Over 300 U.S. Rabbis Vow to Block Israeli Government Extremists Speaking in Their Communities
Hundreds of U.S. rabbis from the Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist movements are signing an open letter to stop far-right Israeli lawmakers from delivering community speeches
More than 330 American rabbis, including some who occupy prominent roles in major cities, are pledging to block members of the Religious Zionist bloc in Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government from speaking at their synagogues and will lobby to keep them from speaking in their communities.
An open letter now circulating says they will not invite members of the bloc “to speak at our congregations and organizations. We will speak out against their participation in other fora across our communities. We will encourage the boards of our congregations and organizations to join us in this protest as a demonstration of our commitment to our Jewish and democratic values.”
Netanyahu announced his proposed new government including the Religious Zionists late Wednesday, although its details have yet to be finalized.
Israeli government ministers sometimes speak at American synagogues to drum up support for their initiatives and ideas. It’s not clear if figures who are harshly critical of non-Orthodox Jews, as Religious Zionist leaders have been, would accept invitations from their synagogues even if offered. Nevertheless, the letter’s uncompromising tone and the breadth of the signatories is a signal of a burgeoning crisis in relations between Israel and the U.S. Jewish community triggered by the elevation of the extremists, who won 14 seats in the Nov. 1 election.
Its signatories come from the Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist movements. There are no Orthodox signatories.
Among the signatories are current and former members of the boards of rabbis in Chicago and Los Angeles; rabbis who lead the largest Conservative and Reform congregations in the Washington, D.C., area; former leaders of major Reform and Conservative movement bodies; the current leader of the Reconstructionist movement; and the rector of the Los Angeles-based American Jewish University. The letter was organized by David Teutsch, a leading Reconstructionist rabbi in Philadelphia, and John Rosove, the rabbi emeritus of Temple Israel in Los Angeles.
The letter outlines five Religious Zionist proposals that it says “will cause irreparable harm to the Israel-Jewish Diaspora relationship”: changing the Law of Return to keep out non-Orthodox converts and their descendants; eroding LGBTQ rights; allowing the Knesset to override Supreme Court rulings; annexing the West Bank; and expelling Arab citizens who oppose Israel’s government.
How much of that agenda will make its way into governance remains to be seen. Netanyahu has said he is confident that he will be able to constrain some of the figures he plans to name to lead ministries.
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2022-12-24/ty-article/over-300-u-s-rabbis-vow-to-bar-israeli-govt-extremists-speeches-in-their-communities/00000185-44cc-d30e-afd7-75fc59ad0000
Protesters at Drag Queen Christmas in St Louis Face Off with Bussed-In Counter Protesters
A Drag Queen Christmas Protest
On Wednesday, December 21, 2022, an ‘All Ages Welcome’ Christmas themed drag show called “A Drag Queen Christmas” came to The Factory in Chesterfield, Missouri. Days prior on December 19th, Missouri state senator, Bill Eigel, sent a letter to the city’s mayor, Mayor Nation, informing him of the violation of the local ordinance, state law as well as federal laws that are in place to protect children from obscene materials and performances.
In a Facebook post by Senator Eigel, he stated, “Today I was made aware that a nationally run “Drag Queen Christmas Show” would be made available to children of all ages in Chesterfield, Missouri on Wednesday, December 21st. Exposing minors to this highly sexualized performance is a CRIMINAL act.”. He encouraged citizens to join in on a protest on the night of the event, “There will be a protest of concerned citizens gathering at 6:30 near the venue, prior to the performance, denouncing this attack on Missouri values and in defense of children who are potentially being harmed by this content.”.
Per Chesterfield City Code 210.1700, 210.1690 and 210.1680, it is unlawful to depict human genitalia or sexual nudity in general, simulated sexual or even depictions of human sexual arousal, in printed material or in a performance. This aligns with the protections for minors in Missouri State Statute 573.010 as well as federal law.
The ‘All Ages’ show “A Drag Queen Christmas”, which is currently touring the country, features acts such as “Tits in a Box” and characters named “Screwdolf the Red Nipple Reindeer”, and as seen in the images included in this article, all of this appears to violate the city ordinance, state and federal law. The Gateway Pundit reported on this show when it was in Texas back in mid-December.
The day after Senator Eigel sent his letter to Mayor Nation, news broke that the venue, The Factory, restricted the age for attendance to only allow those over the age of 18 into the show. It was unclear how or if this would be enforced, or if it was just to try to pacify those in opposition to the ‘All Ages’ drag show. In a Facebook post from Senator Eigel, he thanked the concerned citizens who spoke out against this show, “A little public pressure can go a long way. Thankfully, sanity prevailed and age restrictions have been placed on this event. Exposing kids to this type of sexualized performance is a crime—in many cases a felony in Missouri. I’m thankful for every concerned Missourian who has helped bring pressure to the venue and the City of Chesterfield encouraging them to adopt age restrictions. We shall see very soon if the venue, The Factory, enforces these standards before the show begins. Let’s Go Missouri.”.
The Gateway Pundit reported on this previously:
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/12/protesters-drag-queen-christmas-st-louis-face-off-bussed-counter-protesters-video/
NY Gov. Kathy Hochul on winter storm: "It's very clear to me that the effects of climate change are wreaking havoc everywhere."
https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1606734137850732544
Secret Back Channel Between FTX and White House Closed the Day After FTX Filed for Bankruptcy
A secret back channel between FTX and the Biden White House shut down the day after FTX filed for bankruptcy.
In November TGP reported that billions were sent to Ukraine from the US. Ukraine took some of this money and invested it in FTX. FTX took millions of dollars and invested them in US politicians.
The far-left Washington Post reported on March 3 that Ukraine was dealing in crypto.
The Ukrainian government has gathered more than $42 million in cryptocurrency donations since Saturday, plus digital artwork including a limited edition worth roughly $200,000, according to blockchain analytics firm Elliptic. The challenge is how the country cashes in on these assets to fund its war needs.
Amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the CEO of FTX, Sam Bankman Fried has come forward to help a crypto donation project. He humbly announced that FTX will be supporting the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance and other communities in collecting crypto donations for the country. The Ukrainian government has received over $60 million in crypto donations from all over the world.
FTX’s CEO, Sam Bankman Fried highlighted that the war in Ukraine has been dragging on. The country is in full need of humanitarian help and access to global financial infrastructure. He also called attention to sanctions and crypto during this kind of situation. He indicated that crypto exchanges should enforce sanctions announced by the government seriously.
This was all laid out in our post.
Now we’ve learned that FTX and the Biden White House participated in a back channel that was closed the day after FTX went bankrupt.
This all came from a report at far-left Politico. They reported on Thursday that Democrat operative and close advisor to Bankman-Fried named Sean McElwee had a direct backchannel setup with the White House.
McElwee is a well-known progressive activist who started the “Abolish ICE” movement and in 2018 founded Data for Progress, a progressive think tank with an emphasis on influencing public policy through polling. DFP quickly embedded itself into the top layers of the Democratic firmament. More recently, McElwee became a close political ally and adviser to FTX founder SAM BANKMAN-FRIED. (They were connected through Shor, according to a friend of both men.)
McElwee had easy access to the White House and the press. And he made sure they had access to him. He kept an open Slack channel at DFP that became a rolling conversation between McElwee, Biden administration officials and some well-known reporters — a kind of JournoList for the early 2020s.
On Nov. 12, the day after FTX filed for bankruptcy and SBF resigned as CEO, McElwee abruptly shuttered the Slack channel. Six days later, he and Data for Progress began negotiating his exit from the firm he had built.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/12/breaking-secret-back-channel-ftx-white-house-closed-day-ftx-filed-bankruptcy/
Prosecution in Saab case threatens to undermine the principle of diplomatic immunity
While US attorneys twisted the Vienna Conventions to fit their case against Alex Saab, a bizarre exchange highlighted the judge’s apparent bias and confusion about U.S. Venezuela policy.
MIAMI, FLORIDA – The trial of Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab continued on December 20, when U.S. District Judge Robert Scola heard closing arguments in an evidentiary hearing concerned with whether or not the concept of diplomatic immunity applied to his case. The diplomat was arrested on June 12, 2020, while en route to Iran from Venezuela as part of a special mission to broker a deal for food, fuel, medicine and other essential goods that became scarce in Venezuela due to the U.S. economic blockade. When his plane was forced to refuel in Cape Verde, local authorities arrested and eventually extradited him to the United States, despite the fact that he should have been afforded immunity under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Saab is facing a charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which could carry a twenty year sentence if convicted.
At Tuesday’s evidentiary hearing, Saab’s legal team pointed to five key pieces of evidence that the prosecution has not refuted. These include Saab’s diplomatic credentials, which were granted by then-Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza in April 2018. Another letter from Minister Arreaza, dated April 2020, instructed Saab to negotiate as an envoy for aid in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2020, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry and the Iranian Embassy in Caracas exchanged letters notifying and accepting, respectively, Alex Saab as a special envoy.
The defense further noted that Saab had three documents in his possession when he was detained in Cape Verde: a letter from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and two letters from Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez to Iran’s Minister of Agriculture and the Senior Advisor to Iran’s Vice President, inviting them to visit Venezuela. As The Grayzone previously reported, these diplomatic missives were opened by unknown parties following Saab’s detention, a clear violation of international law.
The crux of the defense’s arguments are that Saab was named a special envoy and sent on an official mission. The receiving State, Iran, accepted Saab as a special envoy. Plus, Saab was in transit between the sending State (Venezuela) and receiving State when he was detained.
Saab’s lawyers characterized the prosecution’s case as a “grand conspiracy theory” based on “insinuation and speculation.” The prosecution not only tried to cast doubt on defense witnesses and evidence, but went so far as to argue that the Vienna Convention does not apply to special envoys, but only to permanent diplomatic missions (that is, embassies, consulates and their staffers). Moreover, they argued that since the United States has not signed the United Nations Convention on Special Missions, Saab has no claim to immunity.
However, the Vienna Convention includes the phrase “permanent diplomatic mission” only once. Article 2 states: “The establishment of diplomatic relations between States, and of permanent diplomatic missions, takes place by mutual consent.” The sending and receiving of a special envoys are acts of diplomatic relations. In Saab’s case, both Venezuela and Iran consented. According to Article 40.1, both Cape Verde and the United States, as third party states, should have accorded Saab “inviolability and such other immunities as may be required to ensure his transit or return.”
At one point, referring to the defense’s evidence, U.S. Attorney Alexander Kramer said that Saab was “at best, a courier [and] being a courier of diplomatic communications does not make him a diplomat.” Again, the Vienna Convention would disagree. Article 40.3 grants diplomatic couriers the “same inviolability and protection as the receiving State is bound to accord.”
Of course, Saab was not simply a courier, but a diplomatic agent sent to negotiate a humanitarian deal between two sovereign states. In an email presented as evidence, a high level U.S. official wrote that “Secretary Pompeo wants to talk about Alex Saab who is brokering the Iran-Venezuela deals next week.” This email was dated one day before Saab’s interrupted flight to Iran.
Using the prosecution’s own logic, U.S. special envoys have no diplomatic immunity under the Vienna Convention. Perhaps someone should relay that information to Special Envoy Roger Carstens, who has visited Caracas at least twice in the past year to engage in talks about prisoner swaps with the Maduro government.
https://thegrayzone.com/2022/12/23/saab-principle-diplomatic-immunity/
US moving bioweapons research out of Ukraine – Moscow
Unfinished projects are being relocated to Central Asian and Eastern European countries, according to the Russian military
Washington has been moving its bioweapons research out of Ukraine, the head of Russia’s Nuclear Biological and Chemical Defense Troops has claimed. This comes after the research laboratories' existence was exposed under the Trump presidency.
“The Pentagon is actively working to transfer its unfinished research projects to the countries in Central Asia and Eastern Europe,” Igor Kirillov insisted during a briefing on Saturday.
The US has also been boosting cooperation with Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Kenya and other nations in the Indo-Pacific and Africa, with “the US Department of Defense being most interested in countries that already possess laboratories with a high level of bioсontainment,” he added.
According to the commander, data on illegal, US-backed laboratories in Ukraine was presented at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons conference, which took place in Geneva between November 28 and December 16.
It included “documentary evidence that work with components of biological weapons and studies of pathogens of especially dangerous and economically significant infections had been carried out on the territory of Ukraine with financial, scientific, technical and personnel support of the US,” he noted.
Papers obtained by Russia during its military operation in Ukraine reveal that “military-biological programs” were run through the Mechnikov Anti-Plague Research Institute in Kiev, the Institute of Veterinary Medicine in Kharkov and the Lviv-based Research Institute of Epidemiology and Hygiene, Kirillov claimed.
The files also mentioned three Pentagon contractors and seven high-ranking officials of the US Department of Defense, he added.
The full text of a report by the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) on its work in Ukraine, seen by the Russian military, contained data, “confirming the conduct of exercises and training activities with pathogens of especially dangerous infections” in Ukraine, Kirillov said. When the Pentagon released this report to the public, 80% of its content had been redacted, he pointed out.
According to the Russian commander, the head of the American delegation at the conference declined to respond to Russia’s accusations of violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) by his country.
“Such a stance by the US and its blocking of any initiatives to resume work on the verification mechanism of the CWC once again confirms that Washington has something to hide, and that ensuring transparency in terms of compliance with the convention doesn’t play into the hands of the Americans,” he said.
However, the report by Russia didn’t go unnoticed by other countries and “made many member-states reflect on the risks posed by cooperation with Washington in the military-biological area,” Kirillov stressed.
The Russian military has been gradually releasing materials on the work of the US-backed biolabs in Ukraine since March. Washington has denied Mocsow’s bioweapons claims, calling them disinformation and a conspiracy theory used by Russia to justify its military operation.
https://www.rt.com/russia/568853-us-bioweapons-ukraine-kirillov/
Courts are part of the corporate construct which is owned and run by the Banking families so what did you expect?
Russian state broadcaster RT has a Christmas message for Europeans
https://twitter.com/francis_scarr/status/1606347049284165632