RUSSIA-IRAN SIGN 20 YEAR DEFENCE DEAL,TO COME TO EACH OTHERS DEFENCE.A NATO OF RUSSIA, IRAN.

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)

 RUSSIA-IRAN SIGN 20 YEAR DEFENCE DEAL,TO COME TO EACH OTHERS DEFENCE.A NATO OF RUSSIA, IRAN.

HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER

JAMES 5:1-3
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

REVELATION 18:10,17,19
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.(IN 1 HR THE STOCK MARKETS WORLDWIDE WILL CRASH)
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

EZEKIEL 7:19
19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed:(CONFISCATED) their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

MARK OF THE BEAST (engraved microchip in your hand or forehead)

REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, (SLAVE) to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM

REVELATION 16:1-2
1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

I KNOW THIS MARK WILL BE A MICROCHIP IMPLANT UNDER THE SKIN. LETS LOOK UP WHAT THE WORD MARK SAYS IN REVELATION 13:16-18, 14:9,11, 15:2, 16:2, 19:20, 20:4-ALL THESE VERSES FROM THE BOOK OF REVELATION SPEAK OF THIS DICTATORS MARK. NOW LETS SEE WHAT IT MEANS FROM STRONGS EXAUSTIVE CONCORDANCE OF THE BIBLE. UNDER MARK PAGE 684.MARK UNDER MARK. THE OLD TESTAMENT IS UNDER HEBREW AND THE NEW TESTAMENT IS UNDER GREEK. SO WHEN WE LOOK UNDER REVELATION 13:16-17 WE SEE IT IS UNDER GREEK, SO WE GO TO GREEK IN THE BACK SECTION AND GO TO 5480 TO SEE WHAT IT SAYS THIS MARK WOULD BE. SO LETS GET TO IT.MARK IN STRONGS GREEK 5480 XAPAYUA CHARAGMA, KHAR-AG-MAH: FROM THE SAME AS 5482: A SCRATCH OR ETCHING, I.E STAMP (AS A BADGE OF SERVITUDE), OR SCULPTURED FIGURE-(STATUE):-GRAVEN, MARK FROM 5482 XAPAE CHARAX, KHAR-AX; FROM XAPAOOW CHARASSO (TO SHARPEN TO A POINT; AKIN TO 1125 THROUGH THE IDEA OF SCRATCHING); A STAKE, I.E (BYIMPL.) A PALISADE OR RAMPART (MILITARY MOUND FOR CIRCUMVALLATION IN A SIEGE): - TRENCH FROM 1125 YPAPOE GRAPHO, GRAF-0; A PRIM. VERB; TO "GRAVE", ESPEC. TO WRITE; FIG. TO DESCRIBE:-DESCRIBE, WRITE (-ING, -TEN).G5516-GO TO G4742-666 - STRONGS NT 4742: στίγμα - στίγμα, στιγματος, τό (from στίζω to prick; (cf. Latinstimulus, etc.; German stechen, English stick, sting, etc.; Curtius, § 226)), a mark pricked in or branded upon the body. According to ancient oriental usage, slaves and soldiers bore the name or stamp of their master or commander branded or pricked (cut) into their bodies to indicate what master or general they belonged to, and there were even some devotees who stamped themselves in this way with the token of their gods (cf. Deyling, Observations, iii., p. 423ff); hence, τά στίγματα τοῦ (κυρίου so Rec.) Ἰησοῦ, the marks of (the Lord) Jesus, which Paul in Galatians 6:17 says he bears branded on his body, are the traces left there by the perils, hardships, imprisonments, scourgings, endured by him for the cause of Christ, and which mark him as Christ's faithful and approved votary, servant, soldier (see Lightfoots Commentary on Galatians, the passage cited). (Herodotus 7, 233; Aristotle, Aelian, Plutarch, Lcian, others.)

THE INVENTOR OF THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT-CARL SANDERS MICROCHIP ENGINEER LEADER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgH9D6n4ZWo

THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT IN YOUR RIGHT HAND OR FOREHEAD.

LEVETICUS 19.28
Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

FAMINE

EZEKIEL 5:16
16  When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:

REVELATION 6:5-6
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.(A DAYS WAGES FOR A LOAF OF BREAD)

MATTHEW 24:7-8
7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: 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, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

DEUTORONOMY 28:24
24  The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

LOCUSTS (DEMONIC) TORTURES SINNERS 5 MONTHS
REVELATION 9:1-6
1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
3 And there came out of the smoke (DEMONIC) locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

Emerging biometrics markets draw a crowd-Jan 18, 2025, 11:51 am EST    | Chris Burt

Biometrics startups and giant multinationals collide as each tries to navigate emerging markets in the most-read stories of the week on Biometric Update. Sri Lanka needs more biometric passports while its contract with Thales and a much smaller local partner is on hold, and Intel is spinning out RealSense to tackle 3D facial authentication and other applications on its own. J.P. Morgan is angling in on the retail biometric payments market, and BorderAge is planning to challenge age assurance incumbents with a novel and privacy-preserving technology.Top biometrics news of the week-The FBI’s CJIS has started the process to contract the ongoing operation and maintenance of an ABIS in Somalia with an RFI. The biometric system is used by Somalia’s federal police to identify criminal and terrorist suspects, and its database holds more than two million ten-print fingerprint biometrics records. Responses are due by the end of next week.Ethiopia is seeking to separately contract the development of an IT system and 3,000 biometric registration kits, each in support of a project to improve inclusion and access to services through digital ID. The IT system involves two lots, the first for the design and installation of a secure computer network, and the second to stand up a data center.Sri Lanka’s biometric passport issuance saga has taken another twist, with the government considering running a new tender to keep up with demand while a legal challenge of its recently-awarded contract plays out. The portion of the contract awarded to Thales and local partner Just in Time Technologies for machine-readable passports has been allowed to proceed, but will run out soon.The deadline for U.S. federal agencies to enforce REAL ID specifications for identity credentials has been pushed back by two more years to May 5, 2027 by the TSA. The previous deadline to meet the security standard for ID documents did not give states sufficient time to implement the changes, coming a mere 20 years after the passage of the legislation mandating the change.An eleventh-hour executive order by U.S. President Biden presents the adoption of digital ID, in the form of mobile driver’s licenses, as a national cybersecurity imperative. The EO stipulates security requirements for software supply chains and policy changes to enable better threat detection and more stringent access control measures. Federal agencies are instructed to consider grants to support mDL rollouts by states.U.S. President-elect Trump’s nominees for border czar and leadership of the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement could align with a Republican trifecta to advance biometrics at America’s borders. Increased investment in biometric border security would be welcomed by the tech community, but could face pushback, including from Congressional Republicans like the two House committee chairs asking for a detailed GAO review of TSA’s biometrics use.A pair of multimodal biometric authentication terminals for retail points-of-sale have been introduced by J.P. Morgan as the company continues its aggressive push into biometric payments. The Paypad and the smaller Pinpad each feature infrared cameras and offer authentication with palm vein and face biometrics, as well as support for QR codes, and touchless or contact-based transactions through electronic chips or magnetic stripes.Intel is spinning out its RealSense division, maker of 3D cameras for facial recognition and other specialized applications, as its own company. The plan is for RealSense to target the markets for facial authentication, autonomous mobile robots and physical therapy metrics as an Israeli startup within the first half of 2025.French startup BorderAge has developed an age assurance method based on the analysis of hand gestures and without collecting any personally identifying information, executive Jean-Michel Polit tells Biometric Update in an interview. The ACCS has found the method 99 percent accurate, and it avoids adult content websites having to ask people to submit face biometrics or ID documents, which Polit says is the industry’s biggest barrier.Age verification was as area of significant activity on both sides of the Atlantic this week. Ofcom published guidance that approves of both age estimation and reusable digital ID in its Age Assurance and Children’s Access Statement, and the U.S. Supreme Court has begun hearing arguments in a challenge of Texas’ age assurance law.A broader implementation of biometric ticketing at the Australian Open this year is supplied by Wicket, but Information Age reports that consent was not handled with the degree of transparency some attendees and privacy advocates would like.Turkey is up to 99 percent coverage for its national digital ID, which includes fingerprint biometrics and has integrated it with a wide range of public services. Regulations requiring biometric identity verification for cryptocurrency wallets are taking effect in February, and businesses like Colle AI are integrating the national ID system with blockchain to further digitize the economy.The UK government has introduced its plan for “national renewal” through AI, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer suggesting the technology can boost productivity and economic competitiveness. Former Labour PM Tony Blair argues the nation’s AI potential positions it well to benefit from digital ID.Please let us know if you spot any opinion pieces, research articles or other content you think we should share with the people in biometrics and the digital identity community either in the comments below or through social media.

Laxton to supply hundreds of biometric kits to Honduras under $1.9M UNDP contract-Jan 17, 2025, 3:04 pm EST    | Chris Burt

The United Nations Development Programme has selected Laxton to provide hundreds of Biometric Citizen Registration (BCR) kits for Honduras.The $1.89 million contract includes shipping the kits by air, warranties and technical support services, according to the procurement disclosure by UNDP.UNDP announced in August that it would seek 460 biometric registration kits to help Honduras update and maintain its civil registry. The country’s Registro Nacional de las Personas (RNP) recently extended registration to those between 16 and 18 years of age.Honduras was awarded a $40 million loan by the World Bank in late-2023 to digitize its CRVS system and introduce national identity verification services.Laxton supplied Chameleon 8 mobile biometric registration devices across to the government of neighboring El Salvador for its push to improve government services in rural areas, as described in a company case study. Nearly a quarter of El Salvador’s 6.3 million people live in remote areas with limited access to ID registration, healthcare and financial services, Laxton says. The government addressed this situation with a pilot program using the Chameleon, and then a broader rollout following the pilot’s success.Several countries in Africa are also using Laxton hardware for biometrics enrollment, including Ethiopia, where it is supporting the rollout of a MOSIP-based national digital ID program by the NIDP.

Leadership change at IBIA follows layoffs at Thales-Jan 17, 2025, 2:58 pm EST    | Chris Burt

A major leadership change has been kicked off at Thales Digital Identity & Security and the International Biometrics and Identity Association (IBIA).Neville Pattinson is being let go as head of business development and strategic marketing at Thales DIS’ Identity and Biometric Solutions (IBS) division.Pattinson told Biometric Update that the entire Thales DIS IBS business development team is being laid off, and that business development efforts will likely be transferred to a different part of the company.“Some personnel changes were made, but the Identity & Biometrics Solutions business remains committed to their customers and focused on the industry,” Thales North America Media Relations Director Jennifer Tumminio told Biometric Update in an emailed statement. “The business is not closing.”Pattinson also serves as the chairman of the IBIA’s Board of Directors, a position he will vacate as a result of the change at Thales. He was elected to a two-year term in the role last August.The IBIA’s webpage does not yet indicate a change, and also still lists Board member and former Aware CEO Robert Eckel, whose resignation as of December 31, 2024 was disclosed on October 30, in his previous role.

Reusable ID for AML acquired by global fintech as compliance costs rise-Acquisition for Parallel Markets, fine for Block, funding for Quantifind-Jan 17, 2025, 2:55 pm EST    | Joel R. McConvey

Global fintech platform iCapital has entered a definitive agreement to acquire U.S.-based Parallel Markets, which provides reusable identity tools for investor onboarding, verification and monitoring.In a company release, Lawrence Calcano, chairman and CEO of iCapital, says “onboarding and verifying digital investor identity and compliance is a major friction point in private markets investing. Parallel Markets has pioneered software that supports a reusable investor passport, streamlining these duplicative processes for advisors, investors, and fund managers.”The reusable KYC/AML passport technology for alternative investments aims to be a “turnkey onboarding solution,” creating a universal reusable identity for the investor that can be used across iCapital Marketplace.The ID will function as a “data locker for storing, managing, and sharing personal information needed for fund subscription and compliance verification in private markets.” It is intended to simplify KYC/KYB processes, make scaling smoother and ensure consistency in compliance with AML standards.“As we continue to evolve our tech stack, we will enhance automated entry for alternative investing and leverage AI and machine learning to offer a complete, intuitive end-to-end solution. This is expected to result in faster onboarding, reduced costs, and a more efficient investment process.”For Parallel Markets, the acquisition refines its focus and purpose. “As of today, we have focused on fund managers and the broader private wealth channel which is an increasingly important focus for leading financial institutions,” says Tony Peccatiello, CEO of Parallel Markets, who will be joining iCapital as part of the acquisition.Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.Block hit with $80M fine for AML compliance violations-Oakland-based Block Inc., which owns the mobile payment platform, Cash App, has agreed to pay a fine of $80 million to a coalition of 48 state financial regulators who deemed the company’s AML measures to be insufficient.Reuters reports that the Conference of State Bank Supervisors announced the settlement, which would also compel the fintech firm to hire an independent consultant to review its Bank Secrecy Act and AML program.A spokesperson for Block Inc. says the firm, which has waded into mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs) and decentralized ID, “will continue to invest across our operations to help promote a safe and healthy fintech ecosystem.”$22 million to boost Quantifind’s AI platform-Following a year that saw it grow by 200 percent, Quantifind has raised $22 million in funding from Deloitte Ventures and Stephens Group as well as existing investors, Citi Ventures, S&P Global, DNS Capital, and USVP, per a news release.The investment will accelerate the global expansion of Quantifind’s flagship platform, Graphyte, and power the launch of its Payments Risk Intelligence product for AI-powered financial crime intelligence.“AI has become the weapon of choice for fraudulent and criminal actors within the financial services ecosystem,” says Ryan Morrow, managing director at Stephens Group. “Our investment in Quantifind reflects our belief that Quantifind’s AI Graphyte technology tips the balance back in favor of bank compliance and law enforcement.”Ari Tuchman, CEO of Quantifind, says its biometric transaction screening for payments performs contextual analysis of counterparty relationships, offering the accuracy of large language models with the speed of real-time machine learning.Technological advancements to Graphyte’s machine learning operations address “the dynamic and high-stakes nature of transaction and name screening,” maximizing signals from metadata and hidden features, and separating feature discovery from runtime decisions to optimize speed and scale.

Services Australia to run Trust Exchange pilot with largest Australian bank-TEx proof of concept proceeds as minister vacates position-Jan 17, 2025, 2:53 pm EST    | Joel R. McConvey

A pilot with Commonwealth Bank will test the Australian government’s digital identity exchange scheme, Trust Exchange (TEx), using digital medical credentials housed in the myGov app.A report from InnovationAus.com quotes outgoing Services Minister Bill Shorten, who says “Services Australia has been working with the Commonwealth Bank on a concept that would look to use the Medicare card in your myGov app digital wallet to contribute to the identity verification process.”The pilot at a Canberra branch will use QR codes for sharing only necessary government-verified information. The idea is that TEx will eventually allow Australians to perform identity verification and share digital credentials, without handing over physical ID documents or sharing data not relevant to the transaction, in a wide variety of use cases.TEx came with a AU$11.4 (US$7.3) million investment for proof of concept. Shorten first alluded to the Commonwealth Bank in December, in a media release announcing the first identity verification prototype of TEx, at a General Practice medical clinic in Brisbane, Queensland.Both TEx and Australia’s myGov app have faced questions about its vulnerability to fraud, with myGov having posted billions in losses to identity scams. Around 5.6 million people now use the app to sign in to myGov, which recently integrated biometric passkey security.Shorten has been a major advocate for TEx, which rolls out at roughly the same time as an Australian national digital identity system. But the minister is leaving politics to take up a role as  vice-chancellor at the University of Canberra, and will vacate his seat this coming Monday, nine days earlier than expected.

COPPA changes specify children’s biometrics and government IDs for protection-Rule expands protections for children's data and requires that operators provide more information to parents-Jan 17, 2025, 2:29 pm EST    | Anthony Kimery

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Thursday issued notice that it finalized substantial changes to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), signaling a significant step toward enhancing online privacy safeguards for children.The updated COPPA rule represents a pivotal moment in the ongoing effort to protect children’s privacy online. By introducing stricter requirements for data collection, use, and sharing, the FTC is setting a higher standard for how companies interact with their youngest users. The updated rule imposes stricter requirements, introduces new protections for parents, and seeks to mitigate the risks associated with the monetization of children’s data.The rule not only empowers parents, but it also sends a clear message to the industry: children’s data is not a commodity to be exploited. As the rule takes effect, its impact will be closely watched, serving as a benchmark for future privacy regulations.At the core of the changes is a groundbreaking provision requiring parental opt-in for third-party advertising practices. This marks a pivotal shift in the regulation of targeted advertising aimed at children. Companies must now secure explicit, verifiable parental consent before disclosing children’s personal information to third parties for advertising or other purposes. By implementing this rule, the FTC is targeting practices that have allowed businesses to profit from children’s data without active parental involvement.FTC Chairman Lina M. Khan emphasized the importance of the changes. She said, “The updated COPPA rule strengthens key protections for kids’ privacy online. By requiring parents to opt in to targeted advertising practices, this final rule prohibits platforms and service providers from sharing and monetizing children’s data without active permission. The FTC is using all its tools to keep kids safe online.”The COPPA rule, first implemented in 2000, underwent its last significant revision in 2013. However, the rapid evolution of technology and online services has rendered many aspects of the rule insufficient to address emerging threats to children’s privacy. In January 2024, the FTC proposed a series of amendments designed to modernize COPPA, reflecting the realities of the current digital environment. The finalized changes are a culmination of this effort, incorporating insights from nearly 300 public comments on the proposed revisions.One notable update involves stringent limits on data retention. Businesses subject to COPPA are now required to retain children’s personal information only as long as it is reasonably necessary to fulfill the specific purpose for which the data was collected. This provision is explicitly designed to prevent indefinite retention of sensitive information which can increase the risk of misuse or data breaches. By mandating that companies adopt more disciplined data retention practices, the FTC aims to reduce potential harm to children resulting from long-term exposure of their data.“In recent years, the FTC has repeatedly encountered and filed suit against companies who apparently never deleted children’s data,” Commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Slaughter said in a joint statement that “claims from businesses that data must be indefinitely retained to improve algorithms do not override legal bans on indefinite retention of data. Companies eyeing children’s data would do well to heed this lesson. [We are] glad that this rule update will make those obligations even more explicit.”The FTC also bolstered transparency within its Safe Harbor programs, which allow industry groups to develop self-regulatory guidelines in compliance with COPPA. Approved programs will now be required to disclose their membership lists publicly and submit additional reports to the FTC. This enhancement is intended to increase accountability and ensure that Safe Harbor programs uphold robust standards for protecting children’s privacy. By shining a light on these programs, the FTC seeks to build trust among parents and advocates while encouraging greater compliance from participating organizations.Another significant change is the expansion of COPPA’s definition of personal information. The revised definition now encompasses biometric identifiers, such as fingerprints and facial recognition data, as well as government-issued identifiers. This change reflects the FTC’s acknowledgment of the growing prevalence and potential risks of advanced data collection technologies. By broadening the scope of protected information, the FTC is addressing concerns about the exploitation of increasingly sophisticated data types in ways that could compromise children’s privacy.Despite these advancements, however, the FTC decided against adopting some of the proposed changes. It declined, for example, to finalize requirements aimed at limiting the use of push notifications directed to children without parental consent and specific provisions related to educational technology companies operating in school environments.The FTC expressed ongoing concerns about the use of engagement techniques, such as push notifications, to retain children’s attention online in ways that could harm their mental health. However, it concluded that further evaluation is necessary before implementing additional regulations.The final rule also underscores the importance of balancing regulatory objectives with practical implementation timelines. While the rule will take effect 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register, entities subject to the amendments will have one year from the publication date to achieve full compliance. This phased approach provides organizations with a reasonable timeframe to adjust their practices and ensure adherence to the new requirements.The unanimous 5-0 vote to approve the final rule reflects broad consensus among the FTC’s commissioners on the need for strengthened protections for children’s online privacy. Khan and Commissioner Andrew Ferguson issued separate concurring statements, while Commissioners Bedoya and Slaughter released a joint concurring statement. The statements highlight the FTC’s shared commitment to safeguarding children’s digital experiences while addressing emerging privacy concerns.“Today, the Commission takes the important step of finalizing its amendments to the COPPA Rule,” Bedoya and Slaughter said. “These changes are a necessary effort by the Commission – and authorized by Congress – to modernize the COPPA Rule and ensure it keeps up with advancements in technology.”Commissioner Ferguson – Trump’s pick to lead the FTC  – issued a politically charged statement in which he said there are “serious problems with the final rule, problems that are the result of the outgoing administration’s irresponsible rush to issue last-minute rules two months after the American people voted to evict them from office, which the Commission under President Trump will have to address.”Biometric Update earlier reported that Trump’s choice of Ferguson to lead the FTC could indicate an inclination by the incoming administration to deprioritize FTC rulemaking and enforcement activities related to data privacy, which also could indicate a broader regulatory philosophy that emphasizes legislative action over administrative rulemaking.Nevertheless, the updated COPPA rule is not merely a regulatory milestone, it is a response to the growing public demand for greater accountability in how companies handle children’s data. The Internet and digital technologies have become integral to children’s lives, offering educational, social, and recreational opportunities, but these benefits often come with significant risks, including exposure to intrusive advertising, data exploitation, and threats to mental health. The FTC’s amendments to COPPA are intended to mitigate these risks by empowering parents and ensuring that businesses prioritize the privacy and safety of their youngest users.One of the most transformative aspects of the updated rule is its potential to reshape the online advertising landscape. Targeted advertising has long been a lucrative revenue stream for companies, but its reliance on personal data has drawn increasing scrutiny, particularly when children are involved. By requiring opt-in consent, the FTC is effectively curbing the unchecked monetization of children’s data and ensuring that parents retain control over what information is shared. This move not only protects children’s privacy but also sets a precedent for broader industry practices, potentially influencing how data is handled across other demographics.The inclusion of biometric and government-issued identifiers in the definition of personal information addresses another critical concern: the growing use of advanced technologies to collect and analyze sensitive data. As biometric tools become more widespread, the risks of misuse or unauthorized access increase. By extending COPPA’s protections to these data types, the FTC is proactively addressing potential threats and ensuring that its regulatory framework keeps pace with technological advancements.The emphasis on data minimization and transparency aligns with broader trends in privacy regulation, both domestically and internationally. By mandating that companies retain personal information only for as long as necessary, the FTC is reinforcing the principle that data should not be collected or stored beyond its intended purpose. Similarly, the increased transparency within Safe Harbor programs mirrors global efforts to enhance accountability and build public trust in self-regulatory initiatives.While the updated COPPA rule marks significant progress, it also leaves room for further action. The FTC’s decision to hold off on regulating push notifications and engagement techniques suggests that these issues will remain on the agency’s radar. As digital platforms continue to evolve, the FTC is likely to revisit these topics, potentially introducing additional safeguards to address emerging risks.Commissioner Ferguson – Trumps pick to head the FTC – criticizes changes-In a statement, Ferguson criticized several aspects of the FTC’s final amendments to COPPA. While he supports certain provisions, such as requiring businesses to disclose third-party data recipients to parents and obtain parental consent for specific disclosures, he raises concerns about how these measures could inadvertently stifle competition among third-party service providers.Ferguson argues that the requirement to seek fresh parental consent for changes in third-party data recipients, while well-intentioned, could impose high compliance costs on businesses and create market stickiness, entrenching the dominance of incumbent providers.Ferguson also critiques the new rule prohibiting the indefinite retention of children’s data. He acknowledges its good intentions, but warned it might result in unintended negative consequences, such as the irreversible loss of digital content with personal significance.Additionally, he questions the practical definition of “indefinite” and how it differs substantively from existing rules that already limit data retention.Finally, he expressed disappointment that the rule fails to include an exception for the use of children’s personal information solely for age verification. He argues that this omission complicates compliance for mixed-audience platforms seeking to adopt more reliable age verification methods than self-declaration, as they must obtain parental consent to collect data for verification purposes.Ferguson attributes these shortcomings to the hasty finalization of the amendments during the transition between presidential administrations and calls on the new FTC leadership under Trump to address these flaws.

FC Copenhagen will use facial recognition to stop violent football fans-Jan 17, 2025, 2:06 pm EST    | Masha Borak

Football Club Copenhagen has received permission to use automated facial recognition to boost security and prevent banned football fans from entering its games.The technology can be used during matches at Parken Stadium and in other sports venues during the club’s away games, the Danish Data Protection Agency (Datatilsynet) ruled on Thursday.FC Copenhagen is introducing the tech to solve problems with escalating violence. In October last year, the Danish League organization banned visiting supporters from attending Danish Superliga games between FC Copenhagen and Brondby, following violent incidents which included throwing stones at trains.Brondby IF football club acquired permission to use facial recognition in 2019 while in 2023 it expanded the use of the technology in an attempt to keep banned fans out of the stadium. FC Copenhagen applied for a similar permit in April 2024. According to the Danish Data Protection Act, processing sensitive information, including facial recognition, requires approval from the Danish data watchdog.Facial recognition use has been growing across European football stadiums, from Italy and Belgium to Cyprus and Spain. National football player unions have reported that workplace safety and fan violence are a growing concern.But safety is not the only reason sports venues are looking towards biometric technology. NFL football clubs in the U.S. have been experimenting with biometric ticketing and streamlining entering into stadiums.

Rights groups urge priority to human rights in AI Act implementation-Jan 17, 2025, 1:54 pm EST    | Masha Borak

A group of more than 20 civil rights organizations has signed a letter urging the European Commission to prioritize human rights in formulating the upcoming guidelines for implementing the AI Act, including better measures for biometric systems – one of the most controversial issues within the legislation.The AI Act guidelines are designed to specify the practical implementation of the rulebook, which entered into force in August last year. Rights groups have highlighted guidelines related to remote biometric identification, biometric categorization according to race, gender, and other markers, scraping facial images from the internet, and emotion recognition.All of these AI use cases are considered to pose an “unacceptable risk” to fundamental rights and are banned, according to the AI Act. The law, however, makes exceptions for specific circumstances, including for law enforcement purposes.The AI Act should specify that the development of remote biometric identification for export falls under the ban. The organizations also say that it shouldn’t be enough for police forces to put up a sign or distribute flyers saying that an area is surveilled to ensure the legality of biometric surveillance. Finally, the groups call for a ban on retrospective biometric identification (RBI).“While we continue to call for a full ban on retrospective RBI by private and public actors, we urge that the ‘significant delay’ clause should be at a minimum of 24 hours after capture,” the groups say.The current ban on non-targeted scraping of facial images leaves room for problematic loopholes: Systems like Clearview AI or PimEyes, which claim to store only biographical information or URLs and not the actual facial images currently fall outside of the prohibition and the Commission should consider deleting the proposed definition of a facial image database to prevent this.The biometric categorization ban should be expanded to include categories such as “ethnicity” and “gender identity.” The civil rights groups also expect that companies will try to masquerade emotion recognition products as health and safety tools to escape the ban and urge EU lawmakers to clearly define the difference between these systems.These specifications should be included in the AI Act guidelines to prevent the weaponization of technology against marginalized groups and the unlawful use of mass biometric surveillance. The EU should also ensure that future consultations related to the implementation of the rulebook give a meaningful voice to civil society and impacted communities, the groups conclude.The signatories include Privacy International, Access Now, European Digital Rights (EDRi), AlgorithmWatch, Amnesty International and more.The European Commission’s guidelines for national authorities and AI providers and deployers are set to be released in early 2025. In December, the European AI Office concluded a consultation aimed to define AI systems and the prohibited AI practices used to formulate the guidelines.

Microblink, Au10tix, Veriff answer increased demand for AI-enabled IDV-Jan 17, 2025, 1:02 pm EST    | Joel R. McConvey

A growing demand for advanced identity verification has driven recent wins for digital identity vendors. Microblink, Au10tix and Veriff are showing growth, expanding operations and preventing massive amounts of fraud.Microblink added 200 documents, saw double-digit revenue growth in 2024-A release from Microblink says the Brooklyn, New York firm achieved several key milestones in 2024.The company saw revenue grow by a double-digit percentage for the fifth consecutive year, as 20 percent of their clients expanded product use.Its flagship products, BlinkID and BlinkID Verify, became available on Google Cloud Marketplace. It expanded its identity document verification services into industry verticals including human resources, travel, hospitality and banking. It added features and capabilities to BlinkID, BlinkID Verify and BlinkCard, including real-time advanced fraud detection.And its Fraud Lab implemented synthetic data generation to replicate fraud attacks and accelerate support for new identity documents, leading to the addition of more than 200 new ID document types.“We are proud of the significant progress we made in 2024,” says Microblink President of Identity Hartley Thompson. “We are committed to continuing to innovate and deliver world-class identity verification solutions that help businesses stay ahead of emerging threats and create seamless digital experiences.”Per the release, Microblink’s proprietary in-house machine learning tech powers verification for more than 20 leading identity solution providers, including 50 percent of the digital identity verification providers (as listed in the Gartner 2024 Magic Quadrant for IDV.)-It has more growth planned for 2025, with several new product initiatives scheduled for Q1, evolving strategic relationships with key partners, and ongoing investment in research and development.Au10tix India office aims to expands IDV offerings globally-Israel-based identity verification and risk management firm Au10tix says that in 2024 its products protected businesses worldwide against an estimated $7.5 billion in fraud, much of it generated by AI.A release says that brings the company’s total amount of fraud prevention to approximately $24 billion since 2021.The company expanded its identity verification product portfolio last year, adding Know Your Business (KYB) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) tools and a digital ID verification hub. It offers a free, data-driven risk assessment model tool to help organizations craft fraud prevention strategies. And its orchestration engine enables customization to fit clients’ specific business needs.Au10tix also opened an office in Bengaluru, India, to strengthen its presence in the global IDV market.Dan Yerushalmi, CEO of Au10tix, says the firm’s “continued growth and expansion, particularly in developing innovative solutions and building our global team, positions us strongly to address evolving fraud challenges across industries.”Veriff continues upward trend in revenue growth-Identity verification and authentication platform Veriff also saw significant growth in 2024. According to a company release, the firm saw strong 75 percent year-over-year revenue growth in Q4 2024, tripling its volumes and increasing the number of customers by 60 percent compared to the same period last year.Kaarel Kotkas, founder and CEO of Veriff, says the Estonian verification company “is in the strongest position ever – we are the fastest growing company in the identity space with a solid balance sheet, and we are focusing on profitable growth.”While most of the company’s revenue comes from the U.S., some of its focus for 2025 is on Latin America, where the company’s business volumes grew most strongly last year. It has plans to expand its footprint in the region by opening a tech hub in São Paulo, Brazil, this spring.“I am proud that a number of globally renowned large tech companies that we as consumers use daily are Veriff customers today,” Kotkwas says.2024 also saw the firm significant updates to its IDV product suite in enabling AI automation, as well as enhancements to the Veriff Biometric Authentication product, and successful completion of iBeta Level 2 biometric liveness detection compliance.

Biometric authentication required for SIM card registration in India and Thailand-Jan 17, 2025, 10:01 am EST    | Ayang Macdonald

Following a spike in mobile telecommunications fraud and other related crimes, the government of India has directed that all new SIM card connections must henceforth be mandatorily activated with biometrics from the Aadhaar digital ID system.The directive was issued this week by the Prime Minister’s Office, India TV reports, and it comes off as a response to a surge in criminality perpetrated through improperly identified SIM cards.Going by the new rule, mobile telecoms companies are prohibited from selling new SIM cards without verifying the buyer’s biometrics using their Aadhaar. Biometric ID verification for SIM card activation in India was first announced in 2023.The move is a more stringent rule than what obtained in the past and is provided for by the Telecommunications Bill 2023 which was okayed by both houses of parliament in 2023. Before now, users could present any government ID document such as a passport or voter ID to activate a SIM card.According to reports, the mandatory Aadhaar biometrics verification measure comes after a meeting by stakeholders in the telecoms sector who noted the alarming nature of mobile phone-enabled criminal activities in the country.Crackdowns on SIM fraud criminal networks have been conducted in India over the years, with cases of such criminal activities prompting huge financial losses by individuals and even enterprises and organizations.It is expected that the new measure will lead to a substantial drop in unverified mobile telephone numbers and enhance the safety and security of financial transactions.As part of the implementation of the directive, the Department of Telecommunications (DOT), which is at the forefront of the policy, has been called upon to work in close collaboration with law enforcement agencies to track down and punish those who will flout the orders, Telecom Talk relays.The development in India follows a growing global trend where several countries have resorted to biometric SIM identification as a means of curbing crimes committed through telephone-enabled transactions.Thai regulator approves measures to combat unauthorized SIMs-Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has also approved plans requiring biometric authentication for SIM card registration as part of its overall strategy to fight telecom technology related crimes and online scams.The Nation reports the regulator has also approved measures limiting some foreigners to three SIM cards per person per operator and requiring passports for SIM card purchases.Police are being directed to step up enforcement of SIM card registration rules. Retailers that breach the regulations can be subject to fines or jail time.Countries including Indonesia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Cameroon, Russia and Pakistan are turning to biometric SIM card registration as a response to the rise in mobile phone fraud.

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)

THE FIRST JUDGEMENT OF THE EARTH STARTED WITH WATER-IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THE LAST GENERATION WILL BE HAVING FLOODING (BUT WILL NOT KILL EVERY BODY WITH WATER)(BUT 50% OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE (4 BILLION PEOPLE) FROM NUCLEAR WAR)(THE BIBLE SAYS BY FIRE OR ATOMIC BOMBS THIS TIME)
GENESIS 7:6-12
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
GOD PROMISED BY A RAINBOW-THE EARTH WOULD NEVER BE DESTROYED TOTALLY WITH A FLOOD AGAIN.BUT FLOODIING IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT.

OZONE DEPLETION JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH DUE TO SIN

ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold,(7X OR 7-DEGREES HOTTER) as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people,(ISRAEL) and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:

MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened,(DAY LIGHT HOURS SHORTENED) there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake (ISRAELS SAKE) those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)(THE ASTEROID HITS EARTH HERE)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

EZEKIEL 32:6-9
6  I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest, even to the mountains; and the rivers shall be full of thee.
7  And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.
8  All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.
9  I will also vex the hearts of many people, when I shall bring thy destruction among the nations, into the countries which thou hast not known.

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 and baby murderers by abortion) have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.

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.

We shall have World Government, whether or not we like it. The only question is whether World Government will be achieved by conquest or consent.James Paul Warburg appearing before the Senate on 7th February 1950-Like a famous WWII Belgian General,Paul Henry Spock said in 1957:We need no commission, we have already too many. What we need is a man who is great enough to be able to keep all the people in subjection to himself and to lift us out of the economic bog into which we threaten to sink. Send us such a man. Be he a god or a devil, we will accept him.And today, sadly, the world is indeed ready for such a man.

JUDGEMENT-WE ALL(EVERYONE) STAND IN FRONT OF GOD TO GIVE ACCOUNT

JOHN 14:3
3  And if I (JESUS OUR JEWISH MESSIAH) go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

MATTHEW 24:33
33  So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things,(IN THERE BEGGINING STAGES-NOT FINAL STAGES) know that it is near, even at the doors.

LUKE 21:32
32  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:10
10  For we must all (MEANS EVERYONE EVER BORN ON EARTH FROM ADAM-EVE ON) appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.(THIS IS THE CHRISTIANS IN FRONT OF JESUS)

LUKEWARM CHURCHES

REVELATION 3:15-19
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I(GOD) will spue (VOMIT) thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent

EARTHQUAKES

EZEKIEL 37:7,11-14
7  So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.(POSSIBLE QUAKE BRINGS ISRAEL BACK TO LIFE-SO NOISE AND SHAKING-QUAKES WILL ALSO DESTROY ISRAELS ENEMIES)
11  Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.
12  Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
13  And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,
14  And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.

MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

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 11:11-14
11 And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
12 And they(ELIJSH-MOSES) heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither.(REV 4:1 WE KNOW IS THE RAPTURE FOR SURE) And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.(RAPTURED)
13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.

REVELATION 16:18-20
18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
19 And the great city (JERUSALEM) was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

FEARFUL SIGHTS AND GREAT SIGNS FROM HEAVEN

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.so was not yet deemed a threat to land.The storm was located about 580 miles (930 kilometers) west-southwest of the southernmost tip of the Cabo Verde Islands and had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph), the center said.The storms churned in the Atlantic as rescuers in the U.S. Southeast searched for people unaccounted for after Hurricane Helene struck last week, leaving behind a trail of death and catastrophic damage.

REV 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.

JAMES 1:11
11 For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

The Hebrew noun accurately translated “oven” refers to a “baking oven” as distinct from a kiln or smelting furnace—both of which burn much hotter. (The Hebrew nouns for “kiln” or for “smelting furnace” are more likely to appear in contexts of God's wrath or judgment.)
21 They have roused me to jealousy with a non-god, they have exasperated me with their idols. In my turn I shall rouse them to jealousy with a non-people, I shall exasperate them with a stupid nation.
22 Yes, a fire has blazed from my anger, it will burn right down to the depths of Sheol; it will devour the earth and all its produce, it will set fire to the footings of the mountains.
23 I shall hurl disasters on them, on them I shall use up all my arrows.

Ecclesiastes 1:6 ESV
6 The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns.

Jonah 1:4 ESV
4 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.

Psalm 135:7 ESV
7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.

Psalm 78:26 ESV
26 He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by his power he led out the south wind;

Psalm 1:4 ESV
4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

Acts 27:14 ESV
14 But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land.

Amos 4:13 ESV
13 For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth— the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!

Los Angeles wildfires timeline: How the deadly blazes unfolded

The Palisades and Eaton fires both erupted on Jan. 7.ByMeredith Deliso-Video byJulian Kim-January 17, 2025, 11:11 AM

Timeline: How the deadly California wildfires unfolded-Timeline: How the deadly California wildfires unfoldedAnalysts say the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire, which started on Jan. 7, together are on track to be the worst natural disaster in U.S. history by cost.Los Angeles County has been devastated by two deadly wildfires that have become some of the most destructive in California history.The Palisades and Eaton fires both erupted on Jan. 7, fueled by severe drought conditions and strong Santa Ana winds.Dozens of people are believed to have died in the fires, which have burned down whole swaths of communities, including in the Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Altadena and Pasadena. More than 12,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed in the two fires, with the Eaton Fire the most destructive in Los Angeles history.With the fires continuing to rage, the full scope of the lives lost and destruction remains to be seen.While working to contain the Palisades and Eaton fires, firefighters also have had to contend with several smaller fires that have ignited amid the hazardous fire conditions.Here's a look at how the deadly blazes unfolded.Jan. 7-A dayslong red flag warning goes into effect for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with very strong winds in the forecast amid dry conditions."Strong, damaging and potentially life-threatening #SantaAnaWinds are still on track for #SoCal," the National Weather Service in Los Angeles warns. "Be prepared for strong winds and high fire danger."8 a.m.: The Los Angeles Fire Department pre-deploys and pre-positions resources, including fire engines, command teams, brush patrols, water tenders and air operations personnel, due to the red flag conditions, according to Chief Kristin Crowley.10:20 a.m.: A live camera with AlertCalifornia, a UC San Diego program to monitor wildfires and disasters in real-time, picks up smoke rising. This is the first sighting of the Palisades Fire.10:30 a.m.: Cal Fire reports the Palisades Fire has started southeast of Palisades Drive in the Pacific Palisades.This handout image released by The European Space Agency (ESA) from Copernicus Sentinel-2 on Jan. 8, 2025, shows smoke rising north of the Santa Monica area on Jan. 7, 2025, as wildfires raged across the United States' western state of California.11:44 a.m.: Evacuation warnings -- voluntary notices to leave -- begin to be issued in the Palisades Fire.Noon: Mandatory evacuation orders start in the Palisades Fire. Long lines of vehicles can be seen amid evacuations, as well as abandoned cars.California Gov. Gavin Newsom declares a state of emergency due to the Palisades Fire, which has grown to 1,200 acres at the time of his declaration.6:18 p.m.: Cal Fire reports the Eaton Fire has begun in Altadena, describing the incident as a "fast-moving fire burning brush fueled by high winds," prompting evacuation orders.6:26 p.m.: The Los Angeles Fire Department calls on all of its firefighters to report for duty.7:30 p.m.: Firefighting aircraft is grounded due to high winds, according to Crowley.10:29 p.m.: Cal Fire reports the Hurst Fire has begun in Sylmar, prompting evacuations.Jan. 8-Newsom says more than 1,400 firefighting personnel and hundreds of "prepositioned assets" have been deployed to battle the "unprecedented fires" ravaging parts of Los Angeles, with the Palisades Fire growing to nearly 3,000 acres and the Eaton Fire to 1,000 acres by the morning.5 a.m.: A wind gust of 100 mph is recorded at Mountain Lukens in the San Gabriel Mountains, northeast of La Canada Flintridge -- very close to the Eaton Fire.6:15 a.m.: Cal Fire reports the Woodley Fire has begun in the Sepulveda Basin.10:45 a.m.: Firefighting air operations resume after being grounded due to extreme weather conditions, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass says.At a morning press briefing, LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone reports that two people have died in the Eaton Fire, as it continues to rage uncontrolled.The city of Pasadena issues a do-not-drink-water notification alert due to damage to water reservoirs, tanks and pumping stations, and an air quality alert is issued for parts of Los Angeles County, amid the wildfire impacts.President Joe Biden approves a major disaster declaration for California, allowing impacted communities to immediately access recovery funds and resources related to the major wildfires burning in the Los Angeles area.Maxar-2:07 p.m.: Cal Fire reports the Lidia Fire has begun in Acton, prompting evacuations.5:57 p.m.: A fire has begun in the famed Hollywood Hills, Cal Fire reports. The Sunset Fire prompts evacuations.8:07 p.m.: The Woodley Fire in the Sepulveda Basin is now fully contained, Cal Fire reports.By the evening, Newsom updates that more than 7,500 firefighting personnel are on the ground to respond to "California's ongoing historic wildfires."Jan. 9-The Palisades Fire has now burned more than 17,000 acres, while the Eaton Fire has grown to more than 10,000 acres, as both are 0% contained.Newsom announces he has approved a request from Los Angeles County to deploy the California National Guard to support law enforcement efforts in the region, including in efforts to target looting in evacuated communities.Biden also announces the federal government will cover 100% of the disaster response to the Los Angeles wildfires for 180 days, up from the 75% to 90% that is typically covered.3:34 p.m.: Cal Fire reports the Kenneth Fire has started in West Hills, prompting evacuations.3:55 p.m.: Cal Fire reports the Sunset Fire in Hollywood Hills is 100% contained.Around 4 p.m.: An evacuation alert is mistakenly sent to millions of Los Angeles County residents, officials said. The county subsequently called the error a "serious breach of public trust" and said, for now, the state's Office of Emergency Services would be handling alerts to the public.Jan. 10-The Palisades Fire has grown to nearly 20,000 acres with 6% containment, and the Eaton Fire to nearly 14,000 acres with 0% containment.Los Angeles officials announce that a 12-hour curfew, from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., is in effect for all evacuated areas to protect homes and prevent looting.11:24 a.m.: Cal Fire reports the Archer Fire has begun in Granada Hills, prompting evacuations.That afternoon, Newsom calls for an independent investigation into the "loss of water pressure to local fire hydrants and the reported unavailability of water supplies" from the Santa Ynez Reservoir, following a Los Angeles Times report that the Pacific Palisades reservoir had been closed for repairs at the time the destructive fire started."We need answers to ensure this does not happen again and we have every resource available to fight these catastrophic fires," he says on X.Jan. 11-The Palisades Fire is now more than 21,000 acres with 11% containment, while the Eaton Fire is more than 14,000 acres with 15% containment.The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is leading a task force investigating the cause and origin of the fires, officials announce. The task force is made up of local, state and federal partners designed to investigate the cause of these fires and to see if there's any connection between them.Newsom also announces he is doubling the California National Guard's deployment to the Los Angeles fires to 1,680 service members, as they are "continuing to rush in resources to rapidly respond to the firestorm in Los Angeles fueled by hurricane-force winds," he says in a statement.7:40 a.m.: Cal Fire reports the Lidia Fire in Acton is 100% contained.8:41 a.m.: The Archer Fire in Granada Hills is fully contained, Cal Fire reports.Jan. 12-The Palisades Fire is now more than 23,000 acres and 11% contained while the Eaton Fire is more than 14,000 acres and 27% contained.There have been at least 24 fire-related deaths -- eight in the Palisades Fire and 16 in the Eaton Fire, according to the latest tally from the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner.As the wildfires continue to burn, the National Weather Service issues another red flag warning for fire danger in Southern California through Jan. 15, with high winds again in the forecast. Power shutoffs in evacuated areas will remain through the red flag warning, fire officials said.The California Community Foundation Wildfire Recovery Fund has collected more than $6 million in donations, Mayor Bass announces, with more than 13,000 people from across the country and the globe donating.7:48 a.m.: Cal Fire reports the Kenneth Fire in West Hills is 100% contained.Jan. 13-The Palisades Fire is now 14% contained, while the Eaton Fire is 33% contained. More than 15,000 firefighting personnel have been deployed for the fires, ahead of the latest fire threat, Newsom says.Four separate lawsuits are filed against Southern California Edison, a utility company in California, by homeowners and renters who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire. The lawsuits each allege the company failed to de-energize all of its electrical equipment despite red flag warnings issued by the National Weather Service.A group of Pacific Palisades residents and businesses impacted by the Palisades Fire also files a lawsuit against Los Angeles’ Department of Water and Power, alleging that the city and its agency were unprepared for the Palisades Fire.The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Fire agencies are investigating whether Southern California Edison -- a subsidiary of Edison International -- infrastructure sites caused fires in areas devastated by the Eaton and Hurst wildfires.Pedro Pizarro, the president and CEO of Edison International, tells "Good Morning America" that the company cannot yet rule out the possibility that its energy infrastructure played a role in the fires, as they have not yet been able to examine the equipment.6:27 p.m.: Cal Fire reports the Hurst Fire is 97% contained after burning nearly 800 acres in Sylmar.9:25 p.m.: Cal Fire reports the Auto Fire has started in Ventura, prompting evacuations.
MORE: The science behind the LA wildfires-Jan. 14-The Palisades Fire is now 17% contained, while the Eaton Fire is 35% contained.In the afternoon, the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner reports an additional fire-related death in the Eaton Fire, bringing the total fatalities in the two wildfires to 25. The Eaton Fire is the fifth-deadliest in the state's history, with 16 reported deaths.Jan. 15-The Palisades Fire is now 19% contained and the Eaton Fire 45% contained, as firefighters continue to work to contain and suppress the fires with the red flag warning in effect through the afternoon.Jan. 16-The Palisades Fire is now 22% contained, and the Eaton Fire is now 55% contained, with search and rescue efforts and damage assessments ongoing in both fires.Residents forced to evacuate from the fires are still "probably at least a week out" from returning home, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna says during a briefing. Though later in the day, some evacuees are allowed back into their residences.The death toll from the fires rises, with the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner reporting two additional fire-related deaths, bringing the total to 27.At least 18 people also remain missing in the wildfires, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says.Jan. 17-The Palisades Fire is now 31% contained, while the Eaton Fire is now 65% contained, as fire crews continue to improve containment lines.ABC News' James Hill, Laura Romero, Alexandra Myers, Kate Holland, Kerem Inal, Helena Skinner, Lena Camilletti, Kirsten Cintigo, Tonya Simpson, Tomas Navia and Sasha Pezenik contributed to this report.

INVENTION OF THE ATOMIC BOMB.

2 PETER 3:10-11
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements (NUKES) shall melt with fervent heat,(BLAST) the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.(BUT ITS NO END OF THE WORLD HOGWASH)
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved,(BY NUKES INCLUDING 3 BILLION PEOPLE) what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

NUCLEAR WEAPONS WILL BE USED.

JESUS SHED HIS BLOOD FOR US THAT WE CAN BE SAVED FOREVER.AND DURING WW3 PEOPLES BLOOD WILL BE SHED AS A JUDGEMENT FOR HATING HIM AND ISRAEL.GOD IS NOT MOCKED.

ZEPHANIAH 1:2-3
2  I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.
3  I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.

PSALMS 97:3
3 A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.

EZEKIEL 5:15-17
15  So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the (ARAB/MUSLIM) nations that are round about thee,(ISRAEL) when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it.
16  When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:
17  So will I send upon you famine and evil beasts,(WHEN RUSSIA/MUSLIMS GET DEFEATED THIER BODIES GET EATEN BY BIRDS,ANIMALS IN ISRAEL MIGRATION SEASON) and they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee;(NUKES) and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the LORD have spoken it.

REVELATION 14:18-20
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city,(JERUSALEM) and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.(200 MILES) (THE SIZE OF ISRAEL)

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.

2 TIMOTHY 3:1
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.

JOEL 2:3,30

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)

REVELATION 16:12-16
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;(WERE WW3 STARTS IN IRAQ OR SYRIA OR TURKEY) and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon,(SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(FALSE POPE)
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.(WERE 2 BILLION DIE FROM NUKE WAR)
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.

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.

NAHUM 3:13
13 Behold, your troops are women in your midst. The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire has devoured your bars.

Russia, Iran deepen defense ties as Putin and Pezeshkian sign 20-year pact-While agreement doesn’t specify arms transfers between the two sanctioned countries, Putin offers aid to Tehran’s nuclear program as he and Pezeshkian express hope for a Gaza truce-By ToI Staff and Agencies 17 January 2025, 11:37 pm

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian deepened military ties between their countries on Friday by signing a 20-year strategic partnership that is likely to worry the West.Though the agreement, which can be extended, does not specify arms transfers between the two countries, Putin said Moscow was willing to undertake more nuclear projects on behalf of Iran.At their joint press conference in Moscow, the two leaders, whose countries are subject to heavy Western sanctions, also expressed hope for the success of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal.Moscow’s new agreement with Tehran comes three days before the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, who is expected to resume his first term’s “maximum pressure” policy toward Iran, and to pursue a political settlement to Russia’s three-year-old war in Ukraine, which triggered the Western sanctions on Moscow.However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed any link between the agreement and Trump’s inauguration, saying that Pezeshkian’s visit had been planned long ago.The agreement also came as Iran and Russia’s influence in the Middle East appeared to be waning after the fall of their client, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, who fled to Moscow when rebels overtook Damascus last month. Following Assad’s fall, the fate of two major Russian military facilities in Syria remains uncertain.Speaking alongside Pezeshkian, Putin said Russia regularly consults with Iran on events in the Middle East and the South Caucasus region and kept Iran updated about the Ukraine conflict.Under their new agreement, Russia and Iran will boost cooperation in a range of areas including their security services, military drills, warship port visits, and joint officer training.Neither will allow their territory to be used for any action that threatens the other and will provide no help to an aggressor attacking either nation, according to the text, which also said they would work together to counter military threats.The agreement did not include a mutual defense clause of the kind included in a treaty between Russia and North Korea, which the West says has seen North Korean troops deployed to fight in Ukraine, something Moscow has neither confirmed nor denied.Vague on arms transfers, but boost to Iran’s nuclear aspirations-The agreement made no specific mention of arms transfers, a topic of particular concern to the US and its allies, though the two sides said they would develop “military-technical cooperation.”Iran has already supplied Russia with self-detonating “Shahed” drones that Moscow fires on Ukraine in nightly barrages, according to Ukrainian and Western officials.Iran, in turn, wants sophisticated Russian weapons like long-range air defense systems and fighter jets to help fend off possible attacks by Israel. Russia has supplied Iran with S-300 air defense missile systems in the past, and there have been reports in Iranian media of potential interest in buying more advanced systems such as the S-400 and acquiring advanced Russian fighter jets.Tehran has long hoped to obtain advanced Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets from Russia to upgrade its aging fleet that’s been hobbled by international sanctions, but only received a few Yak-130 trainer jets in 2023.However, speaking alongside Pezeshkian Friday, Putin said his country was open to taking on more nuclear projects in Iran despite delays in building new nuclear reactors there.Russia built Iran’s first nuclear plant that was launched in 2013 and is building two more nuclear reactors there.The Islamic Republic’s nuclear weapons program was reportedly dealt a serious blow when Israel struck Iran on October 26, in retaliation for the Iranian missile barrage that drove millions of Israelis into bomb shelters on October 1.Russia had been part of the 2015 deal between Iran and six nuclear powers offering sanctions relief for Tehran in exchange for curbing its atomic program, and the Kremlin offered political support to Iran when the US unilaterally withdrew from the agreement during Trump’s first term.Iran has repeatedly expressed willingness to revive the deal.The Islamic regime maintains that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes and denies any intention to develop atomic weapons.Notwithstanding, Iran has in recent years increased its manufacturing of enriched uranium, and it is the only non-nuclear weapons state to possess uranium enriched to 60 percent, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear watchdog says.That level is well on the way to the 90% required for an atomic bomb and beyond anything needed for a civilian nuclear program.Iran, which is openly committed to Israel’s destruction, also operates an “Axis of Resistance” network of regional proxies — including Gaza’s Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis — in pursuit of that goal.Amid the nascent agreement for a hostage-ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Putin expressed hope Friday for a “long-term stabilization” in Gaza. He called for the world not to “weaken efforts for a comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of international law” and the creation of an independent Palestinian state.Pezeshkian, whose country fired two massive missile and drone barrages at Israel during the war, said he hoped a “permanent ceasefire will be established in Gaza and the aggressions on this land will end.”

US said leading efforts to replace UNRWA, as ban that would paralyze operations looms-Laws banning Israeli cooperation with UN’s Palestinian relief agency set to come into effect in two weeks, with no clear alternative in place By ToI Staff Today, 6:14 pm-JAN 16,25

The US is leading talks at the United Nations to find a replacement for the global body’s Palestinian refugee aid agency, as a deadline fast approaches when Israeli laws banning cooperation with the body come into effect, the Haaretz newspaper reported Thursday.Legislation passed by the Knesset on October 28 bars the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) from operating in Israeli territory and prevents Israeli authorities from holding any contact with the agency. The laws were to go into effect at the conclusion of a 90-day grace period from their passage, which expires in two weeks.The law is expected to effectively cripple the agency’s ability to operate, as its operations are dependent on contact with Israeli authorities.With no replacement set up, Israel is under pressure to find an alternative for institutes and services operated by UNRWA that are expected to collapse, the report said.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is refusing to even speak directly with Israel about a replacement, several unnamed sources familiar with the situation told Haaretz (Hebrew link).Senior UNRWA officials said they were open to talk with Israel but no solution has been presented so far.An emerging ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is not likely to make a significant impact on the situation, with the legislation coming after long years of adversarial relations between UNRWA and Jerusalem.The Foreign Ministry is in talks with senior United Nations officials, as well as the US, on the possibility of transferring UNRWA responsibilities to other UN agencies, the report said, adding that the Israel Defense Forces, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), and the Shin Bet are all interested in working with the UN on a solution. Discussions are looking at temporary measures to enable continued humanitarian operations in Gaza during a transitional period.Israel notes that currently only 13 percent of aid entering Gaza is provided by UNRWA, but international groups say the agency remains a key element in providing aid to residents.A security source told Haaretz, “If the other bodies see that Israel is serious [in its ban], they will slowly step in and replace UNRWA.” That process is already happening, the source argued.“Until the war, UNRWA had a monopoly on municipal services in Gaza,” the official said. “Now other organizations will take on more responsibility for them, because UNRWA is disintegrating.”Fuel deliveries to bakeries and hospitals have already been taken over by the United Nations Office for Project Services, the report said.While Israel’s defense establishment believes such agencies could provide a solution, a European diplomat told Haaretz that even Jerusalem realizes there are limitations to this. Humanitarian aid operations and health services could be taken over by other UN bodies but Israel also understands that UNRWA’s provision of shelter for war-displaced Gazans would be more of a challenge.One option being discussed is to replace UNRWA’s international directors but leave in place Palestinian employees on the ground, who would be transferred to another UN agency, such as the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the report said. A senior security source told Haaretz that Israel’s security officials don’t oppose the idea in principle since UN agencies share employee lists.However, there are obstacles. Israel accuses many of those employees of being tied to Gaza terror groups. Also, the UN asserts that UNRWA’s mandate cannot be moved to another agency.Israel has long had an adversarial relationship with UNRWA, accusing it of promoting hatred of Israel through its education system and perpetuating Palestinian victimhood, as it allows Palestinians to maintain refugee status for generations both in and outside the Palestinian territories — a policy not afforded to any other refugees by global agencies. But Jerusalem’s campaign against UNRWA intensified significantly following Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, which killed 1,200 people in southern Israel, mostly civilians.Over a dozen UNRWA staffers were found to have participated in the attack, and there has been a series of revelations since then regarding the extent to which Hamas has managed to infiltrate the agency.While Israel has sought to box out the agency from the humanitarian effort over the past year, UNRWA remains central to operations, providing shelters to repeatedly displaced Palestinians, storing and distributing aid to civilians and providing logistical support to the various international organizations operating in Gaza.UNRWA Director in the West Bank Ronald Friedrich told Haaretz, “In Gaza and the West Bank, we provide education to more than half a million children, and we integrate tolerance education into our programs. If this collapses, the risk of radicalization will increase.”The agency also operates in East Jerusalem, where it has six schools with a total of 750 students, as well as two clinics.Two rights groups on Thursday filed petitions to the High Court of Justice against the UNRWA laws, Ynet reported.The Adalah Center and the Gisha Center filed a petition on behalf of 10 Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem. In it, they argue the laws harm basic human rights and the state’s obligations under international law.Petitioners asked that the court order a delay in implementing the laws.One Palestinian said in the petition that ending operations means “I won’t be able to buy drugs for a chronic disease that would ensure my survival.”Another said that without the supplementary income he receives from UNRWA, he will be forced to choose between buying medicine and food, the report said.

Top Trump official says US will back renewed Israeli offensive in Gaza if needed-National security adviser pick Mike Waltz praises hostage-ceasefire deal but says Hamas must be destroyed, claims all hostages would have died if not for incoming US president By ToI Staff Today, 3:07 pm-JAN 16,25

US President-elect Donald Trump’s top national security nominee has said the US will back Israel if it needs to reenter Gaza, while speaking out in support of a ceasefire-hostage deal with Hamas and crediting his future boss with its apparent success.Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, who is in line to become the White House’s national security adviser, also said Washington would not impose curbs on arms supplies to Israel, while criticizing the outgoing administration for trying to hold Israel back.Speaking to Fox News Wednesday evening, Waltz praised the announcement of a deal between Israel and Hamas that will gradually end fighting in Gaza and see the remaining hostages released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, while seeking to assuage fears that the terror group could reconstitute and rearm.“We’ve made it very clear to the Israelis, and I want the people of Israel to hear me on this: If they need to go back in, we’re with them,” he said. “If Hamas doesn’t live up to the terms of this agreement, we are with them.”While Hamas has demanded a complete end to the war, Israel says it must retain the ability to ensure Hamas does not become a major threat again. The staged nature of the deal will leave Israeli troops in parts of Gaza for the first month and a half, and fighting could resume if no agreement is reached on implementing the second and third phases.“Hamas is not going to continue as a military entity and it’s certainly not going to govern Gaza,” Waltz promised.He said he understood that “about 25” of the 33 hostages to be released in the first tranche were still alive.“I’m convinced they all would have died if President Trump didn’t come in and say ‘get them out,'” Waltz said, crediting a “Trump effect” with getting the deal done.“Clearly, the entire world recognizes that this was the Trump effect. We’re hearing that from Arab leaders that were involved, we’re hearing that from the Israelis that were involved,” he said.“Hamas knew… they had no choice and they believed President Trump when he said there would be all hell to pay, and any deal that was on the table would just get worse once he was in office,” he added, noting the terror group had also been isolated by the loss of fellow Iranian allies like Hezbollah.The Republican predicted that hostages would likely first be released on January 20, comparing the timing to American hostages held in Iran released moments after former US president Ronald Reagan replaced Jimmy Carter at the White House in 1980.“We will see hostages walking out and hugging their families as President Trump is being sworn in as the next president of the United States,” he said. “This is in my view, and the world’s view, a Reagan moment because they understood the consequences if they didn’t get this done.”After being elected, Trump repeatedly threatened that there would be “hell to pay” if no deal was reached by the time he took office. While he never elaborated on the threat, many assumed it would involve the removal of US demands to curb fighting in certain areas and the end of US pressure for Israel to increase humanitarian aid flowing into the Strip.Joe Biden’s administration played a major role in helping shepherd talks and nearly got to a deal several times, but was unable to reach a final agreement. While Biden officials publicly cited the removal of Hezbollah from the battlefield in autumn 2024 as a needle-mover, privately, some have pointed to the fact that Trump had more leverage over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu than did Biden.Officials familiar with the matter reported that Trump envoy Steve Witkoff leaned heavily on the Israeli premier to pave the way for the breakthrough in talks.Waltz, a Trump loyalist and hawk on Israel and Iran, indicated in a December interview that the US under Trump would not be willing to negotiate for the release of Americans held captive, while also indicating that Hamas could survive under the terms of a hostage release deal, a position that contradicts Israel’s stance.“Hamas has every exit blocked except one, and that’s to release our hostages if you want to live,” he said at the time.Several dual American-Israeli citizens are believed to be among the hostages set to be freed in the first stage of the deal.In a podcast interview Tuesday, Waltz said the incoming administration’s relationship with Israel would be much more supportive than the Biden administration.“I think we’re in a very good place because the Israeli government didn’t listen sometimes to the not-so-good advice coming out of this administration,” Waltz told Dan Senor.“And now we are where we are, where Iran is in the worst position it’s been. And that’s not to say this administration didn’t help with shooting down the missiles, [or that] they didn’t help with arms, but they also tapped the brakes as well in a way that I just did not find rational,” Waltz added.Asked if the US will stop restricting weapons supplies as the Biden administration did by withholding the supply of 2,000-pound bombs, Waltz replied: “You’re not going to see this administration tapping the brakes to make sure Israel can arm itself.”According to Waltz, the US will begin pushing for Saudi Arabia to normalize ties with Israel once the war ends. He told Senor jumpstarting the process was a “huge priority.”The lawmaker alleged that previous bids to broker a deal had been sabotaged by Iran, which he said “lit the fuse” for Hamas to carry out the October 7, 2023, massacre once it saw Jerusalem and Riyadh moving closer to a treaty.“But where is Iran today? Hezbollah is decimated, its sword of Damocles over Israel, Hamas, is decimated, Assad has fallen, one of Iran’s biggest proxies, and Iran, the regime, is literally naked militarily with its air defenses down,” he told Fox News. “That is a very different situation that we are now going to get back to.”“We needed to get our people out, we need to destroy Hamas as a military terrorist organization and we 100 percent support that,” he said, “and then we can get back to crafting peace deals in the Middle East.”

Nazi flag-bearing man gets 8 years in jail for crashing truck near White House-Sai Varshith Kandula praised Hitler, unfurled Swastika after ramming into barrier in May 2023, injuring no one; defense says he’s schizophrenic, amenable to treatment By Michael Kunzelman Today, 4:30 pm-JAN 18,25

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Missouri man who crashed a rental truck into barriers protecting the White House was sentenced Thursday to eight years in prison for an attack that prosecutors said was inspired by his fascination with Nazi ideology, court records show.Sai Varshith Kandula, then 19, nearly struck two people standing next to a park bench when he steered a U-Haul box truck onto a sidewalk and toward metal bollards that prevent vehicles from entering Lafayette Square, which is located north of the White House. He retrieved a Nazi flag from a backpack after the May 22, 2023, crash, which didn’t injure anybody.Kandula wanted to “attack and destroy” the United States government, prosecutors said.“He wanted to eliminate the democratic process in America and replace the government with a Nazi-style dictatorship,” they wrote.US District Judge Dabney Friedrich also sentenced Kandula to three years of supervised release after his prison term and ordered him to pay nearly $57,000 in restitution, according to court records.Defense attorney Scott Rosenblum said Kandula was suffering from schizophrenia and was overwhelmed by delusional thoughts, including his belief that “a reptilian race had installed a puppet regime to operate the US.”“He’s amenable to treatment, understands its necessity, and recognizes an illness produced the acts that led to his current circumstances,” Rosenblum wrote.U-Haul truck ‘intentionally’ rammed into barrier near White House: Driver arrested for deadly threats, Nazi flag found insideFull story here: https://t.co/7p1WMyfzF3 pic.twitter.com/BItzLhLkZF— Law & Crime (@lawcrimenews) May 23, 2023-Prosecutors recommended an eight-year prison sentence for Kandula, who pleaded guilty in May to a property damage charge. He has remained in custody since his arrest.Kandula planned the attack for weeks before he took a flight from St. Louis to Washington, DC, only hours before the crash, prosecutors said. He rented the truck in Herndon, Virginia approximately three hours before he crashed it into the barriers.After Kandula backed up and slammed into the bollards a second time, the truck began smoking from its engine compartment and leaking fluids.Authorities didn’t find any weapons, ammunition or explosives in his possession. But prosecutors said the attempted assassination of US President-elect Donald Trump at a July 13 rally in Pennsylvania shows that “individuals who carry such destructive intent are capable of inflicting serious damage to the American political system.”Police body camera video captured the aftermath of the crash. After his arrest, Kandula told investigators that he purchased the swastika flag because “Nazis have a great history.”“He specifically praised Adolf Hitler. And it wasn’t just words — when his truck was disabled in the attack, the first thing he did was unfurl the flag of Nazi Germany,” prosecutors wrote.After Kandula’s arrest, two psychologists diagnosed him with schizophrenia, according to Rosenblum.“Both also believe his illness led directly to his offense,” the lawyer wrote.

Gunman shoots dead 2 judges in Iran’s capital tied to 1988 mass executions-Assailant said to kill himself after attack at high-security Palace of Justice in Tehran; bodyguard also wounded-By AP Today, 3:01 pm-JAN 18,25

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  — A man fatally shot two prominent hard-line judges in Iran’s capital Saturday, officials said, both of whom allegedly took part in the mass execution of dissidents in 1988.No group immediately claimed responsibility for the shootings of the judges, clerics Mohammad Mogheiseh and Ali Razini. However, Razini’s involvement in the 1988 executions had likely made him a target in the past, including an assassination attempt in 1999.Their killings, a rare attack targeting the judiciary, also come as Iran faces economic turmoil, the mauling of its Mideast allies by Israel and the return of Donald Trump to the White House on Monday.Both clerics served on Iran’s Supreme Court, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. A bodyguard for one of the judges also was wounded in the attack at the Palace of Justice in Tehran, which also serves as the headquarters of the country’s judiciary and typically has tight security.The attacker, who was armed with a handgun, killed himself, IRNA said.“According to initial investigations, the person in question did not have a case in the Supreme Court nor was he a client of the branches of the court,” the judiciary’s Mizan news agency said. “Currently, investigations have been launched to identify and arrest the perpetrators of this terrorist act.”Asghar Jahangir, a spokesman for Iran’s judiciary, separately told Iranian state television that the shooter had been an “infiltrator,” suggesting he had worked at the courthouse where the killings took place.Today, two judges of Iran's Supreme Court, Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghiseh, were killed in a shooting outside the Judicial Palace in Tehran. A third judge was injured during the attack.The assailant, a member of the Judicial Security Service, committed suicide following the… pic.twitter.com/AfsAbR9hky— Imtiaz Mahmood (@ImtiazMadmood) January 18, 2025-Unlike the US Supreme Court, the Iranian Supreme Court has many branches spread across the country. It is the highest court in Iran and can hear appeals on decisions made by lower courts.Razini had been targeted previously. In January 1999, attackers on motorcycles hurled an explosive at his vehicle, wounding him as he left work as the head of the judiciary in Tehran.Mogheiseh had been under sanctions from the US Treasury since 2019. At the time, the Treasury described him as having “overseen countless unfair trials, during which charges went unsubstantiated and evidence was disregarded.”“He is notorious for sentencing scores of journalists and internet users to lengthy prison terms,” the Treasury said. Mogheiseh had pressed charges against members of Iran’s Baha’i minority “after they reportedly held prayer and worship ceremonies with other members,” the Treasury said.Both men had been named by activists and exiles as taking part in the 1988 executions, which came at the end of Iran’s long war with Iraq. After Iran’s then-Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini accepted a UN-brokered ceasefire, members of the exiled Iranian opposition group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, or MEK, heavily armed by Saddam Hussein, stormed across the Iranian border in a surprise attack.Iran ultimately blunted their assault, but the attack set the stage for the sham retrials of political prisoners, militants and others that would become known as “death commissions. ”International rights groups estimate that as many as 5,000 people were executed, while the MEK puts the number at 30,000. Iran has never fully acknowledged the executions, apparently carried out on Khomeini’s orders, though some argue that other top officials were effectively in charge in the months before his 1989 death.The MEK did not immediately respond to a request for comment.While Mogheiseh never addressed the accusation he took part in the 1988 “death commissions,” Razini gave a 2017 interview published by Iran’s Shargh newspaper in which he defended the panels as “fair and completely in accordance with the law.”“Our friends and I who are among the 20 judges in the country, we did our best to ensure the security of that time and the years after and from then, we guaranteed that the hypocrites (the MEK) could never become powerful in this country,” he reportedly said.

IDF: Two ballistic missiles launched from Yemen at Israel intercepted; no injuries-First attack sends millions to bomb shelters in central Israel, Jerusalem area; debris falls in communities near capital without causing damage; 2nd missile targets Eilat area-By Emanuel Fabian and ToI Staff Today, 2:04 pm-JAN 18,25

The Israel Defense Force said it successfully intercepted two ballistic missiles fired at the country from Yemen on Saturday, in the fourth and fifth attacks by the Houthi terror group this week. There were no reports of injuries or major damage.The first attack in the morning hours triggered sirens across a wide swath of central Israel and the Jerusalem area and sent millions running to bomb shelters.The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that they targeted the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv.“The missile reached its target with high accuracy, thanks to Allah, and the interception systems failed to intercept it,” the Houthis claimed.There were no reports of direct impacts. The Defense Ministry is located at the IDF headquarters in central Tel Aviv.Hours later, another ballistic missile fired from Yemen was shot down by Israeli air defenses, the military said.During the incident, sirens had sounded in Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat and nearby towns. There were no reports of injuries or damage in the second attack.The attacks came hours after Israel’s government approved a hostage release and ceasefire deal in Gaza, set to take effect Sunday. Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houth had said Thursday that the Iran-backed group would continue “to provide military support to the Palestinian people” if Israel does not comply with the ceasefire.The Israel Police said debris and shrapnel from the first intercepted missile fell in the Jerusalem area. Fragments fell in an open area near Beitar Ilit, Moshav Bar Giora, and near a gas station next to Mevo Beitar, where earlier this week a large chunk of a Houthi missile fell on a house.Police said it was searching for further debris. It urged the public not to touch the fragments and said sappers were working at the scene to remove them.The Ynet news site reported that during the sirens, a Royal Jordanian flight, from Amman over Israel to Chicago, was ordered to steer clear of Israeli airspace, and a FlyDubai flight to Dubai stayed on the tarmac at Ben Gurion Airport, near Tel Aviv.Over the past week, Israel intercepted three Houthi attacks: a drone on Monday morning, and two missiles on Monday evening and early Tuesday morning.The attacks came after Israel last Friday struck Houthi ports and a power plant in Yemen.The Houthis — whose slogans call for “death to Israel” and “a curse upon the Jews” — have launched more than 40 ballistic missiles and some 320 drones at Israel since they started attacking the country in 2023, in support of fellow terror group Hamas in the Gaza Strip amid the war.In the vast majority of the Houthis’ attacks, the missiles have been intercepted by Israeli air defenses, or have fallen short before reaching the country. However, a few drones and missiles have hit sites, causing casualties and damage.In December, 16 people were wounded in Tel Aviv in one of their drone attacks on Israel, and in July a a drone there killed a person and wounded several others.Israel and Western allies carried out several sorties against Houthi targets in Yemen, but they have failed to stem the attacks.The Yemeni rebels have also been firing at ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden — destabilizing a vital shipping lane and prompting reprisal strikes by the United States and sometimes Britain against Houthi targets.They have pledged to continue the attacks until there is a ceasefire in Gaza. The war in Gaza was sparked when fellow Iran-backed group Hamas stormed southern Israel by the thousands on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.AFP contributed to this report.

PA makes deal with Jenin Battalion, ending standoff in West Bank city and camp-Truce comes after rupture said caused by IDF’s resumption of airstrikes in area; members of battalion, affiliated with terror groups, to surrender arms to Ramallah after 6-week op By Jacob Magid and ToI Staff Today, 9:49 am-JAN 18,25

The Palestinian Authority has reached an agreement with the Jenin Battalion that will end a six-week standoff in the northern West Bank city and adjacent refugee camp, a Palestinian official confirmed to The Times of Israel on Friday.The West Bank-based PA has been targeting the so-called Jenin Battalion, made up of operatives affiliated with terror groups such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, in a bid to show incoming US President Donald Trump that Ramallah can maintain order in the West Bank, amid its push to take the reigns of Gaza from Hamas after the war there.According to the official, the truce was reached Friday evening, a day after negotiations resumed following a rupture earlier this week, said to have been caused by Israel’s resumption of airstrikes on Jenin.The truce deal requires specific members of the Jenin Battalion to hand over their weapons and allows the PA to operate freely in the refugee camp, the official said.PA vehicles were already filmed entering the refugee camp on Friday evening  with bomb-squad units to detonate explosives that the Jenin Battalion placed throughout the area to harm Israeli and PA forces. Palestinian media reported that as PA vehicles entered the camp, dozens of people gathered to chant slogans in favor of the armed groups.Ramallah has accused Iran of funding and arming the Jenin Battalion and other armed factions throughout the West Bank. The armed groups have gained significant prominence in the northern West Bank over the past several years.The PA, established under the 1993 Oslo Accords, has a relatively strong presence in southern and central West Bank cities, but has struggled to exert authority over the territory’s north, especially refugee camps in Jenin, Nablus and Tulkarem.Arabic media has reported 15 Palestinians killed in the PA operation in Jenin, including six members of the PA security forces, eight civilians, and one terror suspect, and PA forces have arrested a handful of Jenin Battalion members.Among those killed was a journalist whose family said she was struck by a PA sniper despite no fighting taking place in her vicinity.The counterterrorism operation has emboldened the view of the PA’s Palestinian critics that Ramallah was acting on behalf of Israel. Amid the operation, the PA has cracked down on dissent, including by shutting down the West Bank offices of Qatari-owned news outlet Al Jazeera for its “interference in Palestinian affairs.”Early on in the operation, the Jenin Battalion managed to steal a pair of vehicles belonging to the PA security forces, who subsequently intensified the raid of the refugee camp.The IDF, which also staged large-scale counterterrorism operations in the northern West Bank in recent months, has said that it was bolstering the PA forces to help them in the fight against the Jenin Battalion. The military paused its airstrikes on Jenin as PA forces operated there, but ended that policy this week with a pair of airstrikes that killed a dozen people, including civilians, on Tuesday and Wednesday.Two Palestinian officials have told The Times of Israel that the airstrikes had caused a rupture in the ongoing truce talks between the PA and the Jenin Battalion.One of the officials speculated that the airstrikes were pushed by far-right elements in the military and government who wanted to scuttle the deal and see the PA fail in its effort.Israel has accused the Authority of inciting terrorism in its education system and by paying stipends to families of Palestinians detained for violent crimes.The West Bank has seen a sharp rise in violence since the Gaza war was sparked on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.Since then, the IDF has detained some 6,000 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 2,350 affiliated with Hamas. According to the PA health ministry, more than 835 West Bank Palestinians have been killed in that time.The IDF says the vast majority of them were gunmen killed in exchanges of fire, rioters who clashed with troops or terrorists carrying out attacks. During the same period, 46 people, including Israeli security personnel, have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank. Another six members of the security forces were killed in clashes with terror operatives in the West Bank.

PA premier says Ramallah has '100-day plan' for the Strip-Abbas: PA ready to assume ‘full responsibility’ in Gaza Strip when ceasefire begins-President of Palestinian Authority, which isn’t a party to the Israel-Hamas deal, said to issue 4-page document outlining his West Bank-based government’s plans for ruling Gaza By AFP and Jacob Magid Today, 1:37 am-JAN 18,25

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Friday that the PA is ready to assume “full responsibility” in post-war Gaza, in his first statement since mediators announced a hostage-ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday.The statement came as the PA reportedly issued a document outlining its plans for the Gaza Strip — without stating a role for Hamas — and sent a high-level delegation to Cairo to hammer out the fate of the enclave’s Rafah Border Crossing, which Israel has sought to keep out of the Palestinian Authority’s hands.“The Palestinian government, under President Abbas’s directives, has completed all preparations to assume full responsibility in Gaza,” including the return of the displaced, providing basic services, crossings management, and reconstruction of the war-torn territory, according to a statement from the PA president’s office.The statement “highly commended” Qatar and Egypt for their efforts toward the ceasefire agreement — which the PA is not a party to, and “voiced appreciation” for the efforts of Riyadh, Amman and Washington, which mediated the ceasefire along with Doha and Cairo.Meanwhile, PA Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, who met with European counterparts in Brussels Friday, said the PA had a “hundred-day plan” for Gaza that could start when the ceasefire is set to take effect on Sunday.“The Palestinian ministers have clear instructions on what to do from the moment the ceasefire begins,” said Mustafa, in comments carried by Belgium’s Belga news agency. “It depends on how the Israelis will behave in the coming days, but we are trying to be as ready as possible.”The West Bank-based PA, dominated by Abbas’s secularist Fatah movement, was ousted from Gaza in 2007 after a war with Hamas, which has controlled the Strip since then. Sources from the Gaza-ruling terror group have told AFP they would be ready to hand over the Strip’s civilian affairs to a Palestinian entity.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed to vanquish Hamas, has thus far ruled out any role for the PA in Gaza, but failed to advance any alternative amid pressure from his far-right partners who want to establish settlements in the Strip.Israel has long accused the PA of inciting terrorism in its education system and by offering stipends to families of Palestinians detained in Israel for violent attacks.Nonetheless, the PA option for Gaza’s post-war governance is favored by former defense minister Yoav Gallant, the White House and a host of Arab nations, though supporters have said the deeply unpopular Palestinian Authority, which was established under the 1993 Oslo Accords, must first reform itself.PA said joining Cairo talks on control of Rafah crossing-According to report by Israel’s Channel 12 news on Friday, Abbas sent a document to the leaders of the US, Egypt, Qatar and the European Union detailing the PA plan for the temporary administration of Gaza after the war.The four-page document reportedly details the establishment of two working teams: one headed by the PA planning minister that will be tasked with the Strip’s reconstruction; and another led by the PA social development minister, which will be tasked with providing civil services and humanitarian aid to Palestinians.The report said the document stresses the PA’s willingness to cooperate with Arab states and other international allies to stabilize Gaza, while not specifying the division of labor between them.The document, drafted at the beginning of January, also doesn’t specify who will oversee security — including police and border in Gaza, including the Strip’s police and border patrol, the network added.The plan reportedly stresses that the PA will be the Gaza Strip’s primary authority, and avoids offering any role to Hamas.Channel 12 also reported that the PA dispatched a team of senior officials to Cairo on Friday to join Egyptian-led negotiations regarding control of the Rafah Border Crossing, which separates Gaza from Egypt.Israel has said it must retain control of the crossing to thwart Hamas’s arms smuggling from the Sinai Peninsula, though the hostage deal states that Israeli forces “will redeploy around the Rafah [Border] Crossing.”The IDF seized the Gaza side of the crossing in May, leading Egypt to close the gate until the PA could be the one controlling the other side. Israel has to date refused Abbas’s demand that the PA take control of the crossing’s Gaza side.Netanyahu has said Hamas must be completely defeated before plans can be put in place for Gaza’s post-war governance — bucking calls from top security officials and the international community to plan for the so-called day after.The premier’s critics have warned that failure to plan for the so-called day after will ensure Israel remains in a state of perpetual war. No force has been able to fill vacuums that the IDF has temporarily created through its military operations, allowing Hamas forces to repeatedly return to places that the IDF had previously cleared.With the ceasefire slated to enter place on Sunday, analysts fear Hamas will once again be able to reestablish its authority in Gaza, even if its military structure has been destroyed. Israel’s government was still deliberating the ceasefire agreement as of early Saturday morning.If implemented in full, the agreement would end nearly 16 months of war that have devastated Gaza, and see the gradual release of the remaining hostages in the Strip.The war was sparked on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.

Man seriously hurt in Tel Aviv stabbing; Palestinian terrorist shot dead-Armed civilian neutralizers attacker on Levontin Street; assailant a West Bank resident in Israel illegally-By Emanuel Fabian-and ToI Staff Today, 5:53 pm-JAN 18,25

A Palestinian stabbed a man in central Tel Aviv Saturday afternoon, seriously injuring him, before being shot and killed by an armed civilian passerby.Police said the stabbing on Levontin Street was a terror attack. The victim, a man in his 30s, was taken to Ichilov Hospital in serious condition.The terrorist was identified as Salah Yahye, 19, from the West Bank city of Tulkarem.He was in Israel illegally, according to defense sources. Medics say he was shot dead at the scene.The suspected attack was initially described as “a shooting incident,” apparently due to the shots fired by the civilian at the terrorist.A statement from the police said they were still looking into “the circumstances of the incident” and that a large number of officers were on the scene.

ICC prosecutor sees ‘no real effort’ by Israel to probe alleged Gaza war crimes-Karim Khan say Israel has very good legal expertise, but ‘the question is have those legal instruments been used to properly scrutinize allegations’By Reuters and ToI Staff Today, 5:18 pm-JAN 18,25

THE HAGUE (Reuters) — International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan has defended his decision to bring war crimes allegations against Israel’s prime minister, saying Israel had made “no real effort” to investigate the allegations itself.In an interview with Reuters, he stood by his decision over the arrest warrant despite a vote last week by the US House of Representatives to sanction the ICC in protest, a move he described as “unwanted and unwelcome.”ICC judges issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former defense minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas leader Muhammad Deif last November for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza conflict (Israel says Deif was killed during the war, but Hamas has not confirmed this).The Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Khan’s remarks to Reuters.Israel has rejected the jurisdiction of the Hague-based court and denies war crimes. The United States, Israel’s main ally, is also not a member of the ICC and Washington has criticized the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.“We’re here as a court of last resort and …as we speak right now, we haven’t seen any real effort by the State of Israel to take action that would meet the established jurisprudence, which is investigations regarding the same suspects for the same conduct,” Khan told Reuters.“That can change and I hope it does,” he said in Thursday’s interview, a day after Israel and Hamas reached a deal for a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza.An Israeli investigation could have led to the case being handed back to Israeli courts under so-called complementary principles. Israel can still demonstrate its willingness to investigate, even after warrants were issued, he said.But Jerusalem is highly unlikely to launch war crimes probes into Netanyahu or Gallant.The ICC, with 125 member states, is the world’s permanent court to prosecute individuals for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and aggression.Khan said that Israel had very good legal expertise.But he said “The question is have those judges, have those prosecutors, have those legal instruments been used to properly scrutinize the allegations that we’ve seen in the occupied Palestinian territories, in the State of Palestine? And I think the answer to that was ‘no.'”Trump’s imminent return-Passage of the “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act” by the US House of Representatives on Jan. 9 underscored strong support for Israel’s government among President-elect Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans.The ICC said it noted the bill with concern and warned it could rob victims of atrocities of justice and hope.Trump’s first administration imposed sanctions on the ICC in 2020 over investigations into war crimes in Afghanistan, including allegations of torture by US citizens. Those sanctions were lifted during Joe Biden’s presidency.Five years ago, then-ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and other staff had credit cards and bank accounts frozen and US travel impeded. Any further US sanctions under Trump would be widely expected to be more severe and widespread.The ICC, created in 1998, was intended to assume the work of temporary tribunals that have conducted war crimes trials based on legal principles established during the Nuremberg trials against the Nazis after World War II.“It is of course unwanted and unwelcome that an institution that is a child of Nuremberg …is threatened with sanctions. It should make people take note because this court is not owned by the prosecutor or by judges. We have 125 states,” Khan said.It “is a matter that should make all people of conscience be concerned,” he said, declining to discuss further what sanctions could mean for the court.Netanyahu has called the arrest warrants “a black day in the history of nations” and vowed to fight the allegations. Individuals cannot contest an arrest warrant directly, but the State of Israel can object to the entire investigation. Israel argued in a December filing that there were serious procedural deficiencies in the decision by Khan to seek arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.In two appeals, it firstly addressed Israel’s contention that Khan should have provided new notification of his investigation into the allegations regarding the prosecution of the war in Gaza following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, invasion and massacre that started the war. He instead relied on a notification issued in 2021 of an investigation the court had initiated at the time.The second appeal dealt with Israel’s claim that the ICC lacks jurisdiction over Israelis, that Jerusalem could look into allegations against its leaders on its own, and that continuing to investigate Israelis was a violation of state sovereignty.In Khan’s combined 55-page response, he said the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, allowed it to prosecute crimes that take place in the territory of member states, regardless of where the perpetrators hail from. Gaza, as part of a state of Palestine, is a member state.The judges are expected to render a decision in the coming months.The allegations against Netanyahu and Gallant related in particular to charges that the two leaders had committed the war crimes of directing attacks against the civilian population of Gaza and of using starvation as a method of warfare by hindering the supply of international aid to Gaza.Khan also alleged that the two committed crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts as a result of the restrictions they allegedly placed on the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.Israel has strongly rejected the substance of the allegations, insisting that it has funneled massive amounts of humanitarian aid through the crossings along the Gaza border and that any problems with the distribution of that aid to the Palestinian civilian population were a result of inefficient operations by the aid organizations on the ground, difficulties arising from the ongoing conflict in the territory, and the looting of aid by Hamas and other terrorist organizations.Israel has also rejected allegations that it targets civilians, insisting that civilian casualties caused by the operation have resulted in large part due to Hamas’s tactic of embedding its fighters and installations within Gaza’s civilian infrastructure.The ICC has said its decision to pursue warrants against the Israeli officials was in line with its approach in all cases, based on an assessment by the prosecutor that there was enough evidence to proceed, and the view that seeking arrest warrants immediately could prevent ongoing crimes.The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military chief Deif, who Israel says was killed by an IDF strike in Gaza back in July. While Khan had initially sought arrest warrants for Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar as well, the two were killed before the warrants were issued in November.

Biden team resolves more Title VI antisemitism and anti-Arab cases before departure-Trump administration will take over a portfolio that includes dozens more outstanding cases involving allegations of antisemitic and anti-Palestinian discrimination-By Andrew Lapin Today, 5:51 pm-JAN 18,25

JTA — In the final days of the Biden administration, the federal Department of Education has resolved a small number of its many remaining Title VI cases involving allegations of antisemitic and anti-Palestinian discrimination.The resolutions at the University of Washington, Emory University, Lehigh University in Pennsylvania and Howard County Public Schools in Maryland come in the waning days of the administration’s closely scrutinized handling of campus issues during the Israel-Hamas war.The Trump administration will now take over a portfolio that includes dozens more outstanding cases. Trump has signaled hostility to both higher education and public education, and has even floated the idea of shuttering the Department of Education altogether.After months of pressure on the department to resolve the complaints, some now say things are moving too fast. Kenneth Marcus — a former Trump official and founder of the Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, which has filed several campus complaints — recently accused the department of being in “a rush to issue weak resolution agreements.” Michigan GOP Rep. Tim Walberg has called the recent resolutions “toothless” and “disgraceful.”The new agreements generally follow the patterns of others the department has resolved in recent weeks, though a few differ in key ways. The schools have all promised to revise their discrimination and harassment policies. They are also committing to further staff anti-bias training, and say they’ll conduct campus climate assessments and report their findings to the department.Notably, Washington’s agreement — which involved allegations of both antisemitic and anti-Arab discrimination tied to protests, encampments and graffiti after Oct. 7, 2023 — also included a pledge for the school to demonstrate “implementation of actions” from its internal task force on antisemitism. That task force was criticized by a cohort of Jewish faculty at the university. This contingent of largely progressive Jews objected to its survey methods, a lack of participation from the Jewish and Israel studies departments, and a recommendation that the school engage the services of the pro-Israel activist group StandWithUs.Emory’s agreement was also significant, as the complaint related entirely to allegations of anti-Palestinian discrimination following a crackdown on an unruly spring protest at the private school’s Atlanta campus. At that event, 28 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested and authorities were criticized for what some perceived as the use of violence. Some Jewish groups contended the school and others like it never should have let the protests get so out of hand in the first place.The government now says Emory demonstrated “gratuitous violence of the law enforcement activity” in quelling the protests. In its resolution agreement, the school agreed to review its policies for the “equitable” handling of protests — a rare suggestion on the federal level that a university’s response to pro-Palestinian protests may have itself violated Title VI. The agreement stipulated that any such campus protests would need to be “permitted.”Resolutions at Lehigh and Howard County Public Schools both involved allegations of antisemitic discrimination. The department also dismissed an investigation into allegations of antisemitism at the University of California, Los Angeles, dating back to 2018, citing insufficient evidence. (Several years-old Title VI cases, unrelated to the Israel-Hamas war, remain open.)-The remaining cases to be inherited by Trump’s team include allegations of antisemitic and anti-Arab behavior at elite universities such as Columbia, Harvard, Stanford, Cornell, Yale and Princeton. Public colleges such as the University of North Carolina also remain on the docket, as does a new case at Sarah Lawrence College. Trump has threatened to rescind federal endowments and take other drastic measures toward schools that, in his view, appease “the radical left and Marxist maniacs.”Several large public school districts also have outstanding antisemitism-related investigations, including in Chicago, San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, and Montgomery County, Maryland. Jewish groups like the Anti-Defamation League and Hillel have been involved in bringing some of these complaints to the department’s Office of Civil Rights.A confirmation hearing for Trump’s controversial education secretary pick, Linda McMahon, was recently delayed until after Monday’s inauguration.

Syria’s de facto leader: Israel no longer has excuse to stay in buffer zone-In joint press conference with Qatari PM, Ahmed Al-Sharaa says Damascus will welcome presence of UN peacekeepers in demilitarized area between countries-By ToI Staff and Agencies Today, 12:17 am-JAN 18,25

Syria’s de facto leader said Israel no longer had any “excuse” to remain in the two countries’ buffer zone after Damascus rid itself of Iran’s presence, and stated that he would welcome United Nations peacekeepers there under the 1974 Israel-Syria disengagement agreement.Ahmed Al-Sharaa was speaking to reporters in Damascus during a joint press conference Thursday with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, who also condemned Israel’s seizure of the buffer zone.Israel has said the seizure is temporary and necessary to prevent the border region from falling into the wrong hands amid the chaos and uncertainty in Syria after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime.Though Sharaa’s comments appeared to show a hardened tone toward the Israeli incursion, his Hayat Tahrir al-Sham jihadi group has not commented on an Israeli strike targeting a weapons convoy in southern Syria Wednesday that was said to have killed several people, including military officials of the new government.“Israel’s advance in the region was due to the presence of Iranian militias and Hezbollah. After the liberation of Damascus, I believe that they have no presence at all. There are pretexts that Israel is using today to advance into the Syrian regions, into the buffer zone,” said Sharaa, whose HTS spearheaded the rebel forces that toppled Assad last month.“We’ve notified international officials that Syria honors the terms of the 1974 agreement and is willing to accept UN peacekeepers to protect them,” he said. “Everyone knows the advance was a mistake and that [we] should go back to the way things were.”Sharaa made similar comments soon after Israel moved into the area in December.Sharaa said his authorities were counting on the support of Qatar to help stop Israel from making any further advances into Syrian territory.Qatar “supports this view and will use all means available to exert pressure on Israel” to withdraw, he added, hailing Qatar’s “central role” in that pressure.For decades, the Syrian-Israeli border in the Golan Heights remained largely quiet under the 1974 agreement, which established a UN-patrolled demilitarized buffer zone between the two countries after they had fought in the Yom Kippur War.Israel moved into the buffer zone shortly after Assad fell, saying that the deal was no longer in effect following the fall of Assad, and citing concern for national security. Sharaa, who has insisted he does not want conflict with Israel, said at the time that Israel has “no more excuses” for the incursion since Iranian forces had left Syria.Iran, which is openly committed to Israel’s destruction, had propped up the Assad regime since the beginning of the Syrian Civil War in 2011. In that time, Assad let Syria become a conduit for arms shipments from Iran to its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah.Sharaa’s latest criticism of the Israeli incursion came a day after his foreign minister, Asaad al-Shaibani, also told reporters in Ankara that Damascus was committed to the 1974 agreement but that Israel had to “respect Syria’s sovereignty.”Speaking in Damascus Thursday, Al-Thani also said Israel “must immediately withdraw” from the buffer zone, assailing the “reckless” entry into the area.The two men’s press conference marked al-Thani’s first visit to Syria since rebels overtook Damascus, ending the country’s long civil war.Al-Thani pledged Qatar’s support to Syria’s rehabilitation effort, saying his country “extends its hand to our Syrian brothers for future partnerships.”Unlike the other Arab countries that broke with Damascus at the start of the war, Qatar never renewed diplomatic relations with the Assad regime. Together with Turkey, it was also one of the first to back the armed rebels. Upon Assad’s ouster, Qatar was the second state to recognize the new Syrian government after Turkey.Last week, Syria’s national electricity company said Qatar and Turkey would send power plant ships to increase supply after the United States eased some sanctions on Damascus. Meanwhile, a diplomatic source said Qatar was weighing a plan to provide Syria with funds after Damascus decided to increase public sector salaries.

CIA employee pleads guilty to leaking classified intel on Israel’s plans to strike Iran-Asif William Rahman admits he illegally downloaded, printed and distributed classified information on several occasions; sentencing is scheduled for May-By Reuters and ToI Staff 17 January 2025, 11:37 pm

A CIA employee accused of leaking classified documents about Israel’s plans to strike Iran pleaded guilty on Friday to criminal charges that he willfully retained and transmitted national defense information, the US Department of Justice said.In pleading guilty, Asif William Rahman, who worked at the US intelligence agency since 2016, acknowledged that he illegally downloaded, printed and distributed classified information on multiple occasions, including several in 2024.In the spring of 2024, he printed five documents that were labeled as secret and top secret from his work computer and took them home, court records in the case said. He then reproduced and altered them and shared them with people who were not legally entitled to receive them. To hide his conduct, Rahman deleted his activity from his electronic devices, brought the records back to work and had them shredded.A second time, in the autumn of 2024, the court filings said he printed another 10 documents with a top-secret classification, took them home, and shared them with others.Then on Oct. 17, 2024, he printed two more documents related to plans by a US ally to strike a foreign adversary, the court records said.Those documents, which entailed plans by Israel to strike Iran, later appeared online after a pro-Iranian Telegram account called “Middle East Spectator” published them. The strikes on Iranian military sites came in response to the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile barrage on Israel on October 1.The documents, attributed to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency, noted that Israel was moving military assets in place to conduct its military strike, based on satellite imagery from October 15-16.They were shareable within the “Five Eyes,” an intelligence alliance comprised of the US, Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.The case was filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.Rahman, 34, is from Vienna, Virginia, and was arrested in Cambodia, according to court records. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 15.

UN chief: UNIFIL found 100 Hezbollah arms caches in south Lebanon since truce began-Only peacekeepers, Lebanese military should be in the area, says Guterres, calling for end to Israeli ‘occupation’; Macron, Aoun also demand IDF withdraw, as Jan. 26 deadline looms By Agencies and ToI Staff 17 January 2025, 10:41 pm

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday that UN peacekeepers have discovered more than “100 weapons caches” belonging to Hezbollah and its allies in south Lebanon since the November 27 ceasefire between Israel and the terror group.Guterres, speaking near the Israeli border, and French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking in Beirut, also called on Israel to withdraw from south Lebanon.Guterres reiterated that under the November 27 agreement, Lebanese government forces and UNIFIL peacekeepers are the only parties entitled to bear arms in Lebanon south of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the border with Israel.In an apparent reference to Israel and Hezbollah, Guterres said that the “presence of armed personnel, assets and weapons” in south Lebanon — other than those of the Lebanese army and the UNIFIL peacekeeping force — would “undermine Lebanon’s stability” and also violate UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.Guterres, who spoke on a visit to the UNIFIL headquarters in southern Lebanon’s Naqura, near the Israeli border, said Israel’s operations inside Lebanon “must stop.”“The continued occupation by the Israel [military] inside the UNIFIL area operations and the conduct of military operations in Lebanese territory are violations of Resolution 1701,” said Guterres, who also met with Macron in Beirut on Friday.Israel has said its operations in south Lebanon were in response to Hezbollah’s violations of the ceasefire, and accused UNIFIL and the Lebanese military of failing to enforce both Resolution 1701 and the November 27 agreement.Under the agreement, the IDF is required to cede all of its positions in southern Lebanon to Lebanese and UNIFIL forces within 60 days, by January 26. At the same time, Hezbollah is required to retreat north of the Litani.The agreement, which ended almost 14 months of war, allows Israel to act against imminent threats by Hezbollah, while less imminent threats are to be referred to a five-member committee comprising representatives of the United States, France, Lebanon, Israel and UNIFIL.Macron, whose government helped broker the deal, called on Israel on Friday to accelerate its troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon.“We need a total withdrawal of the Israeli army,” Macron said, speaking in Beirut alongside Lebanon’s new president, Joseph Aoun, who also stressed the “importance of consolidating the [Israel-Hezbollah] ceasefire and Israel’s withdrawal,” according to an X post by the Lebanese presidency.Macron said France supports “the increased power of the Lebanese armed forces and their deployment in the south.”“The Lebanese Armed Forces constitute a pillar of the sovereignty of Lebanon,” added Macron.He also hailed Aoun’s election, saying it represented the possibility of a new path for Lebanon and that “the true, authentic Lebanon has returned.”Macron is the first foreign head of state to visit Lebanon since Aoun’s election, which was supported by France, the United States and Saudi Arabia. As a former French protectorate, Beirut has strong historical ties with Paris.Aoun had led the LAF until the Lebanese parliament elected him head of state on January 9, ending a two-year vacancy.Aoun’s appointment signaled a shift in Lebanon’s power balance after Iran-backed Hezbollah was left deeply weakened by its war with Israel.The new president has vowed to uphold the Lebanese government’s monopoly on the right to bear arms — a thinly veiled threat against Hezbollah, the only group in Lebanon that refused to surrender its weapons to the state following the 1975-1990 civil war.Aoun’s election was followed this week by the designation of International Court of Justice chief Nawaf Salam as prime minister, against the wishes of Hezbollah, which wanted the incumbent Najib Mikati to remain in the post.The Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire agreement came two months after the IDF invaded south Lebanon to stem the persistent rocket fire that had forced the displacement of some 60,000 residents of northern Israel.Unprovoked, Hezbollah began attacking Israel on a near-daily basis on October 8, 2023 — a day after fellow Iran-backed terror group Hamas mounted a thousands-strong assault on southern Israel in which they killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, sparking the war in Gaza.

Exclusive-Biden aides admit they mistakenly targeted 2 US citizens immune from settler sanctions-Officials tell ToI vetting process failed to identify pair accused of violence against Palestinians as dual nationals ineligible for targeting under executive order signed by US president-By Jacob Magid 17 January 2025, 10:39 pm

Two US officials acknowledged to The Times of Israel that Washington didn’t properly vet some of the settlers it sanctioned last year, leading to the designation of two Israelis who also have US citizenship, which should have made them ineligible for targeting under an executive order signed by US President Joe Biden aimed at curbing rampant settler violence in the West Bank.Issachar Manne, who was sanctioned in July, and Levi Yitzchak Pilant, who was sanctioned in August, are both US citizens, but they were identified in the US Treasury Department announcement as “foreign persons.”The two US officials acknowledged to The Times of Israel that the administration’s vetting process failed to identify the pair as US citizens.The Treasury Department and State Department did not respond to repeated requests for comment.Manne and Pilant have sued the US government, arguing that the sanctions violated their constitutional rights to due process and equal protection. They also note that they should have been ineligible for sanctions by virtue of their US citizenship.The settlers’ legal team maintained in their lawsuit that by imposing the sanctions without a trial, the administration violated the dual citizens’ right to due process, as guaranteed in the US Constitution’s Fifth Amendment. They further suggested that the executive order itself could violate that provision, citing a 1972 ruling by the US Supreme Court that “vague laws may trap the innocent by not providing fair warning.”In addition, the lawyers disputed that the accusations against their clients are true, and suggested that by mistakenly labeling Manne a “foreign person” — a term they argued is inconsistent with US citizenship — the administration demonstrated it can’t be trusted to ascertain the facts of the matter in this case.The US said in its sanctions announcement last year that Manne, who operates a farm in the West Bank’s Hebron Hills, was connected to acts of violence against Palestinian civilians and efforts to dispossess Palestinians of their property.The US alleged that Pilant, the security coordinator for the Yitzhar settlement, “engaged in malign activities outside the scope of his authority,” including leading a group of armed settlers in February 2024 to set up roadblocks and patrols to attack Palestinians and “forcefully expel them from their lands.”Since Biden signed the executive order last February, 17 individuals and 16 entities have been designated in eight separate batches.But this does not appear to be the first time that the Biden administration has slipped up in its sanction announcements under the executive order.Issachar Manne’s farm in the southern West Bank is seen in a YouTube video posted September 1, 2022. (Screen capture via YouTube, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)-In July, the Treasury and State Departments designated the wrong Israeli man, confusing him with a similarly named far-right settler activist. After the mistake was identified in Israeli media, the US government corrected the error.It’s unclear whether the lawsuit will be seen through, though, because US President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state Marco Rubio revealed earlier this week at his confirmation hearing that the incoming administration will end the Biden administration’s sanctions regime against allegedly violent Israeli settlers.Biden authorized the sanctions amid mounting frustration over Israel’s longtime failure to clamp down on settler violence.The Department for Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) has opened an investigation into Israel Police Commander Avishai Muallem, the head of the Judea and Samaria Police District’s investigations and intelligence department, relating to his alleged refusal to investigate Jewish nationalist crimes in the West Bank in the hopes of drawing favor in the eyes of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.In July, outgoing IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fox lambasted settler leaders for failing to curb the violence, saying that some Israelis have adopted “the ways of the enemy.”

Chants of 'Death to America, Death to Israel' at Sanaa rally-US imposes sanctions on Yemeni bank accused of financing Houthis-US Treasury Department designates Yemen Kuwait Bank, saying Houthis exploit Yemeni banking sector to launder money and transfer funds to Hezbollah, facilitate Iran oil sales By Agencies 17 January 2025, 10:05 pm

The US on Friday imposed sanctions on a Yemen-based financial institution that Washington accused of financially supporting the Houthis, as President Joe Biden’s administration sought to further pressure the militant group before Biden leaves office.The US Treasury Department in a statement said it imposed sanctions on Yemen Kuwait Bank, accusing it of helping the Houthis exploit the Yemeni banking sector to launder money and transfer funds to allies, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah.The US additionally said the bank helped the Houthis establish and finance front companies to facilitate Iranian oil sales.The Houthis seized power in Yemen in late 2014 and control over most parts of the country including the capital Sanaa.According to the Israel Defense Forces, the Houthis have launched some 40 ballistic missiles at Israel as well as dozens of drone attacks since Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, starting the multifront war. Israel has responded by striking Houthi areas on several occasions.The Iran-backed Houthis have also carried out more than 100 attacks on ships since November 2023. They have sunk two vessels, seized another, and killed at least four seafarers. The intensity of the attacks has disrupted global shipping and prompted route changes.The attacks have disrupted international commerce, forcing some ships to take the long route around southern Africa rather than the Suez Canal, leading to increases in insurance rates, delivery costs, and time that stoked global inflation fears.The US alongside Britain launched a multinational operation in December 2023 to safeguard commerce in the Red Sea and has repeatedly conducted airstrikes on Houthi strongholds targeting weapons storage facilities.Biden’s action, ahead of the inauguration on Monday of President-elect Donald Trump, freezes any of Yemen Kuwait Bank’s US assets and generally bars Americans from dealing with it. Those who engage in certain transactions with it also risk being hit with US sanctions.Earlier Friday, thousands of Yemenis crowded the capital to express their support for the Houthis, who say they will maintain pressure on Israel despite the imminent Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, due to begin Sunday.Every week for the past 15 months, people have filled the center of the rebel-held city on the Muslim day of prayer and rest to chant their backing for the Palestinians.A Houthi rebel, Khaled al-Matri, told AFP he supported the ceasefire deal for Gaza.But he added: “We will not give in until the disappearance of the Zionist state, God willing”, before breaking into chants of “Death to America, death to Israel!”Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

10 charged over Beirut port blast as probe resumes after Hezbollah accusations of bias-Investigation into 2020 explosion that killed more than 220 people, injured thousands and devastated swathes of Lebanon’s capital, restarts after 2-year hiatus By Layal Abou Rahal and Aya Iskandarani 17 January 2025, 6:47 pm

BEIRUT (AFP) — Lebanese judge Tarek Bitar resumed his investigation into the deadly 2020 Beirut port blast on Thursday, charging 10 people including security, customs, and military personnel, a judicial official said.The fresh charges come after a two-year hiatus in the investigation into the August 4, 2020 explosion that killed more than 220 people, injured thousands, and devastated swathes of Lebanon’s capital.Authorities said the explosion was triggered by a fire in a warehouse where a huge stockpile of ammonium nitrate fertilizer had been haphazardly stored for years.But nobody has been held responsible for the blast, one of history’s largest non-nuclear explosions.The probe stalled two years ago after Lebanese terror group Hezbollah had accused Bitar of bias and demanded his dismissal, and after officials named in the investigation had filed a flurry of lawsuits to prevent it from going forward.The resumption comes with Hezbollah’s influence weakened after its recent war with Israel.It also follows the election of a Lebanese president after the top position had been vacant for more than two years, with the new head of state Joseph Aoun last week pledging to work toward the “independence of the judiciary.”The judicial official told AFP that “procedures in the case have resumed,” speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.The official said that “a new charge sheet has been issued, charging three employees and seven high-ranking officers in the Lebanese army, in the General Security, [and] in customs” with negligence and “possible intent to commit murder.” Their interrogations would begin next month.In March and April, “investigating sessions” would resume for those previously charged in the case, including former ministers, lawmakers, security and military officers, judges and port management employees, after which Bitar would ask public prosecutors to issue indictments, according to the judicial official.‘Hope’Analysts say Hezbollah’s weakening in its war with Israel last year allowed Lebanon’s deeply divided political class to elect Aoun last week and back his naming of Nawaf Salam as premier on Monday.Salam, until recently the presiding judge at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, on Tuesday promised “justice for the victims of the Beirut port blast.”Hundreds of individuals and organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, had previously called for the United Nations to establish a fact-finding mission on the disaster — a demand Lebanese officials have repeatedly rejected.Cecile Roukoz, a lawyer whose brother died in the explosion, said she was optimistic after “the promises made by the president and the prime minister, then the probe resuming.”“There is hope that the rights of the victims, for whom we never stopped fighting, won’t be forgotten,” said the attorney, one of several representing the relatives of those killed.‘Must be held to account’Visiting Lebanon on Thursday, UN rights chief Volker Turk called for the “resumption of an independent investigation into the explosion.”“I repeat that those responsible for that tragedy must be held to account and offer the support of my office in this regard,” he said.The probe has been repeatedly stalled since 2020.In December of that year, lead investigator Fadi Sawan charged former prime minister Hassan Diab — who had resigned in the explosion’s aftermath — and three ex-ministers with negligence.But Sawan was later removed from the case after mounting political pressure, and the probe was suspended.His successor, Bitar, also summoned Diab for questioning and asked parliament, without success, to lift the immunity of lawmakers who had served as ministers.The interior ministry also refused to execute arrest warrants issued by Bitar, further undermining his efforts.The public prosecutor at the time, Ghassan Oueidat, thwarted his attempt to resume investigations in early 2023 after Bitar charged him in the case.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Group presenting terror victims to petition against release of Palestinian prisoners-By Agencies-JAN 18,25

An organization that represents victims of Palestinian terror attacks vows to petition the Supreme Court to stop the release of Palestinian prisoners as part of a ceasefire agreement starting Sunday, calling it a “victory for the murderers.”“They are releasing terrorists who have blood on their hands for the second time, and this means [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, under pressure from [President-elect Donald] Trump, is endangering people who will be murdered in the future,” says Meir Indor, the head of the Almagor Terror Victim Association.Indor adds that Israel has not learned its lesson from the past three prisoner exchanges, which all led to released prisoners carrying out new attacks.Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7, 2023, attack that sparked the Israel-Hamas war, was released together with more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoner in a 2011 deal in exchange for Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier who was taken from his tank in Gaza and held captive for five years.Indor says that it’s an additional insult that the negotiations did not leave the typical 48-hour window for victims of attacks to appeal the release of specific prisoners who attacked them.

Shin Bet: He did not consult with us about the implications-Katz releases all settlers in administrative detention, ties it to Palestinians’ release-‘It is better for the families of Jewish settlers to be happy than the families of freed terrorists,’ defense minister says ahead of Gaza deal-By Emanuel Fabian-and ToI Staff 17 January 2025, 1:03 pm

Defense Minister Israel Katz announced his decision Friday to free West Bank settlers held under administrative detention orders, tying it to the expected release of hundreds of Palestinian terror convicts as part of a hostage-ceasefire deal signed with Hamas in Doha Thursday night.“In light of the expected release of terrorists from Judea and Samaria as part of the hostage release deal, I have decided to release the settlers held in administrative detention,” he said in a statement, using the biblical term for the West Bank. This, he said, was meant “to convey a clear message of strengthening and encouraging the settlements, which are at the forefront of the struggle against Palestinian terrorism and face growing security challenges.”He added: “It is better for the families of Jewish settlers to be happy than the families of released terrorists.”In a terse statement, the Shin Bet said Katz’s decision was made without the security agency’s prior knowledge, and noted that the defense minister did not consult with the agency for an assessment of the implications of the decision.Katz in November announced an end to new administrative detention orders for West Bank settlers, meaning Israel would only use the controversial policy of holding suspects without charge against Palestinian terror suspects. However, he did not at the time order the release of those already held.A total of 16 administrative detention orders were issued for Jewish Israelis under former defense minister Yoav Gallant, and seven of them were still being held as of November.Katz’s latest decision follows reports that the government will take additional measures to combat terrorism in the West Bank as part of efforts to convince Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich not to leave the coalition in protest of the Gaza deal.While the practice is primarily deployed against Palestinians, administrative detention has also been used against some extremist Jewish Israelis, which has drawn increasing criticism of the ruling Likud party by its far-right coalition members.The measure sees individuals held without charge for up to six months at a time, under limited court review. The detentions can be renewed indefinitely while allowing military prosecutors to keep suspects from being able to see the evidence against them.The tool is typically used when authorities have intelligence tying a suspect to a crime but do not have enough evidence for charges to stand up in a court of law.“In a reality where the Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria is subject to serious Palestinian terror threats and unjustified international sanctions are taken against the settlers, it is not appropriate for the State of Israel to take such a severe measure against the people of the settlements,” Katz said in November.The Shin Bet has reportedly warned against the move, with Bar saying last June that banning the measure against Israelis “will result in an immediate, severe and serious harm to the security of the state” in cases where there is clear information that a suspect may carry out a terror attack against Palestinians.According to a leaked copy of the ceasefire-hostage release agreement signed Thursday, over 1,700 Palestinian prisoners are to be freed in return for 33 Israeli hostages in the first phase of the deal: 700 terrorists, 250-300 of whom are serving life terms; 1,000 Gazans captured since October 8 in fighting in the Strip; and 47 rearrested prisoners from the 2011 Gilad Shalit deal.

Ugandan judge who backed Israel in genocide case said set to become ICJ chief-Julia Sebutinde, court’s current vice president, is expected to succeed Nawaf Salam after he is appointed Lebanon’s PM; Sebutinde was sole dissenting vote on every ICJ measure By ToI Staff 17 January 2025, 4:14 pm

Justice Julia Sebutinde of Uganda is set to be appointed president of the International Court of Justice, according to media reports, after Lebanese President Joseph Aoun earlier this week summoned Nawaf Salam to designate him prime minister.An ICJ statement released on Tuesday announcing Salam’s resignation did not mention Sebutinde, but as the court’s current vice president, she is expected to be promoted to the top spot.Justice Salam began his role as ICJ president in February 2024 and has served as a judge on the court since 2018.In his first speech as premier earlier in the week, Salam, referring to Israel, whose cases he until recently oversaw, said he would work to “impose the complete withdrawal of the enemy from the last occupied inch of our land.”Sebutinde, on the other hand, was the only judge on the 17-member ICJ panel to vote against all six measures adopted by the court last year in a ruling ordering Israel to take action to prevent potential acts of genocide as it fought Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.She was also one of only two judges to oppose the court’s assertion that Palestinians’ claims of war crimes in Gaza may fall under the scope of the Genocide Convention. The other was Israeli Justice Aharon Barak. (Contrary to some reports at the time, the court did not rule it was plausible that genocide was taking place.)-PRESS RELEASE: HE Judge Nawaf Salam, President of the International Court of Justice, has resigned as Member of the Court with effect from today, 14 January 2025.https://t.co/WHVvzgbscM pic.twitter.com/UcOG6U0aP4— CIJ_ICJ (@CIJ_ICJ) January 14, 2025-Judge Sebutinde, in her dissent, argued that “South Africa has not demonstrated, even on a prima facie basis, that the acts allegedly committed by Israel and of which the Applicant complains, were committed with the necessary genocidal intent, and that as a result, they are capable of falling within the scope of the Genocide Convention.”She added that “the Applicant has not demonstrated that the rights it asserts and for which it seeks protection through the indication of provisional measures are plausible under the Genocide Convention.”Sebutinde said the failure of states to reach a political solution to conflicts “may sometimes lead them to resort to a pretextual invocation of treaties like the Genocide Convention, in a desperate bid to force a case into the context of such a treaty, in order to foster its judicial settlement… In my view, the present case falls in this category.”She said a careful review of Israel’s war policy “demonstrates the absence of a genocidal intent,” though she stressed that Israel is bound by international law in its conduct of the war.“Unfortunately, the scale of suffering and death experienced in Gaza is exacerbated not by genocidal intent, but rather by several factors, including the tactics of the Hamas organization itself which often entails its forces embedding amongst the civilian population and installations, rendering them vulnerable to legitimate military attack,” she said.As for statements of some Israeli officials throughout the war who used inflammatory language, or made comments seen as minimizing the need to protect civilians, Sebutinde argued that taken in context, “the vast majority of the statements referred to the destruction of Hamas and not the Palestinian people as such”; that “certain renegade statements by officials who are not charged with prosecuting Israel’s military operations were subsequently highly criticized by the Israeli government itself”; and that “more importantly, the official war policy of the Israeli government, as presented to the court, contains no indicators of a genocidal intent.”After Sebutinde’s dissenting votes made headlines, the Ugandan government issued as statement distancing itself from her, saying: “The position taken by Judge Sebutinde is her own individual and independent opinion and does not in any way reflect the position of the government of the Republic of Uganda.”Last January, the ICJ’s 17-member panel voted 15-2 that there was “plausibility” to South Africa’s claims that Palestinians require protection under the Genocide Convention. In May 2024, the court ordered Israel to halt any military operations in the southern Gazan city of Rafah that would risk the destruction of the civilian population sheltering there.Israel has vehemently denied allegations that it is carrying out a genocide in Gaza, in the war that began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas led a devastating cross-border assault, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.As Israel insists none of its actions target civilians and that it takes numerous steps to protect them, the court’s Rafah order did not lead to a change of policy by Jerusalem.The hearings last year were only the opening salvo in the case, which is expected to go on for years.South Africa, who filed the ICJ case, submitted a 750-page document to the court in October of “evidence” of the alleged genocide. As per court procedures, South Africa’s submission will not be made public.Israel has until July 2025 to file its response.

Trump’s swearing-in to be held indoors due to ‘Arctic blast sweeping the country’US Capitol’s Rotunda to host ceremony for first time since 1985 amid freezing conditions; ‘I don’t want to see people hurt,’ says president-elect-By Zeke Miller 17 January 2025, 9:43 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — United States President-elect Donald Trump will take the oath of office from inside the Capitol Rotunda on Monday due to forecasts of intense cold weather.Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said “the weather forecast for Washington, DC, with the windchill factor, could take temperatures into severe record lows.”“There is an Arctic blast sweeping the Country. I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way,” he said.The Rotunda is prepared as an alternative for each inauguration in the event of inclement weather. The swearing-in was last moved indoors in 1985 when US President Ronald Reagan began his second term. Monday’s forecast calls for the lowest inauguration-day temperatures since that day.Outgoing US President Joe Biden, members of the US Congress, and other dignitaries and notable guests will be able to view the ceremony from inside the Capitol.Alternate plans are required for the more than roughly 250,000 guests ticketed to view the inauguration from around the Capitol grounds and the tens of thousands more expected to be in general admission areas or to line the inaugural parade route from the Capitol to the White House.Trump said some supporters would be able to watch the ceremony from Washington’s Capital One Arena on Monday, a day after he plans to hold a rally there. He said he would visit the arena, which has a capacity of about 20,000, after his swearing-in, and host a modified inaugural parade there.Trump said other inaugural events, including the Sunday rally and his participation in three official inaugural balls on Monday night, would take place as scheduled.The National Weather Service is predicting the temperature to be about minus-6 degrees Celsius (22 degrees Fahrenheit) at noon, during Trump’s inauguration — the coldest since Reagan’s second inauguration saw temperatures plunge to minus-14 Celsius (7 Fahrenheit). Barack Obama’s 2009 swearing-in was minus-2 Celsius (28 degrees).“The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies will honor the request of the President-elect and his Presidential Inaugural Committee to move the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies inside the US Capitol to the Rotunda,” a spokesperson said Friday.

Jeremiah 6:14
14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

Isaiah 57:21
21 There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.

1 Thessalonians 5:3
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

Ephesians 2:2
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Netanyahu: Israel ‘won’t move forward’ with ceasefire until Hamas names first hostages to be freed-By Amy Spiro-JAN 18,25

Hours before a ceasefire deal is slated to go into effect, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel has still not received a list of the names of the hostages Hamas is slated to release, which could hold up the agreement.“We will not move forward with the outline until we receive a list of the hostages to be freed, as agreed,” Netanyahu says in a statement released by his office. “Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement. The sole responsibility lies with Hamas.”The agreement states that Hamas is required to provide the names of the hostages at least 24 hours ahead of their release — which was supposed to be 4 p.m. local time.

PM reportedly says Trump backs resuming war if Hamas breaches deal-Israeli government approves hostage-ceasefire agreement with Hamas-24 cabinet members back deal; PM’s office says it will start Sunday; 2 Likud ministers join far-right in voting against it; security chiefs back it but say Hamas will try to rebuild-By ToI Staff and Jacob Magid-Today, 4:31 am-jan 18,25

The full Israeli government voted early Saturday in favor of approving the hostage-ceasefire agreement with Hamas, after the security cabinet gave its blessing to the deal on Friday.The Prime Minister’s Office issued a brief statement after 1 a.m. confirming the government approved the deal after meeting for more than seven hours. Twenty-four ministers voted in favor of the deal and eight opposed.The statement added that the deal would enter into force on Sunday, when the first three Israeli hostages are to be freed. Thirty-three hostages are to be freed in the first, 42-day phase of the deal.Now that the government has approved the agreement, opponents of the deal can petition the High Court of Justice against the release of Palestinian security prisoners who are set to be freed, though the court is unlikely to intervene.Among the ministers who voted against the deal were David Amsalem and Amichai Chikli, both members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party. Communications Minister Shlomi Karhi, another Likud member, was not present.National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir was joined by the cabinet members in his ultranationalist Otzma Yehudit party, Yitzhak Wasserlauf and Amichai Eliyahu, in voting against the deal. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and his far-right Religious Zionism party’s Orit Strock and Ofer Sofer also voted against the agreement.Otzma Yehudit has threatened to quit the coalition over the deal, while Religious Zionism will apparently remain in the government despite opposing it, after Netanyahu reportedly reached understandings with Smotrich to keep his faction in the fold.The cabinet votes were held after the Israeli and Hamas negotiating teams signed the deal in Doha early Friday morning, with the Prime Minister’s Office initially announcing the full government would not convene until Saturday evening to approve it. The meeting ended up being moved up after numerous ministers, including Haredi members of the cabinet, said Shabbat considerations should not put off a life-saving matter.However, as the meeting ended up starting late and ran hours into Shabbat, several ultra-Orthodox ministers did not participate but left instructions for the cabinet secretary to count them among the agreement’s supporters. Shas Minister Michael Malcheli wrote on his note, “There is no more important commandment than saving the lives of hostages.”Following the vote by the full cabinet, the Justice Ministry published a list in Hebrew of 735 Palestinian detainees and security prisoners to be released during the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.The list includes numerous terrorists serving life sentences for murder, among them members of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Palestinian Authority’s ruling Fatah movement, along with women and children being held in Israeli jails.One of the headline names on the list is notorious Fatah terrorist Zakaria Zubeidi, who was part of a prison break from a high-security detention facility in northern Israel in 2021 before he and the five Islamic Jihad members he escaped with were again apprehended. The six later received five-year sentences for the jailbreak.The list published online states that Zubeidi will not be sent abroad, allowing him to return home to the northern West Bank city of Jenin, where he was the commander of Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and masterminded terror attacks during the Second Intifada.The IDF last year killed his son Mohammed alongside several other gunmen in a drone strike, describing the younger Zubeidi as a “prominent terrorist from the Jenin area.” Zakaria’s brother Daoud was fatally wounded in an exchange of fire there with Israeli forces in 2022. Jenin has again been a hotbed of terror activity over the past year.A statement from the Justice Ministry stressed the first group of 95 Palestinian prisoners slated to be freed won’t be released until 4 p.m. on Sunday, when unconfirmed Hebrew media reports said the first Israeli captives will be let go.Hamas on Saturday is expected to provide the names of the first three Israelis to be released, as the hostage deal stipulates the terror group must give Israel the names of the captives it will release 24 hours in advance.The three hostages set to be freed on Sunday are widely expected to be among the list of female civilians. The 33 Israeli hostages to be released during the first stage of the ceasefire deal are so-called humanitarian cases, a category made up of women, children, elderly individuals, and the infirm.The government’s hostages and missing persons coordination unit on Friday notified the families of the 33 hostages expected to be released. Israel has not been told how many of them are alive, though it expects the majority are. Israel will receive a full status report on all those on the list seven days into the ceasefire. The order of release is not yet known.The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel, killing over 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 hostages during their October 7, 2023, onslaught. During a weeklong truce in November 2023, 105 hostages were released, while four were freed earlier and eight have been rescued alive by troops from Gaza.‘Moral debt’According to leaks from the cabinet meeting carried by Hebrew media outlets, Netanyahu told ministers that US President-elect Donald Trump will “give his Israel full support to resume the war if the agreement is violated.” While Trump himself has not publicly made such a pledge, his incoming national security adviser stated this week that the US will back Israel if it needs to reenter Gaza.Netanyahu was also quoted saying that Trump decided when he takes office on Monday that “we will again receive all the weaponry that was held up, which is important because if we don’t reach the second stage [of the deal] we will have additional tools to resume the fighting.”Additionally, the premier reportedly said Hamas opposition had prevented the deal from being finalized for months, “but the situation changed because of the heroism of our soldiers and because of operations in the region, including the strong blow we dealt to the Iranian axis.”Mossad chief David Barnea and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, who both returned from Qatar following the signing of the deal, also addressed ministers, with the former saying they had a moral imperative to support the agreement.“We must pay this moral debt. This deal is ethically and morally the right thing to do. It is a humane deal. It includes mechanisms that will ensure our security,” Barnea said, according to Channel 12.Hebrew media reports cited Bar as saying during the earlier security cabinet meeting that 82 percent of the 1,027 Palestinian security prisoners released in the 2011 Israel-Hamas deal to free captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit returned to terror activity.Twelve percent of those former prisoners actively participated in terror attacks after their release, and even over 50% of the prisoners released abroad returned to terror activity.Bar said Hamas will use the ceasefire to rebuild its governing and military capabilities and that the deal will likely further weaken the PA.Despite all of that, the security chiefs stressed that they adamantly back the agreement, insisting that Israel is prepared to deal with the security consequences.They also argued that Hamas has an interest in abiding by the terms of the first phase to reach the second, when it will be able to secure the release of far more prisoners in exchange for the remaining living Israeli hostages.“The IDF knows how to return fighting with massive strength if necessary,” Channel 12 quoted IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi as having said.During the first phase, Israel and Hamas are supposed to hold negotiations regarding the terms of the second phase during which the remaining living hostages will be released. The mediators will serve as guarantors to ensure that the parties remain at the table until an agreement on the second phase is reached, allowing the ceasefire to extend. The second phase would conclude with a permanent ceasefire.Israelis mixed on whether the deal will last, but want it to-A survey aired by the Kan public broadcaster Friday evening showed a majority of the Israeli public supports continuing the hostage deal into the second phase.Fifty-five percent of the public wants the deal to continue, even though that means ending the war, according to the poll. Twenty-seven percent of the public believes the war should resume after the first phase while 18% say they don’t know.Netanyahu had previously pledged to continue the war until Hamas’s military and governing capabilities have been dismantled. He has reportedly indicated to his far-right coalition partners that he still plans to do so after the first phase.The Kan poll also showed that 62% of the public supports the deal thus far, compared to 18% who are opposed and 20% who said they are undecided.Even among coalition voters, 45% of respondents support the deal, compared to 30% who oppose it.However, 46% of coalition voters believe that Israel should resume fighting in the second phase, in apparent violation of the deal’s terms and at the expense of the hostages slated to be released then. Thirty-five percent of coalition voters back continuing the deal into the second phase and 19% of them said they don’t know.Forty percent of the public thinks there’s a medium chance that the deal will extend into the second phase while 23% think there’s a low chance that it will and 21% think there’s a high chance. Sixteen percent said they were unsure.Asked which party was responsible for the fact that it took nearly 470 days to reach the agreement, 36% said it was Hamas, 25% said it was Israel, 22% said both sides equally while 17% said they didn’t know.

Lebanon’s president: IDF must withdraw by Jan. 26, end ‘continued violations’ of truce-UN chief meets newly-elected Joseph Aoun in Beirut, hails ‘new chapter of peace’; Hezbollah chief urges government to confront Israel over ‘more than hundreds’ of violations By ToI Staff and Agencies Today, 4:30 pm-JAN 18,25

Lebanon’s new president Joseph Aoun said Saturday that Israel must “withdraw from occupied territories” in his country’s south by the January 26 deadline set in the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire agreement.In a speech before visiting United Nations Chief Antonio Guterres, Aoun also decried “Israel’s continued violations” of the agreement.“Blowing up homes and destroying border villages, completely contradicts what was stated in the ceasefire agreement,” he said, according to the Lebanese president’s office.His remarks followed a speech by Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem who urged Beirut to confront Israel over “more than hundreds” of violations.Despite the ceasefire, which was signed November 27 after 14 months of war, Israel has continued striking south Lebanon, saying the attacks targeted Hezbollah fighters and weaponry violating the accord, including by continuing to operate south of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the border with Israel.The agreement gives Israel the right to operate against imminent threats. Israel has also accused the Lebanese military and UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL of failing to enforce the agreement in the face of Hezbollah violations.The ceasefire gave Israel 60 days, until January 26, to withdraw from south Lebanon. After that, the Lebanese Armed Forces and UNIFIL will be the only armed forces permitted to maintain a presence between Israel and the Litani.However, there have been some reports in Israel that this deadline could be delayed, ostensibly due to the Lebanese military’s failure to deploy throughout the region quickly enough.Aoun, elected January 9, has pledged to give the Lebanese state a monopoly on the right to bear arms — a veiled threat against Iran-backed Hezbollah, the only Lebanese militia that did not surrender its arms to the state after the 1975-1990 civil war.A former head of the army, Aoun clinched the presidency with the backing of Saudi Arabia, the United States and France, which figures heavily in the politics of its former protectorate Lebanon.Hezbollah chief seeks confrontation-On Saturday, Qassem called “on the Lebanese state to be firm in confronting violations, now numbering more than hundreds. This cannot continue.”“We have been patient with the violations to give a chance to the Lebanese state, responsible for this agreement, along with the international sponsors, but I call on you not to test our patience,” he said in a televised speech.Qassem’s speech came as Guterres met top Lebanese officials, including Aoun and his designated prime minister, outgoing International Court of Justice chief Nawaf Salam.Analysts say Hezbollah’s weakening in the war with Israel allowed Lebanon’s deeply divided political class to elect Aoun and to back him in naming Salam as premier.But Qassem insisted that the backing of Hezbollah, and its ally Amal, “is what led to the election of the president by consensus,” after around two years of deadlock.“No one can exploit the results of the aggression in domestic politics,” he warned. “No one can exclude us from effective and influential political participation in the country.”Qassem also praised the ceasefire deal in Gaza, saying the Palestinians’ sacrifices had stopped Israel’s attempts to erase “the Palestinian cause.”Meeting with Aoun later Saturday, Guterres said that the election of a president and premier made it possible to consolidate the Lebanese institutions and to deploy the Lebanese army across the country, including areas from which Israel is to withdraw.Guterres expressed hope that Lebanon could open “a new chapter of peace,” and pledged the international community’s support “for what we believe will be a speedy recovery of this country, making it again the center of the Middle East.”“As soon as the conflict ends, reconstruction begins,” he said.On Friday, Guterres had called for Israel to end its military operations and presence in Lebanon’s south. He also said UNIFIL had found more than 100 weapons caches belonging “to Hezbollah or other armed groups” since the ceasefire deal was concluded.French President Emmanuel Macron, who met with Guterres in Lebanon on Friday, also said there must be an “accelerated” implementation of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire.The US- and France-brokered ceasefire in late November came two months after Israel massively escalated operations in Lebanon in a bid to stem Hezbollah’s persistent rocket fire, which forced the displacement of some 60,000 residents of northern Israel.Israel’s offensive in Lebanon all but decimated Hezbollah’s top brass, drastically weakening the terror group.Unprovoked, Hezbollah began its near-daily attacks on October 8, 2023 — a day after fellow Iran-backed group Hamas stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages, sparking the war in Gaza.

First 3 women hostages expected to be freed Sunday-Israel to free up to 1,904 Palestinians in 1st stage of hostage deal, including killers-Figures comprises 737 jailed Palestinians, 1,167 Gazans detained in ground op; notorious terrorist Zakaria Zubeidi, others responsible for the murder of dozens, to be freed By Emanuel Fabian-and ToI Staff Today, 1:40 pm-JAN 18,25

Israel is set to release up to 1,904 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including several serving multiple life sentences for deadly terror attacks and murder, in return for 33 Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip during the first, 42-day phase of its deal with Hamas, according to a government decision made early Saturday morning.The government approved the hostage and ceasefire deal after an eight-hour full cabinet meeting.Among the Palestinians to go free are 737 jailed detainees and security prisoners, some of whom are serving life sentences for murder.They include members of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Palestinian Authority’s ruling Fatah movement, along with women and children being held in Israeli jails. Some prisoners were released in 2011 in return for captive soldier Gilad Shalit later and re-arrested.The Justice Ministry had, as of Saturday morning, published the names of 735 Palestinian prisoners to allow petitions against their release to be submitted to the High Court.Israel will also be releasing 1,167 Palestinians detained in the Gaza Strip during the IDF’s ground offensive, who did not participate in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, invasion and massacre in southern Israel.The numbers could fluctuate depending on how many of the 33 hostages are alive. Hamas has not yet provided the information, although Israel believes that most of them are.On Sunday, the first three female hostages from the 33 humanitarian cases — a category made up of women, children, elderly individuals, and the infirm — are set to be released.The other 30 hostages on the list are to be released each Saturday until the end of the deal’s 42-day first phase — four on January 25, and then three each week until a final group of 14.The hostages will be released in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners detailed in the terms of the deal.For each of the living women, children and elderly, 30 Palestinian prisoners will be released; for all nine sick hostages, 110 prisoners will be released; for each of the female IDF soldiers, 50 prisoners will be released; for hostages Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who have been held in Gaza for a decade, 30 prisoners will be released for each, in addition to 47 Palestinians released in the 2011 Shalit deal and re-arrested; and for the bodies of hostages in the first stage, Israel will release the 1,000+ Gazan detainees.Beyond the 33 on the list, 65 more people are held by Hamas, many of them no longer alive. These are to be returned as part of a second phase of a deal, if it comes to pass, that would also see a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.The Justice Ministry said the prisoners will not be released before 4 p.m. on Sunday — roughly when the first hostages are expected back in Israel, some seven-and-a-half hours after the ceasefire comes into effect.The Israel Prison Service said it was taking measures to prevent any “public displays of joy” when Palestinian prisoners are released as part of the ceasefire deal.Terrorists and murderers-Among the prisoners set to be released is notorious Fatah terrorist Zakaria Zubeidi, the former Jenin commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades. Zubeidi was detained in 2019 for his part in shootings near Beit El in the West Bank. He is thought to have been involved in numerous terror attacks, including a bombing that killed six people at the Beit Shean branch of the Likud party in 2002, at the height of the 2000-2005 Second Intifada.In September 2021, he and five Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists broke out of the Gilboa Prison in northern Israel. They were re-apprehended days later.Iyad Jradat, one of five PIJ terrorists charged with aiding the breakout from Gilboa Prison, is also set to be released under the ceasefire agreement. He is serving a life sentence for sending the perpetrators of the 2003 terror attack in Gadish, where they killed security coordinator Eli Biton.Ahmed Dahiri, a senior PIJ official convicted of the murder, is also up for release. So, too, is Mahmoud Atallah, who is serving a life sentence for killing a Palestinian woman he suspected of cooperating with Israel. Atallah was indicted in September for raping a female prison guard at Gilboa Prison, where ex-officers are accused of having “pimped” female colleagues to security prisoners.The list of prisoners to be released also includes Mahmud Abu Varda, who is serving 48 life sentences for masterminding multiple terror attacks, including a 1996 bombing on a bus in Jerusalem that killed 45 people.Three prisoners from the so-called Silwan Squadron are also on the list. The Hamas terror cell, named for its members’ East Jerusalem neighborhood, carried out five bombings across Israel between March and June 2002, killing 35 people and wounding hundreds.Of the squadron members, Israel is set to release Wael Qissam, Wissam Abbasi and Muhammad Odeh. The fourth member, Alaa Abbasi, is not up for release. At 60 life sentences, he is serving the longest prison term in the terror cell.Nor will Israel release Marwan Barghouti, a former commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades whom Israel detained during the 2002 Operation Defensive Shield in the West Bank.Barghouti, who was convicted in 2004 of involvement in the murders of five people during the Second Intifada, has expressed support for the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Opinion polls show him to be one of the most popular figures in Palestinian politics.Israel is set to release his aide, Ahmed Barghouti. The latter Barghouti, who was also detained during Operation Defensive Shield, served at the time as a senior military official in Fatah. He was sentenced to 13 life sentences in Israel for involvement in terror attacks in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem that killed six people, including a police officer.Israel will also release Hamas-linked journalist Bushra Tawil, 32. Tawil, a Ramallah native who is the daughter of West Bank-based Hamas official Jamal Tawil, has been in administrative detention in Israel since March 2023.The controversial measure allows Israel to hold suspects for months on end without charge and is typically used when authorities have intelligence tying a suspect to a crime but not enough evidence for charges to stand up in a court of law.Also to be freed is Khalida Jarrar, a Palestinian Authority lawmaker from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a Marxist faction designated as a terror group by Israel, the United States and the European Union for its numerous terror attacks and plane hijackings.Jarrar was accused of masterminding the 2019 bombing that killed 17-year-old Rina Shnerb at a spring in the West Bank. As part of a plea deal, Jarrar was charged with “illegal association” and sentenced to two years in prison in 2021.She has been re-arrested and held in administrative detention as part of an incarceration campaign that followed the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, when thousands of terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages, sparking the war in Gaza.It is believed that 94 of the hostages abducted during the Hamas onslaught remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released before that. Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 40 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military as they tried to escape their captors.Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014.Agencies contributed to this report.

Israel readying complex medical and mental health treatments for returning hostages-While having little knowledge on the hostages’ condition, Health Ministry and the Hostages Forum expect many will have life-threatening complications after over a year in captivity By Agencies and ToI Staff Today, 5:14 am-JAN 18,25

Israel is preparing for the return of the hostages from Gaza with the expectation that many are likely to have severe, life-threatening complications after more than a year in captivity in the Gaza Strip.While it’s impossible to know the exact conditions in which hostages have been held, the Health Ministry and the Hostages and Missing Family Forum, which represents families of the hostages, are preparing for several different scenarios based on information gathered from hostages previously released or rescued.Hamas terrorists abducted 251 people during a cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, that also left 1,200 people dead. Ninety-eight hostages are still being held, 94 of whom were abducted on October 7, though Israel believes a third of them are no longer alive.The war that followed the attack has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, whose unverified figures do not distinguish between civilians and fighters but claim women and children make up more than half of those killed.Hagai Levine, who heads the health team at the Hostages Forum, said he expects the hostages to return with cardiovascular and respiratory issues due to lack of ventilation in the tunnels. Among multiple other afflictions Levine expects are vitamin deficiencies, starvation, dramatic weight loss, vision problems due to a lack of sunlight, broken bones, cognitive impairment and mental health trauma.As a result, doctors are expecting the hostages will require longer and more complex medical and mental health interventions than did those who returned after the last ceasefire in November 2023, said Dr. Einat Yehene, a psychologist at the Hostages Families Forum who oversees the captives’ rehabilitation.Complex medical challenges-Doctors are keenly aware of the challenges they face in treating the surviving hostages. One of them is “refeeding syndrome,” when exposure to certain foods or too much food can lead to profound health complications and even death in those with prolonged vitamin and nutritional deficiencies, said Dr. Hagar Mizrahi, head of the Ministry of Health’s medical directorate.The Red Cross team that will transfer the hostages from Gaza to Egypt and the small Israeli military medical team that will meet the hostages at the border as they cross into Israel have strict guidelines for what the hostages can eat in their first few hours, Mizrahi said.Six hospitals are preparing to receive hostages, including two in the south, closer to Gaza, that will treat those with acute medical issues, health ministry officials said.Yehene said the public should not expect joyful reunions like those seen following the last ceasefire, when released hostages ran through hospital halls into the ecstatic embraces of their loved ones.“Given the physical and emotional conditions, we expect emotional withdrawal symptoms, such as maybe exhaustion, fatigue — and some will probably need assistance with their mobility,” she said.Medical officials are also prepared for the possibility that returning hostages will need speech therapy, especially if they have been kept in isolation, Yehene noted. She said some might be so traumatized or in shock from the transfer to Israel that they will be unable to speak at all.To minimize the hostages’ trauma and allow them to acclimate to their new reality, officials will try to limit the number of people who interact with them and have made accommodations to lessen their sensory stimulation, such as stripping down the hospital rooms and changing the lighting.The Ministry of Social Welfare has also planned temporary housing solutions if hostages feel unable to return directly from the hospital to their home.‘The hostages don’t owe you anything’Experts are pleading with the news media and the public to give the hostages and their families privacy, despite intense interest in their plight.“The first days back are really holy, when a person finally gets to meet with their family, and everyone else needs to take a step back,” said Ofrit Shapira, a psychoanalyst who heads a group of health professionals treating freed hostages, their families, and survivors of the October 7 attack.Hospital wings housing the hostages are expected to be “sterilized,” closed to all but direct family and doctors, to keep the public and news outlets away, medical officials have said.“It doesn’t matter how much we care about them; they’re their own people, they’re not ‘ours,’” Shapira added. She noted that asking the hostages direct questions about their experiences can force them to relive their trauma. She said it’s best to allow them to release information at their own pace.“Our curiosity is really not important compared with what the hostages need,” she said. “It doesn’t matter how much you volunteered or were active in this fight; they don’t owe you anything.”Support for the families-Some of the previously freed hostages and their families have volunteered to help counsel those now going through the same process, Levine said. He noted the strength of the bonds created between the relatives of the hostages, and between the released hostages, who have become like “psychological families” helping each other adapt and heal, he said.Many released hostages are neglecting their own rehabilitation because they are so wrapped up in the fight to bring the others home, Levine said.A big priority is also to provide support for the families of hostages who did not survive.Israel has confirmed the deaths of at least a third of remaining captives. But Hamas has not confirmed the status of the 33 who are expected to be freed in the first stage of the ceasefire. Some might no longer be alive.“This moment of the releases is an emotional and psychological trigger for something they were supposed to experience, and they never will experience, because this deal took too long,” Yehene said.

IDF says troops ready for ‘immediate’ return to fighting as it preps for start of ceasefire-By Emanuel Fabian-JAN 18,25

The Israel military says it is on heightened alert for various scenarios that could occur as the ceasefire with Hamas takes effect tomorrow morning.Overnight, the IDF Southern Command will work to redeploy troops inside the Gaza Strip, withdrawing from urban areas and positioning them on lines that were agreed upon between Israel and Hamas. A large amount of forces will be moving around during the night and the morning hours.Also in the hours before the ceasefire takes effect at 8:30 a.m., the IDF says it will continue to carry out strikes and destroy infrastructure used by Hamas in Gaza.The Southern Command is also bolstering troops and air defenses along the border with Gaza, and preparing to respond to incidents if required. The military assesses that there could be rocket fire from Gaza ahead of the ceasefire or even during it.Still, there are no changes to the Home Front Command guidelines for civilians.Lastly, the Southern Command is readying for the release of the hostages, who will be handed over to troops inside the Strip by the Red Cross and then brought to one of three army facilities near the border for an initial checkup. From there, the IDF will escort them to hospitals to meet their families.If the ceasefire deal falls apart, or if the second stage is not implemented at the end of the 42 days, the IDF says it is ready to “immediately” return to fighting, according to what is decided by Israel.

A FALSE PROPHET COMES FROM THE VATICAN ALSO AT THIS TIME.

ISAIAH 23:15-17
15  And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.
16  Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
17  And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.(COULD THIS BE 70 YEARS AFTER ISRAEL BECAME A NATION IN 1948)(IF SO THIS SATANIC ONE WORLD WHORE CHURCH WILL MINGLE TOGETHER BY 2018)(AND NOW ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY AND ALL RELIGIONS ARE MINGLING AS ONE PEACE-LOVE-JOY-GET ALONG RELIGION LEAD BY THE VATICAN RIGHT NOW 4 YEARS FROM THE 70 YEAR TIME WHEN ISRAEL BECAME A NATION).AND IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM.

REVELATION 13:11-18
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth;(FALSE VATICAN POPE) and he had two horns like a lamb,(JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD) and he spake as a dragon.(HES SATANICALLY INSPIRED,HES A CHRISTIAN DEFECTOR FROM THE FAITH)
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him,(WORLD DICTATOR) and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.(THE WORLD DICTATOR CREATES A FALSE RESURRECTION AND IS CROWNED LEADER OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER).
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM

REVELATION 17:1-18
1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,(VATICAN IN POLITICS) and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman (FALSE CHURCH) was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour,(VATICAN COLOURS)(ANOTHER REASON WE KNOW THE FALSE POPE COMES FROM THE VATICAN) and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:(THE VATICAN GOES AGAINST A PRIEST MARRING A WOMAN-LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS-AND WHATS AN ABOMINATION AGAINST GOD-HOMOSEXUALITY AND PEDOPHILIA JUST LIKE THIS SCRIPTURE SAYS-FORNICATION IS THE SINGLE HOMOSEXUAL PRIESTS IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HAVING UNMARRIED FORNICATION OR SEX WITH SINGLES-IN THIS CASE ITS SEX WITH CHILDREN OR PEDOPHILIA)
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.(VATICAN-CATHOLICS ALL AROUND THE WORLD OVER 1 BILLION)
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.(GOD HIMSELF GIVES THE OK TO NUKE THE VATICAN)
17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.(VATICAN)

‘Selective indignation’: Rome’s chief rabbi criticizes Pope Francis over Israel remarks-Speaking at Catholic-Jewish dialogue event, Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni accuses the pope of unfairly focusing on Israel, while ignoring other world conflicts By Agencies and ToI Staff Today, 8:09 am-JAN 18,25

ROME — Rome’s chief rabbi sharply criticized Pope Francis over the pontiff’s recent ramping up of criticism against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, in an unusually forceful speech during an annual Catholic-Jewish dialogue event.Francis has unfairly focused his attention on Israel compared to other ongoing world conflicts, including those in Sudan, Yemen, Syria and Ethiopia, Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, spiritual leader of Rome’s Jewish community since 2001, said Thursday.“Selective indignation … weakens the pope’s strength,” said Di Segni.“A pope cannot divide the world into children and stepchildren and must denounce the sufferings of all,” he said. “This is exactly what the Pope does not do.”Francis, leader of the 1.4-billion-member Roman Catholic Church, has recently been more outspoken about Israel’s military campaign against Palestinian terror group Hamas. Last week, he called the humanitarian situation in Gaza “very serious and shameful.”A complex ceasefire accord between Israel and Hamas emerged on Wednesday, and is scheduled to start on Sunday.The war in Gaza was sparked by the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion and massacre in southern Israel, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 were seized as hostages as thousands of Hamas-led terrorists rampaged across Israel’s Gaza border communities.Relations between the Catholic Church and Judaism have improved in recent decades, after centuries of persecution. The event on Thursday, held at a Catholic university, was organized to mark the 36th annual World Day of Catholic-Jewish Dialogue.One of the organizers, Rev. Marco Gnavi, a Catholic priest, expressed surprise at Di Segni’s comments.He said he felt “discomfort” because of the rabbi’s words. “You can’t ask us not to suffer both with you and with others,” said the priest.Francis has consistently called for peace since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, and has met frequently with the family members of those taken hostage and repeatedly called for their release.However, a letter he wrote to Middle Eastern Catholics on the first anniversary of the attack never mentioned Hamas by name or made explicit reference to its atrocities, including the hostages. The letter also quoted passages from the Gospel of John that have historically been used to fuel religious antisemitism.At the end of November, he went one step further and denounced “the invader’s arrogance” in both “Ukraine” and “Palestine,” breaking with the Holy See’s modern tradition of neutrality.In a book excerpt published in November, the pontiff said that some international experts had posited that “what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide.”Israel has angrily rejected his remarks, saying that they were disconnected from the context of Israel’s fight against terrorism and amounted to double standards and the singling out of the Jewish state and its people.