WILL CITIES BURN BY THE DEATH CULT OF GEORGE SOROS.

JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)

 WILL CITIES BURN BY THE DEATH CULT OF GEORGE SOROS.

 Leviticus 19:19 ESV /
“You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind. You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor shall you wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material.(ALSO YOU SHALL NOT TAKE A VACCINE MADE WITH ANIMAL PARTS.

Project Veritas NEW VIDEO: Alleged Pfizer Scientist CAUGHT Describing Mutating Viruses For PROFIT.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL9PlYkRD3Q-RZca6CCnPKw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btsAWkcl-oA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-LamoxBvW0

SEND CHECKS TO DEAD PEOPLE-RAND PAUL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y0cQ3H4664
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U1ViAabtd8

 
CBC-COVID-19 misinformation cost at least 2,800 lives and $300M, new report says-Thu, January 26, 2023 at 6:00 a.m. EST

The spread of COVID-19 misinformation in Canada cost at least 2,800 lives and $300 million in hospital expenses over nine months of the pandemic, according to estimates in a new report out Thursday.The report — released by the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA), an independent research organization that receives federal funding — examined how misinformation affected COVID infections, hospitalizations and deaths between March and November of 2021.The authors suggest that misinformation contributed to vaccine hesitancy for 2.3 million Canadians. Had more people been willing to roll up their sleeves when a vaccine was first available to them, Canada could have seen roughly 200,000 fewer COVID cases and 13,000 fewer hospitalizations, the report says.Alex Himelfarb, chair of the expert panel that wrote the report, said that its estimates are very conservative because it only examined a nine-month period of the pandemic."It's pretty clear that tens of thousands of hospitalizations did occur because of misinformation," Himelfarb told reporters. "We are confident that those are conservative estimates."Himelfarb also said the $300 million estimate covers only hospital costs — the study didn't include indirect costs associated with factors such as delayed elective surgeries and lost wages.A number of studies have found that getting vaccinated can reduce the risk of COVID infection and hospitalization. But only 80 per cent of Canadians have been fully vaccinated, according to the latest data from Health Canada.The CCA report defines two groups of vaccine-hesitant individuals: those who were reluctant to get a shot and those who refused. It says that reluctant individuals expressed concerns about vaccines in general and questioned the speed with which COVID vaccines were developed.Vaccine refusers, on the other hand, were more likely to believe that the pandemic is a hoax or greatly exaggerated, the report says.Beyond the health impacts, misinformation is depriving people of their right to be informed, said Stephan Lewandowsky, a professor at the University of Bristol's School of Psychological Science in the U.K. and one of the report's authors."In a democracy, the public should be able to understand the risks we're facing … and act on that basis," he said. "But if you're drenched in misinformation … then you're distorting the public's ability — and you're denying people the right — to be informed about the risks they're facing."The report says misinformation relies on simple messages meant to evoke emotional reactions. It says misinformation is often presented as coming from a credible source, such as a scientific publication.Ideology can play a role: authors-The authors also suggest that misinformation can be driven by someone's personal worldview, ideology or political identity."Denial of collective action problems is going to be very [prevalent] among people who don't like collective action," Himelfarb said, noting that misinformation can flow into political messaging."When misinformation becomes tied up with identity and ideology, political leaders will often look to misinformation as a means of building their coalition," he said. He did not point to any single politician.People's Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier, a vocal opponent of COVID-19 public health restrictions and vaccine passports, appeared to unify a portion of the electorate that views pandemic policies as government overreach when he finished with roughly five per cent of the vote in the 2021 election.Lewandowsky said social media can contribute to the spread of misinformation, but policies to counter such misinformation — such as requiring labels on inaccurate information — could help.Himelfarb said it's important to balance tackling misinformation with freedom of expression."Finding that sweet spot is a challenge," he said.Lewandowsky said one way to strike a balance would be to make sure reliable information is more widely available and to give people tools to identify misinformation."The people who do misinform us have a certain repertoire of rhetorical techniques … and we can identify those," he said.

Protests erupt in Memphis after Tyre Nichols video released-Graeme Massie-Fri, January 27, 2023 at 8:55 PM EST

Protesters have shut down parts of Interstate 55 in Memphis after the city released videos of the police beating of Tyre Nichols.The videos were released on Friday evening and show five Memphis police officers beating Nichols, 29, during the arrest. He died from his injuries three days after the shocking incident.The five officers, all of whom are Black, were immediately fired from the force and now face murder charges.The protests began shortly after the video was released at 7pm ET, with a large crowd taking to I-55 in downtown Memphis headed towards the Mississippi River bridge, according to ABC24.Shortly after the video’s release at 6 p.m., a large crowd took to I-55 in downtown Memphis and appeared to be headed towards the Mississippi River Bridge.There were no immediate reports of damage, according to the news channel.Protesters then also headed towards the city’s police station, according to NBC News.Meanwhile, groups of protesters also gathered in New York’s Times Square, Washington DC and Atlanta, Georgia.The footage shows the Black officers savagely beating the 29-year-old FedEx worker for three minutes in an assault that the Nichols family’s legal team likened to the infamous 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King.Officers who caught up with Nichols after he fled the scene of the initial stop then wrestled him to the ground and pepper spray was seemingly deployed in Nichols’s face.“I am going to baton the f**k out of you,” one officer can be heard shouting., while another says “Watch out, I’ll spray your a** again.”Nichols on the ground can be heard crying out loudly for his mother.The officers then can be heard on bodycam video repeatedly shouting at Nichols “give me your f***ing hands.”Another officer can be heard saying, “That mother f**** made me spray myself” with pepper spray.The video then showed Nichols slumped against a car while the officers stood around laughing, recounting the arrest and what they had done to capture him.“I jumped in, started rocking him,” one officer can be heard bragging as another claimed that Nichols put his hand on their gun.“He literally had his hand on my gun. That mother*****r was on there,” the officer stated.

An asteroid will whip by Earth tonight in one of closest approaches ever recorded-NASA says while it will be close, there is no risk the delivery truck-sized asteroid will hit the planet-The Associated Press · Posted: Jan 25, 2023 5:57 PM PST |

An asteroid the size of a delivery truck will whip past Earth on Thursday night, one of the closest such encounters ever recorded.NASA insists it will be a near miss with no chance of the asteroid hitting Earth.The U.S. space agency said Wednesday that this newly discovered asteroid will zoom 3,600 kilometres above the southern tip of South America. That's 10 times closer than the bevy of communication satellites circling overhead.The closest approach will occur at 7:27 p.m. ET.-Moonshots, meteors and planets: Here are just a few things to look forward to in space in 2023-Even if the space rock came a lot closer, scientists said most of it would burn up in the atmosphere, with some of the bigger pieces possibly falling as meteorites.NASA's impact hazard assessment system, called Scout, quickly ruled out a strike, said its developer, Davide Farnocchia, an engineer at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif."But despite the very few observations, it was nonetheless able to predict that the asteroid would make an extraordinarily close approach with Earth," Farnocchia said in a statement."In fact, this is one of the closest approaches by a known near-Earth object ever recorded."Asteroid spotted by amateur astronomer in Crimea-Discovered Saturday, the asteroid known as 2023 BU is believed to be 3.5 to 8.5 metres across.It was first spotted by Gennady Borisov, the same amateur astronomer in Crimea who discovered an interstellar comet in 2019.NASA's planetary defence test successfully shifts asteroid orbit 'We have impact!' NASA slams spacecraft into asteroid in unprecedented test Within a few days, dozens of observations were made by astronomers around the world, allowing them to refine the asteroid's orbit.The asteroid's path will be drastically altered by Earth's gravity once it zips by. Instead of circling the sun every 359 days, it will move into an oval orbit lasting 425 days, according to NASA.

Breaking News-7 killed, several hurt in shooting attack at Jerusalem synagogue; terrorist shot-Police say officers kill gunman who fled scene of attack at Neve Yaakov neighborhood, opened fire on forces-By Emanuel Fabian    Today, 8:31 pmUpdated at 9:39 pm

Seven people were shot and killed and several more wounded in a terror shooting attack at a synagogue in Jerusalem’s Neve Yaakov neighborhood, police and medics said Friday night.According to police, the terrorist arrived by car at around 8:15 p.m. at a building used as a synagogue in the neighborhood in the northern part of East Jerusalem and opened fire.The attacker then fled the scene toward the Palestinian neighborhood of Beit Hanina — several hundred meters away — where he encountered officers who were called to the scene.Police said the terrorist — a resident of East Jerusalem — was shot dead after he opened fire on the officers while trying to escape on foot.According to Channel 12 news, the terrorist first shot an elderly woman in the street, then encountered a motorcycle rider and shot him, before reaching the synagogue. Police did not immediately confirm the details.Three victims — a woman in her 70s listed in critical condition, a 20-year-old man in serious condition and a 14-year-old boy in moderate-serious condition — were taken to the Hadassah Mount Scopus hospital. Another two victims — a man in his 30s in critical condition and a woman in her 60s in moderate condition — were taken to the Shaare Zedek hospital.Jerusalem District Police Commander Doron Turgeman, speaking to reporters at the scene, said two of the wounded victims had died, bringing the death toll to seven.The victims were not immediately named.Dozens of officers were dispatched to the scene, police said.National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who is in charge of police, arrived at the scene of the attack. Citizens at the scene shouted various comments at the minister, some in support for retribution, some in anger. Some called out “Death to terrorists.”“It’s on your watch!” one man cried. “Let’s see what you do now.”Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who was in the United States for a personal trip, was to head back to Israel on Friday night following the attack, his office said.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to hold an assessment with top security officials.Local residents told Channel 12 news that it took 20 minutes for the police to arrive. “It’s a disgrace,” one man said.Police responded to the accusation saying officers had arrived at the scene and killed the terrorist within five minutes of the first reports of gunfire.The terrorist was named as Aqlam Khayri, 21, a resident of East Jerusalem with no prior terror-related offenses, Hebrew-language media reports said.Friday’s deadly attack came following days of violence in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Tensions have increased dramatically since Thursday morning, when an Israel Defense Forces raid in the West Bank against a terrorist cell left nine Palestinians dead — most of them gunmen and members of the cell, though at least one civilian was also killed.Thursday overnight saw rocket fire from Palestinian terror groups in Gaza and Israeli retaliatory air strikes as both sides appeared intent on avoiding an escalation into a full-scale war.Tensions were also high in Jerusalem and the Temple Mount on Friday, though Muslim prayers went ahead without issue.

Israeli envoy: The UN, founded upon ashes of Holocaust, is failing its purpose-Gilad Erdan says world body holds ‘heinous double standard’ against Jewish state, calls for action against officials who have made antisemitic statements-By Luke Tress-JAN 27,23-Today, 7:52 pm

UNITED NATIONS — Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, lashed the world body for its disproportionate focus on Israel and for antisemitism in its ranks in a speech to the General Assembly on Friday marking Holocaust Remembrance Day.“The UN was founded upon the ashes of the Holocaust. It was established to ensure such darkness never befell humanity again,” Erdan said. “It is a living monument to the horrors suffered by the Jewish people.”“As such, it is the UN’s responsibility to lead the world in combating hatred, yet when it comes to fighting antisemitism, sadly, the UN ignores its purpose,” he said to an audience that included UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Holocaust survivors and Erdan’s parents, the children of survivors.“Educational programs are very, very important. Learning about history is crucial. But at a time when antisemitism is on the rise and Holocaust denial is spreading, words are not enough,” Erdan said. “In the past year, what has the UN done to combat bigotry? There’s a politicized — we all know it — and an institutionalized bias among member states. This bias is the source of the disproportionate number of anti-Israel resolutions.”The UN General Assembly condemned Israel more than all other countries combined last year, and the Jewish State is the only country with a mandated agenda item at every session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.“Mandating Israel bashing at every council session, singling out the one and only Jewish state — yes, it is antisemitism, and on Holocaust Remembrance Day it is our duty to call out this heinous double standard,” Erdan said.He blasted the UN for inaction against officials who have made antisemitic statements, including two UN-appointed investigators into Israel, Miloon Kothari and Francesca Alabanese.Kothari, a member of the UN’s Commission of Inquiry into Israel, said last year that the “Jewish lobby” controlled social media and questioned why Israel was allowed in the UN. Albanese, the special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, has said the “Jewish lobby” has subjugated the US, compared Israelis to the Nazis, sympathized with terror groups and said Israel starts wars out of greed. Her antisemitism was exposed by The Times of Israel last year. Both investigators are harshly critical of Israel and their official UN reports almost entirely ignore Palestinian terror and violence.“Similar to Mr. Kothari, Ms. Albanese still remains in her role and has been met with zero UN condemnations,” Erdan said.Neither official has faced any repercussions from the UN for their antisemitism. Guterres has spoken out against antisemitism in the past year amid controversy over their statements. His office has said the investigators are appointed by the Human Rights Council and are outside of his purview.A bipartisan group of US Congress members this week called on Guterres to remove Albanese from her position.Erdan also blasted the UN agency for the Palestinians, UNRWA, for antisemitism in its ranks, said other UN agencies distort casualty figures for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by minimizing Israeli deaths, and censured the UN for not adopting the widely accepted IHRA definition of antisemitism.“When it comes to anything related to Isreal this organization is very quick to respond and condemn, but when it comes to Jew hatred the silence is deafening,” he said. “This double standard is disgraceful.”“We all know that the libels of antisemitism are always followed by horrific actions, so I beg you that our words today also be followed by actions. The UN must remember its mission and history. It must take a stand against antisemitism,” Erdan said.Guterres, speaking ahead of Erdan, likened today’s climate to the rhetoric in 1930s Germany that led to the Holocaust, saying the rise of the Nazis was made possible by “the indifference, if not connivance, of so many millions.”“We now know the terrifying depths of the abyss into which Germany would plunge, but the alarm bells were already ringing in 1933. Too few bothered to listen, and fewer still spoke out. Today, we can hear echoes of those same siren songs to hate,” he said.“The painful truth is antisemitism is everywhere. In fact, it is increasing in intensity,” he said, citing surveys and attacks on Jews in New York, Los Angeles, Australia and Germany.Guterres was especially critical of rhetoric on the internet and the entities responsible.“The threat is global, and it is growing. And a leading accelerant of this growth is the online world. Today, I am issuing an urgent appeal to everyone with influence across the information ecosystem – regulators, policymakers, technology companies, the media, civil society and governments. Stop the hate. Set up guardrails, and enforce them,” he said.On Thursday, Guterres, Erdan and Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan toured an installation at UN headquarters commemorating the Holocaust. Yad Vashem’s “Book of names” contains personal information about all known victims of the Nazi genocide.In addition to the speeches and display at UN headquarters in New York, commemorative events took place Friday at the UN Human Rights Council, including memorial ceremonies and talks by survivors.

Bank CEOs warn PM of signs funds moving out of country amid judicial shakeup-Netanyahu meets with businesspeople amid concerns that weakening courts will harm economy, insists opposite will occur; says open to dialogue but overhaul to go ahead without delay-By TOI staff-JAN 27,23-Today, 6:04 pmUpdated at 9:28 pm

Israeli bank chiefs warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of potential economic fallout from his government’s proposals for a sweeping makeover of the country’s judiciary Friday, as he said he was open to dialogue but insisted that he will not slow efforts to advance the judicial overhaul.Netanyahu met at his Likud party’s headquarters in Tel Aviv with the heads of several of Israel’s largest banks and other businesspeople, seeking to push back against a growing chorus of warnings from top business leaders and senior economists.Bank Hapoalim CEO Dov Kotler told Netanyahu that banks have started to see an outflow of funds in recent days, with various savings accounts being moved from Israel abroad.“It’s still not on a dramatic scale but we are concerned this is the start of trend,” Kotler was quoted as saying by the Walla news site and Channel 12.Discount Bank CEO Uri Levin said: “It’s impossible to ignore all the economic figures expressing so much concern over the moves, and therefore you need to stop immediately and only advance changes cautiously and with broad agreement. Maybe we are wrong and you’re right, but the price of a mistake could be a fatal blow to democracy and the economy.”Also present was Samer Haj-Yehia, chairman of Bank Leumi, businessman and Netanyahu associate Shlomi Fogel, and tech venture capitalists Michael Eisenberg and Chemi Peres, the son of late president Shimon Peres.“The public is determined to fight. This is a cross-party war between Israeli citizens and the government. You don’t lead a revolution like this without changes or dialogue. You need to stop this madness and start to talk,” Peres said, according to Channel 12.Netanyahu argued during the meeting that excess judicial oversight was hampering economic growth.“The great success of Israel’s economy isn’t because of judicialization but in spite of it,” he was quoted as saying in a Likud statement. “The judicial reform will help Israel’s economy and businesses.”“Not only will the reform not harm the economy, it will cause it to take off,” he added.Netanyahu also said that Justice Minister Yariv Levin, a member of his Likud party and the leading figure in the push to upend the justice system, was open to discussing his planned changes with opponents — “alongside the legislative process and without delaying it.”“Up until now we haven’t heard any willingness by the other side for enacting change. Even the smallest change in the eyes of the critics is ‘the end of democracy,'” Netanyahu said in the meeting,Channel 12 and Ynet, citing unidentified sources, reported that the intense public backlash to the planned overhaul has surprised and disturbed Netanyahu, who had hoped to pass changes without bringing on such widespread condemnations and high-profile opposition from numerous leading figures. The reports said Netanyahu had also wanted to avoid becoming the face of the sweeping reforms, as his ongoing criminal trial ostensibly precludes him from involving himself directly in issues that could influence his affairs.The reports said the manner in which Levin has handled the issue so far had caused tensions with Netanyahu. Likud in a statement rejected such assertions, saying the minister had the premier’s full support.Speaking to Channel 12 Friday night, Zvika Williger, owner of the Willi-food importer of foodstuffs who was present at the meeting, said: “We’re very worried by what’s happening… the premier completely understands the situation. I think we can trust the prime minister not to carry out a hasty plan. He specified that there will be dialogue. He specified that he’s prepared for the president to be a mediator between the sides…. He told me, ‘I promise we won’t harm the Israeli economy.'”While a smattering of coalition lawmakers have entertained the possibility of compromise — often in guarded, anonymous comments to the media — most have largely ignored calls by the opposition, President Isaac Herzog and others to negotiate over the contours of the overhaul plan.“The fairy tales about ‘dialogue’ don’t convince anyone when they come from a criminal defendant held hostage by younger and more determined [coalition] partners,” opposition leader Yair Lapid tweeted in response to Netanyahu’s remarks, referring to the premier’s ongoing trial on graft charges.
“We won’t stop going out to demonstrate against the shattering of democracy in Israel,” Lapid added.As presented by Levin, the coalition’s proposals would severely restrict the High Court’s capacity to strike down laws and government decisions, with an “override clause” enabling the Knesset to re-legislate struck-down laws with a bare majority of 61; give the government complete control over the selection of judges; prevent the court from using a test of “reasonableness” to judge legislation and government decisions; and allow ministers to appoint their own legal advisers, instead of getting counsel from advisers operating under the aegis of the Justice Ministry.Critics have staged a series of large protests saying the changes will gut the courts, leave minority rights unprotected and concentrate too much power in the hands of the ruling coalition. Proponents say the current system gives unelected judges and lawyers too much power over elected officials.Opponents of the changes rallied Friday in Jerusalem where several hundred people took part in a protest convoy and demonstration.Demonstrators drove from Latrun in the Ayalon Valley to the capital, where they held a rally outside the Supreme Court, vowing to defend it from plans to weaken its power and increase political influence.Some demonstrators formed a human chain outside the Supreme Court “to protect” it.Among the participants was former Likud justice minister Dan Meridor, who said protesters were fighting “for the core values of the state as written in the Declaration of Independence; a move… from an independent justice system to biased judges appointed by the ruler; from fighting corruption to removing all constraints.”Meanwhile, 40 more economists — led by American Nobel Prize-winning economist Eric Maskin and Israel Prize recipient Menahem Yaari — signed a letter released earlier this week against the proposed overhaul, bringing the number of signatories to 310.“The reform of the judicial system endangers the Israeli economy and may cause a drop in Israel’s credit rating, lead investors to flee and bring a brain drain,” they said. “Many studies have already proven that the concentration of vast political power in the hands of the ruling group without strong checks and balances could lead the country to economic decay.”The letter, initially published Wednesday, has been signed by both right- and left-leaning senior academics, including Nobel Prize winner Prof. Daniel Kahneman and former Netanyahu economic adviser and National Economic Council head Prof. Eugene Kandel.Its release came a day after Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron reportedly outlined for Netanyahu the potential consequences of weakening the courts and relayed warnings made by senior economic figures and officials from credit rating firms during his recent meetings at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
According to Israeli television reports, Yaron explicitly told Netanyahu that the shakeup would harm the economy.A pair of Yaron’s successors, Karnit Flug and Jacob Frenkel, has also spoken out against the government’s plans, warning in an op-ed Sunday that it could negatively affect Israel’s credit rating and “deal a severe blow to the economy and its citizens,” a warning voiced by many workers in the tech sector.

Putin blasts ‘neo-Nazis’ in Ukraine on Holocaust Remembrance Day-Russian leader says ‘forgetting the lessons of history leads to the repetition of terrible tragedies’ as he continues to compare war against Hitler with current conflict-By AFP-JAN 23,-Today, 4:42 pm

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday repeated a claim that neo-Nazis were committing crimes in Ukraine — an allegation Moscow has used to justify its military intervention — as the world marked Holocaust Remembrance Day.“Forgetting the lessons of history leads to the repetition of terrible tragedies,” Putin said.“This is evidenced by the crimes against civilians, ethnic cleansing and punitive actions organized by neo-Nazis in Ukraine. It is against that evil that our soldiers are bravely fighting,” he said in a statement.
Supporters of Putin’s military operation allege Ukraine’s treatment of Russian speakers in the country is comparable with the actions of Nazi Germany.One of the goals of the operation was the “de-Nazification” of Ukraine, Putin said, when he announced nearly one year ago he had ordered Russian troops toward Kyiv.The claims have been blasted by the Ukrainian government, the country’s Jewish community and world leaders.The Soviet Union’s victory over Hitler’s army — long a symbol of patriotic pride for Russians — has taken center stage since the beginning of the military intervention.Putin said that “attempts to revise the contributions of our country to the Great Victory (against Hitler) actually equate to justifying the crimes of Nazism and open the way for the revival of its deadly ideology.”Friday is the 78th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp built by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland — a date that has become International Holocaust Remembrance Day.The Auschwitz museum did not invite Russian representatives to the ceremony marking the day the Soviet Red Army liberated the Nazi camp because of the offensive in Ukraine.“Russia will need an extremely long time and very deep self-examination after this conflict in order to return to gatherings of the civilized world,” Piotr Sawicki, a spokesman for the museum at the site of the former camp, told AFP.Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar told AFP that “for us, this is clearly a humiliation because we perfectly know and remember the role of the Red Army in the liberation of Auschwitz and in the victory over Nazism.”“These political games have no place on Holocaust day,” Lazar added.

Chemical weapons watchdog blames Syria’s air force for deadly 2018 chlorine attack-Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons investigation finds ‘reasonable grounds to believe’ helicopter dropped two cylinders containing gas, killing 43-By Mike Corder    Today, 2:27 pm

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An investigation by the global chemical weapons watchdog established there are “reasonable grounds to believe” Syria’s air force dropped two cylinders containing chlorine gas on the city of Douma in April 2018, killing 43 people.A report published Friday by a team from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons offered the latest confirmation that the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad used chemical weapons during his country’s grinding civil war.“The use of chemical weapons in Douma – and anywhere – is unacceptable and a breach of international law,” OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias said.The organization said that “reasonable grounds to believe” is the standard of proof consistently adopted by international fact-finding bodies and commissions of inquiry.Syria, which joined the OPCW in 2013 under pressure from the international community after being blamed for another deadly chemical weapon attack, does not recognize the investigation team’s authority and has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons.Despite the latest findings, bringing perpetrators in Syria to justice remains a long way off. Syria’s ally Russia has, in the past, blocked efforts by the UN Security Council to order an International Criminal Court investigation in Syria.“The world now knows the facts – it is up to the international community to take action, at the OPCW and beyond,” Arias, a veteran Spanish diplomat, said.The report said there are “reasonable grounds to believe” that during a government military offensive to recapture Douma, at least one Syrian air force Mi8/17 helicopter dropped two yellow cylinders on the city.One of the cylinders hit the roof of a three-story residential building and ruptured, “rapidly released toxic gas, chlorine, in very high concentrations, which rapidly dispersed within the building killing 43 named individuals and affecting dozens more,” according to the report.A second cylinder burst through the roof of another building into an apartment below and only partially ruptured, “mildly affecting those who first arrived at the scene,” the report added.Syrian authorities refused the investigation team access to the sites of the chlorine attacks. The country had its OPCW voting rights suspended in 2021 as punishment for the repeated use of toxic gas, the first such sanction imposed on a member nation.The painstaking investigation by the organization’s team was set up to identify perpetrators of chemical weapon attacks in Syria, built on earlier findings by an OPCW fact-finding mission that chlorine was used as a weapon in Douma.The investigators also interviewed dozens of witnesses and studied the blood and urine of survivors as well as samples of soil and building materials, according to the watchdog agency.The investigators also carefully assessed and rejected alternative theories for what happened, including Syria’s claim that the attack was staged and that bodies of people killed elsewhere in Syria were taken to Douma to look like victims of a gas attack.The report found that the two cylinders carrying chlorine were modified and filled at the Dumayr air base and the helicopter or helicopters that dropped them were under control of the Syrian military’s elite Tiger Force.The OPCW team “considered a range of possible scenarios and tested their validity against the evidence they gathered and analyzed to reach their conclusion: that the Syrian Arab Air Forces are the perpetrators of this attack,” the organization said in a statement.The ongoing conflict that started in Syria more than a decade ago has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced half the country’s prewar population of 23 million.