Wednesday, January 15, 2025
On His Way Out of Office Blinken Blames Israel for Undermining the PA, Threatens UNSC Resolution
The only truly dangerous part in Blinken’s scheme which he elaborated on Tuesday at the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C., came when he said, “These arrangements would be enshrined in a UN Security Council Resolution.”
He was talking about arrangements to impose PA rule over the Gaza Strip after the war.
Trump’s Envoy Who Squeezed Netanyahu for Hamas Concessions Involved in Qatari Business
According to a Saturday, January 11 press release, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “held a discussion to assess the situation regarding the hostages and the missing with the defense minister, the heads of the security establishment, and with the American negotiators of both the incoming and outgoing administrations. At the conclusion of the discussion, the Prime Minister directed the Mossad Director, the Shin Bet Director, Maj.-Gen. (Res) Nitzan Alon, and his Foreign Policy Adviser, Dr. Ophir Falk, to depart for Doha in order to continue advancing a deal to release our hostages.”
The incoming administration was represented by President-elect Donald J. Trump’s golfing buddy Steve Witkoff, who had just been appointed special envoy to the Middle East.
Two Arab officials told The Times of Israel that during the meeting, Witkoff pressed Netanyahu to agree to critical compromises needed for a deal. According to the officials, Trump’s envoy achieved more in one discussion to influence the prime minister than outgoing President Joe Biden had managed throughout the year.
Before arriving in Israel, Witkoff spent a week in Doha, Qatar, as part of the negotiations, with the aim of reaching a hostage deal before next Monday’s inauguration.
Witkoff started his career as a real estate lawyer before becoming a billionaire investor and developer in the industry. In November 2024, The Wall Street Journal described him, citing his peers in the real estate world, as “smart, personable, and a talented negotiator with a common touch.”
Last week was far from being Witkoff’s first contact with the Qataris.
In August 2023, the Qatar Investment Authority, a sovereign wealth fund, purchased from Witkoff the 610-room Park Lane Hotel in Manhattan for roughly $623 million, equating to approximately $1.02 million per room, according to public records.
Witkoff acquired the Park Lane Hotel in November 2013 for approximately $660 million. According to CoStar, the property’s transaction history shows that several foreign companies have owned stakes in the Manhattan hotel over the years.
In 2016, United Arab Emirates-based Al Waseet International FZ sold a 41% share of the hotel to Shanghai-based Greenland Group for an undisclosed amount. Later, in December 2018, Hong Kong-based Jynwel Capital Limited sold a partial stake in the property for $140 million to the UAE’s sovereign wealth fund, Mubadala Development Company.
Witkoff’s recent sale of the Park Lane Hotel to the Qatar Investment Authority reflects an approximate 17.5% discount compared to its 2013 purchase price, not accounting for inflation.
Last May, Witkoff participated in a panel at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha, where he discussed the future of cities alongside Khalid Ahmed Al-Obaidli, president of Qatar’s Real Estate Regulatory Authority, and others.
During his remarks, Witkoff expressed optimism about investment opportunities in Qatar, citing what he described as a “solid government.” He also noted a “strong compact between government and private business” in the Gulf kingdom.
Last November, Jewish Insider noted that Witkoff’s previous financial dealings with Qatar, a country that has sought to influence him through its lobbying efforts, have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest.
In his statement announcing the appointment, Trump remarked that Witkoff, whom he has known for decades, “will be an unrelenting voice for peace and make us all proud.”
Jewish Insider quoted Ben Baird, the director of advocacy for the Middle East Forum, who commented on Witkoff’s appointment: “One can’t help but wonder if there aren’t some geopolitics at play here. It’s not a sure bet how people like Witkoff are going to enact policies. They’re not always going to benefit Qatar, and especially when you have competing interests involved, I still think they’ll do what’s best for American interests.”
As to Israel’s interests, this is not good news, with Netanyahu’s complete capitulation over the absurd number of terrorists with blood on their hands being released, as well as his acceptance of a partial list of hostages to be freed alongside the IDF’s withdrawal from large swaths of Gaza.
It turns out that when Trump warned there would be “hell to pay” in Gaza – he didn’t mean Hamas would be making the payment.
The "Pathetic Coward" Biden lifts Cuba terrorism designation, drawing bipartisan outrage
Retiring President Biden lifted Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism Tuesday, less than a week before leaving office — outraging both Democrats and Republicans who believe more stringent sanctions should remain in effect.
Biden, 82, made the decision in deference to the Catholic Church’s talks with the island’s Communist authorities on releasing political prisoners, the White House said.
“We view this as an opportune moment to do so, given the important dialogue that is taking place between Cuba and the Catholic Church with respect to political prisoners,” a Biden administration official told reporters.
“We believe that the number of people to be released will be significant.”
The official added that “we determined that there is a sufficient basis for the president to certify to Congress that Cuba has not provided any support for international terrorism during the preceding six-month period, which is what the statutory requirement is for this decision.”
Unbelievable! Biden's official Says with a Straight Face that Israel should have offered Hamas a state immediately after October 7
Unbelievable that these were Biden's officials: He suggests that Israel 🇮🇱 should have offered H×mas a state immediately after October 7 👇
— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) January 13, 2025
January 20th can't come soon enough...pic.twitter.com/Yvekbkj845
Biden frees Al-Qaeda terrorist who knew before 9/11’ What would happen
By Daniel Greenfield, Frontpage Magazine
“I am studying airplanes!” Abd al Salam al Hilah told Osama bin Laden’s top Italian operative in the summer of 2000. “We are focusing on the air alone… It will leave them stunned… Remember, the danger at the airports. If it comes off, it will be reported in all the world’s papers.”
Al-Hilah has now boarded another plane that takes him from Guantanamo Bay to Oman.
In New Orleans, Biden wept his crocodile tears, told families of the victims about how much he had suffered when his wife died in a car accident, and then went right back to freeing terrorists.
The terrorists include Al-Hilah, an Al Qaeda facilitator, who knew about major terrorist attacks ahead of time, and conducted conversations with an Imam in Italy soliciting forged documents “for the brothers who have to go to America,” warning to, “never utter their real names.”
The Gitmo evaluation stated that Al-Hilal “had foreknowledge of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the 2000 attack on the UK Embassy in Sanaa…the 2000 attack on the USS Cole, a planned attack on the US or British Embassy in Sanaa that was to occur in October 2002, and probably the 11 September 2001 terrorist attack.”
The USS Cole bombing killed 17 sailors and injured 37 in the worst attack on a Navy vessel in nearly 40 years. The Gitmo report noted that Al-Hilal facilitated the travel plans of the Al Qaeda terrorists.
Now with the blood of 17 Americans on his hands, along with many others from other preventable terrorist attacks, including possibly 9/11, Democrats made Al-Hilal a free man.
And he is not alone.
Accompanying him to freedom is Suhayl Abdul Anam al Sharabi, an Osama bin Laden bodyguard, who was listed in the Gitmo evaluations, as one of the airplane hijackers from the original expanded version of the 9/11 plot that would have also hijacked planes in Southeast Asia that was later aborted.
"Code Pink" Secretly Funded By China
*House GOP Investigates Code Pink Being Secretly Funded by China Amid Protests of Pro-Israel Nominee Pete Hegseth*
Code Pink, a left-wing activist group known for its anti-Israel stance, made headlines today for protesting Pete Hegseth’s Senate confirmation hearing.
Hegseth, a strong supporter of Israel and a Fox News contributor, has drawn ire from the organization for his pro-Israel advocacy.
At the same time, Code Pink is under investigation by the House Committee on Natural Resources for alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
At the same time, Code Pink is under investigation by the House Committee on Natural Resources for alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Led by Chairman Bruce Westerman, the committee is scrutinizing the organization’s funding sources, particularly $1.4 million in donations since 2017 from groups connected to Neville Roy Singham, a Shanghai-based socialist reportedly linked to CCP propaganda operations.
'Price we're paying for the deal is unbearable. Disaster'
Adv. Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, founder of the Shurat HaDin organization, which fights terrorism in the legal arena, spoke to Dudu Saada.
"Five hundred families of terror victims have asked us to represent them in a multi-billion shekel lawsuit against Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, by deducting the money transferred to them – the Palestinian Authority's budget is 12 billion shekels. There is a precedent of such a lawsuit, when families of victims in the Second Intifada fought in the courts for twenty years, and won,” says Darshan-Leitner.
“Finance Minister in Naftali Bennett's government Avigdor Liberman, along with Defense Minister Benny Gantz, refused to transfer the money for fear of collapsing the Palestinian Authority. On one of my flights, I sat next to Gantz and we talked, and he said to me, 'Nitsana, you're right, but it's complicated, we'll talk about it when we get back to Israel...' Then the government fell and he was saved from making a decision. Bezalel Smotrich was appointed Finance Minister and the first thing he did when he took office was to pay 130 million shekels to the victims of terror,” she added.
On the hostage deal, Darshan-Leitner says: "Hamas is on the verge of collapse. We see that if the IDF is not in Gaza, Hamas finds a way to reestablish themselves very quickly. We entered this war not only to rescue the hostages, but to eradicate Hamas, and it will not happen if we pour new prisoners into it and withdraw from Gaza. If we leave the Philadelphi Route and allow the return of a million Palestinian residents to the northern Gaza Strip, we will lose all our achievements, and this is not what our dear soldiers who sacrificed their lives on the soil of Gaza fought for."
"We cannot achieve a complete victory this way. We should have eradicated Hamas a long time ago. Every day we pay with the blood of our soldiers because we don't stay there continuously. If the Chief of Staff can't do it, let him leave and someone else can do the job. It is inconceivable that Israel will have a terrorist organization on its border, that continues to fire missiles and murder IDF soldiers, and continues to pose a threat to the country. We have to put an end to this,” concludes Darshan-Leitner.
Hostages' families against deal: 'I feel neglected, no one is representing me'
Several of the hostages’ families reported from outside the Prime Minister's office that they were not permitted to enter a meeting of hostage families with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Eli Shtivi, father of hostage Idan, who was murdered on October 7th, said: "We were in the PM’s office, and specifically Ruby Chen (father of Itai Chen, who fell in battle on 7.10 and whose body was kidnapped) and myself were not allowed in."
"We are in a situation where we will be receiving thirty-three hostages, and we do not know what will happen to the others. We are going to abandon seventy hostages. I feel neglected; all the families who are not participating this time in this round feel neglected. It is a disgrace. No one is representing us."
Chaim, father of Inbar Hayman who was murdered by Hamas in captivity, said: "I do not need to be represented; I am the only one responsible for my daughter. I am the one the Prime Minister should be meeting. Other representatives cannot speak on behalf of my daughter."
"We were not allowed to enter. There are five representatives who do not represent most of the families. There are hostages here who are worth more and others who are worth less."
Ruby Chen, father of Itai whose body was abducted to the Gaza Strip, said: "The Prime Minister has not included my son and other hostages. For most families, this deal is unacceptable. There should be a deal when we know that all the hostages will be released."
"When Yoni Netanyahu (late brother of PM Benjamin Netanyahu) went to rescue Jews in Entebbe (in 1976), he rescued everyone – he did not say he would return to rescue the others. My son is a hero and saved many people – he does not deserve to remain in Gaza."
At the same time, representatives of the hostages’ families participated in a meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, including Eli Albag - the father of Liri Albag, Sharon Sharabi – brother of Yossi Hy"d and Eli Sharabi, Lishay Miran Lavi – wife of Omri Miran, and Malchi Shem Tov – father of Omer Shem Tov.
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