Sorry, Everyone, Hamas is Still a Terrorist Group by Khaled Abu Toameh • December 5, 2021 at 5:00 am

First, the document reportedly depicting Hamas as a moderate group that accepts the "two-state solution" is a bluff intended to dupe the international community. As Mashaal himself explained, even if Hamas accepts a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, that does not mean that it would ever recognize Israel's right to exist. Second, Hamas has not renounced violence and terrorism. In fact, it intends to continue the "resistance" and jihad (holy war) against Israel after the establishment of the Palestinian state with the purpose of "liberating all of Palestine." Third, the new document did not cancel or change the content of the Hamas charter, which, according to Hamas leaders, remains valid and relevant to this day. Hamas's representative in Iran, Khaled Qaddoumi, confirmed.... that the talk about Hamas accepting a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem was in the context of a plan to destroy Israel in phases. "There is no solution to the Palestinian problem except by jihad." — Hamas charter, Article 13. Hamas, of course, never misses an opportunity to remind its followers and the rest of the world that it remains faithful to the words of the prophet Mohammed, who said: "The time will not come until Muslims will fight the Jews (and kill them); until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees, which will cry: O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, come on and kill him!" — Hamas charter, Article 7. Days after the decision was announced, the Hamas leadership leader said...: "Palestine - all of Palestine - from its [Mediterranean] sea to its [Jordan] river, is for the Palestinian people, and there is no place or legitimacy for strangers over any inch of it." — hamas.ps, November 29, 2021. The statements of Hamas leaders show that they dissemble less than many of their own apologists in the West, who claim that they understand Hamas better than Hamas understands itself. The document reportedly depicting Hamas as a moderate group that accepts the "two-state solution" is a bluff intended to dupe the international community. As Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal (pictured) explained, even if Hamas accepts a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, that does not mean that it would ever recognize Israel's right to exist. (Photo by Mohammed Saber/AFP via Getty Images) One of the arguments that is being raised against the British government's recent decision to designate Hamas an extremist terrorist organization is that the Gaza-based movement, which does not recognize Israel's right to exist, has changed and now supports the establishment of a Palestinian state next to Israel. Opponents of the UK's decision claim that in 2017 Hamas "softened its stance on Israel by accepting the idea of a Palestinian state in territories occupied by Israel in the six-day war of 1967." The purported change, they argue, was included in a new document announced by Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal at a press conference in Doha, Qatar. Mashaal was quoted as saying: "Hamas advocates the liberation of all of Palestine, but is ready to support the [Palestinian] state on 1967 borders without recognizing Israel or ceding any rights." Continue Reading Article

Never would have been tried with President Trump! Biden’s Afghan Blunders & Systemic Incompetence created opportunities for Russia, China, Islamic Fascists, & other US enemies…both foreign and domestic! How’s that working out for you #UsefulIdiots who supported this train wreck? WWIII ???

U.S. warns of possible Russian invasion of Ukraine with 175,000 troops as soon as January BY OLIVIA GAZIS, DAVID MARTIN DECEMBER 4, 2021 / 12:36 PM / CBS NEWS U.S. intelligence is warning of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine involving as many as 175,000 troops as soon as January, a U.S. official confirmed to CBS News following a Friday report in The Washington Post about the scale of a possible offensive. The plans involve extensive movement of 100 battalion tactical groups with an estimated 175,000 personnel, along with armor, artillery and equipment, according to an administration official. Roughly 70,000 Russian troops are currently deployed opposite Ukraine, although they lack the support units needed to launch an invasion. That support would come from reservists. According to the administration official, Russia has embarked on a sudden and rapid program to establish a ready reserve of contract reservists — something that was not seen back in the spring during a rapid Russian military buildup near Ukraine's borders. us.jpg An unclassified intelligence document obtained by CBS News shows evidence of recent Russian troop and equipment movement near the Ukraine border. A National Security Council spokesperson said the Biden administration has been consistent in its message to Russia, which is that the United States does not seek conflict, and that diplomacy and de-escalation should be used to avert a crisis. "We are deeply concerned by evidence that Russia is stepping up its planning for significant military action against Ukraine," the spokesperson told CBS News. The U.S. and other officials have been sounding the alarm in recent weeks over Russian troops massing, concerned that an offensive or an escalation of a seven-year-long conflict in the volatile eastern region of Donbas could be on the horizon. Russian officials, however, have said reports of a military buildup are baseless and in turn accused NATO of building more of a foothold in what Russia considers its own backyard. The country's top diplomat attacked the alliance this week for deploying a significant amount of military hardware near Russia's borders and said Moscow could respond to security threats from Western countries and Ukraine if necessary. "The fact that we are being accused of conducting military exercises on our sovereign territory by the countries that are bringing troops and military equipment to our borders in huge quantities from overseas and the fact that the United States has surrounded us from all sides with their military bases is something every schoolkid knows," Russia's Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday. "And yet this hysteria is constantly being whipped up," he said. YELNYA, RUSSIA -- NOVEMBER 1, 2021: Maxar high-resolution closeup (02) satellite imagery showing the presence of ground forces on the northern edge of of Yelnya in western Russia. Please use: Satellite image (c) 2021 Maxar Technologies. Maxar high-resolution closeup satellite imagery showing the presence of ground forces on the northern edge of of Yelnya in western Russia. MAXAR/CONTRIBUTOR VIA GETTY IMAGES The U.S., however, has information indicating that Russian media outlets and others have been increasing content disparaging Ukraine and NATO, partly to blame a possible Russian military escalation on Ukraine, according to the administration official. There are also indications that Russian officials have proposed emphasizing a narrative that Ukrainian leaders were installed by the West, harbor hatred for the "Russian world" and were acting against the Ukrainian people's interest. Mary Ilyushina contributed reporting to this article

Yet another example of the Marxist Socialist Democratic Utopian Cesspool the Democrats have created in California! You get & deserve what you voted for! Coming to your community soon, unless you wake up & #VoteResponsibly!

LAW & THE COURTS Fourteen Looting Suspects Released on California’s ‘Zero Bail’ Rule By BRITTANY BERNSTEIN December 3, 2021 Los Angeles Police chief Michel Moore on Thursday faulted California’s “zero bail” policy with returning 14 suspected “smash and grab” looters back to the streets. “All the suspects taken into custody are out of custody, either as a result of one juvenile, or the others as a result of bailing out or zero-bail criteria,” Moore said of 14 suspects arrested in connection with eleven robberies between late last month that cost businesses some $338,000 in stolen merchandise and more than $40,000 in property damage. Meanwhile, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón’s office vowed to hold robbers accountable amid a surge in smash and grab crimes in recent weeks despite Gascon’s support for ending bail for many crimes, according to the Associated Press. “Our office has been collaborating with multiple law enforcement agencies and once all the evidence has been gathered, we will review the cases to determine what criminal charges should be filed,” said Alex Bastian, special adviser to Gascón. “These brazen acts hurt all of us: retailers, employees and customers alike.” The San Francisco Bay Area has also been plagued by looting in recent weeks; San Francisco district attorney Chesa Boudin announced felony charges against nine suspects connected with the robberies last week. San Jose saw another smash and grab looting as recently as Thursday afternoon, when a group of masked suspects smashed up and robbed a jewelry store. While California voters spurned a proposed end to the state’s cash-bail system in November 2020, a California Supreme Court ruled in March that state judges must consider a suspect’s ability to pay when determining bail prices, which in effect allows the poorest offenders to go free pending further legal action, unless they’re determined to be dangerous. Sean Pritchard, president of the San Jose Police Officers Association, told Fox News that the policy is “an absolute assault on the safety of San Jose residents,” after it allowed for the release of two homicide suspects who police believe are connected to a Halloween murder. The policy also allowed a car-theft suspect to be arrested 13 times in 12 weeks after repeated releases, according to the outlet.

Every day Jimmy Carter’s Presidency shines brighter and brighter as the Marxist Socialist Democratic Regime of Biden stumbles along setting new lows on Presidential Poles! “GO BRANDON!”

Joe Biden facing 'a real threat' as President humiliated in two new polls - trust plummets Teresa Gottein Martinez Navigating the coronavirus pandemic has been President Biden's biggest challenge since he was sworn into office nearly a year ago. While it seemed, at one point, he had overcome the worst of the crisis, the Omicron variant may prove otherwise. One new poll has shown only 48 percent of Americans trust Mr Biden to navigate the nation through the trouble. In May and June, only 34 percent of respondents of a Fox News poll disapproved of Mr Biden's handling of the pandemic, while 64 percent approved. However, ratings have plunged, with the most recent poll showing a more narrow divide of 49 percent of respondents disapproving of the President's approach in dealing with the coronavirus and 48 percent approving. READ MORE: Donald Trump slams Joe Biden over US coronavirus vaccine rollout 'Done a terrible job!' Commenting on the results, Clifford Young of polling company Ipsos told Fox News on Tuesday: "He won the election on Covid, surfed the Covid wave for the first part of the year and was hurt by the Delta variant. "The new Omicron variant is a real threat to Biden's standing with the public. "Omicron could further weaken the president heading into the midterms." He added: "America has become more optimistic with anticipation of an end to Covid. "And any check on this trend will negatively impact confidence overall and in Biden more specifically." Mr Biden on Monday said the new coronavirus variant was a "cause for concern, not a cause for panic". On Tuesday, he announced he would outline how the nation would protect itself from Omicron. The same day, on December 1, the US recorded its first Omicron case in a fully vaccinated traveller who had arrived in California from South Africa on November 22. Mr Biden specified they would fight the variant "not with shutdowns or lockdowns but with more widespread vaccinations, boosters, testing and more". DON'T MISS Senior EU officials 'see opening' after Omicron for centralising revenue streams [INSIGHT] Covid LIVE: Germany panic as intensive care patient numbers over Christmas to hit new peak [ANALYSIS] Covid robocops could be introduced to 'detect and discourage lapses in social distancing' [REPORT] The hurdles posed by Omicron follow pushbacks in federal courts on Mr Biden's vaccination strategy. His administration's requirement for companies with more than 100 employees to enforce the vaccine, which would apply to over 80 million workers, has been held up. Federal judges blocked two other mandates, and a third one was challenged in at least 17 lawsuits. A second analysis, conducted from October 26 to November 8 by Harvard Youth Poll, found only 46 percent of Americans aged 18 to 29 approve of Mr Biden's job as president - a 13 percent fall from results in spring. Overall, despite the President's declining approval rate, 78 percent of the 2,109 young people that were surveyed said they are still satisfied with their vote for Mr Biden in 2020. From early next week, international travellers will have to take a PCR or antigen test up to 24 hours before their departure. The timeframe for the test has gone down from 72 hours. The rule is to apply to all travellers, regardless of their vaccination status, nationality or country of origin. The Biden administration is reportedly also considering imposing a seven-day quarantine for all travellers, including Americans, who arrive in the US - regardless of their test result. Mr Biden is set to confirm the new set of rules to halt the spread of the virus on Thursday.

Marxist Socialist Democratic Tactic: Appoint Judges to Accomplish an Agenda that the Ballot Box Rejected!

Wild-Eyed Leftist’: Ted Cruz Rattles Biden Nominee Over His Past Statements Ted Cruz Grills Dale Ho Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz challenged President Joe Biden’s U.S. district court nominee Dale Ho on Wednesday over his past statements. Cruz asked Ho to explain why he described himself in the past as “a wild-eyed Leftist” and someone “accused sometimes of seeing discrimination everywhere” he looked during the Wednesday confirmation hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “Senator Cruz, I think the key word in that quote is ‘accused’,” Ho responded. “I think I was characterizing how others have caricatured myself.” The Texas senator then went on to say that Ho had launched partisan attacks on the Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee in the past. Cruz also quoted Ho’s 2017 statement, in which the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) lawyer called his hatred towards conservatives a source of “moral clarity” capable to “motivate the long hours needed to get the work done.” (RELATED: Biden’s FCC Nominee With History Of Net Neutrality Activism Set For Tough Hearing) “I recognize that New York is a blue state, but imagine there is someone who considers himself or herself a conservative in the state of New York, who, God forbid, finds themselves in a courtroom where you’re wearing a robe,” Cruz said to the judicial nominee for the Southern District of New York. “What comfort do you think that litigant would have that you described the hatred of conservatives, the righteous indignation, the anger at conservatives, as a tremendous source of power for you personally?” Cruz asked. Ho claimed that the quoted part of his statement was a joke that he relayed during his speech at a church. Biden’s nominee said that he did not know of any discriminatory admission practices Yale Law School, his alma mater, applied to his fellow Asian-Americans. Ho then asserted that he would like to follow the examples of judges who hold political views as having no role “on the bench.” “Well, your record suggests precisely the contrary,” Cruz said in response.

The Blundering Biden Marxist Socialist Democratic Regime program of weakness & incompetence results in daily attacks & probes of the American national defense network by emboldened Chinese & Russian enemies!

JOSEPH TREVITHICK View Joseph Trevithick's Articles @FranticGoat U.S. Space Force's General David Thompson, the service's second in command, said last week that Russia and China are launching "reversible attacks," such as electronic warfare jamming, temporarily blinding optics with lasers, and cyber attacks, on U.S. satellites "every single day." He also disclosed that a small Russian satellite used to conduct an on-orbit anti-satellite weapon test back in 2019 had first gotten so close to an American one that there were concerns an actual attack was imminent. Thompson, who is Vice Chief of Space Operations, disclosed these details to The Washington Post's Josh Rogin in an interview on the sidelines of the Halifax International Security Forum, which ran from Nov. 19 to 21 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in Canada. The forum opened just four days after a Russian anti-satellite weapon test involving a ground-launched interceptor, which destroyed a defunct Soviet-era electronic intelligence satellite and created a cloud of debris that presents a risk to the International Space Station (ISS). That test drew widespread condemnation, including from the U.S. government, and prompted renewed discussion about potential future conflicts in space. DOD U.S. Space Force General David Thompson, Vice Chief of Space Operations, sits in a room at the Pentagon during a remote talk hosted by the Association of Old Crows in January 2021. “The threats are really growing and expanding every single day. And it’s really an evolution of activity that’s been happening for a long time,” Thompson, told Rogin. “We’re really at a point now where there’s a whole host of ways that our space systems can be threatened.” "Right now, Space Force is dealing with what Thompson calls 'reversible attacks' on U.S. government satellites (meaning attacks that don’t permanently damage the satellites) 'every single day,'" according to Rogin. "Both China and Russia are regularly attacking U.S. satellites with non-kinetic means, including lasers, radio frequency jammers, and cyber attacks, he said." DIA A Defense Intelligence Agency graphic showing a full spectrum of potential attack types in space, ranging from the reversible to the nonreversible. DIA An infographic depicting, broadly, how satellites would be jammed during the uplink and downlink of data. This is not the first time American officials have publicly accused a foreign power of conducting a "reversible attack" on a U.S. satellite. In 2006, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the U.S. government's top satellite intelligence arm, confirmed that a spy satellite had been "illuminated" by a ground-based Chinese laser. "It was a test … It makes us think," then-NRO Director Donald Kerr said at the time, adding that there had been no impact to the satellite's intelligence-gathering capabilities in that instance. Thompson's assertion that these kinds of attacks are occurring with extreme frequency is new. It underscores the rapid development and fielding by Russia and China, among others, of a wide variety of anti-satellite capabilities, something the U.S. military has called increasing attention to in recent years. “The Chinese are actually well ahead [of Russia],” Thompson told Rogin. “They're fielding operational systems at an incredible rate.” The systems that Russia and China are known to be developing or have already fielded include destructive and non-destructive types that are deployed from Earth, such as ground-based jammers, lasers, or interceptors, as well as small "killer satellites" positioned in orbit. A killer satellite able to maneuver close to its target could use various means to try to disable, damage, or even destroy it, such as jammers, directed energy weapons, robotic arms, chemical sprays, and small projectiles. It could even deliberately smash into the other satellite in a kinetic attack. DIA An infographic showing the various ways one satellite might attack another in orbit. In 2019, a small Russian satellite released a projectile in one on-orbit anti-satellite weapon test. Thompson provided new details about this incident in his interview with Rogin, saying Russia's satellite had first got in very close to a U.S. 'national security satellite' and that "the U.S. government didn’t know whether it was attacking or not." “It maneuvered close, it maneuvered dangerously, it maneuvered threateningly so that they were coming close enough that there was a concern of collision,” Thompson said. “So clearly, the Russians were sending us a message.” In January 2020, another small Russian satellite closely shadowed a U.S. spy satellite, something that also elicited statements of concern from the U.S. government. SPACE FORCE BOSS SAYS ONE OF RUSSIA'S KILLER SATELLITES FIRED A PROJECTILE IN ORBIT By Joseph Trevithick Posted in THE WAR ZONE RUSSIAN ANTI-SATELLITE TEST PRODUCES DANGEROUS DEBRIS CLOUD IN ORBIT (UPDATED) By Joseph Trevithick Posted in THE WAR ZONE USAF SECRETARY GIVES OMINOUS WARNING THAT SHOW OF FORCE NEEDED TO DETER SPACE ATTACKS By Joseph Trevithick Posted in THE WAR ZONE SPACE FORCE JUST RECEIVED ITS FIRST NEW OFFENSIVE WEAPON By Joseph Trevithick Posted in THE WAR ZONE GIGANTIC HANGAR NEAR SECRETIVE CHINESE TEST FACILITIES POINTS TO EXOTIC AIRSHIP DEVELOPMENT By Joseph Trevithick and Tyler Rogoway Posted in THE WAR ZONE Beyond the clearly very serious implications of the 2019 incident itself, the Vice Chief of Space Operations' comments underscore the challenges the U.S. military and the rest of the U.S. government face in deterring hostile actors or actually responding to acts of aggression in space. In recent years, American officials have increasingly pointed to the policy and other problems caused by the extreme secrecy that surrounds U.S. military activities, as well as those conducted by the U.S. Intelligence Community, outside the Earth's atmosphere. In another prime example of the secrecy issue, when asked, Thompson could not confirm or deny whether any American satellites had actually been damaged in a Russian or Chinese attack. Beyond that, he told Rogin that even if such a thing had occurred, that very fact would be classified. What Space Force's second in command could say adds new context and weight to a series of often vague comments from various U.S. Air Force officials back in 2019. Space Force was formally established as a separate branch within the Department of the Air Force in December of that year. “There may come a point where we demonstrate some of our capabilities so that our adversaries understand they cannot deny us the use of space without consequence,” then-Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson had said at the Space Foundation’s 35th annual Space Symposium in April 2019. USAF Former Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson. “That capability needs to be one that’s understood by your adversary,” she added. “They need to know there are certain things we can do, at least at some broad level, and the final element of deterrence is uncertainty. How confident are they that they know everything we can do? Because there’s a risk calculation in the mind of an adversary.” “It's not enough to stand in the ring and take punches,” then-U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff General David Goldfein said at the same event. "You have to have the will and capability to punch back. “You would have to be careful about what we declassify, but there is much more classified than what needs to be," Barbara Barrett, who became Secretary of the Air Force in October 2019 after Wilson stepped down, said later that year. “The lack of an understanding really does hurt us in doing things that we need to do in space." USAF Former Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett during a ceremony unveiling the newly decorated Space Force hallway at the Pentagon in December 2020. “There isn’t a constituency for space even though almost everyone uses space before their first cup of coffee in the morning," Barrett had added at that time, highlighting the U.S. military's heavy reliance on a wide variety of space-based capabilities. These include early warning, intelligence-gathering, navigation and weapon guidance, communications and data-sharing, and more. Even reversible attacks against any of this space-based infrastructure could have major impacts on the U.S. military's ability to effectively conduct combat operations. The U.S. military has been very open about its efforts to develop and field new and improved space-based capabilities, as well as explore new concepts, such as distributed constellations of smaller satellites and ways to rapidly deploy new systems into orbit, to help reduce vulnerabilities to anti-satellite attacks, in general. Details about the U.S. military's own so-called "counter-space" capabilities, on the other hand, are extremely limited, as its ability to conduct what it has termed "orbital warfare." To date, the only publicly acknowledged offensive counter-space weapon it has is a variant of the Counter Communications System (CCS). At present, Space Force operates the Block 10.2 version of the CCS, but a Block 10.3 type is now in development that is reportedly "more modular and scalable," according to Janes. Official budget documents released last year revealed that the Block 10.3 system is one that had previously only been identified by the nickname Meadowlands. In announcing that L3 Harris Technologies had received a contract worth nearly $120.8 million to upgrade existing Block 10.2 systems on Oct. 22, 2021, the Pentagon did publicly state that they offer "a ground-based, deployable electronic warfare capability to reversibly deny satellite communications, early warning, and propaganda." That same contracting notice revealed that there are "16 Counter Communications Block 10.2 fielded systems which currently operate at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado; Vandenberg Space Force Base, California; Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida; and classified deployed locations outside the continental U.S." However, U.S. officials have at least strongly implied that the U.S. military's offensive counter-space capabilities are not limited to CCS. L3 HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES Trailer-mounted antenna dishes associated with the Counter Communications Systems Block 10.2. At the end of the day, what this means is that the U.S. government is faced with a serious predicament when it comes to warning off adversaries in space and otherwise protecting critical assets in orbit, including ones the very existence of which are classified. “It’s really difficult to go ahead and justify how you might attack somebody’s homeland if they’ve taken out a satellite that you don’t even admit exists,” Douglas Loverro, then-Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, said during a talk in 2016 in what remains one of the most succinct descriptions to date of the core issues at play. “Is jamming an attack? Is a laser an attack? Does it have to be a kinetic hit on a satellite to be an attack?” From what we know now from General Thompson's comments, it would seem that the U.S. military has decided that reversible attacks do not warrant direct retaliation. At the same time, from what we understand about the veil of secrecy over the U.S. government's operations in space, classified retaliatory actions may occur regularly. Russia, China, or any other hostile actor could easily be equally disinclined to publicly announce attacks on counter-space capabilities that they don't admit they possess. "The United States will work with our allies and partners to respond to Russia's irresponsible act," U.S. State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said after Russia's anti-satellite weapon test on Nov. 15. "We as you know, don't telegraph specific measures, but as I said before, we will work with our allies and partners in different ways to make clear that the United States that the international community is not going to tolerate this kind of irresponsible behavior." Regardless, if Russia and China are conducting reversible attacks against U.S. government satellites every day, it certainly shows that the threshold for doing so is low and that those countries view the consequences, whatever they might be, as manageable and very unlikely to lead to an open conflict. That non-destructive attacks have no potential to cause direct human fatalities and the ease with which they could be denied only further lows that bar. All of this also raises questions about what those countries might be doing in space that is directed against smaller nations that have little or no ability to respond directly. That being said, Russia's recent anti-satellite weapon test has prompted renewed calls for arms control agreements to ban anti-satellite systems, which present threats to military and non-military systems in space. This includes the indirect risks that come from the debris produced by the destruction of satellites in orbit. Vice Chief of Space Operations Thompson's new comments only reinforces the dangers that the current environment presents, where at least reversible attacks in space have become an everyday occurrence. Contact the author: joe@thedrive.com

"Truth is incontrovertible. Panic may resent it. Ignorance may deride it. Malice may distort it. But there it is." - Winston Churchill