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“Let’s reinforce the fact that China has to date had an informal policy of neutrality in this war,” Mr Shmigel told Sky News host Chris Kenny.
“It has not directly provided a military support to Russia. There are still open lines of communication between Ukraine and China.”
The last but not least. The announcement of the so-called “China’s 12-point peace plan for Ukraine” is another step by China in which it tries to be on the same level, at least, diplomatically, as the United States.
This is an attempt to really turn into a powerful world player capable of solving crises of a truly planetary scale. This is another step towards the formation of a new pole of power, at least in the imagination of the Chinese themselves.
The harsh negative reaction of the US and EU to China’s efforts to reach a new mediation level has been palpable. The Western partners of our country are clearly not interested in this.
It is within this framework that the visit of the leader of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, to Moscow, should be viewed.
It is not the first time for Russia to top China’s oil supplier list. In 2022, Russia shipped the most crude oil to China on a monthly basis in May and November. In terms of the whole year of 2022, Russia exported a total of 86.25 million tons of oil to China, ranking second after Saudi Arabia’s 87.49 million tons, according to customs data.
Russia is also China’s main source of natural gas and coal imports, and the „ballast stone“ role of energy in bilateral trade has been further highlighted, Chinese newspaper the Economic Daily reported on Monday, citing Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.
The Chinese currency, the yuan, has become a major player in Russia’s foreign trade, according to data from the country’s central bank. The share of renminbi in Russia’s import settlements jumped to 23% by the end of last year from only 4% in January 2022. The yuan’s share in export settlements also surged from 0.5% to 16%. At the same time, the two countries have been slashing the share of the US dollar and euro in their bilateral trade.
Putin and Xi Jinping will hold their basic talks on March 21 with the participation of delegations from both countries.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Monday to kick off his three-day state visit, with the warm hospitality of the Russian side expressed through the high-standard welcoming ceremony arranged for the Chinese president upon his arrival. Experts from both China and Russia said the visit will be symbolic and have global significance, as it will not only greatly promote the development of bilateral ties, but also bring hope and confidence for a peaceful solution to the Ukraine crisis.
Upon his arrival, Xi said in a written statement at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport, „It gives me great pleasure to once again set foot on the soil of Russia, our friendly neighbor, and pay a state visit to the Russian Federation at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin.“
Almost a year ago, I completed my tour of duty as Israel’s Ambassador to Germany after four decades of service in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In recent months, I participated in the establishment of the Foreign Policy Forum, consisting of several former senior ambassadors, who have devoted decades to promoting the foreign relations of the State of Israel in the political, strategic, economic, security and cultural fields.
Just as we all fought on Israel’s diplomatic front in many countries, we are now fighting on the streets of Israel, shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of thousands of fellow citizens.
(28 January 2023)
However, as of this time, the name of only one witness has been publicly announced — Amos Gilad, who was the director of the Defense Ministry’s Political-Military Affairs Bureau at the time of the purchase of the submarines.
The names of any other witnesses, if they exist, are unknown. Nor is it known how many times a week the commission meets, and which of the panel members are present when it does.
(Sep 25, 2022)
The most serious accusation by Ya’alon was that Netanyahu had concealed from him and the army brass the fact that he had given former German Chancellor Angela Merkel a green light to sell advanced submarines to Egypt. “This could reach the level of treason,” the former defense minister said. In his statement, details of which became known to Haaretz, Netanyahu reversed his opposition to the sale of the submarines in a one-to-one conversation with Merkel, but refused to say why.
(26 Sep 2022)
Dear Members of the Assemblée Nationale,
We, the undersigned Members of the European Parliament, are writing to you to express our grave concern about Article 7 of the draft law on the Olympic and Paralympic Games. We warn that if the law is passed in its current form, France would set a surveillance precedent of the kind never before seen in Europe, using the pretext of the Olympic games. Article 7 of the text will provide a legal basis for the use of cameras equipped with algorithms to detect specific suspicious events in the public space.
(15 Feb 2011)
Since the fall of Baghdad, Curveball’s identity had been sought throughout Iraq and Europe. He was finally outed in late 2007 as the main source for Powell’s speech, but has tried to keep a low profile ever since, refusing — under the orders of the BND — the approaches of the few reporters who had tracked him downto Karlsruhe.
The only other time Curveball has agreed to be interviewed was in late 2007, when he told CNN that he had been set up as a fall guy by the BND and had never breathed a word to them about WMD.
5th April 2010 10:44 EST WikiLeaks has released a classified US military video depicting the indiscriminate slaying of over a dozen people in the Iraqi suburb of New Baghdad — including two Reuters news staff.
Reuters has been trying to obtain the video through the Freedom of Information Act, without success since the time of the attack. The video, shot from an Apache helicopter gun-sight, clearly shows the unprovoked slaying of a wounded Reuters employee and his rescuers. Two young children involved in the rescue were also seriously wounded.
(Friday 17 March 2023)
In a “significant escalation” of a dispute over jobs, pay and conditions, the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union says more than 1,000 members will walk out at all seven offices in England, Wales and Scotland from 3 April to 5 May. Staff at the Passport Office in Belfast may join the strike later.
The union says the walkout will have a “significant impact” on the delivery of passports as the summer approaches.
(Friday 17 March 2023)
The news follows the breakthrough in the NHS dispute on Thursday, with union leaders representing thousands of nurses, ambulance crews and other health workers agreeing to suspend further strikes while ballots are held on a new pay offer.
(17 Mar 2023)
On Friday night the Department of Health and Social Care said the British Medical Association had agreed to enter negotiations on the same terms as unions representing nurses, ambulance staff and other NHS workers in talks that concluded this week.
(16 Mar 2023)
After three months of strikes, the Government has offered a one off bonus this year of 2.5% for the best paid and 8.2% for the worst paid.
The offer, recommended by most of the main NHS unions, comes on top of the 4% increase already implemented for 2022/23.
This award had come with inflation at over 10% and had sparked the strikes.
On 22 February 2023, I submitted applications to Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court for warrants of arrest in the context of the Situation in Ukraine.
Today, the Pre-Trial Chamber has issued arrest warrants in relation to the following two individuals:
Mr Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation; and
Ms Maria Lvova-Belova, Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation.
On the basis of evidence collected and analysed by my Office pursuant to its independent investigations, the Pre-Trial Chamber has confirmed that there are reasonable grounds to believe that President Putin and Ms Lvova-Belova bear criminal responsibility for the unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation, contrary to article 8(2)(a)(vii) and article 8(2)(b)(viii) of the Rome Statute.
Some say you’ve unleashed this revolution to evade your trial. That makes no sense. You could drag it on for years or subvert it with less drastic legislative initiatives.
Others posit that you are intimidated by the extremists — those you have empowered politically, and the toxic commentators on TV, radio and social media, including some very close to home.
I hear that some people who know you well think you have convinced yourself that you are truly King Bibi, a great, historic national figure, wiser and more capable than all.
(March 13, 2023)
”Until we make sure that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a government that he controls, we will not be able to do common things, “said UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed.
(04.03.2015)
The prime minister has been warning for over 20 years that Tehran is close to achieving its pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Analysis: Washington sends clear message to Israeli leader; ‚If you pursue objectionable policies, there’s no entitlement to the Oval Office sit-down,‘ says expert
A convoy of Israeli army veterans and former hostages who were involved in the 1976 Entebbe Operation in Uganda arrived on Wednesday to protest at Ben-Gurion Airport ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s departure to Germany for a state visit.
The convoy is part of the protest movement aimed at disrupting Netanyahu’s departure over his constitutional coup.
Recent moves by the Israeli government to undermine the power of the courts could undermine investment and spark an exodus of educated Israelis, Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron warned on Wednesday. He further declared that it was “imperative” to maintain the independence of the judiciary.
The CEO of Riskified, an Israeli fraud-prevention company, said in a staff email that the judicial overhaul could lead to an economic downturn and put Israel on the path to authoritarianism.
The letter wrote that the racist, homophobic and undemocratic intentions by the government is targeting all Israeli citizens at home and abroad, referring to the ongoing judicial overhaul plans and a host of other proposed laws that will adversely affect the “freedom of authors and artists in Israel.”
The authors wrote that Netanyahu supports current legislation running through the Knesset that would turn the Israeli police into a “political police, a tool that every dictatorship needs in order to enforce state power on citizens.”
The deeds were filmed in many videos in which soldiers, the Border Police and vehicles of the security forces can be seen all around town. For many long hours, those forces did not stop the pogrom launched by the settlers; Palestinians who have spoken with Haaretz have said that when they tried to defend their homes, soldiers fired tear gas and threw stun grenades at them. Only at about 11 P.M. did Israeli security forces achieve control over the raging crowds. This is how the events looked.
The constitution is the guiding force behind the US. The president, federal officers and all members of the military swear to defend it.
Though written at the end of the 18th century, many of the lessons from the debate over its adoption are of interest to us in modern-day Israel: namely the maintenance of equality between the three branches of government, the preservation of checks and balances, the need to maintain a strong judiciary but also the need to retain a path to override Supreme Court decisions, the importance of harnessing the talents of high-level visionaries and the need to maintain a broad consensus before initiating reform.
(13.03.2023)
The third amendment approved by the Knesset, the override clause, allows its members to enact laws previously overruled by the court. This proposed amendment to the Basic Law on the Judiciary would also make any law passed by a slim majority (61 out of 120 lawmakers) immune to judicial review by the court.
(25.02.2023)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he plans to meet China’s leader Xi Jinping to discuss Beijing’s proposals on ending the war in Ukraine.
Speaking on the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, he said the proposal signalled that China was involved in the search for peace.
The Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Kremlin said it had nothing to announce yet. Ukraine’s president’s office did not immediately respond.
Standing next to Mr. Biden in front of the flags of the three countries, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain stressed the economic benefits from the deal, which they said will provide thousands of good-paying jobs for those who design, build and operate the subs.
„Chinese leader Xi Jinping plans to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the first time since the start of the Ukraine war, likely after he visits Moscow next week to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to people familiar with the matter,“ the edition said on Monday.
As expected, the conversation with Zelenskyy will be held virtually.
Yellen, in an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation,” provided few details on the government’s next steps. But she emphasized that the situation was much different from the financial crisis almost 15 years ago, which led to bank bailouts to protect the industry.
“We’re not going to do that again,” she said.
The announcement came off the back of energy prices rising after Russia launched its war on Ukraine in February 2022, with sanctions limiting the sale of Moscow’s oil and natural gas in Western markets. Aramco’s results mirror the huge profits seen at U.S. and British oil giants.
“Unfortunately, Iranian officials will not hesitate to make things up, and the latest cruel claim will cause more heartache for the families of Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi and Morad Tahbaz,” the council said, naming the three Americans known to be held by Tehran on widely disputed espionage charges.
Later in the meeting, Netanyahu seemed to comment on the friction between National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai, following the dismissal of Tel Aviv’s police chief and the subsequent reversal of the decision.
„The elected government is in charge of the army, the police and all other security organizations… No one else will decide who is in charge of those organizations,“ Netanyahu said.
#ReformeDesRetraites #64ansCestNon #Pontivy #Morbihan #CentreBretagne #Bretagne
France saw a wave of strikes against Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms on Thursday, causing disruption to trains, flights, schools and even hospitals. Polls show a majority of the French oppose the president’s measures – and analysts say maintaining public support of strikes will be crucial to unions’ chances of forcing a U-turn.
(March 9, 2023)
“After 75 years, it’s time for a constitution for the State of Israel,” which would fix Israel’s government system, protect human rights and enshrine the Declaration of Independence, MQG head Eliad Shraga said during a press conference at the group’s judicial reform protest tent in front of the Supreme Court in Jerusalem. The movement presented the proposal to President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday night, he said.
Lapid said that while “judicial activism” should be limited, “a democratic state cannot exist without a strong and independent court.”
In addition, the Yesh Atid leader said that the judicial appointment committee would have its composition changed so that the Supreme Court is “diverse in its composition and opinions, but will ensure that politicians — from any side — will not have control over the selection of judges.”
On his Facebook page, the former prime minister argued that this constitution should begin with the first paragraph of Israel’s 1948 Declaration of Independence, which states that the land of Israel is the cradle of the Jewish people.
According to Lapid, this constitution should be composed of three fundamental laws: the first would be a declaration of the superiority of the fundamental laws of the country, and would subject all authorities to restrictions established by law.
The deal also comes as Saudi Arabia is demanding certain security guarantees, a steady flow of arms shipments and assistance with its civilian nuclear program in order to normalize relations with Israel, a major U.S. ally, the White House confirmed on Friday.
Speaking to reporters, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the U.S. was “informed” about the Saudi Arabia-Iran talks but played no role in them.
(September 18,strong> 2003)
UN officials said there have been rumours going back 20 years that the Saudis wanted to pay Pakistan to do the research and development on nuclear weapons.
In 1988, Saudi bought from China intermediate-range missiles capable of reaching any part of the Middle East with a nuclear warhead.
Four years ago, Saudi Arabia sent a defence team to Pakistan to tour its secret nuclear facilities and to be briefed by Abdul Qader Khan, the father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb.
(August 25, 2017)
In a separate report, SPA said Hashim Yamani, the president of King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KACARE), which is responsible for the country’s nuclear plans, met officials in China on Aug. 23-24. Their discussions included cooperation in areas such as pre-feasibility study to build the first two nuclear reactors in the kingdom, and exploration for uranium and thorium.
SPA said KACARE has also held meetings with suppliers of nuclear technology in the United States, Japan, China, South Korea, and Russia. It visited France end of July.
(09.03.2023)
Saudi Arabia is reportedly asking for US help to develop its civilian nuclear programme, raising fears that the kingdom may seek to develop a nuclear weapon and accelerate an arms race with Iran.
Saudi officials want US support to enrich uranium and develop their own fuel production system, while Washington is in return seeking a normalisation with another Middle East ally, Israel, according to a new report by The Wall Street Journal.
(March 9, 2023)
Saudi Arabia is seeking security guarantees from the United States, help with developing a civilian nuclear program and fewer restrictions on U.S. arms sales as its price for normalizing relations with Israel, people familiar with the exchanges say.(…)
A normalization deal would also fulfill one of the most cherished goals of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, capping what he considers a legacy of increasing Israel’s security against its archenemy, Iran.
(13.12.2022)
President Biden has urged the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to increase production of oil and criticized the cartel harshly when it declines to do so—most recently on Dec. 4. But actions speak louder than words. Under the Biden administration, the U.S. has been acting as shadow member of the cartel.
(today)
(18.02.2023)
The talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which are backed by the U.S., were held before the U.S.-Gulf Cooperation Council Working Group gathering in Riyadh, which was focused on defense and security, Bloomberg reported several anonymous sources involved in the meetings as saying.
More meetings between the two countries are expected to occur this weekend in Prague, during the Munich Security Conference, according to several of the sources.
They also plan to reimplement a security pact signed 22 years ago under which both parties agreed to cooperate on terrorism, drug-smuggling and money-laundering, as well as reviving a trade and technology deal from 1998.
Friday’s announcement is also a diplomatic victory for China in a Gulf region that has long been considered part of the US’ domain of influence. It comes as the Biden administration tries to notch its own win in the Middle East by trying to broker a normalization pact between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
(06.03.2023)
Kanaani was referring to the nuclear negotiations that started in April 2021 to revive the 2015 nuclear deal but the talks came to a standstill in the summer of 2022 as the Biden administration is refusing to lift the sanctions imposed during Donald Trump’s presidency.
(04.03.2023)
The two-day visit by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, comes as the Vienna-based organisation seeks greater cooperation with Iran over its nuclear activities.
“By having a constructive discussion … and having good agreements, like I am sure we are going to have, we are going to be paving the way for important agreements,” Grossi told a news conference on Saturday alongside the head of Iran’s atomic energy organisation, Mohammad Eslami.
It can be very confusing when a “coup from above” takes place. On the face of it, everything looks normal. There are no tanks in the streets, and no general with a uniform sagging with medals interrupts the television broadcasts. The coup occurs behind closed doors, with laws being passed and decrees being signed that remove all restraints on the government, and dismantle all checks and balances. Of course, the government does not declare that it is carrying out a coup. It claims only that it is passing some much-needed reforms, “for the good of the people.”
Russia has a limited supply of such missiles and has never sent so many toward Ukraine in a single attack. Ukraine’s defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, claimed in November that Russia had used 16 Kinzhal missiles over the course of the war and retained stocks of 42 missiles after replacing those it had fired.
Ukrainian officials have pleaded for their Western supporters, including the United States, to share stronger air defense systems, including the Patriot system, to help stop attacks that are undetectable with their existing hardware.
With demands for a full inquiry and an end to privatization, protestors marched toward Syntagma Square and the Greek Parliament, where the main body of demonstrators reached the square at around 15:00.
At the same time, the left-wing trade union faction PAME organised a separate rally and march to Parliament over the rail accident at Propylea, attended by labor organizations, federations, unions, students and pupils.
(03.03.2023)
After a train station manager in Larissa was arrested in connection to the collision, Greek authorities on Thursday made public striking dispatch recordings that show one of the train drivers receiving instructions to ignore a red light.
The Hellenic Police estimates that more than 40,000 people marched in central Athens on Wednesday to protest the rail collision at Tempe last week that left 57 people dead. Sources from the Citizen Protection Ministry also pointed out that the march was a mostly peaceful affair.
Ever since the coup against our system of government – and the sweeping opposition to it – began, President Isaac Herzog has been doing damage to Israel’s democracy. Even if his intentions are good, at this point we have to call a spade a spade and urge him to stop.
The present report illuminates the ways in which counter-terrorism and security are frequently used to provide political and legal justifications for the adoption of high-risk and highly intrusive technologies on the basis of exceptional threats and with the promise of strictly limited application. The report demonstrates that such rationales and limitations rarely hold, and that the claim of exceptional use to respond to security crises is a chimera, when the reality is broad and wholesale use which lacks adequate human rights or rule of law restraints. Such technologies, including biometric, surveillance and drone technology, have serious negative impacts on the enjoyment of human rights across the globe. The Special Rapporteur highlights the human rights risks inherent in the development, deployment and transfer of such technologies internationally. She is also deeply concerned about the discriminatory elements built into the development and deployment of such technologies. Negative consequences include direct violations of non-derogable rights, the integrity of which is being undermined by
new technologies lacking any meaningful legal oversight, and impunity for both State and non-State actors whose use and transfer of such technologies involves systemic rights-violative practice.
The trial and the coup are now simultaneously underway, but while the first is lumbering along, the second is galloping forward. The hearings in the Jerusalem District Court will resume only after Passover. Until the judges return from their hiatus, the wings of the High Court of Justice might be clipped, the Judicial Appointments Committee might be under full control of the politicians, or Israel might be in the throes of a historic constitutional crisis.
IDF Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi will sit down with reserve air force pilots and commanders to discuss the importance of serving after reserve pilots in an elite air force unit said they would not participate in a training exercise in protest of the ongoing government’s judicial overhaul efforts
“This is a very different kind of right wing. It’s not ideological right wing or public policy right wing. This is, tragically – and I say this with tremendous sadness – something that looks a lot like a gang of thugs.”
The war in Ukraine sparked a rally in crude oil and fuel prices that led to record industry profits, prompting the U.S. government and others to accuse Big Oil of profiteering and for Britain and some other governments to impose windfall taxes on energy companies.
Diese Codes werden genutzt, um Geld zwischen verschiedenen Banken zu überweisen – sie kommen zumeist bei internationalen Überweisungen zum Einsatz. Banken verwenden diesen Code außerdem, um untereinander Nachrichten auszutauschen.
Der SWIFT-Code – mitunter auch SWIFT-Nummer genannt – ist ein einheitliches Format für Business Identifier Codes (BIC). Banken und Finanzinstitute nutzen diesen Code, um sich weltweit identifizieren zu können. Der Code gibt an, um welche Institution es sich handelt und wo sich diese befindet – sozusagen eine internationale Bankleitzahl oder ein internationaler Ausweis.
They include 10 points, in particular: stop transactions with assets owned by financial institutions of the Russian Federation; prohibition of establishing business relations, including correspondent ones; prohibition of transactions and investments in favor of financial institutions of the Russian Federation.
This list also includes a ban on the purchase of securities and other financial instruments issued by financial institutions of the Russian Federation, with the exception of the alienation (including gratuitous) of securities in favor of the state of Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi on Thursday. Blinken said he urged Russia to return to the New START arms control treaty, but Moscow has already insisted that Washington’s “hybrid war” on Russia makes serious discussions impossible.
The two diplomats met for around ten minutes
William J. Hartman will meet with Chisinau officials to discuss „cooperation between the United States and the Republic of Moldova in countering new and emerging cyber threats,“ the source said.
(20.01.2023)
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is prompting soul-searching in neighboring Moldova about whether the country needs to shift away from its constitutionally-enshrined neutrality and lock itself into a “larger alliance.”
When asked about potential NATO accession, Moldova’s President Maia Sandu said in an interview with POLITICO the country was still weighing its next step, and whether it would require a constitutional change to do so.
On 18 September 2022, protests in Moldova began in the capital city of Chișinău, demanding the resignation of the country’s pro-Western government,[35][36] amid an energy crisis causing rising natural gas prices and inflation, caused in part by the war in Ukraine.
It is the second anti-government rally held in Chisinau in two weeks and comes amid growing concerns of attempts to destabilize Moldova, Ukraine’s neighbor.
On Feb. 13, President Sandu outlined what she claimed was an alleged plot by Moscow to overthrow the government in order to put the nation “at the disposal of Russia,” and to derail it from its course to one day join the 27-nation E.U. Russia strongly rejected her claims.
Fears of unrest have mounted in recent weeks as Moldova faced a series of overlapping issues, including soaring energy costs brought on by Western sanctions against Russia, whispers of an alleged Kremlin plot to destabilize the government of President Maia Sandu, and ongoing street protests against Sandu’s administration.
In his video message at the G20 foreign ministers‘ meeting, Modi also invoked Mahatma Gandhi and Buddha to urge the delegates to draw inspiration from India’s civilisational ethos and „focus not on what divides us, but on what unites us.“
(28.02.2023)
What to watch: Smotrich is expected to visit the U.S. the second week of March for a meeting of the Israel Bonds organization.
Israeli officials said he hasn’t asked for any meetings with the Biden administration.
Two U.S. officials told Axios that even if he asked for meetings with Biden officials, he likely wouldn’t get them.
Price issued a strong condemnation from the US State Department podium Wednesday, saying, “I want to be very clear about this. These comments were irresponsible. They were repugnant. They were disgusting.”
“And just as we condemn Palestinian incitement to violence, we condemn these provocative remarks that also amount to incitement to violence,” he said at a State Department briefing.
Price also called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “and other senior Israeli officials to publicly and clearly reject and disavow these comments.”
Netanyahu and his government, made up of ultranationalists, have branded the protesters anarchists, while stopping short of condemning a West Bank settler mob that torched a Palestinian town earlier this week.
The legal overhaul has sparked an unprecedented uproar, with weeks of mass protests, criticism from legal experts and rare demonstrations by army reservists who have pledged to disobey orders under what they say will be a dictatorship after the overhaul passes.
Israel’s Finance Minister called for the destruction of a West Bank Palestinian village on Wednesday, days after it was attacked by a mob of settlers who torched dozens of homes and reportedly killed one resident.
“The village of Hawara needs to be wiped out. I think that the State of Israel needs to do that [and] not, God forbid, private individuals,” said Bezalel Smotrich, when asked why he had “liked” a tweet by deputy Samaria Regional Council head Davidi Ben Zion calling for Hawara to be “wiped out today.”
Opposition lawmakers boycotted the final votes in committee approving the bill for its first reading in the Knesset plenum, after Rothman granted only one MK from each Knesset faction the right to speak for five minutes.
“This is a dictatorship and the silencing of people’s opinions, we won’t be part of it. Vote among yourselves” shouted Hadash MK Ofer Cassif at Rothman.
“This is a regime putsch!” Yisrael Beytenu Yulia Malinovsky fumed before leaving the committee room.
In less than 24 hours, Israelis gave more than $272,750 to help Palestinians whose homes and businesses were destroyed by dozens of rioting settlers in the northern West Bank town of Huwara on Sunday.
A 37-year-old Palestinian man was killed, 300 were wounded – four of them seriously – and dozens of buildings and vehicles were set on fire in the mass riot that followed the killing of two Israeli brothers in a terror shooting in the same town. Labor party member Yaya Fink started an online crowd-funding campaign the morning following the attack.
(28.02.2023)
The attackers remained at large Tuesday. (…)
The army said the attackers opened fire at an Israeli car near the Palestinian city of Jericho, hitting Ganeles. The assailants, traveling in one vehicle, then drove further and fired again, the army said. The attackers set their own vehicle afire and fled, setting off a manhunt.
(Updated 7:10 AM EST, Tue February 28, 2023)
Elan Ganeles, 27, was shot dead on Monday evening in what Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency service described as a “terror attack” on a highway between Jericho and the Dead Sea.
The attack took place on Route 90, north of the Beit Ha’Arava Junction, the MDA said. The location is normally peaceful and on one of the main routes for Israelis to visit the Dead Sea.
(Feb 27, 2023)
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are left reeling after deadly violence and arson by Israeli settlers targeted a town where two Israeli brothers were killed. Dozens of Israeli settlers set homes and cars ablaze in the northern town of Huwara overnight, after a day of Israeli-Palestinian talks in neighbouring Jordan aimed at quelling a surge in violence in the Palestinian territory.
(Feb 27, 2023)
Israeli settlers went on a rampage after two brothers were shot and killed in the West Bank on Sunday. The latest attack on Israeli citizens sparked revenge attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, causing at least one death and numerous injuries. Dozens of cars and homes belonging to Palestinians were set on fire by angry Israelis.
(26.02.2023)
Israeli forces blocked roads in the area of the attack and initiated a manhunt for the perpetrator.
An initial IDF probe found the gunman took advantage of a traffic jam to carry out the attack.
(26.02.2023)
Analysts said that Belarus‘ support for China’s position on a political settlement to the Ukraine crisis paves the way for future cooperation in multilateral frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), of which Lukashenko said he expects Belarus will become a full member in 2023.
But as a neighbor of Russia and Ukraine, Belarus faces a tough geopolitical situation, and the risks to its security environment are increasing. If the conflict expands, Belarus could be dragged into it, experts said.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will arrive in Beijing on Tuesday, kicking off a three-day trip in which he will meet Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
The state visit by Lukashenko — a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin — comes after Beijing released a position paper on Russia’s war in Ukraine insisting it is a neutral party and calling for dialogue between the two sides.
The UK government has announced a proposed digital government identity verification system under the banner ‘GOV.UK One Login’. This new system will replace the number of existing ways we log into government websites to access public services online. It could give the government a blank cheque to share the personal information of millions of users between government departments.
Seven decades after Winston Churchill’s government scrapped ID cards, we cannot accept plans that will take us closer to becoming a database state now. It is vital that we respond with our concerns.
(24.02.2023)
Critics say companies could be required by Ofcom to scan messages on encrypted apps for child sexual abuse material or terrorism content under the new law.
This has worried firms whose business is enabling private, secure communication.
Element, a UK company whose customers include the Ministry of Defence, told the BBC the plan would cost it clients.
24 years ago, the Human Rights Act was passed and the right to privacy was declared a fundamental right in the UK. Today, in times of rapidly expanding online public spheres, this human right is under grave threat.
Something fundamental is at stake: our ability to hold private conversations.
A combined total of about 47 million people in the UK use messaging apps like Whatsapp and Signal. It is clear that the UK is online and connected. However, the privacy of our online conversations is under threat. So who is trying to undermine our ability to speak without large corporations and governments snooping on our conversations and why?
Enter the Online Safety Bill…
Der Messenger Threema beteiligt sich nicht am von WhatsApp und Signal angekündigten „Walk-Out“ aus Großbritannien wegen des geplanten Überwachungsgesetzes. Den Anforderungen des „Online Safety Bills“ wird das Schweizer Unternehmen allerdings auch nicht nachkommen.
(Feb. 24, 2023)
In December 2014, the Obama administration released a 500-page summary of a classified Senate study of the C.I.A.’s so-called black site program. It revealed the agency’s practice of using “rectal rehydration” and “rectal feeding” to punish prisoners.
At the time, the C.I.A. defended it as a sound medical procedure. The group Physicians for Human Rights then condemned the practice as “sexual assault masquerading as medical treatment.”
But this week the agency declined a request for a comment on the descriptions that were attributed to the C.I.A. in open court. Nor would an agency spokeswoman respond to Dr. Crosby’s testimony that Mr. Nashiri also told her that he was sodomized with a broom stick while the C.I.A. held him in a cell, nude with his wrists shackled above his head.
“While the U.S. has intensified its efforts to send weapons to one of the parties to the conflict, resulting in an endless war, it has frequently spread false information about China’s supply of weapons to Russia, taking the opportunity to sanction Chinese companies for no reason. This is outright bullying and double standards,” Mao Ning told reporters, as reported by The Associated Press.
The US falsely accuses China of „preparing to provide lethal weapons to Russia,“ which is a political rogue approach. China is trying to strike a balance and will not provide weapons to the Ukrainian battlefield as the US has done.
What’s happening to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu? The extreme mood swings reflected in both his statements and body language attest to pressure, psychological distress and loss of his senses. He quickly slips into the mindset of paranoid tyrants who live in a bubble, divorced from reality.
(22 February 2023)
In addition to his January 2022 conviction for tax fraud, Deri served prison time for a 1999 bribery conviction related to his conduct while a minister. In its explosive January ruling, the High Court of Justice said Netanyahu’s decision to appoint a convicted financial criminal as minister in charge of the large Health Ministry and Interior Ministry budgets was “unreasonable in the extreme.”
The bill, submitted by coalition chairman Ofir Katz, states that only the cabinet can declare a prime minister unfit or incapacitated by a two-thirds majority, and that in some cases, such a declaration would require approval by a majority of 90 lawmakers. Moreover, a declaration of incapacitation would apply to incompetence for health reasons only.
The bill is being advanced in response to the Movement for Quality Government in Israel’s petition to the High Court asking to declare Netanyahu unfit for office over a conflict of interest due to the ongoing criminal proceedings against him.
(10 February 2023)
The High Court of Justice on Friday gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu one month to respond to a petition to declare him unfit for office and force him to take a leave of absence.
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel petitioned the court on Thursday, arguing that Netanyahu is in violation of a conflict of interest arrangement that bars him from involvement in matters that could impact his ongoing trial on graft charges.
(Jan 22, 2023)
In 2021, the High Court of Justice ruled that a conflict of interest arrangement formulated under then former attorney-general Avichai Mandelblit was binding for Netanyahu.
The arrangement prohibits Netanyahu from being involved in the nomination of judges or of the police commissioner and from being involved in legislation that has an impact on the criminal proceedings against him.
Saturday evening saw the largest protest against the far-right government’s judicial overhaul plan thus far, as the demonstrations entered their eighth consecutive week.
In addition to the main protest in Tel Aviv and the demonstration outside the president’s residence in Jerusalem, protests took place at dozens of locations throughout the country, including the Gaza border town of Sderot, the northern town of Rosh Pina, Rehovot, Eilat, Modi’in, Herzliyah, Ra’anana, Hod Hasharon, Hadera, the settlement of Efrat and dozens more bridges and junctions across Israel.
Although the Russian people do not enthusiastically support the war, the majority accept it. Any notion that they will oust their leader is wishful thinking.
Putin has cleverly scripted the conflict into a powerful historic narrative. He presents it as a defensive struggle for the survival of the country akin to the German invasion of 1941. NATO’s refusal to rule out Ukrainian membership and the planned accession of Sweden and Finland are grist for his propaganda mill.
China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis
1. Respecting the sovereignty of all countries. Universally recognized international law, including the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, must be strictly observed. The sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries must be effectively upheld. All countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are equal members of the international community. All parties should jointly uphold the basic norms governing international relations and defend international fairness and justice. Equal and uniform application of international law should be promoted, while double standards must be rejected.
(20.02.2023)
Russian exports of discounted crude and fuel oil to China have jumped to record levels as the re-opening of the world’s biggest energy importer gathers pace after the dismantling of Covid Zero.
During the conversation, the president conveyed that Pakistan remained deeply concerned over the conflict in Ukraine. He said that Pakistan supported a peaceful solution to the conflict in accordance with the UN Charter.
Dr Alvi said that the contents of the draft resolution were being evaluated by the government of Pakistan.
Diplomatic sources say that India’s position will likely be to keep the “balance” and abstain, despite France and other countries reaching out
Die umfassende strategische Partnerschaft zwischen China und Russland zur Koordinierung einer neuen Ära hat sich nie gegen eine dritte Partei gerichtet und duldet auch keine Einmischung durch Dritte. Dies sagte Wang Yi, Direktor des Büros des Komitees für auswärtige Angelegenheiten des Zentralkomitees der Kommunistischen Partei Chinas bei einem Treffen mit dem russischen Präsidenten Wladimir Putin am Mittwoch.
Beijing has been positioning itself as a broker for the end of the Ukraine conflict, and has said its president Xi Jinping will deliver a “peace speech” on 24 February, the one-year anniversary of the war.
Chinese state media on Tuesday released Mr Xi’s “Global Security Initiative” or GSI, a concept paper that the Global Times said was released “with the aim of eliminating the root causes of international conflicts and improving global security”.
The government’s proposed legislation includes an “override clause” that would allow the smallest possible majority – 61 out of 120 lawmakers in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament – to overturn rulings by the Supreme Court. Israel does not have a constitution, and the separation between the legislative and executive branches is very weak, since the government almost always holds a majority in the Knesset.
This makes the Supreme Court the only institution with any power to review government actions and legislation passed by a parliamentary majority. Netanyahu’s government wants to strip the court of that power.
“If passed, these changes risk weakening human rights protections for all, but especially the most vulnerable communities and groups less able to vindicate their rights through representation in the executive and legislative branches of Government,” he said.
The proposals in their current form would limit the Supreme Court’s ability to subject legislation to judicial review and would require either a super majority of judges, or even unanimity, for the top court to strike down legislation, he cautioned.
News reports said tens of thousands of people have, in the past weeks, attended demonstrations against the proposed changes, including in Tel Aviv and in Jerusalem.
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the opening of the 2023 session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, in New York today:
It is my privilege to join this meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. I congratulate the Chair, Ambassador Cheikh Niang, and other members of the Bureau on your election. And I commend all of you for your tireless commitment.
We meet as the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is at its most combustible in years. Just this morning, we had more deeply concerning news. An operation by Israeli security forces and ensuing clash in Nablus left 10 Palestinians dead and over 80 injured.
The war is also fanning regional instability and fuelling global tensions and divisions, while diverting attention and resources from other crises and pressing global issues. Meanwhile, we have heard implicit threats to use nuclear weapons. The so-called tactical use of nuclear weapons is utterly unacceptable.
China’s top diplomat Wang Yi met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, and pledged to strenghthen cooperation between the two countries, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement. China is willing to work with Russia to deepen political trust, extend pragmatic cooperation, and play a constructive role for both countries in promoting world peace and development, Wang told Putin.
(21.02.2023)
Autocrats only understand one word: “No.” “No.” “No.” (Applause.)
“No, you will not take my country.” “No, you will not take my freedom.” “No, you will not take my future.”
And I’ll repeat tonight what I said last year in this same place: A dictator bent on rebuilding an empire will never be able to ease [erase] the people’s love of liberty. Brutality will never grind down the will of the free. And Ukraine — Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia. Never. (Applause.)
For free people refuse to live in a world of hopelessness and darkness.
(…)
So, tonight, I speak once more to the people of Russia.
The United States and the nations of Europe do not seek to control or destroy Russia. The West was not plotting to attack Russia, as Putin said today. And millions of Russian citizens who only want to live in peace with their neighbors are not the enemy.
This war was never a necessity; it’s a tragedy.
President Putin chose this war. Every day the war continues is his choice. He could end the war with a word.
It’s simple. If Russia stopped invading Ukraine, it would end the war. If Ukraine stopped defending itself against Russia, it would be the end of Ukraine.
That’s why, together, we’re making sure Ukraine can defend itself.
2. Stay committed to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. Sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs are basic principles of international law and the most fundamental norms governing contemporary international relations. We believe all countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are equal members of the international community. Their internal affairs brook no external interference, their sovereignty and dignity must be respected, and their right to independently choose social systems and development paths must be upheld. Sovereign independence and equality must be upheld, and efforts should be made for all countries to enjoy equality in terms of rights, rules and opportunities.
3. Stay committed to abiding by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. The purposes and principles of the UN Charter embody the deep reflection by people around the world on the bitter lessons of the two world wars. They are humanity’s institutional design for collective security and lasting peace. The various confrontations and injustices in the world today did not occur because the purposes and principles of the UN Charter are outdated, but because they are not effectively maintained and implemented. We call on all countries to practice true multilateralism; firmly uphold the international system with the UN at its core, the international order underpinned by international law and the basic norms of international relations underpinned by the UN Charter; and uphold the authority of the UN and its status as the main platform for global security governance. The Cold War mentality, unilateralism, bloc confrontation and hegemonism contradict the spirit of the UN Charter and must be resisted and rejected.
7. Implement the five-point proposal on realizing peace and stability in the Middle East, including advocating mutual respect, upholding equity and justice, realizing non-proliferation, jointly fostering collective security, and accelerating development cooperation, so as to jointly establish a new security framework in the Middle East. Support the positive momentum and the efforts of Middle East countries to strengthen dialogue and improve their relations, accommodate the reasonable security concerns of all parties, strengthen the internal forces of safeguarding regional security, and support the League of Arab States (LAS) and other regional organizations in playing a constructive role in this regard. The international community should take practical steps to advance the two-state solution to the Palestinian question, and convene a larger, more authoritative and more influential international peace conference, so as to achieve a just solution to the Palestinian question at an early date.
A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought, China announced in the Global Security Initiative Concept Paper it released on Tuesday amid growing risks and challenges that the world faces today, particularly in light of the Ukraine crisis, with the aim of eliminating the root causes of international conflicts and improving global security.
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told a forum on Tuesday in Beijing that China had officially released the Global Security Initiative Concept Paper, fully elaborating ideas and principles, clarifying cooperation mechanisms and underscoring China’s responsibilities and firm determination to safeguard world peace by listing 20 major cooperation directions.
Sicherheit sei das Recht aller Länder der Welt und nicht die exklusive Domäne einiger Länder. Die Globale Sicherheitsinitiative diene den Interessen der Menschen auf der ganzen Welt und bewahre den Frieden von allen. Jedes Land, das bereit sei, der Globalen Sicherheitsinitiative beizutreten, sei willkommen. China unterstütze alle Länder, die sich aufrichtig um die Erhaltung des Weltfriedens und der Entwicklung bemühten, so der chinesische Außenminister weiter.
Vladimir Putin also told the Federal Assembly that there was information that the United States was considering the possibility of full-scale tests of their nuclear weapons, adding that the Russian Ministry of Defense and Rosatom must be ready to test Russian nuclear weapons if Washington really does conduct the test first.
Speaking in his state-of-the-nation address, Putin also said that Russia should stand ready to resume nuclear weapons tests if the U.S. does so, a move that would end a global ban on nuclear weapons tests in place since the end of the Cold War.
Launch new projects, earn money, work hard for Russia, invest in enterprises and jobs, and help schools and universities, science and healthcare, culture and sports. In this way, you will increase your wealth and will also win the respect and gratitude of the people for a generation ahead. The state and society will certainly support you.
Let us consider this as a message for your business: get moving in the right direction.
To be continued.
„I have to say today that Russia is suspending its participation in New START. I repeat, not withdrawing from the treaty, no, but merely suspending its participation,“ the president said.
The president stressed that before returning to the discussion on the issue of continuing the work as part of New START, Russia has to understand itself „what do such NATO countries as France and the United Kingdom vie for and how will their strategic arsenals be taken into account.“
In his state of the nation speech delivered on Tuesday, Putin seemed to address the infighting.
“We must get rid of … any interdepartmental contradictions, formalities, grudges, misunderstandings, and other nonsense,” he told the political and military elite.
In a post later in the day, Prigozhin said he had been too busy to watch the speech and could therefore not comment on the president’s remarks.
(today)
In stormy Knesset vote, Netanyahu coalition approves government control over judicial appointments and dramatically limiting Supreme Court’s ability to strike down lSixty-three lawmakers voted in favor of the bills, while 47 objected to them.
The bills, forming the core of the government’s contested judicial overhaul plan, change the composition of the Judicial Appointments Committee, which selects the country’s judges, and bar the High Court of Justice from exercising judicial review or striking down basic laws.aws
(19.02.2023)
Quarter million protesters tale of the streets across Israel Satudary evening, in the seventh consecutive weekend of demonstrations against the far-right government, ahead of judicial reform bills being placed before the Knesset plenum on Monday. Organizers of the protest movement have declared Monday as a “National Day of Struggle”, which, for the second week in a row, will include a large rally outside the Knesset, as well as demonstrations in various cities and the shuttering of some businesses.
According to the Chinese foreign ministry, the position paper will reiterate a number of “important claims” by Chinese President Xi Jinping, including that sovereignty and territorial integrity should be respected and legitimate security concerns should be considered.
Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi is scheduled to visit Russia – the last stop of his tour to Europe since February 14. He is expected to promote peace talks as the Russia-Ukraine conflict approaches the one-year mark, with the situation still deteriorating. Analysts said that China’s tangible moves in de-escalating the situation have been in stark contrast to the US‘ fanning of flames.
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin may hold talks with Wang Yi and he said the agenda for Wang is very „extensive and there is a lot to talk about.“
Pulling from the playbook of the American Legislative Exchange Council — a Koch-backed group that writes model legislation for conservative lawmakers across the U.S. — Kohelet’s founder helped draft the law that became Israel’s Basic Law on the Nation-State in 2018. The controversial policy established Jewish people as having the sole right to self-determination, downgraded Arabic from its status as an official language, and declared the development of Jewish settlement a “national value.” Kohelet also drafted a new law that gives Israel’s Parliament the power to override Supreme Court decisions, grants the government complete control over judicial appointments, and abolishes the courts’ reasonableness doctrine, which was most recently used to disqualify a thrice-convicted criminal and Netanyahu ally from serving as health and interior minister.
Why a former head of Mossad and former chief of the Shin Bet, both of whom were appointed by Netanyahu, now find themselves fighting to stop the prime minister from destroying Israel’s legal system
(Feb 15, 2023)
Driving the news: Israeli officials said Schumer and his delegation are expected to visit Israel Feb. 23–25.
“All over the world liberal democracy is under siege by right-wing autocrats and fanatical extremists who are in a coordinated global attack on freedom,” says Raskin, 60, who was a constitutional law professor prior to serving in Congress.
„Fortunately, the forces of strong democracy, judicial independence, human rights and women’s equality, religious pluralism and the rule of law are on the march too – from the streets of Jerusalem to the streets of Tehran to the heroic people of Ukraine battling fascist invasion to all their powerful democratic allies in the United States and Europe,“ he continues, putting the Israeli government in some previously unimaginable company.
(today)
As a rule, Israel’s military does not comment on specific strikes in Syria, but has admitted to conducting hundreds of sorties against Iran-backed groups attempting to gain a foothold in the country over the last decade.
(29. Dec 2022)
(September 21, 2015)
IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkot and Military Intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. Herzl Halevi will accompany Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a lightning trip to Moscow on Monday, in a clear signal that regional arms transfers and Russia’s troop deployments in Syria will be the main focus of the discussions.
The Saudi delegation was led by Gen Khalid Humaidan, the head of the country’s General Intelligence Directorate. He was received by Syria’s Gen Ali Mamlouk, the architect of the push to crush the early years of the anti-Assad revolution and the key interlocutor with Russian forces, which took a significant stake in the conflict from September 2015.
Two years earlier, Riyadh had been central to a plan to oust Assad by arming anti-Assad forces near Damascus and encouraging defections to nearby Jordan, from where the Saudi leadership had expected Barack Obama to launch a push by US proxies to take the Syrian capital.
(24 August 2021)
Prince Khalid met with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu earlier in the day to “explore ways to strengthen the military and defense cooperation” between the two countries.
The talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which are backed by the U.S., were held before the U.S.-Gulf Cooperation Council Working Group gathering in Riyadh, which was focused on defense and security, Bloomberg reported several anonymous sources involved in the meetings as saying.
More meetings between the two countries are expected to occur this weekend in Prague, during the Munich Security Conference, according to several of the sources.
Updates
(17.03.2023)
Antonio Tajani told RAI Radio 1 that he used a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Rome on Thursday to urge Beijing to use all its powers to persuade Russia to end the war while ensuring Ukraine’s independence.
But there are signs that Blinken is operating under the assumption that a Munich meeting with Wang Yi is highly likely. “Some of the officials who would need to be there for such a meeting left with Blinken to Munich in anticipation of a potential meeting,” said a third Washington, D.C.-based diplomat familiar with the trip’s participants. All three diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to give public statements about the negotiations.
THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. Last week, in the immediate aftermath of the incursion by China’s high-altitude balloon, our military, through the North American Aerospace Defense Command — so-called NOR- — NORAD — closely scrutinized the — our airspace, including enhancing our radar to pick up more slow-moving objects above our country and around the world.
In doing so, they tracked three unidentified objects: one in Alaska, Canada, and over Lake Huron in the Midwest.
They acted in accordance with established parameters for determining how to deal with unidentified aerial objects in U.S. airspace.
At their recommendation, I gave the order to take down these three objects due to hazards to civilian commercial air traffic and because we could not rule out the surveillance risk of sensitive facilities.
(…)
Now, we’ll also continue to engage with China, as we have throughout the past two weeks. As I’ve said since the beginning of my administration, we seek competition, not conflict, with China. We’re not looking for a new Cold War.
(…)
Now, look, the other thing I want to point is that we are going to keep our allies and the Congress contemporaneously informed of all we know and all we learn. And I expect to be speaking with President Xi, and I hope we have a — we are going to get to the bottom of this. But I make no apologies for taking down that balloon.
President Joe Biden on Thursday said he would talk to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in the wake of the US Air Force shooting down what Washington says was a high-tech Chinese spy balloon earlier this month.
“I expect to be speaking with President Xi and… we’re going to get to the bottom of this,” Biden said in his most extensive public remarks since the incident on February 4.
(25.05.2018)
Black Cube’s political work frequently intersects with Israel’s foreign policy priorities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for example, has campaigned vociferously against the Iran deal.
“They would never work against Israeli interests,” said the source who was familiar with Black Cube’s Iran work. He likened the firm to an “almost privatized wing of Mossad.”
He also suggested there was little chance that the Israeli government or its intelligence agencies were unaware of Black Cube’s work to discredit the Iran deal.
(May 21, 2021)
In May, Black Cube resurfaced in the news, when it was revealed it was used to get information on two Americans who supported the Iran nuclear deal, which President Donald Trump has since pulled out of.
According to the New York Times, Black Cube assembled a file on Ben Rhodes, a former national security adviser to President Obama that contained “pictures of his apartment in Washington, telephone numbers and email addresses of members of his family, as well as unsubstantiated allegations of personal and ethical transgressions.”
Additionally, Black Cube collected information on Colin Kahl, a national security adviser to Vice President Joseph Biden.
He was suspended last month, after a member of Team Jorge suggested to undercover reporters that the group was secretly behind a BFMTV news report about the Monaco yachting industry.
The report, broadcast last year, suggested sanctions imposed against Russian oligarchs were damaging the yachting industry in the Mediterranean principality.
A covert team of Israeli contractors who claim to have manipulated more than 30 elections around the world using hacking, sabotage and automated disinformation on social media have been exposed in a new investigation. The unit is run by Tal Hanan, a former Israeli special forces operative who now works privately using the pseudonym ‚Jorge‘. In more than six hours of secretly recorded meetings, Hanan and his team explained how they could gather intelligence on rivals, including by using hacking methods to access Gmail and Telegram accounts
The investigation reveals extraordinary details about how disinformation is being weaponised by Team Jorge, which runs a private service offering to covertly meddle in elections without a trace. The group also works for corporate clients.
Hanan told the undercover reporters that his services, which others describe as “black ops”, were available to intelligence agencies, political campaigns and private companies that wanted to secretly manipulate public opinion. He said they had been used across Africa, South and Central America, the US and Europe.
Team Jorge, this investigation believes, works with a residential proxy provider, in order to provide its avatars with local digital identities in the form of real IPs that cannot be found by social media sites.
Team Jorge also seems to work with a cellular provider that serves AIMS in a similar manner, likely giving avatars their local numbers and supplying the infrastructure needed to grant them SMS verification.
The deliberately misleading technical infrastructure also serves to hide such actors. The process creates another layer of plausible deniability between, in this case, Team Jorge, the client and the campaign’s content, and helps them further mask the truth. Or, as Hanan put it in one presentation: „My signal is from Indonesia, the WhatsApp from Hong Kong, Telegram from Germany. And none of them are my numbers.“
From a small office building, a group of Israelis is spreading global disruption
For fifteen years, J Street has been warning of the dire threat posed to the future of Israel — its democracy, its values and its security — by the agenda of far-right ultranationalists and religious zealots.
We have spoken out about these looming threats because we care so deeply about the state and the people of Israel who are our family, our friends and our colleagues.
We’ve centered our work opposing settlements, demolitions and creeping annexation precisely on the point that never-ending occupation will ultimately take a toll on the occupier, not just on the occupied — and will lead to the erosion of Israel’s very democracy itself.
Sadly, the far-right — and the settlement movement at its core — that has single-mindedly pursued permanent control over the West Bank and dominance over the Palestinian people is now firmly in control of the government of Israel.
AIPAC demands that American Jews leave their consciences and values at the door. But we will no longer automatically back a ‚pro-Israel‘ organization that supports those who subvert democracy – at home and in Israel
(Video: Yair Palti)
Mass rallies began Monday morning across the country as thousands headed to Jerusalem amid a large-scale strike to protest the government’s plans to impose radical, sweeping changes on the judiciary.
Thousands of parents and students were marching in Tel Aviv, while protesters blockaded the main entrance to the airport as others demonstrated outside the home of a far-right lawmaker.
LIVE UPDATES
The Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee will begin a legislative blitz on Monday whose goal is to overturn Israel’s system of government. Committee chairman Simcha Rothman will try to secure passage of bills that would bar the Supreme Court from overturning unconstitutional Basic Laws and change the Judicial Appointments Committee’s composition so that representatives of the governing coalition can select the judges.
(@N12News poll)
The anti-occupation bloc was also present, chanting “no apartheid government… from Sheikh Jarrah to Jenin, Palestine will be free.” Members of the group carried Palestinian and LGBTQ pride flags.
„Democracy is not built on the bodies of children. Democracy is not built on house demolitions and evictions,“ they shouted. Later in the evening, a man in the crowd reportedly attacked the bloc’s protesters and was detained by the police.
(07.02.2023)
(08.02.2023)
A Communist lawmaker on Tuesday urge at the Knesset podium citizens of the nation to civil unrest against the “dictatorship” of the new Netanyahu government. MK Ofer Cassif (Hadash) was quickly removed by Knesset ushers. “In light of the current emergency situation, I call for civil unrest…” Cassif said before being interrupted by Deputy Speaker Nissim Vattori (Likud), who called on Knesset ushers to forcibly remove Cassif from the plenum.
The Hadash lawmakers present at the time then erupted in a shouting match, with Cassif and fellow opposition MKs labeling the coalition members as “fascists.”
And here, not a day goes by without more business owners moving their money and their activity, or at least some of it, abroad. As a self-defense mechanism to keep its value from being destroyed. Most them aren’t declaring this. It is their own personal money that they are moving. But in the atmosphere of McCarthyism that is spreading here like the plague, they are immediately denounced as traitors. As defaming the state. Foxes in its vineyards. Journalists who report on what is happening or bring evidence from other countries that have been through similar processes are chastised and lambasted.
(13.12.2022)
President Biden has urged the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to increase production of oil and criticized the cartel harshly when it declines to do so—most recently on Dec. 4. But actions speak louder than words. Under the Biden administration, the U.S. has been acting as shadow member of the cartel.
(08.02.2023)
Opposition leader Yair Lapid comes out in support of a worker’s strike on Monday in protest of the government’s judicial overhaul plan.
(04.03.2015)
The prime minister has been warning for over 20 years that Tehran is close to achieving its pursuit of nuclear weapons.