not agree to release the hostages it is holding.
When the major ground offensive is launched, the Paleostinian population will be pushed into three small zones in Gaza: a new "safer zone" in the Mawasi area on the southern Strip’s coast, where Israel previously declared a "humanitarian zone"; a strip of land in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah and Nuseirat, where the IDF has not operated with ground forces; and the center of Gaza City, to which many Paleostinians returned during the ceasefire earlier this year.
According to the IDF’s current estimates, some 700,000 Paleostinians are residing in the Mawasi area, 300,000-350,000 are in central Gaza, and around one million are in Gaza City.
This means that Gaza’s 2 million population will be pushed into an area amounting to just 25% of the Strip when the IDF launches its expanded ground operation.
The IDF will then capture, clear of Hamas infrastructure, raze most buildings, and hold for the foreseeable future the rest of Gaza, including all of Rafah, Khan Younis, and the towns north of Gaza City.
According to the IDF’s plans, which were seen by The Times of Israel, it should take just two months to capture 75% of Gaza from the moment the operation goes ahead. Currently, the military is in control of about 40% of the Strip’s territory.
Military officials have said that the IDF is shifting its focus away from trying to eliminate as many terror operatives as possible — which had been the focus from the beginning of the war — and instead is centering on capturing territory and destroying Hamas’s infrastructure.
The terror group constructed in Gaza an estimated 900 kilometers (559 miles) of tunnels, yet so far, only 25% of them have been destroyed, according to the military. The IDF has argued that its main focus has been on Hamas’s attack tunnels and those used as command centers or for weapons manufacturing — the majority of which have been destroyed — rather than the numerous tunnels that the terror group uses to move around the Strip.
The army believes that Hamas can indeed be defeated by destroying its military wing — including all of its infrastructure — along with targeting its civil rule, capturing the territory, and preventing it from controlling the humanitarian aid entering Gaza.
Defeating Hamas would enable the release of the remaining 58 hostages the terror group is holding — just 20 of whom are believed to be alive — the IDF has argued.
Still, Israeli political officials have not held any meaningful discussion on who would run Gaza "the day after" Hamas.
On Sunday, during a visit to Gaza, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said the fighting against Hamas was "not an endless war."
"We are intensifying our activity in accordance with the orderly plan. Hamas is under tremendous pressure; it has lost most of its assets and its command and control," Zamir said during a tour of Khan Younis with Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor.
The IDF has said that the aid entering Gaza before the collapse of the ceasefire was being used by Hamas to stay in power. Much of the aid would be captured by the terror group, and it would either use the consignments of supplies itself or sell them to the population at increased prices, to pay for the salaries of its operatives and to recruit more members.
Hamas has been struggling to pay salaries in the past few months, according to the IDF, since Israel halted the entry of aid on March 2, after the first phase of the latest ceasefire and hostage release deal concluded.
A new humanitarian aid delivery mechanism is set to start operations on Monday morning, though it has come under criticism and skepticism from aid groups.
The IDF has helped set up four aid distribution hubs in Gaza for the mechanism, which will be operated entirely by a private American security company, while the military provides the outer layer of security.
Updated imagery of what appear to be the new humanitarian aid zones, from where Israel plans private US contractors will distribute to Gazooks.
Three of the sites are in the Rafah area, which will serve those in Mawasi and possibly also those in central Gaza; and a fourth site is in the Netzarim Corridor area of central Gaza, for Paleostinians in Gaza City or those in the northern portion of central Gaza.
A representative of a Paleostinian family will come to the distribution hub and collect a five-day supply of food from the American company. The IDF expects that each hub can serve 300,000 people per week. Aid trucks carrying supplies for hospitals and flour for bakeries would continue to be sent into Gaza for the time being.
No change in collateral damage policy, IDF says
The military said Sunday that since the resumption of fighting in the Gaza Strip, it had struck over 2,900 targets, killing at least 800 terror operatives, among them some 50 bigwigs and mid-level commanders, and over a dozen gunnies who participated in the October 7 onslaught.
The numbers refer to terror operatives whose deaths have been confirmed by name and ID number, though the military estimates that many more have been killed.
Hamas claims that over 3,785 Paleostinians have been killed in that time. The figure has not been verified and does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
The IDF said there have been no recent changes to its airstrike policy, including what sort of collateral damage and how many civilian casualties are permissible during operations in Gaza.
According to the IDF, there has also been no change to the amount of collateral damage in strikes in practice, and the combatant-to-civilian deaths ratio has remained relatively the same throughout the war, with two to three civilians killed for every dead Hamas terror operative.
Continued on Page 47
[IsraelTimes] The Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announces that 107 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered 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 today.
Israel resumed daily aid deliveries to Gaza on May 19, after a pause since March 2. Since then, 495 trucks of aid have entered the Strip.
COGAT says the aid delivery comes "following the recommendation of professional IDF officials and in accordance with the directive of the political echelon."
Today’s trucks include flour and food, COGAT says.
The aid underwent an inspection by Israeli authorities before entering Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Continued on Page 47
They need a tribunal for war crimes, like the Nuremberg trials. These were not Israeli citizens or subjects who merely committed aggravated robbery. 10/7 was an act of war by what was functionally a national army out of uniform — Geneva Convention stuff.
[IsraelTimes] AG’s office said to oppose legislation on the grounds it could harm the international legitimacy of Israeli prosecutors’ legal action against perpetrators
The government on Sunday gave its backing to a bill that would establish a special tribunal to try and charge bully boyz who took part in the October 7 atrocities with acts of genocide against the Jewish people.
The bill is co-sponsored by coalition MK Simcha Rothman, the head of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, and by MK Yuli Malinowsky of the opposition Yisrael Beytenu party.
It was approved Sunday by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, meaning the legislation will be backed by the coalition when it comes to the Knesset for its preliminary reading.
Israel captured hundreds of the Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... -led bully boyz who participated in the October 7, 2023, massacre, but has yet to issue indictments against them due to the complications of trying such large numbers of people and the difficulties involved in trying them under regular criminal procedures.
According to the Hamoked organization, there are currently 1,584 unlawful combatants being held in Israeli detention facilities, a category of prisoner that refers to bully boyz who crossed the border into Israel or who fight in Hamas’s terrorist militia.
The new legislation seeks to establish a special tribunal, composed of 15 judges in total, which would hear cases in panels of three or five judges, depending on the type of indictment filed.
Crucially, the bill enables the tribunal to "deviate" from the accepted legal processes and evidentiary standards in Israel’s regular courts, to effectively try the large numbers of bully boyz suspected of involvement in the atrocities.
Israel’s Law for Preventing and Punishing Genocide from 1950 provides for the death penalty for anyone found guilty of violating its provisions.
Hebrew media reported that the Attorney General’s Office opposes the legislation, saying it contravenes foundational principles of criminal law in Israel, and could harm the international legitimacy of legal processes that state prosecutors have already taken and will take against October 7 perpetrators.
In April, prosecutors in the State Attorney’s office reportedly put together charge sheets against 22 bully boyz who took part in the massacre in Kibbutz Nir Oz, to be filed as part of a single mega-indictment against hundreds of suspects.
The new information that led to the consolidation of evidence against the 22 Nir Oz bully boyz apparently came from the Shin Bet following the military’s advancement into new areas 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... , where teams found incriminating evidence, Ynet reported.
Some legal scholars have argued that a criminal process for the hundreds of bully boyz to be prosecuted could take decades.
"When you prosecute under criminal law you get problems. It generates massive amounts of investigative material [for each defendant] and the defendants get numerous rights such as the right to see the material, the right to an attorney, and others," Yuval Kaplinsky, former head of the International Law Department at the State Attorney’s Office, told The Times of Israel last year.
Instead, he proposed applying an administrative process for the terrorists, by amending Israel’s Law for Unlawful Combatants to allow long-term detention without trial, renewable every few years.
This would create a situation akin to the manner in which the US has held bully boyz responsible for the September 11 attacks and other terror attacks in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
Some legal scholars argue the contrary, however, insisting that putting perpetrators of the October 7 massacre on trial within the criminal law framework could help create "a historic narrative" for the invasion and atrocities.
"This is a historic event. Our legal behavior must be in keeping with this historic vision," said conservative legal scholar Rafael Biton at a conference of the Israel Law and Liberty Forum in March 2024.
He noted the strong impact the Nuremberg trials and the trial of Adolf Eichmann in Israel had on the narrative of the Holocaust.
Biton proposed prosecuting the October 7 invasion as a "collective crime" through the passing of a law to try terrorist suspects on a collective basis, with a presumption that if they were caught by Israel’s security forces in Israel on or after October 7, they took part in the attacks, unless there is compelling evidence to the contrary.
Treating the perpetrators in this way would remove many of the obstacles mentioned by Kaplinsky, including prosecuting each defendant on an individual basis and connecting their actions to a specific victim, with all the investigative work that requires.
"This was a collective invasion to carry out genocide, crimes against humanity, and crimes against Israeli illusory sovereignty. This was not a group of individuals, they didn’t gather together accidentally," said Biton.
That’s why the legislation is needed — this is not a matter for standard issue state prosecution. They could have been holding drumhead court-martials after military intelligence and Shin Bet got through with them, then put them up against a wall with a last cigarette.
[IsraelTimes] Gaza Humanitarian Foundation formed by businessmen, reservists with links to government; Haaretz: Key Israeli defense bodies bypassed in selection of security firm as contractor
A 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... aid delivery project described as neutral and run by American contractors was conceived by several Israelis, including businessmen with close links to the government, raising concerns over transparency and neutrality, The New York Times
...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... reported Saturday.
”They’re not part of our black money, leftwing ecosystem — clearly a nefarious enterprise. Let’s get to digging until we can pull it out by the roots and put our people back in control of all that gorgeous aid money!”
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is a US- and Israel-backed aid organization that was established to manage a new model for distributing humanitarian aid in the Strip in a manner that does not allow its diversion by Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... It was built in close coordination with Israel amid mounting mistrust between Jerusalem and UN-backed aid groups that have been operating in the Strip to date, but the organization and US officials have maintained that it is an independent and neutral body.
However,
today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... the NYT report revealed that the project wasn’t simply built in coordination with Israel, but is "an Israeli brainchild."
The idea was first proposed in late 2023 at "private meetings of like-minded officials, military officers and business people with close ties to the Israeli government" who believed the government lacked a long-term Gaza strategy, the report said.
The report posited that the "project’s genesis" occurred when "hundreds of thousands of Israeli civilians rejoined the military as reservists, many of them reaching positions of influence," following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks.
This created "a huge cohort of Israelis with one foot in the military and another in civilian life, blurring the boundary between the two worlds."
The group’s central idea was to bypass traditional aid channels like the UN by hiring private contractors to distribute aid in pockets of Gaza under Israeli control, thus weakening Hamas’s grip without formally assuming responsibility for Gaza’s civilian population.
Key players in the new plan included venture capitalist Michael Eisenberg, who was not in the military, Yotam HaCohen, a strategic consultant who joined the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) and later became an aide to the prime minister’s military secretary Brig. Gen. Roman Gofman, and Liran Tancman, a tech investor also affiliated with COGAT.
By early 2024, Israeli officials had begun promoting Philip F. Reilly, a former senior CIA officer who trained Contra fighters in Nicaragua and served as CIA station chief in Kabul, as their preferred contractor.
Reilly confirmed to the newspaper that he met with Eisenberg and Tancman and began discussing Gaza aid with Israeli civilians that year.
Reilly’s S.R.S. security firm began operating in Gaza in January 2025, screening Paleostinian cars for weapons during the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
According to a separate Haaretz report published Sunday, S.R.S entered Gaza without any prior security clearance from the Shin Bet as is the procedure. Gofman reportedly handpicked S.R.S. in a secretive process that bypassed standard procedures and excluded key defense bodies, including the Shin Bet, the IDF, and the Defense Ministry.
Sources told the outlet that the process appeared pre-decided in favor of Reilly’s company and that the Prime Minister’s Office, especially Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a key Netanyahu confidant, played a central role in pushing it forward.
Businessman Shlomi Fogel, also a Netanyahu confidant, was also named in connection but has denied involvement.
Many within the defense establishment suspect personal and financial motives may be driving the operation, given the lack of transparency and the exclusion of official oversight bodies, Haaretz reported.
UNCLEAR ORIGINS, MYSTERIOUS FUNDING
Another key revelation of The New York Times report was that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) was registered in the US, not Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... , as previously believed.
Two entities — GHF and the private security firm S.R.S. — were registered in November 2024 by associates of Reilly.
GHF, led by Jake Wood, will supposedly raise funds and hire S.R.S. to secure food distribution. Though Wood said the two groups now operate independently, they were registered by the same US lawyer and shared a spokeswoman until recently.
Adding to the confusion, at least two other organizations named Gaza Humanitarian Foundation exist—one registered in the US and another in Switzerland. A front man for Wood’s foundation clarified that the Delaware-based GHF, established in February 2025, is connected to their operation.
Meanwhile,
...back at the abandoned silver mine, there was another explosion... TRIAL International, a Swiss NGO, has asked Swiss authorities to investigate the Geneva-based GHF to determine if it complied with Swiss law and international humanitarian standards. The group filed two submissions on May 20 and 21, calling for regulatory scrutiny of the foundation’s activities.
It’s also unclear who is funding the GHF, which claims to have more than $100 million in commitments from a foreign government donor but has not named the donor.
Wood said it received a small amount of seed money from unnamed non-Israeli businessmen. The foundation said in a statement that a Western European country had donated over $100 million but declined to name the country, according to the Times.
The foundation published a 14-page document detailing their distribution plan, including the names of those leading the project. Two American companies, Safe Reach Solutions (S.R.S.) and UG Solutions, were selected to serve as on-site contractors.
Israel says it must take control of aid distribution, arguing that Hamas and other snuffies siphon off supplies and that some aid organizations have been infiltrated by terror groups. Aid workers deny there is a significant diversion of aid to terrorists, saying the UN strictly monitors distribution.
Aid groups have been pushing back on the GHF and Israel’s plans to take over the handling of food aid, saying it could forcibly displace large numbers of Paleostinians by pushing them toward the distribution hubs and that the foundation can’t meet the needs of the Paleostinians in Gaza.
The CEO of the new Israeli- and US-backed organization that was supposed to begin managing the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza in the coming days has resigned.
“I am proud of the work I oversaw, including developing a pragmatic plan that could feed hungry people, address security concerns about diversion, and complement the work of longstanding NGOs in Gaza,” Gaza Humanitarian Foundation CEO Jake Wood said in a statement on Sunday.
“However, it is clear that it is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon,” he added.
GHF was created earlier this year as Israel tried to advance a new mechanism for distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza, while preventing its diversion by Hamas, which Israel accuses of siphoning off aid, hoarding supplies, and selling it in markets to pay its operatives.
Israel wanted to create a small number of distribution sites in southern Gaza where pre-selected family representatives would be able to pick up a heavy box full of food for their families in a zone secured and operated by American private contractors.
While technically an American company, GHF was established in close coordination with Israeli authorities in order to manage the new aid initiative.
However, GHF still needed support and cooperation from existing humanitarian organizations as it sought to gain credibility on the ground.
That backing has yet to come, though, with the UN and other international organizations in Gaza vowing not to cooperate with GHF, arguing that its aid initiative violates humanitarian principles by requiring Gazans to walk long distances in order to retrieve aid and limiting distribution to southern Gaza in what would forcibly displace the Palestinian population.
There were also questions about GHF’s funding, which has not been transparent, along with a memo it sent out to potential donors that named two individuals on its leadership who said they weren’t involved in the initiative and admitted to only being able to initially feed 60 percent of Gaza’s population.
Wood, a former Marine and social entrepreneur, tried to dispel concerns when he announced that Israel had agreed to GHF’s demands to allow for the establishment of additional distribution sites throughout Gaza and to restart the distribution of aid through existing mechanisms last week until GHF is operational on the ground.
A senior Israeli official told The Times of Israel last week that GHF’s target date for beginning operations was this weekend, but that did not happen.
Further complicating matters, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said last week that in the third stage of Israel’s aid operations, distribution would be limited to a small area in southern Gaza secured by the IDF — in what would go against Wood’s assertion that he would not limit distribution to one part of the Strip.
Wood said he was approached about leading GHF two months ago due to his experience in humanitarian operations and stressed that he sought to “establish it as a truly independent humanitarian entity.”
“Like many others around the world, I was horrified and heartbroken at the hunger crisis in Gaza and, as a humanitarian leader, I was compelled to do whatever I could to help alleviate the suffering,” he said.
Wood’s resignation marks a major blow to Israel’s effort to resume aid in Gaza on its own terms, and it’s unclear whether GHF will be able to march on.
Among other challenges, Wood’s resignation is likely to bury chances for GHF to be able to fundraise from countries abroad, as the reasons he gave for stepping down appeared to echo fears voiced by the UN and international organizations already operating on the ground that were asked to cooperate with the foundation in order to ensure its success.
The American security contractors that GHF is working with arrived in Israel earlier this month in order to enter Gaza and begin managing the distribution sites.
While Wood appeared willing to work within the strict provisions set up by Israel, his resignation statement indicated that his flexibility had reached a limit.
“I urge Israel to significantly expand the provision of aid into Gaza through all mechanisms, and I urge all stakeholders to continue to explore innovative new methods for the delivery of aid, without delay, diversion or discrimination,” he said.
“I continue to believe the only sustainable path for the long-term is for Hamas to release all hostages, for there to be a cessation of hostilities, and a pathway for peace, security, and dignity for all people in the region.”
Wood’s resignation from GHF came days after Israel announced last week that it would start allowing a limited number of aid trucks to enter Gaza under the pre-existing mechanisms after more than two months of a total aid blockade.
If the organization is built well, no one is irreplaceable. Well done, all!
[IsraelTimes] The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says it will begin delivering aid to the Strip today, expressing regret over the resignation of its CEO who stepped down yesterday.
“We were disappointed to learn of Jake Wood’s sudden resignation as Executive Director of GHF. He has been a passionate advocate for the need to safely deliver humanitarian assistance to Gazans without diversion or delay, and achieved real progress for the entire humanitarian community in the short time he was involved in this effort. The fact that aid is beginning to trickle back into Gaza is a testament to his work,” the board says in a statement.
“Unfortunately, from the moment GHF was announced, those who benefit from the status quo have been more focused on tearing this apart than on getting aid in, afraid that new, creative solutions to intractable problems might actually succeed,” the statement reads.
“We will not be deterred. Our trucks are loaded and ready to go. Beginning Monday, May 26, GHF will begin direct aid delivery in Gaza, reaching over one million Palestinians by the end of the week. We plan to scale rapidly to serve the full population in the weeks ahead,” GHF says.
There is no immediate comment from the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which coordinates the supply of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
[Rudaw] The Syrian interior ministry announced on Sunday the appointment of commanders for internal security agencies in a dozen provinces. The move is part of the interim authority’s broader effort to restructure the country’s security and military institutions following the ouster of Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Terror of Aleppo ... ’s regime. Notably, the appointments largely excluded Kurdish-held areas in northeast Syria (Rojava).
The ministry published the names and photos of 12 officers of various senior ranks, including brigadier generals and colonels, on its account on X. It announced their appointment as heads of internal security leadership in 12 out of Syria’s 14 provinces.
However,
a good lie finds more believers than a bad truth... no details were provided regarding the selection criteria or background of the appointees.
Notably, several of the newly-assigned officers are believed to have previously served in Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else ...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State... (HTS), which spearheaded the offensive to topple the Baathist regime in early December.
Meanwhile,
...back at the wrecked scow, a single surviver held tightly to the smashed prow... the provinces of Hasakah and Raqqa, located in northeast and north Syria respectively, were conspicuously absent from the list of appointments. These regions remain under the control of the Kurdish-led Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES).
Despite negotiations between DAANES and the new leadership in Damascus, the two sides have yet to reach a final agreement with regards to the future governance and security arrangements in these strategically significant territories.
In addition to the provincial security shake-up, the interior ministry also announced the appointment of six deputy interior ministers, assigned to oversee security, civil, and administrative portfolios.
The new efforts are seen as part of a broader strategy to consolidate governance structures under the transitional authority led by Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Sharaa, a former HTS figurehead, assumed the presidency in January after his group led the offensive to oust Syrian dictator Bashir al-Assad.
Shortly after assuming power, the new leadership dissolved the Syrian army and all intelligence and security agencies affiliated with the previous regime, signaling a drastic break from the Assad-era security architecture.
However,
a good lie finds more believers than a bad truth... the Damascus authorities’ push for reform has not been far from controversy.
In late December, military promotions approved by the new authorities included at least six foreign bully boys, which drew sharp criticism both domestically and internationally.
The presence and promotion of imported muscle among Damascus’s forces has stood out as a contentious issue, particularly in light of Syria’s ongoing reintegration into regional diplomacy.
Earlier this month, during a meeting with Syria’s interim President in Riyadh, US President Donald Trump ...His ancestors didn't own any slaves... urged Sharaa to "expel all foreign terrorists" as a precondition for full normalization. The demand came shortly after Trump had announced his intent to lift sanctions imposed on Syria.
Observers note that Sharaa is increasingly facing a difficult balancing act. While dependent on foreign snuffies who fought alongside opposition groups, he also confronts international pressure to exclude them and the refusal of many of their home countries to accept their return.
Continued on Page 47
[IsraelTimes] Turkey will establish military bases in Syria and assist the new government in establishing security forces, Turkish media reports.
Turkey will establish air, naval and ground force bases in Syria in order to fight against the Islamic State group, Syrian security sources tell the Turkiye Gazetesi and ODATV channel.
The reports come days after Israel and Turkey were said to have reached an agreement in principle aimed at preventing any unwanted incidents between both countries’ militaries operating in Syria.
Continued on Page 47
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05/26/2025 00:00 ||
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[X] President Trump makes it clear HTS needs to pay to play.
President Trump has made it clear that bringing home USA citizens or honoring, with dignity, their remains is a major priority everywhere. The new Syrian Government will aid us in this commitment.
— Ambassador Tom Barrack (@USAMBTurkiye) May 25, 2025
“A powerful step forward. The new Syrian government has agreed to assist the USA in locating and returning USA citizens or their remains. The families of Austin Tice, Majd Kamalmaz, and Kayla Mueller must have closure,” Tom Barrack, who also serves as the US ambassador to Turkey, said on X.
Barrack met Sharaa and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani in Istanbul on Saturday after Washington lifted sanctions on Damascus, discussing a host of topics including investment opportunities and joint security cooperation.
Tice, a freelance journalist for outlets such as AFP and The Washington Post, has been missing in Syria since 2012 after being detained at a checkpoint.
Kamalmaz, a Syrian-American psychologist from Virginia, vanished in Syria in 2017 after being stopped at a regime checkpoint, and aid worker Mueller was kidnapped by the Islamic State (ISIS), which announced her death in a Jordanian airstrike in 2015, but her death remains disputed by Washington.
“President Trump has made it clear that bringing home USA citizens or honoring, with dignity, their remains is a major priority everywhere. The new Syrian Government will aid us in this commitment,” Barrack said.
An informed Syrian source told AFP that 11 Americans are on Washington’s list for a search mission for the remains of Americans killed by ISIS in Syria.
During a trip to the Middle East last week, Trump announced his decision to lift sanctions on Syria. The next day, Trump met with Sharaa during a summit in Riyadh, hosted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and attended remotely by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Trump urged Sharaa to normalize relations with Israel, expel all “foreign terrorists” from Syria, and cooperate with the US to prevent an ISIS resurgence, according to a White House statement.
On Friday, the US Treasury issued the Syria General License (GL) 25 to effectively lift all sanctions.
Since taking office in January after toppling the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, the new leadership in Damascus has made lifting international sanctions a top priority. While several countries have expressed openness to removing Assad-era restrictions, they have emphasized the need for the new leadership to meet critical benchmarks such as inclusive governance and fighting terrorism.
Continued on Page 47
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05/26/2025 00:00 ||
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[X] Free syria’s sentiment is inane, but the maps are useful.
Your Excellency the Honorable Ambassador Tom Barak, please look into the subject of the Israeli withdrawal and the insistence on the 1974 disengagement agreement. Unfortunately, our government is unable to do anything. They arrest, destroy, and shoot civilians. pic.twitter.com/OQUfZ9yeF0
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.
...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund...
...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 
... a peculiarly brutal tribe of Moslem herdsmen infesting Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and probably other places that are light on law and order and heavy on tribal identity...
[IsraelTimes] Joseph Neumeyer deported from Israel, arrested in New York after he left a backpack full of Molotov cocktails outside the embassy branch building earlier this month
"Join me as I burn down the embassy in Tel Aviv. 
[IsraelTimes] The National Security Council (NSC) has issued a Level 2 travel warning for 
...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 
[IsraelTimes] The international community should look to sanction Israel to stop the war in Gaza, Spain’s foreign minister says, ahead of a Madrid meeting of European and Arab nations today to urge a halt to its offensive.
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
[IsraelTimes] The Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announces that 107 trucks carrying 
[IsraelTimes] AG’s office said to oppose legislation on the grounds it could harm the international legitimacy of Israeli prosecutors’ legal action against perpetrators
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
