World
Lawmakers hold moment of silence for slain Omer Neutra as thousands mourn in hometown synagogue
A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday night held a moment of silence for American-Israeli Omer Neutra who was determined this week to have been killed by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, after it was believed that he had been alive for more than a year.
Neutra, 21 years old, was a tank platoon commander in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and was among the first to respond to the Hamas attack that ultimately killed some 1,200 people and initially saw the abduction of more than 250 men, women and children.
His parents, Orna and Ronen, who spoke with Fox News Digital just days prior to the tragic development, believed their son was still alive after the IDF had long assessed that he, along with Nimrod Cohen, another soldier from his tank, were taken hostage into Gaza and remained alive.
7 US HOSTAGES STILL HELD BY HAMAS TERRORISTS AS FAMILIES PLEAD FOR THEIR RELEASE: ‘THIS IS URGENT’
“For 420 days Omer’s parents and his brother Daniel have done everything they can with the love and support of hundreds of thousands of others to free their son from captivity,” Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., who represents the Neutra family’s district, said from the House floor. “Every day they soldiered on through alternating deep sorrow and brief bursts of hopefulness. They went from crushing anxiety to steely determination.
“Just a few days ago we learned that this courageous young man, this bright light, this courageous idealist, made the ultimate sacrifice,” Suozzi continued. “Omer had not been alive for the last 422 days, he was murdered on Oct. 7.”
Footage from the attack on Omer’s tank showed the commander, as well as three others, Shaked Dahan, Oz Daniel and Nimrod Cohen being pulled from the military vehicle by Hamas terrorists and being taken captive.
Daniel and Dahan had previously been assessed to have been killed following the attack, and according to the IDF, intelligence now suggests Omer, a descendant of Holocaust survivors, was also killed on Oct. 7. 2023.
AMERICAN FATHER OF HAMAS HOSTAGE ITAY CHEN PUSHES US, ISRAEL ON ‘PLAN B’ AS NEGOTIATIONS FALTER
The Israeli military has not said how they came by this new information and the fate of Cohen remains unknown.
In a memorial service held for Omer on Tuesday in the Long Island synagogue where he reportedly celebrated his bar mitzvah years earlier, Omer’s father Ronen, said the news had left them “breathless and empty.”
“For over a year now, we’ve been breathing life into your being, my beautiful boy,” Orna said through tears, according to reports. “With the hope and love of so many, we kept going and going and going, keeping you alive, speaking your name from every outlet, pushing any hint of despair, not stopping to breathe or to take in the deep pain of your absence.”
“Now things are clear,” she said to the reported 1,500 attendees at the service. “But not as we’d hoped.”
Onra and Ronen have described their son as loving, a good friend and an athlete, but they also highlighted his ability to lead and how his actions on Oct. 7, 2023 saved lives.
Omer’s body is believed to still be held by Hamas along with the six other American hostages, only three of whom are still assessed by the IDF to be alive at this time, including Edan Alexander, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Keith Siegel.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s body was recovered after he, along with five others, were discovered to have been murdered by Hamas in the tunnels in Gaza in August.
There are still 100 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza following the recovery of Itai Svirski’s body on Wednesday, an Israeli hostage taken during the attack on Kibbutz Be’eri on Oct. 7, 2023.
The IDF confirmed he “was murdered in captivity by his captors, and his body was held hostage in the Gaza Strip.”
World
Polish EU presidency to focus on energy, defence and economic security
With Trump’s arrival in the US White House, a new EU Commission and the ongoing war in Ukraine, security in all its possible dimensions will be the main priority of the next rotating EU presidency, said Poland’s Ambassador Agnieszka Bartol.
Energy, defence and economic security will top the EU’s agenda during the upcoming six-month rotating presidency of the Council, representing member states, which starts in January 2025, Poland’s Ambassador Agnieszka Bartol said on Monday.
Bartol presented a “very ambitious” agenda to bring some stability in times of great change and challenges, with Trump’s arrival in the US White House, a new EU Commission and the ongoing war in Ukraine.
“What do people want? What do people look for? They look for security, and that will be the biggest motive of the presidency, security in all its possible dimensions,” the Polish ambassador told the audience at an event organised by the Brussels-based think-tank European Policy Centre (EPC).
Warsaw’s presidency aims to work on seven different dimensions of security, ranging from external and internal security to competitiveness, food quality, critical medicines and affordable energy prices.
With regard to the latter, the Polish presidency intends to analyse how to reduce costs for businesses and citizens, with a clear focus on ensuring security of supply and energy diversification and independence.
On internal and external security, the Council is expected to make progress on protecting Europe’s borders, on cybersecurity, on combating foreign interference and disinformation, and on boosting the bloc’s defence industry.
Mario Draghi’s landmark report on competitiveness estimated that the EU needs to mobilise an extra €500bn for defence over the next decade to keep pace with competitors such as the US and China.
European defence spending reached a record €279bn in 2023, but estimates show that more money will be needed to plug funding gaps and invest in new projects such as the European air defence shield after years of underinvestment.
“The mindset (at EU level) has been fundamentally changed,” Bartol said, adding that now “we are talking about new financing for defence, which was taboo a few years ago, and we are talking about innovative (financing) instruments, which was also taboo”.
The Polish ambassador did not mention any specific financing instruments, as discussions on whether to issue joint debt for defence purposes – so-called Eurobonds – remain a sensitive issue for member states such as Germany and the Netherlands.
But the EU will need to explore new funding avenues outside the common budget, Bartol said, ideally based on the forthcoming White Paper on Defence, to be presented during Commissioner Kubilius’ first three months in office.
The funds earmarked for defence in the 2021-27 EU budget amount to around €10 billion, and the next long-term EU budget, known as the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), will not kick in until 2028, with payments starting a year later at best.
Bartol argued that the EU budget, despite its crucial importance, cannot be the main tool for boosting Europe’s defence capabilities.
“Putin will not wait for the MFF and the world will not wait for the MFF,” she concluded.
World
‘Yellowstone’ Season 5 Episode 13: Craziest Moments and Burning Questions, From Beth’s Strip Poker Gamble to Kayce’s Risky Tax Scheme
SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers from the Season 5, Episode 13 episode of “Yellowstone,” “Give the World Away” which premiered Sunday, Dec. 8 on Paramount Network.
It sure looks like “Yellowstone” is gearing up for one last rodeo, but the show keeps on giving to its audience: Jamie (Wes Bentley) is sniveling to another woman! Show creator Taylor Sheridan is ripped, shirtless and yammering about corndogs! Beth (Kelly Reilly) is angrily playing strip poker! Read on for our pithy rundown of the night’s events:
- I’ve never understood if the Duttons are rich as hell or debtors with wild loans. The economics of ranch life don’t make any sense to me!
- Jamie sitting around depressed in his underwear and yelling at the TV … shouldn’t you be running around scheming or shredding more documents?
- Of course Beth has her brother saved in her phone as something profane.
- Going back to the finance issue, Beth is flying private. How do they have the money to afford that?
- I want Walker (Ryan Bingham) to comfort me after any future losses I have. His chat with Teeter (Jennifer Landon) is so soothing!
- OK so with the fire sale of everything at the Yellowstone and Rip (Cole Hauser) telling Ryan (Ian Bohen) that everyone should find new work, I guess this really is the penultimate episode. Sadly, this show is ending with bit of a whimper.
- Sheridan shows us a little more of his character Travis’ private life and he’s … a drinkin’, gamblin’, moderately irresponsible horndog? He seemed to be all business every other time we’ve seen him…
- Oh, Travis’ girlfriend is played by Bella Hadid. How did she get mixed up in this show?
- Beth has a lot of nerve asking Travis to help them without commission. I get that they’re on hard times, but you need to pay people for their work…
- C’mon, Beth — at least stay for corndogs!
- Welcome back, Christina (Katherine Cunningham). Long time no see.
- Wow, Christina’s plan for Jamie to go on the offensive is actually pretty smart.
- I’d definitely watch a prequel series following Young Rip and Young Travis.
- These announcers are stars. Have them cover other events immediately, like the Olympics or Jake Paul’s fights.
- Turnpike Troubadours? Great band! This sale is netting some real talent…
- So the season finale (and final episode?) will be John Dutton’s funeral, right?
- Beth’s solution to grief doesn’t sound too effective, but it’s very Beth!
- Episode highlight: Beth’s brutal takedown of Aaron at the bar.
- Poor Teeter. She did her best!
- It’s hard to believe that Kayce (Luke Grimes) came up with this loophole idea. Isn’t it tax fraud of some kind?
Until next week, “Yellowstone” fans!
World
South Korea imposes a travel ban on President Yoon over martial law declaration
The South Korean Justice Ministry imposed an overseas travel ban against President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday amid an investigation into allegations of rebellion and other charges over his short-lived martial law declaration.
Yoon had declared martial law last Tuesday, leading to special forces troops being deployed into the streets of Seoul and resulting in political protests.
On Saturday, Yoon escaped an opposition-led effort to impeach him, but the opposition parties pledged to issue a new impeachment motion against him this week.
Bae Sang-up, a Justice Ministry official, said at a parliamentary hearing that it banned Yoon from leaving the country after requests by police, prosecutors and an anti-corruption agency as they expand their investigations into the circumstances surrounding Yoon’s declaration.
SOUTH KOREA’S PRESIDENT YOON SURVIVES IMPEACHMENT ATTEMPT AFTER HIS PARTY BOYCOTTS VOTE
A senior National Police Agency officer told local reporters on Monday that police could also detain Yoon if conditions are met.
A sitting South Korean president has immunity from prosecution while in office, but that does not include protecting him from allegations of rebellion or treason.
Former President Park Geun-hye was thrown out of office in 2017 after being impeached by parliament over a corruption scandal. Prosecutors failed to search her office and ended up receiving documents outside the compound because presidential officials refused them entry.
After refusing to meet with prosecutors during her time in office, Park was questioned and arrested after the Constitutional Court approved her impeachment and ruled to dismiss her as president in March 2017.
SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT APOLOGIZES FOR DECLARING MARTIAL LAW AHEAD OF IMPEACHMENT VOTE
The main opposition Democratic Party called Yoon’s martial law declaration “unconstitutional, illegal rebellion or a coup.” The party has filed complaints with police against at least nine people, including Yoon and his former defense minister, over the rebellion allegations.
South Korean prosecutors detained former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun on Sunday for allegedly recommending that Yoon declare martial law, making him the first person detained in the martial law case.
The Defense Ministry last week separately suspended three top military commanders over their alleged involvement in imposing martial law.
Yoon, a conservative, apologized on Saturday for the martial law declaration, saying he will not seek to avoid legal or political responsibility for the motion. He said he would allow his party to lead the country through its political turmoil, including matters related to his term in office.
In his martial law announcement on Tuesday night, Yoon called parliament a “den of criminals” bogging down state affairs and vowed to eliminate “shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces.”
Yoon’s martial law decree only lasted six hours because the National Assembly, including some members of Yoon’s governing People Power Party, voted to reverse it, forcing Yoon’s Cabinet to lift it.
Governing party leader Han Dong-hun said Sunday his party will push for Yoon’s early and orderly exit from office in a way that minimizes social confusion and that Yoon will not be involved in state affairs, including foreign policy.
During a Monday briefing, the Defense Ministry said Yoon maintains control of the military, which the constitution explicitly reserves for the president.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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