Showing posts with label saudi arabia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label saudi arabia. Show all posts

Saturday, April 18, 2026

 

Can you spot an audio deepfake? Take the quizz https://newsguard-reality-check.github.io/newsguard-quiz/index2.html

On Sunday night, Rachel Goldberg-Polin will be interviewed by Anderson Cooper on CBS’s “60 Minutes” ahead of the release on Tuesday of her new book, When We See You Again, about grieving the death of her son, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, in Hamas captivity.
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EUROPE
EmojiOn Holocaust Remembrance Day. Polish MP Konrad Berkowicz compares Israel’s defensive war to the Third Reich and displays an Israeli flag with a swastika. 
EmojiA war crimes complaint has been filed at the International Criminal Court in The Hague against the Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez. At the origin of this initiative is Shurat HaDin, which accuses Spain of indirectly supporting Tehran through the supply of dual-use components. https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/world/israeli-law-ngo-moves-icc-against-spanish-pm-s%C3%A1nchez-over-exports-related-to-explosives-to-iran/ar-AA20Vcuh

IRAQ
U.S. offers $10M reward for Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades leader* - The United States has revealed the identity of Ahmed al-Hamidawi, leader of the Iran-backed Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades, placing a $10 million reward for information leading to him.

LEBANON
EmojiIDF reservist killed and 3 wounded by Hezbollah bomb in southern Lebanon after ceasefire 
https://worldisraelnews.com/idf-reservist-killed-and-3-wounded-by-hezbollah-bomb-in-southern-lebanon-after-ceasefire/
EmojiLebanon shouldn't require Israel to do its dirty work  
EmojiHezbollah Emerged from Iran’s Revolution, Not “Resistance” to Israel
EmojiHezbollah disguised army bases in southern Lebanon as civilian towns https://idfclub.org/hezbollah-disguised-army-bases-in-southern-lebanon-as-civilian-towns/

PALESTINIANS/HAMAS/PA
EmojiHamas Signals No Retreat: The US Fantasy of Disarmament and Peace
EmojiU.S. officials, led by Aryeh Lightstone, have joined disarmament talks with Hamas in Cairo. https://www.jns.org/news/israel-news/us-officials-join-direct-talks-with-hamas-in-cairo-cnn
EmojiKill an Israeli, become a Fatah leader – Fatah's new terror policy https://palwatch.org/page/42066 
EmojiThe Palestinian Authority extradited to France a man accused of coordinating a deadly 1982 terror attack on a Jewish restaurant in Paris’ Le Marais district

Saudi Arabia 
Saudi Arabia is reinforcing its geopolitical alliances by providing Pakistan with $3 billion in fresh financing and extending a separate $5 billion deposit, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-15/pakistan-secures-3-billion-in-saudi-funding-to-bolster-reserves

UN
EmojiUN reports child marriages surge in Gaza. Activist slammed objecting to calling it marriage when girls in Gaza are being sold into sexual slavery https://www.un.org/unispal/document/unfpa-child-marriages-surge-in-gaza-as-war-tightens-grip-on-girls-futures/
EmojiThe World Bank has removed Francesca Albanese's pro-Hamas husband, Massimiliano Cali, from a senior position after UN Watch exposed his litany of social media posts that legitimize Hamas terrorism, promote Holocaust inversion, and incite hatred against America, the West, and Jews. https://unwatch.org/world-bank-economist-husband-of-uns-francesca-albanese-says-israel-invents-terror-attacks/

USA
EmojiFLORIDA watch this race --Bilzerian registered this week to run in the Republican primary against the Jewish far-right anti-Islamic firebrand Rep. Randy Fine in Florida’s sixth district. Bilzerian hates Jews, supports murdering all Israelis (and Jews), and promotes conspiracy theories. https://www.timesofisrael.com/dan-bilzerian-who-says-judaism-is-terrible-and-wants-to-kill-israelis-runs-for-congress/ see also. https://x.com/i/status/2044923123418431942
EmojiNEW YORK NAVI K-12 Extremism Tracker, "NYC Educators for Palestine Plan 2nd Children's Teach-In," April 18, 2026: https://navik12tracker.substack.com/p/nyc-educators-for-palestine-plan
EmojiSupporters of Shia Army that Killed Hundreds of U.S. Soldiers in Iraq Distribute Food in Nation’s Capital https://www.meforum.org/fwi/fwi-opinion-interview/supporters-of-shia-army-that-killed-hundreds-of-u-s-soldiers-in-iraq-distribute-food-in-nations-capital
EmojiSEIU pulls endorsement from candidate,  Amir Makled, over “new information.” The new information was antisemitism and support for Hezbollah. Makled opened El-Sayed and Hasan Piker's rally at the University of Michigan last week
EmojiZohran Mamdani’s video chief lauded Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar 
EmojiOn Sunday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is slated to campaign with Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, who earlier this week was revealed to have praised a deadly 2014 Hamas attack on an Israeli military base.

ON CAMPUS
EmojiSwarthmore College in Pennsylvania: Students at anti-American/pro-Palestine demonstration at the campus chanted, "Iran, Iran, you make us proud! Take another soldier out! Hezbollah, you make us proud! Take another soldier out!". 
EmojiAt Yale University, anti American antisemite Hasan Piker who said America deserved 9/11 was welcomed at the Yale political Union with a roaring cheer.

MEDIA
EmojiMSNOWNews claims “more than 80% of markets are no longer functioning” across all of Lebanon. Reuters makes clear that figure applies only to southern Lebanon. This is how facts get distorted and narratives get built.
EmojiAnthropic's AI, Claude, Is Citing Iranian State Media. It Doesn't Know Why. 
EmojiSky News admits error on Lebanon death toll, but won’t correct on-air https://www.camera.org/article/sky-news-admits-error-on-lebanon-death-toll-but-wont-correct-on-air/
EmojiPhoto Bias: World Press Photo contest does more than recognize powerful images. It also plays a role in shaping how those images are understood. https://honestreporting.com/from-description-to-declaration-how-world-press-photo-frames-gaza-differently/
EmojiBBC distortions: 
>Hezbollah is firing at Israeli cities, towns and villages. Why are you calling them "settlements"? Is Haifa a settlement to you now? 
>BBC Radio 4 Today interviewed both Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister and and the Spokesman for the Israeli Embassy. The Iranian was lobbed softball questions. The Israeli was villified. 
https://www.camera.org/article/bbcs-today-program-uses-framing-to-lay-blame/
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Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Summary: President Trump’s Middle East trip resulted in billions of dollars in deals, including arms and tech for Saudi Arabia. It did nothing to curb Qatar’s influence on media or on campuses, and did not result in a deal with Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions nor its support for terrorists. There is a new in-depth report on Hamas’ “Human Shield Strategy.” Hamas and the Taliban each released one American hostage. Hamas still holds 58 captives and continues to reject any hostage deal. Hamas praised Canada, France, and the UK for threatening Israel. For the third day in a row, Gazans are again risking their lives to protest Hamas. The Houthis in Yemen continue to fire rockets at Israeli cities.

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Hostage Update: It's been 593 days too many. 
At least 20 are believed to be alive and in desperate condition. Edan Alexander’s release was apparently secured through a secret backchannel between the U.S. and Hamas, brokered by Palestinian-American businessman Bishara Bahbah, chair of “Arab Americans for Trump.” Aid renewal to Gaza was part of the deal to free Alexander. Hamas continues to reject a new hostage deal.
Afghanistan
American, George Glezmann, detained by Taliban in Afghanistan is freed in deal mediated by Qatar https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/20/asia/us-citizen-george-glezmann-released-taliban-afghanistan-qatar-intl
Canada
France, the UK, and Canada have announced Israel must stop any military operations in Gaza or face sanctions. Hamas thanked Canada!
Iran
Additional Iran sanctions imposed at the same time President Trump has offered lifting all economic sanctions on Iran, if the country would commit to never making nuclear weapons and also eliminate its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium. (No mention of ending their support for terrorists) Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that the nuclear talks between America and Iran are unlikely to be successful.  See https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0139, https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/20/middleeast/iran-supreme-leader-talks-us-conclusion-unlikely-intl and https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/lifting-us-sanctions-iran-could-crush-chinas-teapot-oil-refineries-bousso-2025-05-19/
 Israel
>Israel came in second at the Eurovision competition. Finland and Spain broadcasted anti-Israel messages before Yuval’s performance. Now that the contest is over, Finland accused Israel of engineering Eurovision votes and Spain is saying the audience vote isn’t fair because it was “influenced by the war.”
>What’s it like to dodge missiles in Israel? https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7us38-qlH_Q 
>What has Israel accomplished in response to attacks from Hamas and Hezbollah? https://x.com/HilzFuld/status/1923995551650951594
>Israel sending negotiators to Doha for hostage talks, after US-Israeli captive freed  https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-sending-negotiators-to-doha-for-hostage-talks-after-us-israeli-captive-freed/   
Lebanon
>UN Says Found 225 Hizbullah Arms Caches since Truce (AFP) UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, said Monday that since the Nov. 27, 2024, truce between Israel and Hizbullah it had uncovered more than 225 Hizbullah weapons caches in the south.
Palestinians/Hamas/PA
>Hamas Human Shield Strategy: Civilian casualties are not solely a tragic outcome of Israel's actions, but a deliberate result of Hamas's grotesque military doctrine. Hamas’s Human Shield Strategy https://henryjacksonsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/HJS-Hamass-Human-Shield-Strategy-in-Gaza-Report-WEB.pdf  Both Palestinians and Israelis who have been held captive in Gaza hospitals confirm that they are being used by terrorists for military purposes. Israel has issued 21 million evacuation warnings. Israel tells Palestinians to evacuate, even at the cost of alerting Hamas and risking the hostages, to minimize civilian casualties as much as possible. Israel is continuing to destroy tunnels, target the remaining Hamas leaders, and has resumed aid deliveries -  including some 100 trucks today carrying flour, baby food and medical supplies.
>Footage challenges repeated claims of starvation in Gaza as war ramps up https://www.ynetnews.com/article/r17lo2wbxg#autoplay
>People in Gaza, while evacuating from Khan Yunis, told the journalist filming them: “Record this and let those sons of b**** Hamas leaders see what people are enduring,” and “No, it’s not the Jews—it’s Hamas.” https://x.com/IhabHassane/status/1924602630581432566
>Double standards: PLO thanks Egypt for hosting released terrorists, while ‎backing Egypt’s rejection of Gazan civilians who are in danger https://palwatch.org/page/37152
Qatar
>America for Sale: Qatar’s $40 Billion Spending Spree Buys Influence and Control of Elite Institutions. Qatar’s Strategic Investments in the U.S. Include Critical Infrastructure in Oil and Gas, Higher Education, Trophy Properties, and Political Access https://www.meforum.org/mef-reports/america-for-sale-qatars-40-billion-spending-spree-buys-influence-and-control-of-elite-institutions
USA
During President Trumps tour of the Middle East he secured deals worth billions of dollars including selling $142 billion worth of arms to Saudi Arabia, and Qatar promising to invest $38 billion in the U.S. defense sector.
>East Real Estate Diplomacy in a Minefield https://maralsalmassi.substack.com/p/trumps-legacy-deal-no-exit
THE MEDIA
>NBC News Is Quietly Rewriting Its Own Reporting on the Israel-Hamas War https://honestreporting.com/nbc-news-is-quietly-rewriting-its-own-reporting-on-the-israel-hamas-war/ 
>The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) published a report revealing how Gazan reporters are being threatened, stalked, and assaulted. https://cpj.org/2025/05/gaza-journalists-speak-out-about-hamas-intimidation-threats-assaults/ This comes after CPJ designated terrorists as journalists, including hostage holders.
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Friday, May 3, 2024

Unfortunately, all the noise about campus violence is overshadowing Hamas holding hostages, both dead and alive. It was just confirmed that Dror Or, who was captured on 10/7, is dead and his body is being held hostage by the terrorists. Hamas released another propaganda video showing hostages American Keith Siegel, 64, and Omri Miran, 46.  It's been over 210 days that men, women, and children have been held by the terrorists; and Israel is being bombarded daily by missiles from Hamas and Hezbollah. Israel has given Hamas a week to strike a deal or Rafah offensive will begin. Reminder: Hamas has never honored a ceasefire.

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ON CAMPUS
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CNN described UCLA as having "mostly peaceful protests" until counter protestors arrived. That's a flat out lie! Jewish students were assaulted and blocked from attending classes. Jewish students at NYU are being told to shelter in place. At Columbia U, Israeli activist, Yosef Hadad was beaten. The failure of campus presidents, administrators, and governors is stunning. Now, anti-Israel and antisemitic activists are targeting university presidents. My hope is the federal govt./dept of ed will enforce Title VI violations. The Dept of Ed has three in investigation at Columbia, the latest is following a complaint of anti-Palestinian discrimination.

The NGO Network Orchestrating Antisemitic Incitement on American Campuses https://www.ngo-monitor.org/reports/ngo-network-orchestrating-antisemitic-incitement-on-american-campuses/

Pro-Palestine campus group behind Columbia University protests received over $3million a year in funding from 'charities' linked to Hamas  

Greenberg Traurig, National Jewish Advocacy Center, Schoen Law Firm, and Holtzman Vogel Represent American and Israeli Victims of Hamas Oct. 7 Terrorist Attack in Lawsuit Against AJP Educational Foundation, Inc. a/k/a American Muslims for Palestine and National Students for Justice in Palestine https://www.gtlaw.com/en/news/2024/05/press-releases/greenberg-traurig-national-jewish-advocacy-center-schoen-law-firm-and-holtzman-vogel-represent-american-and-israeli-victims-of-hamas

The Do-It-Yourself Occupation Guide was posted on Instagram,  originally penned by the group Palestine Action US, which featured the hashtag “EscalateForGaza.”

ASU officials said most of the 69 people who were arrested for setting up an encampment at the Tempe campus overnight were not students, staff or faculty. https://www.12news.com/article/news/politics/police-remove-pro-palestinian-protesters-from-asu/75-7aef3345-782e-47ee-bf17-104ffe86784b

At Columbia University and CCNY, nearly half the protesters were not students https://abcnews.go.com/US/live-updates/college-protests-israel-palestine-war/?id=109734946

This is a link to a UCLA parent's call to the police. 

No Joke: Iranian University Offers Scholarships as Safe Haven to US Students Expelled Over Protests 

On Canadian Campuses
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IN OTHER NEWS
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China has rejected the US request to suspend the purchase of Iranian oil.

EU sends aid to Lebanon amid Syrian migrant surge to Cyprus


Germany's Ambassadors have been in the news lately because they've been attacked in Ramallah and Pakistan. Note: the German diplomat and EU's Ambassador to the Palestinians, Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, performed the first paragliding flight ever in Gaza in July 2023! (Visegrad24 reported this in Oct 2023).

EmojiIranian Women Sexually Assaulted and Beaten in New Morality Police Crackdown - Akhtar Makoii (Telegraph-UK)
EmojiIran Has Built a Global Financial Network to Bypass Sanctions - Gianluca Pacchiani  (Times of Israel)  Sanctions against Iran have largely been ineffective because they remained on the declarative level but were often not implemented

EmojiPassage of anti-LGBTQ+ law in Iraq draws diplomatic backlash
EmojiIraq repatriates nearly 700 more citizens linked to ISIS from a Syrian camp https://apnews.com/article/camp-syria-iraq-repatriations-islamic-state-361d3681dafa51dc8150e3e0dbe6499d

EmojiUnearthing the Story Behind the Gazan Mass Graves  
Gazans Vent Anger Against Hamas (Financial Times-UK)
Emoji(Red Cross) ICRC Head of Office posts Hamas propaganda, says “f*** neutrality” https://unwatch.org/icrc-head-of-office-says-f-neutrality-in-leaked-facebook-posts
EmojiHamas propaganda gets a pass from media watchdogs
EmojiPA’s 3 “models of inspiration” murdered over 167 Israelis 

Russia is trying to exploit America's divisions over the war in Gaza
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna149759

Rafah operation is essential for Saudi normalization 
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/rafah-and-riyadh-defeating-hamas-is-essential-for-normalization-analysis-798977 I keep hearing Israel must make concession for peace with the Saudis, but I believe that's BS. It's just US policy. 

EmojiEuropol Says Turks Involved with the Most Threatening Criminal Networks in Europe https://nordicmonitor.com/2024/04/europol-says-turks-among-the-most-threatening-criminal-networks-in-europe/

EmojiOnly Two U.S. Missile Interceptors Succeeded in Iran Attack (Jerusalem Post)  Only two out of eight U.S. interceptors succeeded in hitting Iranian missiles during the drone and missile attack that targeted Israel on April 13, Israel Army Radio reported on Wednesday.  Over 90% of Israeli interceptors hit their targets.
EmojiIsrael Replaces U.S. Patriots with David's Sling  (Globes) While each PAC-3 interceptor costs $6 million, David's Sling interceptors cost $700,000.
EmojiCongress threatens ICC over Israeli arrest warrants We live in a world where Assad doesn’t get an ICC arrest warrant for committing a massacre with chemical weapons, where UN verdict against Hezbollah killing of Hariri remains outstanding and so does UNSC resolution 1701, where China gets away with internment of a population in the 100s of thousands, they've not condemned Hamas or Sinwar, but then only an elected government in Israel gets chased. 
Note the U.S. has never greenlit International Criminal Court arrest warrants even for oppressive dictators.

EmojiAn interesting read: The Decolonization Narrative Is Dangerous and False 

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