GET THE APP
Monday, September 15, 2025

Category: World
October 11, 2023
Jack Montgomery
Economy
News
World

EU Split Over Palestinian Aid.

The European Union’s pledge to suspend €691 million ($728 million) worth of aid to Palestinian territories following the Hamas terror raid on Israel appears to have unravelled, with the governments of France and other EU member-states voicing public opposition.

Hungary’s Oliver Varhelyi, the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, had said all payments to Palestinian territories, comprised of Hamas-controlled Gaza and the West Bank, were “immediately suspended” due to the “scale of terror and brutality against Israel and its people” over the weekend, which Varhelyi called a “turning point”.

France, which along with Germany is the European Union’s dominant power, appears to disagree, however, with Emmanuel Macron’s government announcing on Tuesday it is “not in favour of suspending aid which directly benefits the Palestinian populations” and has “made this known to the EU Commission.”

The Irish government, too, seemed surprised by Verhelyi’s announcement, saying: “Our understanding is that there is no legal basis for a unilateral decision of this kind by an individual Commissioner and we do not support a suspension of aid.”

They were backed up by Belgium, Luxembourg, and Spain.

Notably, Verhelyi put out his announcement through his own social media, not the European Commission’s central communications office. The European Commission now says “[t]here will be no suspension of payments” – though it claims a review of the aid portfolio will still be carried out.

show less
The European Union's pledge to suspend €691 million ($728 million) worth of aid to Palestinian territories following the Hamas terror raid on Israel appears to have unravelled, with the governments of France and other EU member-states voicing public opposition. show more

Editor’s Notes

Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
I said after the European Commission announced aid to Palestine was suspended after the terror attacks that it was “a big step for the Europeans, considering their ability to morally obfuscate in such situations
for exclusive members-only insights
I said after the European Commission announced aid to Palestine was suspended after the terror attacks that it was “a big step for the Europeans, considering their ability to morally obfuscate in such situations show more
for exclusive members-only insights
October 11, 2023
Jack Montgomery
News
World

BREAKING: Northern Front Opens Against Israel as Hezbollah Launches Attacks.

A new front appears to have opened against Israel as the Lebanon-based Hezbollah terror group launches strikes against the Jewish State.

UPDATE: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have confirmed the “large-scale” intrusion into Israeli airspace was a “false alarm”. Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said “[t]here was an error, and we are investigating it – we will check if it was a technical fault or human error.” Original article continues below: 

Air raid sirens have sounded across the north of the country amid reports of dozens of drones and possibly paraglider-borne infiltrators entering Israeli airspace.

Ma’alot Tarshiha issued a terrorist infiltration alert, but later cancelled it and issued an all-clear. Citizens have been advised to continue to shelter in reinforced rooms, however, as the status of the supposed drones, which set off dozens of alerts, is still to be determined.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had previously said they received a report “regarding a suspected infiltration from Lebanon into Israeli airspace.”

Smaller-scale skirmishes and exchanges of artillery and missiles have been taking place between the IDF, Hezbollah, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group over the last several days, with casualties on both sides.

This story is developing…

show less
A new front appears to have opened against Israel as the Lebanon-based Hezbollah terror group launches strikes against the Jewish State. show more
October 11, 2023
Jack Montgomery
News
World

Mayor of America’s First Muslim Majority City Council Declares ‘No Peace’ With Israel.

The Mayor of Hamtramck – America’s first Muslim-majority city council – Amer Ghalib, responded to the past week’s events in the Middle East with a pro-Hamas message insisting: “Peace can never coexist with occupation and injustice, anywhere and at anytime، no matter how strong the oppressor or how weak the oppressed is!”

Mayor Ghalib, who became the Hamtramck’s first mayor without a Polish background for a century in 2021, added there “are enough lessons from history for some people to learn this principle.”

The Michigan city has undergone a radical demographic transformation due to mass migration – Ghalib is himself a Yemeni migrant.

Like Ghalib, most of the city councilmen have a history of posting anti-Israel or outright anti-Semitic content online. Councilman Khalil Refai, for example, has referred to Israelis as “Zionist criminals” and called on Allah to help Muslims “plant firmly our feet and give us victory over the disbelieving people” in Israel. Councilman Mohammed Hassan, meanwhile, has shared images depicting Jewish people as monkeys, and denounced Israel as “the real terrorist!!!”

There are similar issues elsewhere in Michigan, with Dearborn’s Mayor Abdullah Hammoud responding to the Hamas attack with a long social media post suggesting the mass murder of Israeli civilians was the “inevitable” consequence of the “occupation”.

show less
The Mayor of Hamtramck – America's first Muslim-majority city council – Amer Ghalib, responded to the past week's events in the Middle East with a pro-Hamas message insisting: "Peace can never coexist with occupation and injustice, anywhere and at anytime، no matter how strong the oppressor or how weak the oppressed is!" show more

Editor’s Notes

Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
I wrote about Hamtramck at length in my 2017 book No Go Zones
for exclusive members-only insights
I wrote about Hamtramck at length in my 2017 book No Go Zones show more
for exclusive members-only insights
zelensky
October 11, 2023
William Upton
News
World

Zelensky Warns of ‘Consequences’ of Israel War Diverting Attention from Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned “[i]f international attention turns away from Ukraine, it will have consequences” in light of the global outrage at the barbaric surprise attack against Israel by the Hamas terrorist group. Zelensky made the remarks during an interview with France 2.

Zelensky told the French television network Russia is in desperate need for a pause in order to reorganize and move more equipment, soldiers, and weapons to the front in Ukraine. He said he feared the shift in focus among world powers form the conflict in Eastern Europe to the new conflict in the Middle East risks giving the Russian military the “break” they need. The Ukrainian leader added speculation a pause in aid to Ukraine would allow Russia to expand its war and attack Eastern European NATO neighbors.

In an effort to tie Russia to the horrific attacks by Hamas – which governs the Gaza territory – against Israel, Zelensky accused the Russian military of providing support for the Islamist terror group. The Ukrainian leader said he believes it was in Russia’s interests to start World War III.  Just two days ago, the Biden White House floated a $100bn aid package for Ukraine, in an effort to fund the war until the 2024 presidential election and avoid any potential impasse with Republican congressmen.

The Israeli military has mobilized for a full scale war against Hamas in Gaza. Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defense minister, has ordered a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip, vowing: “There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed.”

show less
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned "[i]f international attention turns away from Ukraine, it will have consequences" in light of the global outrage at the barbaric surprise attack against Israel by the Hamas terrorist group. Zelensky made the remarks during an interview with France 2. show more
October 10, 2023
Jack Montgomery
Culture
News
World

BLM’s LA Branch Backs Hamas Terrorism.

In a statement posted on their verified Instagram account, Black Lives Matter (BLM) Los Angeles have endorsed the Hamas terror raids on Israel over the weekend, calling their “resistance” an act “of self-defense.”

BLM Los Angeles, which boasts almost 300,000 followers, was reposting the statement from sister organization BLM Grassroots.

“[W]e must stand unwaveringly on the side of the oppressed,” the group declared. “When a people have been subject to decades of apartheid and unimaginable violence, their resistance must not be condemned, but understood as a desperate act of self-defense.”

“As Black people continue to fight to end militarism and mass incarceration in our own communities, let us understand the resistance in Palestine as an attempt to tear down the gates of the world’s largest open air prison,” they said. “As a radical Black organization grounded in abolitionist ideals, we see clear parallels between Black and Palestinian people.”

“We, too, dream of a world where our people may live freely on decolonized land,” they continued, referring to Israeli Jews as settler colonialists and saying they look forward to a day when borders, watch lists, police, and prisons “crumble”.

The number of people killed during the Hamas incursion into Israel is currently estimated at 900 men, women, children, and elders, including a grandmother who was forced to open her phone for her killers so they could post her murder to her Facebook page for her family to see.

show less
In a statement posted on their verified Instagram account, Black Lives Matter (BLM) Los Angeles have endorsed the Hamas terror raids on Israel over the weekend, calling their "resistance" an act "of self-defense." show more
October 10, 2023
Jack Montgomery
News
World

Lindsey Graham Wants to Bomb Iran Every Time an Israeli Hostage Is Executed.

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has declared it is “time to take the war to the Ayatollah’s backyard,” urging the U.S. government to bomb Iran every time Hamas executes one of its Israeli hostages in Gaza.

The Republican war hawk told Fox that “for every Israeli or American hostage executed by Hamas, we should take down an Iranian oil refinery.”

Hamas has threatened to execute one of the estimated 150 hostages it took back to Gaza during its 48-hour incursion into Israel on video every time “our people who are safe in their homes [are bombed] without warning” in Israeli air strikes.

“The only way you’re going to keep this war from escalating is to hold Iran accountable,” Graham suggested – although directly attacking Iran would of course immediately escalate the war, and likely cause a massive oil price shock by closing down the Strait of Hormuz.

Nevertheless, Graham said he was “confident this was planned and funded by the Iranians,” branding Hamas “a bunch of animals who deserve to be treated like animals” and urging Israel to “go in on the ground.”

“This is the best opportunity Israel has to destroy Hamas,” he continued. “Take it to the Iranians. If you harm one American in Syria by using your Iranian militia against us in Syria, if you escalate the war by urging Hezbollah to attack Israel in the north, if Hamas kills one American Israeli hostage, we’re going to blow up your oil refineries and put you out of business.”

show less
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has declared it is "time to take the war to the Ayatollah’s backyard," urging the U.S. government to bomb Iran every time Hamas executes one of its Israeli hostages in Gaza. show more
October 10, 2023
Jake Welch
News
World

‘Danger Tourist’ Lord Miles Routledge Released By Taliban.

Four British nationals taken prisoner in early 2023 in Afghanistan have been released by the Taliban on Tuesday morning, according to the British Foreign Office.

Two of the four were named as 54-year-old Kevin Cornwall, who operated as a United Nations (UN) aid worker and paramedic in the country, and 23-year-old, self-described “danger tourist” Miles Routledge, known by his online pseudonym “Lord Miles”. The identities of the other two are yet to be announced.

Cornwall was accused by the Taliban of being a spy after authorities allegedly found a firearm hidden in his hotel room. Lord Miles claimed he was arrested after withdrawing $1,000 from Western Union bank.

Bizarrely, the British Foreign Office issued a groveling statement to the Taliban: “On behalf of families of the British nationals, we express their apologies to the current administration of Afghanistan for any violations of the laws of the country.

“The U.K. government regrets this episode,” the statement added.

show less
Four British nationals taken prisoner in early 2023 in Afghanistan have been released by the Taliban on Tuesday morning, according to the British Foreign Office. show more
Chinese
October 10, 2023
Jack Montgomery
Crime
News
World

WATCH: Car Crashes Into Chinese Consulate Visa Office, Driver Shot Dead.

A car smashed into the Chinese consulate in San Francisco on Monday and ended up in the lobby of its visa office, with the driver reportedly being shot dead by responding police officers after emerging from the vehicle shouting: “Where’s the CCP (Chinese Communist Party)?”

Sergeant Kathryn Winters, speaking on behalf of the San Francisco Police Department, confirmed officers “found the vehicle had come to rest inside the lobby of the Chinese Consulate. Officers entered, made contact with the suspect and an officer-involved shooting occurred.”

The driver, who remains unidentified as of the time of publication, was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital.

A consulate spokesman complained the incident “caused serious damage to our consulate’s facilities and properties” and said the embassy had “made solemn representations to the U.S., demanding that the truth be quickly ascertained and dealt with seriously in accordance with the law.”

show less
A car smashed into the Chinese consulate in San Francisco on Monday and ended up in the lobby of its visa office, with the driver reportedly being shot dead by responding police officers after emerging from the vehicle shouting: "Where's the CCP (Chinese Communist Party)?" show more
October 9, 2023
News
World

‘Where Should We Go?’ – Gazans Left Stranded by Hamas, Which Operates ZERO Shelters for Civilians.

Palestinians in Gaza are bracing for an offensive of unprecedented scale as Israel’s military sends phone messages urging them to evacuate certain areas. Many residents, like 55-year-old Mohammad Brais, are unsure where to seek safety as Hamas – which has been in power since 2006, refusing to hold fresh elections for 18 years.

“Where should we go? Where should we go?” the 55-year-old father asked, according to Reuters.

“Many of us got phone calls, audio messages from Israeli security officers telling us to leave because they will operate there,” said another Gaza resident, who chose to remain anonymous.

Gaza does in fact share a border with another country apart from Israel – Egypt. But even the Egyptian government regularly blockades the border for national security reasons.

This weekend’s surprise attack by Hamas terrorists has resulted in near 1000 deaths and dozens more taken captive in Gaza, marking Israel’s bloodiest day in decades. Palestinian officials reported over 500 people dead and 2,700 wounded, with 80,000 displaced since the hundreds of strikes began – meaning the actions of the Qatar-sponsored Hamas are not just ending and wrecking the lives of Israelis, but those of Palestinian Arabs, too.

show less
Palestinians in Gaza are bracing for an offensive of unprecedented scale as Israel's military sends phone messages urging them to evacuate certain areas. Many residents, like 55-year-old Mohammad Brais, are unsure where to seek safety as Hamas – which has been in power since 2006, refusing to hold fresh elections for 18 years. show more
canadians debanked
October 9, 2023
Jake Welch
Economy
News
World

REPORT: Over 800 Canadians ‘Debanked’.

More than 800 Canadians have had their bank accounts arbitrarily removed over the last five years, with many never receiving an explanation for the closures, according to figures obtained by a recent access-to-information request.

The request revealed over 250 supporters of last year’s Freedom Convoy in Ottawa were ‘debanked,’ another 170 had Bitcoin wallets taken away. The total amount confiscated is estimated at 7.8 million Canadian dollars ($5.7 million).

Canadian federal law only permits banks to cancel the accounts of those suspected of criminality. However, the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada admitted that the closures excluded cases involving crimes, such as terrorism and money laundering, and was unable to provide a reason as to why the accounts were closed.

General counsel for the Bankers Association in Canada, Angelina Mason, explained at a hearing at the Commons financial committee last year, “We primarily relied upon the names provided by the [Royal Canadian Mounted Police],” before admitting that there were a number of people who had their accounts frozen who did not appear on lists provided by the authorities.

“Debanking” has become more prominent across a number of advanced nations following the closure of Brexit leader Nigel Farage‘s private bank account earlier this year because of his friendship with former President Donald Trump. The co-chairman of Alternative for Germany was similarly debanked due to his political affiliations last week.

show less
More than 800 Canadians have had their bank accounts arbitrarily removed over the last five years, with many never receiving an explanation for the closures, according to figures obtained by a recent access-to-information request. show more