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On Wednesday, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu (Likud) and Minister Benny Gantz (National Unity) met following a War Cabinet meeting, in an attempt to preserve the emergency government.

Gantz had given Netanyahu until June 8th to formulate a strategic plan for the war, to bring back the hostages, topple Hamas, among other things.

Per a new report by political analyst Amit Segal, Bibi asked Gantz why he wanted to leave the government, and the latter answered that he felt that National Unity’s influence in the cabinet was decreasing.

“Why are you leaving? The disagreements between us are negligible,” wondered Netanyahu. Gantz answered: “We feel that our influence is decreasing.”

A press conference has been scheduled for 8:40 p.m. on Motzei Shabbos for Gantz. It is expected he will announce his resignation from the government barring any dramatic changes.

{Matzav.com}

George Noll, the head of the U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs in Yerushalayim, last week sat down with a Palestinian Authority official in Hebron who has promoted antisemitic tropes about Jewish control of U.S. foreign policy, JNS has found.

USOPA, whose offices are located at the U.S. embassy to Israel but which is a separate institution, said on Monday that Noll was “pleased” to meet P.A. governor of Hebron Khaled Doudin on May 29.

The tête-à-tête in Yehuda, which was also attended by “other Chevron and Dura representatives,” focused on “challenges Hebronites are facing, including increased movement restrictions and extremist settler attacks over the past eight months,” the office tweeted.

The meeting marked Noll’s first visit to Arab Hebron since Doudin was appointed some three months ago as part of P.A. chief Mahmoud Abbas’s promise to Washington to enact administrative reforms.

However, a glance at some of Doudin’s recent remarks on the war between Israel and Hamas suggests that antisemitism and the glorification of terror are still rampant among Ramallah’s officials.

Only four days before meeting Noll, Doudin told Egypt’s Al-Masry Al-Youm that he believes the Biden administration will never withdraw its support for the Jewish state because “any American president relies on the Jewish-Zionist lobby and is a puppet of Israeli politics.”

Doudin said he could not support Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre of 1,200 people, primarily Jewish civilians, because the “resistance operation” resulted in the deaths of “tens of thousands of martyrs” in Gaza.

“The Israeli occupation government took what happened in the ‘Al Aqsa Flood’ operation [Hamas’s name for the massacre] as justification for the annihilation of the people of the Gaza Strip and the settling of scores by [Israeli Prime Minister] Netanyahu,” said the governor.

“The one who initiated the killing is the occupation,” he charged, adding that Hamas’s murder spree should be viewed against the background of Israel’s 20-year “siege” of the Palestinian coastal enclave.

Meanwhile, in an April 17 speech marking “Palestinian Prisoners Day” in Chevron, Doudin extended his “greetings and respect” to terrorists incarcerated in Israel, denouncing what he described as the “abuse, assault and medical neglect” of captured Oct. 7 terrorists.

According to the local Sada News outlet, diplomats from Jordan, Egypt and France attended the May 29 meeting in Chevron alongside Noll.

The site reported that Noll and French Consul-General in Yerushalayim Nicolas Kassianides stressed to Doudin that Washington and Paris had already imposed sanctions on Israelis in Yehuda and Shomron and that their visit was aimed at “closely examining the conditions in Hebron.”

The group reportedly joined a tour with the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee, which the NGO Monitor watchdog group has accused of antisemitism and which has alleged links to U.S.-designated terror groups.

Notably, Sada News said the diplomats met with former P.A. Chevron governor Jibreen al-Bakri, who was fired by Abbas in August 2023 but apparently continues to conduct official business on behalf of the city.

A longtime prominent member of Abbas’s ruling Fatah Party, al-Bakri has been accused by Palestinians of involvement in the murder of anti-corruption activist Nizar Banat in P.A. custody three years ago.

The photo from the May 29 visit posted to X by Noll’s office shows al-Bakri posing with the U.S. diplomat alongside the current governor.

Asked to respond to Doudin’s remarks, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department told JNS on Thursday that the Biden administration “rejects the use of antisemitic tropes just as it rejects any hate speech.”

“As we have said repeatedly, the administration continues to work tirelessly to secure a ceasefire and release of hostages, to ensure Palestinians in Gaza are protected and have their humanitarian needs met, and to identify a vision for the post-conflict period where Palestinians and Israelis can live with equal security, prosperity and freedom,” the spokesperson added.

{Matzav.com}

Two Likud Knesset members and a Likud minister are threatening to dodge party discipline on the Charedi enlistment issue.

Knesset members Dan Illouz and Moshe Saada, and Economy Minister Nir Barkat, sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, who heads Likud, stating, “If the current draft recruitment bill for Charedi yeshivah students is brought to a vote, we will oppose it.”

“We know that this bill needs to be improved; also, the Supreme Court will disqualify it,” Saada told JNS. The draft law specifies that about 2,000 Charedi men will be recruited in the first stage.

There are 63,000 Charedi men eligible for the draft.

Israel’s Supreme Court, sitting as the High Court of Justice, is currently hearing a case in which the petitioners argue that the state must start recruiting Charedi yeshivah students because the law exempting them from mandatory service expired last year. The government representative requested that the court reject the petitions and instead allow the Knesset to continue the legislative process toward a solution.

Saada continued, “We need a law that is more realistic and more equal that also solves the heavy burden placed on so many [who serve in the IDF]. It is impossible to continue like this. We need a change in the way of thinking.”

The three Likud dissenters have a simple solution: Instead of specifying how many Charedim should be recruited, they are in favor of a cap on how many won’t be recruited.

“We believe that only a limited number of yeshivah students should be recognized every year as eligible for exemption from military service,” Illouz told JNS.

“Define those who shouldn’t be drafted, then all the others must be drafted. If those eligible evade the draft, then there should be repercussions against them personally. Under the proposed government law, the repercussions aren’t against them, but rather against their yeshivahs.”

Their plan also envisages benefits for those who do serve in the military. “We have submitted a draft bill that proposes, “You serve, you get—you don’t serve, you don’t get.” We intend to give priority to those who enlist, in projects such as discounts in buying homes,” Saada said.

“If you were to conduct a secret vote in the Likud Party on our proposal, the result would be 90% in favor. I think the entire Likud Party understands, every sane Zionist person understands, that this is what needs to be done now. We are in an existential war and to win it we need a large army. In the past, the concept was a small, smart army—this has changed,” said Saada.

The current government enlistment bill reflects Netanyahu’s attempt to find an agreed formula with the Charedi parties (Shas and UTJ), which threatened to quit the government if the mass of Charedi yeshivah students were recruited. So, the question is, why should they agree to the bill suggested by the Likud dissenters?

Ilouz said, “We believe that there is a possibility to find a tenable solution that will initiate a historical process of the Charedim joining the army. I think that now is also the time when Charedi society itself is ready for that. I’m in very close contact with a lot of Charedi elected officials and with people in the community itself and I think there is an understanding that those who don’t actually study Torah need to serve.

“If I weren’t a member of Knesset, who is not allowed to do army reserve duty, I would be together with my comrades serving in the reserves,” added Illouz.

The big question is how far will the dissenting MKs go, especially since the recruitment bill is a life-and-death issue for the coalition.

“Will you go ahead even if it leads to the downfall of the government?” JNS asked the dissenters.

“If there are no soldiers, it will lead to the downfall of the nation,” replied Saada.

“It’s not a game. We are at war, and reservists do periods of 150 days in Gaza, return home, and then go for another round. I think this is our ethical and moral duty. Even if not everyone is saying it out loud, it is clear to everyone in the Likud Party that this is what should be,” he said.

Illouz added, “I said very, very clearly that if the bill that’s currently presented is brought to a vote without significant changes, I don’t see myself voting for such a law because I won’t be able to look at all the reserve soldiers fighting right now in Gaza or on the northern border in the eyes.

“And we hope that the haredi parties will be able to be more flexible for us to get to some solution,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan last month called the leadership of the Palestinian Authority “Ali Baba and the forty thieves,” speaking during a meeting of Arab countries that was attended by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Axios, citing five sources with knowledge of the incident, reported on Thursday that a shouting match erupted during the April 29 meeting in Riyadh that also included the top diplomats of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, as well as top P.A. official Hussein al-Sheikh.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum and was called to discuss a joint post-war strategy for the Gaza Strip.

Al-Sheikh was said to have complained that while Ramallah has instituted reforms and created a new government as Washington and Arab countries requested, it isn’t getting adequate political and financial support.

Towards the end of the meeting, Sheikh Abdullah pushed back and told al-Sheikh he had yet to see any significant reform inside the P.A.

The Emirati diplomat then denounced the P.A. leadership as “Ali Baba and the forty thieves” and claimed officials in Ramallah are “useless” and “replacing them with one another will only lead to the same result.

“Why would the UAE give assistance to the Palestinian Authority without real reforms?” asked Abdullah.

The sources said al-Sheikh yelled back at the UAE diplomat and stated that nobody will dictate to the P.A. how to conduct reforms.

According to Axios, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud tried to calm the two men down. However, the meeting had already gotten out of control, with Abdullah leaving the room angrily.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi then left the meeting and came back several minutes later with the Emirati foreign minister, who apologized to Blinken that he had to witness the fight.

‘You should reform yourselves’

In March, new P.A. Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa claimed his government aims to enact wide-ranging reforms and hold the first election since 2006. However, he did not provide a timetable for the vote, saying it would depend on “realities on the ground.”

Mustafa’s predecessor, Mohammad Shtayyeh, submitted his government’s resignation on Feb. 26, saying new “arrangements” were needed to take account of the “emerging reality in the Gaza Strip.”

The United States wants Ramallah to take control of the Strip after the war against Hamas ends, a move that Israel vehemently rejects because of Ramallah’s overt support for terrorism. Blinken has insisted that an “effective and revitalized” P.A. should ultimately govern the Strip.

During a Jan. 10 meeting, Blinken urged P.A. chief Mahmoud Abbas to implement “reforms, which, if implemented, would benefit the Palestinian people.” Sky News described the exchange as “tense.”

Responding to the demand that Abbas reform the P.A. leadership, Palestinian officials told America’s top diplomat, “You should reform yourselves and your policy towards the Palestinian issue.”

On April 1, Blinken conveyed to Abbas the Biden administration’s eagerness to begin working with the new P.A. government, which includes several antisemitic supporters of terrorism.

During a call with Abbas, Blinken “reiterated that the United States looks forward to working with the new P.A. Cabinet to promote peace, security and prosperity, and urged the implementation of necessary reforms,” according to U.S. State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller.

{Matzav.com}

Some 40 arson attacks occurred in the Shomron last month—a nearly 100% increase over the 21 recorded acts of criminal fire setting in May 2023, according to data the Shomron Regional Council published.

The Mount Kabir Nature Reserve northeast of Shechem has been set afire twice, with flames almost reaching a 700-year-old tree on the site.

Fire attacks were also recorded in Nachal Shiloh, Yitzhar and Itamar Heights, according to reports.

“I demand that the security establishment create deterrence and apprehend the perpetrators,” said Yossi Dagan, head of the council. “Create a situation where this is not legitimate, just like any other terrorism. The security system must treat this as a war in every respect. We need deterrence.”

Israeli authorities arrested a Palestinian man on Thursday suspected of trying to start a fire near a military post in the Binyamin region.

On May 27, Israeli firefighters battled some 70 blazes across Yehuda and Shomron. Some of those fires appeared to be arson.

{Matzav.com}

According to a report in the New York Post, a labor organizer at The New York Times has defended Hamas and smeared liberals who reject her radical views.

Nastaran Mohit, organizing director of the NewsGuild of New York, wrote on X that “all these Zionist Butchers know how to kill. Children. Families. The next generation. Depraved monsters who will meet their fate one day.”

Mohit also attacked the Times and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for failing to embrace her far-left views on the conflict.

Clinton said in a comment shared on social media, “I think it’s fair to say Hamas cares nothing about the civilians who are being murdered or killed, both by Hamas still in Gaza or through military operations by Israel.

“If Hamas would agree to a ceasefire there would be a ceasefire,” she continued.

Mohit blasted back with a reposting of the statement on Feb. 8, calling the former first lady’s claim “an objective lie, you bloodthirsty savage of a human being. Rot in hell.”

Following the Times award of a Pulitzer Prize for articles about Israel’s efforts to defeat Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Mohit called the publication a “decrepit institution” and said that the win was “utterly reprehensible.”

A spokesperson for the Times told the Post that the publication would not comment on “internal union matters.”

Mohit has made her X postings protected. She describes herself on the platform as “Labor organizer. Iranian-American. Queens girl for life #FreePalestine Views are my own,” and features a watermelon emoji in her name. With its red and green colors, the fruit has evolved into a symbol of the pro-Hamas protest movement.

{Matzav.com}

The four terrorists who tried to infiltrate Israel early Thursday morning from the southern Gaza Strip came through a tunnel that the IDF had known about for a decade.

As reported by Doron Kadosh on Galai Tzahal (IDF Radio), the tunnel shaft used by the terrorists to get within 200 meters of the border is linked to a tunnel identified by Israel 10 years ago during Operation Protective Edge in 2014.

Kadosh noted that this tunnel, which reached near Israeli territory, had not been destroyed since the war started. Despite the IDF’s operations in the “buffer zone”—an area extending from hundreds of meters to a kilometer wide along the border—over the past eight months, the tunnel remained intact.

The report suggests that the IDF did not conduct a thorough investigation of the tunnel’s route or destroy its branches approaching the fence. As a result, the terrorists were able to emerge 200 meters from the border using this tunnel.

Additionally, the terrorists accessed the first fence through an opening left for IDF forces, which had not been closed.

Security officials severely criticized the Gaza Division in a discussion with the Israel Defense Forces, stating that the incident could have been prevented both by taking preemptive action against the tunnel and ensuring the fence openings were closed.

On Thursday morning, terrorists attempted to cross the border near Rafah in Gaza, opposite the area between Kerem Shalom and Holit in southern Israel.

Soldiers from the Bedouin surveillance battalion were dispatched to the scene and engaged in a firefight with the terrorists. The skirmish took place just north of Kerem Shalom and lasted several minutes.

During the confrontation, Warrant Officer Zeed Mazarib was killed.

{Matzav.com}

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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has notified IDF Attaché in Washington, Major General Hedi Silberman, of his decision to add Israel to the blacklist of countries and organizations that harm children in conflict zones. This list already includes Russia and terrorist groups such as ISIS, al-Qaeda, and Boko Haram.

Despite Israel’s extensive efforts to dissuade Guterres, the decision stands, and Israel will be listed in the report scheduled for release next week.

Insiders familiar with the situation described it as a foregone conclusion. “The current Secretary-General hates Israel – and it is impossible to influence him. Israel’s inclusion in the blacklist is very problematic and may cause countries in the world to impose an arms embargo on Israel.”

It is anticipated that the report will not directly name the State of Israel but will state that “Israeli security forces” are to blame for the situation.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu will deliver a speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, July 24, as announced by House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.

In their announcement, Johnson and McConnell highlighted, “The bipartisan, bicameral meeting symbolizes the US and Israel’s enduring relationship and will offer Prime Minister Netanyahu the opportunity to share the Israeli government’s vision for defending their democracy, combatting terror, and establishing just and lasting peace in the region.”

Netanyahu expressed his feelings in a statement, saying, “I am very moved to have the privilege of representing Israel before both Houses of Congress and to present the truth about our just war against those who seek to destroy us to the representatives of the American people and the entire world.”

Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News first reported the July 24 date earlier on Thursday.

Sherman initially reported that Netanyahu’s address would be on June 13, but this coincides with the second day of Shavuos.

The Prime Minister’s Office clarified that “a date has not yet been set for Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech to Congress. In any case, the speech will not take place on June 13 due to the second day of the holiday of Shavuos.”

Netanyahu received an official invitation last Friday to address Congress.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) extended a formal invitation to Netanyahu to speak at a joint session of Congress. The invitation was signed by all four Congressional leaders: Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).

The invitation letter reads, “We join the State of Israel in your struggle against terror, especially as Hamas continues to hold American and Israeli citizens captive and its leaders jeopardize regional stability. For this reason, on behalf of the bipartisan leadership of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, we would like to invite you to address a Joint Meeting of Congress.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated his sentiments, “I am very moved to have the privilege of representing Israel before both Houses of Congress and to present the truth about our just war against those who seek to destroy us to the representatives of the American people and the entire world.”

The formal invitation followed Johnson’s remarks at a Washington event, where he mentioned Schumer’s agreement to invite Netanyahu to speak before Congress.

Netanyahu previously addressed Congress in March 2015.

{Matzav.com}

During a special edition of Hannity, former President Donald Trump stressed that while chants of “Lock Her Up!” were common at his 2016 campaign rallies, he wanted to refrain from going after Hillary Clinton after he was elected to the presidency.

“You can’t have this stuff go on. When Biden goes out, and everyone says ‘bye bye,’ and then he gets indicted two days later and they go after him? The country doesn’t want that. And you know what, they didn’t want that with Hillary Clinton either,” Trump said.

“After we won against Hillary, people who said ‘Lock Her Up,’ I said wouldn’t it be terrible if I locked up the wife of a former president and a former Secretary of State? It’s a terrible thing! I wanted to bring the country together. And success does bring the country together,” Trump added.

Listen to the clip:

A federal judge on Thursday ordered former Trump political adviser and right-wing podcaster Stephen K. Bannon to report to prison by July 1 to begin serving a four-month prison term for contempt of Congress.

Federal prosecutors had asked the judge to lift a previous hold on Bannon’s sentence, arguing that no substantial legal questions remain over his two-count conviction for refusing to provide documents or testimony to a House committee probing the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected Bannon’s appeal on all grounds last month, though his legal team has indicated that it plans to take their fight to the Supreme Court, if necessary.

U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols agreed with prosecutors after a nearly hour-long hearing. “I don’t believe that the original basis for my stay of Mr. Bannon’s sentence exists any longer. I no longer consider that his appeal raises substantial questions of law of a kind likely to reverse his conviction,” Nichols said, citing the appellate panel’s ruling.

A lawyer for Bannon, 70, disagreed, arguing to Nichols that the same legal questions that prompted the judge to allow his client to remain free after sentencing will remain unsettled until resolved by the full D.C. Circuit or the Supreme Court.

Nichols, a Trump appointee who sentenced Bannon in October 2022, acknowledged that Bannon was likely to appeal his latest order and gave him nearly four weeks to seek a stay from those higher courts.

Bannon did not visibly react to the decision at the defense table. Outside court, wearing his usual black blazer and layered shirts, he cast his case in partisan terms.

“This is about one thing – shutting down the MAGA movement, shutting down grass-roots conservatives, shutting down President Trump,” Bannon said. “There’s not a prison built or a jail built that will ever shut me up. … We’re going to win this. We’re going to win at the Supreme Court, and more importantly, we’re going to win on Nov. 5 in an amazing landslide.”

Bannon’s attorneys argued in court that he would suffer “irreparable harm” if he were sent to prison now, because he would almost certainly complete his four-month sentence before his appeals are decided. Attorney David I. Schoen said that by June 24, he would request a rehearing before the full D.C. Circuit of the ruling affirming his July 2022 conviction for contempt of Congress.

“By the Government’s own account, these issues can only be fully reviewed on their merits by the Court of Appeals sitting en banc or by the United States Supreme Court; therefore there is no basis for considering the removal of the stay of the sentence pending appeal until the appeals process has fully run its course,” Schoen argued in filings before Thursday’s hearing.

Even amid his legal troubles, Bannon has maintained a high profile, speaking out on political matters and advising conservatives in office. On his “War Room” podcast, the former chief strategist of Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign who served a year in the White House continues to spread false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, and he helped spur conservatives in the House to topple then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in October.

Just this week, Bannon called on “ambitious backbencher state attorneys general and district attorneys” to “seize the day” and prosecute Democrats, the New York Times reported. Trump has raised the prospect of prosecuting political opponents, such as 2016 rival Hillary Clinton.

Bannon had been allowed to remain free even after his contempt conviction and sentencing, because Nichols said he raised a substantial question about whether he should have been able to argue that he relied on legal advice to ignore a House subpoena for documents and testimony related to the Jan. 6 attack, and therefore he did not “willfully” refuse to cooperate with investigators.

Nichols has said that he did not have the authority to overrule a 1961 D.C. Circuit decision barring such defenses but that the full court of appeals could.

On Thursday, Assistant U.S. Attorney John D. Crabb Jr. argued that the three-judge panel’s “full-throated” upholding of that decades-old precedent, Licavoli v. United States, tipped the scale, and that should give Nichols “comfort and confidence” that Bannon’s conviction was unlikely to be overturned.

Though Bannon can ask the Supreme Court to intervene and prevent him from reporting to prison, the justices declined a similar request from Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro, 74, who in March became the first person incarcerated for contempt of Congress since the Cold War era. Navarro, who said in a memoir that he and Bannon had a plan to keep Joe Biden from taking office, was convicted of contempt in September and received an identical sentence in January from U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta.

The cases, though, had some important differences. Navarro interacted with the House investigative committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack without an attorney. Bannon communicated with the committee through an attorney, Robert J. Costello, who ultimately withdrew from the criminal case before trial because he was a potential witness.

Crabb noted that Bannon’s and Navarro’s appeals were rejected by two three-judge panels of the D.C. Circuit, with one judge serving on both panels. That meant, Crabb argued, that five of 11 members of the appeals court have signaled their disagreement with Bannon’s position and that Bannon would have to “run the table” to get his conviction overturned.

The case in D.C. is not Bannon’s only legal trouble. A New York state judge last summer ordered him to pay nearly $500,000 in legal fees to lawyers representing him in connection with a number of matters, including a criminal case alleging he defrauded donors contributing to a private effort to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump had pardoned Bannon in connection with those allegations.

After the pardon, the Manhattan district attorney’s office charged Bannon in 2022 with violating New York state laws against money laundering, fraud and conspiracy in relation to the same “We Build the Wall” campaign. Bannon has denied the charges and is due to stand trial this year. The judge in that case is the one who presided over Trump’s conviction recent trial, which ended with his conviction on 34 state felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

(c) 2024, The Washington Post · Spencer S. Hsu 

Donald Trump appeared on Dr. Phil Primetime on Thursday, where he thanked the hpst for giving him a “psychological interview,” saying he felt confident in opening up to McGraw due to his long-time admiration for the show. “The fact is, I’ve watched you so long, I just felt so confident when you called,” Trump told Dr. Phil. “I find it to be a very different and very interesting psychological– It’s a psychological interview that you’re doing. You’re sort of being my psychiatrist, and maybe I could use a psychiatrist.” Dr. Phil responded, “We all have a personal truth. You know, it’s what we believe about ourselves when we don’t have our mask on… You know we put our best foot forward when we step out into the world, but we do have a personal truth, what we believe about ourselves at our most vulnerable, when nobody’s looking, nobody’s listening.” Dr. Phil pressed on, asking Trump about his inner thoughts during difficult moments. “What do you say to yourself when the crowds aren’t cheering? When you’re home alone, you know, you’re riding in the car, you’re by yourself. What is the hardest, darkest moment that you can think of in this journey you’ve been on in the last several years?” Trump replied, “You have to be very strong. You’re fighting off very evil forces and they’re very smart forces.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, France – President Biden joined world leaders in Normandy on Thursday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, a somber setting where he drew a link between the historic fight to defeat the Nazis and the modern-day battles against authoritarianism and isolationism.

“In their generation, in their hour of trial, the Allied forces of D-Day did their duty,” Biden said, standing before dozens of World War II veterans at the Normandy American Cemetery. “Now the question for us is, in our hour of trial, will we do ours?”

While Biden’s speech was directed at a global audience – including the more than two dozen heads of state and government who were attending ceremonies in Normandy – it came against the backdrop of a fierce domestic political battle between the president and his predecessor, Donald Trump, who spoke at the D-Day commemorations five years ago.

During his address on the 75th anniversary, Trump hailed the veterans who stormed the beaches of Normandy in 1944 but did not offer similar praise for the global alliances that emerged out of World War II. Biden did not name Trump during his remarks, but he offered an unequivocal endorsement of the global order that the Republican front-runner has trashed, asserting that NATO and other alliances “make us strong.”

“Isolationism was not the answer 80 years ago, and it’s not the answer today,” he said to applause, adding that “the struggle between dictatorship and freedom is unending.”

Biden said his message was particularly relevant given the ongoing war in Ukraine, calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a “tyrant” and pointing out that the NATO alliance has expanded since Russia invaded Ukraine.

“Make no mistake, the autocrats of the world are watching closely to see what happens in Ukraine; to see if we let this illegal aggression go unchecked,” he said. “We cannot let that happen. To surrender to bullies, to bow down to dictators, is simply unthinkable.”

D-Day anniversaries are always celebrated solemnly – but even more so this year, likely to be the last decennial in which some of those who participated in the Normandy landings are alive and well enough to take part.

Biden began his visit to Normandy on Thursday by greeting World War II veterans who participated in the D-Day landings. Most were in wheelchairs. Some are more than 100 years old.

Biden greeted each veteran one by one, offering a salute or handshake and posing for a photograph. “You saved the world,” he said to one. He gave out special challenge coins he had designed for the occasion. He also shared private moments with several veterans, whispering in their ears and congratulating them after French President Emmanuel Macron awarded them the Légion d’Honneur, France’s highest award.

“Here you came to join your efforts with our own soldiers and to make France a free nation,” Macron said. “And you are back here today, at home, if I may say.”

Among those being honored Thursday were Hilbert Margol, 100, of Jacksonville, Fla., a former soldier who helped liberate the Dachau concentration camp, and Roland Martin, 100, of Berkeley, Calif., a former B-17 bomber pilot who was taken captive while on a mission and survived 19 months as a prisoner of war.

In a separate ceremony at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, King Charles III echoed a line once spoken by his grandfather, King George VI, by saying that when the Allied forces faced the “supreme test” of D-Day, this “remarkable wartime generation … did not flinch when the moment came.”

Charles, who is receiving treatment for an unspecified form of cancer, wore military dress and spoke in a strong voice from behind a lectern, before participating in a wreath-laying ceremony with Macron.

The main event on Thursday was an international ceremony at Omaha Beach, featuring World War II-era landing craft, parachuters and military flyovers. World leaders paid tribute to the troops who helped carry out the largest naval, air and land assault ever. Despite high casualties, the operation helped establish the U.S. military as the world’s premier fighting force and deepened global alliances that have endured for eight decades.

The celebration of that military triumph was a dramatic contrast from the plodding war in Ukraine, where Russia has been making gains in recent months after more than two years of fighting. The war’s heavy cost has put pressure on politicians in the United States and Europe and at times has strained relations between them.

Putin was not invited to the commemorations, despite the massive casualties the Soviet Union sustained battling Nazi Germany during World War II. Macron acknowledged Soviet sacrifices during his remarks, but in a thinly veiled reference to modern-day Russia, he castigated “those who want to change borders by force or to rewrite history.” Addressing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was invited, Macron added: “Your presence here today, Mr. President of Ukraine, says it all.”

This is Zelensky’s fourth trip to France since Russia’s 2022 invasion. He has been trying to press his case for additional military support ahead of next week’s Group of Seven summit in Italy, which brings together the world’s wealthiest democracies. Macron on Thursday announced a new commitment to transfer fighter jets to Ukraine and train more Ukrainian soldiers and pilots.

The French president may be hoping this week’s string of high-profile international events – including state visit treatment for Biden this weekend – helps demonstrate the benefits of his global, pro-European vision. That vision is being challenged this week in European Parliament elections. Far-right nationalist factions across the European Union are expected make gains, and in France, the populist National Rally party has been polling far ahead of Macron’s centrist coalition.

Biden has similarly pointed to his administration’s record of building alliances amid the war in Ukraine as a top selling point for his reelection as he seeks to draw a sharp contrast with Trump. In an interview with Time magazine, Biden said Trump “wanted to just abandon” U.S. alliances, and suggested that the former president would ultimately pull the country out of NATO if he returns to the White House.

“The decisions we make in the last couple of years, in the next four years, are going to determine the future of Europe for a long time to come,” Biden said in the May 28 interview. “And so that’s why we can not let NATO fail, we have to build that both politically and economically.”

The president has kept a relatively low profile since arriving in France. He held no public events Wednesday and was a spectator for most of Thursday’s memorial events, speaking briefly to the gathered crowd. But his campaign used the moment to release an ad attacking Trump for his treatment of veterans.

Biden plans to return to Normandy on Friday to give remarks directed at the American people. That speech, the White House said, will focus on “the importance of defending freedom and democracy.” Aides said the president’s remarks will echo themes that are central to his reelection pitch against Trump.

He gave a bit of a preview during his remarks Thursday.

“We’re not far off from the time when the last living voices of those who fought and bled on D-Day will no longer be with us,” he said. “So we have a special obligation. We can’t let what happened here be lost in the silence of the years to come.”

He added: “The fact that they were heroes here that day does not absolve us from what we have to do today. Democracy is never guaranteed. Every generation must preserve it, defend it and fight for it.”

(c) 2024, The Washington Post · Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Toluse Olorunnipa, Annabelle Timsit 

President Joe Biden responded sharply to former President Donald Trump’s criticism of his executive action on the southern border, calling Trump’s description of the move as “weak and pathetic” and a projection of his own character. During an interview with ABC World News Tonight, Biden was asked about Trump’s comments, in which he said, “He’s pretending to finally do something about the border, but it’s all about show.” Trump also said, “We have a debate coming up. Biden’s executive order is weak and pathetic.” Biden retorted, “Is he describing himself? Weak and pathetic? Come on.” He continued, “Look, everybody knows what’s happened. We had a deal. It was much broader than this, much better, much more accepted across the board, and he got on the phone and told the Republicans, ‘Don’t support it, it will hurt me, it will help Biden.'” Trump had criticized Biden’s executive order in a series of Truth Social posts, claiming it was “all for show” and that Biden was “pretending to finally do something about the border.” Trump also made inflammatory accusations, asserting that Biden’s order was “pro-invasion, pro-child trafficking, pro-women trafficking, pro-human trafficking, pro-drug dealers — and they bring death and destruction into our Country. It’s really pro-illegal immigration…” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

American government officials have reached out to Israeli Minister Benny Gantz in recent days, urging him to reconsider his decision to withdraw from the government, Kan News reported. The request comes amid ongoing negotiations for a new hostage deal and concerns about the potential impact of Gantz’s departure on the political landscape. According to Kan sources, the US views Gantz as a key partner and a moderating influence within the Israeli government, particularly in relation to right-wing parties. His potential withdrawal at this critical juncture has raised concerns about the potential consequences for regional stability and the hostage negotiations. Despite the American overture, Gantz’s office has stated that he remains committed to his original ultimatum, intending to withdraw from the government on the night of June 8 unless his conditions are met. These conditions include a strategic plan for the war against Hamas, the return of Israeli hostages, and a framework for ensuring Israeli security control. Families of the hostages have also appealed to Gantz, asking him to stay on until the fate of the deal is decided. While Gantz considered extending his tenure last week, he has thus far refused to budge. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The Israel Defense Forces launched an intense counterterrorism operation deep inside the Samaria city of Jenin on Thursday, arresting one Palestinian suspect under the cover of airstrikes, the military said.

“Over the past hours, soldiers of the Duvdevan and Haruv patrol units, at the direction of the Shin Bet,” the Israel Security Agency, “acted to thwart terrorism deep in Jenin in the Menashe Brigade,” the IDF tweeted.

During the raid, forces eliminated and wounded several Palestinian terrorists in exchanges of fire. Israeli troops did not suffer casualties despite being attacked with explosives, the military said.

An Israeli Air Force helicopter attacked inside the terrorist stronghold “in support of the forces’ activities,” the IDF said. According to Arab reports, three were wounded, and another 13 sustained injuries.

Israel’s Channel 14 News broadcaster reported that the IDF entered Jenin to arrest a terrorist planning an attack in the immediate time frame. The Palestinian terrorist managed to escape but Israeli forces arrested another suspected terrorist, Channel 14 said.

Judea and Samaria saw a dramatic rise in Palestinian terrorist attacks in 2023 compared to the previous year, with shootings reaching a peak level since the Second Intifada from 2000 to 2005, per IDF data.

Since Hamas launched its war against the Jewish state on Oct. 7, Israeli forces have arrested more than 4,150 wanted Palestinians throughout Judea and Samaria, 1,750 of whom are affiliated with the terror group. JNS

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have unveiled a new, solid-fuel missile in their arsenal that resembles aspects of one earlier displayed by Iran that Tehran described as flying at hypersonic speeds. The rebels fired its new “Palestine” missile, complete with a warhead painted like a Palestinian keffiyeh checkered scarf, at the southern Gulf of Aqaba port of Eilat in Israel on Monday. The attack set off air raid sirens but caused no reported damage or injuries. Footage released by the Houthis late Wednesday showed the Palestine being raised on what appeared to be a mobile launcher and rising quickly into the air with plumes of white smoke coming from its engine. White smoke is common with solid-fuel missiles. Solid-fuel missiles can be set up and fired faster than those containing liquid fuel. That’s a key concern for the Houthis as their missile launch sites have been repeatedly targeted by U.S. and allied forces in recent months over the rebels’ attacks on shipping through the Red Sea corridor. One such strike hit the Houthis even before they were able to launch their missile. For their part, the Houthis described the Palestine as a “locally made” missile. However, the Houthis are not known to possess the ability to manufacture complicated missile and guidance systems locally in Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest country, which been gripped by war since the rebels seized the capital, Sanaa, nearly a decade ago. The Houthis have, however, been repeatedly armed by Iran during the war despite a United Nations arms embargo. While Iran claims it doesn’t arm the Houthis, ships seized by the U.S. and its allies have found Iranian weaponry, missile fuel and components on board. Iranian media reported the launch of the Palestine and described it as locally manufactured, citing the Houthis. However, design elements on the missile resemble other missiles developed by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. That includes one called the Fattah, or “Conqueror” in Farsi. Iran unveiled the missile last year and claimed it could reach Mach 15 — or 15 times the speed of sound. It also described the missile’s range as up to 1,400 kilometers (870 miles). That’s a little short of Eilat from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, but missiles can be reconfigured to boost their range. In March, Russia’s state-run RIA Novosti news agency quoted an anonymous source claiming the Houthis had a hypersonic missile. “While we cannot say for sure what exact version the ‘Palestine’ corresponds to, we can say with high certainty that is is an advanced and precision-guided (Guard)-developed solid propellant missile provided by Iran,” wrote Fabian Hinz, a missile expert and research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Asked about the similarity between the Palestine and its missiles, Iran’s mission to the United Nations told The Associated Press that Tehran “has not engaged in any activities in contravention” of U.N. resolutions. “Yemen’s military power has grown since the war began … — a fact rooted in the internal capacity and prowess of Ansar Allah,” the mission said, using another name for the Houthis. Hypersonic weapons, which fly at speeds higher than Mach 5, could pose crucial challenges to missile defense systems because of their speed and maneuverability. Ballistic missiles fly on a trajectory in which anti-missile systems like the U.S.-made Patriot can anticipate their path and […]

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is set to address a joint meeting of Congress on July 24, setting the stage for what is expected to be a contentious speech at a crucial moment for the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Congressional leaders confirmed the date of the address late Thursday after formally inviting Netanyahu to come speak before lawmakers last week. It is the most recent show of wartime support for the longtime ally. “The existential challenges we face, including the growing partnership between Iran, Russia, and China, threaten the security, peace, and prosperity of our countries and of free people around the world,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, along with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, said in the letter. “To build on our enduring relationship and to highlight America’s solidarity with Israel, we invite you to share the Israeli government’s vision for defending democracy, combatting terror, and establishing a just and lasting peace in the region.” Netanyahu’s appearance before a growingly divided Congress is sure to be contentious and met with plenty of protests both inside the Capitol from lawmakers and outside by pro-Palestinian protesters. Democratic lawmakers most critical of Netanyahu’s strategy are expected to be no-shows for the address. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the independent from Vermont, said: “Netanyahu is a war criminal. I certainly will not attend.” Netanyahu’s visit to the Capitol also comes as the relationship between President Joe Biden and the leader of the Jewish state has increasingly frayed in recent months. Biden has privately and publicly criticized Netanyahu’s handling of the war and criticized the Israeli government’s handling of the war. Johnson first suggested inviting the Israeli leader, saying it would be “a great honor of mine” to invite him. His move came soon after Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the U.S., delivered a disgraceful rebuke of Netanyahu in a lengthy speech on the Senate floor. Schumer said in the speech that Netanyahu had “lost his way” amid the Israeli military campaign in Gaza. Even so, Schumer had said he would join in the invitation because “our relationship with Israel is ironclad and transcends any one prime minister or president.” (AP)

Four Russian ships, including a nuclear-powered submarine, will arrive in Havana next week, Cuban officials said Thursday, citing “historically friendly relations” between both nations and as tensions escalate over Western military support for Ukraine in its war with Russia. Cuba’s foreign ministry said in a news release that the ships will be in Havana between June 12 and June 17, noting that none of them will carry any nuclear weapons and assuring their presence “does not represent a threat to the region.” The announcement came a day after U.S. officials said that Washington had been tracking Russian warships and aircraft that were expected to arrive in the Caribbean for a military exercise. They said the exercise would be part of a broader Russian response to the U.S. support for Ukraine. The officials said that the Russian military presence was notable but not concerning. However, it’s taking place as Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested that Moscow could take “asymmetrical steps” elsewhere in the world in response to President Joe Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to use U.S.-provided weapons to strike inside Russia to protect Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. Cuba’s Foreign Ministry said that the four Russian ships are the frigate “Gorshkov,” the nuclear-powered submarine “Kazan,” the fleet oil tanker “Pashin” and the salvage tug “Nikolai Chiker.” During the fleet’s arrival at the port of Havana, 21 salvos will be fired from one of the ships as a salute to the nation, which will be reciprocated by an artillery battery of Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces, the foreign ministry said. (AP)