Obviously Catholic Zionist Biden becoming entangled in Netanyahu's mischiefs is not considered a potential miscalculation. It's only the enemy who are miscalculating. Netanyahu is the innocent one, friendly, harmless, God's servant doing God's will, therefore for religious Biden getting involved in his fight it was the right thing to do.
US and UK urge citizens to leave Lebanon ‘on any ticket available’ As airlines cancel flights from Beirut, Washington urges citizens to take what they can get; UK foreign minister says ‘message to British nationals there is clear: leave now’ By ToI Staff Today, 11:18 pm https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-and-uk-urge-citizens-to-leave-lebanon-on-any-ticket-available/ Passengers depart from Rafic Hariri International Airport as many flights are delayed or canceled in Beirut on July 29, 2024. (Anwar AMRO / AFP) The American and British governments urged their citizens in Lebanon on Saturday to leave the country as soon as possible, citing escalating tensions with Israel as the region braces for a promised Iranian and Hezbollah response to several high-profile assassinations last week. “Tensions are high, and the situation could deteriorate rapidly,” UK Foreign Minister David Lammy said in a statement on Saturday. “While we are working round the clock to strengthen our consular presence in Lebanon, my message to British nationals there is clear — leave now.” The US embassy in Lebanon also urged its citizens on Saturday to leave Lebanon on “any ticket available.” The warning came several days after the US raised its travel advisory for the country to Level Four, “Do Not Travel,” on Wednesday, citing “rising tensions between [Hezbollah] and Israel.” Despite flight suspensions and cancellations, “commercial transportation options to leave Lebanon remain available,” the US embassy statement on Saturday said. “We encourage those who wish to depart Lebanon to book any ticket available to them, even if that flight does not depart immediately or does not follow their first-choice route,” the statement continued.
War in Gaza has plunged Israel’s tourism industry into a crisis it will struggle to recover from May 7, 2024 Samuel Scanlon PhD Candidate in Sociology, University College Dublin https://theconversation.com/war-in-...risis-it-will-struggle-to-recover-from-229151 On a warm evening in April 2023, I sat outside a café in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City and enjoyed a drink with friends. An exuberant American tourist sat at the table next to us and excitedly told us about his day. Apparently, a chance encounter with the Patriarch of Jerusalem had led to him accessing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for the Holy Fire Ceremony, Orthodox Christianity’s most significant event of the year. This scene was being repeated by innumerable people in countless places throughout the city. The details change, but the significance of their authentic, spiritual experience carried through them all. The significance of the “Holy Land” cannot be underestimated for the faithful. For more than 2,000 years it has been one of the world’s most significant pilgrimage sites. In modern times this has provided the foundation for a lucrative tourism industry worth a reported US$8.46 billion (£6.73 bn) for Israel and US$1 billion for Palestine in 2019. But since October tourists have not been able to access the region at all. Most major airlines have suspended travel to Israel over concerns of safety, and governments around the world have advised their citizens against travelling there. Standard travel insurance packages also no longer include cover for people travelling to the region. Beyond economic development, tourism plays a significant political role in the region. The Zionist movement, which led to the creation of Israel in 1948, recognised early that tourism was an excellent tool to foster global connections and encourage immigration to support the Zionist settlement of Palestine. This has only increased and expanded over the decades. More recently, it manifests in an expansive industry of pro-Israel evangelical Christian tours and free birthright trips offered to young people of the Jewish diaspora. For the first half of 2023, I lived in Jerusalem researching the political significance of tourism across the region. I interviewed people working in, advocating for, and being affected by tourism activities. It was a turbulent time as violence has escalated, yet pilgrims and tourists still flocked to the region as the global tourism industry continued to recover following the pandemic. Having now watched Christmas, Ramadan, Passover and Easter pass, I find myself reflecting on how much has changed in just one year. After seven months of intense violence in the region, the destruction of Gaza, the very visible and ongoing suffering of Palestinians, and an International Court of Justice ruling that Israel’s actions in Gaza could amount to genocide, it cannot possibly return to business as usual. Grinding to a halt Tour companies in Palestine and Israel are used to waxing and waning violence resulting in uncertain income due to cancelled trips. They normally operate with a reserve of capital to ensure that they can survive these tough months. But several of my interviewees revealed that these reserves have been completely depleted throughout the pandemic. Many companies are now in a very precarious position without their safety net as the industry grinds to a halt. Some have reacted quickly, offering tours to diplomats and journalists – the only international visitors remaining in the region. But this can do little to staunch the bleeding industry and many, if not most, of these companies will no longer exist when tourism is finally able to return to the region. Worshippers gathered in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, for the Holy Fire ceremony. Abir Sultan / EPA Israel’s most steadfast allies are also beginning to waver in their support for the assault on Gaza. Mass student protests across infamously pro-Israel American universities, calls for boycott, divestment and sanctions, and an uncensorable social media advocacy and solidarity movement, make the future outlook for Israel’s tourism industry bleak, both as a generator of revenue and a Zionist political tool. There will eventually exist a tourist audience in the future. But the receptiveness of this audience to a Zionist narrative is questionable. International supporters of Israel are becoming aware of the violent settler-colonial aspect of Zionism. Many are being swayed to support Palestine along with vast swaths of the global population who had never spared a thought for Israel or Palestine before October. And the average tourist or pilgrim is now aware of the propagandist language and framing of narrative that previously they would have accepted at face value and never questioned. The global surge of support for Palestinians may transition to these people wishing to visit and meet them to show solidarity and witness the suffering and oppression with their own eyes. Israel has effectively destroyed one of its historically most effective tools in the continuation of its settler project by destroying Gaza for the world to see.
Israeli army bombs university in Gaza City, destroying campus buildings University College of Applied Sciences in Tel al-Hawa neighborhood of southwest Gaza City completely destroyed, says Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza Hosni Nedim | 03.08.2024 File Photo - Israel has destroyed 117 schools, damaged 332, and killed 107 educators and researchers, according to Palestinian figures GAZA CITY, Palestine The Israeli army bombed the University College of Applied Sciences in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood of southwest Gaza City, completely destroying campus buildings, the Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza reported on Saturday. Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said in a press release that "Israeli occupation forces, which have penetrated the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, executed operations of bombing and destroying the university buildings, leading to their total demolition." Eyewitnesses told Anadolu that massive explosions were heard around the university premises, and thick clouds of smoke were seen rising from the area. Since the onset of the devastating Israeli war on Gaza on Oct. 7, the Israeli army has deliberately targeted and destroyed educational institutions, particularly during ground offensives. According to statistics from the Government Media Office in Gaza, Israel has destroyed 117 schools and universities, damaged 332 others, and killed 107 scientists, university professors, and researchers. Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas. More than 39,500 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and nearly 91,300 injured, according to local health authorities. Almost 10 months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine. Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6. * Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara
Yes, when terrorists invade your country and kill hundreds of people -- including citizens of other countries -- then your tourism is going to sharply decline. This should not be a surprise.
Slightest miscalculation could tip region into ‘all-out war’ Phil Lavelle Reporting from Washington, DC, United States The word de-escalation has been used so many times over the last few days. We know that Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, spoke to his Israeli counterpart a few hours ago and de-escalation was one of the words used, along with re-affirming military support for Israel. We know that President Biden spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday and, again, talked about de-escalation. We even heard it at the UN Security Council the other day. Nobody wants this to spiral out of control. There could just be the slightest, most minute miscalculation that could tip this into an all-out war. Especially if Iran targets a heavily populated civilian area, and Israel feels the need to respond. Nobody wants this to turn out to be something bigger, but it could be. And that is why everybody is focused on de-escalation. At the same time, you have all of the people in Gaza who just want a ceasefire so they can get on with their lives and get this over and done with.
Biden needs to remind Netanyahu that he can just have him killed as an official act now. Bibi is making a mess on purpose. https://www.trtworld.com/video/one-offs/why-messiah-prophecy-haunts-netanyahu-16097375 "Benjamin Netanyahu was told by a powerful Jewish religious figure that he would be Israel’s last leader and hand the sceptre to the Messiah. How does this so-called prophecy affect Netanyahu’s political calculations? And who is the mysterious religious figure, honoured by successive US presidents , simply known as The Rebbe?"