If things weren’t bad enough for residents of the Gaza Strip, the ocean — the only place where they could escape the heat and their suffering — has been declared off-limits to bathers in much of the area. The decision was taken by the Gaza municipality, citing the severe pollution of the beaches. Gaza’s sewage-treatment plants have shut down due to the ongoing power shortage, and as a result, untreated sewage has been flowing into the sea.
“The only place we could go to have fun has been closed too,” said T., a Gaza City resident, in a telephone interview. “There are a few beaches in the northern Gaza Strip where swimming is still possible, but they’re far away. So where are we going to go? There’s no pay, no power, no beach. We’re swimming in shit,” he added, laughing bitterly.
Anyone in Israel inclined toward schadenfreude about the Gazans’ suffering might be advised to reconsider. The Mediterranean currents could easily carry Gaza’s sewage to the beaches of Ashkelon, Ashdod, and farther north.
T. said that the despair is growing worse each day. “We’re in the month of Ramadan. There were years when the streets were filled every night with people coming and going, just like in Ramallah.” This year, by contrast, although younger Gazans still crowd the cafes, “people have no money to shop,” said T. “There’s no violence and the situation is relatively calm, but I wouldn’t be surprised if one day you see people starting to march in desperation toward the Erez border crossing.”
Hamas has also been talking of a potential mass march toward the Israeli border fence. The terror group held a so-called day of rage on Friday, and said it would continue into this week and that as part of it, Gaza residents would march toward the fence. Hamas’s intention is to channel public anger toward Israel while sending the message to the Israelis that if the power shortage is not relieved soon, the situation could deteriorate into a full-scale conflict.
Even as Hamas tries to avoid a conflict now, it is preparing intensively for the next war.
And there are some who believe its position today is stronger than it was in the summer of 2014.
Hamas is built like an army in every way. It has at its disposal 27,000 armed men divided into six regional brigades, with 25 battalions and 106 companies.
Of this military array, 2,500 armed men are members of the Nuhba, Hamas’s elite unit. A third of these troops are intended to be sent to carry out attacks inside Israeli territory. These gunmen are supposed to strike from the sea (the naval commandos), from the air (using flying ATVs or motorized gliders, for example), and, of course, from the ground, mainly via cross-border tunnels, from which they would emerge to raid an Israeli residential community or army base in order to kidnap and kill.
The tunnels are the main focus of Hamas’s military efforts.
Hamas invests even more in “defensive” tunnels — those it uses inside the Gaza Strip — than in the attack tunnels that are designed to penetrate into Israeli territory. It has tunnels inside Gaza thought to be dozens of kilometers long: an actual city beneath the Strip that will enable the entire rocket operation, as well as Hamas’s command and control echelons, to continue to function even during severe aerial bombardment by Israel.
In charge of this entire effort is Mohammed Deif, the terror chief with nine lives. Born in the Khan Younis refugee camp 52 years ago, Deif has been a wanted man since the 1980s, when he was among those who set up Hamas’s military wing.
Deif has been wounded several in assassination attempts. One of his wives and two of his children were killed in an Israeli attempt on his life during 2014’s Operation Protective Edge.
Not only has he returned to his position despite his injuries, but Deif is also considered the military wing’s supreme commander and is responsible for building Hamas’s military strength and preparing it for war. While Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s overall Gaza chief, is considered a “defense minister” of sorts, Deif concentrates on the military sphere. He has set up a small general staff whose members include his deputy, Marwan Issa, military intelligence head Ayman Nofal, and several Hamas brigade commanders.
As far as the old-new Hamas headed by Ismail Haniyeh, Sinwar, and Deif is concerned, the main goal, at least for now, is not another war with Israel, but rather the survival of Hamas’s regime in Gaza and a future takeover of Palestinian power centers — the West Bank and the PLO — in their entirety.
One reason Hamas is not eager for another conflict just yet is that Gaza’s population has had its fill of war and catastrophe. The inhabitants of the Strip have adapted to the new situation of prolonged power outages, salary cutbacks, and so on, and, as always, have learned to survive.
For example, after the iftar and the tarawih — the evening break-fast meal and the prayer service afterward — the young people hurry off to Gaza’s famous cafés, such as Gahwetna, on the Sheikh Ajlin neighborhood’s polluted beach, and Habiba. The nargila is the item most in demand there, along with coffee, tea, and fruit juice. These establishments are for the young men — the shabab — only. Other places — such as the Al-Deira Café (on the Rimal beach), the adjacent Roots, and Level Up, on the eleventh floor of a building in the Rimal section — have a mixed clientele.
The threats by the PA in Ramallah to decrease fund transfers to Gaza continue to loom. T., for one, is sharply critical. “I don’t know what Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) is trying to accomplish with the cutbacks and reducing the payments for electricity. He wants to punish Hamas, but he’s actually punishing two million Gazans.”
The Fatah movement, headed by Mahmoud Abbas who is also the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, on Sunday reiterated its commitment to continue the violent struggle against Israel as a means “to realize all Palestinian rights.”
In a statement issued on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Six Day War,
Fatah emphasized that "the natural historical rights are not annulled by antiquation," and added that the removal of the "occupation" from the Palestinian and Arab lands will be a certainty.
The statement that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the June 4, 1967 borders with eastern Jerusalem as its capital "is the only way to achieve peace, stability and security in the Middle East."
Fatah also blasted “settlements” in its statement, referring to them as a "war crime based on a racist and terrorist ideology," while stressing that the Palestinian people are armed with revolutionary willpower and can follow the path of a violent struggle to realize their rights.
It called on the "occupation state" to learn a lesson from the revolutions of the Palestinian people, the intifadas and the struggles it has waged, saying those battles will not cease until the Israeli army and the “settlers” leave the region and comply with international law.
The statement is just the latest example of the incitement by Fatah, which the West claims is a peace partner for Israel.
The PA names schools, public squares and community centers after terrorists who murdered Israeli citizens.
While Abbas tells the West in English that he is against violence and terrorism, his television channels and social media pages belonging to Fatah openly call for terrorism against Israelis.
Those insisting on the reliability of information about alleged Russian interference in the US elections have been misled, there is no direct evidence of such intervention, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
"They have been misled and they are not analysing the information in its entirety. I have not once seen any direct proof of Russia's interference in the presidential election in the USA," Putin said in an interview with NBC News anchor Megyn Kelly.
"I don't want to offend anyone, but the United States, everywhere, all over the world, is actively interfering in electoral campaigns in other countries," Putin added.
The president noted that should you "point your finger to any spot on the world's map, everywhere you'll hear complaints that American officials interfere in their political domestic processes."
"Therefore, if someone, and I am not saying that it’s us (we did not interfere), if anybody does influence in some way or attempts to influence or somehow participates in these processes, then the United States has nothing to be offended by. Who is talking? Who is taking offense that we are interfering? You yourselves interfere all the time." Putin said.
He stressed that "it does not sound like justification. It sounds like a statement of fact."
"Each action invites appropriate counteraction, but, again, we don't need to do that because I did not tell you this without a reason, both you personally and other members of the media, recently I was in France and I said the same things. Presidents come and go, and even parties come to and away from power. But the main policy track does not change. So by and large we don't care who will be at the helm in the United States. We have a rough idea of what is going to happen. And in this regard, even if we wanted to it wouldn't make any sense for us to interfere," Putin said.
I must say, Putin blasted her.
The Russian president may have appeared irritated to some, but I assure you, he has no fear of Kelly. Putin seemed amused at her for the most part, though some have described him as “perturbed.”
At an economic forum in St. Petersburg, Russia late last week, Kelly asked Putin about recent comments he made that the accusations about Russian interference in the U.S. election are coming from people who did not want to admit defeat.
Kelly cited an intelligence report commissioned by former President Barack Obama after November’s election. According to the report, Putin ordered an “influence campaign” aimed at the U.S. presidential election.
Kelly comments to Putin:
“All 17 of America’s intelligence agencies concluded the Russians did interfere with our election,” said Kelly. She stated that people across the political spectrum in the U.S. have accepted this finding. “Are they all wrong?”
Putin removes his earpiece, then asks Kelly if she’s read the reports?
She comments that she read the unclassified version.
As a person who knows the inside of this business, as well as body language, I don’t believe Kelly read these reports. I believe she took the base-level information, and ran with it.
And in that regard, I would have loved for Putin to ask her direct questions from the report. He could have even made things up, and said, “That wasn’t in the report, I was just testing you.”
Instead Putin ridiculed unclassified reports, and alluded that what Kelly understood of this matter amounted to asking questions about buttons on suits.
One thing he said rings true. He said that Kelly didn’t make a single comment about anything that was irrefutably true.
I’m a fan of Megyn Kelly, as she had me as a regular on her show. But if she wants to be ready for prime time, she needs to bring the FOX News tradition to NBC. That’s why they hired her.
NBC’s formula loses. Kelly now has the opportunity to help guide them into a new future. However, this was not a good start.
The replica of the arch of the Temple of Baal has been on a world tour the past few years, having been put on display in London, New Yorkand then Dubai for a global summit. And it was recently rebuilt for yet another global summit, this time the G7 meeting of the leading industrialized nations held in Florence, Italy.
The arch, a reconstruction of an ancient Roman building destroyed by ISIS in Syria, has been promoted by its creators at the Institute of Digital Technology as a symbol of defiance against terrorism and a tribute to world heritage.
But why is a reconstruction of a gateway to a temple of a pagan god whose rites were marked by child sacrifice and ritual prostitution being so persistently publicized at globally important gatherings?
One rabbi, a member of the nascent Sanhedrin attempting to recreate the ancient Jewish legal body, sees dire implications in the repeated use of the arch. Rabbi Daniel Assur told Breaking Israel News the arch is a harbinger of the “New World Order.” He declared the arch’s repeated appearances at prominent locations indicate “a pattern moving toward a specific goal – Messiah.”
The rabbi believes the globalist movement isn’t secular or atheist but, instead, undergirded by pagan spirituality.
“Rabbi Assur is not the only one who sees the spiritual significance in the Palmyra arch’s victory tour,” he told WND.
“I understand the purely cultural, historical and archaeological significance of the arch, which some might find interesting. However, the biblical and spiritual implications cannot be missed, for those who have ‘eyes to see.’
“What are the facts? The arch is representative of the ‘gateway’ to … a Roman temple in Syria that was dedicated to the worship of Baal. It is also a fact that Jesus himself, along with the Jewish religious leaders of His day, defined Baal worship as being directly connected to the worship of Satan and his demonic influence (Matt. 12:24-28, Mark 3:22, Luke 11:18).”
Gallups also said it is profoundly interesting – and worrying – that the arch always seems to be in a location of deep significance to the elite-driven movement to create a global government.
“It is a heavily documented fact that when the Palmyra arch was reconstructed, the places chosen for the display of the arch, complete with ceremonious activities of dedication and honor, were indisputably centers of globalistic power,” Gallups observed.
“Each of these locations had direct connections to the United Nations, the World Government Summit, the G7 Conference and the major economic engines of the world. And this tour started in London, perhaps the world’s most important financial capital, during the pagan festival of Beltane – during a time specifically dedicated to Baal worship. From there, it went to New York City and then to global governance meetings.
Rabbi Assur also told Breaking Israel News the Roman arch was a symbol of how “the culture of paganic [sic] Rome is taking over Christianity,” and said “Christianity must be taken back from Roman culture.”
“The culture of pagan Rome took over Christianity almost 2,000 years ago!” he said. “Around 300 CE the church thought it best to completely assimilate pagan worship with their new religion. The concept of biblical holiness was not in their thinking. We find this true today.
“With all the seeker-friendly churches and pastors becoming life coaches rather than godly examples to the flock it is no surprise we have come to this moment. Right here in Tacoma, Washington, we have churches that follow all the pagan holidays, including Halloween, and their excuse is they use it for evangelistic purposes.”
The Japanese are no longer taking any chances against the rogue North Korean regime and Kim Jong-Un’s insistence on the continued testing of ballistic missiles. Japan is now participating in more frequent evacuation drills in the event that they are attacked by North Korea.
Although drills of this type aren’t the first in Japan this year, they are increasing in frequency. Sunday’s evacuation drill in the town of Abu, Yamaguchi prefecture, is showing how concerned the Japanese are about a potential North Korean attack. The town of about 3,500 people some 760 km (475 miles) west of Tokyo involved a simulated North Korean missile attack. And more Japanese towns and cities are taking steps to brace for what they hope will never happen.
The Japanese government is actively attempting to help the public prepare for the worst by putting on its website a list of tips in case a missile lands in Japanese territory. The tips include “take shelter in a robust building nearby” and “move away from windows or, if possible, move to a room without windows.” The government has previously stated that the Japanese public would only have ten minutes to react if North Korea launches a missile their way – minus the few minutes it would take for the government to alert the public to the attack.
The preparation by Japan is due to the short window of opportunity should North Korea attack the island nation.The Japanese in range of the so far hypothetical missile would have very little time to seek refuge, and the loss of life could be staggering. With schoolchildren also taking place in these drills, it’s safe to say that the Japanese are concerned, but not willing to take chances, especially on towns on Japan’s western coast.
Being prepared is going to help the Japanese in the event of an attack. Although Japan is refusing to panic, they also want to be prepared. It is important to mention, however, that North Korea has not specifically threatened the Japanese, yet. But many believe that a North Korean missile program is a threat to the nation.
In perhaps the day's least-surprising headline, ISIS has claimed responsibility for the London terror attack through its Amaq 'news agency'.
1) Breaking: #ISIS' #Amaq claims attacks in #London carried out by #ISIS fighters, according to its sources #LondonAttacks pic.twitter.com/iivyCTSbwQ— Warbahinta Beerdhiga (@Beerdhiga) June 4, 2017
A statement on the group's propaganda outlet said a “detachment” of its fighters had carried out the atrocity, in which seven people were killed and 48 were wounded.
As The Independent reports, Amaq's statement quoted 'sources', a phrase usually used for attacks inspired, rather than directly commissioned, by ISIS.
The group, which also claimed responsibility for the Manchester attack two weeks ago, has called on its followers to carry out increased terror attacks around the world during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Detailed instructions have been issued via propaganda magazines, videos and social media on how to launch mass casualty attacks using vehicles and knives.
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