Free Republic

Erdogan said in July that Turkey would extend an invitation to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "any time" for possible talks to restore relations between the two neighbors. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday Islamic countries should form an alliance against what he called "the growing threat of expansionism" from Israel. He made the comment after describing what Palestinian and Turkish officials said was the killing by Israeli troops of a Turkish-American woman taking part in a protest on Friday against settlement expansion in the West Bank. "The only step that will stop Israeli arrogance, Israeli banditry, and Israeli state...

The German newspaper Bild on Friday revealed a secret Hamas document that it claims details the terrorist organization's war strategy and in particular it's plan for how to use the hostages it continues to hold in Gaza. The document, which the newspaper claims was personally approved by Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, details the organization's strategy and emphasizes Hamas' intention to delay and stonewall, even if this results in the cancellation of the offers for a hostage deal and a ceasefire. Among other things, it states that Hamas aims to exhaust Israel politically and militarily and has been acting to accomplish...

Sharing important post by Daniel Berke, (from Manchester, he’s part of UKLFI) sent today 0900 in Gaza/Israel: Shared with his permission. ==== I've been in Gaza with Natasha Hausdorff, Richard Kemp and our group of 5 Eyes senior military veterans. Other than Douglas Murray and Richard Kemp we were the first allowed in The photos need to approved by the IDF. However: We travelled with the Deputy Commander imof the 162nd Southern Command with an armoured infantry unit along the full length of the Philadelphi Corridor, along the Egyptian border to the Sea. The claim that Israel does not allow...

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on Sunday on ongoing negotiations for a hostage deal and a cease-fire agreement in the Gaza Strip, saying at the opening of the weekly Cabinet meeting that "we are engaging in negotiations, not concessions. The principles we have established are essential for Israel's security." Netanyahu emphasized that "Israel is prepared for any threat—both defensively and offensively. We are determined to defend ourselves and to exact a very heavy price from any enemy who dares to attack us, from any front." He added, "There are matters on which we can be flexible, and there are those...

Iran reserves the right to carry out a “legitimate response” against Israel for the assassination in Tehran of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Iran’s acting foreign minister Ali Bagheri Kani told his Egyptian counterpart, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). Israel has not taken responsibility for the killing, but it has been widely presumed to have carried it out.

Iran on Tuesday categorically refused Western calls to drop its threat to retaliate against Israel for last month’s killing of Hamas terrorist leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Israel has been blamed for Haniyeh’s killing on July 31 during a visit to the Iranian capital for the swearing-in of President Masoud Pezeshkian. Israel has not commented. Iran has since been publicly vowing revenge and on Monday key Western allies urged it to reconsider, as Breitbart News reported. Britain, France, and Germany Warn Iran to Not Attack Israel, Meanwhile U.S. Sends Nuclear Submarinehttps://t.co/ymIyHqXEdZ — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 12, 2024

Hamas announced on Sunday that it refuses to send representatives to the next round of negotiations which are expected to begin on August 15th. The discussions were set to begin on Thursday seemingly in Doha, Qatar. According to Hamas, "We call on the mediators to present a plan to implement what we agreed to on July 2nd, instead of holding new negotiations." The organization further stated: "Additional rounds of talks or new offers will only provide cover for the occupation's aggression and will give it time to win the war of destruction." .....

President Biden said he believes a cease-fire deal in the Israel-Hamas war is “still possible” before the end of his Oval Office term in just more than five months. When asked on “CBS News Sunday Morning” if a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas is attainable, Biden said, “Yes, it’s still possible.” “The plan I put together endorsed by the G7, endorsed by the … U.N. Security Council, et cetera, is still viable,” Biden added in the interview. “And I’m working literally every single day to — and my whole team, to see to it that it...

Hamas has rejected hostage talks that were set for this week, hours after CNN published a poorly-sourced article claiming that the terrorist group was serious about a deal but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not. Axios.com reported (original emphasis): Hamas announced on Sunday that it rejects the invitation by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt for a final round of negotiations over the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal planned for Thursday. Why it matters: Hamas’ announcement is a significant setback for the Biden administration’s efforts to reach a hostage and ceasefire deal and prevent the Gaza conflict from escalating into...

The IDF and Shin Bet security agency on Saturday night named 19 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror operatives that it said it killed in an airstrike Saturday morning on a Hamas and Islamic Jihad command room at the Taba’een school in Gaza City. The Gaza Strip’s Hamas-run civil defense agency claimed over 90 people were killed in the airstrike, describing the incident as a “horrific massacre.” Several Western diplomats, the Egyptian and Qatari mediators of ceasefire-for-hostage talks and numerous Muslim countries denounced Israel over the airstrike. The White House said it was “deeply concerned” about the airstrike and was...

The leaders of Qatar, Egypt, and the US on Thursday issued a joint statement in which they called on Israel and Hamas to resume urgent talks on August 15, either in Doha or Cairo, to bridge all remaining gaps in the proposed hostage release and ceasefire agreement and start implementing it without any delay. "It is the time to conclude a ceasefire agreement and release hostages and prisoners," the statement added. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in response to the statement, "Following the proposal of the United States and the mediators, Israel will send on August 15 its negotiations...

The Egyptian Foreign Minister, Badr Abdel-Aty, addressed a press conference with his Lebanese counterpart on Tuesday, regarding the tensions in the northern sector. According to Abdel-Aty, the only way to stop the escalation in the region is to reach an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, stop "Israel's unjust aggression and ensure access to humanitarian aid for the local residents." At a press conference at the end of a meeting with his Lebanese counterpart, Abdel-Aty emphasized the need to continue intensive contacts to curb the security escalation and prevent a regional war. He noted that efforts to reach a ceasefire...

Salemi) Officials in the US-led multinational coalition that is reportedly preparing to assist in repelling an expected Iranian attack have preemptively warned Israel not to respond too strongly to such an assault, according to a Tuesday report. “Don’t push it,” the unnamed officials told Jerusalem, according to Kan news. “Think carefully before you attack in return. The goal at the end of the day is not to lead to an all-out war.” In April, a massive drone and missile attack from Iran was foiled by a coalition that reportedly comprised Israel, the United States, Britain, France, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi...

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced Sunday that soldiers had uncovered a massive smuggling tunnel underneath the border between Gaza and Egypt in the area of Rafah — where the U.S. had cautioned Israel not to go. _____________ In a statement, the IDF and the Israel Security Agency (ISA, or Shin Bet, or Shabak) said: Recently, IDF troops have been working to locate and destroy underground tunnel routes in the Philadelphi area, and so far, the troops have located and destroyed dozens of routes. At the beginning of last week, in one of the operations to locate underground tunnel routes...

Kamala Harris has close ties to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a radical organization whose executive director celebrated the October 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel... CAIR’s executive director, Nihad Awad, said he was “happy” at news of the terror attack. Throughout the war that erupted thereafter, CAIR has spread inflammatory anti-Israel propaganda. ... In 2007-8, CAIR was named an unindicted co-conspirator in the terror financing trial of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development. .. a federal judge ruled that the government “produced ample evidence to establish” the ties of CAIR with Hamas, the Palestinian terror organization....

European Parliament Member Criticizes EU Attendance at Inauguration Ceremony of Pezeshkian While officials of the Iranian regime attempted to present the inauguration ceremony of the 14th government’s president as a “symbol of power” in the world, the presence of some foreign guests, including Enrique Mora, has faced criticism. Adam Bielan MEP, foreign affairs coordinator for the ECR Group, was among those who protested against the attendance of the Deputy Foreign Policy Chief of the European Union at Pezeshkian’s inauguration. In a letter to Josep Borrell, he, wrote“This decision is not only misguided but stands in direct contradiction to the values...

ANKARA (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that Turkey might enter Israel as it had done in the past in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh, though he did not spell out what sort of intervention he was suggesting.Erdogan, who has been a fierce critic of Israel's offensive in Gaza, started discussing that war during a speech praising his country's defence industry."We must be very strong so that Israel can't do these ridiculous things to Palestine. Just like we entered Karabakh, just like we entered Libya, we might do similar to them," Erdogan told a meeting of his ruling AK Party...

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office praised former President Donald Trump on Wednesday for his record of achievements in protecting Israel and promoting peace between Israel and neighboring Arab states. “Israelis and the prime minister remember very, very well the incredible support which President Trump, while he was in office, gave to this country,” said Israeli government spokesman David Mencer. Mencer was reacting to news that Trump had reposted Netanyahu’s message of support following the attempted assassination on the former U.S. president on Saturday. Netanyahu expressed his relief that Trump had survived, offered best wishes for his...

Iran is capable of producing fissile material for use in a nuclear weapon within "one or two weeks," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday. News of Iran's capabilities follows the recent election of President Masoud Pezeshkian, who has said his goal is to "get Iran out of its isolation," and who favors reviving the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and global powers. Blinken said that "what we've seen in the last weeks and months is an Iran that's actually moving forward" with its nuclear program. The United States unilaterally withdrew in 2018 from the Iran nuclear deal, which...

The Unholy Alliance - as morbid as ever. Vice President Kamala Harris demonstrated once again why she would be a disastrous president if she were to succeed cognitively impaired Joe Biden. She just expressed her sympathy with the pro-Hamas, anti-Israel, anti-American agitators in an interview published on July 8th by the left-wing Nation Magazine.“They are showing exactly what the human emotion should be, as a response to Gaza,” said Vice President Harris, referring to the anti-Semitic demonstrators. “There are things some of the protesters are saying that I absolutely reject, so I don’t mean to wholesale endorse their points. But...