An unprecedented number of gun seizure orders are happening across the country

In the year since the deadly mass shooting at a Florida high school, more and more states have passed laws making it easier to take guns away from people who may be suicidal or bent on violence against others, and courts are issuing an unprecedented number of seizure orders across the country.

Supporters say these “red flag” laws are among the most promising tools to reduce the nearly 40,000 suicides and homicides by firearm each year in the U.S. Gun advocates, though, say such measures undermine their constitutional rights and can result in people being stripped of their weapons on false or vindictive accusations.

Nine states have passed laws over the past year allowing police or household members to seek court orders requiring people deemed threatening to temporarily surrender their guns, bringing the total to 14. Several more are likely to follow in the months ahead.

More than 1,700 orders allowing guns to be seized for weeks, months or up to a year were issued in 2018 by the courts after they determined the individuals were a threat to themselves or others, according to data from several states obtained by The Associated Press. The actual number is probably much higher since the data was incomplete and didn’t include California.

apnews.com/3d5722abc06245b4b931933f253e3743

Hamas Arrested “Special Operation Agent” Of Israeli intelligence In Gaza

Palestinian security forces in the Gaza Strip arrested a local “special operation agent” of the Israeli intelligence few days ago, the al-Majd security awareness website revealed on February 10.

According to the Palestinian website, which is known for its close ties with the Hamas Movement, the local collaborator was arrested while he was trying to install a “malware” in the laptop of one of his relatives, who is a member of Hamas. The collaborator had received the malware in a USB drive from his Israeli handlers.

“The agent has been working with the Israeli intelligence since 2009, he was recruited via phone by a girl who identified herself as Shereen, she told him that she works for a charity,” the al-Majd’s report reads.

If confirmed, the arrest of this special agent will be the latest in a series of failures of the Israeli intelligence. Last November, Hamas foiled a sensitive intelligence operation by a unit of the Israeli military’s “Sayeret Matkal” special forces inside the Gaza Strip. The failure of the Israeli operation uncovered 45 local collaborators.

Hamas offered a reward of a 1 million U.S. Dollars to any local collaborator with the Israeli intelligence who would defect and “hunt” one of its operators. The offer reflects the group’s growing interest in counter-espionage sector.

https://southfront.org/hamas-arrested-special-operation-agent-of-israeli-intelligence-in-gaza-report/

Netanyahu: 'Pay-for-slay' law will be implemented next week

Let there be no doubt that Israel will deduct money that the Palestinian Authority pays terrorists and their families from the tariffs and duties it collects monthly on behalf of the PA and transfers to Ramallah, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday.

Speaking at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said that by the end of the week, the “necessary staff work will be completed to implement the law” to deduct the money from the amount transferred to the PA.

“Next Sunday I will convene the security cabinet and we will make the necessary decision to offset the funds. The money will be deducted, no one should have any doubt about it,” he said.

The PA has acknowledged that its annual budget for these payments in both 2017 and 2018 was NIS 1.2 billion.

It said last week that if Israel deducts the funds, the PA will not accept any of the money Israel transfers to it under terms of the Oslo Accords – more than $100 million a month.

On July 7, the Knesset passed legislation introduced by Avi Dichter (Likud) and Elazar Stern (Yesh Atid) requiring the Defense Ministry to inform the security cabinet of how much the PA pays in “welfare payments to terrorists and their families,” which will then be deducted from the amount Israel transfers to the PA each month.

This legislation followed passage of the Taylor Force Act in the US, which ended most US assistance to the Palestinians unless the PA stops payments to terrorist and their families, so called “pay-to-slay.”

The PA government said last week that the taxes and tariffs collected by Israel belong to the Palestinian public.

“Any deduction from these revenues is nothing but a continuation of Israeli piracy against billions of dollars that Israel has stolen,” the PA said in a statement. “This is also a clear and blatant violation of Israeli obligations in accordance with signed agreements, especially the Paris Economic Protocol.”

https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Netanyahu-The-pay-for-slay-law-will-be-passed-next-week-580218