30 Nov 2024

The Hidden Treasures in Our Presidential Thanksgiving Proclamations
whatever thoughts Thanksgiving brings to mind, it’s a pretty safe bet that presidential proclamations aren’t among them. In late September 1789, our country’s first Congress sent a resolution to George Washington asking that he recommend a day of thanksgiving to the new nation. Washington obliged and declared Thursday, Nov. 26, “to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks.” Here in these documents, then, is a sort of CliffNotes of American history, a timeline of the trials and triumphs of our past.

UK votes to legalize assisted suicide; final approval of bill pending
United Kingdom lawmakers passed a bill Friday that, if finalized, will legalize assisted suicide in England and Wales under strict circumstances. The bill allows for medical assistance in dying for any person at least 18 years of age who has fewer than six months to live.

Lebanon ceasefire ‘could be short,’ Gaza war will not end until goals achieved, Netanyahu says in rare Hebrew interview
Days after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was declared, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave his first Hebrew-language interview to the right-leaning Channel 14 news channel, explaining his reasoning for the ceasefire – a decision that was unpopular even among those within his voter base. Netanyahu told Channel 14 journalist Yaakov Bardugo that he didn’t view the ceasefire as a permanent solution and cautioned that it would have to prove itself.

12,500 targets hit, Hezbollah’s leadership decimated: Israeli army sums up 2 months of war in Lebanon
On the third day of the ceasefire with Hezbollah, Israel Defense Forces published a summary of “Operation Northern Arrows,” its military offensive in southern Lebanon that began with massive airstrikes on Sept. 23 and culminated with the ground operation that began on Oct. 1. The operation succeeded in deposing almost the entire Hezbollah leadership, including its leader Hassan Nasrallah, and severely degraded its weapons arsenal.

BBC journalists quit union after being told to wear Palestinian colors
Several journalists of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) have resigned from the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) after the union directed its members to dress differently for a “Day of Action for Palestine.” journalist Charlotte Henry said she quit due to the union having become “a hostile environment for Jewish journalists.”

Ceasefire with Lebanon: A Win for Biden or the Trump Effect?
Less than two days after the ceasefire took effect, Israel accused Hezbollah of violating the agreement, forcing the IDF to strike inside Lebanon twice. In the first strike, fighter jets struck a Hezbollah facility used to hold medium-range rockets after identifying activity there, according to the military.

Iran nuclear proliferation ‘critical threat’ in coming months, French spy chief says
“Our services are working side by side to face what is undoubtedly one of the threats, if not to say the most critical threat, in the coming months – the possible atomic proliferation in Iran,” Nicolas Lerner said at the British embassy in Geneva. His rare public comments come as Iran and European powers meet in Geneva to discuss Iran’s nuclear program, the situation in the Middle East, and Tehran’s ties with Russia amid the war in Ukraine.

Surge in antisemitism must be a global wake-up call
GB News reported on Wednesday that leaflets reading “Zionists, leave Britain or be slaughtered” were distributed in Hendon, a neighborhood with a large Jewish population. “We are witnessing a troubling trend of redlines being repeatedly crossed,” said Isaac Zarfati, executive director of StandWithUs UK. “This is not just another wave that will pass if we remain passive.”

Preacher Slammed for ‘Appalling’ Remarks at Irish Memorial, Accusing Israel of Viewing Itself as a ‘Master Race’
Reverend Canon David Oxley delivered the sermon last week at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin during a Remembrance Sunday service attended by Irish President Michael Higgins and other high-ranking dignitaries. Ironically, Oxley had previously revealed familial ties to the Nazis in a sermon delivered at the same event five years ago.

Syrian Islamist rebels re-enter Aleppo in apparent collapse of regime defenses
Syrian Islamist rebels appear to have made stunning territorial advances against the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad on Friday, re-entering the city of Aleppo for the first time in eight years amid the apparent collapse of government defenses in the area.

Netanyahu to convene security meeting amid Syria developments
Israel is closely monitoring the situation in Syria as rebel forces are fighting along the Syrian-Iranian axis and threatening the Assad regime. Israeli officials say, “This is something we need to follow closely to see how it develops.” They also note, “It’s not necessarily something that will affect us in the short term, but any instability in a neighboring country could impact us. It appears there may even be opportunities for change here.”

European Federation Of Journalists Announces They Are Leaving Elon Musk’s X
In other words, Elon Musk has lifted the suffocating wet blanket of online censorship from a single website and the European media are losing their minds. The organization also claimed that their president had received “misogynistic cyber harassment and death threats”, though they did not produce any evidence to support the accusation.

Hezbollah Believes It Lost Up To 4000 Fighters Killed, Far Surpassing 2006 War
Reuters has cited Hezbollah and Lebanese sources to say that Hezbollah believes the number of its fighters killed by Israel over the last year of fighting could be as high as 4,000. A fragile ceasefire has held for the last three days, and the Shia group backed by Iran has been burying its dead this week. Ground fighting has been most intense in the last two months before the ceasefire was agreed to.

Arctic cold blast sweeping across the northern Plains and Midwest, U.S. 
An Arctic cold front is descending from the northern Plains into the Midwest on Friday, November 29, 2024, bringing the coldest temperatures since mid-February and significant snowfall across the Great Lakes region.

Members quit journalist union after asked to support ceasefire – The Jerusalem Post
Several BBC staff members quit the journalists’ union after being told to wear the colors of the Palestinian flag, Jewish News reported on Wednesday.

Former Human Rights Watch Exec Dismisses Hostages Of Hamas As ‘Utter Irrelevancies’
A former head of Human Rights Watch (HRW) described dozens of hostages held by Hamas as “utter irrelevancies” on Wednesday.

The next bankers’ heist: Swap US government-owned land and minerals for Bitcoin
The US government may be planning to use taxpayers’ money to buy Bitcoin and hold it on government balance sheets. Why? To benefit Bitcoin billionaires. This move would allow the billionaires to exit their Bitcoin holdings at a high price and use the funds to acquire real assets such as land and minerals.  It should be taken in the context of discussions about land and minerals owned by the US government.

Apple’s patent to use body parts to identify people when their face is not visible to a camera is granted 
Apple has been granted a patent for “identity recognition utilising face-associated body characteristics,” which combines facial recognition technology with other body characteristics to identify people even when their faces are not visible to the camera.

Victim of Islamic Terror Convicted on Speech Charge: Germany’s War on Michael Stürzenberger
Despite surviving a brutal knife attack by an Afghan jihadist, Islam critic Michael Stürzenberger has been convicted of ‘incitement to hatred,’ exposing a German justice system that shields Islam and failed immigration policies over its own citizens’ safety.

Foreign Intel: NATO To Deploy 100,000 “Peacekeeper” Troops into Ukraine??
Foreign Intelligence: in the absence of prospects for inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield , NATO is increasingly leaning towards the need to freeze the Ukrainian conflict in order to restore the combat capability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces for an attempt at revenge.

To mark Islamaphobia Awareness Month, MP calls for Blasphemy laws to be reinstated to protect Islam 
At Prime Minister’s Questions (“PMQs”) Keir Starmer refused to rule out introducing blasphemy laws after a Labour MP demanded the Prime Minister prohibits the “desecration of religious texts”, including the Koran, GB News reported.

Putin Says Trump ‘Not Safe’ After Assassination Attempts, Slams Mudslinging Against His Family
Russian President Vladimir Putin while at the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) summit in Astana, Kazakhstan spoke to reporters and made mention of US President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday. He said that he doesn’t believe Trump is safe after no less than two attempts on his life. Putin described “the absolutely uncivilized methods used to battle against Trump, up to and including an assassination attempt – and more than once.”

Brazil’s Supreme Court allows crucifixes, religious symbols in public buildings
Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court has unanimously ruled to allow the presence of religious symbols in public buildings, affirming that their display does not conflict with the country’s secular principles.

29 Nov, 2024

Hezbollah Violates Terms on First Day of Ceasefire, IDF Responds
https://israfan.com/p/idf-arrests-hezbollah-ceasefireOn the first day of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers arrested four Hezbollah operatives, including a local commander, in southern Lebanon. The arrests occurred after the suspects entered a restricted area in violation of the ceasefire terms, according to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz emphasized the importance of strict enforcement, instructing the IDF to prevent any movement into prohibited zones near the border. “The IDF will continue to act with a heavy hand against any violation of the agreement by Hezbollah,”

Adviser Who Found No Genocide by Israel Fired by UN
The United Nations has come under fire for its decision not to renew the contract of Alice Wairimu Nderitu, the U.N. special adviser on the prevention of genocide. Critics allege that Nderitu’s dismissal was politically motivated, tied to her refusal to label Israel’s military actions in Gaza as genocide.

US Senator Graham Pushes for Israel-Saudi Normalization by Year’s End
During a visit to Jerusalem on Tuesday, US Senator Lindsey Graham called for Israel and Saudi Arabia to establish diplomatic ties by the end of 2024, cautioning that the next US administration might face challenges securing enough Senate votes for the deal. Graham, a prominent Republican with significant influence on foreign policy, stressed the importance of striking a defense agreement under President Joe Biden’s term, which ends in January.

Ceasefire on shaky legs? Israeli airstrike removes threat in Hezbollah rocket
A short time ago, terrorist activity was detected at a medium-range rocket facility of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in southern Lebanon. The threat was thwarted by a fighter jet strike,” the IDF stated. “The IDF is deployed in southern Lebanon, acting and thwarting any violation of the ceasefire agreement,” the military added.

Israelis divided on Hezbollah ceasefire, only 20% of coalition voters in favor – poll
The Israeli Security Cabinet approved the U.S.-brokered ceasefire on Tuesday night, with 10 ministers voting in favor. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir was the sole minister to oppose the agreement, which officially went into effect on Wednesday morning. When asked about the Lebanon arrangement, 37% supported the ceasefire, 32% opposed it, and 31% were undecided about its impact on Israel.

Israel uncovers Iranian weapons smuggling operation in Judea & Samaria
The weapons recently seized by the ISA and the IDF originated in Iran and were intended to arm terrorist operatives in Jenin, located in Samaria just south of the Jezreel Valley in northern Israel. After uncovering the smuggling operation, the forces located an additional site where the majority of the weapons cache had been buried

After Smotrich’s pressure, US says it will block recognition of PA state at UNSC
Israeli government approves extending indemnities to PA banks for another year to prevent the PA economy from collapsing after the Biden Administration assured Israel it would veto any UN Security Council resolution recognizing a Palestinian State.

‘Armed terrorists and Hezbollah members will be shot’ | IDF updates rules of engagement
The IDF announced on Thursday that it was updating its rules of engagement on the Lebanese border to prevent Lebanese civilians and Hezbollah operatives from crossing to the south side of the Litani River. As part of the efforts to maintain its operational achievements, the IDF stressed that any attempt by armed terrorists or terrorists disguised as civilians to approach the border would be met with aggressive actions.

Violating US Law, Palestinian Authority Brags That It’s Responsible for ICC Arrest Warrants
US law prohibits the Palestinian Authority (PA) from receiving aid from the Economic Support Fund if it works with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute Israel. Nevertheless, the PA, which has been receiving hundreds of millions of dollars of US aid in recent years through multiple channels, played a leading role in the ICC’s case against Israel, and is now bragging about it:

In Aleppo countryside, the opposition turns the tables on the Syrian regime
In the early hours of Wednesday, opposition factions including the Sunni Islamist group Tahrir al-Sham launched the battles, ultimately capturing multiple villages and towns in the western Aleppo countryside. Among the spoils was the Syrian Army’s 46th Regiment military base, which had been subjected to near-daily shelling since the regime captured it in February 2020. At the time of this report, the factions are still engaged in battle. These battles mark one of the most significant offensives in recent years, breaking a period of relative stagnation in Syria’s civil conflict. The front lines have remained largely static since President Bashar al-Assad’s government regained control of most of the country, bolstered by Russian military support. The renewed rebel offensive may indicate a shift in strategy