ISRAEL CABINET IS DISCUSSING ANNEXING PARTS OF THE WEST BANK.

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)

ISRAEL CABINET IS DISCUSSING ANNEXING PARTS OF THE WEST BANK.

WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)

EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18

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.

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)

GODS PROMISED LAND FOR ISRAEL.

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.

DANIEL 9:26-27
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come (ROMANS IN AD 70) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(ROMANS DESTROYED THE 2ND TEMPLE) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And he( EU ROMAN, JEWISH DICTATOR) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:( 7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,( 3 1/2 YRS) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH)

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.

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.

ISAIAH 66:7-8
A Nation Born in a Day
7 Before she was in labor, she gave birth.Before her pain came, she delivered a male child.
8 Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her children.

Isaiah 2:19
19 Men will go into caves of the rocks And into holes of the ground (BUNKERS,UNDER GROUND TUNNELS) Before the terror of the Lord , And the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to make the earth tremble.(EARTHQUES,NUKES)
JOB 30:6
6 They are living on the slopes of the wadis,among the rocks and in holes in the ground.(TUNNELS, BUNKERS)

DR DOCTORION-ANGEL OF THE MIDEAST
"The angel showed me that the United Nations shall be broken in pieces because of the crisis in the Middle East. There shall be no more United Nations. The angel with the sickle shall reap the harvest.

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.

REVELATION 16:3-7
3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.(enviromentalists won't like this result)
4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
6 For they(False World Church and Dictator) have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.

ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)

EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.

ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

REVELATION 9:18
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.(ATOMIC BOMBS)(RUSSIA CHINA DESTROYED BY ISRAELS ATOMIC BOMBS)

JEREMIAH 50:3,24
3 For out of the north (RUSSIA) there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon,(NEW YORK) and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD. (RUSSIA A SNEAK ATTACK ON NEW YORK)

ISAIAH 66:15-18
15 For, behold, the LORD will come with fire,(NUKES) and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.

ISAIAH 26:21
21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity:(GOD/ISRAEL HATE AND BRAKING OF HIS COMMANDMENTS) the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.(WW3,1/2 earths population die - 3 BILLION).

ISAIAH 13:6-13 KJV
6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:(FROM FRIGHT)
8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

ISAIAH 24:17-23 KJV
17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.
20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

Smotrich calls to annex parts of Gaza if Hamas won't disarm-Cabinet to reportedly discuss partial West Bank annexation at upcoming meeting-Some ministers said to be pushing for annexation process to start before UN General Assembly next month, when France and other nations have pledged to recognize a Palestinian state-By Nava Freiberg,ToI Staff and AFP 29 August 2025, 12:51 am

The cabinet is expected to discuss annexing certain parts of the West Bank next week, Israeli television reported Thursday, amid growing calls for annexation among right-wing Israeli lawmakers.According to Channel 12 news, the discussion will be held in light of the recently-approved settlement construction plan spearheaded by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, which will see some 3,400 housing units built in the West Bank’s contentious E1 area between Jerusalem and the Ma’ale Adumim settlement.There was no suggestion that a vote will be held on the question of annexation during the meeting, scheduled for Sunday.The Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to a request for comment on the reportedly scheduled discussion or the issues on the cabinet’s agenda.International pressure had for years successfully dissuaded Israel from building in E1, with critics arguing such a plan would cut the West Bank in two, severing it from East Jerusalem and scuttling the prospect of a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.Reported plans to annex parts of the West Bank stand to further embitter Israel’s relations with several Western allies, as France and others pledged to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly this September.The Ynet news site reported Thursday morning that Netanyahu has been holding closed-door talks with senior ministers on the issue of sovereignty in the West Bank. While the government has weighed similar moves in the past without results, details of a closed-door meeting of senior officials last week suggested that “the political climate may create a rare opening for such a step,” the outlet claimed.Among the senior officials who the report said attended the meeting were Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs.Dermer reportedly voiced clear support for annexation, emphasizing that “the question is over which parts” of the territory.France considers opening Palestinian embassy-Likud MK Avichai Boaron said in radio interview earlier this week that “the people of Israel” want West Bank sovereignty and that annexation will take place in parallel with the UN General Assembly next month.Some cabinet ministers like Smotrich, Settlements and National Missions Minister Orit Strock and Justice Minister Yariv Levin, are also said to be pressing for the move ahead of the General Assembly.Meanwhile, France is considering opening an embassy in Palestinian Authority-ruled territory in the West Bank, alongside the opening of a Palestinian embassy in France, Ofer Bronchtein, a longtime adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron on Israeli-Palestinian affairs, told Channel 12.Bronchtein said the move — under consideration at a time of rising diplomatic tensions between Jerusalem and Paris — would be a natural step following France’s promised recognition of a Palestinian state. The French embassy would likely be located in Ramallah, where the PA is based.The Israeli government opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state and has rejected recognition of one as a “prize for terror.”Bronchtein reiterated his view that a Palestinian state is in Israel’s interest, arguing that the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, massacre would not have happened if there had been a Palestinian state, claiming the stability such a state would provide would have prevented the attack.The French Embassy in Israel did not respond to a request for comment on Bronchtein’s remarks.Smotrich presses for Gaza annexation-Also Thursday, Smotrich delivered a speech demanding the government also start annexing parts of the Gaza Strip, should Hamas continue to refuse to lay down its weapons.At a Jerusalem press conference Thursday, the far-right minister presented his plan to “win in Gaza by the end of the year,” in which he proposed Israel issue an ultimatum to Hamas — disarm and release the hostages, or face piecemeal annexation on a weekly basis.According to the minister, Palestinians would first be told to move south in Gaza, as Israel imposes a siege on the territory’s north and center to weed out remaining Hamas strongholds. The plan would end with annexation, Smotrich said, claiming that most of the territory would be brought under full Israeli control within four weeks.The entire plan “can be achieved in three to four months,” he stated, calling on Netanyahu “to adopt this plan in full immediately.”Netanyahu said earlier this month that while Israel plans to take military control of Gaza, “We don’t want to keep it.”“We want to have a security perimeter, but we don’t want to govern [Gaza]. We don’t want to be there as a governing body,” he told Fox News.The prime minister said that Israel wants to “hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly, without threatening us, and giving the Gazans a good life.”Netanyahu also told a group of visiting Indian journalists, according to the English-language CNN-News18, that, “Our plan is not to occupy or annex Gaza. Our goal is to destroy Hamas and get our hostages back, and then hand over Gaza to a transitory government.”

We adamantly want... all of those hostages home'Trump to hold White House meeting on ‘comprehensive plan’ for managing postwar Gaza-‘We’re going to settle this one way or another, certainly before the end of this year,’ Witkoff says ahead of Wednesday’s ‘large meeting,’ stresses US doesn’t want further partial hostage deals-By Jacob Magid-27 August 2025, 5:46 am

US President Donald Trump will chair a “large meeting” at the White House on Wednesday to discuss the “comprehensive plan” that the administration is putting together for the postwar management of Gaza, his special envoy Steve Witkoff announced.Tuesday’s remarks appeared to be the first time that Witkoff has revealed the existence of a US plan for the so-called day after, as Washington has largely deferred on the issue to its Arab allies in the region — following Trump’s February remarks on his vision to take over Gaza and permanently relocate its residents. While Israel welcomed the idea, it was roundly rejected by US partners in the Middle East which Trump had hoped would be willing to take in Palestinian refugees.“Many people are going to see how robust it is and how well meaning it is, and it reflects President Trump’s humanitarian motives,” Witkoff said in a Fox News interview, without elaborating further.Last month, Trump made headlines when he said he’d be unveiling a new aid plan for the Gaza Strip. The White House said the plan would be announced shortly thereafter but never ended up following through. Ultimately, the State Department indicated that the administration would suffice with increasing the number of distribution sites being operated by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation from three to 16. That expansion has yet to take place, however, and the US has only transferred half of the $30 million pledged for the project, which will likely cost much more.Witkoff also said Tuesday that the Trump administration’s official position is to oppose additional partial Gaza hostage deals, lining up behind Israel, which has avoided responding to a proposal accepted by Hamas for a phased release of the 50 remaining captives. Twenty of these are believed to be alive, there are grave concerns for the well-being of two, and the Israeli authorities have confirmed the deaths of the 28 others.Trump himself indicated that this was his administration’s stance when he posted on Truth Social hours after Hamas accepted the Arab mediators’ latest proposal on August 18 that the remaining hostages would only be freed after the terror group has been completely destroyed.However, the White House said the next day that it was still reviewing the latest phased hostage deal proposal, which is nearly identical to the one that Witkoff crafted several months ago.Despite Hamas’s acceptance of that proposal, Witkoff said that Hamas was fully responsible for the lack of a deal to date, reiterating that the terrorist organization “slow played that process” last month when it added new conditions, which led the US and Israel to recall their negotiating teams.While Israel has since declared that it was no longer interested in phased deals, the Arab mediators worked to bring Hamas down from its new demands by accepting their latest proposal, hoping that Jerusalem would reconsider.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has held his ground, while advancing plans for the Israel Defense Forces to take over Gaza City, an operation that he argues will dismantle Hamas’s last remaining stronghold in the Strip. His critics argue that he had said the same about Israel’s 2024 conquering of Rafah and that a new operation would only further entrench the Hamas insurgency, while hostage families fear the Gaza City offensive will put their loved ones at risk.“It is Hamas now who’s saying we accept that deal, and I think in large part they’re saying that and changing their mind because the Israelis are putting some very intense pressure on them,” Witkoff told Fox.The US network’s Brett Baier noted that Israeli officials have said they no longer accept a partial deal, and he asked if the US feels the same way.“That’s the official position, and that’s President Trump’s official position. I think that he has said to himself, ‘You don’t need to keep those hostages,’” Witkoff said.Hamas has refused to release the remaining hostages unless Israel agrees to end the war sparked by its October 2023 attack and withdraw from Gaza, demands that Netanyahu has refused, arguing that doing so would leave Hamas in power.“We’ll have a negotiation if they want as to what the next day looks like in Gaza after this is all done and what the definition of Hamas is… but we adamantly want… all of those hostages home,” Witkoff said.‘Going to settle this one way or another’Asked whether he agreed with Netanyahu that Hamas should be “completely destroyed,” Witkoff responded, “That’s not my call.”“I think that there needs to be a deal. There needs to be hostages sent home. There would be a commensurate amount of Palestinian prisoners who would be sent home [by Israel] too. Every time we see a hostage release, we see jubilation on both sides,” the US envoy said.“Hamas understands that they can have nothing to do with the government going forward,” he continued, apparently referring to the terror group’s ostensible willingness to cede control of Gaza to an independent committee of Palestinian technocrats. However, Hamas has rejected calls to disarm, one of Israel’s conditions for ending the war, along with the release of all remaining hostages in one batch and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip — a process that the IDF says could take years to complete.Pressed on whether Israel should be doing anything differently and on why he is optimistic about bringing about an end to the war, Witkoff said, “We think we’re going to settle this one way or another, certainly before the end of this year.”The IDF has reportedly told the security cabinet that the takeover of Gaza City alone will last four to five months, and Netanyahu has indicated that he plans to follow up the operation with another one to conquer the refugee camps in central Gaza.Nonetheless, Witkoff pointed out that “Hamas is now signaling that they’re open to a settlement,” apparently referring to its acceptance of the Arab mediators’ phased hostage release proposal that the US and Israel are no longer interested in.“The Israelis, when they announced this operation [to take over Gaza City], also announced at the same time that they were funding $600 million of aid to go into Gaza,” he said.There was no Israeli announcement regarding $600 million in aid for Gaza. The cabinet did vote last week, nine days after approving the Gaza City operation, to allocate $473 million for humanitarian aid in the Strip. It’s unclear what exactly it will be used for, though, as the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says it doesn’t take any direct funds from Israel.Witkoff added that Israel “also announced that they were open to continuing discussions with Hamas,” an apparent reference to a statement issued by Netanyahu last week that he had ordered immediate talks to secure the release of the remaining hostages.His office later clarified that no such talks have been set but that when they are, Netanyahu will dispatch a negotiating team. But the Arab mediators have maintained that they’re still waiting for Israel to respond to the phased deal accepted by Hamas and that no other option is on the table.Nonetheless, Witkoff insisted that Israel is not adopting a “maximalist approach”He noted that the US has also “suggested” that Hamas “begin by feeding the hostages, by giving them medical attention, by letting the Red Cross in.”Witkoff was asked by Fox whether the US is setting any red lines for Israel after Monday’s deadly strike on Khan Younis’s Nasser hospital that reportedly killed at least 20 people, including medical and rescue staff along with five journalists. The IDF has identified six of those killed as terror operatives, while expressing regret for civilian casualties and accusing Hamas of “cynically” exploiting medical facilities for medical purposes.“Anytime you have civilian deaths, it’s a tragedy,” he responded, before pivoting to highlight that Trump has met with almost every Israeli hostage’s family.“It’s a war, and part of what we’re trying to do is shut that war down… Hamas has held that region hostage for much too long, and it’s time for it to end. Many of the Arab governments are in that camp as well,” he said.As whether Israel should allow journalists to freely report from inside Gaza, Witkoff noted that he’s been into the Strip twice, including earlier this month when he put “a ceramic vest on and [went in] wearing my black ‘Make America Great Again’ hat.”“People were cheering when they saw it — not me, but for the president. He’s very well acknowledged there, not just in Gaza, but in Israel,” Witkoff claimed, while avoiding a direct answer to the question.“It is a very dangerous place. There are over 30,000 unexploded munitions all over the place,” he said, using the same figure he used after visiting the Strip for the first time in January. “It is a demolition zone, and it’s a tough place,” he reiterated.‘Negotiating multiple entries’ into Abraham Accords-Earlier Tuesday, Witkoff said that in addition to the Gaza conflict, he hoped to settle the Russia-Ukraine war and Iran nuclear talks by the end of the year.“Russia-Ukraine, Iran, Israel-Hamas — we’re having meetings all this week on all three of those conflicts, and we hope to settle them before the end of this year,” Witkoff told Trump during a cabinet meeting at the White House.Witkoff did not specify the nature of the meeting he referenced regarding the Gaza war, though Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar is visiting Washington this week, with the State Department announcing Sa’ar would meet on Wednesday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also serves as White House national security adviser.Trump had said Monday that he thinks the Gaza war will reach a “conclusive end” within two to three weeks, though he did not explain his rationale for that time frame, which he’s also cited in other contexts.Witkoff also said he wished the Nobel Committee would “get its act together” and award Trump the Nobel Peace Prize, garnering applause from the other cabinet members in the room.He also said, “We are negotiating multiple entries” of countries into the Abraham Accords.Witkoff did not specify which countries he was referring to, but he has been predicting such an expansion since at least May. The effort, however, appears to be hampered by the extension of the Gaza war.In the meantime, the US is reportedly working to coax Azerbaijan, which already has ties with Israel, to enter the Abraham Accords. That push is an indication that the Trump administration is sufficing with more modest gains on the issue, as many of the potential candidates to join the accords are demanding progress toward a two-state solution with the Palestinians, which Israel rejects.Witkoff’s remarks were part of an over three-hour public portion of the cabinet meeting during which members went around the table one after the other updating Trump on their efforts, while primarily taking the time to praise the president.

Trump on war: Can’t watch it anymore. It’s a terrible thing-Blair and Kushner join Trump’s Gaza meet; official calls it ‘a simple policy’ session-White House official downplays significance of sit-down that Witkoff had billed as a ‘large meeting’ to discuss administration’s ‘comprehensive’ plan for day after Israel-Hamas war-By Jacob Magid-Today, 2:11 am-AUG 28,25

US President Donald Trump presided over a policy meeting Wednesday on the Gaza war, receiving input from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and former Trump Middle East envoy Jared Kushner, a senior White House official said.Trump, top White House officials, Blair and Kushner discussed all aspects of the Gaza issue, including escalating food aid deliveries, the hostage crisis, post-war plans and more, the official told Reuters.While US special envoy Steve Witkoff told Fox News a day earlier that Wednesday’s “large meeting” was to discuss the “comprehensive plan” that the administration is putting together for the postwar management of Gaza, the White House official described the session as “simply a policy meeting,” the type frequently held by Trump and his team.“The White House frequently holds policy meetings on a variety of issues, including Israel and Gaza. We have nothing additional to share at this time,” a White House official told The Times of Israel.Kushner, who is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, was a key White House adviser in Trump’s first term on Middle East issues. Blair, who was Britain’s prime minister during the 2003 Iraq war, has also been active on Middle East issues.Blair has been putting together a post-war Gaza plan for the past several months, meeting with various regional stakeholders to get their input and support for his efforts, a source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel, adding that the former British premier has been in touch with both Kushner and Witkoff.Blair met Witkoff at the White House in July, on the same day that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in town to meet Trump, Axios reported. The news site said Kushner was also in Israel earlier this month, and met Netanyahu to discuss the ongoing Gaza war.Also on Wednesday, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer arrived in Washington and held meetings with senior White House officials just before the White House Gaza policy session, the source said, highlighting the close level of coordination between the US and Israel on the matter.Shortly after the White House meeting, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who was also in Washington and thanked the Trump administration for its support for Israel.The pair discussed “the issue of Iran following the unprecedented cooperation between the countries to eliminate the Iranian nuclear threat and the ‘snapback’ issue, the war on Hamas in Gaza, and the UN General Assembly discussions next month. Cooperation to repel anti-Israeli moves in the international arena was also raised,” according to an Israeli readout.Axios said that Blair was involved in the post-war plan that Dermer worked on with Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed during the Biden administration. Parts of that proposal were incorporated into a plan that Biden’s secretary of state Antony Blinken presented days before leaving office.While Trump appears to have downgraded the importance of the Gaza war on his agenda, he has expressed his desire for it to end quickly.“I can’t watch it anymore. It’s a terrible thing,” one US official speaking to Axios quoted Trump as having said.At the same time, he seems to be backing Israel’s plan to take over Gaza City, which will likely drag out the conflict for at least several more months while also placing the lives of hostages at risk.The closest thing to a post-war Gaza plan that Trump has presented to date was in February, when he declared that the US would take over Gaza and permanently relocate all of its Palestinians. While Israel welcomed the idea, it was roundly rejected by US partners in the Middle East that Trump had hoped would be willing to take in Palestinian refugees.Last month, Trump made headlines when he said he would unveil a new aid plan for Gaza. The White House said the plan would be announced shortly thereafter but never ended up following through. Ultimately, the State Department indicated that the administration would suffice with increasing the number of distribution sites being operated by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation from three to 16. That expansion has yet to take place, however, and the US has only transferred half of the $30 million pledged for the project, which will likely cost much more.Witkoff also said Tuesday that the Trump administration’s official position is to oppose additional partial Gaza hostage deals, lining up behind Israel, which has avoided responding to a proposal accepted by Hamas for a phased release of the 50 remaining captives. Twenty of these are believed to be alive, there are grave concerns for the well-being of two, and the Israeli authorities have confirmed the deaths of the 28 others.Trump himself indicated that this was his administration’s stance when he posted on Truth Social hours after Hamas accepted the Arab mediators’ latest proposal on August 18 that the remaining hostages would only be freed after the terror group has been completely destroyed.However, the White House said the next day that it was still reviewing the latest phased hostage deal proposal, which is nearly identical to the one that Witkoff crafted several months ago.Despite Hamas’s acceptance of that proposal, Witkoff said that Hamas was fully responsible for the lack of a deal to date, reiterating that the terrorist organization “slow-played that process” last month when it added new conditions, which led the US and Israel to recall their negotiating teams.While Israel has since declared that it was no longer interested in phased deals, the Arab mediators worked to bring Hamas down from its new demands by accepting their latest proposal, hoping that Jerusalem would reconsider.Netanyahu has held his ground, while advancing plans for the Israel Defense Forces to take over Gaza City, an operation that he argues will dismantle Hamas’s last remaining stronghold in the Strip. His critics argue that he had said the same about Israel’s 2024 invasion of Rafah and that a new operation would only further entrench the Hamas insurgency, while hostage families fear the Gaza City offensive will put their loved ones at risk.Reuters contributed to this report.

IDF said to raid Syrian army site near Damascus with helicopters, ground troops-Syrian state media says Israeli troops carried out airborne landing and operated for 2 hours; PM’s office denies Israel considered ceding Mount Dov area in potential deal with Syria-By ToI Staff, Agencies and Nava Freiberg-Today, 10:26 am-AUG 28,25

Israeli ground troops conducted a commando raid overnight Wednesday-Thursday on a Syrian site it had bombed on the two previous  days, Syrian state media reported, in a major operation said to have included helicopters and fighter jets as well as dozens of ground troops.Israel first struck the site outside Damascus on Tuesday, killing several Syrian soldiers, according to Damascus’s foreign ministry, and bombed it again on Wednesday, according to state television.A Syrian defense ministry official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the site was a former Syrian military base in Tal Maneh, near Kisweh.Following the second attack on Wednesday, state media said that Israeli troops were flown into the area to carry out a raid, “the details of which are not yet known, amid continued intensive reconnaissance flights.”According to two Syrian army sources, a unit of the Israeli army carried out an airborne landing on a strategic hilltop southwest of Damascus and conducted a two-hour operation before leaving the area.They said the troops landed near Jabal Manea, which was once a major air defense base operated by Iran before being destroyed by Israel after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.A number of troops from the new Syrian army are positioned at the base, the sources said.According to a Syrian source who spoke to Al Jazeera, the raid involved four helicopters and two fighter jets, as well as dozens of soldiers.Saudi outlet Al-Hadath reported that Israeli forces had located and confiscated “secret and sensitive equipment,” citing an unnamed senior Israeli security official.According to the report, the IDF dismantled Turkish surveillance devices planted in the Damascus area intended to monitor Israel. The source said Jerusalem had warned the new Syrian government against aligning with Ankara, saying it was “playing with fire.” The source further claimed the equipment had been housed in Syrian military bases for over a decade.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of sources on the ground, reported that the site had weapons used by the Iran-backed Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, a major ally of former Syrian ruler Assad.The Observatory said the Israeli ground raid was the first of its kind since the fall of Assad in an Islamist-led rebel offensive in December.The increased Israeli military activity in Syria comes as the two countries are engaged in “advanced” US-mediated talks on easing tensions in southern Syria, with Damascus seeking a security deal that could open the door to wider political negotiations.According to Hebrew media reports earlier this week, Damascus and Jerusalem are closing in on understandings, and the deal under discussion would be based on the disengagement lines that the two sides agreed to in 1974 after the Yom Kippur War.After the reports of Wednesday night’s raid, Defense Minister Israel Katz declared Thursday morning on X that Israeli forces “are operating on all battle fronts day and night for the security of Israel.”He did not indicate what he was referring to, though the post came minutes after Syrian media reported the commando raid.Asked for comment, an Israeli military spokesperson said: “We do not comment on foreign reports.”Israel’s strikes on Tuesday had reportedly targeted Syrian soldiers who, while on patrol, discovered “surveillance and eavesdropping devices” reportedly belonging to Israel.Syrian state media said that additional Israeli strikes prevented other troops from reaching the area until Wednesday evening, when other soldiers were able to retrieve the bodies of the soldiers killed the day before, and “destroy some of the (surveillance) systems by targeting them with the appropriate weapons.”The Syrian government on Wednesday condemned “the recent Israeli attacks on its territory,” but had yet to comment on the reported Israeli ground raid.It also condemned what it said was an incursion on Monday by IDF soldiers into a town in the Quneitra countryside, their “arrest campaigns against civilians,” and their “announcement of the continuation of their illegal presence on the summit of Mount Hermon and the buffer zone.”“These aggressive practices constitute a flagrant violation of the UN Charter, international law, and relevant Security Council resolutions, and constitute a direct threat to peace and security in the region,” Damascus added.‘Fake news’Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Thursday denied as “fake news” a report by the Kan public broadcaster that Israel had seriously considered transferring the Mount Dov area in exchange for Syria giving up its claim to the Golan Heights in security talks with Damascus a few weeks ago.“The claim that Israel supposedly considered handing over Mount Dov is absolute fake news,” the PMO said in response to the report.According to Kan, Israel examined the ceding Mount Dov, also known as Shebaa Farms — strategic high ground captured along with the Golan Heights in the 1967 Six Day War — in return for Damascus suspending its sovereignty claim to the Golan.The report said officials explored the “political feasibility” of the move, which would require approval from 80 Knesset members, during talks that were suspended following sectarian violence in Syria’s southern Sweida province last month.The report noted that Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa told Arab journalists this week that Damascus cannot join the Abraham Accords while the Golan remains under Israeli control. At the same time, Sharaa confirmed that his government is in “advanced” talks with Israel to pursue a security deal based on the 1974 UN-brokered disengagement lines, which created a ceasefire zone between Israeli- and Syrian-held territory on the Golan Heights.Visiting a war room set up by Israeli Druze to aid their co-religionists in Syria, Netanyahu said Thursday he’d ordered the use of military force in Syria because he is “not a naive person.”“I understand who we are dealing with, what we are dealing with, and that is why we used force,” he said during a visit to the Druze town of Julis in northern Israel. “I told President Trump: we both believe in the same idea — it’s called peace through strength. First comes strength — then comes peace. That’s how it is, certainly in our region, but not only here. But first and foremost, in our region.”The IDF has been deployed at nine posts inside southern Syria since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, mostly within a UN-patrolled buffer zone on the border between the countries.Israeli forces have been operating in areas up to 15 kilometers (some nine miles) deep into Syria, including Beit Jinn, aiming to capture weapons that Israel says could pose a threat to the country if they fall into the hands of hostile forces.Amid ongoing US-mediated talks between Israel and Syria, Katz vowed Tuesday that IDF troops would remain in Syria to defend the north, saying Israel’s need to maintain a presence there is a “central lesson from the events of October 7.”

Israeli strikes in Yemen said to target gathering of Houthi leaders near Sanaa-Outcome of strike not immediately known; unclear if Houthi chief of staff, Muhammad Al-Ghamari, was present at time of attack-By Stav Levaton-and ToI Staff Today, 10:13 pm-AUG 28,25

The Israeli Air Force on Thursday carried out a targeted strike seemingly aimed at wiping out the military and political leadership of the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, in what Hebrew media outlets said was its most dramatic strike in the country yet.The strike was first reported by the Houthi-run Al Masirah TV, and then confirmed by Defense Minister Israel Katz and the Israel Defense Forces, though they did not confirm the targets.According to multiple media reports in Israel that cited unnamed security officials, Israeli intelligence learned that 10 Houthi ministers, including the defense minister, and other senior officials, were gathering outside Sanaa to hear a planned speech by the group’s leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi. The Israeli Air Force then launched a strike targeting the meeting.Residents of the Houthi-controlled capital told Reuters that the attacks struck an area near the presidential complex and a building in southern Sanaa.The outcome of the strike was not immediately clear.It was also not clear which members of the Houthi leadership were present, or if the group’s chief of staff, Muhammad al-Ghamari, was in attendance.Israeli intelligence provided real-time details of the gathering, enabling the strike, which was carried out despite heavy air defenses in the area, reports said. As al-Houthi delivered his address, Israel reportedly monitored it to see whether he realized senior officials were being targeted, and he gave no indication of being aware, the reports said.Katz’s office said that along with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and senior commanders, he had coordinated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before authorizing the operation.“As we warned the Houthis in Yemen: After the plague of darkness comes the plague of the firstborn,” Katz said in a statement, a reference to the Biblical Ten Plagues of Egypt, possibly confirming that top Houthi figures were the target.In a statement confirming an attack without details, the IDF accused the Houthis of acting aggressively since the start of the war with Hamas in Gaza, aiming to harm Israel and its allies, destabilize the regional order and disrupt global maritime freedom.“The IDF is acting forcefully against the Houthi terror regime, alongside intensifying operations against Hamas in Gaza, and will continue to act to eliminate all threats to Israeli civilians,” the military said.An unnamed senior official told Channel 12 news outlet that Israel had been ready to target Houthi leadership as part of a different strike on Sanaa earlier this week, but ultimately waited until Thursday.While officials have cast the strike in dramatic terms, previous Israeli actions in Yemen have failed to halt the Houthis’ continued drone and missile attacks during the ongoing war.A source from the Houthi defense ministry denied that any members of the group had been targeted in the attack, and insisted that Israel was attacking “civilian targets and the Yemeni people because of their positions supporting Gaza.”Thursday’s strike was the second time this week that Israel has attacked Houthi targets in Yemen.Multiple strikes rocked Sanaa on Sunday, after the Iran-backed group fired a projectile with a cluster bomb warhead toward Israel on Friday for the first time.The IDF and the Houthis said Sunday’s strikes hit a facility owned by Yemen’s main oil company, which is controlled by the Houthis, along with a power plant and a military site in an area where the presidential palace is located.A spokesman for the Houthi-run health ministry said 10 people were killed and 102 others were injured in that attack.Thursday’s strike marked the 16th time that Israel has attacked the Iran-backed rebel group in Yemen, located some 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) away.The Houthis — whose slogan calls for “Death to America, Death to Israel, [and] a Curse on the Jews” — began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after the October 7 Hamas massacre in southern Israel.The Houthis held their fire when a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas in January 2025. By that point, they had launched over 40 ballistic missiles and dozens of attack drones and cruise missiles at Israel, including one that killed a civilian and wounded several others in Tel Aviv in July, prompting Israel’s first strike in Yemen.Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched 72 ballistic missiles and at least 23 drones at Israel. Several of the missiles have fallen short.In response to the Houthi attacks, Israel and a United States-led coalition bombarded rebel-held areas in Yemen, including Sanaa and the strategic coastal city of Hodeida. Israeli strikes knocked the Sanaa airport out of service in May.The Trump administration in May announced a deal with the Houthis to end the airstrikes in return for an end to attacks on shipping. The terror group, however, said the agreement did not include halting attacks on targets it believed were aligned with Israel.

'Hunger campaign would've happened regardless of blockade'Israel’s UN envoy: Western leaders recognizing Palestinian state to ‘blow off steam’Danon Danon says ‘disconnected’ countries want to ‘show they’re doing something’ at next month’s UN General Assembly, though move won’t have any impact beyond ‘hindering’ hostage talks-By Jacob Magid-Today, 4:52 am-AUG 28,25

Even before Western leaders began announcing plans to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly next month, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was poised to be at the top of the confab’s agenda.The Gaza war could well be nearing a grim second-year anniversary then, with dozens of hostages abducted during the Hamas-led attack that began the conflict still in captivity and the Palestinian death toll continuing to mount in the war-ravaged enclave.“These countries want to show that they are doing something, so they blow off steam by coming up with these declarative statements,” Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said in a Wednesday interview with The Times of Israel, referring to the plans of France, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada to recognize the state of Palestine.The Israeli envoy argued that the announcements won’t actually advance the establishment of a Palestinian state on the ground, which Jerusalem vehemently opposes. What they have practically impacted, though, are the negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal in the Gaza Strip, Danon said.“I have no doubt that these decisions are hindering the negotiations,” he asserted, noting that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has made the same argument.An Arab diplomat and a second source involved in the negotiations told The Times of Israel that Hamas’s new demands that led the US and Israel to pull out of hostage talks were submitted several hours prior to French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement on July 24 that Paris would recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September.Since then, Egypt and Qatari mediators managed to coax Hamas to come down from its new demands and agree to their proposal for a phased ceasefire that is nearly identical to the one accepted by Israel last month, according to the two sources.Israel has avoided responding to the proposal, though, and is moving ahead with plans for the IDF to take over Gaza City.“Things are currently being considered and reviewed. We have agreed to many proposals to date and the government will have to make a decision [on the latest proposal], while making sure that we are still able to achieve our war aims,” Danon said, ostensibly referring to Israel’s effort to defeat Hamas in addition to releasing the hostages.Danon argued that the “disconnected” Western leaders planning to recognize a Palestinian state are the ones ignoring the ongoing ceasefire negotiations, with their announcements actually aimed at improving their respective domestic political standings.Proponents of recognizing Palestinian statehood argue that it is a moral imperative amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and is a necessary step to revive prospects for a two-state solution by actualizing the establishment of a Palestinian state that they want to exist alongside Israel.But with no Israeli buy-in, Hamas still the most dominant Palestinian force in Gaza and Israeli steps aimed that risk collapsing an already-weak Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, it’s unclear how recognition will shift dynamics on the ground.Israeli forces over Arab troops in Gaza-Danon acknowledged that France’s statehood recognition initiative was coupled with a joint statement backed by the entire Arab League calling for Hamas to disarm and end its rule in Gaza.“But when I asked my colleagues how exactly Hamas would be removed from Gaza, they didn’t have a good answer,” the Israeli envoy recalled.The Biden administration secured commitments from several Arab countries to provide funding and troops to help secure and revive the Strip after the war, including by working to disarm the remnants of Hamas, a former US official and an Arab diplomat have told The Times of Israel.However, that assistance from Arab countries remains conditioned on the Gaza reconstruction’s inclusion of a reformed Palestinian Authority, as part of the establishment of a pathway toward a two-state solution — something Israel vehemently opposes.Danon was dismissive of the Arab offer, suggesting international forces would not be willing to enter Gaza so long as Hamas is still active in the Strip.In the meantime, Israel is going about trying to eradicate Hamas on its own, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu framing an upcoming operation to take over Gaza City as being aimed at dismantling the terror group’s final stronghold. However, the premier characterized a 2024 invasion of Rafah in a similar manner, while Hamas has adapted from an organized militia to a guerrilla insurgency that aims to thrive off an extended Israeli presence in Gaza.Danon insisted that Israeli military pressure on Hamas is what brought the terrorist organization to release hostages in the past — “Not declarations at the UN or discussions in the Security Council.”“We are fighting so that today’s Hamas is not the Hamas of October 7, rather than issuing statements at the UN in an air-conditioned room,” he said.‘Campaign run from Paris’Danon surmised that the drive behind the latest plans to recognize a Palestinian state is not coming from Ramallah this time, but rather Paris.“The campaign is being run from Paris, which is not only recognizing [a Palestinian state], but is also pressuring other countries” to do the same, Danon said, while highlighting that the recognitions have been hailed by Hamas as the “fruit” of its October 7 onslaught.The Israeli envoy said he has been in touch with French officials who have kept Jerusalem informed of their plans “after the fact.”As for whether any of the countries planning to recognize a Palestinian state next month could backtrack, Danon was not definitive, but he did note countries like Germany that have resisted the trend, arguing that the conditions aren’t ripe and that it won’t improve the situation on the ground.Asked whether there is a way to minimize the impact of the Palestine recognitions, Danon said Israel is in dialogue with various countries on the matter.“We are conveying our messages, but it is clear to us that right now the atmosphere is a challenging one, given that we are almost two years since the events of October 7,” he explained. “We are fighting every day to remind the world about the hostages, about whom we hear less and less from other countries.”No US-Israeli retaliation planned-Danon said Israel is closely coordinating with the US on the matter but that there is no joint campaign aimed at sanctioning countries that choose to recognize a Palestinian state.Washington has come out against the move and has criticized countries that have taken the step, but US President Donald Trump has also said the leaders involved have a right to their opinions on the matter.Still, the Israeli envoy hailed the Trump administration’s effort to support Israel at the UN, including securing invitations for former Hamas captives and hostage families to brief the Security Council.While the Biden administration took similar steps, Danon argued that Israel had to work harder to secure its support than it has since Trump took office.The Biden administration blocked repeated Security Council resolutions and joint statements calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza but did allow two measures opposed by Israel to pass — one that called for increasing aid into the Strip and another that called for an unconditional hostage release and ceasefire during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in March 2024.“It felt sometimes as if it was costing them [to support the Israeli government’s positions]. It wasn’t easy for them,” Danon maintained. “With the current administration, you can see that they’re genuinely proud to be supporting us, and the decision to do so is more natural for them.”Ignoring Smotrich and Ben Gvir-Ties with just about every one of Israel’s other allies have not been nearly as warm as the Gaza war has dragged on, with many of them taking particular issue with remarks by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and other far-right members of Netanyahu’s government who have spoken in favor of clearing the Strip of Palestinians and building Israeli settlements in their stead.Danon pushed back on the notion that countries should be citing such comments when justifying their stances against Israel, saying “they know better than that.”“They know politics, the parliament and the system in Israel; and they know that what ultimately counts are the decisions made by the cabinet,” Danon said. “Therefore, it is convenient for them to focus on various statements, but they know well that those are not what has an impact.”However, Netanyahu’s critics retort that he is beholden to those same far-right coalition partners to keep his government intact and that he has prosecuted the war to date in a manner that leaves the option that their hardline agenda will be realized.The premier himself has said he opposes establishing settlements in Gaza, but he has also expressed support for a Greater Israel and backs “voluntary migration” of Gazans, which critics claim is a euphemism for ethnic cleansing.Still, Danon pushed back on those focusing on Israel’s hardline ministers, arguing that “the government is responsible.”“Even though we decided to pursue an aggressive [military] policy, we did it in an orderly manner and have minimized harm to the civilian population by allowing them to evacuate and for a humanitarian response to be stood up,” he said.‘Hamas hunger campaign’Rights groups have pointed to repeated instances where Israeli strikes have killed scores of civilians, while the IDF maintains that it takes steps to avoid civilian casualties, while Hamas hides among them.But Israel also instituted a 78-day blockade from March through May that international organizations say has brought Gaza to the brink of widespread famine.Pressed on whether that blockade was a mistake, Danon faulted a “successful Hamas campaign” aimed at convincing the international community that there is widespread hunger in Gaza.He likened it to the effort to portray Israel as intentionally targeting hospitals, without mentioning that Hamas uses them for military purposes.He proceeded to defend the decision to implement the blockade, arguing that Israel believed in March that enough aid had entered the Strip during the six-week ceasefire that preceded the move.“We see today that even when the crossings are open and there is no food shortage, Hamas’s hunger campaign continues,” Danon said. “I assume they would have run a similar campaign, regardless of whether we had made the decision” to halt aid.Fatigued Diaspora Jewry-On top of Israel’s fraying diplomatic standing has been the war’s strain on Jerusalem’s ties with Diaspora Jewry, something to which Danon has been more exposed, given his posting in New York City.“I definitely recognize that there is fatigue,” he said. “Fatigue exists both in Israel and among friends of Israel and Jewish communities after two very, very intense years.”“In my conversations with [Jewish community] leaders, I tell them that this is indeed a challenging time but that we need to demonstrate strength and patience and continue to fight” to defend Israel’s war, Danon added.Danon said he’d be taking that approach to the upcoming General Assembly high-level week that he expects will be “hostile and challenging” for Israel.“If previous General Aassembly’s focused on Ukraine or South Sudan, I think it’s clear that this time all eyes will be on what’s happening by us,” Danon said, adding that Israel was using the opportunity to raise the plight of the hostages by having their families come to the UN to “remind the world why we are continuing this war.”

UN Security Council renews UNIFIL mission for one final year before shutdown-Israel welcomes decision to end Lebanon peacekeeping force’s mission after 48 years, saying it reflects recent ‘positive developments’ as Beirut moves to disarm Hezbollah-By Agencies, Jacob Magid-and Nava Freiberg-Today, 11:23 pm-AUG 28,25

The United Nations Security Council on Thursday unanimously extended “for a final time” a long-running peacekeeping mission in Lebanon until the end of 2026, when the operation will then begin a year-long “orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal.”The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), established in 1978, patrols Lebanon’s southern border with Israel.The 15-member council unanimously adopted a French-drafted resolution after a compromise was reached with the United States, a veto-wielding council member.The Security Council decided “to extend for a final time the mandate of UNIFIL.”The resolution “requests UNIFIL to cease its operations on 31 December 2026 and to start from this date and within one year its orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal of its personnel, in close consultation with the Government of Lebanon with the aim of making Lebanon Government the sole provider of security in southern Lebanon.”UNIFIL’s mandate was expanded in 2006, following a month-long war between Israel and Hezbollah, to allow peacekeepers to help the Lebanese army keep parts of the south free of weapons or armed personnel other than those of the Lebanese state.Israel has long argued that the force had failed in its mission, doing little to block Hezbollah from building up its forces near the Israeli border over decades.In the wake of the war between Israel and Hezbollah last year, which devastated the terror group, Lebanon’s new government has moved to curb Hezbollah’s power, disarm the group and reassert control. At the same time, Beirut officials had called for UNIFIL to remain for now, saying the country’s cash-strapped and overstretched army was unable to patrol the full area on its own.Israel had opposed any move to extend the mission. The US had appeared to be leaning toward Jerusalem’s position, initially demanding that the force end its work in six months and later seeking a 12-month final extension, but ultimately voted on Thursday in favor of a final 16-month mandate.This will be the last time the United States will support an extension of UNIFIL, said acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea. “The security environment in Lebanon is radically different than just one year ago, creating the space for Lebanon to assume greater responsibility,” she told the council.Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed the decision to extend UNIFIL’s mandate until December 2026, and thanked “all friendly countries in this Council that expressed their understanding of Lebanon’s concerns.”The Security Council resolution, sponsored by France, gives the force a year starting on December 31, 2026, to withdraw its 10,800 military and civilian personnel and all UN equipment. During this withdrawal period, UNIFIL will be authorized to carry out a few limited activities.These include providing security and assistance to UN personnel, “to maintain situational awareness in the vicinity of UNIFIL locations,” and to contribute to the protection of civilians and the safe delivery of humanitarian aid “within the limits of its capacities.”The resolution urges the international community “to intensify its support, including equipment, material and finance” to the Lebanese armed forces.France’s deputy UN ambassador, Jay Dharmadhikari, welcomed the unanimous vote, saying last November’s cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah placed Lebanon on a path to regain sovereignty over its entire territory and toward regional stability.He said UNIFIL’s ongoing operations are still vital, stressing that its mandate until the end of 2026 will give the force “precious time … to work alongside the mounting capabilities of the Lebanese arm so that sovereignty can be extended throughout Lebanese territory.”Dharmadhikari warned that “any premature withdrawal could undermine or even weaken” that effort.The US commended the progress of deployment of Lebanese forces, Shea said, and will keep working with it “to expand its capabilities as Lebanon carries out its critical work in disarming Hezbollah.”She urged the international community to use the coming year to bolster the Lebanese armed forces and “set Lebanon up for success.”Israel welcomed the decision to terminate UNIFIL’s mandate.Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar hailed the move and credited Washington for enabling it, saying in a statement from his office that Israel “appreciates the stance of the United States, and particularly that of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which made this outcome possible. US involvement in shaping a more secure environment for the states of the region is welcome.”“The recent developments in Lebanon are positive developments. Israel will continue to ensure that these gains are not eroded and that the security of the residents of the north is safeguarded,” he said.The Foreign Ministry added that ahead of the Security Council discussion on UNIFIL, it “coordinated interagency preparations together with the IDF and the National Security Council,” and held talks with “key international partners,” in efforts it claims led to the decision to end UNIFIL’s mandate.Meanwhile, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, celebrated the “good news” in a video message, saying UNIFIL had “failed in its mission and allowed Hezbollah to become the region’s most serious threat.”“The Lebanese government now needs to take responsibility and ensure that no other force is present on its border with Israel,” he added.

Tehran pans move as 'illegal and unjustified'-UK, France, Germany launch process to impose snapback sanctions on Iran-US, Israel praise move as FM Sa’ar calls measures an ‘important step’ in countering Iranian nuclear ambitions; Tehran to continue talks with E3 before they take effect-By Lazar Berman,Reuters and AFP Today, 10:55 pm-AUG 28,25

Britain, France and Germany announced Thursday their decision to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, sparking indignation from Iranian officials and praise in Israel and the United States.The step was announced in a letter to the UN Security Council sent by the European powers as they launched a 30-day process to once again level punitive measures against the Islamic Republic.The so-called E3 had been threatening to trigger the so-called snapback mechanism for months, and stood to lose their ability to restore sanctions come mid-October under the provisions of a 2015 nuclear accord with Tehran.The three European signatories to the now-moribund deal held several rounds of talks with Iran since Israel and the US struck its nuclear installations in mid-June in an effort set back Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program.The talks were aimed at reaching an agreement to defer the mechanism, but the E3 deemed that talks in Geneva on Tuesday did not yield sufficiently tangible commitments from Iran.The European nations accused Tehran of having decisively violated the deal aimed at keeping the regime from attaining a nuclear weapon. The US, which was party to that deal, pulled out under President Donald Trump in 2018, and held failed indirect negotiations earlier this year with Tehran.France and Germany’s foreign ministers stressed that the decision, which will only yield concrete sanctions by the end of September, did not signal the end of diplomacy with Tehran.We are determined to use the 30-day period that is opening to engage in dialogue with Iran,” France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X. “We remain committed to diplomacy to ensure that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon.”German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called for Iran’s full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and a clear commitment to direct negotiations with the United States, saying diplomacy can still continue.A senior Iranian official speaking to Reuters said the move was “an action against diplomacy, not a chance for it.” He admitted that Iran would continue diplomacy with the E3, but “will not concede under pressure.”Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would “respond appropriately” to the decision, deriding the step as “illegal and unjustified.”The E3’s ministers informed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio of their decision Wednesday, saying they hoped that Iran would engage by the end of September to provide commitments over its nuclear program that would convince them to defer concrete action.Rubio welcomed the decision in a statement Thursday, stressing that the European powers had pursued negotiations before moving to enact sanctions.“These European allies have laid out a clear case of Iran’s continuing ‘significant non-performance’ of its nuclear commitments, establishing a strong basis for initiating snapback,” Rubio said.“The E3 could have initiated snapback at any point since 2019 but chose instead to first pursue intensive outreach and engagement — to provide Iran with a diplomatic offramp from its strategy of nuclear escalation,” he continued.The move was also met with high praise from Israeli officials, with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar calling the sanctions “inevitable,” while cautioning that Iran hasn’t given up on its aim of attaining a nuclear weapon.Writing on X, he hailed the move as “an important step in the diplomatic campaign to counter the Iranian regime’s nuclear ambitions.”Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon also praised the action, saying that the “countries of the world are… joining the fight against the axis of evil.”“This is an important step on the way to stopping the Iranian nuclear program and increasing pressure on the regime in Tehran,” he added.The brief military conflict between Israel and Iran began on June 13 with a surprise Israeli attack, and ended 12 days later, soon after the US joined the campaign, striking three key nuclear sites.Israel said its sweeping assault on Iran’s top military leaders, nuclear scientists, uranium enrichment sites, and ballistic missile program was necessary to prevent the Islamic Republic from realizing its avowed plan to destroy the Jewish state.Iran has denied seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. However, it enriched uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities. Israel said Iran had recently taken steps toward weaponization.Iran retaliated to Israel’s strikes by launching over 500 ballistic missiles and around 1,100 drones at Israel. The attacks killed 31 people and wounded over 3,000 in Israel, according to health officials and hospitals.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Sweden and Netherlands call for EU sanctions on Israel, Hamas-Countries demand suspension of Israel free trade agreement on industry and agriculture, targeted sanctions against ‘extremist’ Israeli ministers and violent settlers-By AFP Today, 5:08 pm-aug 28,25

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — Sweden and the Netherlands have urged the EU to adopt sanctions on Israel and Hamas over the war in Gaza, including suspending the EU-Israel trade deal, according to a document seen by AFP on Thursday.In a letter to European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas, the Swedish and Dutch foreign ministers called for targeted sanctions on Israeli government ministers and Jewish settlers in the West Bank, and new sanctions on the political leadership of Hamas.They also demanded the suspension of the commercial section of an association accord between the EU and Israel that allows for free trade in several sectors, notably industry and agriculture.The topic is to be discussed at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Copenhagen on Saturday.The letter, dated August 27, “recalls the need to speedily… introduce targeted sanctions against extremist Israeli ministers who promote illegal settlement activities, and actively work against a negotiated two-state solution, and the need for additional sanctions against violent settlers.”Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard has been calling since May for sanctions against far-right ministers in the Israeli cabinet who have pushed for the annexation of Gaza and the West Bank.She told Swedish public radio SR on Thursday the aim should be to create “difficulties” for the ministers who have led the campaign to expand Jewish settlements in the territories.Caspar Veldkamp resigned as the Netherlands’ foreign minister last week after the Dutch cabinet failed to agree on new national sanctions against Israel over its tactics in the war against Hamas in Gaza. He has been replaced by Ruben Brekelmans.In their letter, Stenergard and Brekelmans asked the EU foreign service to “present additional proposals on ways to increase pressure on Hamas,” which is in power in the Gaza Strip.Hamas is already banned as a terrorist organization by the EU and many Western nations.On Friday, the United Nations officially declared there was famine in Gaza, blaming what it called the systematic obstruction of aid by Israel during more than 22 months of war.Israel swiftly rejected the accusation, with the Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories, the Defense Ministry body that oversees aid, declaring that the report was based on “biased and self-interested sources originating from Hamas.”The push from Sweden and the Netherlands to sanction Israel comes after the EU decided not to adopt punitive measures against the Jewish state last month, as member states remain divided over the issue.But when she announced that decision, Kallas said the bloc would continue to monitor Israel’s implementation of an agreement to boost aid to Gaza, and that if Israel failed to implement the steps it promised to take, it would reconsider punitive measures.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

EGYPTIAN DEATH CULT IF YOUR SO WORRIED ABOUT THE DEAL. GIVE ISRAEL ALL THE DEAD AND ALIVE HOSTAGES. THATS THE DEAL GET THAT THREW YOUR JACKASS STUPID BRAINS.AND IF YOUR COMPLAINING ABOUT ISRAELS  FOOD GOING TO ARABS IN GAZA. YOU DON'T LIKE IT - GET THEM PUPPET ARABS INTO EGYPT AND FEED THEM YOU DEATH CULTISTS.

Egypt says Israel has yet to respond to Gaza truce offer-Gaza at ‘breaking point,’ UN food chief says after visit to hunger-stricken Strip-World Food Programme chief says ‘enough is enough,’ urges massive surge in aid; UN rights experts claim ‘forced disappearances’ at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites, GHF denies it-By Agencies, ToI Staff and Stav Levaton-Today, 5:35 pm-AUG 28,25

The head of the United Nations’ World Food Programme warned Thursday that Gaza is “at breaking point” and appealed for the urgent revival of the agency’s network of 200 food distribution points, a day after the Israel Defense Forces announced that it was planning to open an additional aid distribution site in southern Gaza over the coming days.“Enough is enough,” WFP executive director Cindy McCain said after visiting the besieged territory, where Israel is pressing operations in its offensive against Hamas.“Gaza is at a breaking point. Desperation is soaring — and I saw it firsthand,” McCain said.Her comments come less than a week after the United Nations’ Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) declared a famine in parts of Gaza, blaming the “systematic obstruction” of humanitarian deliveries by Israel. Israel has dismissed the IPC report as “fabricated” and a “modern blood libel.”McCain went to Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah, where she visited a nutrition clinic keeping children alive and met with displaced mothers who say they struggle daily to find scraps of food.“I met starving children receiving treatment for severe malnutrition — and I saw photos of when they were healthy. Today they are unrecognizable,” McCain said.“We must urgently be able to revive our vast and trusted network of 200 food distribution points across the Strip, community kitchens and bakeries. It is urgent that the right conditions are in place so we can reach the most vulnerable and save lives,” she said, calling on Israel to shift from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to the previous system run by the UN and other aid groups.Aid organizations and much of the international community are opposed to the GHF’s aid system, as it requires Gazans to walk long distances in order to pick up a box of dry food products that need to be prepared, though cooking fuel and equipment are scarce in the Strip. There have also been repeated shootings near GHF sites, with Palestinians claiming hundreds have died due to IDF gunfire.Israel says that Hamas regularly steals supplies from deliveries by the UN and international aid groups, and set up the GHF to provide aid via an alternative that would keep goods out of Hamas’s hands.McCain met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to press for a “surge of food assistance to reach the most vulnerable.”She also met Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa in Ramallah, the WFP said.“What we need is a ceasefire. My heart goes out to the mothers in Gaza, as well as to the mothers of the Israeli hostages, whose children are currently starving,” McCain said.No progress in ceasefire efforts-Meanwhile, Israel has continued to resist international and internal pressure to agree to a proposal for a temporary truce in Gaza and the release of some of the 50 remaining hostages, Egypt’s top diplomat said on Thursday.After Israel decided to move forward with an operation to capture Gaza City, Hamas said it had accepted a proposed agreement that would see 10 living hostages exchanged for Palestinian security prisoners during a 60-day truce that could be extended to a second phase if the sides agreed to terms on a permanent ceasefire.But Israel has said it now demands a comprehensive deal that would see the release of all remaining hostages at once, the disarmament of Hamas, the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, overall Israeli security control of the territory, and the transfer of governance to a body that is not Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.As such, it has not formally discussed the phased proposal, despite it being nearly identical to one it approved earlier this year.“The Qatari and Egyptian mediation efforts have not stopped, despite the unfortunate lack of responsiveness from the Israeli side and its insistence on its position,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said at a press conference with his Qatari counterpart.“We will continue our pressure and remain in contact with regional and international parties so that they press the Israeli side to accept the ceasefire proposal, which is based on the initiative presented by the American mediator [Steve] Witkoff.”IDF promises aid, tents ahead of Gaza City op-As the military gears up for its offensive in Gaza City and for moving civilians southward, the head of Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, issued an Arabic-language video message to Gaza residents on Thursday.He accused Hamas of orchestrating a “false starvation campaign,” insisting that “Israel does not pursue a policy of starvation. On the contrary, Israel works to prevent it.”The COGAT chief said that more than 300 humanitarian trucks have entered Gaza daily — most carrying food — and that four crossings have been opened to facilitate deliveries, which he claimed have driven down market prices and improved access to food.“Hamas, and only Hamas, is responsible for the humanitarian crisis,” he said, charging that the group seizes aid and uses civilians as human shields.Alian said the IDF’s upcoming Gaza City offensive was aimed at bringing about “the collapse of this terrorist organization,” while ensuring safe passage for civilians to the southern Gaza Strip.To support that effort, he noted that Israel has facilitated the entry of tents for shelters, worked to set up additional field hospitals and enabled the transfer of medical equipment to bolster the health system in the south.“Hamas will continue spreading lies,” he added. “We will continue working together with the UN and international organizations to facilitate the entry of large-scale food supplies and ensure that the aid reaches you, the residents of Gaza, and not Hamas.”IDF to open additional GHF site-The day before, the IDF had announced that it would facilitate the opening of two more GHF aid sites in the southern Gaza Strip, while closing Rafah’s Tel al-Sultan distribution point.Once work is completed, the total number of GHF centers in the Strip will rise from four to five.“The distribution complex in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood will be replaced by the two complexes that are currently being established in the southern Gaza Strip with the aim of improving the response and the safety of the distribution,” the IDF said.The UN human rights office said last week it had documented that 1,857 Palestinians had been killed while seeking aid since late May, 1,021 of them near GHF sites. The IDF has acknowledged firing warning shots at crowds that get too close to its soldiers, but called the UN tallies exaggerated, though it hasn’t provided alternate numbers.The GHF has consistently disavowed responsibility for the reported deaths of people trying to obtain the humanitarian assistance it distributes.The GHF, which is backed by the US and Israel, was set up as an alternate mechanism to the UN-backed aid distribution efforts that have operated in the Strip for most of the war. According to Israel, the new system was needed due to assistance being siphoned off by Hamas, which sold the goods on the black market to fund its activities, including recruiting new fighters to rebuild its depleted forces.UN experts decry ‘disappearances’ at aid sites-Also on Thursday, UN rights experts voiced alarm at reports of “enforced disappearances” of starving Palestinians seeking food at distribution sites run by the GHF, urging Israel to end the “heinous crime.”The seven independent experts said in a joint statement they had received reports that a number of individuals, including one child, had been “forcibly disappeared” after going to aid distribution sites in Rafah, southern Gaza.“Reports of enforced disappearances targeting starving civilians seeking their basic right to food is not only shocking, but amounts to torture,” said the experts, who are mandated by the UN Human Rights Council, but who do not speak on behalf of the UN itself.“Using food as a tool to conduct targeted and mass disappearances needs to end now,” they added.Israel’s military was reportedly “directly involved in the enforced disappearances of people seeking aid,” said the statement signed by the five members of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, along with Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on rights in the Palestinian territories, and her counterpart on the right to food, Michael Fakhri.Israel’s military was “refusing to provide information on the fate and whereabouts of persons they have deprived of their liberty,” in violation of international law, the statement alleged. “The failure to acknowledge deprivation of liberty by state agents and refusal to acknowledge detention constitute an enforced disappearance.”Albanese is an outspoken critic of Israel who has been accused of antisemitic and pro-terror rhetoric. An Italian national, she regularly accuses Israel of genocide in Gaza and has said that the October 7, 2023, massacre, torture, rapes and abductions carried out by Hamas in southern Israel must be put in a “context of decades of oppression imposed on the Palestinians.”There was no immediate response to the claims from the IDF.In response to the accusation, the GHF said it had found no evidence of “enforced disappearances” at its aid sites.“We operate in a war zone where serious allegations exist against all parties operating outside our sites. But inside GHF facilities, there is no evidence of enforced disappearances,” the organization told AFP.The UN has blamed much of the deprivation in Gaza on “systematic obstruction” of humanitarian deliveries by Israel. Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza between March and May, ostensibly to prevent Hamas from looting supplies.Once it began easing restrictions, the GHF was established to distribute food aid, effectively sidelining UN agencies.The experts pointed to how “aerial bombardment and daily gunfire at and around the crowded facilities have resulted in mass casualties.”“The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is obligated to provide secure distribution sites and has contracted private military security companies to that end,” they said, warning that “the distribution points pose additional risks for devastated individuals of being forcibly disappeared.”The experts urged Israeli authorities to “put an end to the heinous crime against an already vulnerable population.”They demanded that the authorities “clarify the fate and whereabouts of disappeared persons and investigate the enforced disappearances thoroughly and impartially and punish perpetrators.”Staff urge UN rights chief to call Gaza war ‘genocide’Hundreds of UN staff at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Volker Turk, have asked him to explicitly describe the Gaza war as an unfolding genocide, according to a letter seen by Reuters.The letter sent on Wednesday said the staff consider that the legal criteria for genocide in the nearly two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza have been met, citing the scale, scope and nature of violations documented there.“OHCHR has a strong legal and moral responsibility to denounce acts of genocide,” said the letter signed by the Staff Committee on behalf of over 500 employees. “Failing to denounce an unfolding genocide undermines the credibility of the UN and the human rights system itself,” it added.It cited the international body’s perceived moral failure for not doing more to stop the 1994 Rwanda genocide that killed more than 1 million people.“The situation in Gaza has shaken us all to our core,” said OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani, citing difficult circumstances faced by the office as it tries to document facts and raise the alarm. “There have been and will continue to be discussions internally on how to move forward,” she said in reference to the letter.Turk, who has repeatedly condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza and warned of the increasing risk of atrocity crimes, said the letter raised important concerns.“I know we all share a feeling of moral indignation at the horrors we are witnessing, as well as frustration in the face of the international community’s inability to bring this situation to an end,” he said in a copy of his response seen by Reuters, calling for employees to “remain united as an Office in the face of such adversity.”There was no immediate response from the Israeli Foreign Ministry. Israel has strongly rejected accusations of genocide in Gaza, citing its right to self-defense following the deadly October 7, 2023, Hamas attack in which invading terrorists killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. It also maintains it makes efforts to avoid harm to civilians as it continues to fight terror groups in Gaza.The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 62,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed over 22,000 combatants in battle as of August and another 1,600 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 onslaught.

Ben Gvir plans new policy barring protests on major roads or at synagogues-Police minister seeks AG’s approval but vows to implement policy regardless if she does not respond within 5 days; opposition MKs decry attempt to ‘trample’ free expression By Charlie Summers-Today, 5:55 pm-AUG 28,25

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is seeking to implement a new policy dictating how police are to handle protests, which would forbid demonstrators from blocking major roads or rallying at synagogues.The plan is highly likely to face significant legal challenges.The new policy, published in full Thursday, would prohibit protests blocking highways and major routes, as well as roads leading to hospitals, isolated towns, emergency routes and Ben Gurion Airport.It would also require protesters to obtain approval from the police, who Ben Gvir oversees, in order to block roads within cities. Protests at synagogues would likewise be prohibited based on the claim that they impede freedom of religion. (Protesters have sometimes demonstrated against religious political leaders at the synagogues they frequent.)“Freedom of religion and the [freedom of] conscience for worshipers in the synagogue overrides the freedom to protest within or at the site of a synagogue or any other house of worship,” the document reads.Ben Gvir said he he had sought the approval of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara for the move several months ago, but claimed he received no response. He issued an ultimatum to the legal official Thursday, vowing to implement the restrictions regardless of her approval should she fail to respond within five days.Several senior police officers voiced their displeasure with the restrictions, telling the Ynet news outlet that decisions regarding such matters should be made by officers on the ground, rather than an elected official.Protesters demanding a hostage and ceasefire deal begin to gather on Begin Highway in Jerusalem, blocking the road to traffic on August 17, 2025. (Charlie Summers/Times of Israel)-Ben Gvir in April signed a legally binding compromise with the attorney general, which requires him to confer with her and the Israel Police chief before setting policy on matters of protests and freedom of expression.The policy must be “published ahead of time” and be “future-oriented, public, general, equal and not be determined, published or changed according to [specific] protest events,” per the agreement.Ben Gvir has feuded regularly with Baharav-Miara over his interference in police matters, particularly regarding the issues of anti-government protests and police promotions. She has frequently claimed that the minister’s behavior threatens to harm the force’s professional, apolitical character.The government voted recently to push Baharav-Miara out of her post — a move that was frozen by the High Court until further notice as it prepares to review it.The far-right minister went public with his policy document days after protesters for a hostage-ceasefire deal staged nationwide demonstrations, blocking major highways between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.Two major days of protest have swept the country over the past two weeks, and organizers have vowed to continue to bring people out into the streets in a bid to exert pressure on the government to sign off on the hostage deal proposal on the table.Several opposition lawmakers railed against Ben Gvir’s new restrictions following their publication.Yesh Atid MK Yoav Segalovitz, formerly a high-ranking cop who headed the Lahav 433 major crimes unit, said the prospect of a minister drafting such a policy paper would be inconceivable “in a sane democratic regime.”“It is no surprise that an unfit minister, a convicted criminal, is trying to influence police work in the area of demonstrations and freedom of expression, and along the way attempting another political maneuver against the attorney general and High Court of Justice. This policy document should be thrown in the garbage,” he wrote.Labor MK Gilad Kariv, a left-wing lawmaker who sits on the Knesset National Security Committee and frequently attends anti-government protests in Tel Aviv, also denounced the document as an attempt to “trample freedom of expression.”“Ben Gvir is afraid of the protest movement, and seeks to suppress it through the police, because he and his friends know that it expresses the demand of the majority of the public to bring back the hostages and end the war,” he wrote on X. “I call on the senior command of the Israel Police to show no confusion regarding their role, and to act in accordance with the letter of the law and court rulings.”According to the Haaretz newspaper, Justice Ministry representatives were meeting Ben Gvir’s staffers to discuss the insertion of the agreement into the police ordinance.The team intends to discuss the minister’s proposed policy on demonstrations in the coming weeks, and has requested a written statement from police chief Danny Levy and police’s legal counsel regarding the limitations.

Orthodox Church in Gaza City ordered to evacuate by Israeli army-Church leaders have vowed that clergy and nuns won’t leave, will stay to assist those who cannot flee, as IDF plans Gaza City conquest By Rossella Tercatin-27 August 2025, 4:49 pm

The Greek Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrius and its compound in Gaza City have been ordered to evacuate by the Israel Defense Forces, the Times of Israel learned Wednesday.At the same time, the Catholic Church of Holy Family, also in Gaza City, is located in an area that, for the moment, has not received an evacuation order.The information is supported by the evacuation map featured on the IDF Arabic website, which shows St. Porphyrius, but not the Holy Family, in a red zone.However, the third church in the Strip, the Anglican St. Philip’s Church, which is part of the compound of the Al-Ahli Arab Anglican Hospital in Gaza City, is situated in an area under evacuation order, according to the IDF map.The orders come as Israel gears up for a mass evacuation of the civilian population from Gaza City ahead of a planned military offensive to take the Strip’s largest city as Israel looks to defeat Hamas.On Tuesday, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem issued a joint statement condemning the difficult situation of their communities in the Strip and announcing that their clergy and nuns would not leave.The statement did not explicitly say that the compounds, which shelter hundreds of refugees and vulnerable Gazans, including elderly, women, children, and people with disabilities, had received a direct order to evacuate.“At the time of this statement, evacuation orders were already in place for several neighborhoods in Gaza City,” reads the statement. “Since the outbreak of the war, the Greek Orthodox compound of Saint Porphyrius and the Holy Family compound have been a refuge for hundreds of civilians… Leaving Gaza City and trying to flee to the south would be nothing less than a death sentence. For this reason, the clergy and nuns have decided to remain and continue to care for all those who will be in the compounds.”“We do not know exactly what will happen on the ground, not only for our community, but for the entire population,” the statement adds.A spokesperson for the Protecting Holy Land Christians group, which was initiated by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III but works closely with other Churches as well, had told The Times of Israel that as of Monday morning, neither church had received a direct order to evacuate, though the situation in their surroundings was very dire.“Bombing around the churches is nonstop,” she said.However, based on the information learned by The Times of Israel, the compound of St. Porphyrius is supposed to evacuate.The compound was hit by an Israeli strike a few days after the beginning of the war, on October 20, 2023. At the time, the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry stated several people were killed (the number could not be independently verified, but former US congressman Justin Amash said some of his relatives were dead).In July 2024, the Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East said that the compound of the Al-Ahli hospital had been forced to close as a result of the evacuation of several residential districts ordered by the military, but the IDF stated it had made it clear there was no need to close hospitals or medical centers in the areas where it ordered evacuations due to military operations against terror groups.In July, three people were killed and several were injured in an IDF strike on the Holy Family Church compound. The military later said that a misfired munition was to blame.The incident caused significant international outrage and condemnation, and a blow to Israel’s relations with the Christian world.The IDF has been pushing forward with the plan to conquer Gaza City for several weeks, operating on the outskirts of the city ahead of a larger ground operation that is set to take place in the near future.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has argued that conquering the city, which is currently home to around one million Palestinians, will allow Israel to secure a victory against Hamas (a claim he has made several times in the past, referring to other military operations).The military has called up an additional 60,000 reservists for the operation. The troops are set to report for duty starting from September 2.The plans to conquer Gaza City have drawn fierce opposition from hostages’ families who fear the planned operation will risk the lives of their loved ones, as well as international outcry, with governments and humanitarian groups warning of potentially disastrous consequences for Gaza’s civilians.

Russia kills at least 14 in Kyiv in second-largest barrage of war, Ukraine says-Zelensky says ‘Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table’ after Moscow launches 629 drones and missiles, killing at least 3 children By Agencies and ToI Staff 28 August 2025, 1:25 pm

Russian missiles and drones ripped through apartment buildings in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early Thursday, killing at least 14 people, including three children, and wounding 48, in an attack that President Volodymyr Zelensky said showed Moscow’s rejection of peace negotiations.It was the first major Russian attack on Kyiv in weeks as US-led peace efforts to end the three-year war struggled to gain traction. Ukraine’s air force said Moscow fired 629 drones and missiles. It was the second-largest of any overnight barrage, according to AFP analysis of Kyiv’s data.The attack blasted a five-story crater in one apartment block, ripping the building in two.Among the dead were three children ages 2, 14 and 17, said Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s city administration. The numbers are expected to rise. Rescue teams were on site to pull people trapped underneath the rubble.AFP reporters saw rescuers carrying victims away in body bags as they sifted through the smoldering rubble.Heavy construction machinery was deployed to scoop up mounds of debris. Officials warned that several people were believed to be still trapped under the collapsed building.Russia launched decoy drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, said Tkachenko.At least 20 locations across seven districts of Kyiv had impacts. Nearly 100 buildings were damaged, including a shopping mall in the city center, and thousands of windows were shattered, he said.“Glass was flying… we were screaming when the bombs went off,” Galina Shcherbak, who was at a parking lot close to one of the strike hits, told AFP.“They’re just bombing residential buildings. What kind of target is there in the center of Kyiv?” said Valery Savenko, whose apartment was damaged in the strike.Emergency responders searched for survivors and pulled bodies from the destruction. Crowds of residents stood nearby waiting for relatives to retrieved from the rubble, including a man who was waiting for information about his wife and son. Bodies in black bags were placed to the side of the building.At least 10 people were known to be missing by the afternoon, according to Ukraine’s Emergency Service.It was not the first time the district was targeted, neighborhood residents said.Oleksandr Khilko arrived at the scene after a missile hit the residential building where his sister lives. He heard screams from people who were trapped under the rubble and pulled out three survivors, including a boy.“It’s inhuman, striking civilians,” he said, his clothes covered in dust and the tips of his fingers black with soot. “With every cell of my body I want this war to end as soon as possible. I wait, but every time the air raid alarm sounds, I am afraid.”Ukraine’s national railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsia, reported damage to its infrastructure in the Vinnytsia and Kyiv regions, causing delays and requiring trains to use alternative routes.Ukraine said it had hit two large refineries in Russia in its own overnight attacks — strikes it calls fair retaliation.Russia’s defense ministry said it had downed 102 Ukrainian drones overnight.Diplomacy ruined-Giving the latest toll, Zelensky called the attack “a horrific and deliberate killing of civilians. The Russians are not choosing to end the war, only new strikes.”“Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table,” he said in a post on X following the attack. “We expect a response from everyone in the world who has called for peace but now more often stays silent rather than taking principled positions.”Moscow had fired ballistic and cruise missiles as well as Iranian-designed Shahed drones from different directions to “systematically” target residential buildings, he said.“This means that Russia still does not fear the consequences,” he added in a social media post.Zelensky called for a tough response from Ukraine’s allies, including fresh sanctions.“For the spurning of ceasefire and for the constant Russian attempts to weasel out of negotiations, new strong sanctions are needed,” he added, calling on Russia’s ally China and EU member Hungary to take a much tougher stance against Moscow.“All deadlines have already been broken, dozens of opportunities for diplomacy ruined. Russia must feel accountable for every strike, for every day of this war,” he said.The overnight barrage also hit the European Union mission’s building, EU Council chief Antonio Costa said on X, attaching a photo from inside the office with the windows blown out, ceiling partially hanging down and debris scattered on the floor. Staff were not harmed, EU President Ursula von der Leyen said.“Russia must stop its indiscriminatory attacks on civilian infrastructure immediately and join negotiations for a just and lasting peace,” she said in a post on X.The attacks came a day after the Kremlin rejected the chances of a swift meeting between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin had met with US President Donald Trump earlier this month in a landmark meeting in Alaska, where the two discussed conditions for an end to the war in Ukraine.Kyiv says a summit is crucial to breaking the deadlock over how to end the war.Moscow is demanding Kyiv cede more territory and renounce Western military support as conditions for any peace deal — ultimatums ruled out by Kyiv.On Wednesday, Putin’s spokesman said Russia viewed the idea of a European peacekeeping force — seen by Kyiv as vital to deterring a future Russian attack — “negatively.”Putin has rejected multiple ceasefire calls from Zelensky, Trump and European leaders, and Ukraine has long cast Russia as paying only lip-service to the idea of halting its invasion.Russian forces have been slowly but steadily gaining ground on the battlefield, where they hold an advantage in manpower and weapons.Before concluding any peace agreement, Ukraine wants security guarantees from the West to deter any future Russian attacks — something Moscow has pushed back against.

Erdogan jubilant as 'Steel Dome' air defence system delivered to military.

Istanbul, Aug 27 (AFP) Aug 27, 2025-President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday hailed a milestone for Turkey as its "Steel Dome" air defence system was delivered to the military, saying regional conflicts had pushed Ankara to boost its defence capacities."Today we are providing our army with the (Steel) Dome system, consisting of 47 vehicles worth $460 million, which will inspire confidence in friends and fear in enemies," Erdogan said at a ceremony a year after the project was launched."This system will make the world of difference for Turkey's air defence. This is a turning point for Turkey," he said at a ceremony at the headquarters of Turkish defence giant Aselsan to mark the delivery of the project which has been led by state-owned defence companies.Last August, Turkey, a member of NATO, unveiled plans to build a multi-layered air defence system to protect its airspace, modelled on Israel's renowned Iron Dome. It named it "Steel Dome".Turkey has been unsettled by the recent wave of unrest gripping the region, notably Israel's increasing intervention in Syria after the overthrow of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad and the 12-day air war between Iran and Israel in June."Recent conflicts around us have revealed the importance" of radar systems detecting incoming threats from the air, Erdogan said."Unless a country can develop its own radar and air defence system, it cannot look to its future with confidence in the face of current security challenges, especially in our region," he added."We are aware of the importance of not leaving anything to chance.... With the Steel Dome, we will now be in a different class in terms of air defence."Also present at the ceremony, Defence Minister Yasar Guler said the system would "further increase the deterrence and effectiveness of our armed forces... and ensure our security at the highest level".Erdogan also inaugurated work on a giant technology base worth $1.5 billion, hailing it as "the largest defence industry investment ever made in a single instance in the history of the republic"."This is also going to be the largest integrated air defence facility in the whole of Europe," he said, adding that by mid-2026, the first facility on this new campus would be operational."This investment is going to... make Turkey not just a regional player but a global player when it comes to defence systems."

China says will not participate in denuclearisation talks with US, Russia.

Beijing, Aug 27 (AFP) Aug 27, 2025-China said Wednesday that it would not participate in denuclearisation talks with the United States and Russia, after President Donald Trump said he hoped to include Beijing in negotiations.Trump on Monday said the United States was trying to pursue denuclearisation with both countries."I think the denuclearisation is a very -- it's a big aim. But Russia's willing to do it and I think China is going to be willing to do it too," Trump told reporters at the White House."We can't let nuclear weapons proliferate. We have to stop nuclear weapons," he added.Russia and the United States -- former Cold War rivals -- possess almost 90 percent of the world's nuclear weapons between them, but Moscow pulled out of the last remaining arms control agreement with Washington in 2023.When asked about Trump's comments, Beijing's foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Wednesday it was "neither reasonable nor realistic" to expect China to participate in trilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations with the United States and Russia."China and the United States are not at the same level at all in terms of nuclear capabilities," Guo told reporters."The countries with the largest nuclear arsenal should earnestly fulfil their special and primary responsibility for nuclear disarmament," he said.Beijing says it favours disarmament in principle but has regularly rejected Washington's invitations to join US-Russian talks on reducing their nuclear arsenals.According to 2024 estimates by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the United States has 3,708 nuclear warheads and Russia 4,380, excluding retired warheads.China had 500, 90 more than in 2023. Behind them were France (290) and Britain (225).Beijing said on Wednesday it maintains its nuclear forces "at the minimum level required for national security, and does not engage in an arms race with any country".

Rwanda, Mozambique sign 'peace and security' agreement.

Kigali, Aug 27 (AFP) Aug 27, 2025-Rwanda and Mozambique have signed a "peace and security" agreement during a visit by the southern African leader to Kigali on Wednesday, as their forces battle a long-running insurgency in Mozambique's north.Contacted by AFP, the Rwandan Defence Forces (RDF) spokesperson Ronald Rwivanga said there were "no details yet" about the deal.However, it comes as jihadist insurgent attacks in Mozambique have multiplied, causing mass displacements and disrupting attempts by foreign companies to extract fossil fuels in the gas-rich north."During the conversation between two delegations, we have witnessed the signing of an agreement of peace and security, and this is an important instrument to the Rwandan forces in Mozambique," said Mozambique's President Daniel Chapo, according to the Rwandan state broadcaster RBA.Rwandan leader Paul Kagame welcomed the deal -- signed by Rwanda's Minister of Defence, Juvenal Marizamunda, and his counterpart, Cristovao Artur Chume -- and hailed the two nations' "strong bilateral ties".Chapo is currently in the African Great Lakes nation on a two-day state visit.Since 2021 Rwanda has deployed roughly 1,000 members of the RDF and the Rwanda National Police (RNP) to Mozambique.Northern Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province has been plagued by a group affiliated with the Islamic State group since 2017.Mozambican troops and the Rwandan army are concentrated in the northern districts where the insurgency has been more intense -- as well as close to the huge planned TotalEnergies plant near the port town of Palma.The agreement comes as renewed attacks threaten the French fossil fuel giant's hopes of restarting construction on its $20 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) project near Palma during the European summer.The project had been stalled since a deadly attack in March 2021 that resulted in over 800 victims, including several TotalEnergies subcontractors, according to the conflict monitor ACLED.Discovered in 2010, Mozambique's vast offshore natural gas reserves could place the southern African country, where more than 70 percent of the population lives in poverty, among the world's top 10 producers, according to a 2024 report by the consulting group Deloitte.str-rbu/sbk

Lutnick says feds could take stake in defense contractors-by Jake Thomas.

Washington DC (UPI) Aug 26, 2025-Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Tuesday that the Trump administration is considering taking an ownership stake in Lockheed Martin and other defense contractors that profit from U.S. government spending.Lutnick made the comments on CNBC's Squawk Box days after the Trump administration announced the government will own 10% of U.S. chipmaker Intel's common stocks in exchange for $11 billion in previously committed federal grants.The unusual arrangement with Intel has raised eyebrows as the federal government takes a direct stake in the beleaguered Santa Clara, Calif.-based company. Lutnick's remarks are the latest indication the Trump administration is seeking more direct control of private companies in a way that was once anathema to the Republican Party."There's a monstrous discussion about defense," Lutnick said during the interview. "Lockheed Martin makes 97% of their revenue from the U.S. government. They are basically an arm of the U.S. government."Lutnick said he would defer to the Pentagon on any future moves to acquire stake in defense contractors. He added that "these guys are on it, and they're thinking about it."The federal government's 10% stake in Intel is equivalent to the amount of money the company has received or is expected to receive under the CHIPS and Science Act. Signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022, the CHIPS act aims to supercharge the domestic production of semiconductor chips and other technologies that are vital to a vast range of products including computer, automotive parts and medical devices.The CHIPS act gave large amounts of federal money to private companies. Biden highlighted the act's success last year, saying tech companies committed to more than $395 billion in investments since the law took hold.In an address to Congress earlier this year, Trump has called the act a horrible, horrible thing" that gives hundreds of billions of dollars to companies that don't want to spend it.Lutnick said in the interview that things will change under Trump."The way it has been done has been a giveaway," he said.Japan-based Nippon Steel finalized its acquisition of U.S. Steel in June under an agreement that gave Trump a "golden share" that granted him veto power over the change of the company's name or its relocation.Similarly, chipmakers Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices agreed to pay 15% of their sales to China to the U.S. treasury in exchange for approval to sell their high-tech semiconductors to rival country.

Months after probing Clinton server scandal, Comey's FBI had its own private email issue, memos say-The recently declassified memos show investigators found former Director Comey’s chief of staff used a private email account in furtherance of an "unauthorized disclosure" to news media.By Steven Richards and John Solomon-Published: August 26, 2025 11:21pm

Months after he refused to charge Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election for using a private, unauthorized server to transmit classified information, then-FBI Director James Comey's inner circle used personal email accounts to further a plan to make an "unauthorized disclosure" to journalists, newly declassified memos reveal.When investigators in a criminal probe codenamed "TROPIC VORTEX" sought permission in 2019 to gain access to those private emails, federal prosecutors turned them down, according to the memos recently uncovered by current FBI Director Kash Patel and declassified for release to Congress by Attorney General Pam Bondi.The U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington DC "issued a prosecutorial declination decision for TROPIC VORTEX," the FBI memo shutting down the probe stated.The memos are the latest evidence that FBI agents on the front lines had serious concerns about illegal leaks and abuses of classified information allegedly involving major figures in Washington like Comey, now Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Clinton. The efforts at investigating were repeatedly thwarted.Witnesses say Comey authorized leaks of classified info-Just the News reported last week that agents gathered eyewitness evidence from Comey's top lieutenants, including former chief of staff James Rybicki and ex-FBI General Counsel James Baker, that the former FBI chief authorized the leak of classified information to reporters just before the 2016 election. No charges were ever filed.That probe, which was handled by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham, was centered on the leaks of classified information to The New York Times in October 2016, ahead of the November election in which Republican Donald Trump defeated Democratic Party nominee Clinton.The memos don't identify the specific pieces of classified information that were leaked or whether Comey or anyone else was authorized to declassify them for the media.Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told Just the News on Tuesday these newest revelations further validate President Donald Trump's decision to fire Comey back in 2017."“Time and again, the curtain has been pulled back to reveal Comey’s self-serving, ‘rules for thee and not for me’ attitude," Grassley said. "That’s no way to run an institution, especially not the top law enforcement agency in the nation. "I stood by President Trump’s decision to dismiss Comey in 2017 and I support his move all the more with each passing day," he added.The newest declassified memos detail evidence alleging that in March 2017, Rybicki forwarded a communication to his private email address in furtherance of an unauthorized disclosure of classified information to journalists directed by Comey.Federal prosecutors originally issued a preservation order for the private email account based on the findings by the FBI’s Washington Field Office that the communication was in furtherance of a media leak. Ultimately, though, the prosecutors decided against pursuing “additional legal process” because the communication was itself not classified. Comey previously denied during congressional testimony that he had ever been a source in news articles related to the FBI’s investigations into Trump and Clinton and further denied that he had ever approved of anyone else at the FBI being such a source. He has long denied any wrongdoing and insisted he has been politically attacked because he stood up to Trump.He has not responded to repeated requestsfor comment from Just the News.An early-March 2017 tweet from Trump instigated the line of inquiry that turned up Rybicki’s use of a private email, the records show. The memo cited that tweet from Trump in which he said: “Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!” The memo noted that, the next day, the Times published an article about how Comey reportedly asked the DOJ to reject Trump’s allegation publicly. “The March 2017 NYT Article reported a USG official indicated Comey asked the DOJ to publicly reject the assertions in President Trump's tweets, but the DOJ had not released any such statement. The tweets and article occurred shortly after the initiation of the USPIS Investigation,” the FBI memo said.Though the Postal Inspection Service investigators asked several DOJ and FBI officials about “their discussion, actions and responses to the tweets and article,” the investigators could not determine with certainty the identity of the source in the Times article. Unauthorized disclosure "At the implicit direction of Comey"The FBI’s Washington field office “compiled findings from [that] Investigation regarding the tweets and the March 2017 NYT Article, and from additional investigation by [Washington Field Office]” in late October 2019. A recently declassified portion of the memo said that “the findings revealed Rybicki forwarded an email containing a proposed statement to the news media regarding the tweets to his (Rybicki’s) presumed personal email account.”The newly-declassified part of the memo said that “the proposed statement originated from Comey and appeared to be at the UNCLASSIFIED level of classification” in the March 2017 article and that the FBI field office “assessed Rybicki did so in furtherance of a potentially unauthorized disclosure to the news media, which appeared to be at the implicit direction of Comey.” Though prosecutors ordered the email records be preserved, they ultimately decided not to pursue the lead further. The memo also shows the Washington Field Office “prepared materials regarding the proposed statement for use in a November 2019 interview with Rybicki” by D.C. prosecutors, but that the prosecutors declined to use them.  Those prosecutors ultimately decided not to move forward with any prosecutions over the leaks and the Washington Field Office marked the "additional investigative leak complete.”The FBI launched more than half a dozen wide-ranging investigations into similar leaks that legacy media outlets deployed to push false claims of Trump-Russia collusion. The bureau failed to hold anyone accountable for the classified leaking, a Just the News investigation found earlier this month.Rybicki, as Comey’s chief of staff, and Baker, as the FBI’s top lawyer, also both played key roles in the FBI’s investigation into Clinton’s mishandling of classified information, which was also plagued by abandoned leads culminating in a decision not to pursue charges.Comey has for years faced criticism over his decision to shut down the bureau’s probe into Hillary Clinton’s mishandling of classified information and her use of a private email server in the lead up to the 2016 presidential election. Comey announced in a July 2016 speech—about four months before Election Day —the investigation had been concluded without charges being brought against the former Secretary of State.Another recently declassified document, an appendix to the 2018 Justice Department watchdog report into the handling of that investigation, shows that Comey was swayed to preemptively announce the end of the bureau’s investigation into Clinton's email server based on mysterious classified intelligence reports.Politicized conduct of the FBI-It also shows the FBI failed to investigate thumb-drives containing potentially key information about the use of an illicit private email server, Just the News reported. The document, a classified appendix to DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s 2018 report, was released by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, last month. It sheds more light on Horowitz' report, which criticized the politicized conduct of the FBI in the so-called “Midyear Exam” investigation into Clinton’s mishandling of classified information and use of a private email service while she was President Obama’s Secretary of State.The memo showed that the FBI obtained intelligence reports that “alleged that the Obama administration took efforts to scuttle the investigation into Clinton and protect her candidacy,” Grassley said in a press release. The 2018 appendix stated that “the FBI obtained [REDACTED] reports purporting to discuss efforts to influence the Midyear investigation.” IG: Comey's decision to not charge Clinton "extraordinary and insubordinate”These included reports that suggested then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Comey were interfering in the Clinton probe to help “the Democratic and Republican candidates, respectively,” one memo said. Comey, McCabe, and other FBI officials told Horowitz that they had not felt pressured by Lynch. Comey ended up clearing Clinton in his summer 2016 speech despite saying that there was evidence she violated the statutes governing the mishandling of classified information. The public version of Horowitz’s 2018 report had concluded Comey’s actions were “extraordinary and insubordinate” when he announced Clinton wouldn’t be charged.The probe into the leaks by senior FBI staff is just one of several lines of inquiry abandoned by the Justice Department, FBI, and IRS officials during the first Trump administration.The administration slow-walked, declined to aggressively pursue, or squashed investigations into potential criminal behavior by Comey, Clinton and her Clinton Foundation, now Sen. Adam Schiff, Hunter Biden, and other politically-sensitive figures, Just the News has reported. 

DOJ during Trump's first term stymied, squashed probes on Comey, Clinton, Schiff and Hunter Biden-The DOJ, FBI, and IRS in Trump's first term seemed to let a large number of Trump antagonists off the hook for their potential criminality. It remains to be seen how the second Trump DOJ will handle possible high-profile prosecutions.By Jerry Dunleavy-Published: August 24, 2025 10:39pm

The Justice Department, FBI, and IRS during the first Trump administration slow-walked, declined to aggressively pursue, or squashed investigations into potential criminal behavior by James Comey, Hillary Clinton and her Clinton Foundation, now Sen. Adam Schiff, Hunter Biden, and other politically-sensitive figures.A host of declassifications published by Just the News in recent weeks have revealed new details about these investigations by the DOJ, FBI, and IRS — including previously unknown details about how many of these inquiries were delayed or ground to a halt during President Donald Trump’s first term in office.Newly-declassified records detail evidence that since-fired FBI Director Comey approved leaking classified information despite his denials to the contrary, including using his lieutenants and friends to leak to the media. New allegations about how then-Rep. and now-Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., may have leaked classified information to hurt Trump as well also surfaced, as well as new information on how inquiries into the Clinton Foundation were shut down. The Trump DOJ declined to pursue prosecutions in any of these matters.The IRS investigation into now-former President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, was also first slow-walked by the DOJ during the first Trump administration, according to whistleblowers. And special counsel John Durham — appointed by then-Attorney General William Barr — did not pursue prosecutions against members of the intelligence community or FBI (except for Kevin Clinesmith), despite the politicized nature of the Trump-Russia investigation.There is some emerging evidence that the current Justice Department and FBI under Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel will be more aggressive this time around. FBI agents early on Friday raided the suburban Maryland home of former National Security Advisor John Bolton as part of an investigation into a national security matter.Patel seemingly hinted at the action on his X social media account, writing that “NO ONE is above the law… FBI agents on mission.”James Comey gets away with authorizing the leak of classified information-The bombshell revelations involving ex-FBI general counsel James Baker and ex-Comey chief of staff James Rybicki were memorialized in documents that Patel discovered earlier this year, but the passages were originally redacted by the Justice Department in versions sent to Congress earlier this month.The memos detail evidence and interviews gathered by U.S. Postal Inspection Service agents concerning classified information leaked to The New York Times in October 2016, ahead of the November election in which Republican Donald Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton."The USPIS Investigation also revealed Baker disclosed USG [U.S. government] classified information to the NYT under the belief he was ultimately instructed and authorized to do so by then FBI Director James Comey," one summary memo reads. "For example, during interviews, Baker indicated FBI Chief of Staff James Rybicki instructed him (Baker) to disclose the information to the NYT, and Baker understood Rybicki was conveying this instruction and authorization from Comey."Rybicki, as Comey’s chief of staff, and Baker, as the FBI’s top lawyer, both played key roles in the FBI’s investigations into Clinton’s mishandling of classified information and into baseless claims of Trump-Russia collusion.Comey did not respond to a request for comment sent through his book website. Rybicki did not respond to a request for comment, and Baker previously declined to comment through his attorney.An FBI memo said that by late December 2017, Durham and USPIS “completed their investigation and provided a memorandum with their conclusions and recommendations to Attorney General Jeff Sessions.”The FBI field office later issued a memo in late February 2020 indicating that the investigation had ended with the U.S. attorney’s office in the nation’s capital declining to prosecute. Durham and USPIS “completed their investigation” in mid-December 2018, and the “Durham Memo” sent to then-acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker “recommended NO prosecution of Baker or anyone else,” the recently-declassified portion of the FBI record revealed.The FBI memos stated that in late January 2020 the U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C. “issued a prosecutorial declination decision for TROPIC VORTEX.”Comey friend Dan Richman not charged despite denials “with a discount”Just the News reported earlier this month that FBI agents did force a stunning admission that Comey used a special conduit to a Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times writer in his bid to polish his image and push for a special prosecutor to take down Trump.Columbia University law professor Daniel Richman admitted to agents that he routinely communicated on behalf of Comey, his longtime friend, with Times reporter Michael Schmidt, whose work was among the newspaper's Pulitzer-winning stories on the Russiagate saga. The goal, Richman told the FBI, was "to correct stories critical” of Comey and the FBI and to “shape future press coverage.”The Times article in question wrongly argued that, in the case of the Trump-Russia investigation, Comey “conducted the investigation by the book.” Richman insisted to federal agents that he did not believe he had confirmed or provided classified intelligence to reporters but said he could not be 100% certain, the memos state, noting he could only make his leak denial “with a discount.”Richman did not respond to a request for comment.The “summary of investigative steps” by the FBI included interviews with bureau and intelligence community officials, document reviews, phone and email records searches, the review of a 2017 leak investigation conducted by then-U.S. Attorney John Durham and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and more.“Based upon discussions with DOJ, these investigative steps did not generate sufficient proof to charge any individual with willfully transmitting the Classified Information, conspiring to transmit the Classified Information, or aiding and abetting another person’s Transmission,” the FBI concluded in 2021.The FBI claimed that “the investigation has not yielded sufficient evidence to criminally charge any person, including Comey or Richman, with making false statements or with the substantive offenses under investigation.”Comey also got away with leaking his “Comey Memos”DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz wrote a report released in August 2019 criticizing Comey’s decision to leak his so-called “Comey Memos” — including details about Trump’s alleged comments about Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn — to the media in 2017 in an effort by the then-fired FBI director to spur the appointment of a special counsel.Horowitz wrote that his investigation “interviewed 17 witnesses, including former Director Comey and Daniel Richman, the individual who, at Comey's request, shared the contents of one of the Memos with a reporter [Schmidt] for the New York Times.” Comey told Horowitz that the day after being fired by Trump, he retained Richman as an attorney.“We have previously faulted Comey for acting unilaterally and inconsistent with Department policy,” the DOJ watchdog wrote. “Comey’s unauthorized disclosure of sensitive law enforcement information about the Flynn investigation merits similar criticism.”Comey admitted in 2017 that he had hoped leaking this information “might prompt the appointment of a special counsel.” Horowitz concluded Comey’s leaks were “an attempt to force the Department to take official investigative actions.” Comey’s leak efforts were successful, and Mueller was appointed special counsel a day after The New York Times began publishing the contents of Comey’s memos.Horowitz sent a criminal referral to the DOJ over Comey’s memos at the time, but the DOJ declined to prosecute.An article in the Times penned by Schmidt was titled “Comey Memo Says Trump Asked Him to End Flynn Investigation” and was published on May 16, 2017. Then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller as special counsel the next day.After two years, Mueller “did not establish” any criminal Trump-Russia collusion.Adam Schiff not charged with leaking classified info-A career intelligence officer turned whistleblower who worked for Democrats on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) for more than a decade repeatedly warned the FBI beginning in 2017 that Schiff had approved leaking classified information to smear Trump over the now-debunked Russiagate scandal, according to FBI memos first obtained by Just the News earlier this month.The FBI interview notes stated that the intelligence staffer — a Democrat by party affiliation who described himself as a friend to Schiff and former Republican House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes — considered the classified leaking to be "unethical," "illegal" and “treasonous,” but was told not to worry about it because Schiff believed he would be spared prosecution under the Constitution's speech and debate clause.Patel told Just the News earlier this month that “certain officials used their positions to selectively leak classified information to shape political narratives" and that “it was all done with one purpose: to weaponize intelligence and law enforcement for political gain.”In his most recent interview with the bureau in 2023, the whistleblower, whose name is redacted, told agents from the FBI's St. Louis office that he personally attended a meeting at which Schiff authorized leaking classified information."When working in this capacity, [redacted staffer's name] was called to an all-staff meeting by SCHIFF," the interview report said. "In this meeting, SCHIFF stated the group would leak classified information which was derogatory to President of the United States DONALD J. TRUMP. SCHIFF stated the information would be used to indict President TRUMP.”Schiff has denied the allegations, telling Just the News that “Kash Patel’s latest smear against Senator Schiff is absolutely and categorically false.”DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz released a December 2024 report — A Review of the Department of Justice’s Issuance of Compulsory Process to Obtain Records of Members of Congress, Congressional Staffers, and Members of the News Media — which detailed some of the actions the Justice Department took in response to the Democratic staffer’s allegations to the FBI.The staffer — referred to as “Committee Witness” in the DOJ watchdog report — “voluntarily told the FBI that the Committee Witness suspected that two Democratic Members of Congress (Member 1 and Member 2) and a number of Democratic staffers could be leaking classified information on the same general subject matter as the classified information at issue in the Washington Post 2 leak,” Horowitz’s report recounted.Horowitz said that the FBI and the federal prosecutors “ultimately determined that the Senior Committee Staffer likely did not leak the classified information to the reporters and the investigation was closed without any charges being filed.”The FBI noted that, in a related leak investigation, “some of the disclosures occurred shortly after a ‘Read Room’ was established … for members and staffers” of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees “to review the classified information, which was released in the aforementioned publications.”The memo noted that “a former HPSCI staffer contacted the FBI and reported that a former HPSCI Staff Director, a main person of interest (POI), directed HPSCI staffers to leak classified information in 2017.” The FBI’s Washington field office “interviewed the POI for over three hours” in mid-May 2020, and “the POI freely admitted to contact with the media as part of his job responsibilities and denied leaking any classified information.” The FBI investigative team eventually concluded that “it was unlikely the POI was the source of the unauthorized disclosures.”The FBI memo states that further efforts to follow this particular line of inquiry were soon stymied by a House Intelligence Committee lawyer — with the FBI declining to pursue that avenue further.Leak investigation failures were widespread-In total, the FBI launched more than half a dozen wide-ranging investigations into leaks to the media as numerous legacy outlets deployed the classified information to push false claims of Trump-Russia collusion. The bureau failed to hold anyone accountable for the classified leaking, a Just the News investigation from this month showed.These numerous FBI leak inquiries — Arctic Haze, Genetic Christmas, Sirens Lure, Foggy Falls, Riding Hood, Echos Fate, and Tropic Vortex — all came up short in finding the source of classified leaks or prosecuting anyone for leaking.The problems that FBI investigators said they faced included large pools of potential leakers within the federal government sometimes numbering in the dozens or into the hundreds due to the wide dissemination of the intelligence, uncooperative Justice Department partners, restrictions on the use of data from the spy agencies which were victims of the leaks, investigations being launched only many months after the leaks occurred, congressional staffers invoking speech or debate privilege to stymie inquiries, DOJ declining to pursue prosecutions, and more.IRS criminal probe into Clinton Foundation abruptly shut down-Years after the FBI was forced to shut down multiple corruption probes of Bill and Hillary Clinton's charity in 2016, the IRS under Trump began a criminal tax investigation into the Clinton Foundation and its dealings with other players on the global charity stage, but then abruptly stopped working with whistleblowers in spring 2019, according to IRS memos and internal emails released by Just the News earlier this month.The Clinton Foundation has long denied it did anything wrong and said any suggestion of wrongdoing was politically motivated.The IRS appears to have moved from a serious initial interest in pursuing the Clinton Foundation’s potential wrongdoing to slamming on the brakes, allegedly claiming that such an inquiry couldn’t and wouldn’t be launched after all. All investigative activity had seemingly come to a halt by July 2019.John Moynihan, a retired Drug Enforcement Agency financial crimes analyst, and Larry Doyle, a corporate tax compliance expert, had spent years researching the Clinton Foundation, testifying to Congress about it and providing the IRS with evidence of alleged financial wrongdoing by the Clinton Foundation.While one IRS official purportedly said that the whistleblower documents on the Clinton Foundation indicated that “the entire enterprise is a fraud,” the IRS' stance soon shifted."Can’t talk about the CF," a memo states in recounting how IRS agents suddenly cut off contact with two whistleblowers they had been working with for weeks.The notes also contend that, despite the huge size and resources of the IRS, an IRS official told the whistleblowers “that the IRS really is not in a position to pursue charitable organizations that engage in purposes and activities beyond their approved authority” and that “the IRS is not capable or staffed to oversee this activity.” Uranium One controversy allowed to peter out without thorough inquiry-The DOJ under Trump's first term would fail to thoroughly investigate the Uranium One saga and allegations of corruption related to the Clinton Foundation.Uranium One, a Canadian uranium mining company, is also a wholly-owned subsidiary of Russian state-owned Rosatom. The sale of Uranium One to Rosatom was the focus of great controversy and scrutiny from Republicans and others, who argued that then-Secretary of State Clinton helped approve the deal and that the Clinton Foundation may have stood to benefit from it.Attorney General Jeff Sessions asked U.S. Attorney John Huber of Utah to review these allegations in November 2017, but did not make Huber a special counsel.Then-Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd had sent a letter to the GOP-led House Judiciary Committee in 2017 in response to letters “in which you and other Members request the appointment of a Special Counsel to investigate various matters, including the sale of Uranium One, alleged unlawful dealings related to the Clinton Foundation, and other matters.” Sessions then forwarded that letter to Huber and told the federal prosecutor that “I have requested that you review the matters referenced” in the letter but to avoid any matters being looked at by then-special counsel Robert Mueller.The New York Times reported in 2015 that “as the Russians gradually assumed control of Uranium One in three separate transactions from 2009 to 2013 […] a flow of cash made its way to the Clinton Foundation. Uranium One’s chairman used his family foundation to make four donations totaling $2.35 million. Those contributions were not publicly disclosed by the Clintons, despite an agreement Mrs. Clinton had struck with the Obama White House to publicly identify all donors. Other people with ties to the company made donations as well.”“And shortly after the Russians announced their intention to acquire a majority stake in Uranium One, Mr. [Bill] Clinton received $500,000 for a Moscow speech from a Russian investment bank with links to the Kremlin that was promoting Uranium One stock,” the Times reported. “At the time, both Rosatom and the United States government made promises intended to ease concerns about ceding control of the company’s assets to the Russians. Those promises have been repeatedly broken, records show.”“They also obtained an eyewitness account — backed by documents — indicating Russian nuclear officials had routed millions of dollars to the U.S. designed to benefit former President Bill Clinton’s charitable foundation during the time Secretary of State Hillary Clinton served on a government body that provided a favorable decision to Moscow,” The Hill reported.A leak to The Washington Post indicated that Huber was winding down his efforts by January 2020. It was reported by Fox News in September 2020 that “aspects” of “Huber’s investigation into the Clinton Foundation have been assumed” by then-U.S. Attorney John Durham “as part of his review into the origins of the Russia probe.”But John Durham’s 2023 special counsel report said that his appointment order by then-Attorney General Barr did not include the Uranium One saga within its scope, with the Durham report stating that “we have not interpreted the Order as directing us to consider matters addressed by the former United States Attorney for the District of Utah.”John Durham largely fails to secure convictions-DOJ Inspector General Horowitz served up ex-FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith to be hit with the sole successful criminal prosecution carried out by special counsel Durham. Horowitz’s June 2018 report unearthed Clinesmith’s clear biases against Trump, and his December 2019 report detailed Clinesmith’s criminal behavior related to the FISA process. The FBI lawyer worked on both the Hillary Clinton emails investigation and the Trump-Russia inquiry.The DOJ watchdog detailed a lengthy instant message exchange between Clinesmith and another FBI employee on Nov. 9, 2016 – the day after Trump’s presidential victory – where Clinesmith lamented Trump’s win and worried about the role he had played in the investigation into Trump and his campaign.“My god damned name is all over the legal documents investigating his staff,” Clinesmith said. “So, who knows if that breaks to him what he is going to do?” Clinesmith also declared “Viva le resistance” later in November 2016.Clinesmith would plead guilty to falsifying a document during the bureau’s efforts to renew FISA authority to wiretap Carter Page. Clinesmith admitted in August 2020 that he had falsely edited a CIA email in 2017 to state that Page was “not a source” for the CIA when the agency had actually told the bureau on multiple occasions that Page had been an “operational contact” for the CIA.Judge James Boasberg would deny Durham’s efforts to seek up to six months behind bars for Clinesmith, instead giving him a year of probation, 400 hours of community service and no fine.Despite the significant problems with the January 2017 intelligence community assessment — including its use of the Steele Dossier to bolster a key claim about Putin’s intentions in 2016, its ahistorical claim that the Kremlin had historically preferred Republicans to Democrats, its failure to lay out any details about Chinese election influence efforts despite promises that it would, then-President Barack Obama’s endorsement of the CIA’s leaked position on Putin’s motives prior to the completion of the ICA, and more — Durham seemingly endorsed the flawed ICA in his report and did not pursue any criminal charges related to it.Durham’s report said that Russia’s election meddling efforts “are well-documented in the careful examinations undertaken by” the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, with the Durham report specifically pointing readers to the Senate committee’s 2020 report on “Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent U.S. Elections” and also pointing readers to the ICA itself.Despite Durham’s recommendation, the Senate report made no mention of the fact that then-CIA Director John Brennan pushed to include the Steele Dossier in the ICA, nor did it include the fact that a reference to the dossier made it into the main body of the most highly-classified version of the ICA, with the Senate report instead including the since-discredited claim that the dossier was not used in and did not inform the ICA.That conclusion was debunked by a recently-declassified House Intelligence Committee report and by a recent CIA review, and contradicted by a public House intel report and other declassified records as well.Slow-walking of Hunter Biden case-The two IRS whistleblowers who shed light on failures to properly investigate Hunter Biden — and who were allegedly retaliated against as a result — detailed how the investigation into Joe Biden’s son was repeatedly slow-walked and derailed during the Biden administration, but also revealed details of their inquiry being stalled by DOJ officials during the first Trump administration.IRS supervisory special agent Gary Shapley and IRS special agent Joseph Ziegler were harshly critical of then-special counsel David Weiss’s handling of the Hunter Biden investigation, arguing he had slow-walked the case. But they argued that the delays in the case started during Trump’s first term.Ziegler, who filed a now-released December 2019 application for a search warrant for Hunter Biden’s MacBook Pro, detailed the slow-walking in 2020 in 2023 testimony to Congress.Shapley’s whistleblower testimony to Congress in 2023 revealed that “the FBI became aware that a repair shop had a laptop allegedly belonging to Hunter Biden and that the laptop might contain evidence of a crime” in October 2019 and that “the FBI verified its authenticity” in November 2019.Shapley said that by early 2020 his IRS team was “working closely with the FBI and the Delaware U.S. Attorney's Office and Department of Justice Tax” but that “it soon became clear to me this case was being handled differently than any I'd seen before.”“After former Vice President Joseph Biden became the presumptive Democratic nominee for President in early April 2020, career DOJ officials dragged their feet on the IRS taking these investigative steps. By June 2020, those same career officials were already delaying overt investigative actions,” Shapley said, adding that “it was apparent that DOJ was purposely slow-walking investigative actions in this matter.”Shapley said that “I pointed out that if normal procedures had been followed we already would have executed search warrants, conducted interviews, and served document requests” in a mid-June 2020 call, but “nevertheless, my IRS chain of command decided we would defer to DOJ.”Shapley said that he told his superiors in June 2020 that "DOJ Tax has made a concerted effort to drag their feet concerning conducting search warrants and interviewing key witnesses in an effort to push those actions to a timeframe where they can invoke the Department of Justice rule of thumb concerning affecting elections."Shapley said that “we needed to search the guest house at Biden's Delaware residence where Hunter Biden stayed for a time” but that DOJ officials blocked that from happening.Shapley also said that “the prosecutors even wanted to remove Hunter Biden's name from electronic search warrants … and document requests.” He added that then-Associate Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue in September 2020 also “issued a cease and desist of all overt investigative activities due to the coming election.” Shapley added that Wolf “made several odd statements, to include that DOJ was under fire, and it was self-inflicted” and “stated that DOJ needed to repair their reputation.”Then-President Biden pardoned his son in December of 2024, despite promising he wouldn’t do so.

Beijing rejects Japan protest over gas field in East China Sea.

Beijing, Aug 26 (AFP) Aug 26, 2025-China said Tuesday it had rejected a protest lodged by Japan over the development of gas fields in disputed waters of the East China Sea.Tokyo's foreign ministry said late Monday it had confirmed that Beijing was setting up drilling rigs in the area -- where the two countries' exclusive economic zones (EEZ) claims overlap.It said it had "issued a strong protest" to the Chinese embassy.On Tuesday China's foreign ministry said it did "not accept Japan's groundless accusations and has rejected Japan's so-called protest".A 2008 agreement saw Japan and China agree to jointly develop undersea gas reserves in the disputed area, with a ban on independent drilling by either country.But negotiations over how to implement the deal were suspended in 2010.On Monday, Tokyo said 21 suspected drilling rigs had been positioned on Beijing's side of the de facto maritime border, adding it was "extremely regrettable that China is advancing unilateral development".There are concerns in Tokyo that gas on the Japanese side could also be extracted.The Japanese foreign ministry "strongly urged China for an early resumption of talks on the implementation" of the 2008 agreement.On Tuesday, China said its commitment to the "full and effective implementation of the principled consensus on the East China Sea issue has not changed", and said it also hoped for an "early resumption" of talks."China's oil and gas development activities in the East China Sea are located in the undisputed waters under China's jurisdiction, which is entirely within China's sovereign rights and jurisdiction," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular news briefing.Japan has long insisted the median line between the two nations should mark the limits of their respective EEZs.China, however, insists the border should be drawn closer to Japan, taking into account the continental shelf and other ocean features.The two countries are embroiled in a separate row over disputed islands elsewhere in the East China Sea.China claims the string of islands -- which Japan refers to as the Senkakus and are known as the Diaoyu by Beijing -- as its own, and regularly sends ships and aircraft into the area to test Tokyo's response times.China also has disputes with several other nations in the South China Sea, which it claims in its entirety.

Defence giant Rheinmetall opens mega-plant as Europe rearms.

Unterlüß, Germany, Aug 27 (AFP) Aug 27, 2025-German weapons-maker Rheinmetall opened Europe's largest munitions plant on Wednesday, a move hailed as boosting Western defences by NATO chief Mark Rutte.Taking up 30,000 square metres -- the size of five football pitches -- the factory in Unterluess in northern Germany will be able to produce 350,000 artillery shells a year by 2027."This is absolutely crucial for our own security and also to keep supporting Ukraine in its fight today and to deter any aggression in the future," Rutte said at an opening ceremony."We are being challenged" by China and Russia, he said, but added that Europe and the United States together are on course to "turn the tide on defence production".Europe has moved to ramp up weapons production and military readiness following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, accelerating efforts as US President Donald Trump has urged Europe to take more responsibility for its own defence.Artillery shell production across the continent is now six times greater than it was two years ago, Rutte said, and Germany earlier this year loosened strict debt rules so that it can borrow billions to pay for military equipment.Speaking alongside Rutte at the ceremony, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said that Europe could not confront security challenges if it did not develop its industrial base to convert spending promises into concrete capabilities."The miliary and armed forces only work as well as the country behind them," he said. "We need to be successful because we are faced with a threat."Washington was watching closely to see if Europe could deliver on its promises to increase spending, Pistorius added."NATO has to become more European so that it can stay transatlantic," he said. "This is the demand before which we stand as Europeans."- 'Turning point' -Praising Pistorius for his efforts, Rheinmetall chief Armin Papperger said that politicians taking defence increasingly seriously had helped ensure the plant could be built in as little as 14 months when it would ordinarily take two or three years."There has been a turning point here in Germany," he said.The plant will help fill a record-breaking munitions order worth 8.5 billion euros ($9.3 billion at the time) placed by the German government in July 2024.German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has vowed to build Europe's "strongest conventional army".Defence spending is projected to reach to reach 162 billion euros in 2029, more than triple the defence budget compared to its level before the war in Ukraine.Rheinmetall's Unterluess site already makes guns and munitions for the Leopard 2 tank, which has been used by the Ukrainian army.Papperger also signed a 550-million-euro deal on stage with Romania's economy minister for a plant he said would probably be completed within the next 18 months.Separately, Germany's cabinet signed off a draft law on Wednesday that aims to boost armed forces recruitment and includes provisions for compulsory military service if there are not enough volunteers.About 182,000 soldiers currently serve in the armed forces. Pistorius has said that should rise to 260,000.vbw-jpl/sr/giv

EU claims 'sovereign right' to regulate tech after Trump threat.

Brussels, Belgium, Aug 26 (AFP) Aug 26, 2025-The European Commission Tuesday asserted the "sovereign right" to regulate the activities of tech giants within the bloc and rejected claims by President Donald Trump that its rules unfairly harm US firms.Brussels has adopted a powerful legal arsenal aimed at reining in tech giants, particularly through the Digital Markets Act (DMA) covering competition and Digital Services Act (DSA) on content moderation.Without explicitly naming the EU, Trump threatened on Monday to impose fresh tariffs on countries with regulations that sought to "harm" American technology, just days after both sides released details of a hard-fought transatlantic trade deal."It is the sovereign right of the EU and its member states to regulate economic activities on our territory," European Commission chief spokesperson Paula Pinho told reporters in response.The EU has already slapped heavy fines on US behemoths including Meta and Apple under its new digital rules, which have faced months of pushback from Trump's administration.EU tech spokesman Thomas Regnier said the bloc could "firmly rebut" the idea pushed by Trump that its rules targeted US companies."The DSA does not look at the colour of a company, at the jurisdiction of a company," Regnier said -- noting that the last three enforcement decisions under the law had been against China's AliExpress and TikTok, and Chinese-founded Temu.Aimed at protecting consumers from disinformation and hate speech as well as counterfeit or dangerous goods, the DSA obliges platforms to swiftly remove illegal content or make it inaccessible.Among its provisions, the law instructs platforms to suspend users who frequently share illegal content such as hate speech -- something framed as "censorship" by detractors from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to the US State Department."The claims that the DSA is a censorship tool are completely wrong and completely unfounded," Regnier said."We're not asking platforms to remove content. We're asking them to enforce their own terms and conditions."- 'Speculative' -Trump's latest threat comes after the United States and the EU finally released details of the trade deal struck between the US leader and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in July to end a months-long transatlantic standoff.A joint statement issued last Thursday confirmed that the deal imposes a 15-percent US levy on most EU exports, including cars, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and lumber, but negotiations are not over and some moving parts remain.The bloc's trade chief Maros Sefcovic insisted last week that Brussels successfully kept digital issues "out of the trade negotiations" with Washington -- and that the bloc's "regulatory autonomy" was not up for debate.The commission's Pinho stood by those comments, saying Trump's latest threat would not derail work on implementing the agreement."We have a clear framework on which we are working," she said, adding: "any other measures which fall out of the scope of this framework agreement at this stage are merely speculative."

US sending more ships to Caribbean to counter drug cartels by AFP Staff Writers.

Washington (AFP) Aug 26, 2025-US President Donald Trump is dispatching two more ships to the Caribbean to crack down on drug cartels, a US source said Tuesday, a week after sending warships towards Venezuela.A guided missile crusier, the USS Erie, and a nuclear-powered fast attack submarine, the USS Newport News, are due in the region next week, the source familiar with the move told AFP on condition of anonymity.Further details about their mission were not immediately available.The deployment comes after Trump last week deployed three warships off the Venezuelan coast as part of efforts to curb drug trafficking by what his administration calls "narco-terrorist groups."The United States recently stepped up pressure on Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, doubling its bounty to $50 million earlier this month on drug charges against the leftist strongman.Maduro said in response that he would mobilize millions of militia members to counter US "threats."

Venezuela deploys warships, drones as US destroyers draw near.

Caracas (AFP) Aug 26, 2025 -Venezuela on Tuesday deployed warships and drones to patrol the country's coastline after the United States dispatched three destroyers to the region to pressure strongman President Nicolas Maduro.In a video on social media, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino announced a "significant" drone deployment as well as naval patrols along its Caribbean coast, including "larger vessels further north in our territorial waters."The move comes amid escalating tensions with Washington, which sent three warships and 4,000 Marines towards Venezuela last week to curb drug trafficking.On Tuesday, a US source told AFP that President Donald Trump was dispatching two more ships to the Caribbean to crack down on drug cartels.A guided missile cruiser, the USS Erie, and a nuclear-powered fast attack submarine, the USS Newport News, are due in the region next week, the source familiar with the move told AFP on condition of anonymity.Despite the dramatic military build-up analysts have downplayed the possibility of a US invasion or US strikes on Venezuela.On the streets of Venezuela, many people also shrugged off the threat as posturing.Maduro, who claimed a third term in July 2024 elections marred by fraud allegations and a crackdown on the opposition, has been in Trump's sights ever since the Republic's first term in office, from 2017 to 2021.But his policy of maximum pressure on Venezuela, including an oil embargo still in effect, failed to dislodge Maduro from power."I think what we're seeing represents an attempt to create anxiety in government circles and force Maduro to negotiate something," International Crisis Group analyst Phil Gunson told AFP.- Venezuelan gangs -Since returning to power in January, Trump's attacks on Venezuela have focused chiefly on the activities of the South American country's powerful transnational gangs.Washington accuses Maduro of heading a cocaine trafficking cartel, Cartel de los Soles, which the Trump administration has designated a terrorist organization.The United States recently doubled its bounty to $50 million in exchange for Maduro's capture to face drug charges.Maduro has accused Trump of attempting to effect regime change and launched a drive to sign up thousands of militia members.On Tuesday, Caracas petitioned the United Nations to intervene in the dispute by demanding "the immediate cessation of the US military deployment in the Caribbean."