XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, alt.politics.republicans, talk.politics.guns

'Arab officials say Trump's team did more for hostage deal in a single
meeting than Biden admin did in a year'

'Conversation between Netanyahu and envoy Steve Witkoff 'shifted
everything into motion''

<https://www.wnd.com/2025/01/arab-officials-say-trumps-team-did-more-for-hostage-deal-in-a-single-meeting-than-biden-admin-did-in-a-year/>

'Even Biden administration officials are admitting that it took
President-elect Donald Trump wading into Israel-Hamas negotiations to
close the deal and force a hostage release and cease-fire after 15
months of war, reported the New York Post.

Multiple insiders and officials in both Israel and the U.S. told The
Post that it was Trump's impending inauguration – combined with the
efforts of his Middle East special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who finally
solved a problem which had proved intractable for President Biden and
his team.

A source with Trump's transition team described the conversation last
weekend between longtime Trump pal Witkoff and Israel's Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu as "straightforward, no phony platitudes and very
direct."

Another official told Reuters: "Witkoff was able to pressure Netanyahu
into accepting the deal and moving quickly. It's that conversation that
shifted everything into motion."

Waltz: U.S. will back Israeli action in Gaza if Hamas breaks ceasefire



Incoming U.S. National Security Advisor Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., said on Wednesday the Trump administration will support renewed Israeli military
action against Hamas in Gaza if the terrorist group violates the terms
of the ceasefire, according to the Jewish News Syndicate.

"We've made it very clear to the Israelis, and I want the people of
Israel to hear me on this – if they need to go back in, we're with them.
If Hamas doesn't live up to the terms of this agreement, we are with
them," the Republican representative from Florida's 6th District, whom President-elect Donald Trump tapped for the NSA role in November, told
Fox News anchor Bret Baier.

"Hamas is not going to continue as a military entity and it certainly is
not going to govern Gaza," Waltz stressed.

Report: Two dual citizen U.S.-Israeli hostages thought to be released
Sunday in first phase of deal



Five Israeli female soldiers will be released from Gaza on Sunday,
coinciding with the first day of a planned ceasefire – according to a
report by KAN news, a senior U.S. official announced Wednesday night.

The exchange will include Palestinian prisoners as part of a deal
mediated by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt, reported the Jerusalem
Post.

The official also confirmed that two American citizens, Keith Siegel and
Sagie Dekel-Chen, are set to be released during the initial phase of the agreement.

"I am disappointed that this agreement does not talk about all the
hostages. It is unacceptable that the second phase is not defined in a
way that shows when my son will be released from captivity," Ruby Chen,
the father of American-Israeli IDF Sgt. Itay Chen, told Fox News Digital
on Wednesday.

Israel rebuffs Erdogan over Syria warning



Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Israel
must withdraw its forces from Syria or it will cause "unfavorable
outcomes for everyone," according to the Times of Israel.

"The aggressive actions of the forces attacking Syrian territory,
Israel, in particular, must come to an end as soon as possible," he said
during a meeting of his party in Ankara.

"Everyone should take their hands off Syria and we, along with our
Syrian brothers, will crush the heads of Islamic State, the YPG and
other terrorist organizations in a short time."

Israel in response warned Ankara against "unnecessary threats."

"Israel completely rejects the Turkish president's statement," the
Foreign Ministry said. "The aggressive imperialist actor in Syria (as
well as in northern Cyprus, Libya, and other areas in the Middle East)
is Turkey itself, and it is advisable for the Turkish president to avoid unnecessary threats. The State of Israel will continue to act to protect
its borders from any threat."

IDF preparing for hostages' return in 'Operation Wings of Freedom



Preparations have started for the return of the hostages held by Hamas
in Gaza for 467 days, the Israel Defense Forces announced following President-elect Donald Trump's confirmation that a deal had been reached
in Qatar.

The name given to the preparations is "Operation Wings of Freedom," or
"Kanfei Dror" in Hebrew, the IDF said in a statement.

Trump announced on Wednesday that Israel and Hamas had agreed to a
ceasefire and hostage release deal during talks in Doha.

"This epic ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of
our historic victory in November, as it signaled to the entire world
that my administration would seek peace and negotiate deals to ensure
the safety of all Americans and our allies," Trump wrote in a statement.

Palestinian PM says PA must govern post-war Gaza



Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa asserted on Wednesday that
the Palestinian Authority must be the sole governing power in Gaza once
the ongoing war ends, reported The Media Line. His statement came as negotiations appeared close to securing a ceasefire and the release of
Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

Speaking at a conference in Norway, Mustafa emphasized the urgent need
to finalize a truce in Gaza and permit greater humanitarian aid access
for over two million people suffering through 15 months of conflict.
Gaza's future governance has become a central concern, with various
parties debating whether Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, or another
entity should assume power.

He underlined the significance of Norway's recognition last year of a Palestinian state under the PA, describing it as a key step toward a
two-state solution. However, Israeli authorities have rejected both
Hamas and the PA as potential rulers of Gaza, accusing the latter of encouraging violence and cautioning that support for Hamas may
overshadow a PA-led government.

Germany indicts islamic State member charged with Yazidi genocide



A high-ranking Islamic State member has been charged in Germany with war
crimes and crimes against humanity, including aiding in the genocide of
the Yazidi community, prosecutors announced Wednesday. The Media Line
reported the suspect, identified as Ossama A., is a Syrian national
accused of significant involvement in IS operations in Syria.

Prosecutors allege that Ossama A. joined IS in 2014 in Syria's Deir
ez-Zor region and led a local unit that confiscated 13 properties. These buildings were reportedly used as housing for fighters, office spaces,
and storage facilities. Two properties served as prisons where captured
Yazidi women were held, sexually abused, and exploited by IS members,
the prosecutor-general's office stated.

Last minute ceasefire snag? Hamas demands to cancel Israel's right to
veto prisoner release



The Prime Minister's Office on Thursday morning reported the Hamas
terrorist group is trying to backtrack after negotiators announced
Wednesday that a ceasefire deal had been reached, reported Israel
National News.

In an official statement, the Prime Minister's Office detailed the
issues Hamas is trying to backtrack on: "Among other things – in contradiction to the explicit section giving Israel the right to veto
the release of mass murderers who are a symbol of terrorism, Hamas is
demanding to dictate the identities of these terrorists."

The statement comes hours after Qatar and the U.S. officially announced
a deal had been reached.

Rubio: U.S. should be open to agreement with Iran, only under certain conditions



Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla,. the incoming Trump administration's nominee to
be secretary of state, said at his Senate confirmation hearing on
Wednesday that President-elect Donald Trump's administration is open to
a new nuclear deal with Iran, under strict conditions.

Over the course of his testimony, Rubio also framed the announcement of
a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza and recent losses for Iran and its
proxies in the region as creating an opportunity for major steps forward
on regional normalization and Israeli-Palestinian peace, condemned the International Criminal Court's targeting of Israel and spoke forcefully
about the need to combat antisemitism globally, reported Jewish Insider.

"My view is that we should be open to any arrangement that allows us to
have safety and stability in the region, but one in which we're
clear-eyed," Rubio said on the subject of Iran's nuclear program. "Any concessions that we make to the Iranian regime, we should anticipate
they will use, as they have used in the past, to build their weapons
systems and to try to restart their sponsorship of Hezbollah and other
related entities around the region."

Iran's president to NBC: 'We never tried to kill Trump



Iran did not plot President-elect Donald Trump's assassination,
President Masoud Pezeshkian told NBC, denying allegations by the U.S.
Justice Department.

"All the assassinations and acts of terror we see happening in Europe
and elsewhere, can we see the footsteps of Iranian nationals or other nationals?" Pezeshkian was quoted as saying in translated remarks in a
video preview of the NBC News interview, according to Iran
International.

"Have there been any links between those terrorist assassinations and
Iran? Iran has never been in pursuit of assassination and acts of
terror," he added.

Asked by anchor Lester Holt in the interview in Tehran whether Iran had
plotted to kill Trump, Pezeshkian replied: "Never by no means."

Holt persisted, asking Pezeshkian if he would promise never to seek to
kill Trump.

"Ever since the beginning, we never intended to do that," Pezeshkian
said.

The U.S. Justice Department in November unsealed murder-for-hire charges against an Afghan national it said was tasked by Iran's Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps with assassinating Trump.

Farhad Shakeri, 51, who is believed to be in Iran, was asked by an IRGC official "to put aside his other efforts on behalf of the IRGC and focus
on surveilling, and, ultimately, assassinating (Trump)", the department
said.

Khamenei celebrates ceasefire as win for Hamas



Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claimed on Thursday that
Hamas was victorious in the war with Israel, citing the ceasefire
announced on Wednesday., and reported in the Jerusalem Post.

"It will be written in books that there was a mob who once killed
thousands of children & women in Gaza! Everyone will realize it was the patience of the people & steadfastness of Palestinian Resistance &
Resistance Front that forced Zionist regime to retreat," Khamenei wrote
in both English and Hebrew on X/Twitter. "#GazaIsVictorious"

Similar sentiments were shared by Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) who claimed the ceasefire in Gaza represents a "great victory" for the
Palestinian resistance, according to a statement shared by the
semi-official Tasnim news agency on Thursday.

Jewish Voice for Peace committed fraud to obtain COVID relief



Jewish Voice for Peace, the prominent Soros-backed anti-Israel group
which has organized illegal protests attacking the Jewish state,
committed federal loan fraud to obtain a six-figure COVID relief check,
the Department of Justice announced.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, JVP falsely portrayed itself as
a non-political group to obtain over $300,000 in federal paycheck
protection funding, federal prosecutors said in a press release. It was
forced to pay $677,634 to the federal government to settle the
allegations under the False Claims Act.

The news comes as JVP faces suspensions on college campuses for
organizing pro-Hamas rallies. Lawmakers have also called on the IRS to
revoke JVP's tax-exempt status, arguing that the group has supported
illegal encampments at universities and "has a history of sharing
antisemitic tropes, expressing support for violence and terrorism, and vilifying Zionism and Zionists."

Just days after Hamas's Oct. 7 terror attack, meanwhile, JVP organized
an illegal protest in which activists infiltrated the Capitol and
accused Israel of "genocide."

Herzog calls for cabinet unity as Smotrich threatens to bolt coalition



In an address to the nation Wednesday evening, President Isaac Herzog
urged members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet to approve
the ceasefire and hostage release deal announced earlier between Israel
and Hamas, declaring that he supported "the prime minister and the
negotiating team for [their] efforts to reach a deal."

Herzog stated that the deal was the "right" and "necessary move" and
that "there is no greater moral, human, Jewish, or Israeli obligation
than to bring our sons and daughters back to us — whether to recover at
home, or to be laid to rest."

"Let there be no illusions. This deal – when signed, approved, and implemented – will bring with it deeply painful, challenging, and
harrowing moments," he said. "It will also present significant
challenges. This is not a simple situation; it is among the greatest
challenges we have ever known."

However, the deal met fierce resistance from Finance Minister Bezalel
Smotrich.

In a statement, Smotrich, the chairman of the far-right Religious
Zionism party, denounced what he described as a "bad and dangerous deal
for the national security of the State of Israel."

"Along with the great joy and excitement for the return of each and
every kidnapped person, the deal reverses many of the achievements of
the war," he said, adding that these achievements were bought at the
cost of Israeli blood.

He conditioned his party's continued membership in the coalition on
Israel restarting its campaign against Hamas until "complete victory"
following the end of the deal.

Metropolitan Police threaten to arrest pro-Palestine activists failing
to stick to newly agreed London demo route



The Metropolitan Police has threatened to arrest pro-Palestine activists failing to adhere to a new route set out for a march scheduled for this Saturday, London's Jewish News reported.

Recognizing the disruption that a planned demo, set to begin close to
Central Synagogue – would have had on Shabbat services, police have instructed demonstrators to instead form up in a different space and
head on a new route ending in Whitehall, where the national memorial to
the United Kingdom's war dead is located.

They added: "Anyone breaching the conditions, or inciting others to do
so, is committing an offense. "The consequences for doing so include
arrest."

The statement followed claims Palestine Solidarity Campaign director Ben
Jamal reportedly said his group would go ahead with its planned march
from Whitehall to the BBC on Saturday, even if the police dispersed the
crowd en route.

Ismail Patel, chairman of Friends of Al-Aqsa, who are also behind the
march, said in a speech he would go to "prison" rather than agree to the
change to the protest's route'

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