Monday, March 18, 2024

NOT TO WORRY JOE, BECAUSE TRUMP'S BIG MOUTH IS A GIFT THAT KEEPS GIVING FOR YOU

'Angry and anxious' President Biden 'shouts and swears' at aides after being told his poll numbers have gone down over handling of Israel-Hamas conflict

President's allies blame poor communication and conflicting advice from staff 

 

By Stephen M. Lepore

 

Daily Mail

 Mar 18, 2024

 

 

Insiders claim that President Joe Biden has been privately 'seething' over his disastrous polling numbers to his staff and is 'angry and anxious' about his 2024 re-election efforts

Insiders claim that President Joe Biden has been privately 'seething' over his disastrous polling numbers to his staff and is 'angry and anxious' about his 2024 re-election efforts

 

Insiders claim that President Joe Biden has been privately 'seething' over his disastrous polling numbers to his staff and is 'angry and anxious' about his 2024 re-election efforts. 

The story comes after Biden did not get the typical polling bump after his State of the Union address last week – and his approval now sits at a new low of 37.4 percent.

However, reports of the president's rage date back to January, when aides had told him his polling numbers had dipped in the key swing states of Michigan and Georgia due to his handling of Israel's war on Hamas, though he still believed he'd done the right thing.

'He began to shout and swear,' NBC reports, citing a story that interviewed 20 lawmakers, present and past administration officials and Biden allies. 

'President Biden makes national security decisions based on the country's national security needs alone — no other factor,' White House Spokesman Andrew Bates said in response.

 

Post-State of the Union polling shows that President Joe Biden did not get a boost in the hypothetical general election matchup with Donald Trump after his 'fiery' speech

Post-State of the Union polling shows that President Joe Biden did not get a boost in the hypothetical general election matchup with Donald Trump after his 'fiery' speech

 

However, allies claim Biden's frustrations are intensifying, as he's questioning travel choices and the seeming inability to communicate his agenda to the American people. 

His weak approval rating is well below the last three presidents who failed to win a second term: George H.W. Bush (39 percent), Jimmy Carter (43 percent) and his November opponent, Donald Trump (48 percent).

Biden, 81, is allegedly unhappy with those who are described as wanting to 'minimize the chances of a flub' and says he's cocooned and wants to take his case to the public and antagonize Trump

The president's temper toward staff has been detailed in the past, often yelling at staff and shouting obscenities. 

'He's probably a little mad at himself for not being more forceful with the staff,' one Biden White House insider claimed, adding that he often gets conflicting advice on how to handle the perception that he's too old to do the job.

Many questioned by NBC agreed that Biden needed to just be clearer about what he's done for the country in his first term, citing clean energy projects, high-tech manufacture and infrastructure. 

'There's a real story to tell,' said Biden supporter and ex-Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu. 

'It's a winning message and it's about jobs, prosperity and evolution. If that message can be communicated, I think the American people will respond.' 

 

Biden, 81, was passionate throughout his State of the Union and took several hit at his 'predecessor' and Republicans in the chamber. But his age was still on display as he coughed, mumbled and stumbled over some parts of his speech

The story comes after Biden did not get the typical polling bump after his State of the Union address last week – and his approval now sits at a new low of 37.4 percent
 
His weak approval rating is well below the last three presidents who failed to win a second term: George H.W. Bush (39 percent), Jimmy Carter (43 percent) and his November opponent, Donald Trump (48 percent)

His weak approval rating is well below the last three presidents who failed to win a second term: George H.W. Bush (39 percent), Jimmy Carter (43 percent) and his November opponent, Donald Trump (48 percent)

 

However, some Democrats like Washington State Congressman Adam Smith are losing patience.

'Biden stood up in front of the whole world and said, 'I'm ready. I'm the guy who can take down Donald Trump,' he said. 

'So, he goddamn well better do it. We don't have time for him to be worried about whether or not people are saying things right or the poll numbers are where they should be. I want focused energy and not defensive anger.'

However, campaign chairwoman Jen O'Malley Dillon remains confident that once Trump is the clear opponent, Biden can beat him again.

'We know that he lost in 2020,' she said. 'In order to win, he's got to expand his base of voters to find new people to be with him. And that is not something he's shown that he's really focused on.'

Biden and former President Donald Trump both reached the number of delegates needed for their respective parties for the nomination in 2024 in Tuesday's primary elections.

This means there will be a rematch between the two geriatrics in November despite the majority of Americans saying they don't want that.

A Yahoo News/YouGov survey conducted the few days after Biden's speech to a joint session of Congress on Thursday shows the current president's chances against Trump actually diminished following his fiery remarks.

 

President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Thursday, March 7, 2024, in Washington. Seated at left is Vice President Kamala Harris and at right is House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. (Shawn Thew/Pool via AP) 

Biden, 81, was passionate throughout his State of the Union and took several hit at his 'predecessor' and Republicans in the chamber. But his age was still on display as he coughed, mumbled and stumbled over some parts of his speech

 

Before the speech, Trump was up 45 percent to 44 percent against Biden in the poll taken in late January. While the latest taken March 8-11 is still within the polling margin of error and equates to a statistical tie, Trump is now at 46 percent to Biden's 44 percent in a hypothetical general election matchup.

The same poll shows Biden's approval rating dipped from 40 percent to 39 percent pre and post speech. His disapproval went from 56 percent to 55 percent.

But a FiveThirtyEight average shows the number of Americans who approve of Biden's job as president has dipped to a new all-time low of 37.4 percent.

A post-State of the Union Harris X poll puts Biden's approval at a flat 37 percent and disapproval at 58 percent. But among those in that survey who did watch the State of the Union, 13 percent more approved of Biden's job as president compared to those who did not tune-in.

In previous years, State of the Union addresses were a way for presidents to try and appeal to everyone – and oftentimes there was a polling bump associated with the remarks.

For example, Trump's approval jumped a few percent after his 2019 address in February of that year.

Before his State of the Union his approval was sitting around 37 percent, according to Gallup polling. But after the remarks the same polling showed the then-president jumped to 44 percent.

 

Another poll taken after Biden's remarks to a joint session of Congress shows the president's approval rating at a new low of 37 percent

Another poll taken after Biden's remarks to a joint session of Congress shows the president's approval rating at a new low of 37 percent

 

Overall, Biden's last address of his first term wasn't exactly the reset the White House was hoping for amid low approval and increased criticism over the president's age and fitness for office.

Fifty-one percent of those who watched the State of the Union say Biden seemed 81, according to the YouGov poll. Another 24 percent say he seemed 'older' than they expected. Only 17 percent say he came off 'not as old.'

Most polling over the last year shows Americans don't want Biden and Trump, 77, as the two options in the 2024 presidential election.

But after Tuesday's primary elections in Georgia, Mississippi and Washington state, that's exactly the general election ballot Americans will be presented with come November.

IDF TROOPS KILLED THE HEAD OF THE OPERATIONS DIRECTORATE OF HAMAS' INTERNAL SECURITY INSIDE AL-SHIFA HOSPITAL

IDF eliminates Hamas internal security commander

According to an IDF statement, Faiq Mabhouh was hiding in a compound at Al-Shifa hospital, from which he operated and advanced terrorist activity. 

 

 
Israel Hayom
Mar 18, 2024
 
 
IDF eliminates Hamas internal security commander
Faiq Mabhouh.
 
 
The IDF eliminated overnight Monday the head of the Operations Directorate of Hamas' Internal Security, Faiq Mabhouh.
 
The military was conducting an anti-terrorism operation at Al-Shifa hospital following intelligence about the presence of Hamas terrorists there. 
 
According to an IDF statement, Mabhouh was hiding in a compound at Shifa, from which he operated and advanced terrorist activity. 

He was in charge, among other things, of coordinating the Hamas mechanisms in the Gaza Strip. In the adjacent room to where he was killed, multiple weapons were found.

During the raid, Staff Sgt. Matan Vinogradov was killed.  

Mabhouh's brother, Mahmoud, who was chief of logistics and weapons procurement for Hamas, was assassinated in Dubai in 2010, reportedly by the Mossad.

THE PLEASURES OF UNREASONING HATE ARE ENDEMIC TO THE SPECIES

Explaining the young antisemites

Young Americans believe the social contract has been violated and they blame the Elders of Zion. 

 

By Benjamin Kerstein 

 

JNS

Mar 18, 2024

 

 Anti-Israel students rally at Columbia University

 

Much has been made of recent polls that show disturbing levels of antisemitism among young Americans. It is easy to put this down to “progressivism,” “wokeism” or other ideologies inculcated in students by the professoriate regime. There is no doubt a great deal of truth to this, but there must be a reason the professoriate’s virulent systemic antisemitism has found a receptive audience.

The claim that economic factors drive antisemitism is almost a cliché. Whether it was the late 19th-century financial crises in France and the Austro-Hungarian Empire or the hyperinflation of Weimar Germany, scholars have often pointed to economic deprivation as the source of antisemitic violence.

Obviously, this is an inadequate explanation for antisemitism as a whole. There are religious, ideological, political, psychological, even civilizational motivations as well. Nonetheless, it is impossible to dismiss the economic factor in this particular case.

It is telling that youth antisemitism is largely a phenomenon of the middle and upper-middle classes. In my experience, with some deplorable exceptions, the working class does not particularly care about the Jews one way or the other. When I was growing up in a working-class Irish American neighborhood, we had no problems with antisemitism whatsoever. In fact, all of the antisemitism I have experienced in my life has been from middle-class white people, Muslims or people of color.

To ascertain whether middle-class antisemitism has an economic cause, we must ask: What are the economic discontents of that class?

They are not difficult to find. As children, most middle-class Americans unknowingly signed a social contract that made enormous demands but promised substantial rewards. It stipulated, more or less, that if you work hard and follow the rules, you will be able to get into a “good” college or university. Then, you will receive a degree that will ensure you a “good job,” material plenty and a prosperous future for your children.

The efforts this bargain required were substantial. From the ninth grade on, middle-class Americans were told that they had to dedicate every waking moment to their eventual college applications or ruin their lives. So, they crammed for tests, labored in advanced placement classes, took on a multitude of extracurricular activities, expended themselves on athletic endeavors for which most had little talent, and sat through hours of tutoring for the SATs. They sacrificed their adolescence, in effect, for the sake of a big payoff at the end.

Then, if they did succeed in getting into a prestigious institution, they had to find a way to pay for it. Thanks to a wholly corrupt higher-education industry, the money was waiting for them in the form of massive debt. This debt was to be paid off by the substantial income the applicant would receive from the “good job” they were sure to acquire after graduation.

This system never really worked. For most, the sacrifice simply wasn’t worth it. The middle-class graduates ended up with mediocre jobs and it took them years to pay off their debts. They discovered that their children had to run the entire monstrous gamut all over again. Nonetheless, they did manage to maintain something like a middle-class lifestyle.

In 2008, however, the contract was voided. The global economy that undergirded the contract almost completely collapsed and the youngest generation of the American middle class crawled out of the wreckage into a world of unaffordable housing, stagnant wages, the gig economy and perennial membership in the precariat. On top of that, there was the filthy lucre they owed to the professoriate regime that had promised them so much and delivered nothing.

In a 2019 Buzzfeed essay, Anne Helen Petersen wrote of the Millennial generation, “Our parents—a mix of young boomers and old Gen-Xers—reared us during an age of relative economic and political stability. As with previous generations, there was an expectation that the next one would be better off—both in terms of health and finances—than the one that had come before. But as millennials enter into middle adulthood, that prognosis has been proven false.”

“Financially speaking, most of us lag far behind where our parents were when they were our age,” she noted. “We have far less saved, far less equity, far less stability and far, far more student debt. … We’ve got venture capital, but we’ve also got the 2008 financial crisis, the middle-class decline and the 1% rise, and the steady decay of unions and stable, full-time employment.”

Combined with the glittering and quite unattainable promises of reality television, social media and celebrity culture, this cannot but foster a zeitgeist characterized, above all, by resentment.

As early as 1996, Chuck Palahniuk captured this brilliantly in his novel Fight Club, in which the psychotic protagonist declares, “We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off.”

In short, a generation of young Americans believe that they held up their end of the bargain but the other side did not. They did everything they were told to do and expected to receive what they had been promised. Instead, in 2008, the barons of commerce stole it away from them.

People deal with situations like this in different ways. They turn to opioids, messianic religious and political movements, New Age gobbledygook, or transient hobbies and enthusiasms. Some simply disappear into video games and internet chat rooms. Others, however, turn to hatred. They start looking for someone to blame.

Like so many times in the past, there is an easy target waiting for them. It is not difficult to shift from blaming an amorphous, omnipotent, avaricious and filthy rich plutocracy for ruining your life to blaming the Jews for ruining your life. Such a plutocracy, after all, is what the Jews have always been accused of being.

Having gone down this particular rabbit hole, one has centuries of antisemitic archetypes to work with. The possibilities of the Elders of Zion are infinite. For many, this is not merely desirable, it is intoxicating. It is the opiate of the remains of the middle class.

To be clear, none of this absolves young antisemites. We all have a moral responsibility to stand against the barbarians, however difficult our circumstances might be. A poor man can be as evil as a rich man if he chooses and his poverty is no defense. Nonetheless, some of the systemic economic problems that have led to this impasse can be addressed and perhaps it might do some good.

Economic reforms will not, of course, solve the problem of antisemitism itself. People become antisemites for innumerable reasons, some due to environment and indoctrination, others because of neurotic or sadistic impulses they refuse to control. The pleasures of unreasoning hate are, unfortunately, endemic to the species.

However, all of this is a matter for non-Jewish America to consider. For the Jews, a simple truth remains: However real some of his discontents may be, we have no obligation to pity the antisemite. He no doubt possesses more than enough pity for himself.

IT IS NOW CLEAR THAT SCHUMER HAS NO MORAL COMPASS

Chuck Schumer helps make the world safe for Hamas

The American-led world order has never been more at risk. 

 

By Eric R. Levine

 

JNS

Mar 18, 2024 

 

Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) leads President Biden as he arrives to the Capitol for a luncheon with Senate Democrats to discuss an infrastructure plan on Wednesday, July 14, 2021. 
Biden cued the big Jew
 

To appease the antisemitic left-wing of the Democratic Party, President Joe Biden is putting more and more distance between the United States and Israel as the Jewish state fights for its national survival against Hamas.

Yet while Biden woos the Arab/Muslim vote in Dearborn, Michigan, he is alienating the Jewish community and other Americans of goodwill who support Israel. It is not lost on the Biden campaign that the president’s increasing hostility towards our closest ally in the Middle East could come back to haunt him in swing states like Pennsylvania, which have substantial Jewish communities.

What is Biden to do? Cue the big Jew: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Putting his personal political power above principle, Schumer took it upon himself to explain to his fellow American Jews that it is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is to blame for the war in Gaza:

As a lifelong supporter of Israel, it has become clear to me: The Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after Oct. 7. The world has changed radically since then, and the Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past. … Five months into this conflict, it is clear that Israelis need to take stock of the situation and ask: must we change course? … At this critical juncture, I believe a new election is the only way to allow for a healthy and open decision-making process about the future of Israel at a time when so many Israelis have lost their confidence in the vision and direction of their government.

Netanyahu is the democratically elected prime minister of Israel; as such, it is up to Israel alone to decide when to hold elections and whether to replace him. Just as the U.S. will not tolerate any foreign interference in our elections, American interference in the elections of another democracy is simply unacceptable. When the war is over, Israelis will have ample opportunity to pass judgment on Netanyahu, his coalition and their responsibility for Oct. 7. Until then, Israel deserves America’s unwavering support, not politically motivated propaganda.

Schumer must know that Netanyahu and his government’s policy on the war in Gaza has overwhelming support from across Israel’s political spectrum. There is virtual unanimity that Israel must enter Rafah and completely destroy Hamas. That is going to happen no matter who is prime minister. Biden and Schumer’s finger-wagging will make no difference.

One irony of Schumer’s unfortunate statement is that Netanyahu is perhaps the greatest peacemaker in Israel’s history. He made the Abraham Accords possible and was on the cusp of making peace with Saudi Arabia. There were even reports that Israel was close to normalizing relations with Indonesia—the most populous Muslim country in the world.

These are not the achievements of a “governing vision that is stuck in the past.” It is a vision that is laying the groundwork for a peaceful and prosperous Middle East.

It is Biden and Schumer who are stuck in the past. The days of handwringing and mourning the deaths of Jews while decrying their legitimate efforts to defend themselves are over. If Biden and Schumer cannot give their full-throated support to Israel’s right to defend its citizens in the wake of such a heinous attack, they should at least get out of the way.

Schumer’s perfidy is not unprecedented. When former President Barack Obama chose to ram the Iran nuclear deal down the throats of the American people, Schumer waited until he knew Obama had the Senate votes the president needed before Schumer fecklessly came out against it. It is possible that Schumer could have prevented the disastrous deal, but we will never know because he didn’t lift a finger to stop it.

It is now clear that Chuck Schumer is no lifelong supporter of Israel. He is a lifelong supporter of Chuck Schumer. He has no moral compass.

As U.S. allies in the region study Schumer’s betrayal of Israel, they will no doubt be further convinced that America is an unreliable and untrustworthy ally. To them, the catastrophic surrender in Afghanistan will no longer seem like a fluke, but part of a pattern of American retreat. If the retreat continues, our Middle Eastern allies will drift out of our sphere of influence and look to make accommodations with Iran, Russia and China. Indeed, that process has already begun.

Schumer is right that “the world has changed radically” since the Oct. 7 attack. America has become weaker; the world has become more dangerous; and the American-led world order has never been more at risk.

GAVIN NEWSOM TURNING CHICKEN

By Bob Walsh


Gavin Newsom. 


Gavin Newsom was supposed to give his State of the State speech today.  He chickened out and stalled off until some unspecified time in the future.

He put a lot of his political capital behind Proposition 1 on the March ballot.  This was an attempt to spend a few billion dollars to improve mental health care in the formerly great state of California.  He pimped it big time, and the organize opposition was scant and comparatively poorly funded.

Despite all that they are still counting the ballots and the outcome is too close to call.  He really wants to have a win to wave at the speech.  A combination of that, a much larger than admitted budget deficit and his favored, poorly named High Speed Rail project sucking up more and more and more money and promising less and less and less in return is putting a serious wet blanket over his desperate attempts to replace Joe Biden on the Democrat-Socialist ticket this year.  

It is hard to be taken seriously, even against a senile old liar, if the only thing you truly have going for you is a really good haircut. 

Sunday, March 17, 2024

A HOSPITAL SEQUESTERING TERRORISTS IS FAIR GAME

IDF announces new operation is underway at Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital - as they launch night raid on 'Hamas command center' inside building

Israeli Troops are carrying out a 'precise operation' following intelligence that senior Hamas officials were using Gaza 's largest hospital as a command centre. The patients and medics were not told to evacuate but pathways were cleared for civilians, according to reports   

 

By Matt Strudwick 

 

Daily Mail

Mar 17, 2024

 

 Israel Launches Operation In Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital, Says 'Used By Senior Hamas Terrorists' Israel Launches Operation In Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital, Says 'Used By Senior Hamas Terrorists'Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza


The Israel Defence Forces announced an operation is underway at Gaza's largest hospital on Monday morning local time. 

Troops are carrying out a 'precise operation' following intelligence that senior Hamas officials were using the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City as a command centre to plan and carry out terror attacks, the IDF said in a statement.  

Loud bangs caused the sky to light up in unverified video footage posted on social media with one person claiming the area was 'under siege' and a 'complete mess' in what was described as an 'Israeli bombardment'.  

IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari stated that the operation was targeting limited areas within the hospital complex based on 'concrete intelligence that demanded immediate action'. 

'Our targeted mission isn't just an operational necessity; it's a global imperative,' he said in video footage posted on the IDF's X page. 

 

IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari stated that the operation at the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza was targeting limited areas within the hospital complex

IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari stated that the operation at the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza was targeting limited areas within the hospital complex

 

'Our war is against Hamas, not against the people of Gaza. We seek no harm to the civilians that Hamas is hiding behind' Hagari said. 

Adding: 'We call upon all Hamas terrorists hiding in hospitals, surrender immediately. Medical facilities should never be exploited for terror. Hamas must be held accountable.'

IDF doctors and Arabic speakers accompanied security forces on the operation to help communicate with patients and staff, the Times of Israel reported.  

The patients and medics were not told to evacuate but pathways were cleared for civilians, the outlet reported. 

The Israeli army said 'the IDF will continue the humanitarian effort and provide food, water and additional supplies to the patients and civilians in the complex' once the mission is complete. 

The hospital became the focus of the Israel-Hamas war in November as Israel closed in on what it says is a façade for a Hamas stronghold - claims the hospital and Hamas denied.

 

The hospital became the focus of the Israel-Hamas war in November when the IDF said it found tunnels it claimed were used by Hamas

The hospital became the focus of the Israel-Hamas war in November when the IDF said it found tunnels it claimed were used by Hamas

 

Israeli troops, some wearing face masks and firing guns in the air, stormed the hospital that month.

They claimed to have found a tunnel shaft during the raid which they said was used by Hamas terrorists.

The IDF released a video it said showed a tunnel entrance in an outdoor area of Al-Shifa hospital, two days after Israeli troops entered its grounds to hunt for a Hamas command centre they say is beneath the medical facility.

During the raid, Israel said its troops found the bodies of two hostages - Yehudit Weiss, 64, and Israeli soldier Noa Marciano, 19 - from a building adjacent to the hospital.

ISRAEL'S PRIORITY SHOULD BE THE COMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF HAMAS AND NOT THE WELLFARE OF THE GAZANS WHO SUPPORT THE TERRORISTS AND CELEBRATED THE OCTOBER 7 ATROCITIES

Netanyahu says Israel won't accept Gaza peace deal that leaves it 'weak' and vows to allow civilians crammed into Rafah to leave before launching new offensive on Hamas in another blow to ceasefire hopes

 

By Miriam Kuepper

 

Daily Mail

Mar 17, 2024

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers an address by video to an AIPAC conference, March 12, 2024 (GPO screenshot) 

Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel won't accept a Gaza peace deal that leaves his country 'weak' and 'unable to defend itself' against hostile neighbours

 

Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel won't accept a Gaza peace deal that leaves his country 'weak' and 'unable to defend itself' against hostile neighbours.

The Israeli Prime Minister said a potential agreement like that would 'set peace backwards and not forward' during a joint press appearance with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Jerusalem.

He also reiterated that 'Israel has to have the necessary security responsibility' in Gaza.

This comes as Netanyahu vowed that civilians crammed into Rafah will be allowed to leave before Israel launches a new offensive on Hamas in another blow to ceasefire hopes.

His comments, alongside visiting Scholz, follow international fears over the fate of the roughly 1.5 million people who have sought refuge in Rafah, most of them displaced from Gaza's war.

 

Smoke and explosions rise inside the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Sunday, Sunday, March 17

Smoke and explosions rise inside the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Sunday, Sunday, March 17

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, left, shakes hands with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during a press conference in Jerusalem, March 17, 2024. (GPO)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right), and the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz shake hands after a joint press conference following their meeting in Jerusalem on March 17

 

The office of the right-wing premier, whose security and war cabinets were to discuss the latest international efforts towards a truce deal, had on Friday said he approved the military's plan for an operation in Rafah as well as 'the evacuation of the population'.

'Our goal in eliminating the remaining terrorist battalions in Rafah goes hand-in-hand with enabling the civilian population to leave Rafah. It's not something that we will do while keeping the population locked in place,' Netanyahu said at a press appearance with Scholz.

As others have done, Scholz raised the question: 'How should more than 1.5 million people be protected? Where should they go?'

The United States - which provides Israel with billions of dollars in military assistance - has said it wants a 'clear and implementable plan' to ensure civilians are 'out of harm's way'.

Before meeting Scholz, Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting that 'no amount of international pressure will stop us from realising all the goals of the war', and that to do this, 'we will also operate in Rafah'.

Israel has repeatedly threatened a ground offensive against Hamas in Rafah, where people shelter in tents crammed up against the Egyptian border.

UN World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged against a military operation there, 'in the name of humanity'.

Tedros said 'this humanitarian catastrophe must not be allowed to worsen'.

Netanyahu leads a coalition of religious and ultra-nationalist parties. His failure to bring home the hostages taken by Hamas militants during their attack which started the war has led to mounting protests within his country as well as domestic calls for early elections.

Hamas's unprecedented attack from Gaza on October 7 resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.

Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel has carried out a relentless bombardment and ground offensive which has killed at least 31,645 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory.

 

Palestinians, including children, collect remaining belongings from the rubble of destroyed houses after Israeli attacks on the house belonging to the Sabit family as Israeli attacks continue on Gaza Strip on March 17

Palestinians, including children, collect remaining belongings from the rubble of destroyed houses after Israeli attacks on the house belonging to the Sabit family as Israeli attacks continue on Gaza Strip on March 17

Smoke rise over the Gaza Strip after an Israel bombardment as seen from a position on the Israeli side of the border on March 17

Smoke rise over the Gaza Strip after an Israel bombardment as seen from a position on the Israeli side of the border on March 17

An Israeli soldier on top a tank on the border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, Sunday, Sunday, March 17

An Israeli soldier on top a tank on the border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, Sunday, Sunday, March 17

 

International envoys were planning to meet in Qatar soon to revive stalled talks for a ceasefire and hostage release deal.

Palestinian militants seized about 250 Israeli and foreign hostages during the October 7 attack. Dozens were released during a week-long truce in November, and Israel believes about 130 remain in Gaza including 32 presumed dead.

A Hamas proposal calls for an Israeli withdrawal from 'all cities and populated areas' in Gaza during a six-week truce and for more humanitarian aid, according to an official from the Palestinian group.

Israel plans to attend the talks, with cabinet members due to 'decide on the mandate' of their delegation before its departure, Netanyahu's office said, without giving a date for when they would leave.

In Jerusalem, Scholz called for 'a hostage deal with a longer-lasting ceasefire', and appealed for a 'negotiated two-state solution' to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

'Terror cannot be defeated with military means alone,' Scholz said.

Netanyahu has drawn condemnation from the United Nations and defied the United States by rejecting calls for a Palestinian state.

The Israeli prime minister said on Sunday that he would not accept a peace deal that weakens Israel and leaves it unable to defend itself against hostile neighbours.

Netanyahu also reiterated his position that 'Israel has to have the necessary security responsibility' in Gaza.

There was no letup in the fighting, and at least 92 people were killed over the previous 24 hours, the health ministry said on Sunday.

The dead included 12 members of the same family whose house was hit in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.

Palestinian girl Leen Thabit, retrieving a white dress from under the rubble of their flattened house, cried as she said her cousin was killed in the strike.

'She's dead. Only her dress is left,' Thabit said. 'What do they want from us?'

 

People walk past destroyed buildings in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, on March 15

People walk past destroyed buildings in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, on March 15 

Smoke billows from the area of an Israeli air strike on the southern Lebanese village of Marwahin near the border with Israel on March 16

Smoke billows from the area of an Israeli air strike on the southern Lebanese village of Marwahin near the border with Israel on March 16

A view of the area after Israeli attack over an apartment building in Deir al-Balah, Gaza on March 16

A view of the area after Israeli attack over an apartment building in Deir al-Balah, Gaza on March 16

 

Shelling and clashes were reported in south Gaza's main city of Khan Yunis as well as elsewhere, and the Israeli army said its forces had killed 'approximately 18 terrorists' in central Gaza since Saturday.

More than five months of war and an Israeli siege have led to dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza, where the United Nations has repeatedly warned of looming famine for the coastal territory's 2.4 million people.

Humanitarians have cited Israeli restrictions as among the obstacles they face in reaching the needy. Israel has blamed shortages on the Palestinian side, specifically a lack of capacity to distribute aid once it gets in.

Facing difficulty on the ground, donors have turned to the air and sea.

A second ship was due to depart from Cyprus along a new maritime corridor to bring food and relief goods, officials of the Mediterranean nation said.

Jordan on Sunday announced the latest aid airdrop over northern Gaza together with aircraft from the United States, Egypt and Germany - which announced Saturday it had parachuted aid into Gaza for the first time.

In Rafah, the situation has only grown worse, said medical staff at a clinic run by Palestinian volunteers.

Samar Gregea, a physician herself uprooted from Gaza City in the north, said medicine is in short supply, and 'all children' are suffering from malnutrition, with a spike in hepatitis A cases.

'Children require foods high in sugars, like dates, which are currently unavailable,' Gregea said.

IF ALL THE PRO-HAMAS JOURNALISTS WERE TO BE FIRED, THERE WOULD HARDLY BE ANYONE LEFT IN THE MEDIA

The BBC is urged to suspend two journalists in row over pro-Hamas and anti-Israel social media posts

 

Marie-Jose Al Azzi described Israel as a 'terrorist apartheid state' in a post from 2018 that has since been deletedSoha Ibrahim 'liked' a post on October 7 which celebrated 'the first of the martyrs of the operation'
Marie-Jose Al Azzi (left) described Israel as a 'terrorist apartheid state' in a post from 2018 that has since been deleted and Soha Ibrahim (right) 'liked' a post on October 7 which celebrated 'the first of the martyrs of the operation'
 

The BBC is facing calls to suspend two journalists who shared anti‑Israel posts or 'liked' videos celebrating the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks on social media.

Last night, Nicola Richards, Tory MP for West Bromwich East and an officer for Conservative Friends of Israel, called for the Corporation to suspend the BBC Arabic journalists while it investigates.

Soha Ibrahim and Marie-Jose Al Azzi were credited with reporting on a BBC story which carried claims Israeli soldiers beat and humiliated Palestinian medics during a hospital raid in Gaza last month.

The BBC's report last week led to international condemnation of Israel, with Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron calling for 'answers from the Israelis'.

 

In a statement, the BBC said: 'We do not comment on individual staff matters, however, if we find breaches we take the appropriate action' (File image)

In a statement, the BBC said: 'We do not comment on individual staff matters, however, if we find breaches we take the appropriate action' 

 

On the day of the Hamas attacks on October 7, Ms Ibrahim 'liked' videos of people in Lebanon and Tunisia dancing and waving Palestinian flags, and Egyptian football fans chanting 'we sacrifice our souls, our blood for Palestine'. 

London-based Ms Ibrahim, who has worked for the BBC for 12 years, also 'liked' a post on October 7 which celebrated 'the first of the martyrs of the operation', it was revealed in The Mail on Sunday yesterday. 

Meanwhile Ms Al Azzi, who has worked at the BBC since 2019 and is based in Lebanon, described Israel as a 'terrorist apartheid state' in a post from 2018 that has since been deleted, according to anti-Semitism researchers.

Ms Richards told the Mail: 'The BBC have got a responsibility not just in the UK, but around the world. People rely on them for impartial news.'

Antisemitism tsar John Mann said: 'Any journalist who likes anything that is overtly racist is clearly not credible. I am sure they will want to investigate these allegations thoroughly.'

In a statement, the BBC said: 'We do not comment on individual staff matters, however, if we find breaches we take the appropriate action.'

HEZBOLLAH TERRORIST CAUGHT CROSSING THE BORDER NEAR EL PASO

'Jihadist' Lebanese migrant is caught crossing into Texas and tells Border Patrol 'he was going to try and make a BOMB' - as Biden's border crisis spirals towards catastrophe

Basel Bassel Ebbadi, 22, admitted that he trained with Hezbollah for seven years before taking on a role guarding weapons locations for another four years

 

By Laura Parnaby 

 

Daily Mail

Mar 17, 2024

 

Basel Bassel Ebbadi, 22, admitted he was a member of Hezbollah when he was intercepted by agents at the southwest Texas border with Mexico on March 9

Basel Bassel Ebbadi, 22, admitted he was a member of Hezbollah when he was intercepted by agents at the southwest Texas border with Mexico on March 9

 

A Lebanese migrant who was caught illegally crossing the border near El Paso said he was 'going to try to make a bomb,' according to official records. 

Basel Bassel Ebbadi, 22, also admitted he was a member of Hezbollah when he was intercepted by agents at the southwest Texas border with Mexico on March 9.

He was asked what he was doing in the US while in custody, to which he responded: 'I'm going to try to make a bomb' and he was on the way to New York. 

Ebbadi said he trained with Hezbollah for seven years before taking on a role guarding weapons locations for another four years, according to ICE records seen by the New York Post

It comes as a 'migrant crime wave' sweeps the country thanks to hundreds of thousands of people illegally crossing the border each month, as tensions rise between Texan officials and the Biden administration over how to police it. 

 

His arrest comes as a 'migrant crime wave' sweeps the country thanks to hundreds of thousands of people illegally crossing the border each month

His arrest comes as a 'migrant crime wave' sweeps the country thanks to hundreds of thousands of people illegally crossing the border each month

In an aerial view, immigrants pass through coils of razor wire while crossing the US-Mexico border on March 13

In an aerial view, immigrants pass through coils of razor wire while crossing the US-Mexico border on March 13

 

Ebbadi said his training focused on 'jihad' and killing people 'that was not Muslim' - but he fled the country because he 'didn't want to kill people.'

'Once you're in, you can never get out,' he added, according to the ICE papers. 

The Lebanese national came to the US without any documentation. He said he lost his papers while he was being robbed at knifepoint in Costa Rica. 

He also admitted to relaying a fake date of birth and name to officials.

 

                                   Ebbadi said his training focused on 'jihad' and killing people 'that was not Muslim'

Ebbadi said his training focused on 'jihad' and killing people 'that was not Muslim' 

 

Ebbadi was detained in isolation at the El Paso Hardened Facility before he was interviewed by the Tactical Terrorism Response Team. 

He was marked for deportation from the US, but it's unclear which country he would be taken to.  

Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shia Islamist militant political party recognized by the West as a terror group. 

Members of the group killed three American troops in Jordan late January in a drone attack. At least 34 people were also injured in the strike. 

The wave of migrants arriving at the southern border has continued throughout most of President Joe Biden's tenure. It has led to millions of migrants pouring into the country and straining cities. 

America is expected to be grappling with more than 8 million asylum seekers and migrants who will have crossed over the southern border by September.

The staggering figure represents a 167 percent surge in five years and underscores the challenges faced by what is both an underfunded and antiquated immigration system.

 

The US' immigrations system appears to be struggling to cope with the rapid numbers of migrants flowing across the border, which reached an all-time high of 302,000 monthly crossings in December

The US' immigrations system appears to be struggling to cope with the rapid numbers of migrants flowing across the border, which reached an all-time high of 302,000 monthly crossings in December

In an aerial view, immigrants wade through the Rio Grande as they cross the US-Mexico border to request asylum on March 13

In an aerial view, immigrants wade through the Rio Grande as they cross the US-Mexico border to request asylum on March 13

America is expected to be grappling with more than 8 million asylum seekers and migrants who will have crossed over the southern border by September

America is expected to be grappling with more than 8 million asylum seekers and migrants who will have crossed over the southern border by September

 

Most of the 8 million are now free to roam US streets, including 2 million 'high-priority' cases of career criminals seeking asylum.

The system appears to be struggling to cope with the rapid numbers of migrants flowing across the border, which reached an all-time high of 302,000 monthly crossings in December.

The backlog has left millions of migrants who are currently residing in the U.S., unsure of whether they will be permitted to stay or simply be deported.

Migrants who cross the border may often be forced to wait several years for a decision to be made in their applications. In the meantime, they have been released to American streets.

Recent data suggests the backlog has only swelled during President Joe Biden's term in part reflecting the difficulties his administration has faced in addressing the unprecedented influx of migrants, mainly from Central and South America.

At the end of fiscal year 2023 on September 30, more than 6 million people were recorded on what officials term the 'non-detained docket.'

Government projections, as communicated in Homeland Security documents sent to Congress, suggest the number will have risen to 8 million by October 1.

The number includes people who have been ordered to be deported or who are still awaiting their final decisions in their asylum or immigration cases.

The majority are not being held in limited available detention space and instead are free to roam.

Overall last year, some 2,045,838 people illegally crossed the southern border into the US, according to CBP figures.

These figures are expected to swell this year - while the northern border with Canada is also experiencing an unprecedented crisis.

Illegal crossings from Canada into the US surged 500 percent to 10,021 last year compared with 2022.

 

Overall last year, some 2,045,838 people illegally crossed the southern border into the US, according to CBP figures

Overall last year, some 2,045,838 people illegally crossed the southern border into the US, according to CBP figures

Tensions have been rising for months between state and federal authorities amid a surge in recorded illegal crossings which reached an all-time high of 301,983 in December.

 

Immigration has become a flashpoint of the upcoming election, with both Biden and Trump conducting competing visits to the border on the same day.

Last month Texas troopers began arresting migrants crossing the border for criminal trespass before they could surrender to US Border Patrol agents and seek asylum.

The White House has asked the Supreme Court to overturn an injunction preventing it removing razor wire on the banks of the Rio Grande that is a 'risk to human life'.

The DOJ has said the blockade of Shelby Park has left its view of the border there 'limited to a narrow sliver from a single surveillance camera located outside of the newly fenced area'.

It also claims that State authorities have denied Border Patrol access to a boat ramp and a staging area previously used to inspect apprehended migrants.

'Border Patrol agents in a vehicle towing a boat to launch on the boat ramp requested access to Shelby Park, but the Texas National Guard refused to permit them to access the area,' they wrote in the latest filing.

'Border Patrol agents likewise requested access to the staging area and Texas National Guard refused.'

A spokesperson for the Texas Military Department told ABC News the move was intended 'to restrict access to organizations that perpetuate illegal immigrant crossings in the park and greater Eagle Pass area.'

THERE WAS THIS HUMONGOUS BLAZE, BUT THE FIREFIGHTERS WERE ABLE TO SAVED MY BELOVED CAR. OH, I ALMOST FORGOT, AND THEY SAVED JILL AND MY CAT TOO ..... QUICK, SOMEONE CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. BIDEN'S PANTS ARE ON FIRE!

Lyin' Biden strikes again! Joe Biden retells story of house fire he claims almost killed Jill, his cat and destroyed his Corvette for the SEVENTH time...even though blaze was far smaller

President Joe Biden, 81, claimed the fire department once 'saved my wife, saved my cat, and saved my Corvette' while fighting a fire at his Delaware home following a lightning strike. But Biden's home suffered a 'small fire that was contained to the kitchen', according to reports and firefighters got it under control in just 20 minutes  

 

By Kamal Sultan  

 

Daily Mail

Mar 16, 2024

 

Illustration by Alexander Hunter for The Washington Times (published May 12, 2023)


Joe Biden has repeated an exaggerated story about how a house fire in 2004 almost killed his wife Jill, their cat and destroyed his Corvette - even though the blaze was far smaller. 

The president, 81, shared the claim as he was campaigning in Michigan on Thursday for the upcoming presidential election. 

He told a crowd the fire department once 'saved my wife, saved my cat, and saved my Corvette' while fighting a blaze at his Delaware home following a lightning strike.

But Biden's home suffered a 'small fire that was contained to the kitchen', according to reports at the time and firefighters managed to get it under control in just 20 minutes.

He has now told the exaggerated tale at least seven times as president, including in August after the devastating Hawaii wildfires which killed 101 people.

 

The president, 81, has told the tale at least seven times as president including in August after the devastating Hawaii wildfires which killed 101 people

The president, 81, has repeated an exaggerated story about how a house fire he suffered in 2004 almost killed his wife Jill, their cat and destroyed his Corvette even though the blaze was far smaller. He has told the tale at least seven times as president including in August after the devastating Hawaii wildfires which killed 101 people

 

Biden repeated the exaggerated story to a small group of people in Michigan during his campaign trail. 

He sparked controversy after he told it during a visit to Hawaii in August when the state suffered the deadliest wildfire recorded in US history. 

'I don't want to compare difficulties but we have a little sense, Jill and I, of what it's like to lose a home,' Biden said. 

'Years ago, now 15 years ago, while I was in Washington doing Meet The Press, it was a sunny Sunday and lightning struck at home on a little lake outside our home - not a lake, a pond.' 

He said the spark went through the wires and into the heating ducts, and into the kitchen.

'To make a long story short, I almost lost my wife, my 67 Corvette, and my cat.

'But all kidding aside - I watched the firefighters, the way they responded.'

It is an anecdote that Biden often tells at times of tragedy and he made similar comments to Hurricane Idalia victims in August.

While in March, at a conference for firefighters, he said: 'Lightning struck in a pond behind my house, went up underneath the conduit, and caught the — caught fire underneath the floorboards of my house. 

'It was during the summer. Air conditioning was on. Smoke that thick all three stories.

'My fire company was there to go in and save my wife, get her out; the cat; and my ’67 Corvette.' 

 

Biden sparked controversy after he told it during a visit to Hawaii in August after the state suffered the deadliest wildfire recorded in US history

Biden sparked controversy after he told it during a visit to Hawaii in August after the state suffered the deadliest wildfire recorded in US history  

While in October 2021, he made the bizarre claim that they almost lost a couple of firefighters in the kitchen fire. Pictured: Biden speaking during a visit to the Philadelphia Fire Department in December

While in October 2021, he made the bizarre claim that they almost lost a couple of firefighters in the kitchen fire. Pictured: Biden speaking during a visit to the Philadelphia Fire Department in December 

  

But in October 2021, he made the bizarre claim that they almost lost a couple of firefighters in the kitchen fire. 

'We almost lost a couple firefighters, they tell me, because the kitchen floor was — the — burning between beams in the house, in addition to almost collapsed into the basement,' he said at a summit on fire prevention. 

In November 2021, he told an infrastructure event: 'I know, having had a house burn down with my wife in it — she got out safely, God willing — that having a significant portion of it burn, I can tell: 10 minutes makes a hell of a difference.' 

However the accounts of Cranston Heights Fire Company Chief George Lamborn are much less dramatic. 

'Luckily, we got it pretty early,' he said at the time. 'The fire was under control in 20 minutes.'

Firefighters arrived to heavy smoke but were able to keep the flames contained to the kitchen.