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)
WAR WITH IRAN - DAY 50 APR 18,26 - HORMUZ OPEN.ISRAEL, LEBANON CEASEFIRE.
THE
NEXT US-ISRAEL HIT ON IRAN SHOULD BE VERSE 37. ALL OFFENSIVE NUKE SITES
MISSLES,DRONES,AND OF COURSE KHEMENI AND THE IRGC GUARDS.THEN AFTER
IRANS REGIME CHANGE. MUSLIMS COME TO JESUS BY THE MILLIONS.
JEREMEIAH 49:32-39 (IN IRAN AT THE BUSHEHR OR ARAK NUKE SITES AND ALL OFENSIVE WEAPONS DESTROYED IN IRAN)
Jeremiah 49:32-39
32
Their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a
spoil: and I will scatter to all winds those who have the corners [of
their hair] cut off; and I will bring their calamity from every side of
them, says Yahweh.
33 Hazor shall be a dwelling-place of jackals, a
desolation forever: no man shall dwell there, neither shall any son of
man sojourn therein.(Location & Size: It was strategically located
along the Via Maris (Way of the Sea), a major trade route connecting
Egypt with Syria and Mesopotamia.)
34 The word of Yahweh that came to
Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam,(IRAN) in the beginning of the
reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,
35 Thus says Yahweh of
Hosts: Behold, I will break the bow of Elam,(IRANS OFFENSIVE WEAPONS)
the chief of their might.(MISSLES AND NUKE SITES)
36 On Elam (IRAN)
will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of the sky, and will
scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation where
the outcasts of Elam shall not come.(SINCE 1979 IRANIANS HAVE GOTTIN OUT
OF IRAN BECAUSE OF KHEMENI AND HIS APOCOPOLIPTIC DEATH CULT
BELIEF-BLACK HATER 12ERS)
37 I will cause Elam (IRAN) to be dismayed
before their enemies, and before those who seek their life;(ISRAEL THE
LITTLE SATAN AND THE U.S THE BIG SATAN) and I will bring evil on them,
(MISSLES) even my fierce anger,(FIRE) says Yahweh; and I will send the
sword after them,(IRANS OFFENSIVE WEAPONS) until I have consumed them;
(DESTROYED THEM ALL NUKE SITES,MISSLES ETC)
38 and I will set my
throne in Elam,(IRAN WILL BECOME A CHRISTIAN NATION) and will destroy
from there king (KHEMENI, ISLAM) and princes, says Yahweh.(IRANIAN ARMY
GUARDS)
39 But it shall happen in the latter days, that I will bring
back the captivity of Elam,(IRAN) says Yahweh.(WERE IN THE LATTER DAYS
NOW)
WHEN ARE THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS IN ISRAEL IN THE SPRING TIME.(GET READY ISLAM TO BE BIRD SEED FOR THESE BIRDS)
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/m0bXU5Xqc5M
The
500 million migratory birds in Israel during the spring arrive from
Africa and head toward Europe and Asia, with the peak migration
occurring in March and April. While migration starts in late February,
the most intense movements, particularly of birds of prey, storks, and
pelicans, occur during the third week of March and continue into April.
Key Details on the Spring Migration
Peak Period: Mid-March through April.
Main
Migration Route: The birds use the Great Rift Valley, which includes
the Hula Valley and Eilat, acting as a "bottleneck" where millions of
birds fly through the narrow land bridge.
Best Spots: The Hula Lake
Park (Northern Israel) and the Eilat Birding Center (Southern Israel)
are primary locations for observing the migration.
Key Species:
Hundreds of thousands of white storks, along with black kites, raptors,
and pelicans, pass through over these months.
uration: The spring migration runs from late February and continues into June, though the heaviest traffic is in March/April.
The
500 million migratory birds fly over Israel in the fall between late
August and mid-December. The peak migration period for the autumn, when
the highest volume of bird traffic occurs, is typically October and
November.
Key Fall Migration Details
Location: The Hula Valley (Agamon Hula Park) in northern Israel is the premier spot to witness this phenomenon.
Timing: Migration starts as early as late June with some waders, but intensifies from mid-August through November.
Peak Festival: The "Annual Hula Valley Bird Festival" is usually held in November to align with the peak migration traffic.
Key
Species: Many birds of prey (raptors), including honey buzzards and
steppe eagles, cross during this time, along with massive flocks of
storks and cranes.
While roughly 500 million birds pass through in
the autumn on their way to Africa, the same number crosses again in the
spring (mid-February to May) on their way back to Europe and Asia.
JEREMEIAH 49:23-27
23
Concerning Damascus.(SYRIA) Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they
have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the
sea;(WAR SHIPS WITH NUKES COMING ON SYRIA) it cannot be quiet.
24
Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath
seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in
travail.
25 How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
26
Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of
war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.
27 And I
will kindle a fire (NUKES OR BOMBS) in the wall of Damascus, and it
shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.(ASSADS PALACES POSSIBLY IN
DAMASCUS)
Iran threatens to close Hormuz again if US blockade
remains-As Trump claims ‘no sticking points’ and that deal possible in
days, Iran insists he’s lying-President says US will remove Iran’s
enriched uranium ‘at leisurely pace,’ but Iran denies it; also claims
Iran will stop backing Hamas, Hezbollah; US and Iranian officials say
significant gaps remain-By Jacob Magid,ToI Staff and Agencies 17 April
2026, 10:28 pm
US President Donald Trump signaled growing
optimism Friday about a potential deal with Iran to end the war amid a
temporary ceasefire, saying negotiators could meet as soon as this
weekend and that an agreement may be reached within days. He boldly
claimed there were “no sticking points,” even as US and Iranian
officials cautioned that major key issues remain unresolved.The US
leader spoke with several news outlets Friday and issued a long series
of posts on his Truth Social network, following the Iranian announcement
that it had opened the Strait of Hormuz as a response to the
Israeli-Hezbollah ceasefire in Lebanon, with Trump predicting a deal to
permanently end the war in a matter of days and saying that the US would
remove Iran’s enriched uranium at a “leisurely pace.”“We’re going to
get it by going in with Iran, with lots of excavators,” Trump later
elaborated at the conservative Turning Point USA movement in Phoenix,
Arizona. “We’re going to take it back home to the USA very soon.”Iran
swiftly denied any readiness to relinquish its stockpile of highly
enriched uranium, and it did not confirm another Trump claim, that it
was ready to halt its support for proxy terror groups Hamas and
Hezbollah — issues that have hitherto prevented an agreement.Iranian
sources told CNN that talks could resume Monday in Pakistan’s capital of
Islamabad. But Tehran’s parliament speaker and top negotiator Mohammad
Bagher Ghalibaf gave no such indication, and threatened to close the
strategic Strait of Hormuz again if the United States continued its
blockade of Iranian ports.Speaking to the Axios news site, Trump said he
expected imminent progress on an agreement to end the war following
recent contacts with Iranian officials.“The Iranians want to meet. They
want to make a deal. I think a meeting will probably take place over the
weekend. I think we will get a deal in the next day or two,” he said in
a phone interview.Speaking to Reuters, Trump said that he thought the
deal “will go very quickly,” adding, “We’re getting along very well with
Iran.”In a separate interview with AFP, Trump struck an even more
confident note, claiming there were “no sticking points at all” left in
the negotiations.“We’re very close. Looks like it’s going to be very
good for everybody. And we’re very close to having a deal,” Trump said,
adding that “things are going very well.”Trump also pointed to
developments in the Strait of Hormuz as a sign of progress.“The strait’s
going to be open, they already are open,” he said, after Iran announced
it would allow commercial shipping through the waterway for the
duration of the current ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in
Lebanon.But Ghalibaf tweeted overnight Friday-Saturday that, “With the
continuation of the blockade, the Strait of Hormuz will not remain
open.”He added that passage through the waterway would depend on
authorization from Iran, as stated in the terms of the ceasefire
announced by PakistanGhalibaf said Trump had made seven different claims
about the war within an hour, all of which were false.The US “did not
win the war with these lies, and they certainly will not get them
anywhere in negotiations either,” Ghalibaf said.Nuclear dust-In his
remarks to Reuters, Trump outlined a proposal for handling Iran’s
enriched uranium stockpile, saying the United States would work directly
with Iran to retrieve it.“We’re going to get it together. We’re going
to go in with Iran, at a nice leisurely pace, and go down and start
excavating with big machinery… We’ll bring it back to the United
States,” he said, adding that material he described as “nuclear dust”
would be recovered “very soon.”Iran is believed to hold some 450 kilos
(900 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity — just a short
technical step away from weapons-grade levels — making the issue one of
the most contentious in the negotiations.It is believed to be held in
underground nuclear sites bombed by the US last year, leading Trump to
refer to it as “nuclear dust.”Trump’s claim was swiftly denied by
Iran.“Iran’s enriched uranium is not going to be transferred anywhere,”
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told state TV.For his
part, Trump pushed back on reports of a potential financial component to
the deal, rejecting claims of a $20 billion arrangement involving
frozen Iranian funds.“It’s totally false. No money is changing hands,”
he told Reuters.That denial appeared to contradict reporting by Axios,
which said one proposal under discussion involved the US releasing $20
billion in frozen Iranian assets in exchange for Iran giving up its
enriched uranium stockpile and agreeing to a moratorium on
enrichment.Beyond the nuclear issue, Trump emphasized that any deal must
address regional tensions, particularly regarding Israel. Speaking with
CBS News, he again claimed Iran agreed to halt support for armed
proxies such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Hamas in Gaza, but gave no
further details.Make Israel safe-He told Axios that the potential deal
with Iran would “make Israel safe,” stressing that Jerusalem would “come
out great” at the end of the war.In terms of Israel’s conflict with
Hezbollah, Trump said it “has to stop. They can’t continue to blow
buildings up. I am not gonna allow it,” echoing an earlier remark he
made on Truth Social, where he said Israel was “PROHIBITED” from
continuing to strike Lebanon amid a 10-day ceasefire.Despite those
remarks, Lebanese media reported a strike that killed a motorcyclist
after the ceasefire took effect. The IDF did not immediately comment on
the reports.The White House later clarified that Israel, under the terms
of this week’s Trump-announced Israel-Lebanon ceasefire agreement,
retains the right to self-defence against Hezbollah.The “ceasefire
agreement between Lebanon and Israel clearly states that Israel will not
carry out any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets
but preserves its right to self-defense against planned, imminent, or
ongoing attacks,” a US official told The Times of Israel.Serious
negotiations required-Despite Trump’s optimism, even his aides privately
acknowledged that significant gaps remain.US officials familiar with
the talks told Axios that while negotiators are closing in on a
three-page peace plan, gaps persist on critical issues, underscoring
lingering uncertainty despite the president’s confidence.A senior
Iranian official told Reuters that significant differences between Iran
and the United States remain, adding that keeping the Strait of Hormuz
open is “conditional on US adherence to the terms of the ceasefire.”The
official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also specified that “no
agreement has been reached on the details of the nuclear issues.”He said
Tehran hoped that a preliminary agreement could be reached in the
coming days with mediator Pakistan’s efforts, with the possibility of
extending the ceasefire to “create space for more talks on lifting
sanctions on Iran and securing compensation for war damages.”“In
exchange, Iran will provide assurances to the international community
about the peaceful nature of its nuclear program,” he said, adding that
any other “narrative about the ongoing talks is a misrepresentation of
the situation.”Earlier Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi
said that “the passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of
Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of the
ceasefire.”The reopening of the strait — a critical international
shipping route — and a parallel ceasefire in Lebanon have been seen as
key steps toward a broader agreement, after Tehran insisted that halting
fighting there must be part of any deal.At the same time, Trump made
clear that military pressure on Iran would continue until an agreement
is finalized, telling both Axios and Reuters that the US naval blockade
would remain in place until a deal is reached.Israel, which launched the
military campaign against Iran jointly with the US at the end of
February, is not represented at the talks.The two-week ceasefire
declared by Trump last week came with the US and Israel’s core declared
goals of the war largely unfulfilled, including ensuring that Iran does
not attain nuclear weapons, destroying its missile program, and creating
the conditions for the Iranian public to overthrow the regime.USS
Gerald Ford arrives back in Mideast, as 3rd American aircraft carrier
follows suit-As both sides publicly traded accusations on Friday, two US
defense officials told the Associated Press that the world’s largest
aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, had again entered the waters
of the Middle East.The Ford, which until recently was operating in the
Eastern Mediterranean, transited the Suez Canal, along with a pair of
destroyers, the USS Mahan and the USS Winston S. Churchill, and is now
operating in the Red Sea, one official said.The Ford is returning to the
Red Sea after more than a month in the Mediterranean following a major
fire in a laundry space that forced the ship back to port for repairs.
The carrier also broke the record for the longest aircraft carrier
deployment since the Vietnam war this week.The Ford’s arrival makes it
the second aircraft carrier in the region in addition to the USS Abraham
Lincoln in the Arabian Sea. The USS George H. W. Bush is also heading
toward the region and is currently off the coast of South Africa,
according to one defense official.
Iran negotiators were escorted
home from talks by Pakistani air force, fearing Israeli hit-Sources say
Iranian delegation expressed concern Israel might assassinate them, but
regional diplomat says Islamabad insisted on escort after
‘hypothetical’ threat was raised By Reuters 17 April 2026, 4:03 pm
ISLAMABAD
— Pakistan’s air force escorted Iranian negotiators home from
inconclusive peace talks with the US last weekend, launching a major
operation after the Iranians said Israel might seek to kill them, three
sources told Reuters.Pakistan deployed some two dozen jets in the
escort, as well as the force’s Airborne Warning and Control System for
aerial surveillance to ensure the safety of the delegation back from
Islamabad, said two Pakistani sources with knowledge of the
operation.One said similar security protection would be provided for
subsequent talks if the Iranians ask for it, “otherwise Pakistani
aircraft would receive them in Pakistan airspace.”A third source
involved in the talks said measures were already in the works ahead of
an expected further round of talks as soon as this weekend.A regional
diplomat briefed by Tehran, however, said Pakistan insisted on the
escort after Iranian delegates raised the “hypothetical” possibility of a
threat.The discussions with the Iranian delegation about a potential
threat while traveling and the presence of a Pakistani air escort into
Iran have not previously been reported.Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office
did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Iran’s permanent
mission in Geneva did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Pakistan’s air force and military did not respond to questions about the
operation. The US Embassy in Islamabad did not respond to a request for
comment.“When the talks failed, the Iranians were wary that things had
not gone right. It was their suspicion that they might be targeted,” one
security source said.“This was a massive operational mission if you
look at it from a pilot’s point of view. You are taking responsibility
for a delegation that is coming for talks, you are giving them air
cover, you have potent fighters that counter any threat,” he said.The
source involved in the talks, the highest-level engagement between the
two countries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, confirmed the air
escort but did not provide details about the operation.“We dropped them
all the way to Tehran. Their security was our responsibility even beyond
their time here,” the source said.Sunday’s mission to Iran included
Chinese-made J-10 aircraft, the top jet in the Pakistani air force
fleet, one official said.The Iranian delegation, led by Foreign Minister
Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a
former military officer and certified pilot, requested the security
escort, which goes well beyond normal protocol, the two security sources
said.The regional diplomat said the Iranians did not make a formal
request but also did not “rule out the possibility that Israel could
even strike the aircraft,” prompting Pakistan to insist on providing a
security escort.The delegation did not land in Tehran, the diplomat
said, declining to say where they were dropped off.Israel had Araghchi
and Ghalibaf on its strike list until Pakistan asked Washington to
intervene to have them removed because there would be no one left to
negotiate on the war the US and Israel launched on February 28.Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last month: “I wouldn’t issue life
insurance policies on any of the leaders of the terrorist organization,”
referring to Iran. “I don’t intend to provide an exact report here
about what we are planning or what we are going to do.”Times of Israel
staff contributed to this report.
Iran says it has reasserted control over Hormuz after US refuses to end blockade-By AP APR 18,26
CAIRO,
Egypt (AP) — Iran swiftly reverses course on reopening the Strait of
Hormuz, reimposing restrictions on the critical waterway after the US
says the move would not end its blockade.The country’s joint military
command says that the “control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to
its previous state … under strict management and control of the armed
forces.”It warns that it would continue to block transit through the
strait as long as the US blockade of Iranian ports remained in
effect.The announcement comes the morning after US President Donald
Trump said the American blockade “will remain in full force” until
Tehran reaches a deal with the US, including on its nuclear program.
Egyptian FM says Cairo working with Pakistan on US-Iran peace framework-By Reuters-APR 18,26
ANTALYA,
Turkey — Egypt is working closely with Pakistan on a framework aimed at
securing a lasting peace between the US and Iran, Foreign Minister Badr
Abdelatty says.He says Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were
coordinating a broader regional effort focused on preventing renewed
escalation and laying the groundwork for a post-war security
arrangement, stressing the importance of protecting Gulf states and
stabilising energy markets, supply chains and food security.
Oil
prices drop more than 10% and US stocks soar after Iran reopens Strait
of Hormuz-Iranian announcement came after Trump-arranged Israeli
ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon; US president welcomes move but says
US naval blockade to remain in place until a deal is reached-By STAN
CHOE 17 April 2026, 9:34 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices dropped
more than 10% Friday, and US stocks raced toward another record after
Iran said the Strait of Hormuz is open again for commercial tankers
carrying oil from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide.The S&P
500 leaped 1.2% as Wall Street rallied to the finish of a third straight
week of big gains, its longest streak since Halloween. A freer flow of
oil would take pressure off prices not only for gasoline but also for
groceries and all kinds of other products that get moved by vehicles. It
could even ultimately help people pay less on credit-card interest or
mortgage bills.The Dow Jones Industrial Average briefly climbed 1,139
points and was up 942 points, or 1.9%, as of 2:05 p.m. Eastern time,
while the Nasdaq composite was 1.4% higher.The US stock market has
jumped more than 12% since hitting a bottom in late March on hopes the
United States and Iran can avoid a worst-case scenario for the global
economy despite their war. Friday’s reopening of the Strait of Hormuz,
which may only be temporary, is the clearest signal yet for optimism,
and US President Donald Trump said late Thursday that the war “should be
ending pretty soon.”The price for a barrel of benchmark US crude
plunged immediately after Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi,
posted on X that the passage for all commercial vessels through the
strait “is declared completely open” as a ceasefire appears to be
holding in Lebanon. He said it would stay open for the remaining period
of the ceasefire, and US oil tumbled 11.6% to $83.65 per barrel.Brent
crude, the international standard, dropped 9.2% to $90.25 per barrel. To
be sure, it remains above its $70 price from before the war, indicating
some caution is still embedded in financial markets.Several times since
the war began, optimism on Wall Street has quickly swung to doubt about
a possible end to the fighting. That in turn has caused vicious and
sudden swings in prices for everything from stocks to bonds to
oil.Minutes after the Iranian foreign minister’s announcement of the
reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said on his social media
network that the US Navy’s blockade of Iranian ports remains “in full
force” until both sides reach a deal on the war. He, though, also said
that “should go very quickly in that most of the points are already
negotiated” and emphasized it by using all capital letters.Companies
with big fuel bills soared to some of Wall Street’s biggest gains
following the easing of oil prices.United Airlines surged 7.1%. On
Thursday, the head of the International Energy Agency had said that
Europe has “maybe six weeks or so” of remaining jet fuel
supplies.Operators of cruise ships, which guzzle fuel, also steamed
higher. Norwegian Cruise Line jumped 6.6%, and Royal Caribbean Group
gained 8.6%.Housing and auto-related companies also got some relief from
the drop in oil prices.With less threat of high inflation hurting the
economy, a sustained drop in oil prices could convince the Federal
Reserve to resume its cuts to interest rates to invigorate the economy.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury sank to 4.25% from 4.32% late
Thursday, and lower yields can bring down rates for mortgages and other
loans going to US households and businesses.Builders FirstSource, a
supplier of windows and other products, rose 6.2%, and homebuilder
Lennar gained 5.1% on hopes that lower mortgage rates will spur more
people to buy houses. Carvana climbed 6.9% because lower loan rates can
get more customers into new autos.A strong start to the earnings
reporting season for big US companies has also helped to support the US
stock market, and several more financial companies joined the list of
companies delivering bigger profits for the start of 2026 than analysts
expected.State Street rose 4.1%, and Fifth Third Bancorp added 1.7%
after both reported better results for the latest quarter than
expected.They helped offset a 10.2% slide for Netflix, which fell even
though it likewise delivered a better profit than expected. It did not
raise its forecast for revenue growth for the full year, which analysts
said may have disappointed some investors.It also said Reed Hastings,
cofounder and chairman of the streaming company, will step down from its
board of directors in June when his term expires.In stock markets
abroad, stock indexes leaped in Europe following Iran’s announcement
about the Strait of Hormuz. France’s CAC 40 jumped 2%, and Germany’s DAX
returned 2.3%.In Asia, where trading finished for the day before the
announcement, indexes were weaker. Japan’s Nikkei 225 lost 1.8%, and
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.9% for two of the bigger losses.
After
Lebanon truce, Iran says Hormuz ‘completely open’; US maintains naval
blockade-Trump hails move but keeps naval blockade on strait, says
mine-clearing operations underway; oil prices tumble, though shipping
firms, US Navy and EU warn situation remains unstable By Jacob Magid-and
Agencies 17 April 2026, 9:05 pm
Iran declared on Friday that the
Strait of Hormuz was “completely open” for as long as the US-brokered
ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon would last, though lingering
security concerns cast doubt on how quickly traffic could resume through
the vital waterway.US President Donald Trump gleefully celebrated the
reopening of the strait, with news of the move sending oil prices
tumbling.Despite Israeli and US protestations that the Lebanon ceasefire
that went into effect overnight was not linked to Iranian pressure,
Tehran drew a strait line between the two.“In line with the ceasefire in
Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of
Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of the
ceasefire,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X, while
stipulating that ships must sail along “the coordinated route as already
announced” by Iran.Tehran began blocking the strait, a key pathway for
the global oil and natural gas supply, since the beginning of the
US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28. Washington has imposed a
blockade on Iranian ports since Monday, amid a ceasefire, intended to
prevent Tehran from exporting its oil.Trump quickly welcomed Tehran’s
move, writing in an all-caps Truth Social post that “IRAN HAS JUST
ANNOUNCED THAT THE STRAIT OF IRAN IS FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR FULL
PASSAGE.”However, Trump made clear that Washington’s own restrictions
would remain in place.“The Strait of Hormuz is completely open and ready
for business and full passage, but the naval blockade will remain in
full force and effect as it pertains to Iran only, until such time as
our transaction with Iran is 100% complete,” he wrote in a subsequent
post, referring to a developing agreement aimed at permanently ending
the war with Iran.At the same time, Trump stressed that the emerging
deal with Iran was “not tied, in any way, to Lebanon,” despite Tehran
explicitly linking the reopening of the strait to the ceasefire
there.Later, Trump said that “Iran has agreed to never close the Strait
of Hormuz again,” and asserted that the waterway “will no longer be used
as a weapon against the World!”Trump also said that Iran, “with the
help of the USA, has removed, or is removing, all sea mines” from the
strait, while touting international support for the arrangement.He
thanked Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar for their
“great bravery and help,” as well as Pakistan, which has been acting as a
mediator in US-Iran talks, and dismissed a potential NATO role in
mine-clearing operations, saying he told the alliance to “STAY AWAY,
UNLESS THEY JUST WANT TO LOAD UP THEIR SHIPS WITH OIL.”International
mission-Despite Trump’s rejection of NATO’s involvement, British Prime
Minister Keir Starmer said more than a dozen countries were ready to
contribute assets to a potential defensive mission aimed at ensuring
freedom of navigation of the strait.“We will take this forward with a
military plan conference in London next week where we will announce more
detail on the composition of the mission, and over a dozen countries
have already offered to contribute assets,” Starmer told reporters
alongside the leaders of France, Germany and Italy, after a meeting in
Paris of 49 countries to discuss preparations for a possible
multinational defensive mission to protect shipping in the Strait of
Hormuz once conditions allow.French Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin
separately noted that several European countries, including Belgium, the
Netherlands and France, have mine clearance capabilities that could
help secure passage through the waterway. She emphasized that any
mission would be strictly defensive, potentially including escorted
passage for commercial vessels.Early signs of resumed traffic emerged
quickly. According to maritime tracking firm Kpler, three Iranian oil
tankers — the Deep Sea, Sonia I and Diona — carrying a combined five
million barrels of crude, became the first such vessels to exit the Gulf
via the Strait of Hormuz since a US blockade came into force. No
Iranian tanker had left the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz with a
cargo of crude oil since April 10.Still, international uncertainty
persisted. The Norwegian Shipowners’ Association said several factors
needed clarification before transit could be fully assessed, including
the presence of sea mines, Iranian conditions and practical
implementation.Similarly, shipping firm Hapag-Lloyd said it would
continue avoiding the strait while assessing the situation.A US Navy
advisory echoed those concerns, warning that the threat posed by mines
in parts of the strait was “not fully understood” and recommending that
vessels consider avoiding the area. The advisory referenced risks within
the Traffic Separation Scheme, the internationally recognized shipping
corridor dividing lanes between Iranian and Omani waters.Stocks surge,
oil prices tumble-Even as security questions lingered, global markets
reacted swiftly to the prospect of restored flows through the strait,
which typically carries around 20 percent of the world’s oil and
liquefied natural gas. Oil prices fell sharply on Friday, easing fears
of supply disruption that had pushed crude above $100 a barrel and
sparked recession worries. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 rose 0.8% in
early trading.Meanwhile, European officials warned of economic ripple
effects. The European Union said it was prepared to coordinate a release
of jet fuel stocks if disruptions persisted, amid concerns from
European airlines and regulators about potential cancellations, grounded
aircraft and disruption to summer holiday travel unless jet fuel supply
bottlenecks from the Middle East linked to the Iran war would ease
soon.“There are no fuel shortages in the EU at present,” an EU
spokesperson said, while noting preparations for possible shortages. “If
the situation in the Strait of Hormuz continues, the EU will be
preparing to launch a possible coordinated release of jet fuel stocks.”
PROOF
HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON
EARTH) (DO NOT EVER LISTEN TO ANYBODY THAT SAYS THE WORLD IS ENDING.ITS
NEVER GONNA HAPPEN-4 BILLION WILL BE LEFT ON EARTH TO GO INTO JESUS"
1000 YEAR RULE)(THAT DOES NOT SOUND LIKE THE END OF THE WORLD TO ANY
ONE, DOES IT-NOT ME.THE EARTH IS JUST RENOVATED.NEVER ENDED.
REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8
And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that
sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given
unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with
sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE
DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18
By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the
fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their
mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)
HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
LUKE
17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS
KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE
BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND
DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in
that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN
WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4
billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37
And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto
them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered
together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against
Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten
by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE
SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE
CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH
IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.
MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38
For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe
entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11
The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with
violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13
And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the
earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and,
behold, I will destroy them with the earth.(CAN YOU SAY
TORNADOES,HURRICANES,VOLCANOES,EARTH QUAKES,LANDSLIDES,FLASH
FLOODING,EXPLOSIONS,SNOW STORMS,THEN FINALLY NUKESAND ANY OTHER
JUDGEMENTS THE EARTH CAN VOMIT THE SINNERS OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH
WITH.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there
shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and
troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11
And great earthquakes shall be in divers places,(DIFFERNT PLACES AT THE
SAME TIME) and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great
signs shall there be from heaven.
2 Peter 3:6-7 Amplified Bible (AMP) (HOT SUN, NUKES ETC)
6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.
7
By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire,
being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
LUKE 21:25-26
25
And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in
the moon,(MAN ON THE MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the
stars;(ASTEROIDS-PROPHECY SIGNS) and upon the earth distress of nations,
with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE
WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for
fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things
which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven
shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
GENESIS 16:11-12
11
And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with
child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF
THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And
he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS)
man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be
against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against
him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL
ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his
brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the
morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground,
which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine
heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars
of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the
sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above
the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF
THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2
They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that
whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM
MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
And here are the
bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or
peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels
land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the
future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan,
Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq
west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe
23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN
THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE
FUTURE.
Joel 3:2-King James Version (YOU DIVIDE JERUSALEM IN
HALF - YOUR POKING GOD IN THE EYE - GOD SAYS AN EYE FOR AN EYE AND A
TOOTH FOR A TOOTH- YOU WANNA DIVIDE JERUSALEM IN HALF - HALF OF EARTHS
POPULATION 4 BILLION DIE ON EARTH.
2 I will also gather all nations,
and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead
with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have
scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
And here are
the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war
or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only
Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land
in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel,
Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half
of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18,
Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY
OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND
IN THE FUTURE.
Palestinian armed with knife breaches West Bank
settlement, is shot dead — IDF-Suspect from nearby village spotted
climbing over community’s entrance gate; local guard opened fire after
assailant rushed at him with knife, probe finds By Emanuel Fabian-Today,
11:39 amUpdated at 12:42 pm-APR 18,26
A Palestinian terrorist
armed with a knife who infiltrated a West Bank settlement on Saturday
morning was shot dead by a local security officer, according to the
military.The incident began shortly after 6 am, when a siren warning of a
terrorist infiltration was activated in the settlement of Negohot
following the identification of a suspect climbing over the South Hebron
Hills community’s entrance gate.One of the settlement’s volunteer
patrolmen reached the entrance gate within minutes, where he identified
the suspect rushing toward him while brandishing a knife.The armed
civilian then opened fire, killing the assailant, according to an
initial probe of the incident carried out by the Israeli Defense
Forces.There were no other injuries in the incident.Palestinian media
and Israeli security officials identified the suspect as Muhammad
al-Suweiti, 25, from the nearby village of Fuqeiqis, west of the town of
Dura.The Palestinian Authority’s Wafa news agency reported that Israeli
authorities were holding Suweiti’s body.Following the incident, the IDF
said it had dispatched troops to carry out searches of the area.After
just over an hour, the military ruled out the possibility of further
suspects, and the Home Front Command issued an all-clear in the
settlement, allowing civilians to leave their homes.Later in the
morning, the IDF said it raided Suweiti’s home in Fuqeiqis.According to
the military, at the home of the terrorist, troops located a makeshift
firearm and other military equipment, with which he “planned to carry
out acts of terror against Israeli civilians and IDF troops.”The IDF
said that “in light of the findings,” Suweiti’s brother was detained at
the scene and handed over to the Shin Bet security agency for
interrogation.
PM said stunned by Trump order; WH clarifies
Israel's right to self-defense-Netanyahu: ‘Road to peace’ with Lebanon
begins; Trump: Israel ‘PROHIBITED’ from bombing there-All wartime
restrictions lifted for Israeli public; 10-day ceasefire appears to hold
even as Lebanese media report Israeli strike on motorcycle; Hezbollah
says ‘finger on the trigger’By Lazar Berman,Emanuel Fabian,Nurit Yohanan
and Agencies 17 April 2026, 7:48 pm
Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu said on Friday that the road to peace with Lebanon was long,
“but we have begun,” as he defended his decision to accept a 10-day
US-brokered ceasefire with Hezbollah, framing it as a strategic opening
for both diplomacy and continued military pressure.However, the
impression that this was a truce imposed upon Israel was reinforced by
US President Donald Trump, who declared in a Truth Social post that
Israel “will not be bombing Lebanon any longer.”“They are PROHIBITED
from doing so by the USA. Enough is enough,” he added, in an
unprecedented expression of US control over Israel’s actions.The White
House later clarified that, under the terms of the ceasefire, Israel
retains the right to self-defense against Hezbollah.Netanyahu had
earlier sought to give the truce a positive spin.“One hand holds a
weapon; the other is extended for peace,” Netanyahu said in a video
statement issued before Trump’s “prohibited” instruction. He explained
that at the request of Trump, Israel was “giving an opportunity to
advance a combined diplomatic and military solution with the Lebanese
government.”Still, Netanyahu made clear the campaign against Hezbollah
was far from over. He argued that since October 7, 2023, Israel had
removed the threat of infiltration and anti-tank fire from the group and
eliminated roughly 90% of its rocket arsenal.“I will say honestly, we
have not yet finished the job,” he added, warning that further action
was planned against remaining rocket and drone threats. Dismantling
Hezbollah, he said, would require “sustained effort, patience, and
careful navigation in the diplomatic arena.”His remarks came as the
fragile ceasefire, brokered by Washington after some six weeks of
fighting, took effect overnight.Despite the truce, Lebanese media on
Friday evening reported one killed in an Israeli drone strike targeting a
motorcycle between the southern towns of Kounine and Beit Yahoun. There
was no immediate comment from the IDF on the incident.Netanyahu
stunned-Netanyahu was reportedly “stunned and alarmed” by Trump’s
statement, learning of it from the media, a senior Israeli source told
Axios, which noted that such pronouncements, implying that Israel had no
choice but to obey, would have been “unthinkable” under any other US
administration.Axios said that aides to Netanyahu, including Israel’s
envoy in Washington, Yechiel Leiter, scrambled to understand the
implications of Trump’s remarks, approaching the White House for
clarification as they contradicted the terms of the agreement.And a US
official later clarified Trump’s remarks, telling The Times of Israel
that the “ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel clearly states
that Israel will not carry out any offensive military operations against
Lebanese targets but preserves its right to self-defense against
planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.”Earlier in the day, Hezbollah
signaled it remained on high alert hours after the ceasefire began,
saying its fighters were keeping their “finger on the trigger” in the
event of Israeli violations, citing fears of the “enemy’s
treachery.”Trump similarly cautioned Hezbollah against undermining the
truce in a separate Truth Social post, saying, “I hope Hezbollah acts
nicely and well during this important period of time… No more killing.
Must finally have PEACE!”Meanwhile, Iran’s top negotiator and parliament
speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf tried to take credit for the Lebanon
ceasefire, saying it “was nothing but a result of Hezbollah’s
steadfastness and the unity of the Axis of Resistance,” despite the US
and Israel framing the truce as the result of a separate channel of
negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.As tensions remained high,
diplomatic efforts pressed on. An Israeli official told The Times of
Israel discussions had begun regarding a potential visit by Netanyahu to
the White House for talks with Trump and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun
— a meeting Trump described as “the first meaningful talks between
Israel and Lebanon since 1983.”The visit won’t happen before Israel’s
Independence Day, which takes place on Wednesday, said the
official.Trump later said the meeting would likely be held in the next
week or two.Crucial talks-Aoun, meanwhile, endorsed continued direct
negotiations with Israel, calling them “crucial” and describing the
ceasefire as a “gateway to proceeding with negotiations.” He said
Lebanon was working to secure the withdrawal of Israeli forces, to bring
back Lebanese citizens held by Israel and to solve border disputes.The
Lebanese Armed Forces “will play a fundamental role after the withdrawal
of Israeli forces,” Aoun said, promising they would deploy to the
Israeli border and reassure residents of southern Lebanon, “after their
return to their villages and towns, that there will be no armed forces
other than the army and the legitimate security forces.”Seemingly
contradicting Aoun, Defense Minister Israel Katz stressed that the
ceasefire was only a “temporary freeze,” emphasizing that forces would
remain deployed inside Lebanon until Israel’s remaining missions in that
country are completed, by force if necessary.“The IDF holds and will
continue to hold all the areas it has cleared and captured,” Katz said
in a statement, adding that while significant achievements had been made
— including the killing of more than 1,700 Hezbollah fighters and the
clearing of a buffer zone along the border — key objectives remained
unfinished.“We are inside Lebanon in the midst of a war against
Hezbollah, with a temporary freeze and a 10-day ceasefire,” he said,
reiterating that dismantling Hezbollah’s weapons remained the central
goal, through both military and diplomatic means.Katz acknowledged that
the new security zone in south Lebanon, which stretches up to the Litani
River, still has enemy fighters and weapons in it, and said it will be
cleared through a diplomatic arrangement or by returning to fighting.“If
hostilities resume, any residents who return to the security zone will
have to evacuate in order to allow the mission to be completed,” he
said, stressing that Israel would also strike Hezbollah targets north of
the Litani River.Lebanon’s Al-Mayadeen outlet reported that the
Lebanese army had repaired and reopened the Qasmiyeh Bridge, which had
been destroyed during the fighting, and had opened new routes into the
south after Israeli forces blew up key crossings over the Litani River
and issued sweeping evacuation orders for southern Lebanon, leaving
hundreds of thousands displaced.Restrictions lifted-In Israel, the Home
Front Command lifted nearly all wartime restrictions nationwide,
allowing schools, workplaces and public gatherings to resume regular
operations. Limits remained in communities along the northern border,
where gatherings will remain restricted to 1,000 people until Saturday
at 8 p.m.Similarly, Culture and Sport Minister Miki Zohar said that,
beginning Saturday night, all restrictions on cultural and sporting
events would also be removed, enabling full celebrations for Israel’s
upcoming Independence Day after weeks of disruption.“The public will
return to sports fields as usual, culture will return to full activity,”
he said.
Poll seen as first step toward restoring PA role in
Strip-For first time in decades, PA bringing municipal vote to city in
Gaza-Residents of Deir al-Balah set to cast ballots for city council
later this month, after 20 years of Hamas blocking voting, though
unclear if terror group will honor results By Nurit Yohanan-Today, 9:48
am-APR 18,26
In recent days, a type of notice not seen there for
decades has begun appearing plastered on exterior walls in the central
Gazan city of Deir al-Balah: posters explaining how to vote in upcoming
municipal elections.Home to some 75,000 people before the war, residents
of Deir al-Balah, like all other Gazan cities, have not been able to
vote for their own local representatives since Hamas took over the Strip
in 2007. Throughout its decades of controlling the enclave, Hamas has
appointed city council members, repeatedly preventing municipal
elections from being held alongside those that have continued in
Palestinian Authority areas in the West Bank.Among those appointed to
city leadership have been figures accused by Israel of engaging in
terror activity, including former mayor Imad Jarou. Israel said in
December 2024 that it had killed Jarou, calling him an active member of
the group’s military wing. Following his killing, Hamas appointed the
current mayor, Nizar Ayyash.Now, with Hamas’s rule weakened by years of
war, the PA’s Central Election Committee has launched a bid to hold open
elections in the city on April 25, alongside elections set to be held
in cities across the West Bank.Hamas still exercises de facto control
over the Strip, and it remains unclear to what extent the results will
be honored. And though the Strip’s governance is set to transition to a
technocratic committee under the US-led ceasefire plan, developments in
Deir al-Balah are still largely an anomaly in an enclave where nearly
all municipal officials are still being appointed by Hamas.Nonetheless, a
source close to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, told The
Times of Israel on condition of anonymity that the move is a
significant step toward signaling its vision of a future Palestinian
polity.“It confirms that the West Bank and Gaza are one legal and
political unit,” the source said.The PA insisted on holding elections in
Gaza at this time, even if only in one area, in order to present “at
least a symbolic picture” of unity between Gaza and the West Bank, he
added.Farid Taamallah, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Central
Elections Commission, said in an interview with a local Palestinian
radio station that elections could not be held across the entire Gaza
Strip due to the widespread destruction caused by the war.According to
him, Deir al-Balah was chosen because it is one of the five largest
cities in the Strip and has been less heavily damaged than cities such
as Rafah and Khan Younis.Hamas warned against thwarting vote-Though it
has not held national elections since 2006, the PA, which is dominated
by Hamas-rival Fatah, has held municipal elections on a number of
occasions.The first such vote took place in 2005, marking the only time
local elections were held simultaneously in the West Bank and Gaza,
which was still controlled by the PA at the time.After Hamas seized
power in Gaza via a bloody 2007 coup, the PA continued to push for local
elections to take place in the Strip. Hamas, which had installed its
own municipal leaders after taking over, publicly refused to allow them
unless they were held alongside elections for the Palestinian parliament
and presidency, a condition the PA rejected.Hamas has not commented
publicly on the planned election in Deir al-Balah, where preparations
are now in their final stages.The source close to President Abbas told
The Times of Israel that there is no guarantee Hamas will not block the
elections at the last minute, but that current indications suggest they
will go ahead. “Hamas would make a major mistake if it prevents the
elections — it would be entering into a major confrontation with the
Palestinian public,” the source said.Four lists have registered to
compete in the elections, none of them affiliated with Hamas, Fatah or
any other existing Palestinian political faction. The lists, which bear
names such as Future of Deir al-Balah and Deir al-Balah Unites Us, are
made up of candidates who present themselves as independent
professionals.One example is Hisham al-Dirawi, who leads the Revival of
Deir al-Balah ticket. Al-Dirwai worked for decades in the municipality,
most recently as head of the planning department. In his campaign video,
he presented plans to rebuild the city and restore municipal
services.The top 15 vote-getters will win spots on the city council and
will choose a mayor from among themselves.To prepare residents for the
vote, the Central Elections Commission has launched a public awareness
campaign encouraging voter participation, alongside campaign posters
from the various lists, alongside ones that explain how to vote, have
appeared across the city in recent days.News of the vote and
preparations for it have not been widely covered by Gaza-based media
outlets affiliated with Hamas. Instead, it has appeared in a limited way
on Arab channels such as the Saudi channel Al Arabiya and the Qatari
channel Al Araby.The developments have also been covered by WAFA, the
state-run news agency of the PA.The source close to Abbas told The Times
of Israel that the elections are being carried out by the Palestinian
Authority, rather than The National Committee for the Administration of
Gaza, or NCAG, which he said has yet to begin operating in the
Strip.Under the ceasefire plan developed under US President Donald
Trump, Hamas is slated to hand governance to NCAG, but members of the
committee are still in Cairo and have not yet entered Gaza.Meanwhile,
Hamas continues to control approximately 47 percent of Gaza, which the
Israel Defense Forces withdrew from in October, home to nearly all the
Strip’s residents, including government ministries and local
governance.Adnan al-Falit, head of the Deir al-Balah Unites Us list,
said current members of Deir al-Balah’s city council, appointed by
Hamas, and officials from the Hamas-run Local Government Ministry had
told him that they would hand over the management of the city when a new
council is elected.“Hamas still controls Gaza because the technocratic
committee is not yet in the Strip,” he told The Times of Israel by
phone. “If it enters, Hamas will hand over governance.”Ballot boxes
blocked-During the war, which began with Hamas’s onslaught of southern
Israel on October 7, 2023, Deir al-Balah swelled with hundreds of
thousands of Gazans displaced from other parts of the Strip.However,
only those with registered addresses in the city listed on their ID
cards will be eligible to vote, totaling some 70,000 people, according
to the Palestinian Central Elections Commission.Members of the
commission in Gaza are themselves Gazans, and the head of the Elections
Commission, Jamil al-Khalidi, was born and raised in Deir al-Balah. He
previously worked as an official in the Palestinian Authority’s Planning
Ministry when it governed the Strip.He also served on Deir al-Balah’s
election committee in 2004 and was appointed by the PA as head of the
Elections Commission in Gaza in 2008, though no elections ever
materialized.Al-Khalidi told WAFA television on April 12 that despite
the preparations, election materials such as ballot boxes have yet to
enter the Gaza Strip.Israel currently controls all border crossings into
Gaza and the entry of goods. The Coordinator of Government Activities
in the Territories, which is responsible for the entry of goods into
Gaza, did not respond to a query from The Times of Israel regarding
whether a request had been submitted to bring in such equipment, and
whether it had been approved or denied.‘Integrity, competence and
independence’While candidates are unaffiliated politically, all were
likely required to comply with an amendment to the PA election law
ordered by Abbas earlier this year requiring candidates in local
elections to sign a pledge accepting the Palestine Liberation
Organization as the sole representative of the Palestinian people, as
well as its “state and political programs and international
resolutions.”Though not explicit, the pledge is seemingly designed to
ensure that candidates comply with PLO decisions recognizing Israel and
endorsing a two-state solution, positions rejected by Hamas.Earlier this
week, Al-Falit sent a letter to Trump expressing support for his plan
for Gaza’s future and urging him to continue implementing it to bring
stability to the region.In the letter, which was seen by The Times of
Israel, al-Falit wrote that he “represents a group of professionals and
community leaders who come from diverse backgrounds yet share a common
vision: to serve our people with integrity, competence, and
independence, away from partisan affiliations.”A source familiar with
the matter told The Times of Israel that the letter reached the US
Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff in recent days.A businessman who served
as the head of the Gaza Strip branch of the Islamic Bank from 2020 to
2025, al-Falit told The Times of Israel in a phone interview from Gaza
that he sent the letter to Trump because he shares the president’s
vision for a better future for the region.“There are professionals in
Deir al-Balah who want peace, who are far from wars, and who are
striving to rebuild and develop our city,” he said, explaining why he
formed his list and is seeking election to the city council.For the PA,
the election in Deir al-Balah is seen as a first step toward a process
of democratizing governance for Palestinians. Al-Khalidi, the Elections
Commission head, expressed hope in recent days that conditions on the
ground will eventually allow for local elections to be held across the
entire Gaza Strip.The source close to President Mahmoud Abbas said there
are also hopes for eventually holding general elections for the
Palestinian parliament and presidency, something which has not taken
place since 2006.The PA has repeatedly planned such elections in the
last two decades, but they have always been aborted, with Ramallah
blaming Israeli restrictions or the ongoing rift between Fatah and
Hamas, among other reasons.Fatah and Hamas are still at loggerheads, and
since the October 7 attack, there has been increased opposition to
legitimizing Hamas’s participation in the Palestinian political
process.But for now, the source said, “there is very encouraging public
response in Gaza” to the local elections in Deir al-Balah.A resident of
the city told Al Arabiya that the vote “is a positive step that will
ease the burden on residents after the great suffering caused by the
war.”Another resident added, “This is an important step for our people,”
another resident told the outlet. “We have been deeply affected by the
war, and no one is taking responsibility for us.”
British
tourists hurl antisemitic abuse at Israeli couple in Vietnam: ‘Rats
running away’Pair accuse fellow diners of genocide, cite white
supremacist meme of mass expulsions of Jews; one says ‘Viva Iran’ before
they sing ‘Boom, boom Tel Aviv’By ToI Staff Today, 9:34 am-APR 18,26
A
video has gone viral of a pair of tourists who filmed themselves
hurling antisemitic and anti-Israel abuse at an Israeli couple dining in
Vietnam, calling them “rats” and using white supremacist memes, until
the Israelis get up and leave while other diners do nothing.It was
unclear when the video was made before it was apparently uploaded to
social media by the British pair.In the video, one of the abusing
tourists asked the Israeli man and woman if they were “from Palestine”
upon noticing an Israel-shaped tattoo on the woman’s arm.The Israeli
woman smiled and said, “It’s difficult.” The British women continue in
the same line of questioning, asking the Israelis if they speak
Arabic.When the Israeli man said they speak Hebrew, the British women
explode.“Oh, right, you’re Israeli… Fake state of Israel,” said
one.Watch British tourists harass an Israeli couple in Vietnam. They
sing “Boom boom Tel Aviv” and call them “rats”. They even invoke the
Nazi trope of Jews being kicked out of “110 countries”. These pro-Pals
are indistinguishable from Nazis now. I’m ashamed of them.
pic.twitter.com/kod7h0su9k — Heidi Bachram (@HeidiBachram) April 15,
2026“Were you part of the IDF, IOF… Did you kill innocent civilians?”
asked the other. The abbreviation for “Israeli Occupation Forces” is
frequently used on pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel social media to refer
to the Israeli military.The Israeli man appeared about to respond, but
his partner signaled to him not to take the bait, before she herself
said: “Everyone is part of the army.”“So then you’re a murderer,” said
one of the British tourists. “You can refuse to be in the IDF.”“I want
to eat my lunch in quiet,” the Israeli woman said, and continued
eating.“Well, we want to save humanity,” answered the British tourist
from her own table.“Now they’re going to cry, I didn’t have my lunch in
peace,” said the second UK tourist.“Oh dear, victim, victim,” said the
first one. “‘Cause we’re just goyim, aren’t we? We’re just goyim, we’re
just worthless animals.”The two British women then said, “Viva viva
Iran,” before launching into a song celebrating Iran’s ballistic missile
strikes on Tel Aviv: “Boom, boom Tel Aviv.”After the ditty, the first
British tourist demanded that the Israelis say they oppose genocide,
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar
Ben Gvir.The Israeli woman put down her utensils, turned to her abusers
and said: “Okay, we got your opinion. Now, can you shut the fuck
up?”“Don’t you dare tell us to shut the fuck up,” said one of the
abusers.She and the second person proceeded to spew more abuse until the
Israeli couple got up, prompting overt antisemitism from the British
tourists, who do not show their own faces in the video.“Go on, go away,”
said one. “Everywhere you are going to be hated,” said the other,
adding: “A hundred and ten countries you’ve been thrown out (of).”The
number alludes to an antisemitic white supremacist meme celebrating the
expulsion of Jews from a purported 109 countries throughout history,
with the 110th, usually the United States, still to come, according to
the Anti-Defamation League.“Look at them, the rats running away,” said
one woman as the Israeli couple moves. “Go on, rats. Murderers,
savages.”Rats have long been deployed as an antisemitic trope to depict
Jews.Israelis abroad have faced mounting harassment, sometimes
descending into physical violence, since the war in Gaza was sparked by
the Hamas-led onslaught of October 7, 2023. A poll last year found that a
majority of Israelis fear they will be unable to travel abroad due to
mounting global criticism of Israel.
