Free Republic

[Robert Besser is a news editor who has worked in television and newspapers in the United States, Asia and the Middle East.] Since its founding, Israel believed it could develop alliances with western countries because we shared the ancient values of our Judeo-Christian heritage. We also believed such alliances were natural joinings, since we Jews had much in common with Western Civilization. But the 77-year history of Israel’s diplomatic alliances with the West appears to be ending, and increasingly we see that we have disturbingly little in common with the dying West. Indeed, today’s totalitarian leftist and progressive ideas prevalent...

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — Chanting ``death to Israel'' and ``death to America,'' tens of thousands of Lebanese marched Friday through the streets of Beirut in support of Palestinians' third year of uprising. Smaller anti-Israel demonstrations were held in other Arab capitals, too, with speakers condemning the United States' backing of Israel and for leading attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq as part of the war on terrorism. ``No matter how much the world changes after Sept. 11, 'death to America' will remain our echoing slogan,'' the leader of the militant Hezbollah group, sheik Hassan Nasrallah, said in his fiery address in...

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has accused the Israeli government of endangering its staff and damaging the organization's reputation by making what it called unsubstantiated claims regarding its neutrality. "The Government of Israel has continued to make claims against UNRWA's neutrality, putting our staff at risk and harming the Agency’s reputation," the agency stated in a press release issued Sunday. The statement quoted UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini as saying: "Last month, I wrote to the Foreign Minister of Israel, requesting once again information and evidence to substantiate these allegations. "In my letter, I also noted that the...

The illusion of Iranian power was kept alive for decades by American engagement with the would-be lords of the Middle East. Now the spell is broken, and the ‘Axis of Resistance’ is shattered. A billboard with the "doomsday clock," counting down the days until Israel's destruction, is pictured in downtown Tehran, Iran, on November 4, 2024. Israel bombed the clock on Monday. A few months before he was buried under the rubble of his Beirut bunker, the late leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, repeated to his followers, as he had done many times before, his famous line that Israel was...

Two American veterans working with the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) have been injured in an attack while distributing aid to Palestinians. As reported by Fox News, the two veterans are reportedly receiving medical treatment and are in stable condition. GHF said the Americans were "highly decorated" veterans. "GHF has repeatedly warned of credible threats from Hamas, including explicit plans to target American personnel, Palestinian aid workers, and the civilians who rely on our sites for food. Today's attack tragically affirms those warnings," the organization wrote on X. Despite the attacks, GHF vowed that it was still committed...

On Tuesday a more than two-hour phone conversation between French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Iran and Ukraine figuring prominently in their conversation... The case of two French nationals held by Iran now accused of bring spies for Israel drawing the threat of French sanctions on Iran... The UK is providing France with 500 million pounds (682.6 million US dollars) a year to control migration across the English Channel. This week a sign that French authorities are taking a more aggressive stance to help with the migration problem. With the BBC present... On Saturday afternoon in Paris...

In the wake of the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, the regime appears to be turning inward — escalating repression with chilling speed. According to Kasra Aarabi, director of IRGC research at United Against Nuclear Iran, the Islamic Republic is accelerating toward what he said is a "North Korea-style model of isolation and control." "We’re witnessing a kind of domestic isolation that will have major consequences for the Iranian people," Aarabi told Fox News Digital. "The regime has always been totalitarian, but the level of suppression now is unprecedented. It’s unlike anything we’ve seen before." A source inside Iran...

Tucker Carlson and Scott Horton talk about the background to the current Iran conflict. Interesting. Not for everyone. Imho worth the listen.

Daily Caller co-founder Tucker Carlson announced that he has conducted an interview with Masoud Pezeshkian, the newly elected president of Iran, just days after the United States and Iran engaged in a brief military conflict. In a video statement, Carlson said the American public has a right to hear directly from foreign leaders — even adversaries — when their government engages in military actions. “We just finished up an interview with Masoud Pezeshkian, who is the president of Iran… We know we’ll be criticized for doing this interview. Why did we do it anyway? Well, we did it because we...

Two Middle East immigrants in the United States have been arrested in connection with terrorist activities after the FBI found out their chilling ties to the terrorist organization known as Hezbollah. This is a wake-up call to every American. According to a news release from United States Attorney’s Office, District of New York, “Ali Kourani and Samer El Debek, a/k/a ‘Samer Eldebek,’ were arrested on Thursday, June 1, 2017, on charges related to their alleged activities on behalf of Hizballah[sic], a designated foreign terrorist organization. “ Kourani was reportedly living in the Bronx in New York, while Eldebek was living...

The leader of a Swedish criminal network accused of assisting Tehran in attacks on Israeli-linked targets in Europe is currently living in Iran under the protection of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), sources told Iran International. Rawa Majid received funds from Iran’s embassy in Denmark to help coordinate attacks against Israeli diplomatic facilities in Copenhagen and Stockholm, according to a source familiar with the matter inside the IRGC. The source also said the gang leader travels between Iran and Afghanistan for operations overseen by the IRGC. Majid leads a criminal group, Foxtrot, recently sanctioned by the UK and the...

WASHINGTON — Today, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned the Foxtrot Network, a transnational criminal organization (TCO) primarily based in Sweden that has trafficked illicit drugs and that carried out attacks on Israelis and Jews in Europe, along with its fugitive leader Rawa Majid. In January 2024, the Foxtrot Network orchestrated an attack on the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden, on behalf of the Government of Iran. “Iran’s brazen use of transnational criminal organizations and narcotics traffickers underscores the regime’s attempts to achieve its aims through any means, with no regard for the cost to communities across Europe,”...

A notorious Kurdish gangster has fled Turkey to avoid extradition on drug-trafficking charges, a Swedish prosecutor has told The National. Rawa Majid, 39, known as the Kurdish Fox, had been living in Turkey, where his citizenship protected him from being extradited to Sweden, and was widely accused of playing a major part in gang violence. Authorities had hoped Majid’s prosecution on forgery charges would result in his citizenship being revoked, allowing his return to Sweden. But Henrik Soderman, who submitted the first extradition request to Turkey, has now confirmed that Majid, who leads the Foxtrot Network of criminals, is no...

The head of one of Sweden's biggest crime organizations, accused of instigating a surge in violent crime, has been arrested more than 1,600 miles away in Turkey, Swedish police said on Friday. Police did not identify the man by name but Swedish media named him as 35-year-old Ismail Abdo, head of the Rumba crime organization and alleged to have been orchestrating operations from abroad. Abdo is one of Sweden's most wanted criminals and the subject of an international arrest warrant since 2024. The Scandinavian country, once known for its low crime rates, has struggled for years to rein in organized...

Three explosions rocked the Swedish capital of Stockholm over just a four-day period as the country is coming off a record year for gang-related bombings. After a few months of relative calm, gang wars in the Nordic nation once again appear to be on the rise, as three explosions at residential buildings in Stockholm have been seen since Friday when a large blast went off at an apartment in Sundbyberg where a man with ties to a criminal gang lives. This was followed by an explosion on Saturday outside a hair salon in the industrial area of Vällingby. Finally, on...

The government of Turkey offered a warm welcome to a delegation representing the jihadist terrorist organization Hamas on Wednesday, expressing support for its cause and accusing the government of Israel of “genocide” for engaging in self-defense operations against the group. Muhammad Ismail Darwish, the head of the Hamas Islamic “shura council,” met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara to “discuss developments in ceasefire negotiations and the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” according to the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet. Darwish is one of the few remaining high-ranking leaders within Hamas after several Israeli operations targeting both the “political” and “military”...

Hackers with links to Iran are threatening to disclose emails stolen from the US President’s inner circle. The hackers, who go by the pseudonym Robert, told Reuters in an online chat that they have 100 gigabytes of stolen emails from Susie Wiles, the White House’s chief of staff, Lindsey Halligan, Trump’s lawyer, Roger Stone, Trump’s advisor and Stormy Daniels, the porn star at the centre of the Trump camp’s hush-money scandal.The group, Robert, said they could sell the material but didn’t provide Reuters with any details on their plans, nor describe what was in the emails. The US Cybersecurity and...

In a complete surprise, three Syrian terrorists on behalf of Iran were captured in a covert operation in two villages near the border, not far from the fence • The forces surprised them as they slept in their beds, equipped with a large arsenal of weapons - grenades, IEDs and firearms • The squad was intended to observe the IDF and assist in the raid, but the IDF had other plans for them Three terrorists, residents of Syria, who were acting on behalf of Iran, were arrested last night (between Tuesday and Wednesday) by our forces in a secret operation...

Hi, A lot happening in the last few days. Because events take place here at a blazing pace, what happened two days ago almost becomes irrelevant. Last night’s attack by the U.S. is still too fresh for me to try to guess what happens next. Therefore, I’m leaving it aside for the moment. I was watching Sky News a few nights ago to see how the war was being reported there. It is a British news station for those of you not familiar with it. They were having a panel discussion. One of the people on the panel was a...

The Prime Minister of Qatar has received the 2024 Tipperary International Peace Prize. At a ceremony, His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani accepted the award on behalf of his country, which the organizers say has emerged as a “significant mediator” in international diplomacy, notably for its role in brokering the recent ceasefire between Israel and Iran. He said his country was a “steady voice for peace” in the world and said he was accepting the award with “deep humility and immense gratitude”. He said it was profoundly meaningful to be in Ireland, which he said was...