Posted originally on the CTH on June 8, 2024 | Sundance
While the media are decrying the collateral damage during an Israeli mission to rescue four of the missing hostages kidnapped by Hamas, the same media are avoiding any mention that the hostages were not found in underground tunnels. The four Israeli hostages rescued were held in houses amid a high-density Palestinian population.
The Israeli forces launched a blitz of rockets and firepower into the areas while the rescue raid was ongoing. Hundreds of Hamas and Palestinian supporters of Hamas were reportedly killed in the rescue operation. One Israeli IDF member was killed, four hostages were rescued.
(Via Politico) – […] The army said it rescued Noa Argamani, 25; Almog Meir Jan, 21; Andrey Kozlov, 27; and Shlomi Ziv, 40, in two separate locations in a complex special daytime operation in the heart of Nuseirat in central Gaza.
Argamani has been one of the most widely recognized hostages since she was abducted from a music festival in southern Israel. The video of her abduction was among the first to surface, images of her horrified face widely shared — Argamani detained between two men on a motorcycle, one arm outstretched and the other held down as she screams “Don’t kill me!”
Her mother, Liora, has stage four brain cancer and in April released a video pleading to see her daughter before she dies.
Hamas killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped some 250 hostages during the Oct. 7 attack, which triggered the Israel-Hamas war. About half were released in a weeklong cease-fire in November. Israel says more than 130 hostages remain, with about a quarter of those believed dead, and divisions are deepening in the country over the best way to bring them home. (read more)
The Washington Post reported, “IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Israeli forces had prepared for weeks for the “high risk, complex mission,” which was “based on precise intelligence” and began at 11 a.m. local time Saturday. The forces came under fire inside the two buildings where the hostages were held and while leaving Gaza, he said, adding that one member of the Yamam, the Israeli police counterterrorism unit, was seriously injured during the operation. The Israeli police later announced Chief Inspector Arnon Zmora died of his wounds.”
The progressive “squad” members have been fueling the flames of unrest over the Israel-Palestine conflict, naturally supporting Palestine. Squad member Rep. Tlaib (D-Mich) called for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has accused him of genocide, coming forth with these claims on May 7. She is bypassing every branch of Washington and calling upon the International Criminal Court to immediately imprison the prime minister of a foreign nation for violating the Genocide Convention.
There is no unity in Washington. Twelve US Senators penned a letter to Karim A. A. Khan, the prosecutor for the ICC, stating that arresting Netanyahu or any Israeli officials would lead to the US retaliating. Now, neither Israel or the US are even ICC members but our lawmakers are issuing massive threats to leaders of foreign nations without understanding the consequences.
“By issuing warrants, you would be calling into question the legitimacy of Israel’s laws, legal system, and democratic form of government,” the letter stated. “Issuing arrest warrants for the leaders of Israel would not only be unjustified, it would expose your organization’s hypocrisy and double standards,” the letter notes. “If you issue a warrant for the arrest of the Israeli leadership, we will interpret this not only as a threat to Israel’s sovereignty but to the sovereignty of the United States,” the senators said. “The United States will not tolerate politicized attacks by the ICC on our allies. Target Israel and we will target you.”
This is precisely why we need competent leadership in Washington as Joe Biden cannot act as a mediator. Throwing fuel on the fire, the letter also stated that perhaps warrants should then be issued for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and even Chinese President Xi Jinping.
We are permitting these representatives to speak on major international matters that are certain to offend people in high positions.
Ilhan Omar, another useless squad member, has done everything to promote civil unrest at US universities while also accusing Israel of genocide. “I think it is really unfortunate that people don’t care about the fact that all Jewish kids should be kept safe and that we should not have to tolerate antisemitism or bigotry for all Jewish students, whether they are pro-genocide or anti-genocide.”
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a squad associate, recently attended a fundraising event in New York co-hosted by an Islamic extremist who said he was “happy to see” the October 7 attack on Israeli civilians. “The people of Gaza only decided to break the siege – the walls of the concentration camp – on Oct. 7,” Nihad Awad said during the 16th annual Convention for Palestine on Nov. 24 near Chicago. “And yes, I was happy to see people breaking the siege and throwing down the shackles of their own land and walk free into their land that they were not free to walk in,” Nihad Awad said at the event.
The squad and the “progressives” are openly supporting Hamas and not just the Palestinian people. The world is looking at America as a banana republic where there is no clear alignment in government. Perhaps we should stop sending US funding to anyone until Washington can come to an agreement on which side we are supporting.
Posted originally on May 10, 2024 By Martin Armstrong
QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong, I do not recall which WEC event it was back in the nineties, but you projected Israel’s fate and the Rule of Nine, which showed this was the end cycle for the Middle East. Would you still have that chart lying around?
See you in London, it’s been too long since you came to Europe
Jared
ANSWER: Oh, you have a perfect memory. That means you are not qualified for public office and certainly not the head of state. Yes, the history of that region did conform mainly to the Rule of Nine. The British Mandate was right on schedule. While this is the last cycle before a major change, that still will be beyond most people’s lifetimes in the summer of 2103. My concern is more about the immediate cycle of war, which we will cover at the conference.
To the Jews and Christians, this is known as the Temple Mount, while the Muslims call it the Dome of the Rock. It contains a huge rock that the Jewish tradition says is that this is where Abraham was told to sacrifice his son. To the Muslims, the rock is the spot from which the Prophet Muhammad was taken up into heaven for an encounter with God (an event known as the Miʿrāj). Thus, it is the same rock, symbolizing the clash between these religions. It was truly an awe-inspiring place.
We have zealot Jews and Christians who want to conspire to destroy the Dome of the Rock so they can rebuild the next Temple, ushering in Armageddon. According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies for a battle during the end-of-the-world scenario, interpreted as either a literal or a symbolic location. In Islamic theology, Armageddon is also mentioned in Hadith as the Greatest Armageddon or Al-Malhama Al-Kubra (the great battle).
Megiddo is a fascinating site of twenty cities constructed directly on top of one another. It has been inhabited continuously from 3000 to 300 BC and lies at a strategic junction of north-south and east-west roads. Whoever had control of Megiddo had control of one of the major trade routes of antiquity. There were no coins produced by Egypt until the Ptolemy and the conquest by Alexander the Great. Likewise, there was no coinage of Judah. This is a reproduction of a Jasper Seal of Shema discovered at Megiddo in 1903.
Many battles have been fought at Megiddo. One great Battle of Megiddo occurred in 609 BC when Pharaoh Necho II of Egypt joined his allies, involving the Neo-Assyrians and the Neo-Babylonians. This required passing through territory controlled by the Kingdom of Judah. The Judaean king, Josiah, refused to let the Egyptians pass. The Judaean forces battled the Egyptians at Megiddo, resulting in Josiah’s death, and his kingdom then became a vassal state under Egypt. The battle is recorded in the Hebrew Bible, the Greek 1 Esdras, and the writings of Jewish historian Josephus. There is always a chance of losing whenever there is war. This is how the arrogant always fall.
There remains considerable debate about whether this is literally or symbolically a Great Battle to be fought on the plane of Armageddon, overlooked by Megiddo, which made sense in those days since it was a major link between the East and West, or are we looking at that as just symbolic of the world ar large.
Iran has launched a drone attack on Israel that appears to be testing Israel’s defenses. The IDF has stated that it would take hours for the drones to even reach the country. Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was prepared for a ‘“direct attack from Iran.” Tehran confirmed the action, with Iranian state TV reporting: “A significant drone operation by the IRGC against targets inside occupied territories has started.” Biden was called back from Delaware where he hides 40% of the time.
These Iranian drones are slow-moving. Iran’s defense ministry announced the start of mass production of drones in 2018, named the Mohajer-6 tactical and combat unmanned aerial vehicle. Their drones began back in the 1980s, but they were used for surveillance at that time.
This appears to be a test of Israeli’s defenses rather than a serious attack since they are slow-moving and would provide Israel with ample warning.
QUESTION: Marty Socrates was the only one to forecast the trend change in Israel in 2021. With tensions rising over Iran, the forecast for a dollar rally into 2025 seems to be on point. My question is, I assume the 2021 low is a major low, and how high will the dollar go?
Thank you so much for Socrates. It is the only analysis that is ever unbiased.
HS
ANSWER: The 2021 low was the target on the array and our Bifurcation models. This currency elected a Yearly Bullish signal at the end of 2022, and that confirmed that the 2021 low would be a major low. It is interesting that when Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 1983, the dollar rose for 19 years. It was 2021 when the Israeli-Palestine Crisis started to catch fire. Once again, you see that the dollar rises from the threat of a Middle East War.
The volatility was due to rise the first week of April but this appears to be escalating into the week of April 22n
Posted originally on Feb 13, 2024 By Martin Armstrong
Our Global Market Watch cautioned that Israel was at risk of a monthly decline in February. For the first time in the nation’s history, Moody’s has downgraded Israel’s credit score amid the war in Palestine. Israel has seen numerous conflicts over the years such as the Second Intifada or war with Hezbollah, and even then Moody’s did not see a decline in Israel’s credit worthiness. Moody’s cited the war with Hamas as the main reason for downgrading Israel from A1 to A2.
Moody’s is now forecasting a negative economic outlook for Israel. “While fighting in Gaza may diminish in intensity or pause, there is currently no agreement to end the hostilities durably and no agreement on a longer-term plan that would fully restore and eventually strengthen security for Israel,” Moody’s noted, as there is no certainty when or how this war will end.
The Bank of Israel predicts it will cost around 255 billion shekels (~$69,710,245,119.30 USD) to fund the war until 2025, and it believes 13% of GDP will be spent on the conflict. Moody’s is not concerned about the economic health of Israel as much as it is concerned about the direction of this war with Palestine as it only seems to be escalating four months after Hamas launched their attack. The credit agency explained that “ the ongoing military conflict with Hamas, its aftermath and wider consequences materially raise political risk for Israel as well as weaken its executive and legislative institutions and its fiscal strength, for the foreseeable future.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempted to quell fears by saying he believes the conflict will be over in a few months. Meanwhile, Israel launched a series of airstrikes over the weekend that claimed the lives of over 100 people in Rafah, and the public perception of the war is beginning to change. The US, Israel’s main donor, has asked Israel not to attack Rafah without a plan in place to protect civilians.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken even addressed the situation while speaking in Jerusalem, “Israelis were dehumanized in the most horrific way on October 7th…But that cannot be a license to dehumanize others.”
Fitch will release its rating for Israel at the beginning of March, and Standard & Poor’s data will be released in three months. This war is unlike any the nation has fought in the past and the markets are beginning to feel the volatility.
Posted originally on Dec 29, 2023 By Martin Armstrong
Egypt has attempted to remain neutral amid the Israel-Palestine war. The nation was one of the first in the region to secure its own border and deny refugees. But now Egypt is requesting an end to the death and destruction and has proposed a truce to Hamas.
Nations historically rarely accept peace deals offered by a foreign state until they’re completely decimated by war. In the case of Hamas, they are jihadi soldiers who will never surrender their holy war. Egypt requested that Hamas step aside and allow the Palestinian people to elect a new parliament. In return, Israeli forces would leave Palestine and commit to a permanent ceasefire.
Now, Israel NEVER agreed to this deal. Netanyahu, sounding like Nikki Haley, said, “We finish them. No less than that.” Hamas flat out rejected the deal as well, but said they would be open to negotiating with the lives of the 100 Israelis they are holding captive. Hamas would never permit a free election – it simply would not happen.
Egypt has every reason to fear an Israeli victory. Russia has been investing heavily in Egypt since 2014, and is currently pouring $4.6 billion into Egypt’s Suez Canal zone to create “Sun City,” an industrial zone covering 2,000 hectares. Russia poured $7 billion into Egypt in 2021 to create the Russian Industrial Zone (RIZ), the nation’s first industrial zone outside of Russia. Egypt is Russia’s stronghold in North Africa. Egypt has managed to maintain diplomacy with the West despite its close alliance with Russia.
The Ben Gurion Canal Project will take place after Israel declares victory. I explained this in depth in the report “Israel & Its Future,” which was provided to WEC attendees. Egypt has a grip on nautical trade, as about 20% of all world trade moves through the Suez Canal. The Ben Gurion Canal would start by the port city of Eilat in Israel through the Gulf of Aqaba, crossing the Jordanian border and flowing through the Arabah Valley before entering the Dead Sea before heading north around the Gaza Strip. The West would no longer need to maintain diplomatic relations with Egypt as trade would be redirected to this new canal.
Egypt likely expected Hamas to reject the peace deal but extended the olive branch to maintain its neutral posture.
Posted originally on the CTH on November 26, 2023 | Sundance
While it is good news, excellent news, the Israeli and foreign ‘hostages’ are slowly being released by Hamas, the politics of the dynamic are abundantly clear.
Biden was under extreme political pressure to gain the release of “American” hostages held captive by Hamas and affiliates in Gaza as a result of the October 7th attack and kidnappings. Prior to Joe Biden taking a victory lap for the release of 4-year-old Abigail Mor Edan, an Israeli-American dual citizen, all of the key players in the region made advanced notification of the impending release.
Qatari [think Muslim Brotherhood] Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told Face the Nation the release was imminent. U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan also made the same prediction, as did several people associated with Gaza relief efforts and the larger agenda to create the two-state solution for Palestinian and Israeli citizens. In essence, politically Biden needed an American release, and that message was the driving force from Qatar to their allies in Hamas. Abigail Mor Edan was released as a result. Biden immediately took a victory lap.
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden confirmed Sunday that the 4-year old American Abigail Mor Edan who was held hostage by Hamas in Gaza is now free. “She’s free and she’s in Israel now,” Biden told reporters Sunday from Nantucket, where he was spending Thanksgiving weekend with his family. (more)
The background effort is also very clear. The aligned interests of the Muslim Brotherhood and the U.S. Biden administration is to maintain a gauntlet approach where the two-state solution is the only option for Israel, backing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into a corner.
[…] “Abigail was among 13 hostages released today from Gaza under the brokered and sustained though intensive U.S. diplomacy. She is now safely in Israel. And we continue to press and expect for additional Americans will be released as well,” Biden said.
According to Israel, 17 hostages were released Sunday including 14 Israelis and three foreign nationals, the young American girl among them.
Abigail, whose name has also been rendered as Avigail Idan in some reports, is the first American hostage who was been released as part of the deal brokered between Israel and Hamas that would allow for the freeing of at least 50 of the more than 200 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a 4-day pause in the fighting and the release of dozens of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. Some foreign nationals have also been released by Hamas, including a Russian national.
Abigail’s parents were killed by Hamas attackers Oct. 7. On Sunday, Biden spoke of the events the young girl experienced during the attack, acknowledging that she had been through “a terrible trauma,” as, according to Biden, she witnessed her mother die in front of her before her father was shot and killed while shielding her from attackers. (read more)
If you drop the pretending, it becomes crystal clear to see the hostages are being used as leverage to stop a counteroffensive by the Israeli military. The Obama/Biden administration alignment with Qatar, the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), permeates the media narrative with calls to negotiate terms for peace and hostage release.
Benjamin Netanyahu is being painted into a corner by the Biden administration who are using the U.S. military presence as a shield to force Israel to follow the approved program of the U.S. government. Biden, et al, want to protect Hamas while simultaneously calling residents of Gaza “victims” to the interests of Hamas and the PIJ.
With 200+ hostages held by Hamas, and up to another 50 held by PIJ, the slow drip of successful hostage release negotiations becomes the justification to stopping the Israeli War counteroffensive.
Obama/Biden et al, want a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. I believe all efforts are underway to exploit the 10/7/23 terrorist attack to advance that agenda. Netanyahu is being carefully painted into a position where the survival of Israel will be contingent upon accepting this two-state solution, which essentially means -in the long picture- the elimination of the Israeli state.
Biden will give the outward face of complete support toward Israel; however, the background work will be to protect Gaza, and thereby Hamas, and controllably expand -if needed- the regional conflict, such that a two-state solution becomes the only viable option for the survival of Israel. Efforts by Hamas, Hezbollah, the Muslim Brotherhood and by extension Iran, will appear to be confronted by Biden, but only insofar as the need for USA military support becomes more important and that dependency paints Netanyahu into a corner.
The nation of Qatar is the financial support system for the Muslim Brotherhood, the political umbrella of extremist (authentic) Islam. The Brotherhood supports Hamas, al-Qaeda, al-Nusra, the Islamic State and all the terrorist affiliates therein. The Brotherhood leadership live in Turkey, under the protection of Recep Erdogan – who wants to recreate the Ottoman Empire. The Hamas leadership live in Qatar, under the protection of Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdul Aziz Al Thani. Joe Biden supports the efforts of Erdogan and Thani.
Now, does the 2022 memo pictured left make more sense?
Each of the aforementioned actors, including Obama/Biden and all the U.S. operatives from the State Dept therein, view Israel as the provocateur in the dynamic. The pro-Palestinian progressive movement within the Democrat Party is visibly part of this dynamic. Thus, the alignment of common interests can be expanded to include, leftists, Democrats, Palestinians, Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Biden Administration and Qatar. The common enemy, Israel.
Once you understand this dynamic, then you are able to see what happens in the background and how it aligns with the interests of the group.
Blunting any effort by the Israelis in the war against Hamas becomes a matter of taking steps that make it more difficult for the international community to support the Israeli side of the war against Hamas.
Who are the people really driving this narrative and foreign policy effort? The Obama crew.
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