Lebanese -Israel Talking To Be In Rome

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                

A sixth round of talks between Israel and Lebanon will take place in Rome today and Wednesday. 

 Leiter, (1969) in Englewood, N.J. 57 yrs old, 

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., Michael Leiter,  said Israel is continuing to promote the “pilot zones” plan in southern Lebanon, but any further progress and IDF withdrawal will depend on dismantling Hezbollah’s presence on the ground.

The US-brokered Israel-Lebanon peace talks are taking place at the United States Embassy in Rome, Italy. 

The mediator for the talks between Lebanon and Israel is the United States, with mediation efforts led by American officials. Lebanon does not have its own mediator; instead, Lebanese and Israeli delegations are engaging directly through U.S. facilitation. 

The Lebanese delegation participating in the negotiations consists of civilian officials. The key diplomatic representatives include: 

• Nada Hamadeh Moawad, Lebanon's Ambassador to the United States.
  
  
  
• Simon Karam, a Lebanese diplomat and former ambassador to the U.S

The two-day diplomatic meetings are mediated by the United States and focus on implementing a framework agreement, particularly the proposed withdrawal of Israeli troops from two pilot zones in southern Lebanon.

                 Hezbollah terrorists threaten Trump

 Southern Lebanon: Defined under a US-brokered framework agreement, these are designated small areas in southern Lebanon where Israeli forces gradually withdraw and the Lebanese military assumes full operational control, ensuring the disarmament of militant groups like Hezbollah.

Hezbollah firmly rejects disarmament, maintaining that its weapons are essential to defend Lebanon against Israeli aggression,  and that any handover is non-negotiable. While the Lebanese government and the US have pushed for state control of all arms, Hezbollah's leadership continues to demand a permanent Israeli withdrawal and they want guarantees against future attacks before agreeing to any talks.

Because of the gaps between the sides, the current round in Rome is expected to serve as a bridge-building meeting ahead of a larger session with expanded teams next month. 

The Rome round will focus on reviewing progress in the pilot zones mechanism, expanding the Lebanese army’s deployment in the south and continuing security coordination under American mediation.

 A Lebanese diplomatic source familiar with the negotiations told Reuters on Tuesday that “the Lebanese army is ready to gradually take control of the villages from which the IDF withdraws.”

israelAM

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-902467

It's Not Easy Peasy Creating A Country

 

                  Squatters Shacks along the Willamette River , Portland, Oregon.  People sitting on land without paying for it:  1930

To have a country, land can't just fill up with squatters.  Otherwise, it that were true, there never would be a United States, or an Oregon.  What's a squatter?  Someone in our Oregon history, and I imagine in states as well.  

In the 1840s, Oregon Country was governed by an unregulated "Squatter Democracy". As the US and Britain contested the region, the foundational land laws were largely defined by squatters—settlers who simply occupied the land without legal title before preemption acts eventually allowed them to secure their claims.

      Bedouins in Palestine, Nomads with a permanent address: Deals had been made with the new Jewish government for the Bedouins of the south. Nomads are usually always on the move whereas squatters just sat there.  Bedouin refers to historically nomadic Arab tribes inhabiting the desert regions of the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. Derived from the Arabic word badawī (meaning "desert-dweller"), the term represents a traditional, pastoralist way of life rather than a distinct ethnic group. 

The land of Palestine did fill up with many squatters who traveled back and forth, especially on camels.  Most were from Syria and later were called Syrian Palestinians, not being Bedouins.   Other Arabs came to the land in 1880 when they saw Jews coming in and building Tel Aviv, etc.  They were paid with money and that enticed even more Arabs to join the crews. At that time they had no inducement to have their own state.  They were all from other countries close by.   

Historical Shifts: there was  time when the Brits invited Arabs into the country and kept Jews out--and this was after the Jewish Homeland was decided upon.  

 For decades in Oregon, removing unauthorized occupants required a slow, civil lawsuit known as ejectment. The rules were tightened significantly with Oregon House Bill 3522, which allowed landlords and homeowners to use standard eviction procedures to remove unauthorized occupants quickly. Many informal, unauthorized occupations were handled privately by landowners or frontier settlers rather than through formal courts. Throughout Oregon’s history, the handling of squatters has varied: Pioneer Era: In the mid-1800s, early settlements like Portland were practically "squatter's paradises" fueled by massive land claims and the Donation Land Act. In the early days, disputes were often settled by force or informal claim associations. In coming back to Eretz Yisrael, Jews found Arab squatters, like  there were squatters in Oregon.  There were a few land-owners who had people working the land, squatters and such.  The land-owners were only too happy to be overpaid for the land they were being taxed for and could not make a living on, and so this money relieved them and they headed for Damascus and Paris for the good life.  They had money!!!

             Over 3,000 years ago of the 11th century BCE or 1050 BCE, King Saul of the tribe of Benjamin ruled Israel-his enemy were the Philistines

The history of Israel goes back almost 4,000 years.  The first organized governing power in those days were kings,, and Israel's first king was Saul.  King David was 2nd,who ruled by 1010 BCE and died in 970 BCE.  He had been Saul's armor-bearer at age 25, and was a good friend of his son, Jonathan-and after showing his military strengths during a war with the Philistines, became husband of Saul's daughter, Michal.  King Solomon, David's son, died in 920 BCE which caused a rift or division of the 12 statehoods they had created with the Northern 10 being swept away after their king Hoshea of Israel died in 721 BCE.  The 2 southern states, Judea and Benjamin lost their last King Zedekiah in 586 BCE.  They united sometime later, those who found each other again, and remained with or without permission from other ruling parties,, but had filled Jerusalem at the turn of the millennium.  By 70 CE, the Romans were ruling and burned the city down, remaking it into a Roman town.  Jews were starved to death or slaughtered, with many escaping while others were caught and used as slaves.  Romans stole all the gold and silver out of the

Temple, forcing slaves to carry all back to Rome as shown on the Arch of Titus.  Thanks, Titus for having this for proof of the history.  Jews were told that returning to Jerusalem meant death, and so they scattered to the ends of the earth, near and far, suffering mostly in the hands of strangers.  Since some wound up in Rome, as prisoners, it was a good place to remain--and some did.  Others went to what later became Germany.  Later yet, Poland and others were inviting them to their country because it was known they could help the kings with finances, trading, etc, they could add, subtract, read and write and most people couldn't.  Then the countries turned on them, jealous, whatnot....and it was 1920.

WWI had started in 1914, and Jews had been promised to have the land they were kept away from for all those years...The Jewish Homeland.  Then Britain was offered such a deal they couldn't resist and gave away 80% of it to an Arabian prince who, not being first in line in his own homeland, wanted land with people to rule over, Prince Abdullah; who then got Transjordan.  The Jews, who had spent years since 2014 speaking and signing with heads of state, got the remaining 20%. And that's how Israel's birth development began once again.  They bought land.  They crossed all the T's and dotted all the i's and made it legal.  It went through all the channels of the United Nations of that day, the League of Nations besides the United Nations. 

Chaim Weizmann (1874-1952) , Israeli statesman, biochemist, and Zionist leader who served as president of the Zionist Organization and later as the first president of Israel had helped England win the war. In 1917, he brought about the Balfour Declaration.               

                                      

 He met with Emir Feisal; who agreed with him about Jews entering the land. Emir Feisal (Feisal, ibn Hussein)1885-1933) was the son of Sharif Hussein bin Ali of Mecca, the leader of the Arab Revolt against Turkey. He was a military commander who later became the King of Syria and Iraq.  By 1920 Weizmann mobilized resources for constructive work in Palestine. By 1929 there were Arab riots in the streets scared by another Arab who wanted more power,

Hajj Mohammed Amin el-Husseini (1893-1974), appointed mufti of Jerusalem and head of he Supreme Moslem Council, kind of over-powering Feisal.  Who chose him?  A Jewish man who was the only Jew in government then:  Sir Herbert Samuel.  He knew nothing about the Arabs, about the rioting going on against Jews.  Husseini assisted Hitler and was largely responsible for the liquidation of the Jews in the Moslem areas of Bosnia.  In 1946 he escaped to Egypt.  After 1948 he set p a short-lived "Palestine Government" in Gaza and later on in Cairo.                  

Avraham (Yair) Stern of the Stern Group (1907-1942) Nationalistic Defense leader the group, Irgun Tzevai Leumi; and left it because they didn't want to attack British acts against Jews in WWII.  He then formed underground group, Lohame Herut Israel who Brits called the Stern Gang who carried out acts of sabotage, killed by British police when only 35 years old (Britain held 30 year mandate over Palestine) while being arrested.  My 3rd cousin, Stanley, had became the group's Chief of Intelligence.  

                         Stanley Goldfoot with wife, children

Jews have been on the defense ever since.  Was it worth coming over to the Middle East from Eastern Europe?  Yes, spiritually;  culturally, it was the boost they needed to survive such hatred of them in the world.  Their candle, so to speak, WAS LIT with smelling the air, flowers,, orange blossoms, and knowing that this was where their ancestors lived and breathed and developed their morality.  And so this is the way we all feel upon making Aliyah to Israel today.   

Resource:

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

  from  facebook's Randy King 7/11/26                                                                

NATO's TURKEY AGAINST KURDS, YAZIDS, CHRISTIANS and ISRAEL

 Nadene Goldfoot                                               

Turkey’s recent purchase of the S-400 caused outrage for its defiance of the NATO alliance. But this action was a part of a much broader pattern in President Erdogan’s foreign policy: one which has increasingly engaged in foreign aggression, proxy warfare, saber-rattling and ethnic cleansing. 

President Donald Trump is considering lifting sanctions and selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. This potential sale would reverse a previous ban and hinges on Turkey resolving security concerns regarding its Russian-made S-400 missile systems.The Opposition: The proposed deal faces heavy resistance from U.S. lawmakers and allied leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who warn it could disrupt the balance of power in the Middle East.

The S-400 Triumf is an advanced, mobile, long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system developed by Russia. Designed to engage and destroy a wide spectrum of aerial threats—including stealth aircraft, drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles—it serves as a key component of Russia’s integrated air defense,  The S-400 is considered one of the most formidable air defense systems in the world, often compared to the American Patriot system. Its export has occasionally caused significant geopolitical friction. For instance, Turkey’s purchase of the system led to U.S. sanctions and its removal from the F-35 fighter jet program, while countries like India and China have also deployed the system.

In addition to persecuting those Kurds who live within Turkey’s borders, Erdogan has attacked Kurdish targets in Syria and Iraq. Turkey’s devastating invasion of northern Syria has displaced roughly 600,000 people, and critically endangered already persecuted religious minorities such as Yazidis and Christians.and JEWS.  Turkey is also targeting the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)—the United States’ most reliable partner in Syria and the coalition most responsible for the demise of ISIS."   

                   A Syrian Kurdish girl (Picture source: Daily Mail/Eric Lafforgue).

Syria’s Kurds—the country's largest non-Arab minority, numbering around 2 to 2.5 million—have seen their governance shift drastically. After losing vast portions of their former autonomous region, "Rojava," they are integrating into the centralized Syrian state. An agreement between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Damascus government established the following parameters: Military Integration: Three SDF brigades are being incorporated into the official Syrian army as whole units. Citizenship & Language: The deal promises to grant citizenship to tens of thousands of stateless Kurds, make Kurdish an official national language, and legally protect Kurdish civil and educational rights. Displacement Crisis: Following clashes and territorial losses to Turkish-backed and central government forces, thousands of displaced Kurds were forced into camps or are facing uncertainty returning to heavily damaged neighborhoods in places like Aleppo.

Turkey is illegally occupying a large portion of Northern Syria – specifically Kurdish-majority areas on its border. Since it began its occupation, the Turkish military has engaged in ethnic cleansing and fomenting religious extremism.  As a neighbor of Syria and host to the largest portion of Syrian refugees in the world, Turkey has been a stakeholder in Syrian affairs since the start of the civil war in 2011. While Erdogan initially supported efforts to overthrow Bashar Al Assad, his aims have since turned towards stopping suspected Kurdish political ambitions in the region. Since 2014, the Turkish military has been far more concerned with destroying Kurdish aspirations than defeating jihadist groups or tempering Assad’s destructive hold.

When ISIS conquered large swaths of Syrian territory, the Turkish military sat by idly on its side of the border as the former crushed nearly all Kurdish resistance. It was only when the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) managed to turn the tide against ISIS that Erdogan decided to turn its forces against the Kurds. As the SDF were fighting ISIS, it also had to fight off Turkish attacks from air and artillery – which proved extremely counterproductive to NATO’s fight against ISIS. These actions once again prove Turkey to be an unreliable NATO member, putting its own concerns about the Kurds before the interests of not only its NATO allies but of long-lasting peace in the region. Turkey’s occupation of northern Syria has lasted for two years now, and its showing no signs of ending any time soon. The longer Turkey’s involvement in Syria continues, the less likely it will become a functional or even unified state again.

The relationship between Turkey and the Jewish community is highly complex, marked by a sharp distinction between intense political hostility toward the State of Israel and the historical, yet increasingly vulnerable, status of Turkey's domestic Jewish minority. While Turkish leadership frequently frames its stance as strictly political opposition to Israeli government policies, international observers and local community members warn that this fierce rhetoric heavily spills over into domestic antisemitism

One More Time, Just Give them One More Time To Redeem Themselves

Nadene Goldfoor                                                

Here's a Thai ship Attacked by Iran missiles in the Strait of Hormuz on March 11, 2026 

What's been going on with US and the Strait of Hormuz since July 9, 2026?  

Tensions between the US and Iran violently escalated after a fragile 60-day ceasefire fell apart following the expiration of an earlier memorandum of understanding. This led to intense reciprocal strikes, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and widespread military engagements across the Gulf. 

Recent Timeline and Escalation

• July 9: Scheduled technical talks between the US and Iran were set to resume one  more time, addressing the unfreezing of Iranian assets and the status of the Strait. 
  
                    Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRSGC)
• Weekend Escalation: The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attacked the Cyprus-flagged commercial vessel GFS Galaxy. Iran claimed the ship was traveling on an "unauthorized route" and subsequently declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to all commercial traffic. 
•                                           
  
         Open despite Iran's declaration but exchange strikes with USA anyway and IRGC insists it's Closed !  
• US Response: In response to the attack on the container ship, the US military—under the direction of President Donald Trump—launched a major third wave of airstrikes targeting approximately 140 Iranian military sites. 
• Iranian Retaliation: Tehran lashed out by targeting US military facilities and bases across several neighboring nations, including Jordan, Iran fired multiple ballistic missiles targeting military facilities in Jordan, including the Prince Hassan Air Base, after the United States launched strikes on Iran. The US strikes followed an Iranian attack on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.  Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired several ballistic missiles toward Jordan. Iran claims to have destroyed command-and-control centers and hangars housing MQ-9 drones.
• Qatar,Qatar's military said it intercepted incoming Iranian fire, with explosions heard in the neighboring United Arab Emirates. Three people, including a child, were wounded as a result of shrapnel from the interception of Iranian attacks, Qatar's Interior Ministry said, giving no further details on their condition.
•  Bahrain,  Missile alerts sounded in Bahrain, an island kingdom in the Persian Gulf home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.  AND---
• Kuwait.Kuwait has been hit by a series of Iranian missile and drone strikes as part of a major regional escalation. The barrages have targeted both civilian infrastructure—including severe damage and casualties at Kuwait International Airport—and multiple military installations housing U.S. and allied troops.
• UAE,  just 3 hours ago, — As of 9 April 2026, the UAE has intercepted and destroyed 537 ballistic missiles, 2,256 drone attacks and 26 cruise missiles fired from Iran using their THAAD.  
• Current Status: Iran's newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority insisted there will be no passage for commercial ships until US military activity ceases. However, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) disputes this, asserting that despite Iran's declaration of closure, the strait remains an international waterway open to commercial vessels.
• One more time
  One more time
  One more time, we're gonna celebrate
  Oh yeah, alright, don't stop the dancing
•  How many times has Israel been hit by missiles directly from Iran?  
  
• Israel has been directly struck by Iranian missiles on dozens of occasions across multiple major escalations, including the historic April 2024 strikes and the intense twelve-day conflict in June 2025 where over 30 ballistic missiles successfully hit. Hundreds of total missiles have been fired during these exchanges.

Resource:

Update: 5:30pm:  UAE

Al Jazeera

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGBhQbmPwH8&t=31s