Israeli Soldier Carves Jewish Star Into Palestinian Man’s Back In Gaza
https://youtu.be/sxRtsoWEA38
Iran seizes Israeli-linked container ship
The seizure came after Tehran promised to deal Israel a “slap in the face”
Iranian commandos have stormed an Israeli-operated container ship in the Persian Gulf and taken control of the vessel. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz condemned the “pirate operation” and called on the West to impose sanctions on Tehran.
The MSC Aries was boarded by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy troops as it transited the Strait of Hormuz around noon on Saturday. Once under the IRGC’s control, it was taken to Iranian territorial waters, Iranian state media reported.
Video footage shared online showed IRGC commandos rappelling onto the deck of the ship from a helicopter.
The Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries is operated by Zodiac Maritime, a shipping firm owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer. At the time of the seizure, it was sailing past the Emirati port of Fujairah with its transponder switched off, the Associated Press reported. With Iran controlling the Strait of Hormuz and Yemen’s Houthi rebels attacking Israeli shipping interests in the Red Sea, it is standard practice for Israeli-linked vessels to disable their tracking data when sailing in the region.
Since 2019, Iran has periodically seized Israeli and Western vessels in the Strait of Hormuz during times of increased tension. Tehran typically offers legal justification for these seizures, but gave no such explanation on Saturday.
However, Saturday’s seizure came two weeks after an alleged Israeli airstrike on an Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus. The strike killed seven officers of the IRGC’s Quds Force, including two generals.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to deal Israel a “slap in the face” in response, and American officials warned on Friday that Tehran could be gearing up for a massive drone and missile strike on Israeli soil over the weekend. It is unclear whether Iran plans further attacks after seizing the MSC Aries.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz condemned the seizure, accusing Khamenei’s “criminal regime” of “conducting a pirate operation in violation of international law.”
“I call on the European Union and the free world to immediately declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guards corps as a terrorist organization and to sanction Iran now,” he wrote on X.
https://www.rt.com/news/595860-iran-seizes-israel-ship/
Massive Protests Break Out Japan in Opposition to WHO’s Proposed Pandemic Treaty (VIDEO)
Macron First Threatens Russia With Troops, Then Buys €600 Million Of Gas From Moscow In Q1 2024
At the same time that French President Emmanuel Macron is threatening to send troops to Ukraine to fight against Russia, his country is fueling the Russian war effort by purchasing €600 million worth of natural gas from Moscow in the first three months of 2024.
According to new data, France is quietly paying more and more for Russian gas, even as France uses increasingly harsh rhetoric towards Russia.
In fact, the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) think tank indicates that Russian liquefied natural gas shipments saw a bigger increase in France than any other EU country last year. The €600 million France paid will undoubtedly help fuel Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.
Last month, Macron said France could not rule out sending troops to Ukraine, with the announcement sparking fierce debate across Europe. Macron went so far as to call on fellow NATO allies to not be “cowards.” Many European leaders reacted harshly to Macron’s statements, including several nations stating plainly they would not send any of their own troops to participate in the conflict.
France has continuously tried to justify its gas and oil purchases from Russia by arguing that it is locked into long-term contracts with Russia that are difficult to cancel. Critics say that Macron could be doing more to reduce France’s reliance on natural gas from Russia, especially when he is claiming that France is one of Ukraine’s greatest allies.
Energy continues to be a bedrock for Russia’s revenue stream, with fossil fuels contributing up to half of its revenue streams.
Despite France and other EU countries continuing to actively purchase Russian oil and gas, as well as nuclear fuel, the EU’s efforts to reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian energy have been largely successful, with the bloc reducing its consumption by two-thirds. However, there are questions about how accurate these purported figures actually are, as Europe has, for instance, drastically increased its purchases of natural gas and oil from India. In reality, much of these energy products come from Russia, with India simply serving as a middleman and skimming extra profit off the sales.
Europe continues to spend billions on Russian liquified natural gas (LNG), and for the foreseeable future, that is unlikely to change.
France is hardly the only country purchasing Russian energy, but Macron and many of the other Western leaders using hawkish rhetoric towards Russia are perhaps the biggest hypocrites. At least nine EU countries continue to buy Russian LNG, according to shipping data. France leads these countries in terms of overall quantities of purchases in 2024, while Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands all follow behind.
French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire has defended Paris’ massive purchases, saying that ending France’s dependence on gas from Moscow must be “gradually implemented to avoid too brutal an impact on the market” and price increases.
Recently, claims have been circulating that some right-wing politicians accepted money from the news outlet Voice of Europe, which was reportedly funded by Russia. The news caused widespread outrage from the liberal media,
https://www.rmx.news/article/macron-first-threatens-russia-with-troops-then-purchases-e600-million-worth-of-gas-from-moscow-in-first-three-months-of-2024/
This doesn't just accidentally happen!
26 Barges Barges Break Loose Causing Bridge Closures and Damage to a Marina on Ohio River
In a bizarre incident, 26 barges broke loose in Pittsburgh and drifted uncontrollably down the Ohio River on Friday night.
Shortly after the barges broke free, Pittsburgh authorities closed the McKees Rocks Bridge and the West End Bridge “out of an abundance of caution.”
Authorities reported that eleven barges were stopped by running into a river bank by Brunot Island, and now tugboats are on the scene pulling the barges out.
Nine were found stopped at the Emsworth Lock and Dam.
Per CBS News:
Multiple law enforcement agencies are investigating after more than 20 barges broke loose and floated down the Ohio River.
The commander for the Pittsburgh district of the Army Corp of Engineers told KDKA the 26 barges that broke loose have been accounted for, with some of them resting against the Emsworth Lock and Dam on the Ohio River.
He said early investigation found no issues with the dam and no one was hurt.
Pittsburgh Police said the call came in around 11:30 on Friday night.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard said 26 barges broke away from a vessel at mile marker one. Of the 26 barges, 23 were loaded and three were empty.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/04/26-barges-barges-break-loose-causing-bridge-closures/
Illegal Alien Tries to Rob Bank in Ohio Using a Translator App Because He Couldn’t Figure Out How to Say “Put the Money in the Bag”
In a bizarre twist to bank robbery attempts, an alleged illegal immigrant tried to rob a bank in Sandusky, Ohio using a translator app on his phone to demand money from the tellers.
The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Yeixon Brito-Gonzalez from Venezuela, found himself in the grips of the law shortly after his failed attempt.
The incident happened on April 4, when local police were alerted to a suspicious individual inside a bank who was attempting to communicate with the tellers via his phone, without speaking, FOX 8 reported.
According to Sandusky Police Chief Jared Oliver, the security footage from the bank clearly showed Brito-Gonzalez using the translator app to convey messages such as “get the money” and “put the money in the bag” to the bank staff.
Despite his efforts, the tellers did not comply with his demands, leading Brito-Gonzalez to leave the premises empty-handed. His departure from the scene was short-lived, however, as Sandusky officers apprehended him nearby shortly after the incident.
“This is certainly a first for us,” Chief Oliver commented to FOX 8. “In my over 20 years of law enforcement, I’ve never seen someone attempt to use a translator app as a means to commit a crime like this.”
Upon his arrest, a Spanish-speaking officer communicated with Brito-Gonzalez, who revealed that he had recently lost his job and was in desperate need of money. Despite his dire financial situation, Brito-Gonzalez denied any intention of robbing the bank, claiming instead that he had merely asked the bank to give him money.
Now, Brito-Gonzalez is facing charges including attempted robbery, attempted theft, and criminal trespassing. The case has also caught the attention of federal authorities, with Chief Oliver disclosing that customs and border control have placed a hold on Brito-Gonzalez, raising questions about his legal status in the country.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/04/illegal-alien-tries-rob-bank-ohio-using-translator/
Social Media Fact Checkers Claim Their Work Isn’t Censorship. Here’s Why It Is.
"Fact-checking" isn't just labeling. It tanks the visibility of posts.
There’s good news, and bad: first, the fact that “fact-checkers” masquerading as unbiased and accurate moderators of content – while actually unreliable and bias-prone tools of censorship – are now recognized widely enough as just that, to trigger a reaction from some prominent actors.
But then – these “fact-checkers” are reacting in order to double down on their role as something positive, and justified.
Because there are no facts to support this attitude, one of the key “fact-checkers” is hiding behind an opinion piece. But the claim is there: “Fact-checking is not censorship,” a post on Poynter wants you to believe.
This, despite the organization, which acts to “certify fact-checkers” via the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), having a project that has resulted in mass suppression of posts on Facebook.
According to Facebook (Meta) CEO Mark Zuckerberg, posts that get fact-checked experience a 95% drop in clicks. In other words, even if this content is not outright removed, it is made virtually invisible. That’s censorship by any other name.
So how in the world can Poynter claim that activities of those it certifies actually result in “adding to the public debate” rather than suppressing it?
It can, and does. Meanwhile, a report recently published by Meta paints a different picture: the EU that was no doubt happy to share that “fact-checking” reduces users’ attempts to share posts by 47 and 38 percent on Facebook and Instagram, respectively.
Of course, neither Meta nor the EU are offering this data as proof of negative and nefarious efforts resulting in censorship; instead they are treated simply as proof that Meta complies with EU’s “codes” and other rules, also in the end producing more censorship.
But, while patting itself on the back in these ways, Meta unwittingly managed to undermine the credibility of its own “fact-checking partners.”
There’s a comical moment in the Poynter opinion piece (ostensibly, there’s more than one). But, while out to prove it was not trying to distract, distort, or deflect from the facts – the authors said the blog post was there to “commemorate” something called, “International Fact-Checking Day 2024.”
Have “fact-checkers” – practiced at it as they are – just made another thing up?
https://thefreethoughtproject.com/fake-news/social-media-fact-checkers-claim-their-work-isnt-censorship-heres-why-it-is
ADL CEO: ‘Anti-American’ Marxist Strain Among Dems Helped Antisemitism Seep In
On Friday’s broadcast of Newsmax TV’s “The Record,” Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said that an “anti-American” Marxist strain in the Democratic Party is tied to a rise in antisemitism and “we’ve allowed this anti-Zionism, this kind of intolerance to seep into the system, the Democratic Party, and the left.”
Guest host Tom Basile asked, “Why are we seeing this hatred now? And have you been surprised at how the left and the media often downplay it? We focus, as you mentioned, a lot on this here at Newsmax. But a lot of other news organizations have just sort of shooed this issue away.”
Greenblatt responded, “Yeah, thank God for your leadership, not allowing that to happen, and this show in particular has been great on it. So, why is this taking place? I think we’ve seen antisemitism normalized. Frankly, we’ve seen anti-Zionism normalized … Let me — let’s be clear about this right? If you harass and intimidate and terrorize people because of where they’re from or how they pray, you’re not an activist. You’re a bigot. You’re not some kind of advocate, right? You are an extremist. And for some reason, Tom, we’ve allowed this anti-Zionism, this kind of intolerance to seep into the system, the Democratic Party, and the left. And I say this as someone who worked for President Obama, right? But I am still clear-eyed enough to recognize hate when it happens, and it’s shameful, shameful to see this taking place [in] our higher education system, which has always been the jewel of America.”
Basile then said, “Yeah, and look, I happen to think that this is tied to a very strong Marxist strain that is running through the Democratic Party. And Marxism and socialism are atheist by nature, so it is anti-Jewish. It’s not just anti-Israel, and it’s also anti-faith, generally there.”
Greenblatt responded, “Absolutely, It’s anti-American, Tom.”
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2024/04/13/adl-ceo-anti-american-marxist-strain-among-dems-helped-antisemitism-seep-in/
Ex-Shin Bet chief: Netanyahu unfit for office, leading Israel to its doom
Saying the PM is directly responsible through his policies for ‘the greatest disaster’ in Israel’s history, Nadav Argaman says he must go or things could get ‘very, very bad’
Former head of the Shin Bet internal security service Nadav Argaman launched a full-scale assault against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an interview with Channel 12 that was broadcast Thursday, saying Netanyahu was directly to blame for October 7, “the worst disaster since the state’s establishment,” and was leading Israel to its “doom.”
“Netanyahu is not fit to be prime minister of Israel,” Argaman told the network’s Uvda investigative program.
Calling for swift elections, Argaman, who led the Shin Bet between 2016 and 2021, mostly under Netanyahu, argued: “Morally he cannot [run for office again]. He is responsible for a monumental failure. He is responsible. There’s no one else… Someone who does not take responsibility for a failure of this magnitude is not fit to be a leader of the Jewish people.”
Israel, he said, was “already in the abyss, and if Bibi Netanyahu does not leave office — it will be our doom… I think if the State of Israel doesn’t get its act together and fast, we’ll reach some very, very, very bad places.”
Argaman said Netanyahu was directly responsible for a policy that strengthened Hamas over the years, supplying it with millions of dollars in Qatari cash to buy calm while allowing it to build itself up for the massive attack. Argaman said that when he was leading the service, the prime minister repeatedly demurred on his proposals for aggressive policies toward Hamas, including taking out its top leadership.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/ex-shin-bet-chief-netanyahu-unfit-for-office-leading-israel-to-its-doom/
Woman Allegedly Caught On Camera Abusing Special Needs Child Already Out On Bail
A Colorado school bus aide who was arrested for allegedly abusing special needs children is already out on bail.
Kiarra Jones, 29, was allegedly seen on a school bus camera hitting a child with severe autism, ABC News reported. Though the school district was aware of concerns from parents for months, Jones was only arrested and fired on April 4. She was released the next day on $5,000 bond.
Video of Jones’ alleged abuse was released two days before her arrest, but had been filmed on March 18, nearly a month earlier. It shows Jones allegedly elbowing 10-year-old autistic boy Dax in the stomach, slapping him in the face, and stomping on his feet.
Dax attends The Joshua School, a private school in Colorado for students with autism, CBS News reported. Students take a bus dedicated to students with disabilities provided by Littleton Public Schools (LPS). It is there that young students were abused, parents of at least three students have said.
Students would allegedly come home with fractured bones and bruises, and at least one child had a tooth knocked out, CBS reported.
“They took my trust and spit on it,” Dax’s father, Devin, said at a press conference last week.
The parents also discussed their decision to let the video of Dax’s abuse be released to the media without his face being blurred.
“It was a heavy decision to make to uncover it, but we cannot bring attention to this if we don’t look at it,” Dax’s mother, Jess, said at the press conference. “It’s ugly to look at, but it’s important to see how confused and afraid he was in that video. It just speaks to his vulnerability, and it speaks to the terror he had to endure while on that bus.”
Jess added that she first noticed injuries on Dax in September 2023 and told his school, who said the injuries didn’t occur in their care. Jess then went to LPS, which told her not to be concerned.
“I notified LPS on March 18 and on March 19 got a phone call from Littleton police informing me that an LPS employee had severely abused my child,” she said at the press conference, according to CBS. “I went to the LPS transportation building and was in utter shock.”
At that same press conference, the father of another child said his son is non-verbal, and couldn’t tell him about the alleged abuse.
“My son doesn’t have the ability to tell me when someone is hurting him,” the father said. “My son doesn’t have the ability to tell me that he was forced to watch someone hurt his friends.”
Parents of three children are preparing to sue the school, with attorney Ed C. Hopkins saying the school district knew of the abuse but didn’t stop it sooner.
“They had everything they needed to stop it faster and they didn’t,” Hopkins said. “They had notice and they ignored it. These children have been traumatized and tortured because they failed them.”
Jones was arrested and faces felony assault charges for crimes against at-risk children, ABC reported.
“It was determined that more than one non-verbal autistic student was assaulted by the suspect on a moving school bus while en route to school,” the Englewood Police Department said in a press release on Tuesday. “It was also determined that the suspect was the victims’ assigned paraprofessional employed by Littleton Public School District at the time of the incident.”
https://www.womensystems.com/2024/04/woman-allegedly-caught-on-camera.html
All Israelis Must Ask Themselves: Is It Legitimate to Kill 100,000 Gazans?
To be worthy of the compassion and solidarity we expected on October 7, we must do everything to stop the horror in the Gaza Strip
No few Israelis have of late developed an awareness of the climate crisis and the dangers it poses for human life on Earth. We have learned that within a few decades, or perhaps in a few years, global warming is liable to cause mass famine and epidemics, and to render regions of the planet uninhabitable. Many concerned people have changed their habits in an effort to curb destructive environmental phenomena, even though they know that it will be the coming generations that will bear the brunt of the damage.
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-04-13/ty-article-opinion/.highlight/all-israelis-must-ask-themselves-is-it-legitimate-to-kill-100-000-gazans/0000018e-d4d2-df04-adae-fdd27f510000
Australia Prepares Its Own ‘National Guard’ to Enforce Lockdowns During Next Pandemic
Australia is considering plans to deploy a civilian-led “national guard” for the next time that the country imposes its draconian lockdowns.
According to The West Australian, the Australian Federal Police Association is calling for a “feasibility study” into the idea as part of its inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic.
The paper reports:
Police forces nationwide were stretched to capacity during the pandemic, with officers forced to juggle normal frontline duties with emergency tasks including patrolling borders checkpoints, enforcing social distancing rules and managing quarantine.
In its submission to the inquiry, the AFPA said it was worth considering setting up a “national guard” to free up police officers to focus on their main job. The national guard in the US is essentially a civilian defence force which is regularly deployed into domestic emergencies, including natural disasters.
In its submission to authorities, the AFPA explained that “National guard personnel could be given special powers during a declared incident, such as biosecurity checking, the authority to request personal details, or the power to stop and detain for suspected breaches of pandemic or natural disaster restrictions.”
Meanwhile, AFPA president Alex Caruana argued that the police’s committment to enforcing the rules meant that regular policing “wasn’t getting the attention that it needed”.
>“In order to make sure that organised crime doesn’t capitalise on that, it is important that we are least consider it (a national guard) and look at the merits of having something set up,” he said. “Whether that be a national guard, or something similar, to fill that gap where it’s not policing and it’s not the military.”
Such a proposal will likely send a shiver down the spine of many Australians, millions of whom suffered immensely during the country’s draconian lockdown regime.
As part of their various measures “imposed” by federal and regional governments, healthy individuals were prevented from going outside for fresh air or even sitting on their balconies. Those entering the country were also forced to stay in specialized hotels where leaving their rooms would have exposed them to criminal investigation.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/04/australia-prepares-its-own-national-guard-enforce-lockdowns/
ahem
checked all major Israeli news sites nothing about drone attack yet
Iran has launched dozens of drones at Israel; IDF says it aims to intercept them in hours
IDF spokesman says defenses are strong but not hermetic * Israel restricts gatherings, cancels educational activities * Dozens of planes patrolling skies * Biden scraps weekend break
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari in a press statement confirms that dozens of drones launched from Iran are heading toward Israel.
He says the Israeli Air Force is tracking the drones, while noting that they will take several hours to reach the country.
Hagari says there will be GPS disruptions as the military works to intercept the drones.
If there are any additional attacks, that require a separate warning, Hagari says the IDF will update the public.
Sirens will only sound if the drones enter Israeli airspace, at the relevant locations, Hagari says. He says the IDF will work to intercept the targets as early as possible.
Channel 12 says the US was the first to identify the launch and immediately notified Israel.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-april-13-2024/