[IsraelTimes] Leader of far-right National Rally denies misappropriating European Parliament funds to pay assistants for political work
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen denied violating any rules as she and her National Rally party and two dozen others went on trial on Monday, accused of embezzling European Parliament funds, in a case that has the potential to derail her political ambitions.
Arriving at the court in Paris, Le Pen said “we have not violated any political and regulatory rules of the European Parliament” and vowed to present “extremely serious and extremely solid arguments” in the trial.
The nine-week trial will be closely watched by Le Pen’s political rivals as she is a strong contender in the race to succeed Emmanuel Macron when the next presidential election takes place in 2027
It comes as a new government dominated by centrists and conservatives just came into office in the wake of June-July legislative elections. Some observers expect the trial could prevent National Rally lawmakers, including Le Pen herself, from fully playing their opposition role in Parliament as they would be busy focusing on the party’s defense.
Since stepping down as party leader three years ago, Le Pen has sought to position herself as a mainstream candidate capable of appealing to a broader electorate. Her efforts have paid off, with the party making significant gains in recent elections at both the European and national levels. But a guilty verdict could seriously undermine her bid to take the Elysee.
The National Rally and 27 of its top officials are accused of having used money destined for EU parliamentary aides to pay staff who instead did political work for the party between 2004 and 2016, in violation of the 27-nation bloc’s regulations. The National Rally was called National Front at the time.
Le Pen, whose party has softened its anti-EU stance in recent years, denies wrongdoing and claims the case is politically driven.
“Parliamentary assistants do not work for the Parliament. They are political assistants to elected officials, political by definition,” she argued in her defense. “You ask me if I can define the tasks I assigned to my assistants; it depends on each person’s skills. Some wrote speeches for me, and some handled logistics and coordination.”
If found guilty, Le Pen and her co-defendants could face up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to 1 million euros ($1.1 million) each. Additional penalties, such as the loss of civil rights or ineligibility to run for office, could also be imposed, a scenario that could hamper, or even destroy, Le Pen’s goal to mount another presidential bid after Macron’s term ends. Le Pen was runner-up to Macron in the 2017 and 2022 presidential elections.
She served as party president from 2011 to 2021 and now heads the group of RN lawmakers at the French National Assembly.
Despite her denial, her party has already paid back 1 million euros to the European Parliament, the Parliament’s lawyer Patrick Maisonneuve said. Of that amount, 330,000 euros were directly linked to Marine Le Pen’s alleged misuse of funds.
A LONGSTANDING CONTROVERSY
The legal proceedings stem from a 2015 alert raised by Martin Schulz, then-president of the European Parliament, to French authorities about possible fraudulent use of European funds by members of the National Front.
Schulz also referred the case to the European Anti-Fraud Office, which launched a separate probe into the matter.
The European Parliament’s suspicions were further heightened when a 2015 organizational chart showed that 16 European lawmakers and 20 parliamentary assistants held official positions within the party — roles unrelated to their supposed duties as EU parliamentary staff.
A subsequent investigation found that some assistants were contractually linked to different MEPs than the ones they were actually working for, suggesting a scheme to divert European funds to pay party employees in France.
Alexandre Varault, a spokesperson for the National Rally who was elected to the European Parliament in June, told The Associated Press that Le Pen will attend the first day of the trial, adding that he hopes for the acquittal of all the defendants.
MISUSE OF PUBLIC FUNDS
Investigating judges concluded that Le Pen, as party leader, orchestrated the allocation of parliamentary assistance budgets and instructed MEPs to hire individuals holding party positions. These individuals were presented as EU parliamentary assistants, but in reality, were allegedly working for the National Rally in various capacities.
The European Parliament’s legal team is seeking 2.7 million euros ($3 million) in compensation for financial and reputational damages. This figure corresponds to the 3.7 million ($4.1 million) euros allegedly defrauded through the scheme, minus the 1 million euros already paid back.
During the 2014 European elections, the National Front won a record 24 MEP seats, finishing first with 24.8 percent of the vote, ahead of the center-right and the Socialists. This surge resulted in a substantial financial windfall for the party, which faced severe financial problems at the time.
An audit of the party’s accounts between 2013 and 2016 revealed that it was running a deficit of 9.1 million euros by the end of 2016. Yet, the party still had a cash balance of 1.7 million euros and had lent 1 million euros to Le Pen’s 2017 presidential campaign, while also holding 87,000 euros in loans to Cotelec, its funding association.
At the time, the party was also indebted to a Russian bank for 9.4 million euros, a loan taken out in 2014 for 6 million euros.
SUSPECTED SYSTEMIC PRACTICE
The investigation uncovered many irregularities involving prominent party members.
Thierry Légier, the long-time bodyguard of Le Pen’s father Jean-Marie, was listed as his parliamentary assistant. However his resume did not reference this role, and he made no mention of it in his 2012 autobiography. Légier admitted during the investigation that he was not interviewed and signed his employment contract without fully understanding his official role.
Jean-Marie Le Pen, who led the National Front from 1972 to 2011, will not appear in court alongside his former colleagues due to health concerns. Now 96, he was deemed unfit to testify by a court in June. He has 11 prior convictions, including for violence against a public official and hate speech.
He has denied wrongdoing during his time as party leader, stating that the “pool” of assistants was common knowledge. “I did not choose which assistants were assigned to me. That was decided by Marine Le Pen and others. I only signed the contracts,” he said.
[IsraelTimes] Herbert Kickl led his Freedom Party to win biggest slice of votes, but the 29% he scored requires cooperating with other parties, almost all of whom say they won’t work with him
Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPO) must work to clear a path to power after its first ever parliamentary election victory left the anti-establishment outfit needing a partner to form a governing coalition.
The triumph of the Eurosceptic, Russia-friendly FPO on Sunday was another milestone in the recent rise of Europe’s hard right. But the party immediately suffered a stiff reality check.
Facing FPO party leader Herbert Kickl in a television studio after results came in, leaders of the other parties in parliament dismissed his overtures on forming a coalition.
The FPO finished around 2.5 percentage points ahead of Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s conservative People’s Party (OVP) to capture some 29% of the vote — its best result ever — and Kickl accused his rivals of opposing the will of the people.
“Tomorrow there will be a blue Monday and then we will set about turning that 29% into a political reality in this country,” Kickl told supporters on Sunday evening, playing on the fact blue is the color associated with his party.
Kickl, a provocative and polarizing figure allied with Hungarian premier Viktor Orban, offered to negotiate with all other parties in Austria. The FPO’s unexpectedly clear victory risks being hollow if it cannot find a partner.
President Alexander Van der Bellen, a former Greens leader who oversees the formation of governments, urged all parties to hold talks and suggested the process could be drawn out.
Kickl’s win cheered hard-right parties across Europe, where the far-right has made gains in countries including the Netherlands, France and Germany. That growing support could stoke the risk of divisions inside the European Union over key policy areas like the defense of Ukraine against Russia.
Those victories have been no guarantee of power for the far right, however, with other parties eager to deny them.
France’s far-right National Rally won the first round of elections in June only to be frustrated when more moderate parties stood down candidates in the second round, helping the left win the most seats. In the end, the left too lost out when President Emmanuel Macron named a center-right prime minister.
In the Netherlands, nationalist Geert Wilders had to give up his hopes to be prime minister after coming first in an election there, when rivals refused to support a government led by him.
ORBANIZATION
Kickl says he wants to be a “Volkskanzler,” a term Nazis used for Adolf Hitler, though others have also claimed it.
The 55-year-old Kickl has embraced conspiracy theories, claiming de-worming agent ivermectin is effective against COVID-19, as did former US president Donald Trump. He opposes aid to Ukraine and wants sanctions against Russia withdrawn, arguing they hurt Austria more than Moscow.
Supporters say the FPO’s “Austria First” policies will curb illegal immigration and lift the economy. Critics worry it could herald a more authoritarian state.
An FPO victory meant the future of Austria as a democracy was now at stake, said Irene Rubik, a 69-year-old retired civil servant and Greens voter, voicing her concern that the country ran the risk of “Orbanization,” pointing to Hungary’s Orban.
Founded in the 1950s under the leadership of an ex-Nazi lawmaker, the FPO has worked to moderate its image. Voters were drawn by its pledges to restrict asylum and tackle inflation, though their attachment to Kickl appears limited.
Just 2% of FPO voters said he was the main reason for their vote, the lowest of any party leader, a survey by pollster Foresight showed.
The OVP is the sole party that has signaled openness to forming a coalition with the FPO — but Nehammer has ruled out going into government with Kickl. He repeated that on Sunday, and there was no indication Kickl would step aside.
If Kickl cannot assemble a coalition, it could open the door to some form of tie-up involving the OVP and the center-left Social Democrats, the two parties that have dominated the postwar political history of Austria.
The constant characterization of Kickl as a menace and other parties’ refusal to work with him risked strengthening his pitch as an outsider, said political analyst Thomas Hofer.
“Because it’s clear Herbert Kickl only sees this as a confirmation of his anti-system narrative, his anti-establishment narrative,” Hofer said.
[X]
Bitar is the highest-ranking official at the White Houseresponsible for coordinating the U.S. government's intelligence and defense policy.
In his youth, Bitar was a radical Palestinian supporter, an Anti-Israel activist, and a Board Member of the radical activist group Students for Justice in Palestine in its early days.
According to Rep. Mike Lawler, who has deep concerns about Bitarโs position, Bitar was also an intern for UNRWA.
Lawler also claims that Bitar has shown "a clear bias against and disregard for Israel."
Evidence has shown UNRWA is intertwined with Hamas, which is a U.S. designated terrorist organization.
SJP is the subject of multiple investigations and lawsuits for alleged ties to Hamas.
Very good. Almost an entire year after the kidnappings, but at least he said it. Has the Red Cross done so yet?
[IsraelTimes] UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemns Hamas for not allowing the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit the hostages in Gaza.
“I’d like to condemn the fact that the Red Cross is not even allowed to visit those hostages,” Guterres says, in a speech at an event raising awareness of hostage-taking worldwide. “This is something clear in international humanitarian law. Hostages… are entitled to receive Red Cross visits. I once again strongly plea for the ICRC to be allowed to visit these hostages.”
Guterres reiterates his call for the immediate release of the remaining 101 hostages being held in Gaza. He laments that efforts to broker a ceasefire have yet to bear fruit.
“I hope that the horrible events that we’re seeing will teach a lesson to the world for this [practice of hostage-taking] not to be possible anymore,” he adds.
The New York event is organized by Hostage Aid Worldwide, in partnership with the Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights.
[IsraelTimes] The head of the UNโs Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) on Monday denied knowing that its employee Fateh Sherif Abu el-Amin was a Hamas commander in Lebanon, and called on states to push back against Israeli attacks on the agencyโs reputation.
The head of Hamasโs Lebanon branch, Abu el-Amin, was killed along with family members in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon, the Palestinian terror group said on Monday. A statement from the terror group identified him as a โsuccessful teacher and excellent [school] principal.โ
The Palestinian Refugees Portal news site reported in early June that Sherif was set to be reinstated, citing a press release from a Damascus-based group representing Palestinian refugees in Syria and Lebanon that said an arrangement had been found to drop the probe and end the teacher strike.
He was suspended from his job at UNRWA in March following allegations concerning his politics, Philippe Lazzarini told reporters in Geneva.
โThe specific allegation at the time was that [he was] a part of the local leadershipโฆ I never heard the word commander before,โ he said. โWhatโs obvious for you today, was not obvious yesterday.โ
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said el-Amin had been on administrative leave without pay since March โ โas soon as UNRWA received information about his possible involvement with Hamas at a senior levelโ โ and had never been reinstated.
โAs soon as information was received โ in this case, from the Israeli government โ action was taken,โ Dujarric told reporters. โEvery time UNRWA has received information beyond just a name, action has been taken.โ
โAnyone who works for the UN and engages in terror, terror-like activity is unacceptable and outrageous and an insult to all UN staff members around the world,โ he said. He said with a *wink*
In a statement to the Times of Israel, UNRWA said Sherif was undergoing an investigation following allegations that UNRWA received about his โpolitical activities.โ
Lazzarini, who briefed the press after meeting with UN member states earlier on Monday, said he asked them to โpush back on all the reputation attack on the agency and the ongoing drafting of bills which could be adopted in Jerusalem.โ
He was referring to a move by Israeli parliament to declare the organization a โterrorist body,โ which has already received preliminary approval. Such a move would be โabsolutely unconscionable,โ he added.
UNRWA has been in hot water for the past year over evidence of membersโ involvement in terror activities. Israel has alleged that at least 12 of UNRWAโs employees were directly involved in Hamasโs October 7 atrocities, another 30 assisted or facilitated those crimes, and as much as 12 percent of the organizationโs staff in Gaza โ over 1,000 people โ are affiliated with terror organizations.
According to the military, Sherif was responsible for coordinating Hamasโs activity in Lebanon with Hezbollah, as well as Hamasโs โforce build-up efforts in Lebanon, in the field of recruiting operatives and procuring weapons.โ
Sherifโs suspension in March sparked demonstrations and strikes by teachers demanding his reinstatement.
The Palestinian Refugees Portal news site reported in early June that Sherif was set to be reinstated, citing a press release from a Damascus-based group representing Palestinian refugees in Syria and Lebanon that said an arrangement had been found to drop the probe and end the teacher strike.
A โcommitmentโ was reached โnot to prosecute any employee on the basis of his national affiliation,โ according to the press release.
Israel has long accused the agency of employing members of Hamas and other terror groups, allowing them to steep future generations in virulent anti-Israel ideology.
While UNRWA provides education, health, and aid to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, Israel has also accused multiple agency staffers of taking part in the Hamas-led attack on October 7, in which some 1,200 people in Israel were killed and 251 taken hostage.
Several donor countries cut aid to the agency after Israel provided evidence that employees took part in Hamasโs October 7 massacre. Many, however, have since reinstated their support, citing the dire need in Gaza.
During its operations in Gaza, the IDF found a Hamas data center located directly beneath UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City, in addition to numerous findings indicating the use of the agencyโs assets for terror purposes.
The UN acknowledged in August that nine UNRWA staff may have been involved in the Hamas October attacks and fired them.
UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) was established in 1949 and provides relief to Palestinians considered refugees across the Middle East, including in Lebanon where it says up to 250,000 reside.
The only UN refugee agency established for a specific people, it has come under criticism for bestowing the status not just on those who lost their homes in 1948, but to all their descendants as well โ a practice unheard of elsewhere. Israel and its supporters say this encourages an enduring victimhood mentality and narrative in Palestinians and increases their dependence on aid.
[IsraelTimes] The High Court of Justice unanimously rejects a petition demanding that the government release the body of Walid Daqqa, an Arab-Israeli citizen who died in April this year in prison after being convicted for his role in the abduction and murder of Israeli soldier Moshe Tamam in 1984.
The ruling, issued by justices Isaac Amit, Ofer Grosskopf and Gila Kanfi Steinitz, determines that the decision of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, approved by the security cabinet, to keep hold of Daqqa’s body did not exceed the boundaries of the principles of reasonableness or proportionality, and that there was therefore no cause for judicial intervention.
Owing to Daqqa’s importance to the Palestinian national movement, the security cabinet decided to keep hold of Daqqa’s body in order to use it as leverage in negotiations with Hamas for the return of the hostages abducted by the terror organization on October 7.
In its decision, the High Court rules that alongside the value of respecting the dead and the right of family members to bury their dead, the goal of freeing captives is a foundational principle of the country and is expressed in the controversial nation-state law, one of Israel’s quasi-constitutional Basic Laws.
The court acknowledges that the case of Daqqa was exceptional, in that although Israel has in the past held on to bodies of Palestinian terrorists, it has not done so for Israeli citizens. It says however that the military commander has the right to hold on to bodies including those of Israeli citizens.
It also says that Daqqa was “adopted” as a symbol by Hamas which itself hold on to the bodies of Israelis for use in negotiations to release its Palestinian prisoners.
The court says that since it is the opinion of professionals within the security establishment that holding on to Daqqa’s body “is likely to advance in an effective manner” negotiations for the return of the bodies of IDF soldiers and Israeli citizens, the decision is reasonable and proportionate.
“At the time of writing these lines, standing before my eyes are the hostages, the captives, and the missing, and the IDF soldiers, who have been in Gaza since October 7, and the families of those who have been there [Gaza] for many years — IDF soldiers Sgt. Hadar Goldin and Staff-Sgt Oron Shaul, and Israeli citizens Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed,” writes Amit.
“The voice of our brothers cries out from the tunnels in the Gaza Strip. May the prophecy of Jeremiah ‘and the children shall return to their borders’ be fulfilled for all of them speedily in our days.'”
The Adalah legal aid organization, which works to protect civil rights of Arab Israelis and Palestinians which petitioned the court to have Daqqa’s body released, condemns the decision, saying it was based on a “racist worldview.”
Said the organization, “Judge Yitzhak Amit justified the denial of the constitutional rights of the deceased and his family members to burial according to their faith by relying on the state’s duty to protect the members of the Jewish people in accordance with the provisions of the Basic Law: Nation-State.”
It adds that anyone who believed that the contentious nation-state law was only declarative “can now clearly conclude that the High Court has validated anchoring the status of Arab citizens as an enemy population that has no protection for their fundamental rights.”
[IsraelTimes] The United States will today announce nearly $336 million in additional humanitarian assistance for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, according to a US Agency for International Development (USAID) statement seen by Reuters.
The funding will enable USAIDโs partners to continue to provide humanitarian aid, including food assistance, healthcare, nutrition and other services, according to the statement.
The funding will also support emergency shelter assistance for displaced Gazans ahead of winter, the statement says.
โOver the last year, this conflict has cost the lives of innocent Palestinians and Israelis and has left Gaza and the West Bank in a state of humanitarian crisis and dire humanitarian need,โ the statement says.
โThe United States continues to call on all parties to agree to a ceasefire deal and an immediate release of hostages, and to allow for the immediate scale-up of humanitarian aid moving into and throughout Gaza.โ
[IsraelTimes] New Hope leader delivers fiery Knesset speech to heckling from colleagues, calls opposition MKs ‘gang of liars,’ says Nasrallah would still be alive if PM had listened to Lapid
[IsraelNationalNews] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed recent developments in the war and the start of the High Holidays this week at the start of the Government meeting today (Monday).
"First, I would like to greet all of the ministers, and our colleague Gideon Saar, who has joined us," Netanyahu began. "We face major challenges. We will face them together and we will do the work that the people of Israel, and the generations of the people of Israel, expect that we will do."
"On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, we are in decisive days. These are days of historic achievements but also of major challenges that we face," he said.
Netanyahu continued, "I would like to commend our commanders and soldiers in the IDF and all of the security services, who are excelling in striking our enemies and enabling our people to stand tall with pride."
"I would like to stand by our heroic soldiers, conscripts and reservists. While we celebrate the new year, may it be a good one, they will continue to defend our country with that same dedication, sacrifice and heroism that they have shown throughout the past year," he said.
He added, "I would like to stand by the families of the fallen, thanks to who we live here. I send best wishes for a quick and full recovery to all of the dear wounded. I would like to stand by the dear families of the hostages; our hostages are always first and foremost with us, and we will not rest until we return them all."
"Finally, I would like to thank all citizens of Israel: The reservists' wives, the mothers and fathers of our fighters, and the children, for being steadfast throughout such a long period," he said.
"We are in a war for our very existence. We will unite, go hand-in-hand and defeat our enemies. The people will arise like a lioness, and the Eternal One of Israel will not lie.
"So ends a year and its curses, and with G-d's help so begins a year and its blessings. May we all have a good year and a happy holiday," Netanyahu concluded.
Posted by: Grom the Reflective ||
10/01/2024 00:00 ||
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[Red State] Fateh Sherif was, supposedly, an educator โ the principal of Deir Yassin Secondary School. He was also an employee of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA.) Sherif also moonlighted as a Hamas leader, responsible for coordinating Hamas actions with Hezbollah, including recruiting and logistics operations.
Now he's been shuffled off the mortal coil by the Israeli Air Force after an air strike eliminated him, and the UNRWA is finally admitting he was one of theirs.
A U.N. aid group confirmed Hamasโ leader in Lebanon, who was recently killed by Israeli strikes, was their employee.
Fateh Sherif was killed Monday in an airstrike on the al-Bass refugee camp in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, along with his wife and children.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) noted that Sherif had been on suspension with the organization since March but had not been fired.
"Fateh Al Sharif was an UNRWA employee who was put on administrative leave without pay in March and was undergoing an investigation following allegations that UNRWA received about his political activities," an UNRWA spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
At the time, his suspension sparked widespread protests and strikes by teachers in Lebanon.
What a fine example he set for little Lebanese schoolkids! It's important to note that Sherif had been living this not-so-subtle double life for some time now, and the UNRWA seemed to notice only after they came under scrutiny for some of their members providing support for, if not actually taking part in the Oct 7th attacks on Israel โ and for stealing and reselling humanitarian aid meant for non-Hamas Gazans.
Hezbollah's Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem says that the Resistance Movement's forces are ready for any scenario and are fully prepared for any possible Israeli land incursion.https://t.co/ASseWaX6Ka
The Times of Israel adds the interesting detail that the deputy secretary general appeared to be sweating profusely throughout his speech. Was he in an airless place? Merely without air conditioning on a hot day? Nervously awaiting his own personal bunker buster?
I donโt even care if itโs true. Itโs just falling-down funny that he said it. Also, now everyone else who has an anti-Mossad section is going to be very concerned about whether they really know Uncle Ahmedโs grandson as well as they thought they did.
[IsraelNationalNews] In an interview with the Turkish CNN network on Monday, former President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, claimed that a unit had been set up to fight against Mossad agents inside Iran โ but the head of the unit was a Mossad agent himself.
He also claimed that in addition to the head of the unit, twenty Israeli Mossad agents were working with him and were responsible for directing significant intelligence operations inside Iran.
Among others, according to Ahmadinejad, the same Mossad agents stole documents about the Iranian nuclear program and killed several Iranian nuclear scientists.
He also claimed that all the agents managed to flee Iran before being caught and that they now live in Israel. Sigh of relief: agent SAK is safe!
Ahmadinejad made this claim today for the first time, but as of now, no confirmation or, alternatively, a denial has been published by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
In recent years, Ahmadinejad has been far from the helm of power and has tried several times to run again for the position of president of Iran, but was disqualified.
The last time he ran an election campaign was after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a plane crash.
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in an interview with @cnnturk said that Iranโs secret services had created a special unit to combat Mossad operating in Iran. However, turns out the head of this unit was himself a Mossadโฆ pic.twitter.com/35fKhqEeTt
#3
I wonder if the Mossad just uses a telephone directory of the Iranian government to make unsolicited random after hours voicemail calls from Israel to offices and cell phones of officials they want MOIS (SAVAK) to investigate? "Amir, did you get the check?"
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] The Popular Front for the Liberation of Paleostine (PFLP) mourned three of its leaders who were killed in an Israeli bombing of a residential apartment in the Cola area of central Beirut early on Monday.
In a statement, the group identified the deaders as Mohammed Abdel Aal (Abu Ghazi), member of the Political Bureau of the Front, and Head of the Military Security Department, Emad Odeh (Abu Ziyad), member of the Military Department of the Front, as well as its military leader in Leb ...an Iranian satrapy currently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... ; and Abdel Rahman Abdel Aal.
''As the Popular Front for the Liberation of Paleostine bids farewell to its heroic martyr leaders, it pledges to them and to all the deaders of our people and our nation that it will continue the path of struggle and resistance until the occupation is swept away, no matter how long it takes and regardless of the sacrifices, '' the statement read
Lebanese media sources reported that Israeli drones attacked an inhabited residential apartment in the Cola area of central Beirut.
According to the military and Shin Bet, Nidal Abd al-Aal was involved in planning and advancing terror attacks in the West Bank.
The IDF and Shin Bet say al-Aal was behind a bombing attack on a bus in the settlement of Beitar Illit in March 2023, as well as a shooting attack in Huwara in the same month, the latter of which wounded two soldiers.
Alongside him, Imad Odeh, a PFLP military commander, and another operative, Abdelrahman Abd al-Aal, were killed in the strike.
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Nasser Kanaani, condemned the Zionist entity's attacks on fuel tanks and the power station at the Port of Hodeidah.
Kanaani described these brutal attacks, which resulted in the destruction of the civilian infrastructure of the Port of Hodeidah in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... , as a reflection of the inhumane nature of the Zionist entity.
''The crimes of the Zionist entity are carried out under the unconditional support of the American regime, and Washington is a full partner in the crimes committed by the criminal gang ruling in Tel Aviv,'' he added. ''The supporters of this entity, including the US government, are directly responsible for the serious and unforeseen consequences of the continued Zionist crimes in Paleostine and Leb ...an Iranian satrapy currently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... , as well as the aggressive and reckless attacks on Yemen.''
Kanaani further explained that the Zionist entity's attacks on Yemen, as well as on the country's civilian and service infrastructure, constitute a flagrant and repeated violation of the United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... Charter and international norms.
In conclusion, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson once again warned of the consequences of the Zionist entity's actions in provoking wars and threatening regional and international peace and security.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/01/2024 00:00 ||
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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.
...an Iranian satrapy currently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
...an Iranian satrapy currently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
