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Mon, 08 Nov 2021
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The ongoing Nakbah in Jerusalem

Man w sign
© Heather Sharona Weiss/ActiveStills
Palestinians and Israelis protest against forcible evictions in Sheikh Jarrah in occupied East Jerusalem.
Israel is committing an ongoing Nakba in occupied East Jerusalem. Settler organizations are threatening to forcibly evict 15 Palestinian families from their Jerusalem homes in the next few months. This amounts to 37 households and around 195 individuals, according to Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq. The families reside in the Karm al-Jaouni area of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and the Batan al-Hawa area of the Silwan neighborhood.

In November, Israeli courts ruled in favor of settler groups to evict the Palestinian families. The two groups are Nahalat Shimon International - a company registered in the United States, and Ateret Cohanim - a right-wing settlement organization.

Both organizations help implement the Israeli government's colonization of Palestinian properties in Jerusalem.

After seven decades

In February, a Jerusalem district court ruled against an appeal by six families living in Sheikh Jarrah against their eviction. Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now said the families were given "one paragraph" each to make their case to remain in the four houses they've lived in for nearly 70 years.

Briefcase

Lawyers for Afghans claim Dutch troops failed to spare civilians

Afghan Soldiers/boy
© AFP
Dutch soldiers on patrol in The Chora Valley, Uruzgan, Afghanistan
Lawyers acting for Afghans wounded by bombardment by Dutch troops in 2007 on Monday told a Dutch district court that the soldiers had failed to distinguish between military and civilian targets and used disproportionate force.

The four Afghans and relatives of a fifth who has since died are suing the Dutch state in civil court for compensation for what they say are war crimes in Afghanistan's Uruzgan province. Lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld told Dutch judges in the first hearing of the case:
"The (Dutch) state has failed in upholding the fundamental distinction between military and civilian targets. [The attacks] "fit the picture that the life of an Afghan is not worth much to us."
Lawyers for the Dutch state dismissed the plaintiffs complaints that civilians were not properly warned that an attack was imminent, and that the soldiers were using outdated intelligence. "The serious reproaches plaintiffs make towards the Dutch state are unfounded," Karlijn Teuben, a lawyer for the Dutch state, told judges.

Arrow Down

US dropping FBI fingerprint tests for caregivers at migrant facilities

migrant children custody
© US Customs and Border Protection
There are currently 18,000 children and teenage illegal migrants currently in custody in the United States.
The Biden administration is using a less stringent standard to vet those caring for thousands of unaccompanied minors in migrant facilities at the border, according to a report.

Instead of subjecting caregivers to FBI fingerprint checks, which could reveal those using fake identities or changed names, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Department is simply relying on public records checks as it screens such workers, HHS said in a statement.

While FBI fingerprint tests rely on proprietary criminal databases, public records tests are dependent on the subject providing accurate information.

HHS's own Inspector General has warned the lower grade tests would not be as effective at sussing out past sexual or criminal offenses.

Attention

Do better than critical race theory

CRITICAL RACE THEORY, PROTEST, BLM
© Unknown
Many of you have noticed that more people than ever are presenting the stock Critical Race Theory ideas. Do not be alarmed. This is correct. Critical Race Theory mainstreamed during the Black Lives Matter protests following a similar incident in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2015. The rapid mainstreaming of Critical Race Theory is actually a problem, but you don't need to despair. Critical Race Theory is definitely mainstreaming more than ever now, but on the other hand, not only do more people know what it is now than in 2015 and before, more people than ever are also connecting the dots that something in it is leading not to healing but to harm. We have an opportunity to steal the motte and bomb the bailey, as it might be phrased, and hopefully get this conversation and our country back on track.

The present circumstances are volatile, and fighting for sense in mayhem like this is like trying to talk sense into a hurricane. This public rage, like all public rage, will not last forever. Thus, right now presents a valuable opportunity to educate ourselves and then others clearly about Critical Race Theory, including its role in the present outrage (some of it quite justified) and mayhem (utterly unjustifiable). We have a chance to learn how and why, while it points to important problems, Critical Race Theory is a bad way to deal with the real problems we are put face-to-face with now and to realize that there are better ways. To be clear, Critical Race Theory points to real problems, but it diagnoses them incorrectly and prescribes poisonous solutions that will only make the problems worse. And there are resources to do this now.

Attention

'Armed' antifa thugs descend on Oregon state capitol of Salem: Attack 'Back the Blue' car parade

Andtifa salem riot
© Andy Ngo/Tsitter
Armed antifa rioters in Salem, OR, March 28, 2021
Salem Police arrested at least three people and urged others to stay away from Oregon's State Capitol building Sunday evening as violence linked to Antifa-aligned protesters broke out.

The "heavily armed" crowd had grown to as many as 200 people, Fox 12 Portland reported. The chaos unfolded as a planned right-wing protest and Antifa counter-protest were scheduled in Salem for the same day.

Police received reports of vehicles driving past the Capitol being struck with balloons filled with paint as well as green lasers being pointed at drivers.

Comment: The New York Post reports on one man who chose to stand his ground against the thugs. HE was taken into custody.
Dramatic video shows the moment a man pulls a gun on Antifa protesters as they clashed with demonstrators taking part in a "Freedom Rally" near the Oregon state Capitol on Sunday.


He initially appeared calm as the counter-protesters dressed all in black surrounded and mocked him, with some threateningly aiming canisters at him throughout the confrontation.

But the squabble took an ugly turn after he was either sprayed in the face or struck with an object — prompting him to flinch and draw his weapon on the crowd.

"Get away from me!" he shouted, yanking a handgun from his waistband and cocking it as he aimed it toward the leftist activists.

As the mob screamed about his loaded gun, an armed officer quickly approached and forced the driver to the ground, with a large force of riot police quickly swarming the scene.

"F-k you, Proud Boy!" some in the mob screamed as the officers kept the alleged gunman on the ground.

Oregon State Police Capt. Tim Fox told The Oregonian that the man — who was not identified — had not yet been arrested, and that officers were still investigating the case.

Three others were arrested, however, including an 18-year-old man who was charged with five counts of "unlawful pointing of a laser," state police said in a release.

Police said more than 100 left-wing protesters — many linked to the Youth Liberation Front — turned up to "prevent the Freedom Rally caravan" that was planning to meet at the Capitol. The mob is accused of damaging vehicles, including the alleged gunman's, which was covered in yellow spray paint and had its windows smashed.

Most were "wearing black clothing and ballistic vests and carrying firearms, bats, skateboards, umbrellas, shields and gas masks," police said.

"Soon after their arrival, the Salem Police department began to receive reports that individuals from the Court Street group were targeting vehicles driving by," the statement said.

"The victims reported their vehicles were damaged by paint-filled balloons, rocks and other hard objects being thrown at them as they passed," the force said — highlighting one that "sustained significant damage after a large tree limb was thrown through the front window."
More from The Gateway Pundit:
Antifa terrorists threw rocks and paint bombs at cars and trucks driven by 'Back the Blue' supporters in Salem, Oregon. The demonstration was reportedly organized by the Proud Boys, though according to reports not many Proud Boys showed up. About one hundred fifty Antifa were there to counter and attack them. One driver was arrested by police when he pulled a gun on Antifa after getting out of his pickup truck when it was attacked. Otherwise it appears police let Antifa attack at will.




"Right now in Salem, Oregon. A truck plows thru a crowd of anti-fascist protesters nearly hitting one. The truck is part of a "pro Trump" convoy that has travelled to Salem to counter protest the "No Place for Hate Here" rally."

Another car attacked by Antifa:

The provocations can go on only for so long before someone snaps. As Trump once said:

Trump warns Antifa had better hope the 'other side' doesn't mobilize: They are 'tougher, smarter & angrier'


Heart - Black

Newlyweds identified as pair who targeted Indonesian cathedral in Palm Sunday terrorist bombing

cathedral bombing indonesia makassar
© Yusuf Wahil/AP
A member of the police bomb squad, left, holds a piece of cloth found at the site of Sunday’s suicide bomb attack at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia
Indonesian authorities identified a newly married couple with suspected militant links as the attackers who used a pressure cooker to blow themselves up outside a Roman Catholic cathedral during Palm Sunday Mass.

he attack wounded 20 people, including four church guards, and broke windows at the church and nearby buildings in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi province.

The couple married six months ago and police were still investigating at their house in Makassar, National Police spokesperson Argo Yuwono said.

Comment: Further reading on the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah:


Bad Guys

Enough is enough: We can't surrender our freedoms just because lockdowns have shown authoritarianism can curb society's excesses

waitress
© Clara Margais / picture alliance via Getty Images
As a new report shows drunkenness in Spain has plunged, governments are realising that restrictions to 'protect public health' can address other problems. The public has to shake off its passiveness to prevent this happening.

At some point in the future, when we look back at the unprecedented and seemingly interminable authoritarian restrictions many have been forced to live under over the last year, we should ask ourselves, "What were we thinking?"

Because, as the tide of the coronavirus pandemic starts to recede unevenly around the globe, governments who brought in tough rules on movement and personal freedoms seem to be dragging their heels over a return to life as it was at the start of 2020, and there is a distinct lack of protest over their tardiness.

This attitude is playing into the hands of the governments who have realised the significant gains to be made from keeping the public in check. Talk of innumerable variants, third waves, and potential surges in the autumn or winter is used as cover by public health officials who have tasted the authoritarian Kool-Aid, and kinda like it.

How better to break up those irritating protests than by simply imposing curfews or making gatherings of more than six people illegal? How better to cut down on specific social problems, like teen drinking, than to make it impossible to buy booze to drink with your pals in the park?

People 2

'Dad bod' or six-pack abs? The answer is still obvious, but women are too woke to admit it

dad bod six pack abs body positive woke women feminism
© (L) Getty Images / Srdjan Radevic / EyeEm; (R) Getty Images / South_agency
A new survey says average-bodied men are the new ideal. But, while it sounds diverse and progressive, we all know it's BS - woke women are simply too scared to admit they enjoy physical ideals.

Gentlemen, if you've gained weight and lost muscle mass during lockdown, don't panic - you're not alone.

Better still, you could be considered more attractive by the opposite sex.

No kidding.

According to a survey by Dating.com, 75% of single women said they preferred dudes with doughy physiques compared to those with ripped bodies.

Boat

Stranded cargo ship Ever Given refloated: Suez Canal says traffic in channel has resumed

suez canal cargo ship evergreen ever given
© Suez Canal Authority/Handout via REUTERS
A view shows the container ship Ever Given, one of the world's largest container ships, after it was partially refloated, in Suez Canal, Egypt March 29, 2021.
The giant container ship Ever Given that blocked the Suez Canal for almost a week was fully floated on Monday and traffic in the waterway would resume, the canal authority said in a statement.

A Reuters witness saw the ship moving and a shipping tracker and Egyptian TV showed it positioned in the centre of the canal.


Comment: More information from Bloomberg News:
Ships were starting to move in the Suez Canal after the dislodging of the giant Ever Given container ship cleared the key trade route for traffic.

At least three vessels were on the move, according to ship-tracking data. The return of navigation will come as a relief for global trade that was under strain even before the latest crisis.

There were 437 ships waiting to transit through the waterway, shipping agent GAC said earlier, citing the canal authority. Container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd AG expects the backlog to be cleared within four days.

The Ever Given reached the Great Bitter Lakes, where it will undergo inspections. Horns sounded in celebration after the ship was earlier freed from the canal's bank in an operation that involved moving 30,000 cubic meters of sand.




TV

CNN runs propaganda piece explaining the 'secret' behind Joe Biden's 'popularity': Twitter erupts with mockery

Joe biden cnn Anderson cooper
© REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Joe Biden with CNN's Anderson Cooper
CNN is being accused of pushing propaganda after publishing a fawning news 'analysis' attempting to explain that President Joe Biden's recent poll success is due to him doing "popular things" on "popular issues."

"Biden's secret to success is simple: he's addressing the issues Americans care about, while his weaker issues are those that most Americans don't seem as worried about," CNN's breakdown reads.

The article cites a recent ABC/Ipsos poll that showed Biden leading on issues like the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, but earning majority disapproval on situations like the migrant surge at the US/Mexico border and his handling of gun violence.