Palestinian factions agree to end division in pact brokered by China

Posted on July 24, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

REUTERS
China brokers Palestinian unity deal, but doubts persist
Laurie Chen and Nidal Al-Mughrabi
July 23, 2024

Palestinian rivals including Hamas and Fatah agreed to form a unity government at talks hosted by China, Beijing said on Tuesday, a deal meant to deliver a post-war Gaza administration but quickly rejected by Israel as it seeks to crush Hamas. Analysts said the agreement would prove hard to implement, with complications including the deep enmity between Palestinian factions and Western opposition to Hamas having any role in governance. No timetable was declared for implementation. The Beijing Declaration was signed at the closing ceremony of a reconciliation dialogue among 14 Palestinian factions held in China’s capital from July 21-23, according to the readout. READ MORE

Posted in Islam, Israel & Middle East | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A new letter from seven unions representing millions of workers, including the SEIU and United Auto Workers, criticizes ‘Israel’s refusal to minimize civilian harm’ and its ‘vicious response’ to Oct. 7 terrorism

Posted on July 23, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

JEWISH INSIDER
Major labor unions call on Biden to halt military aid to Israel
Gabby Deutch
July 23, 2024

Several major labor unions on Tuesday called on President Joe Biden to halt all military aid to Israel, in a joint letter sent to the president the day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress on Wednesday. “We believe that immediately cutting U.S. military aid to the Israeli government is necessary to bring about a peaceful resolution to this conflict,” reads the letter, which was signed by seven unions representing millions of American workers…The missive to the president comes amid a push from the UAW to protest Netanyahu’s speech by organizing a “labor contingent” to a major anti-Israel protest planned for Capitol Hill on Wednesday. READ MORE

Posted in Israel & Middle East, Politics | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

VP Kamala Harris “studied the Rafah maps” so that she could lecture Israel on military strategy

Posted on July 23, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

JNS
Potential Harris presidency could turn the screws on Israel
David Isaac
July 22, 2024

…Later in March, Harris opposed Israel’s plan to invade Rafah, the last stronghold of Hamas in the southern Gaza Strip, although not doing so would have enabled the terror group to survive. “We have been clear in multiple conversations and in every way that any major military operation in Rafah would be a huge mistake,” she told ABC News. “Let me tell you something. I have studied the maps. There’s nowhere for those folks to go, and we’re looking at about 1.5 million people in Rafah who are there because they were told to go there, most of them,” she said. Harris’s assessment turned out to be wrong, as 900,000 Gazans evacuated Rafah within one week from the time Israel issued its first evacuation order for the city on May 6. READ MORE

Posted in Islam, Israel & Middle East, Politics | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Hamza Howidy, who left the Strip shortly before Oct. 7, describes life under repressive Islamist regime, slams Western pro-Hamas protesters: ‘They support terrorists with good PR’

Posted on July 23, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

TIMES OF ISRAEL
Now in Germany, a Gazan dissident tries to set record straight on Hamas’s brutal regime
Gianlucca Pacchiani
July 23, 2024

In 2019, Gazan activists Hamza Howidy and Amin Abed organized and participated in demonstrations against the harsh living conditions in the impoverished Strip. They were both arrested by Hamas and placed in the same prison cell. Every day, they were subjected to beatings and torture. Last August, Howidy, 26, managed to leave Gaza after another round of protests and another detention. Abed, 35, stayed behind, unable to afford the exorbitant exit fees from the enclave, and unwilling to let his beloved Gaza collapse further under the weight of Hamas’s mismanagement and repression. Even after October 7, Abed refused to remain silent in the face of the devastation that the terror group brought upon Gaza. READ MORE

Posted in Islam, Israel & Middle East, Politics | Tagged , | Leave a comment

As of today, there are 2300 AI companies operating in Israel that make up 25% of the entire Israeli hi-tech industry

Posted on July 23, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

REAL CLEAR MARKETS
Why Israel Is Poised To Lead the AI Revolution
Hila Rom
July 23, 2024

The AI INDEX REPORT for 2024, recently published by Stanford University presents comprehensive research measuring global trends in AI. The report revealed that Israel is ranked number 1 in the world in AI talent concentration, which can certainly explain its increasingly growing number of AI startups and the recent decision of Ilya Sutskever (OpenAi founder and former chief scientist) to build his new AI company and R&D center in Israel. In addition to its unmatched talent pool, Israel has unique local catalysts that have positioned it to stand at the forefront the AI revolution. READ MORE

Posted in Israel & Middle East | Tagged | Leave a comment

Since the establishment of Israel in 1948, Bedouin Israelis have consistently fought for the country

Posted on July 21, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

TIMES OF ISRAEL
An exclusive look into the faces of the IDF’s Bedouin battalion: Gadsar 585
Guy Fattal
July 21, 2024

Last month, I journeyed to the southern border of Gaza to join the IDF’s Bedouin battalion, Gadsar 585. This unique unit, operating in the desert terrain of Israel’s south, has played a critical role in the country’s defense for decades. The battalion, mostly composed of Bedouin Muslims, stands out for its diverse makeup and its soldiers’ deep-rooted connection to the land they defend…The idea of Muslims serving in the IDF might not align with many preconceived notions. Yet, this is one of the defining features of Gadsar 585. In addition to the Bedouin majority, the battalion also includes Jewish, Arab Israeli, and Christian soldiers. READ MORE

Posted in Islam, Israel & Middle East, Jewish, Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

In April, Argentina’s top criminal court blamed Iran for the attack, saying it was carried out by Hezbollah militants responding to “a political and strategic design” by Iran

Posted on July 19, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

REUTERS
Argentina’s Milei vows justice in 1994 bombing of Jewish community center
Lucila Sigal and Kylie Madry
July 18, 2024

Argentina’s Jewish community on Thursday commemorated the 30th anniversary of the bombing of a community center that killed 85 people, with President Javier Milei promising to right decades of inaction and inconsistencies in the investigations into the attack. A bomb-filled van hit the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in 1994, the deadliest such incident in the South American nation’s history. “Today we chose to speak out, not stay silent,” Milei said in an address on Wednesday evening, ahead of a ceremony at the AMIA building on Thursday. “We’re raising our voice, not folding our arms. We choose life, because anything else is making a game out of death.” READ MORE

TABLET MAG Unforgiven:José Pérez, a Federal Police spy who infiltrated the Argentine Jewish community, holds the secrets of Iranian terrorist attacks in Buenos Aires. This is his story. From the AMIA bombing on, according to his version of events, he has felt an unbearable guilt for having funneled material that might have served in planning the attack or in the bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires in March 1992, which resulted in 22 people killed and more than 240 wounded. In both cases—the embassy and the AMIA bombings—Pérez delivered building characteristics, access points, hours, schedules, security systems, weak points, and methods for entering and exiting without detection. 

Posted in Islam, Israel & Middle East, Jewish, Politics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Soon after the attack, a leader of Yemen’s Houthis, Hezam al-Asad tweeted “Tel Aviv” with a burning emoji. No official statement has been made by Israel regarding this connection

Posted on July 18, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

JPOST
One dead, ten wounded following suspected drone strike in Tel Aviv, IDF investigating
Yuval Barnea
July 19, 2024

Israeli media reported a loud explosion on Ben Yehuda Street on the corner of Shalom Aleichem near the US Consulate in Tel Aviv early Friday morning. During searches by emergency services, the body of a lifeless man in his 50s with shrapnel marks on his body was found in an apartment near the location of the explosion. Ten people were taken to hospital with minor wounds, according to Israeli media. Police, fire, and rescue services were deployed to the area and told Israeli media that there was no fire. The source of the explosion is not yet known. An IDF spokesperson announced that a preliminary investigation shows that the explosion in Tel Aviv “was caused by the fall of an aerial target, which did not trigger a warning.” READ MORE

Posted in Islam, Israel & Middle East | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Israel’s Paris Olympic team: “We’re not coming to the Olympic Games to say, ‘OK, we are in the Olympics now. We’re coming to make history and win all the games. Our target is go higher and higher.”

Posted on July 18, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

LOS ANGELES TIMES
Amid calls for an Olympic ban, Israeli athletes are determined to succeed in Paris
Kevin Baxter
July 16, 2024

Israel is sending 88 athletes to Paris this month, the second-largest Olympic team in the country’s history. And they’re going to France against the backdrop of a bloody war at home that is entering its 10th month with no end in sight. Yet that’s a topic few Israeli athletes seem willing — or able — to talk about. “I don’t want to answer. I don’t want to go inside this thing,” Misha Zilberman, a four-time Olympian in badminton, said when asked about the war in Gaza. A communications officer for a first-division Israeli soccer team, which placed numerous players on the Olympic team, was more blunt. “We will not approve any questions regarding political/security situation/current affairs,” he warned. “I don’t think it’s fair on them to face such questions.” READ MORE

JEWISH PRESS US Muslim Group Wants Israel Expelled from Paris Olympics The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the US largest Muslim organization, on Wednesday called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ban Israeli athletes from participation and recognition in the 2024 Olympics, to open on July 26, as the IOC punished Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

WASHINGTON TIMES Adidas backtracks after uproar over 1972 Olympic shoe redo using pro-Palestinian model Bella Hadid Adidas has apologized for an ad launch starring pro-Palestinian model Bella Hadid wearing a revamped shoe from the 1972 Munich Olympics, where Palestinian terrorists killed 11 Israeli athletes and coaches. Adidas spokesman Stefan Pursche said Thursday that “we apologize for any upset or distress caused” by the ads. Ms. Hadid is an Arab American supermodel known for her Palestinian advocacy and anti-Israel views.

TWITTER The Persian Princess: In advance of what is sure to be the most ANTISEMITIC Olympic Games since the Berlin Olympics of 1936, @ELALUSA releases an advertisement for the Israeli Olympic Athletes to remind them they are not alone.

Posted in Israel & Middle East, Jewish, Politics | Tagged , | Leave a comment

American Muslims for Palestine is facing renewed scrutiny as part of terrorism investigation

Posted on July 17, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

JEWISH INSIDER
Virginia judge rules pro-Palestinian group required to disclose donor documents
Matthew Kassel
July 16, 2024

In a major court ruling in Virginia on Tuesday, a Richmond judge ordered that a pro-Palestinian group with alleged ties to Hamas must turn over closely guarded financial documents requested by the state attorney general as part of an investigation into its funding sources, according to a statement released by his office. The highly anticipated decision represents a significant setback for American Muslims for Palestine, a Virginia-based nonprofit organization that could now be compelled to turn over sensitive financial records, including donor information it has long successfully shielded from public view. Jason Miyares, the Republican attorney general, had for months been seeking to compel AMP to hand over its records after his office launched its investigation shortly after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. READ MORE

CANARY MISSION American Muslims For Palestine (AMP) is a national anti-Israel organization that has been embroiled in many controversies related to its history of anti-Semitism and links to terror organizations and terror-financiers. AMP leaders have spread anti-Semitism, expressed support for Hamas terrorists and praised the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and its spiritual leader. At least one AMP national board member reportedly personally raised money for Hamas, while another two board members have been linked to alleged Hamas financiers. AMP promotes the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and has spearheaded multiple BDS campaigns.

Posted in Islam, Israel & Middle East, Jewish, Politics | Tagged , | Leave a comment