Colombia to open embassy in Ramallah after cutting ties with Israel

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/colombia-to-open-embassy-in-ramallah-after-cutting-ties-with-israel/

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has ordered the opening of an embassy in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo told journalists on Wednesday.

“President Petro has given the order that we open the Colombian embassy in Ramallah, the representation of Colombia in Ramallah, that is the next step we are going to take,” Murillo said.

At the beginning of this month, Petro, who had already recalled the Colombian ambassador from Tel Aviv, said he would break diplomatic relations with Israel over its prosecution of the war against Hamas in Gaza. The embassy was closed on May 3.

Regular use of fish oil supplements linked to increased heart disease risk in healthy individuals

 https://www.news-medical.net/news/20240521/Regular-use-of-fish-oil-supplements-linked-to-increased-heart-disease-risk-in-healthy-individuals.aspx

Regular use of fish oil supplements might increase, rather than lessen, the risk of first time heart disease and stroke among those in good cardiovascular health, but may slow progression of existing poor cardiovascular health and lower the risk of death, suggest the results of a large long term study, published in the open access journal BMJ Medicine.

Trump Claims the FBI Wanted to Kill Him. Fox News Ran Wild With It.

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-claims-the-fbi-wanted-to-kill-him-fox-news-ran-wild-with-it?ref=home

Trump set MAGA world ablaze on Tuesday afternoon when he took to his failing Truth Social platform to blare in all-caps that Biden’s Department of Justice had “AUTHORIZED THE FBI TO USE DEADLY (LETHAL) FORCE. NOW WE KNOW, FOR SURE, THAT JOE BIDEN IS A SERIOUS THREAT TO DEMOCRACY.”

How Trumpworld convinced itself that the feds aimed to take out Trump

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/05/22/trump-documents-fbi-force/

The right-wing blog Federalist wrote a story about it. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) shared Kelly’s allegation, asking if the FBI was “going to shoot SS then Pres Trump, Melania, and Barron too???” When Trump himself posted the allegation on Truth Social, Greene took credit for tipping him off that the “Biden DOJ and FBI were planning to assassinate Pres Trump and gave the green light.”

Moscow Eats Up Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Nutso Trump ‘Assassination’ Claim

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/moscow-eats-up-marjorie-taylor-greenes-nutso-trump-assassination-claim?ref=home?ref=home

Marjorie Taylor Greene’s baseless claim that the feds planned to “assassinate” Donald Trump in 2022 may not have been taken seriously by most of the American public, but Moscow’s propaganda machine is reporting it as fact.

“The FBI planned to kill Donald Trump: details revealed in the USA,” one popular Kremlin-friendly newspaper blared, citing the “popular” Republican congresswoman.

German occupation of Norway

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_occupation_of_Norway

Acceptance and collaboration

Of the Norwegians who supported the Nasjonal Samling party, relatively few were active collaborators. Most notorious among these was Henry Rinnan, the leader of the Sonderabteilung Lola (locally known as Rinnanbanden or "the Rinnan gang"), a group of informants who infiltrated the Norwegian resistance, hence managing to capture and murder many of its members.

Other collaborators were Statspolitiet (STAPO), a police force that operated independently of the regular police. Statspolitiet was closely related to the Quisling regime and took also orders directly from the German Sicherheitspolizei.

Hirden was a fascist paramilitary force with party members subordinate to the ruling party. Hirden had a broad mandate that included the use of violence.

Furthermore, about 15,000 Norwegians volunteered for combat duty on the Nazi side; of the 6,000 sent into action as part of the Germanic SS, most were sent to the Eastern front.

Hamas leader and Neturei Karta members pay respects to Butcher of Tehran

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/390367

Among those present at the funeral were senior members of Iranian-backed terror groups including senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah.

In addition, several members of the extremist anti-Zionist Jewish sect Neturei Karta came to pay their respects.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1793151990823858570

Israel Rages as Ireland, Spain, and Norway Move to Recognize Palestinian State

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/israel-rages-as-ireland-spain-and-norway-move-to-recognize-palestinian-state?ref=home

Although the majority of countries in the world already recognize a sovereign state of Palestine, most in Western Europe, along with the U.S., do not. The news of the latest additions—whose formal recognition will begin Tuesday—was welcomed by Palestinian officials as a highly symbolic victory for their people and derided by the government of Israel, which wasted no time in excoriating the decision.

Tzadikim control Nature

 Sefer HaIkkarim (01:21) Belief in G-d and in His Torah brings man to eternal happiness and causes his soul to cleave to the spiritual substance. This is proved by experience, as we know from continuous tradition. We know of no instance of a philosopher or other investigator attaining to the degree of the prophet, which means the union of the divine spirit with the human intellect. We do find that the devotees of the Torah came into such close intellectual union with G-d that they were able to change the laws of nature, cause the latter to do their bidding and perform miracles against the laws of nature…

Sefer HaIkkarim (01:21) Pious men, even if they are not prophets, can change the laws of nature by prayer. Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were cast into the fire and were not burned. Rabbi Hanina the son of Dosa and Rabbi Phinehas the son of Yair made certain temporary changes in the nature and conduct of the world. This shows that one who believes in G-d and in His Torah is above nature and not subject to natural law. On the contrary, the laws of nature are subject to him, and he can change them as he pleases. This is strong and convincing proof that the Torah is divinely revealed, since God shelters, protects and shields those who trust in Him and who observe His covenant and commandments. 

Sefer HaIkkarim (02:11) The intellect acquired through the Torah will be a separate intellect existing independently, permanently and controlling all material things, as the prophets and pious men produced signs and miracles by means of the intellect which they acquired through the Torah. This intellect is, as it were, a separate intellect, produced by the Active Intellect or by the sefirah called Sabbath.

Sefer HaIkkarim (03:30) There are cases in which the degree that a person attains by the doing of many commandments with the right motives is such that he is the subject of divine providence in this world and is delivered from all accidents, like many of the pious men of Israel, who were able to change the laws of nature by their will, as for example, Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa, Nahum of Gamzo, Rabbi Phinehas ben Yair, and others.

Beracha

 Sefer HaIkkarim (04:19) My opinion therefore is that the blessings are not declarations of the future at all. A blessing is a prayer plus the bestowal upon the recipient of the capacity to receive the divine influence. Celestial influences descend upon the recipients through a chain of intermediate agents and in varying degrees, provided, however, that the recipients are worthy, and occupy a certain definite relation and order, and are in addition prepared to receive the influence in question. And if the transmission is interrupted in any of the intermediate agents, or the relation or order is changed, or the recipient is not prepared, the influence or relation gets confused, and the divine influence does not rest upon the person if the order is changed. For this reason there must be in the recipient the proper preparation to enable him to receive the influence in question. But if the recipient is not himself prepared to receive the divine influence, he may be prepared by a prophet or a righteous or pious man, and thus the one who bestows the blessing becomes an intermediate agent in causing the influence in question to descend. This is the reason for the laying on of hands by those who gave the blessings upon those who received them. The purpose was to confer upon the recipient of the blessing the capacity or preparation to receive the influence or good in question. Thus the pious or righteous man who conferred the blessing was a sort of channel conducting the divine influence. 

Sefer HaIkkarim (04:19) The same purpose is intended in the priestly benediction. The priests blessed the people in order that they (the priests) might be the intermediate agents to cause the divine influence to rest upon the recipients of the blessing in accordance with each one’s preparation. The lifting of their hands at the time of the blessing was a sort of laying on of hands. The priests blessed all Israel, or the congregation, because the many collectively are more prepared to receive divine influence than an individual. For it is impossible that there should not be among them some one who has preparation for receiving some measure of divine influence through the mediation of the priests. Of similar nature are the blessings which the righteous or the pious confer upon their recipients. The purpose is that the divine influence may rest upon the recipient through their mediation.

Sefer HaIkkarim (04:19) The question may be asked, how can the righteous or the pious man be an instrument through which a blessing may come upon a person when the pious man himself is poor and dependent upon the bounty of others. The answer is given by the Rabbis, who say that the merits of the righteous avail others, but do not avail the righteous man himself. 

Sefer HaIkkarim (04:19) After the influence is transmitted to the recipient of the blessing through the instrumentality of the blesser and in accordance with the amount of preparation of the recipient, the blesser has no power to stop the influence and prevent it from descending upon the recipient. For it descends of its own accord, the blesser being merely an instrument for the blessing to reach the recipient. Therefore though the instrument be removed, the blessing does not depart. It is the same as if a person drew by means of an aqueduct the water of a spring to a garden in order to promote the growth of the plants. The author of the conduit might cease to exist, but the stream made by the channel would not cease to water the garden. 

Spain, Norway and Ireland will recognize a Palestinian state

 https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/22/middleeast/palestinian-statehood-spain-norway-ireland-intl/index.html

Palestinian statehood has been recognized by more than 130 out of 193 member states of the United Nations, according to the Palestine Liberation Organization.

US Allies Recognize 'Palestine as a State'

 https://www.newsweek.com/us-allies-recognize-palestine-state-spain-ireland-norway-1903358

Ireland, Spain and Norway announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state on Wednesday.

It comes as the mounting death toll in Gaza from Israel's seven-month war has prompted global calls for a ceasefire and lasting solution for peace.

Leaders of the counties said on Wednesday that a two-state solution is essential for peace in the region.

Israel's foreign minister Israel Katz responded to the moves, posting on X, formerly Twitter: "Today's decision sends a message to the Palestinians and the world: Terrorism pays."

Tzadikim should avoid Danger

 Zohar (Shemos 36a) When punishment impends over a place a man should not go out into the open, since, once the Destroyer is given leave, he does harm indiscriminately, and makes no distinction between the righteous and the unrighteous; therefore the people of G-d should hide themselves lest they be consumed in that vengeance which is the due of the Destroyer.

Israel recalls envoys over Palestinian statehood, ‘We won’t stand silent’

 https://www.jpost.com/international/article-802167

Israel recalled its ambassadors from Ireland and Norway to protest the declarations by both countries that they recognize Palestine as a state.

“I have instructed the immediate recall of Israel’s ambassadors to Ireland and Norway for consultations in light of these countries' decisions to recognize a Palestinian state,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a message he posted on X.