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Swords of Iron: sources IIIIIIIII (view source)

Revision as of 04:55, January 30, 2026

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→‎Notes part IIII: Jan 22, 2026+
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Drew Pavlou 🇦🇺🇺🇸🇺🇦🇹🇼 @DrewPavlou:
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BREAKING: West Sydney hospital in a heavily multicultural area secretly changed the name and religion of a Jewish shooting victim from Bondi while she was under their care.
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They referred to her during treatment with the Anglo alias “Karen Jones” because the hospital staff could not be trusted if they knew she was Jewish.
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This comes after two Muslim extremist nurses at another West Sydney hospital said on video that they would kill any “Zionist” patient in their care.
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Most successful multicultural country in the world btw.
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Jan 28, 2026.
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[https://x.com/DrewPavlou/status/2016320821594358114 on X]
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Qatar and US take charge in Gaza as IDF urges halt to Hamas aid, return to war.
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Yoav Zitun|01.28.26
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[https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rjoa8oolzg YNet]
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Trump weighs strikes on Iranian leadership to inspire renewed protests, sources say.
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Reuters|01.28.26
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[https://www.ynetnews.com/article/skf7nw00811x YNet]
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Netanyahu holds fire as Trump may be setting another trap for Iran.
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Itamar Eichner|01.28.26
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[https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rkqse1oizl YNet]
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US backs international arms buyback to demilitarize Gaza.
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Reuters|01.28.26
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[https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sktn90vlzg YNet]
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'Attack the heart of Tel Aviv': in sharp retort to Trump, Iran warns of all-out war
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Lior Ben Ari, news agencies|01.28.26
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[https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hk4seapuwe YNet]
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Al-Maliki defiant as Trump threatens to withdraw US support if he returns to power
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Associated Press|01.28.26 |
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[https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sjs5r2viwx YNet]
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Cruel Cover-Up Exposed: How Iran Rebrands Slain Protesters as Regime Soldiers.
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Iranian authorities are refusing to release bodies of killed protesters unless families sign documents claiming the dead were Basij members slain by demonstrators, while demanding huge payments for bullets used in the killings, as the death toll climbs into the thousands amid a brutal nationwide suppression.
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Eliana Fleming.
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Jan 28, 2026
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[https://www.jfeed.com/middleeast/iran-protest-deaths-cover-up JFeed]
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German FM: ‘I’m ashamed that Jews fear to speak Hebrew in my country’.
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Johann Wadephul defends Israel ties despite a partial arms embargo, vows Berlin will keep buying Israeli defense systems.
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Nissan Shtrauchler.
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(Jan. 29, 2026 / Israel Hayom)
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Eighty-one years after the Holocaust, in a scenario that once seemed inconceivable, Israel and Germany have become allies. Germans defend Israel in the international arena, and Israel provides military defense for Germany.
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In an interview marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Jan. 27, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, one of Israel’s most prominent friends in the Bundestag, explained why Berlin will continue purchasing weapons from Israel and supporting it in the international arena despite imposing sanctions on it during the recent Gaza war.
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He discussed whether the future generation in Germany is forgetting the Holocaust and how to combat the fact that Jews fear wearing Jewish symbols in Germany.
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[https://www.jns.org/german-fm-im-ashamed-that-jews-fear-to-speak-hebrew-in-my-country/ JNS]
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Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News: Palestinians trust Hamas more than any other group.
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Jan 28, 2026.
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The latest Arab Barometer poll of Palestinians has been released, the third one since the Gaza war.
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On most questions, the answers are roughly what they were in previous polls, but there is one major difference: West Bank Palestinians now trust Hamas more than any other Palestinian group.
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Trust in Hamas went up from 18% to 46% from those surveyed:
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[https://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2026/01/palestinians-trust-hamas-more-than-any.html EoZ]
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Columbia U to screen film praising a Jew-hating, terrorist loving liar as a heroic doctor.
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Jan 28, 2026
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Coming soon, to Columbia University:
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"A State of Passion" is about Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah, a British-Arab plastic surgeon who is described as "a face of Palestinian resistance" from his activities in Gaza during wartime.
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The film will not discuss Abu Sittah's penchant for making up lies about Israel. Nor will it discuss his antisemitism. 
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During the Gaza war, for example, Abu Sittah claims that he - and he alone - saw photographs taken by Al Jazeera that he says proved that Israeli doctors "expertly" removed organs from living Palestinian prisoners. This is a blood libel; it is absurd to think that any such photographs exist yet they weren't publicized where doctors worldwide could confirm it. Al Jazeera colluded with Abu Sittah - because they know that he will say anything to condemn Israel, no matter how far from the truth it might be.
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He has a history of doing exactly that.
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I found an Arabic language interview where he claimed that Israel had targeted every Palestinian Red Crescent hospital in the first days of the 1982 Lebanon war. 
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It was a lie.
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He further claimed that Ben Gurion said "I cannot bear to think that we will have to live in the same country as these people." Another lie.
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He further alleged that when Israel arrested Shifa hospital director Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, "They broke his arms. They made him walk on all fours with a chain around his neck. They made him eat from a plate on the floor in front of the other doctors, because he refused to go on TV and say that the Israelis were right."
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Salmiya himself never made any such claims when he was released and gave a press conference, and his arms were clearly not broken.  It was a lie.
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Abu Sittah also is a fan of terrorists who attack Jews, retweeting one who said  “We congratulate our brothers in Hamas and our comrades in the Popular Front on the anniversary of their inception.”
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He also praised the PFLP terrorist who bombed a cinema in Tel Aviv in December 1974, killing two. 
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Beyond his lies and love of murderers, Abu Sittah is also a rabid Jew hater. 
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He has repeatedly compared Israel to Nazi Germany, for example calling Gaza a "Final Solution." 
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Abu Sittah also falsely claimed that 66% of Israelis are allergic to olive tree pollen, linking to a study that says no such thing. It was only looking at people who already had allergies and who lived near olive groves. Allergies are correlated with exposure. Lebanese people with allergies are more likely to be allergic to cedar and cypress pollen. 
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When a doctor misrepresents a medical paper to push an antisemitic theory, it casts doubt on his competence as an activist as well as his medical credentials. 
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Abu Sittah is not a hero. He is a contemptible, antisemitic terror supporter.
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[https://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2026/01/columbia-u-to-screen-film-praising-jew.html?m=1 EoZ]
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Vance's Holocaust statement criticized for ignoring Jews and Nazis.
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Vance omits mention of Jews from Holocaust Remembrance Day statement, incensing Jewish critics on both sides of the aisle.
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Andrew Lapin, JTA. Jan 29, 2026, 12:08 PM (GMT+2)
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US Vice President JD Vance made a statement marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day that failed to mention either Jews or Nazis, igniting further Jewish criticism of the vice president from both sides of the aisle.
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The statement was the latest in a series of comments Vance has made that have triggered concern regarding his hesitancy to call out antisemites in the conservative movement.
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“Today we remember the millions of lives lost during the Holocaust, the millions of stories of individual bravery and heroism, and one of the enduring lessons of one of the darkest chapters in human history: that while humans create beautiful things and are full of compassion, we’re also capable of unspeakable brutality," Vance tweeted Tuesday. “And we promise never again to go down the darkest path."
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His post included photos of the vice president and his wife Usha visiting a Holocaust memorial site, meeting representatives and signing a guestbook. Vance visited Dachau last year.
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Tablet, the Jewish digital magazine that promotes conservative ideas but has drawn a line of skepticism around the Vice President, swiftly criticized Vance’s comments.
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“Thank you Mr. Vice President for this unique commemoration of the Holocaust that manages to avoid mentioning Jews or condemning Nazis," the site’s Twitter account posted. The post was retweeted by Jews across the political spectrum, including pro-Palestinian activist and former Congressional candidate Cameron Kasky, and its sentiments were echoed by many other Jews.
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“It really takes effort on the part of Vice President Vance to issue a Holocaust Remembrance Day statement like this without any mention of six million Jews lost, the Jewish people, Nazis, or the issue of antisemitism," Halie Soifer, CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, tweeted.
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Other Trump administration officials, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as well as the official White House statement, mentioned Jews or antisemitism in their own commemorations of the holiday. Some arms of the government had blasted Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz the day before the holiday for comparing immigration raids in his state to Anne Frank.
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American Jewish groups have anxiously parsed Vance’s approach to antisemitism over the last few months. The vice president has previously failed to condemn a college student’s antisemitic question; remains close with Tucker Carlson; and has said several times that antisemitism is not a problem in the conservative movement. “We have far more important work to do than canceling each other," he said at a Turning Point USA conference in December.
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He has also said that stopping immigration is the best way to combat antisemitism.
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[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421658 INN]
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New footage reveals Afula terrorist sped up, drove off the road, to kill Israeli.
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Israel National News.
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Published: Jan 29, 2026, 10:11 AM (GMT+2)
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The Northern District Prosecutor's Office will file at the Nazareth District Court a serious indictment Thursday against terrorist Ahmad Abu al-Roub, a 34-year-old resident of Qabatiya in northern Samaria.
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The indictment follows a terror attack last month in which Abu al-Roub murdered two Israelis and injured three others.
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It charges him with two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder..
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[https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421653 INN]
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(Related:
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Aviv Maor and Mordechai Shimshon killed in terror attack. Aviv Maor (19) was stabbed to death near Tel Yosef; Mordechai Shimshon (68) was rammed in hit-and-run attack. Dec 26, 2025. [https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/419946])
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Terrorist who killed 2 in north to be indicted 
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Ahmad Abu al-Rub stole employer’s car and went on rampage, killing Shimshon. Mordechai, Aviv Maor; new footage released.
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Eitan Glikman|01.29.26
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[https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sjpnlnoibg YNet]
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Multiple Countries Evacuate Diplomatic Staff from Middle East as Signs Indicate US Could Attack Iran Soon.
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Multiple countries, including European nations and the UK, are evacuating non-essential diplomatic staff from the Middle East amid rising U.S.-Iran tensions and potential Israeli involvement. Further departures expected in 24-48 hours as regional conflicts escalate.
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Jfeed Staff. Jan 29, 2026.
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[https://www.jfeed.com/news-world/diplomatic-evacuations-iran-tensions JFeed]
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For the First Time in 25 Years, Jews Pray at Joseph's Tomb in Broad Daylight.
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In a dramatic policy shift by Defense Minister Israel Katz, hundreds of worshippers held morning prayers at Joseph's Tomb in Nablus during daylight hours. This marks the first authorized daytime service since the site was abandoned 25 years ago, signaling a broader plan to restore a permanent Jewish presence.
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Jfeed Staff. Jan 29, 2026
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[https://www.jfeed.com/news-israel/josephs-tomb-daytime-prayers JFeed]
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Strategic Threat Assessment.
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Iranian "Missile Superpower" May Target Millions of Israeli Civilians.
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Brig. Gen. (Res.) Zvika Haimovich, former Commander of Israel's Air Defense Array, warns that Iran remains a "missile superpower" despite recent setbacks. He predicts Tehran may target population centers from Haifa to Beersheba to force millions into shelters, while advising Israel to let the Trump administration lead the offensive.
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Jfeed Staff. Jan 29, 2026
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[https://www.jfeed.com/news-israel/iran-missile-threat-israel JFeed]
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From 3,100 missing to closure: IDF Hostage Command winds down after historic mission.
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Born in the chaos of Oct. 7 amid shock and thousands missing, Hostage Command ends two years of intense, emotional operations with the burial of Ran Gvili, marking quiet missions, deep intel ties and the looming question: what happens next?
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Elisha Ben Kimon|01.29.26
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[https://www.ynetnews.com/article/b1ipo3olwl YNet]
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EU appears poised to sanction Iran's Revolutionary Guard over protest crackdown.
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Move puts IRGC 'on same footing with al-Qaida, Hamas, Islamic State,' says EU foreign policy chief Kallas, adding pressure as Iran’s economy reels under sanctions
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Associated Press|1.29.26.
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[https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rkjkzjui11g YNet]
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Yad Vashem nominated for Nobel Peace Prize.
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Etgar Lefkovits.
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(Jan. 29, 2026 / JNS)
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[https://www.jns.org/yad-vashem-nominated-for-nobel-peace-prize/ JNS]
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Netanyahu hosts Bosnia Serb leaders in Jerusalem.
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JNS Staff.
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(Jan. 29, 2026 / JNS)
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[https://www.jns.org/netanyahu-hosts-bosnia-serb-leaders-in-jerusalem/ JNS]
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Honduras president receives credentials of Israeli ambassador on taking office.
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JNS Staff.
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(Jan. 29, 2026 / JNS)
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[https://www.jns.org/honduras-president-receives-credentials-of-israeli-ambassador-on-taking-office/ JNS]
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Netanyahu: IDF soldiers paid with their lives due to US arms embargo.
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"We did not have enough ammunition, and people fell—heroes fell," said the Israeli premier.
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JNS Staff.
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(Jan. 28, 2026 / JNS)
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Israel Defense Forces soldiers paid with their lives because of a weapons embargo that ended when U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday.
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“I have one more thing to tell you, you can get a translation,” Netanyahu said, speaking at the end of a Hebrew-language press briefing that focused on the return of the remains of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, the last captive taken during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023.
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“I said we paid very heavy prices in the war—the fallen and wounded, truly heavy costs. Part of this is what happens during war,” the prime minister continued.
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Netanyahu noted that Gaza was full of booby-trapped buildings. After the IDF called on the civilian population to evacuate the combat zone, the military initially used artillery and airstrikes to eliminate terrorists who remained in structures rigged with explosives, the premier said.
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However, “at a certain stage, we reached a stage where we did not have enough ammunition, and people fell—heroes fell,” he said.
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[https://www.jns.org/netanyahu-idf-soldiers-paid-with-their-lives-due-to-us-arms-embargo/ JNS]
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Earth’s Bologna Show Canceled Over Band’s Objection To Venue’s Palestinian Flag.
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By Tom Breihan. Jan 27, 2026.
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Right now, drone-metal pioneers Earth are touring Europe. On Tuesday night (Jan. 27), Earth were slated to play at the Bologna, Italy venue TPO, which hosts cultural events as well as underground bands. According to various reports from the show, Earth did not perform because Dylan Carlson, the band's frontman and sole permanent member, objected to the Palestinian flag hanging in the venue.
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[https://stereogum.com/2486859/earths-bologna-show-canceled-over-bands-objection-to-venues-palestinian-flag/news Stereogum]
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The band refused  to perform because of the Palestinian flag on stage.
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The acclaimed metal band Earth was scheduled to perform at TPO in Bologna, Italy, but when they saw a Palestinian flag on stage, they asked for it to be removed. When their request was denied, they decided not to go on stage and play. "The venue chose politics over music, it's not about us," explained band leader Dylan Carlson.
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Yiftach Carmeli.
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Published:01.29.26.
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([https://img.mako.co.il/2026/01/29/ear_re_autoOrient_w.jpg].
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Earth band refused to go on stage because of the Palestinian flag).
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https://www.mako.co.il/music-news/Article-13491a0bd390c91026.htm
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Yoseph Haddad @YosephHaddad:
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The American metal band Earth was supposed to perform at a venue in Bologna, Italy, but when they discovered a Palestinian flag was flying on stage, they asked the venue to remove it, and when the venue refused, they decided not to go to the show.
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They deserve our utmost respect.
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[https://x.com/YosephHaddad/status/2016901339788333538 on X]
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
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@ICEgov:
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FORMER IRGC MEMBERS DEPORTED BACK TO IRAN.
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Ehsan Khaledi, Mohammad Mehrani and Morteza Nasirikakolaki — all three came to the U.S. illegally in 2024, and all three were on a flight back home to Iran this past weekend.
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Foreign terrorist organizers are NOT welcome in our country.
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[https://ow.ly/wHXT50Y4CYa].
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Jan 28, 2026
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[https://x.com/ICEgov/status/2016297231133835620 on X]
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Eyal Waldman from the Kaplan protest leaders: It was a mistake to play with the army, there is definitely a connection between the refusal and October 7 .
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Last edited on 29.01.26 at 12:30 Greetings, Mila.
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([https://twitter.com/noamamir74/status/2016816279458304125]).
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[https://rotter.net/forum/scoops1/930706.shtml Rotter]
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IDF says nearly 70,000 Gazans died in war | The Jerusalem Post.
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IDF confirms some 70,000 Gazans died in Israel-Hamas war, none from starvation.
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Additionally, according to the IDF, throughout the war, 112,000 aid trucks were brought into Gaza, including 1,700,000 tons of food and 1,800,000 tents and tarpaulin covers.
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By Yonah Jeremmy Bob. Jan 29, 2026
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The IDF, for the first time on Wednesday, confirmed that approximately 70,000 Gazans were killed during the Israel-Hamas War, while disputing the percentage of
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civilian deaths claimed by the UN and declaring that no healthy persons died from starvation.
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While various international groups have claimed that the overwhelming majority of those who died were civilians, the IDF continues to contest that number and has said that around 25,000 were Hamas terrorists. Further, the IDF has presented evidence that, through early 2024 – the period when Hamas was firing large
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daily rocket salvos – around 13% of their rockets were misfires, leading to the killing of many Palestinians.
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There have also been other periods of time where Hamas executed large numbers of Palestinians whom it viewed as political opponents or civilians whom it was trying to prevent from fleeing an area that the IDF said needed to be evacuated. While the IDF said on Thursday that it is working on a fuller evaluation of the breakdown of civilians to combatants and estimates of those killed by Hamas, no Israeli official has provided a set estimate on that to date.
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No date was given for when this
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breakdown will be publicized, suggesting that it will not be in the near future.
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Estimates by international organizations and some media have said that as many as around 450 Palestinians have died of starvation, but the IDF on Thursday said these numbers are a mix of fake statistics or include persons who suffered from dangerous health conditions prior to the war.
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IDF sources noted cases where they spoke to humanitarian aid officials who claimed that two specific children had died, but the military was able to quickly establish that they were actually still alive.
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There were also multiple other cases in which the global media graphically documented children whose bodies appeared contorted and who eventually died, with the military later clarifying that they had serious pre-war health conditions that had already caused their distorted-looking appearance.
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IDF: UN officials exaggerated claims of Gazan starvation.
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The IDF has not given a more detailed, comprehensive counter-claim regarding the list of persons the UN claims
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starved to death, but is expected to give significant information confidentially to the International Court of Justice on March 12.
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More broadly, the IDF has said that UN aid officials in the field have admitted that their headquarters political bosses invented or exaggerated the food insecurity in Gaza in order to pressure Israel into ending the war earlier. IDF officials have also admitted that there was a food insecurity crisis in July-August 2025, but said they acted rapidly enough at the time in increasing the volume of food aid trucks to avoid a starvation crisis.
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According to the IDF, throughout the war, 112,000 aid trucks were brought into Gaza, including 1,700,000 tons of food, as well as 1,800,000 tents and tarpaulin covers. During this time, 600,000 children received polio vaccinations.
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Currently, 16 field hospitals are operating, and over the course of the war, 9,600 tons of medical items have been brought into Gaza.
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During the same period, 5,000 international aid workers entered the Strip, while 42,000 Gazans exited to a third country to receive health treatment or travel using their dual citizenship status.
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The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories has also provided 1,300 food pallets to southern Syrian communities, mostly to Druze Syrians, during the war.
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COGAT chief Maj.-Gen. Ghassan Alian is soon to step down after nearly five years in his post, a long extension of the standard term. Yoram Halevi, a top former police official, will replace him.
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Critics have said that Halevi is an outside political appointee designed to reduce professional expert disagreements with the West Bank government and the Gaza police Policy.
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[https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-884905 JPost]
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EU countries who blocked IRGC terror designation were threatened by Iran - report
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However, the sources noted that some of those opposed to labeling the IRGC as a terrorist organization are of the belief that there should always be a line of communication between Europe and Iran.
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By Idan Kweller. Jan 29, 2026.
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Several European countries that had previously blocked the European Union from designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terror organization were threatened to do so by the IRGC Quds Force, according to several political sources. 
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According to the sources, the countries had been warned by the Quds Force, a branch of the IRGC that operates abroad, that "there could be consequences" should the designation go through. 
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[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-885009 JPost]
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Germany vows 'rapid' implementation of IRGC terror designation.
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January 29, 2026.
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The European Union will move rapidly to implement a legally binding designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation, Germany’s foreign minister said on Wednesday, calling the decision long overdue.
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In a statement issued on January 29, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the designation sent a strong political message and showed that the EU recognised the scale of repression inside Iran.
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“The next step will be the rapid implementation towards a legally binding listing,” he said, adding that the bloc stood “side by side with the Iranian people” and opposed repression.
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Wadephul accused the Revolutionary Guard and its auxiliary forces of attacking protesters with extreme violence, carrying out executions, and playing a destabilising role across the Middle East.
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“In short, they have blood on their hands,” he added.
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[https://www.iranintl.com/en/202601299798 IranIntl]
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Iran Rounds Up Thousands in Mass Arrest Campaign After Crushing Unrest.
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January 29, 2026.
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By Reuters and Algemeiner Staff.
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Plainclothes Iranian security forces have rounded up thousands of people in a campaign of mass arrests and intimidation to deter further protests after crushing the bloodiest unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, sources told Reuters.
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Modest protests that began last month in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar over economic hardship unleashed long-suppressed wider grievances and swiftly escalated into the gravest existential threat to Iran‘s Shi’ite theocracy in nearly five decades, with protesters commonly calling for ruling clerics to step down.
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Authorities cut internet access and stifled the unrest with overwhelming force that killed thousands, according to rights groups. Tehran blames “armed terrorists” linked to Israel and the United States for the violence.
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Within days, plainclothes security forces launched a campaign of widespread arrests accompanied by an intensified street presence based around checkpoints, according to five activists who spoke on condition of anonymity from inside Iran.
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They said detainees had been placed in secret lockups.
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“They are arresting everyone,” one of the activists said. “No one knows where they are being taken or where they are being held. With these arrests and threats, they are trying to inject fear into society.”
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Similar accounts were given to Reuters by lawyers, medics, witnesses, and two Iranian officials speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid retribution by security services.
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They said the roundups appeared aimed at preventing any serious revival of protests by spreading fear just as the clerical establishment faces rising external pressure.
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Uncertainty over the possibility of military action against the Islamic Republic has lingered since US President Donald Trump said last week that an “armada” was heading toward the country but that he hoped he would not have to use it.
 +
 +
On Wednesday, however, he doubled down on his threats by demanding Iran negotiate curbs on its nuclear program, warning that any future US attack would be “far worse” than one day of airstrikes last June on three nuclear sites.
 +
 +
Multiple Western and Middle Eastern sources told Reuters this week that Trump is weighing options against Iran that include targeted strikes on security forces and leaders to inspire protesters, although Israeli and Arab officials said air power alone would not topple the clerical establishment.
 +
 +
ROUNDED UP FOR PROTESTS IN PREVIOUS YEARS
 +
 +
One of the activists said security forces were detaining not only people accused of involvement in the latest unrest but also those arrested during protests in previous years, “even if they had not participated this time, plus members of their families.”
 +
 +
The latest death toll compiled by the US-based HRANA rights group stands at 6,373 – 5,993 protesters, 214 security personnel, 113 under-18s, and 53 bystanders. Arrests stand at 42,486, according to HRANA, which is investigating an additional nearly 20,000 possible deaths.
 +
 +
Several media outlets have reported the death toll could exceed 30,000 citing sources inside Iran.
 +
 +
Judiciary officials have warned that “those committing sabotage, burning public property, and involved in armed clashes with security forces” could face death sentences.
 +
 +
The UN human rights office told Reuters on Thursday it understood that the number of detainees was very high and they were at risk of torture and unfair trials. Mai Soto, the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran, said the thousands of detainees included doctors and health-care workers.
 +
 +
UNOFFICIAL DETENTION CENTERS, THOUSANDS OF ARRESTS
 +
 +
Two Iranian officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to Reuters that thousands of arrests had been carried out in the past few days.
 +
 +
They said many detainees were being held in unofficial detention sites, “including warehouses and other improvised locations,” and the judiciary was acting quickly to process cases.
 +
 +
Iranian authorities declined to comment publicly on the number of arrests, or say where the detainees were being held. Authorities said on Jan. 21 that 3,117 were killed in the unrest, including 2,427 civilians and security personnel.
 +
 +
Amnesty International reported on Jan. 23 that “sweeping arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, bans on gatherings, and attacks to silence families of victims mark the suffocating militarization imposed in Iran by the Islamic Republic’s authorities in the aftermath of protest massacres.”
 +
 +
Arrests are continuing across the sprawling country, from small towns to the capital, witnesses and activists said.
 +
 +
“They arrested my brother and my cousin a few days ago,” said a resident of northwestern Iran who asked not to be named.
 +
 +
“They stormed our home in plainclothes, searched the entire house, and took all the laptops and mobile phones. They warned us that if we make this public, they will arrest all of us.”
 +
 +
FAMILIES FRANTIC OVER MISSING YOUNG PEOPLE
 +
 +
More than 60% of Iran‘s 92 million people are under the age of 30. Although the latest protests were snuffed out, clerical rulers will eventually risk more demonstrations if the heavy repression persists, according to rights activists.
 +
 +
Three Iranian lawyers told Reuters that dozens of families had approached them in recent days seeking help for relatives who had been detained.
 +
 +
“Many families are coming to us asking for legal assistance for their detained children,” one lawyer said. “Some of those arrested are under 18 – boys and girls.”
 +
 +
Human rights groups have long said Iranian security organs use informal detention sites during periods of serious unrest, holding detainees without access to lawyers or family members for extended periods.
 +
 +
Five doctors told Reuters that protesters wounded during protests had been removed from hospitals by security forces and dozens of doctors had been summoned by authorities or warned against helping injured demonstrators.
 +
 +
Prison authorities denied holding wounded protesters.
 +
 +
Families of five detainees said the lack of information about their whereabouts itself had become a form of punishment.
 +
 +
“We don’t know where they are, whether they are still alive, or when we’ll see them,” said an Iranian man whose daughter was rounded up. “They took my child as if they were arresting a terrorist.”
 +
[https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/01/29/iran-rounds-up-thousands-mass-arrest-campaign-crushing-unrest/ Algemeiner]
 +
 +
____
 +
 +
 +
Al Jazeera to host Iranian FM, Hamas leader, and CCP propagandist at its forum in February.
 +
Among the listed speakers is Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, head of the terrorist group abroad.
 +
 +
By Mathilda Heller. Jan 29, 2026
 +
 +
Al Jazeera Media Network is set to host Iran's foreign minister, a senior Hamas leader, and an Erdogan propagandist at its upcoming Forum on February 7.
 +
 +
The forum will be held from 7 to 9 February 2026 in the capital Doha and is titled "The Palestinian Cause and the Regional Balance of Power in the Context of an Emerging Multipolar World."
 +
[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-885016 JPost]
 +
 +
____
 +
 +
 +
US: Brooklyn resident jailed for collaborating with Iran in plot to kill journalist.
 +
Carlyle Rivera, a 50-year-old man from Brooklyn, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for collaborating with Iran's Revolutionary Guards in an attempt to assassinate journalist Masih Ali Nejad in New York. According to the charges, Rivera received $100,000 from an Iranian source, purchased weapons and stalked her with his accomplice. Ali Nejad has been a constant target of Tehran due to her activism against the regime. According to a previous indictment, the same Iranian source also planned a mass shooting of Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka and assassinations of Jewish businessmen in New York. The US Department of Justice stated that the sentence sends a "clear message. We will not allow assassinations by a foreign enemy on US soil."
 +
Daniel Adelson, New York|01.29.26
 +
[https://www.ynetnews.com/article/yhsx5g9h5 YNet]
 +
 +
____
 +
 +
 +
Senior Hamas official: We did not discuss disarmament ‘for a single moment’.
 +
Musa Abu Marzouk claimed Hamas has veto power over members of the U.S.-backed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, which is meant to exclude the terror group.
 +
JNS Staff.
 +
(Jan. 29, 2026 / JNS)
 +
[https://www.jns.org/senior-hamas-official-we-did-not-discuss-disarmament-for-a-single-moment/ JNS]
 +
 +
Hamas Doubles Down on Refusal to Disarm as Trump Pushes Phase Two of Gaza Peace Plan.
 +
January 29, 2026.
 +
[https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/01/29/hamas-doubles-down-refusal-disarm-trump-pushes-phase-two-gaza-peace-plan/ Algemeiner]
 +
 +
____
 +
 +
 +
PA continues ‘pay-for-slay,’ especially abroad, despite claims of reform.
 +
An Israeli watchdog group discovered that terrorist families living outside P.A. territories received their full payments from the “Martyr’s Fund.”
 +
David Isaac.
 +
(Jan. 29, 2026 / JNS)
 +
The Palestinian Authority’s attempt to throw off Western scrutiny by claiming it has ended pay-for-slay suffered another setback after beneficiaries on Monday celebrated receiving the payments.
 +
 +
Families living abroad received their full payments from the “Martyr’s Fund,” the program which provides monthly stipends for attacks against Israelis, according to Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), an Israeli watchdog group. Payments typically go to the families of the terrorists.
 +
[https://www.jns.org/pa-continues-pay-for-slay-especially-abroad-despite-claims-of-reform/ JNS]
 +
 +
____
 +
 +
 +
Trump declares national emergency over Cuba, threatens tariffs on nations that supply oil to communist regime.
 +
Move would allow for duties on imports from foreign countries that 'directly or indirectly sell or otherwise provide any oil' to the island country.
 +
By Jasmine Baehr Fox News
 +
Published January 29, 2026 10:04pm EST
 +
 +
State Department signals US interest in regime change in Cuba.
 +
Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy has the latest on U.S.-Canada relations and NATO on ‘Special Report.’
 +
[https://www.foxnews.com/world/trump-declares-national-emergency-cuba-threatens-tariffs-nations-supply-oil-communist-regime FoxNews]
 +
 +
______
 +
 +
 +
Thursday, January 29, 2026
 +
26% of European teachers think that "Jews murder Christian children for their blood" isn't or might not be antisemitic
 +
UNESCO surveyed over 2,000 teachers in the EU about how much antisemitism they witness in the classroom.
 +
 +
The main headlines are bad enough:
 +
 +
- 78% of teachers said they had encountered at least one antisemitic incident among students
 +
 +
- More than a quarter reported seeing nine or more such incidents.
 +
 +
- 61% said they had come across Holocaust denial or distortion in the classroom, with one in ten saying this occurred frequently.
 +
 +
- One in ten teachers reported witnessing physical attacks on Jewish pupils at least once,
 +
 +
- 44% said they had seen students making Nazi gestures or wearing or drawing Nazi symbols.
 +
 +
But I think the most noteworthy and frightening results came from a different question.
 +
 +
The teachers were asked to judge whether a series of statements were antisemitic or not. All of them are.
 +
 +
36.7% are not sure that defacing a Holocaust memorial with "Free Palestine" is antisemitic.
 +
 +
36% think "Jews control the media" might not be antisemitic.
 +
 +
25.7% think the classic blood libel of Jews murdering and drinking the blood of Christian children is either not antisemitic or "depends on context."
 +
 +
Holocaust denial, using derogatory terms for Jews, attacking Jewish properties - a significant number of these teachers don't consider those necessarily antisemitic.
 +
 +
The survey didn't ask the question, but one can assume that a majority of those who answered that these things were definitely not antisemitic actually believe them  to be true.
 +
 +
Which means that at least 10% of European teachers are antisemites. Moreover, since so many had no idea what antisemitism actually means, the statistics of how many witnessed antisemitism in their classrooms are certainly undercounted.
 +
 +
I don't know what the numbers would be in America, but the EU has been a harbinger of  US antisemitism for quite a while now. This is what US and Canadian classrooms will look like in a few years, unless someone starts to take the fight against antisemitism seriously. Unfortunately I cannot imagine US teachers unions supporting the training and vetting that would be necessary to stop this from happening in America.
 +
[https://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2026/01/26-of-european-teachers-think-that-jews.html?m=1 EoZ]
 +
 +
_____
 +
 +
 +
A New Axis? Saudi Arabia Sides with Qatar and Turkey as Tensions with UAE Explode.
 +
Major Jewish organizations are set to meet with Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman in Washington to deliver a stern warning against the Kingdom's recent embrace of anti-Israel rhetoric and hostile regional alliances.
 +
 +
Eliana Fleming.
 +
Jan 30, 2026.
 +
[https://www.jfeed.com/news-world/saudi-arabia-qatar-turkey-alliance JFeed]
 +
 +
_____
 +
 +
 +
President Donald Trump on Thursday declared a national emergency via an executive order over Cuba, accusing the communist regime of aligning with hostile foreign powers and terrorist groups while moving to punish countries that supply the island nation with oil.
 +
 +
Thursday's executive order states that the policies and actions of the Cuban government constitute "an unusual and extraordinary threat, which has its source in whole or substantial part outside the United States, to the national security and foreign policy of the United States."
 +
 +
To address that threat, Trump ordered the creation of a tariff mechanism that allows the U.S. to impose additional duties on imports from foreign countries that "directly or indirectly sell or otherwise provide any oil to Cuba," according to the order.
 +
 +
The White House said the move marks a significant escalation in U.S. pressure on the Cuban government, aimed at protecting American national security and foreign policy interests.
 +
[https://www.foxnews.com/world/trump-declares-national-emergency-cuba-threatens-tariffs-nations-supply-oil-communist-regime FoxNews]
 +
 +
_____
 +
    
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